"There are going to be some serious changes around here!" Emeraude declared. "From now on, everyone shall refer to me as the Most High Princess of Cephiro. Oh, and raise the taxes 20 percent. I want to build a new garden."
Inwardly, she snickered at the nobles who bowed before the golden throne she sat on.
They'll never suspect... Heh...
-0-0-0-
We must find a third, to complete the power. Soon...
-0-0-0-
Hikaru forced herself to concentrate on her kendou studies, so she wouldn't think about her family. She hardly spoke to them these days, and if she did, it was short and minced. Naturally, Umi and Fuu fretted over their friend's emotional state. But whenever they asked her, she would brush it off with a forced smile, or a sudden change of subject. Still, they could sense that something was wrong, from Hikaru's drastic change in behavior.
She continued to go through her life in her half-depressed, half-normal, state, careful not show her true emotions. After all, they probably wouldn't understand, or force her to go to counseling. No one saw the tears that poured out when she was alone; no one was there to reassure her, or comfort her. Hikaru struggled to hold on to her will to live.
-0-0-0-
Just as he was about to set off with Mokona, a glowing feather floated down from the gray skies to land on Syaoran's hand. He immediately recognized it as Sakura's, having spent enough time searching for those elusive memories.
What is... No! She couldn't have...
Mokona's eyes popped out, and it exclaimed, "Sakura-chan's feather!"
The feather lifted from his hand, still glowing brightly, and merged with his sword, which now resembled a rapier, light, thin, yet powerful. The sheath also changed, to reflect the size of his new blade. The red jewel on the hilt glimmered with the afterglow of the transformation.
Syaoran hefted the sword, examining its new look.
Is this... her feather's power?
"Wowowow!" Mokona yelled. "Sakura-chan's feather is amazing!"
From the shelter of the porch awning, Yuuko applauded the unexpected magic while Watanuki stared.
The sword only served to harden Syaoran's resolve.
"With this gift from Sakura, I'm definately ready to go! Come on, Mokona!"
Waving good-bye and thanks to the Time-Space Witch and her hired help, Syaoran was sucked into Mokona's portal.
-0-0-0-
Outside, within the gray stone walls of the courtyard, Emeraude stood at the dark portal she had created, the one that led to another world. A grotesque, brownish, mud monster stood behind her, as well as Zagato, who held a chain connected to a metal collar on the monster's neck.
"Zagato, do you understand your orders?"
"Of course, Your Majesty."
Emeraude's eyes flashed at this. "Have you forgotten already? You must refer to me as the Most High Princess of Cephiro!"
"...Yes, Most High Princess."
"Good." She smiled grimly. "Then I'll send you on your way. Do not fail me, Zagato."
She waved her hand, and Zagato entered the portal, dragging the monster behind him. The darkness swallowed them up, and Emeraude sat down, anticipating this first small victory.
-0-0-0-
The three friends walked home from school together in silence, as the mood had been lately. Hikaru had acquired a cynical and distrustful look in her eyes that permeated her manner almost completely. Umi opened her mouth to say something, but closed it after a second thought. She decided to talk to Fuu instead.
"I'm really worried about Hikaru. She didn't used to be like this," she whispered to Fuu.
Fuu nodded back and was about to respond when the air around them grew still. A small black dot appeared in the air and steadily got bigger in a swirl of darkness.
Suddenly, a brown, ugly, yellow-toothed head emerged from what was now a hole through mists of dark magic and emitted a hoarse, grating growl.
Umi screamed and covered her ears. The monster slowly came through fully, and it shook the earth as its heavy feet slapped the ground. A shiver of fear ran through Fuu's body, as she saw the head of the monster rear towards Umi. Fuu felt frozen in her fear, except for one thought.
Protect...
The last thing the mysterious face had told her.
Fuu harbored a desire to protect her friends, of that she was sure, but how? The monster that reached for Umi towered over the three of them. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the Hikaru had snapped out of her gloom to assume a fighting stance in front of Umi.
How do I protect them? How? I need a weapon, or something...
Panicking, Fuu looked around desperately for anything she could use.
Spirit, wind, whatever you are, please HELP!
A pale green light began to glow in front of her. It formed into a bow and quiver, which solidified before her eyes. Fuu grabbed on to it, and without thinking, fitted an arrow to the string, and pulled it back.
Her arrow hit the monster squarely in the eye. It bellowed and reared back, clawing at the painful obstruction. Immediately assured by the success of this action, Fuu nocked another bolt.
Umi, realizing that Fuu had used powers she hadn't had before, came to the conclusion that the wind must have given those powers to Fuu, and that she must also have powers, due to the water that had swamped her some weeks ago.
If that's the case, then...
Umi squeezed her eyes shut and wished hard. Seconds later, a beam of blue light twisted into a rapier, which fit comfortably in her hand. Flourishing her new weapon, Umi settled into a familiar fencing position.
"En Garde!"
-0-0-0-
Syaoran fell out of the portal into a relatively soft landing. He dusted himself off, and Mokona fell on top of him, effectively canceling out the previous action. Standing up, he stared through the trees, trying to tell what world he had landed on.
His vision was limited, but he could see a dot of black appear in the distance and swell magically. He thought he recognized it, from when he was forced from what he considered his homeland.
Emeraude?
A large, bulky shape pulled itself out of what he supposed was a portal, and a man dressed in heavy black robes soon followed. The man immediately ducked into the trees, to hide himself. The monster (Syaoran decided to call it so) pounded its clumpy feet on the ground, creating an tremor that shook the earth. The mysterious man looked very familiar, somehow.
Is that... Zagato? We didn't see him on Emeraude's parade or while we were in Clow, and I remember him as Emeraude's follower. What's he doing here?
Mokona hopped onto his shoulder to get a better look. "Syaoran, Syaoran! Look, who's that?" It paused, and then its eyes bulged. "I sense one... two... three... four feathers! Hurry, Syaoran, four feathers!"
Syaoran slowly drew his sword, careful not to draw attention to himself.
I'm sure he's up to no good...
-0-0-0-
Magical weapons? I was told that the inhabitants of this world were not that powerful. No matter. I, High Priest Zagato, shall crush them like insects. Princess Emeraude's orders were to find the artifact, but there's no harm in having a little fun, first.
The air around Zagato's hands crackled with concentrated energies as he focused his power to enhance the abilities of his monster.
-0-0-0-
A huge claw struck the concrete as Fuu nimbly dodged the attack. She leaped to one side and fired another arrow. It pierced the monster's thick hide, causing it to groan in pain, as it was vulnerable to magical attacks. Suddenly, it seemed to recieve a power boost, and the claw that Fuu had evaded earlier snapped through the air and swept her to the ground, pinning her.
"Ahh!" screamed Fuu. She struggled vainly to escape the monster's hold.
Umi, seeing her friend in trouble, tried to summonthe strength to enter the fight. Truth be told, she was afraid. Afraid of the monster, afraid of hurting the monster, afraid of getting hurt. But her fear for Fuu was great enough to provoke her actions. Realizing that ordinary fencing techniques weren't going to work against this foe, she modified her style a bit.
Taking a deep breath (and a huge gamble), she ran toward the monster. As she moved, she felt the sensation of someone or something guiding her movements, so that they resembled flowing water.The creaturesaw her, as she hoped, and lifted the claw that trapped Fuu to strike at Umi, giving Fuu enough time to scramble away.
Rescue...
Umi's thin blade slashed the monster's arm, and the creature bellowed louder. The sound wave turned out to be a weapon in itself, for Umi was blown back a ways, as was Fuu.
Hikaru stood in the midst of this battle, watching her friends conjure weapons and fight. A wave of loneliness swept through her heart again.
Wh-why should I feel this way, at a time like this? It's not...
She clenched her fists, trying to force the emotion to disappear, but it stubbornly refused.
So what if they have special weapons and I don't? I'm still...
Determined not to let the welling tears overflow, Hikaru straightened her posture. She had to fight, when her friends were in danger. But she had no weapon!
Umi's cry of surprise and pain fueled her resolve. Though she was not armed, Hikaru drew upon the karate skills that had been beaten into her from a young age. Of course, she felt more comfortable with at least a kendou practice sword, but there was no alternative.
Fuu continued to shoot deadly shafts of wind at the monster, but she was becoming less and less effective. The creature had acquired a speed burst somewhere, and now it either evaded or snapped her arrows. Umi was being blocked similarily, and she frequented the air with her voice in cries of pain.
"Hikaru!" Fuu detected the figure of her friend join the battle. "Don't-" She cut off as Hikaru turned back to her for an instant. Fuu caught the look on Hikaru's face, and changed her statement. "Don't get hurt!"
The disappoinment showed on Hikaru's face, though her friends couldn't see it.
My own friends don't have faith in me? Th-that can't be true! She's just worried, that's all...
-0-0-0-
Syaoran had begun to make his way through the forest when he saw Zagato, but when he watched the girls fight, he sped up. They would need all the help they could get if they were fighting Zagato. Mokona, the useless blob, hung on to his shoulders, trying not to fall off.
"Whee! Faster, faster!"
-0-0-0-
Zagato noticed that the third girl had moved, finally. He sensed an uncertainness from her, and also a great source of power. Immediately, he was certain.
She has the artifact! This is good. Now I can capture her and return to the princess.
Raising his hands, he crafted a net out of his dark magic.
