Disclaimer: CLAMP owns MKR not me!

Author's Note: Wow… it's really been 2 years… no amount of apologizing could make that right but I will try to give a reason.

First off, I want to say that I reread the reviews and that inspired me to write again because I felt so bad! Secondly another story I loved reading recently came back from the dead after 2 or 3 years so I felt I should to.

As to why it took so long, I'll admit another hobby came along which for a bit trumped my anime/manga obsession (gasp! lol) but now the two are tended to equally but I've kind of come to just read manga instead of renting anime. Also MKR has slightly fallen on my favorites list :( I still adore the characters but I haven't read the story/seen the anime in ages so I'm sorry if the characters seem ooc in this chapter and in future ones as well. With that said please enjoy the chapter!

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Chapter 10

Allowing the sapphire to roll between her fingers, Umi stared down at the letter on her desk and the duplicate that lay beside it. They were letters to her sisters, vague letters but still warm words. After she had spoken to Ascot the night before she had realized how much she had missed them both, even more so now that she knew she was the magic knight.

Glancing up through the window, she watched as the sea life went by without a care in the world and she felt slightly jealous of them for their peaceful ways. Tearing her eyes away, she picked up the pieces of parchment and stood up from the stool she had been sitting on.

Leaving the confines of her room, she left in search of a courier, determined to get her messages sent out today. As she navigated her way throughout the hallways she marveled at the fact that it all seemed so easy now, and she further was amazed at how lonely she found herself without Mokona, who had decided to attach itself to Clef, around to annoy her. Again she found herself reaching for the pendant that hung at her neck. It was comforting to know that at the very least Selece was always with her.

Climbing a set of stairs she didn't recognize, Umi rounded the corner when she heard voices. She knew right away to whom they belonged to, instantly recognizing Clef's deep voice and soon Ascot's kind one. At first the words were muffled but soon she could make them out clearly seeing as Ascot's got louder by the minute.

"Where did you go, Mage?" She heard him ask, there was anger and confusion underlying his usually concerned voice.

"I have no idea what you are talking about, my friend." Clef replied his voice still even and yet Umi knew he was lying. It shocked her that she could tell by his voice alone.

Ascot was silent for a moment, Umi edged closer to where they were her back pressed against the wall so as not to be seen.

"I have witnesses who say they saw you two together at the docks," Umi suppressed the urge to gasp at Ascot's words instead throwing her hands over her mouth still holding the letters. She didn't want Ascot to know yet about the fact she was the knight, eventually perhaps but not now. She knew that he worried over her enough as it was and if he knew anymore that he would become protective of her. Her heart pulsed rapidly as she waited for Clef's response.

"That's because we were there," She could hear Ascot's intake of breath and could only imagine what must have been going through his mind. She heard footsteps and guessed he was pacing.

"And what were you doing there?" Ascot asked, his voice definitely showing the confusion he felt. Her heart still racing, Umi concentrated on their shadows.

"Why so curious?" The footsteps stopped and nothing was said until finally Clef sighed. "She wanted to hone her magic skills and I felt it better to practice near the docks. As to why we met at night, you and I both know how busy they can sometimes be and one needs quiet to practice." Again a silence hung between the two as Clef finished speaking. After a while she heard receding footsteps and then it was just her and one of the men.

"I've never lied to him before." Clef muttered to himself but Umi felt that in fact the comment was aimed at her. She wanted to step forward and apologize but she stayed rooted to the spot not used to feeling so unsure. She soon heard his footsteps leaving and only when she could hear nothing she stepped away from the wall.

She felt horrible for reasons she wasn't completely sure of but with a deep breath she continued along the hallway in search for the courier. Minutes later she found herself at her destination and having delivered her letters and telling where they were headed left that part of the palace. Taking the path back to the training room from before Umi went with the hope of seeing the Prince, and to try and make amends without showing she had heard the talk.

Her hopes were lifted as she heard a fierce roar from within the room as she drew near. Many others would have avoided it but after having seen one of Ascot's friends already she wasn't frightened.

Pushing the door open she slipped inside and approached the weapons on the western wall. Selecting a rapier which held the closest resemblance and size to her own weapon held in the sapphire on her neck, Umi walked towards the prince and his friend.

Getting into a beginning stance she swiped the weapon pretending to cut the tension she felt in the air. Walking through a practice she felt eyes on her as she moved about the room. She felt a loss of power in the air when he called back the creature and she knew that now was a time to talk.

Gracefully finishing the set, she bowed to her invisible enemy and returned the weapon to its place on the wall.

"I…I know that Mage Clef was lying to me," Umi stiffened as his words rang through the air. Remembering to breathe Umi turned on her heel to face him. Her face fell when she saw his hurt expression and if what Clef had said was true then he had every reason to feel hurt.

"Ascot… I, I'm sorry," She managed to spit out. He smiled sadly at her which made her feel even guiltier then already.

"Can you at least tell me the truth, Umi?" He asked quietly, she shook her head slowly and his shoulders sank.

"Not now but I will at some point, I promise you that." He nodded before summoning back the creature. Umi neared the wall and sat down, deciding to watch him rather then practice again.

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Hikaru tossed in her sleep under the thick blanket she lay under as her dreams were filled with the volcano they were headed too. Terran lay beside her and he too seemed to be having a troubling dream as she soon found out when he kicked her in the side.

Cringing, Hikaru woke up reluctantly and found sunlight filtered through the opening of the tent. Her eyes widened in shock at the sight of it and she hurried to get dressed into her traveling clothes. Tucking the pendant with the wolf figure under her shirt and with a final tug of her sleeve she stepped out to find her companions sitting around a drawn fire eating what appeared to be more fish.

"Good Morning," Lantis greeted as she sat down on a nearby log. Blushing Hikaru mumbled a greeting of her own as some of the fish was passed to her. Thanking the soldier she began nibbling at her food and giving some of it to Terran as he drew near to the fire.

"I had that dream again." She said looking at the prince, blushing once more as he turned to meet her eyes and nodded. Eyeing the volcano from over her shoulder he seemed to be mulling over something that he didn't feel ready to share.

"I believe it's a good thing that we're on this trip then," He finally spoke. Hikaru nodded this time and went back to finishing her meal.

Lantis stood up and walked a ways away from the group, ignoring their stares and smiling slightly when he heard Hikaru begin to talk to the other man. But the smile didn't last long as his thoughts turned back to the task at hand. He only wished that he had some way to contact Clef but he didn't have the skills or ability to use that sort of magic. He wanted to talk to the mage because for some reason he felt he was forgetting one very important factor to the legend.

Running a hand through his hair he sighed before rejoining the group and announcing they should break camp.

At this announcement Hikaru ran to her tent and went about bringing it down and packing it back in her horse's saddlebag. She did this with relative ease as she had often gone on excursions with her brothers when she was younger.

The thought made her stop for a second longer then she wished but she pressed on, trying hard to not think of her family. When finally the only traces left of the camp was the last dying embers of the fire the three mounted the horses and started once more on their journey.

Hikaru straightened to her full height in hopes to see the path more clearly and from what she saw it appeared to get rather bumpy ahead. She worried about the animals and knew that if it got to be too much that she'd insist on them walking the rest of the way.

So they rode for what seemed like forever to the fidgety young woman, the conversation had been rather nonexistent except for the rare times when Lantis would ask her to explain her dream to him once more. Though just as she had seen before the rocky mountains soon became rough and there were stones littering the thin trail. She noticed Lantis too taking in the terrain and watched with a smile as he jumped down from his stallion.

Leading him gently by the reins Lantis tied the horse to the nearest tree, a sign that the other two took and copied before joining up with him. Hikaru was still smiling as she approached the prince, her right hand absently petting Terran.

The smile unnerved Lantis and made the soldier chuckle quietly into his hand when Lantis turned to him. It had made Hikaru happy that Lantis had also felt sympathy for the animals that had already had to bare the burden of their weight. It was people who took the time to consider an animal's care and feelings that ranked high on her list.

"We'll go from foot here on out," Lantis said, avoiding that smile that still lingered on Hikaru's face. Walking ahead he tuned everything out, only paying attention to the path in front of him but of course even this wouldn't last forever as he heard faintly the petite woman run to catch up to him. Matching his pace now he felt he couldn't help but pay all his attention to her.

"You know if you hadn't already done so I would've asked that we walk the rest of the way," She said with a smile her head tilted to the side a bit. He glanced down at her with what first appeared to be a blank look.

"I had planned on walking at this point anyway." He said curtly but Hikaru would not stop that from her talking to him.

"Have you ever trekked up here before?" She asked curiously. Lantis considered his response before answering.

"Yes, it was during one of my first visit's to the palace. I broke my leg after falling into an unseen ravine," – "I'm so sorry!" Hikaru interrupted causing Lantis to look down at her in what could have been considered surprised.

Her concerned and worried look made him feel amazed by her. An incident that had happened many years ago, ages before they had ever met or ever thought to, and she apologized as if it were her own fault. He didn't know whether to laugh or shake his head at her but he was slowly coming to realize that that was her character.

"Don't be, there is no way it could ever be your fault," She blushed at both his comment and her reaction and was silent for a moment before once more surprising him by her words.

"Thank you," He raised a brow at that, further intrigued by her.

"For what, may I ask?" Hikaru smiled up at him and it wasn't like the smile from before. Whereas that one seemed almost random and coming from nowhere this one seemed to come from the heart, it made his insides clench in an almost clichéd way.

"For slowly letting me get to know you better… Lantis," She said his name slowly as if trying it out for the first time again.

"You're welcome." And he smiled down at her and it made her freeze. The way he smiled down at her was almost the exact same way Eagle did yet a little more detached. Thinking about the blonde, she felt herself withdraw and Lantis must have felt it too for the smile disappeared and he seemed to speed up his pace.

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The wind died down around her as Fuu pushed her way through the darkness of the cave. She was scared and yet knew that whatever she was getting herself into was the right thing to be doing. Winni, who stayed still perched on her shoulder, was the only thing comforting her as she took each step.

As she went further in she wondered whether or not the passage would ever stop. Every so often a gust of wind would suddenly appear and it was as if it was pushing her away, trying to hide what it hid inside its depths. But these random bursts only succeeded in encouraging her insatiable curiosity even more, so she trudged on.

Light soon began to strew in from unknown locations and Fuu gasped as her feet made contact with the soft grass from outside. This place seemed unexplainable and implausible and yet it was happening.

"I'm dreaming…" Fuu whispered to Winni, who was still quietly on her shoulder. "Yes, I fainted from embarrassment and this is a dream…" She continued and then paused. She sounded crazy something that she often wasn't associated with.

In the distance she could see an end to the passage she was in and found herself quickening her pace which caused Winni to ruffle her wings in annoyance. Fuu glanced at her bird friend from the corner of her eye and chuckled. Winni cocked her head before turning to stare ahead of them.

Slowing to a halt, Fuu watched the bird with worry as it hovered above her shoulder, the comfortable weight now gone. Then Winni flew off and Fuu felt her hand reach out for her but she was too slow.

A confused look spread across her features but she knew she couldn't leave the bird alone, so she began running in the direction Winni had flown subsequently coming to the end of the stone passage. Fuu studied the room she was in, turning on the spot as she did.

The walls were still stone; in fact she was definitely still in the mountain proven as one looked up they could see the walls arching to a narrow point. She could also see now that the strands of light came from small holes in the stone wall, how they were made was a question she would've loved to have the answer for but forgot it as she continued observing her surroundings.

As she had seen before the ground was covered in the grass from outside but what was most curious was the chasm that separated the room. Every now and then gusts of wind burst forth and she wondered if that had been the cause of the wind pushing her; but she reasoned that was highly improbable.

A high trill sounded and filled the room causing the young woman to forget momentarily the chasm and to try and find the source of the sound. Winni sounded in pain and Fuu could not bear to hear the terrible sound. Eyes darting around the space she was drawn to look off to the right on the wall opposite her. There was an opening, it was small but big enough so that perhaps she could pass through the only question now was how to pass over the gap in the ground.

She walked to its edge and peered down, grabbing her head and stumbling back as she looked over. It seemed endless just like the passage, it made her feel queasy. She looked around her, there had to be a logical way to get across.

After minutes of searching, precious minutes at that, Fuu still came up with nothing that would help her when the chasm burst to life with wind. Then it hit her, it could very possibly be a dangerous attempt but at the moment she didn't really care about that.

Staring at the wind, she counted the seconds till it stopped and then began counting again till it started back up. She drew close to the edge and prayed that whatever power she possessed was strong enough to help her.

So the seconds passed excruciatingly slow and then everything seemed to slow down. The chasm burst once more and just as it did Fuu focused all her energy into her hands. A wind of her own began to circle around her at an amazing speed and she took a step forward into the hole.

The combined power of her magic and the gust of wind from deep within the earth caused her to stay aloft. Without even opening her eyes Fuu took the remaining steps across the gap, her feet softly meeting the ground just as the wind faded. Falling to her knees, Fuu breathed raggedly, amazed and exhausted by how much strength that had taken out of her.

After catching her breath she pushed herself up onto her feet and began a quick trot to the opening. As she had guessed it was just big enough for her to pass through and that fact made her very nervous as she squeezed through.

The chamber she entered was exactly like that of her vision except it was real. Before her was a giant stone carving of Winni, or at least a bird like Winni with four wings. Steps led up to the grand piece of stone and Fuu found her feet taking her to them. The soft trill drew her attention to the bird flying wildly around the carving.

"Winni?" She called out to her. The bird stopped mid flight almost as if time had frozen and a green glow begun to radiate from her, encircling her body in a sort of cocoon. Fuu watched all this transfixed to the spot when suddenly the bird began to wrench and she let out a gasp. She stared as the wings folded in and then extended twice their normal length, as Winni brought her head down and it too become elongated.

"What's going on?" She asked as instead of the companion she had traveled with, a magnificent emerald creature perched before her.

"Fair maiden, you have passed the test," Spoke a melodious voice from seemingly everywhere but Fuu knew it was the creature before her that spoke.

"What test have I passed?" She called out to it, her eyes meeting it's own.

"A test to judge one's will and strength of heart; a test to see whether if you are truly one of the chosen," The voice paused and even though it didn't have the features Fuu knew it was smiling kindly down on her.

"My real name is Windam, I am a god of the wind and you are my knight, fair maiden." Confusion crossed Fuu's face but she felt something stir within her as Windam said those words.

"I don't understand but am willing to accept this honor," She said bowing her head. A wind brushed over her body and lifted the chain around her neck that she had forgotten about all this time.

The wind encased it like a shell and the one you created it dived gracefully into the swirl. In the once empty space which the wings of the pendant cradled there was a perfect emerald that seemed to have no rival. Fuu lifted it up in the air and a ray of light filtered through it. Fuu gasped as kind eyes stared back at her.

"I will always be with you maiden, protecting you," The eyes inside the stone closed and it began to shine and in the span of time it took Fuu to blink the last part of her dream appeared in her hands.

The broad sword seemed like it weigh her down to the ground but it was surprisingly light in her hands. The same forest green hilt felt right in her hands and carved there was the same picture depicted in the stone carving. Fuu smiled as she weighed it in both of her hands and suddenly words came unbidden into her mind though she had never heard the spoken before.

She was the Magic Knight of Wind.