Okay, okay, I know I promised more frequent updates, and this is more frequent, but…a little late. Yes, I've started another fanfiction, slaps self, but inspiration comes as inspiration goes. My new fic is Full Moon wo Sagashite, if you've seen it you're welcome to check out my story, it's decent, and if you haven't seen it, shame on you! Full Moon is the best anime (after Rayearth of course) sighs helplessly. Anyway! Here's the next chapter. Oh, and if any of you are reading What If Things Weren't the Same? I updated a little after chapter three of this and no one reviewed tears so… I just hope you haven't forgotten that either. Well, I'm going to apologize profusely again and shut up. Enjoy!

Chapter Four: The Road to the Golden Palace

Fuu, Umi and Hikaru eyed each other warily from their positions in the middle of the circle.

"Remember what I told you?" Clef asked, and all three nodded. "Good, now, no matter what happens during this spell do not try to help us, and forget us when you get to her world. Don't lose concentration and don't waste magic or strength."

They nodded again, and he was forced to smile at the Knights. They had come so far; he didn't doubt them. He was positive they'd pull through.

"Now, if something dire happens, link hands and Will yourself back home with all your might, but only in dire need. If you leave without confronting her, she'll know our plans, and we'll have lost the element of surprise," he coached, and despite their nervous terror, they forced themselves to remember every word. "Good luck, we all believe in you," when he spoke, everyone in the circle nodded as one. "You all know what to do," Clef made sure to meet the eyes of everyone in the circle before beginning. Each gaze looked stony, yet determined. Fuu met Ferio's eyes as he whispered good luck, Umi smiled warmly at Ascot who blushed and looked down. The Water Knight barely stifled a gasp when Caldina reached around Lafarga to poke the much taller boy in the ribs. Hikaru's eyes were all Lantis needed to see to know she had a good reason to return, so he held back Primera's hands when she raised them to give Hikaru a thumbs up. The Fire Knight lowered her head to cover her blush then slowly moved them back up to look at Eagle one last time. Their eyes met only for a split second before the circle erupted in a flame of color.

"Wow," Umi mouthed to the other two as they spun around the circle. The small, faint, white beacon at the head of the circle had to be Clef, and the sight of the flickering magic made all the Knights' hearts ache. But slowly, the beacon began to grow and turn different colors, and the three realized those in the circle were pumping raw magic into the mage.

A soft orange on his right was Presea, next to whom was Caldina (an impressive, blazing pink) making the pale gray Lafarga. Next to Lafarga, was Ascot whose magic seemed to be a deep green flecked brown and white. He was followed by Ferio, who was represented by a blazing gold, the color of his eyes. Next to Ferio stood Lantis, who was feeding dark black magic into Clef, which contrasted greatly to Primera's almost neon blue light. Primera stood shoulder to shoulder with Eagle who let loose a silvery yellow light, completing the circle.

Before their eyes had been around the circle twice, Clef was whispering almost inaudible words. But even if they could hear them, they couldn't understand them anyway.

The ground lurched under their feet, and Fuu was thrown to the smooth floor. Umi and Hikaru helped her to her feet before another thud was heard.

They spun to find that Caldina had dropped to the floor, exhausted and drained.

"Caldina!" Umi lunged for the girl, but Hikaru and Fuu held her back.

"Remember what Guru Clef said. Do not try to aid them and no matter what, keep your eye on the goal," Fuu tried her hardest to sound apathetic, but the strain in her voice expressed her true concern.

The next to drop was Primera, just before the ground lurched again, forcing Hikaru to grit her teeth and keep her feet firmly planted on the ground, despite her urge to rush over to her fallen comrade.

Umi and Fuu each put a hand on one of her shoulders and gave her a loving smile before the ground rocked one more time, and they vanished from Cephiro.

§§§

The three opened their eyes in a large desert with no signs of any kind of life for miles.

"This is strange," Hikaru commented, observing her new surroundings.

"Be on your guard. This is her world; let's just hope she doesn't know we're in it," Umi warned, and the other two nodded.

Subconsciously, all three drew closer together. They weren't supposed to draw their weapons, in fear they might attract her attention, and they needed her to be off-guard to have any kind of chance on her own turf. Still, the comfort of the steel in their hands would have been much appreciated. Unfortunately, that didn't seem an option at the time, so they used one another for comfort instead.

Three hours later, they were parched and exhausted and there was still no sign of life anywhere.

"We're going to die if we don't get water soon," Umi tried to wet her lips with a dry tongue. "People don't live long in places like this for a reason."

"But there's no way out," Hikaru's eyes stared blankly at the horizon. They'd been walking for hours; still, the desert could be huge. It could take days to walk across, but even she wouldn't pretend they could live days without water.

"Umi-san, what are you doing?" Fuu inquired when Umi bent down and began digging a hole in the sand with her fingers.

"I'm going to put water in it," Umi responded simply.

"Oh…wait…water from where?" Fuu persisted.

"My hands," Umi answered.

"Oh…wait…no!" Fuu screamed and smacked Umi's hand down, sending her to ground.

"Are you crazy?" Umi demanded, rubbing her hand while she stood.

"Umi-san, water from your hand means magic!" Fuu informed her.

"Would you rather see us die?" Umi countered.

"We could go back," Hikaru whispered her suggestion.

"We're not going back," Fuu declared. "I've thought of something."

The two neared eagerly, ready to hear anything to get them out of this desert.

"Clef told us we needed to keep our mind focused on the target. Have either of you been thinking of Mala yet?"

Both shook their heads.

"Didn't think so, I haven't been either. We need to; all of us need to think of her. Keep her in your mind, her image, if we're all thinking of her, we'll all get closer. That's what Guru Clef meant."

"If you say so," Umi looked at her skeptically.

"We should at least try," Hikaru smiled, and they both nodded and closed their eyes, bringing a picture of Mala into their mind, letting that one image or memory consume them. All three began walking forward, but with their eyes closed they didn't realize that Fuu was the first to disappear, followed by Hikaru, while Umi walked alone for a few more feet until she disappeared as well.

§§§

Fuu opened her eyes when she felt the shift and realized she was in a gorgeous world. She gasped and laughed her joy at what surrounded her. There were waterfalls and luscious greens all around her. Butterflies frolicked nearby and the water ran so blue she could have sworn it was something out of Umi's fingers. Umi…she turned and searched for the other two but they were nowhere in sight. We must have gotten separated, she thought absently. We need to get back together. The thought seemed to consume her as she headed forward, walking aimlessly, with no direction in her head. Soon, her feet were throbbing and her head was spinning, so she opted to go and get a drink from the nearby stream.

She bent down and cupped the water in her hands, bringing it to her lips, but when she looked down at it, the stream had turned a milky red color. She screamed and jumped away, dropping the blood back into the stream. Her eyes spun as she saw snakes dangling from vines and bugs swimming on the ground. Her heart began to race. She needed to get out, so she ran forward, beetles hissing in her ears. It was then that she realized that they had dropped onto her and were all over her body. Giant spiders and centipedes zooming around her body, each one more disgusting than the last. A snake slipped around her arm, and she threw it off, trying desperately to rid herself of the bugs that were now inside her clothing. Her breath picked up, and she became faint.

They're just animals, she tried to calm herself, they're just…A sharp pain in her leg made her realize there were scorpions in this mess as well.

Scorpions live in the desert. Her mind clicked. The desert, yes…She closed her eyes and tried to calm herself, tried desperately not feel the legs that tiptoed all around her. Instead, she brought another horrifying image to mind, one of Mala. Once it was solid, and she knew that was the woman she had to find, she raced forward and the scenery shifted once more, the legs had vanished, and she was able to let out a sigh of relief.

§§§

Hikaru blinked and looked around. This isn't any better than the desert, she thought glumly to herself, surveying her surroundings. The plains seemed to last for miles upon miles, everything blurring together in the heat of the sun. She squinted to try and see the object moving ahead of her, but could barely catch it. Shrugging to herself, she began to wander ahead, hoping to find Fuu and Umi nearby.

Before she knew it, she was in the ground, unable to think, unable to breathe. Something was on top of her, clawing at her angrily. She hit it hard, groaning and rolling away, pulling herself up to stare at her attacker. A large cat, much like the one in her dream, was staring her down with unblinking eyes. Her first instinct was to go for her sword, but a quick reminder told her that wouldn't be wise. She looked around but all she saw was grass, and the thing was struggling up, vengeance in its eye. Think Hikaru, she urged herself, but there was nothing. She had no sword, no magic and there was nothing in the distance for miles. What could she do but face it in hand to paw battle?

She braced herself for impact as it lunged toward her throat. Before it could hit her, she jumped into it, throwing herself at the creature's chest, and with her small weight, managed to knock it to the ground, but not for long. Huge paws conditioned for power and speed fell upon her face, ripping at her flesh and making her scream in agony. Her muscles ached, her body was sore and there was nothing she could do except accept death and hope Umi and Fuu made it out all right. Umi-chan…Fuu-chan…I failed…

This isn't you Hikaru! Her mind shouted angrily, forcing her to knock the creature back once more. Think!

"I'm trying!" Hikaru screamed, then, remembered what Fuu had said. As the cat leapt one final time, she brought up the picture of Mala in her head and began to charge forward. She made it so she couldn't even pray the thing wasn't gaining on her. All her mind was focused on that one thing- getting to Mala.

It wasn't until moments later that she opened her eyes and found a vicious predator was no longer chasing her, but she was with Fuu-chan, both looking dazed and confused.

"Fuu-chan," she choked, and her friend turned to stare in horror at her bloodied face.

"Hikaru-san what happened?" Fuu demanded, and Hikaru managed to get out the story.

"I'll heal-" Fuu stopped…"I'm sorry…"

"It's okay, they're not too deep. We'll just wait for Umi-chan and go find some water," Hikaru insisted, and Fuu nodded, eyeing Hikaru warily.

It was then that Hikaru realized Fuu looked very shaken up herself, and there were small holes in her legs and arms. "Fuu-chan, what happened to you?"

Fuu shuddered violently and recounted the story of her experiences, "I sucked out the venom, so I should be all right. It didn't do much damage, except mentally."

Hikaru eyed Fuu warily, but both agreed to wait for Umi before moving on. They didn't want to be separated ever again, not out here.

§§§

Umi wrapped her arms around herself, trying to shelter her body from the piercing cold. One minute a desert, the next minute this! She growled angrily at the heavens. She was in an arctic tundra, or what she thought to be an arctic tundra at least. There was no trace of life, only her and the ice she was walking on. Her small skirt and short sleeve shirt were no help in the cold either, yet she forced herself to trudge miserably on, in the hope that maybe she would find Fuu and Hikaru in this damned wasteland.

She'd been walking for nearly twenty minutes when she noticed she couldn't feel her feet, and her hands were not coming unstuck from her arms. Her teeth had given up chattering by now, and the wind was picking up. She needed to find some place to stay, but there was no shelter in sight. But of course, it's only when you think that things can't get worse, that they do. Almost out of nowhere, an ice and windstorm began. The ice that rained down on her was so sharp that it ripped at her already numb flesh. Fortunately for her, the blood froze before she could lose too much of it.

She wanted to cry, but her tears froze on her face. She wanted to scream, but her voice had long since left her. She wanted to just lay down and die, but she had a mission to accomplish, so she trudged forward, Hikaru…Fuu…She imagined them and prayed they were all right, prayed with all her heart to find them soon, to get out of this frozen hell. She laughed weakly, or it would have been a laugh if her throat wasn't frozen shut. When hell freezes over, that might actually be worse…

Fuu, Hikaru! Please be near! I can't take much more of this…As her thoughts of her friends consumed her, her world began to shift. She barely noticed it with her head down and her body headed forward, but suddenly, there was no cold or wet, suddenly, she realized she had fingers and there were two warm bodies around her to melt away the ice that was frozen to her body.

"Umi-san!"

"Umi-chan!"

"Fuu? Hikaru?" she looked up and smiled at them through frozen eyelashes, "I didn't think I'd find you." When she spoke, her teeth started chattering again, which she took as a good sign.

"Oh Umi-chan," Hikaru whispered. "I'll make a fi-" she stopped. "Gomen, but…"

"I know," Umi stammered through jittery teeth. "It's all right, I'll be fine in a few minutes."

"I hope you don't get sick," Fuu commented. "Come on, we'll keep you warm," so the three huddled together in a tight ball, keeping Umi warm and protected, and she thanked them weakly. She had been granted with such wonderful friends…

Half an hour later, Umi was thawed out, and Hikaru was bandaged as best as they could bandage her with tourniquets made from pieces of clothing. Finally, Umi was able to see what they were dealing with. A straight road and dead ahead lie a shimmering golden palace, "That's it?"

The other two nodded, "It's gaudy enough," Hikaru commented spitefully, and Umi laughed weakly.

"That it is, so…tacky," she stuck her tongue out in disgust, and Fuu giggled softly.

"Shall we go?" Fuu suggested, and they agreed and began the long walk to the castle ahead.

§§§

Ferio paced the room angrily.

"Ferio, settle down, you're making us all nervous," Clef scolded harshly, but all Ferio did was look up and snarl at the master mage. Sit down! Hah, how could the old man be so calm? But on second look, Ferio realized the mage was not calm at all. His hair was unkempt, and his eyes were hollow. His hands wound around his staff so tightly his knuckles were white. No, he was just as worried as the rest of them. Even the seemingly apathetic Lantis was noticeably worried. Primera was comforting him softly by the fire. He just stared at her, hand on the huge fireplace, sighing to himself.

Eagle was in no better condition than Ferio. Lafarga had taken him outside nearly an hour ago to practice, hoping to let them both wear off some extra energy. Eagle had been pacing much harder than Ferio, and Lafarga couldn't stand the swooshing of his cloak any longer.

Presea and Caldina were sitting on a couch near the fire, staring worriedly into the flames. Both had cups of tea in their hands, but neither seemed to have taken a single sip. And Ascot…Ferio looked around. Ascot had disappeared. They all guessed he was outside with one of his creatures, looking for comfort. Ferio didn't blame him; he wished he had some idea of how Fuu was doing, any hint of anything! Yet, there was nothing, nothing that wouldn't give them away. They just had to trust the girls. He trusted Fuu, and Hikaru and Umi too, but…they were on enemy territory and…so many things could go wrong. He scolded himself again, no, he wouldn't think about what could go wrong. Nothing would go wrong; they were strong. All of them were strong, they'd come back, his princess would surely return.

Princess…he sighed softly to himself, funny to hear that, yet…It wasn't her title yet, but…she would say yes, wouldn't she? He twisted the box in his pocket around and around, hoping that it would give him some of the answers he sought. Worry about that when she gets back Ferio, he chided, nodding to himself.

"Ferio, you're pacing so much you're getting dizzy. I just saw you argue with yourself," Clef snapped, and Ferio blushed and glowered at him again.

"I'm surprised you haven't broken your staff with that grip yet Clef," he commented dryly, and Clef's grip immediately loosened. He didn't blush as Ferio had, but the split-second surprise on his face was reward enough. Ferio allowed himself a small smirk and returned to his pacing. Clef didn't have anything more to say after that.