This chapter was way longer than I'd first thought... I didn't even write the other half that I'd planned for it. Oh, and thanks to Blackrose108 for editing my draft again.
Disclaimer: Everything belongs to CLAMP-sama...
"Your first lesson will be this: learn to control your aura."
-0-0-0-
Emeraude sat in her personal chambers, after transferring Hikaru to a room near hers. It was lucky that the girl had joined her; she was getting tired of Zagato's failures. With the power of fire that she had felt in Hikaru, Emeraude was sure of more success. Perhaps this girl would lead time-space campaigns in order to search for the feathers. Yes, she would be very useful indeed, especially when the bait was held right in front of her face. But then, there was the matter of mastery. Though Hikaru held a huge store of magic, it would be no use unless she was taught to use it. And increase came through control, so if Hikaru were taught, Emeraude would have even more magic to steal.
She began to make plans for Hikaru, starting with the next day. Hikaru would study under the tutelage of the most powerful sorceress in Cephiro. Emeraude started to laugh quietly; there was only one other that she had taught. A rivalry would soon develop between them, and the princess was eager to see which would emerge as the stronger.
-0-0-0-
"Now, reach out with your heart; that's where the center of your magic is. Shape your power; hold it in your control." Clef watched over his new pupils. Teaching came naturally to him, though he never had before. Amused, his eyes swept over Fuu, ever diligent, and then Umi. Umi was fidgeting, and she wore a frustrated expression.
"I can't feel it!" she exclaimed, lower lip stuck out in a pout. They'd been sitting there for hours, now, and her legs had gone numb quite a while ago. Frankly, Umi thought this boring and useless. Wasn't ice cream, specifically, Haagen Dazs, much better?
Just then, Fuu's aura disappeared. Startled, Clef glanced over at the blond girl. She seemed to be alright, but... "You were only supposed to try to sense the aura of the tree behind me."
"I know, sir, but hiding my aura just came naturally." Fuu answered. It was hard not to smile; she could hardly contain the joy in her heart. She'd always been the scholar of the group, and learning was one of her favorite pastimes. It had been quite an easy task to complete what Clef had initially set before them, so she had played around with her energy for a bit. For her, controlling her aura was very much like sculpting or making dough. Visualizing change was enough to change its form, and the shape it took was one of translucent green glowing waves that were similar to silk scarves. In order to conceal her aura, she had pulled all of the power toward a center and compressed it.
Umi settled back into her place on the forest floor, determined to at least connect with her aura. Concentrating, she tentatively reached out with her heart and felt nothing, until she was ready to give up once again. As she was beginning to retract her awareness, the sensation of flowing waves touched the edges of her heart. "That's it," she heard Clef murmur behind her, "reach out further; immerse yourself." She tried to obey, launching herself forward. Unfortunately, she had physically lunged forward, while her legs were crossed, and she ended up flat on her face. Spitting dirt out of her mouth, Umi scowled. Fuu giggled lightly while Clef just smiled as she picked herself up. If that was the result, then she definitely didn't want to learn magic. She was just about to say so when she unconsciously touched the water again. Suddenly filled with the sense of power, Umi was motionless as the feeling coursed through her. "I want to learn more magic," she heard herself say, and Clef's knowing eyes lit up again.
-0-0-0-
Zagato roamed the palace, trying to formulate a plan that would bring himself back into Emeraude's favor. He knew that he had to collect the rest of the power that had been lost for fifteen years, but the last time he had tried, his attempt had blown up in his face. This time, he needed to take competent subordinates with him. Time-space missions weren't like the ones he had done before. The power that he had procured for the princess had been in Cephiro, so there had been no need for taking extra men with him. He had had the option of calling for reinforcements. But in time-space, only a certain number of people could accompany him for a certain amount of power spent. The idea was to take few, but with greater ability, and the monster was supposed to be just that. But the appearance of magic had ruined all of his carefully made plans, and he had returned home almost empty handed.
"High Priest Zagato," a respectful voice behind him said, "the Most High Princess Emeraude wishes to see you in the Great Hall."
Thanking the servant, Sol Zagato turned and entered the massive wooden double doors that filled the giant arch of the entrance to the Great Hall. His feet followed the soft, high-quality velvet red carpet lined with gold stitching that led to Emeraude's throne. As he approached her, Zagato knelt before his princess.
Instead of greeting him as she typically did, Emeraude said, in a bored tone, "Zagato, as of today, you are relieved of your usual duties." She continued, ignoring his look of shock. "I have found another one who seems to be much more promising than you." Emeraude gestured to someone behind the throne, and a young girl stepped out. Zagato could hardly recognize the girl he had abducted for his princess. Gone were the ratty clothes that had been torn in their fight. Shenow donned a luxurious blue robe that was lined with white silk and it clasped at the throat with a golden catch that sported a gleaming ruby in the center. Her hair was brushed so that it appeared the softest in the world, and it was adorned with garnet clips. Far from looking like a peasant, this girl now seemed as high a noble as Emeraude herself.
"How can this slight girl be a better general than me?" Zagato stuttered. He was the High Priest, after all. No one, save the princess, should have more magic or power than him. Yet here he was, his post usurped by a mere child that he had brought here himself. Oh, the indignity of it all!
He was about to say more, but Emeraude silenced him with a wave of her hand. "Dismissed, Zagato. Go back to your room and sit, if you wish, but you are no longer needed."
Face burning with embarrassment, he could only bow deeply and comply. Enjoy Her Highness's good graces while you can, little girl, he thought darkly, before I find a way to get my place back!
-0-0-0-
Presea unrolled the large map of Cephiro that the rebels kept. It was the only one they had, illegality making it hard for them to acquire an abundance of such supplies. She laid it carefully before Syaoran, on the large table made expressly for such uses. There were already some dots on the map, but those were removable, as none had wanted to damage the precious chart. "Now, you'll-" she began, but Syaoran cut her off.
"First, tell me what has happened in my absence," he said gently. "From the beginning." She swallowed nervously, as the day he had been exiled was burned vividly in her mind, literally.
She started the tale with the death of her parents and the former High Priest Yukito. Miraculously, the tears did not come this time. Then, she went on to how she ran into the forest seeking safety from the monarch who had so casually destroyed her family and home. As luck would have it, she met Clef the second morning she was there. He helped her build the first hut of many that would eventually stand in that place, and for a while, he watched over her. Then, as she grew up and was able to fend for herself, he returned to the Sacred Fountain and stayed there for days at a time. So she would visit him instead. She was the only one who watched while he perfected his magic, and the first to call him Guru. Later, as Emeraude threatened the well-being of more and more people, they also fled into the thick flora. Presea had found all of them one by one and brought them here, and it became the center of a new village. Some of the more active ones had cried out for rebellion, and soon, all of the villagers there supported the cause. The village turned into an army camp, filled with all classes of warriors. But they lacked the resources and strategic planning that would ensure their success.
"So, where do I come in?" Syaoran asked in a quiet voice.
"You will be one of our commanding officers. I have no doubt that you've had plenty of experience fighting," she continued when he protested, "and you will be a great asset to our strength and morale. Imagine the pride they'd feel if they were led by one who had fought Emeraude face to face and survived. Please, help us?"
Her speech as well as his loathing of Emeraude finally persuaded him. "Alright, I'll do it."
-0-0-0-
Mokona had made several rounds of the camp by now, and he was getting bored. The people here weren't fun like Fai and Kurogane. He longed for someone to play with, and hopping onto a large branch, he caught sight of a brown-skinned woman. Her pink hair swayed in the breezed as she twirled in a dance that would have made Mokona very dizzy. "She looks like fun!" he exclaimed, and bounded down to meet her.
"Hi," he shouted, "I'm Mokona Modoki! What's your name?"
She jerked in surprise, and in doing so, skipped the dance step that would have ended with both feet safely on the ground. She fell instead on the packed dirt in a heap. Dusting herself off, she sprang upright again. "A… talking pork bun?" she inquired hesitantly.
"No, Mokona is Mokona," he returned indignantly. She laughed, warming up to him. "Well, then, Mokona, my name is Caldina. I'm a dancer and," here, she winked conspiratorially, "an illusionist."
"Whee! I knew you would be fun! Just like Fai-san!"
-0-0-0-
Syaoran and Presea were still poring over the map when a breathless rebel ran in. He had lost his sword, and he suffered from numerous severe cuts on his limbs. "Th-there's a new general, Presea!" he panted. "Emeraude has gotten rid of Zagato and replaced him with a fearsome warrior." The poor man's knees went weak from exhaustion. Presea laid her hand on his arm, gently pulling him out of the doorway andtowards the infirmary. "Let's get you patched up before you report. Those wounds look serious." But he shook himself out of her grip. "No, my report is urgent! My patrol was decimated and the captain was slain. Her evilness's troops ambushed us from out of nowhere. She's got a woman now, instead of Zagato." Finally, Presea succeeded in leading the man to the makeshift hospital and just in time, for it was then that the man fainted from blood loss.
-0-0-0-
Ferio was lounging in the tree above the window of the "map room," as it was commonly called, when he overheard the man's news. Instantly, he vaulted to a nearby tree, and continued this way until he could see the blonde girl that had just arrived in camp. He didn't know why, but he had a strange longing to protect her. The new threat to the rebels would almost definitely catch her in the middle, and it would leave a bad taste in his mouth if he just let her die. Satisfied that she would be safe for the moment, he ducked into the surrounding forest. He was only going to scout around for a few minutes, to make sure there weren't any enemies about to attack the camp. He had gone past about thirty trees in a straight linewhen he was pressed against a tree, arm twisted behind his back and a knife pressed to the back of his neck.
"Don't move." The order came from a cold voice that belonged to his unknown assailant.
"Who are you?" he growled.
The answer came in the same emotionless tones. But now he could tell it was a girl. "That is of no importance. I bring a request from your royal sister."
His sister. That meant whoever had him embarrassingly trussed up like an amateur was in the pay of Emeraude. "Oh, really?"
"She says," the voice continued as if Ferio had not spoken at all, "by the Blood Oath, you must agree to become her informant in the rebel camp. You will report here once every week, alone. You will speak everything you know about the camp and everything you have found out during that week, starting with today."
She'd gone and remembered that accursed Blood Oath! He'd sworn it when he'd been 4 years old, when he and Emeraude had still been the best of friends. Now, he recalled the beginnings of a tyrant in her personality even then. She'd had the greedy gleam in her eye, and the devious smile. Like any little boy, he had thought that his older sister was always right, so when she demanded that he swear to honor any request she had for him, and in blood, so that it would bind his very soul, he'd done it without hesitation. Obviously, he deeply regretted that now. But he had no choice. Haltingly, he began to reveal each fact, each secret, of the rebels, until they stood as vulnerable as a newborn baby.
"Is that all?" the voice asked when he finished.
"Yes, th-"
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, I'm sure."
"Then the Blood Oath binds you to come here again exactly one week from now. I shall be waiting."
The pressure on his arm disappeared as the girl left. Ferio struggled visibly with himself until he was sure that she had really gone. Then, he collapsed to the ground, blood staining the glove covering the hand he pressed to his mouth.
He hadn't spoken of Fuu at all.
Merodi-chan, 12.6.05
