A long chapter! I'm so proud of myself, especially after the last chapter. Okay, it wasn't exactly the best thing I've ever written, but I have a really hard time with plotholes, and I was in a rush to update; it was the end of class. Anyway, this is the longest thing I've ever written at once. w00t! Also, domo arigatou, Blackrose108, for editing the early version. The mistake (coughcough) wouldn't have been changed if not for her, so everyone say "thank you" to her right now.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything, obviously.


"But..." whispered Fuu, "how will we get there?"

"Don't worry! That's one of Mokona's 108 secret techniques!"

And indeed it was, for before the girls could protest, Mokona had sucked them and Syaoran into his enormous world-traveling mouth, which he clamped shut happily. Then he, too, disappeared into the light of the magic circle that had appeared below him. Luckily, they landed on Clow on the first try, instead of jumping around between worlds. Umi and Fuu were not used to the conditions of time-space traveling, and when Mokona landed, the girls were tumbled together in a heap. Syaoran, accustomed to the turbulence, landed on his feet with a practiced grace, but just barely. As Mokona's wings retracted, Fuu's eyes drifted around the forest they were in.

"Is this… Clow?" she asked, curious. Having never time-space traveled before, she and Umi didn't know what to expect. Neither of them could see any type of habitation through the thick trees.

"I still can't get used to it," Syaoran muttered. In a louder voice he answered, "Yes, this is Clow, but the trees are out of place. My country is supposed to be a desert! …Emeraude and her meddling ways…"

Now, Umi spoke. "So, Hikaru is here?" But before Syaoran could answer, the trio (plus Mokona) heard a rustling in the dark recesses of the surrounding forest. Startled, Umi clung to Fuu while Syaoran's guard went up. They saw an approaching shadow, and Umi hung on tighter as it got closer.

The figure stopped, and a white gloved hand reached through the leaves. The hand parted the canopy to reveal a woman dressed in light armor and boots. Her blond hair was swept back in a ponytail that draped over her shoulder. The woman's passive face looked oddly familiar to Syaoran, and when he figured it out, he gasped in surprise.

"Presea? How did you grow up so fast?"

Her expression turned somber as she answered. "Fifteen years have passed since you last came, Syaoran. The Most High Princess of Cephiro has almost cemented her control of the land. About five years ago, she acquired a world traveling magic that she used to gain outside forces. The land was overrun."

"Fifteen… years… Was I gone so long? I suppose time is irrelevant…" With a sharp pang, Syaoran remembered. "Sakura! How is she?"

Presea closed her eyes and sighed. Her voice shook ever so slightly as she offered, "She… was never found. Neither was Clef, though I have heard rumors that he is living in the deep forests." She gave a bitter laugh. "Myself, I have a small hideaway not far from here. Emeraude has truly lost her wits. Many villagers have fled to the safety of the trees."

"But, Presea, how is your family? After the... accident, I-"

She had placed her hand over his mouth. "Please, don't talk about my parents." Her eyes and tone begged him not to continue. Relaxing, Syaoran let the subject go. She smiled painfully, trying to keep the tears in her eyes from pouring out.

Turning her face toward the trees, she announced, "Now that you have returned, we can continue our efforts."

"Who's 'we'?" Syaoran asked, puzzled.

"You can come out, now," Presea called.

A lithe, shadowed form hopped down from the top of the tree behind Fuu, and Umi screamed in fright.

"Now, lady, there's no need to be afraid. I won't harm you unless you're working for my sister." It was a man slightly older than Syaoran, and he sported an 'X' shaped scar on his cheek. His friendly-yet-sly face was framed by green hair also tiedin a ponytail. He carried a huge curved sword strapped to his back. It was a wonder he was able to move at all, for he also wore armor over his heavy clothes.

Presea smiled. "This is Ferio. He's the brother of Emeraude, but thank the rune-gods he isn't like her at all. We're lucky to have him on the side of the rebels." He grinned in response to the introduction, lightening the mood with his presence.

"We should get moving," Presea continued. "I want you to meet the rest of our motley group." She led the way into the trees, slipping through the foliage almost soundlessly. Syaoran immediately followed her, with Mokona on his shoulder, but as Ferio turned to go, he noticed Umi and Fuu, immobile.

"Come on, let's go!" he called. As if waking up, they scurried after him, but Fuu was hesitant.

"Why are we just blindly trusting you? For all I know, you could be a cold-blooded killer just waiting to betray us. I-" She was interrupted as Ferio drew his sword.

"Don't move."

He leapt toward her, blade extended. Fuu froze in panic until she realized: Ferio was going past her; he sailed over her shoulder and sliced at the space behind her. A deep groan reverberated in the air as a massive flower with a '2' on its forehead fell to the ground, neatly cleaved in half. Then, he straightened, after wiping his sword, and tugged Fuu along with him, saying, "It's not safe here. Hurry; we're going to be late!"

Fuu let herself be pulled by Ferio, rethinking her words. It seemed that he could be trusted after all. If she was stuck on this world, then she had better make friends rather than enemies, because after Ferio's sword, she was sure that any one of them could kill her in an instant.

-0-0-0-

When the paralysis had worn off, Hikaru immediately began to move. But she had stood up too fast, and her legs cramped, which forced her to sit. Eventually, the pain subsided to a dull throb, and she could stretch them carefully without causing herself agony. It was then that she took stock of her surroundings. She appeared to be in a prison cell, complete with a small cot and tiny window. The heavy steel door was bolted firmly shut from the outside, and the window was so high up that she couldn't reach it with her arms outstretched. But that wasn't saying much, because she was less than five feet tall. Sometimes, Hikaru felt frustrated with her height. Obviously, this was one of those times. She had to admit, though, there were advantages of the vertically challenged.

Someone slid the heavy bolt away and the door creaked open with the squeak of unoiled hinges. The lady with the blond hair stepped in, with a disdainful air. "So, how are you feeling?" she asked Hikaru, trying to sound kindly, but a few traces of haughtiness lingered in her voice. "Now, now, don't be so hasty," she added, when Hikaru whirled around with a hostile gleam in her eye. "I am Princess Emeraude of Cephiro. I have a proposition for you." Hikaru relaxed, but just slightly, and the princess continued. "How would you like to join me? I have heard of your fighting abilities from dear Zagato, and I thought you would be a valuable addition to my forces. You'll be paid well, and you will even be able to eat at my table."

Hikaru spurned the offer instantly. "Of course not! Why would I join you? You imprisoned me here, after all."

Here, Emeraude's expression changed to a devious smirk. "You must know by now that I am the most powerful sorceress in the realm. Why, I believe that I could even… find your parents…" She let the last statement drift as she watched Hikaru's face.

"How did you know about that?"

Her crafty grin deepened. "I'm a princess, after all. I can travel between worlds, and I command vast armies. Do you think I can't find them?"

"I…"

"So?" Emeraude extended a dainty hand to Hikaru.

"Well…"

"Quickly; I don't have all day." She shook her hand impatiently. Then, Hikaru's small, calloused fingers slipped into hers.

"Excellent…"

-0-0-0-

He had felt the shift in time-space when a portal had formed. After the many years he had spent in the forest, he was very close to the land. So close, that he could determine the number of travelers that had come.

One, two, three, and four.

He thought he recognized the aura of the third one, but it was probably someone that he didn't know very well. They weren't very far from here, and-

Two others have met them already.

Those people he knew at least: Presea the artisan and Prince Ferio. He'd met with her a few times; she would visit him often, but she had been his only visitor. Now four of them were moving. But the fourth that had landed was exuding a strange aura. There really wasn't an aura, more like an alien magic. The last two had followed the rest of them into the trees. It was time to pay a visit. After all these years spent here, he would finally leave the little place that he'd claimed long ago. He carefully took down the magic staff that he'd made himself. Even after his mentor had died, he still continued his lessons of magic. Though no other knew it, he was more proficient in the arts than the princess herself. Perhaps it had been the time he had spent beside an object of power that had heightened his senses and shaped his magic, perhaps it was his diligent studying. But no matter the format, he had still gained an immense amount of innate ability and skill.

Time to put the fruits of my efforts to work.

Unfurling his heavy traveling cloak, Clef set out to intercept the ones newly arrived to his forest.

-0-0-0-

Presea walked purposefully, with Syaoran and Mokona keeping up well. Umi trotted behind them, and she kept glancing over her shoulder to see where Fuu was. Soon, Fuu and Ferio emerged from the trees behind Umi. "We're almost there," Presea called over her shoulder, for the benefit of Umi, who had been previously complaining. She pulled aside a leafy branch that hung in their path, and a discreet campground was revealed. A brown and green house stood in the center while small huts and tents were clustered around separate fire pits. Presea led them down the hill that they were on into the central building. A familiar sight greeted two of them.

"Guru Clef!" Presea exclaimed, rushing to his side.

"Don't call me that, Presea. I'm not that old yet. I see you have returned, Syaoran." He trained his owl-like eyes on him for a full minute before taking in the rest of the group. "So… Umi, right? And, let's see… Fuu. It's nice to see you, Prince Ferio."

The girls gasped in shock while the faintest flicker of emotion passed over Syaoran's face. Was this the Clef that had been High Priest Yukito's apprentice?

Ferio spat on the floor in anger. "Don't call me that," he growled. "I've left the royal house for good already."

Mokona waved his stubby arm indignantly. "What about Mokona?"

"S-sir," Fuu stammered, "How did you know my name?" Umi added on her sentiments. "Yeah, that was really weird."

Guru Clef smiled at them. "I read your aura. You see," he continued, when he saw the confusion on the girls' faces, "your aura is your essence. If you are skilled enough, you would be able to read the aura of every one in here." He gestured to the eating hall, where clusters of people sat at wooden tables. "You two… I can sense great magic, but you are yet unskilled. You have come here from a different world, yes?"

Umi gasped. "Do you know everything?"

He chuckled. "No, not everything. The earth told me. Anyway, now that you are here, Emeraude likely will not let you leave, which means that you must fight with the rebels if you want to return to your home." That being said, Clef stood from his chair. "I must teach you the skills you will need to survive."

"Wait, Guru! Have you eaten yet?" Presea asked.

"No. And, Presea, please take good care of the white creature on Syaoran's shoulder."

He led the two teenagers out of the central hall and into the forest before Presea could protest further. Strangely, Umi and Fuu both felt that they could trust him, even though they had just met him. This "rebel camp" was become stranger by the minute. Clef led them past mages, summoners, and warriors alike. All powers mingled here, brought together by a common dislike of Princess Emeraude.

"Your first lesson will be this: learn to control your aura."


I'm so happy that I'm finally out of a rut and progressing normally again. Thank you for reading, and please review!

Merodi-chan, 12.3.05