It was finally the day of the party, and everything was a chaos.
The girls were running from one place to the other, getting everything into place, and then getting ready themselves.
"I really want to thank you all girls." Rika said suddenly as she was getting dressed.
"What for?" The other four girls asked at once.
"For everything." Rika answered. "For helping me with this party. For supporting me through my relationship with Yoshiyuki-san, for being with me. You're the best friends anyone could ask for."
"As you are our best friend Rika-chan." Chiharu said speaking for all of them.
"And we're really happy that you'll get married to the man you love." Naoko added.
"Although if I remember correctly, Sakura-chan was supposed to marry first." Rika added.
"Nani?" the mentioned one stopped as she was getting on star-earrings, apparently confused.
"Naoko-chan is right." Tomoyo said as she put down her hands, she had been applying some makeup to herself. "After all, you did caught the bouquet in your brother's wedding, didn't you?"
Sakura nodded, blushing.
"And then there'll be your wedding too Tomoyo-chan, with Eriol-kun." Chiharu added with a big smile. "And mine with Takashi-kun!"
At the mention of her and Eriol Tomoyo sighed. She was still a bit depressed that Eriol hadn't had the time to visit her, even if just for a little while. She did understand how important it was his help in England, but she really would have wished to be with him, even if just for a short while.
And she wasn't the only one sad in that room. Although trying to look happy for her friends Naoko was really depressed inside.
'I wonder if one day someone will love me.' Naoko wondered. 'I know it's difficult, with the duty I have upon my shoulders.' She took a quick glance at the small chest resting on the vanity next to her. 'And there's also the fact that I'm not completely human, but even then…' she sighed. 'Even then I wish there would be someone that would fall in love with me, someone that would love just me…'
.---.
In London, England, Hermione Granger was searching through everything they had in a store. She had decided to accompany her mother to the mall to buy some dresses, and to get the opportunity to look for a gift for Harry's birthday.
"No…" she shook her head exiting the store. "It has to be something special, really special. After all, it's the first birthday we'll be together as a couple."
She had found a way of meeting Harry in the day of his birthday, which would be soon. But she first needed a gift.
"Have you found what you were looking for dear?" Mrs. Granger asked her daughter.
"No mom." Hermione said, distressed. "No matter how much I search, there's just nothing I think good enough to give it to Harry."
"You must remember sweety that what matters is the intention, the love you have for him, even more than the gift itself." Mrs. Granger said with a smile.
Hermione nodded.
In that vacation she had gotten to talk with her mother, tell her about her relationship with Harry. Both of Hermione's parents were worried about their daughter's safety, after all they did know how Harry was always in danger; which was why Hermione had decided to reveal them she was a part-sorceress and part of the Order of the Phoenix. After understanding the great potential their daughter had, and how she was really capable of protecting herself and those around her, the Grangers finally accepted Hermione's and Harry's relationship and supported both teens. They were now expecting Hermione to find a way of inviting Harry to dinner on their house, which wasn't easy with the way the Dursleys had always been.
"Don't worry honey." Mrs Granger said. "We'll find the perfect gift. Come on, lets go to the next store."
Hermione nodded and followed her mother.
They were just about to enter the next shop when Hermione stopped abruptly.
'This sensation…' Hermione thought.
"Is anything wrong Hermione?" her mother asked her.
'Something's not right…' Hermione thought.
She had a hand on the feather around her neck, and then she closed her eyes, concentrating, she could feel them, the auras, dark ones.
"Hermi…" Mrs. Granger began.
"Mother, do me a favor." Hermione cut in. "Get out of here."
"What?" Mrs. Granger was confused.
"Please." Hermione said. "Get out of the mall and go home, I shall be there in a short while."
"Something's wrong isn't it?" Mrs. Granger could notice the concern in her daughter's face.
"I believe there is some kind of evil in here." Hermione explained. "It might be just my imagination, but I've got to make sure. And if something happens, I want to be sure you'll be safe."
"What about you?"
"I'll be fine mom. I know how to take care of myself- And if there truly is a problem the Ministry will be sending Aurors shortly."
Finally her mother nodded and left the place quickly.
"So that part is settled." Hermione thought as she walked to the center of the building. "And about the other one…"
She concentrated hard, using her magical senses to search for the source of the dark power she was feeling. And just as she pinpoint the location… A scream was heard.
A fire started in the second level of the mall, scaring people, the oddest thing of all was the fact that the fire was…green.
"This is magic." Hermione thought.
She got her hand in her jacket, to get out her wand, when she noticed something.
"S--t." she cursed under her breath. "I forgot my wand at home."
The fire was extending to some wires that kept the advices of some of the shops hanging up.
"Fine." Hermione said taking this as a signal. "Then it shall be the other way."
Just then her senses alerted her of a great danger. A child was standing just below a pole with a great advertising that was about to fall down.
Using all she had learned in her training with Sakura and the rest Hermione ran as fast as he could, took the child in her arms, and then threw herself out of the way. She turned in midfall to land hardly on her back, thankfully the child was unharmed as it had been in her arms.
"Johnny! Oh my God Johnny!" a woman cried out hysterical.
Hermione deduced she was the mother and slowly got to her feet, and carried the kid to her.
"I believe this is your son." Hermione said.
"Mommy…" the little boy looked as if he was about to cry.
"Oh my God…" the woman took her son from Hermione's arms, crying herself. "Thank you so much miss, thank you. I thought, I thought that thing had killed my Johnny. Thank you so much."
"It was a pleasure helping you madam." Hermione said with a half-smile. "I suggest you and your son leave this place as soon as you can, we don't know what might happen."
The woman nodded and left the place still carrying his child.
And then Hermione turned to the fallen pole. She hid behind a column, and there concentrating in a magic of water, once she had done that she used it to put the fire off. She was really tired after that.
"I must remember to bring my wand with me always." Hermione murmured to herself as she sat down to recover her breath. "Or this spells will end up killing me even before I find whomever is responsible of this disasters." She sighed.
Eriol. she called with the last of her energy. We have problems, again. Meet me in the place of always.
.---.
Ten minutes later Hermione rose up her head as she saw a young man entering the cafeteria. She was sitting in one of the tables at the back of the shop, so as not to be interrupted; and was slowly drinking a tea.
"Good morning Eriol." Hermione greeted him.
"Good morning Hermione-san." Eriol greeted her as well. "Are you okay? You look tired."
"I am, in fact, very tired." Hermione replied. "Which is normal counting that I just fell over my back and got a horrible bruise on the back of my left shoulder, and then used up to the last bit of my energy on a water incantation to put down a fire in the mall were I had gone to buy Harry his birthday present."
"That's right, Harry-kun's birthday is approaching." Eriol nodded, then he seemed to caught on everything else she had just said. "You did what!"
Some people on other tables turned to look at them with weird looks, but then thought it was a lover's discussion and forgot about it.
"Not so loud." Hermione told him.
"Are you crazy!" Eriol was about to yell again but stopped just in time.
"No." Hermione replied calmly, as she took one more sip of her tea. "I was just helping those persons in the mall."
"If the magic was involved you should have let the Aurors handle it." Eriol told her seriously.
"The Aurors wouldn't have been there in time." Hermione said. "I doubt they even know yet that what happened in the mall had to do with magic."
"Then how can you be so sure?" Eriol asked.
Hermione raised an eyebrow with a face that clearly said: who-do-you-think-you're-talking-with?
"Please Eriol." Hermione finally said. "I could feel it, as clear as the day. Those auras, dark magic, they weren't too strong, maybe that's why they couldn't be noticed in the Ministry. But they were enough for me, I was there. And if I hadn't a little boy, and maybe more persons, would be dead by now."
"Ok." Eriol nodded. "I understand that part. What I don't get is: Why the hell didn't you use your wand?"
"I kind of…forgot it at home?" Hermione murmured ashamed.
"Hermione!" Eriol was exasperated. "I don't want you to think I treat you like a little girl, although sometimes you act like one. I don't know exactly what's been happening in the last month, but I do know it's dangerous. You should be carrying your wand at all times. Even when your Sorceress powers you can't risk yourself to lose all your energies, in a case you could even die."
"I know, and I'm sorry for worrying you." Hermione said truly ashamed. "It wasn't my intention. I promise I won't forget my wand ever again."
"I know, I trust you." Eriol nodded. "Just please be careful."
"I will." Hermione assured him.
Just then the clock on the shop sounded the next hour.
"I must go home, before my mother gets too worried." Hermione said standing up.
"You sure you can go alone?" Eriol asked her. "I mean, I could always take you."
"Thanks, that would be wonderful." Hermione nodded.
"Then lets go." Eriol motioned for her to the exit.
Hermione followed, and once on the streets they walked into a half-hidden alley, from where Eriol transported themselves to the Grangers.
He left Hermione one block away from her home, so it wouldn't look too suspicious for anyone that might have felt Eriol's powers.
"Thank you." Hermione said one last time before heading home.
"Don't worry about it." Eriol told her. "And please, take care."
"I will." Hermione reassured him. "Good bye."
Eriol remained there until he saw her enter her house, being received by a worried mother.
Just then Eriol took a look at his watch.
"I may still make it on time." He thought.
And with that he disappeared again.
.---.
The part had begun a few hours ago, and by the time (about 11 o'clock) most of the guests had already left.
"The party was a blast!" Chiharu cried out with delight.
"It was wonderful." Rika nodded. "And everything thanks to your help."
"Hey, what are friends for?" Sakura asked with a smile.
They all hugged.
"Chiharu-chan, we must go." A boy called one of them.
"That's right." Chiharu nodded. "Takashi will get me home. See ya all tomorrow."
"Ja ne!" they all told her.
With Chiharu and Takashi gone too, the only ones that remained there were Shaoran, Sakura, Tomoyo, Naoko, and Rika. Yoshiyuki said he had gone get something he had for Rika, and would be driving her home after that.
"So, one last gift, and from your fiancé!" Naoko said with a smile.
Rika blushed.
"Have you decided on a date for the wedding?" Tomoyo asked.
"I don't know." Rika answered. "I mean, after all I'm just seventeen. But I do believe that we may get married next year, after I graduate high school."
The rest just nodded.
"Excuse me, but I'm gonna steal this beautiful flower for a few minutes." Shaoran said taking Sakura away.
"No problem." Rika and Naoko told him.
Just then Tomoyo sighed again, her friends just looked at her in silence.
"Why is such a beautiful hime so sad?" a voice asked from behind.
Tomoyo didn't even need to guess who that was:
"Eriol-kun!" she cried out throwing herself in his arms. "I missed you so much!"
"Wow…" Eriol was shocked by the greeting. "I missed you too, my beloved."
Considering they were bothering Rika and Naoko decided to give them some space.
.---.
"So, when are you gonna get a boyfriend to Naoko-chan?" Rika asked Naoko as they walked next to a lake.
"I don't know." Naoko replied. "I wish to find someone, just like you all have found someone, but it seems so hard."
"I know what you mean." Rika told her sympathetically. "Even though I know Youshiyuki-san since we're little, and we both love each other very much, it was really difficult at first for us to be together. My parents believed he just wanted me for fun."
"Because of the age differences?" Naoko deduced.
"Hai." Rika nodded. "He's older than me. And my parents didn't thought it possible for a mature man to fall in love with a 'girl' like me."
"But you're not a girl in any way Rika-chan." Naoko told her seriously. "You're in fact much more mature than most of us."
Rika smiled.
"At first my father wanted to forbid us to be together." Rika continued. "But I would just sneak out of my house, or in the classes I had advanced I would skip off and go to see him. He didn't like much what I was doing, but he too would sometimes get out early of a class, or miss a conference, just to be with me for a while. When my mother found out she seemed to notice how deep our love ran, and convinced father to give Yoshiyuki-san a chance. So since that day Yoshiyuki-san would go to my house every weekend, ask permission for me to go out with him, and drive me back a the hour my father had marked. So when he finally asked my hand to my father, he accepted."
Naoko sighed, it was such a lovely story.
'I wish I could find a love like that one…' Naoko thought.
Just then something called her attention: in the lake next to her, one that lacked of any fish, the moon was reflected on the surface, and above that reflection seemed to be a figure, like some kind of illusion: of a young man with short hair, and light eyes, dressed completely in black.
She was about to say something when suddenly all her senses screamed at her one word: DANGER.
"Rika-chan, get inside." Naoko told her.
"What?" Rika was confused.
"Get inside quick." Naoko insisted. "Tell Touya-san and Kaho-san something's wrong."
"Where are you gonna go?" Rika asked worriedly.
"I gotta find Sakura-chan, Shaoran-kun, Tomoyo-chan and Eriol-kun." Naoko answered.
"I'll help you." Rika offered.
"Iie." Naoko declined her help. "You get inside, and do what I told you. Everything shall be alright."
And before Rika could argue further Naoko was lost in the shadows.
.---.
Naoko was running as fast as she could. But broke into a halt abruptly, almost colliding with Sakura and Shaoran who had also been running; just a few seconds later Tomoyo and Eriol too caught up with them.
"You all feel the same, ne?" Eriol asked.
But the answer was obvious. They all did.
"This is dark magic." Sakura said.
"Dark Western Magic." Tomoyo added.
"What do you think they want?" Shaoran asked.
Eriol was about to suggest something when they suddenly heard a cry.
"Rika-chan!" the girls cried out recognizing the voice immediately.
"My urn!" Naoko added suddenly.
Immediately they turned around and ran in the direction of the Temple. Once there they noticed Kaho lying unconscious next to a wall, by the looks of it she had been thrown into the wall and then fall unconscious. Touya was kneeling next to her. Not too far away was Rika, backing slowly as a figure dressed in black approached her.
They're gonna get Rika-chan! Sakura cried out in panic.
They aren't behind Rika-chan. Naoko denied, noticing what was behind her friend. They want my urn.
It was true, just behind Rika was a table, the one were Naoko had left the urn when getting out of the temple.
'I shouldn't have let it out of my sight.' Naoko thought. 'This is my fault.'
Just as the mysterious intruder was about to reach Rika a white blur got in the middle, hitting the intruder hard and sending him out of the temple.
"That was…" Tomoyo began, a bit shocked.
"Yue-san." Sakura finished for them.
And just then they heard a roar, Kerberos had added to the party.
"Naoko-chan, get the urn." Sakura said. "I've gotta go help Kero-chan and Yue-san."
"I'm going with you." Shaoran said following his fiancée.
"Are you okay Rika-chan?" Tomoyo asked as they got to her friend.
Rika just nodded, she was still scared.
Naoko took the urn in her hands. And the turned to a window, finding Sakura, Shaoran and the guardians battling outside with the intruder and other two like them.
"All this problems…" Naoko whispered. "Just because of this…"
"What's happening?" Rika asked.
Tomoyo didn't answer, instead she went to Kaho and woke her up with a bit of magic. Touya thanked her and helped her wife up.
"What are those?" Touya asked.
"They're reward-hunters." Eriol told them. "Mercenaries. They have nothing against us, it's likely that they don't even know who we are, someone sent them here."
"What for?" Kaho asked. "To kill you?"
"I don't think so." Eriol shook his head. "Maybe it's just to know what kind of people we are, or maybe…"
"It's because of this." Naoko said aloud. "They want the urn."
"But how can they know about it?" Tomoyo asked.
No one seemed to know the answer to that question, or if they did they didn't dare say it aloud. Outside the battle went on, and inside a dead silence.
"What's happening?" Rika asked again. "I don't understand."
"Sometimes things are better when you don't know about them." Kaho said calmly.
Rika didn't like the answer at all, she couldn't see exactly what was going on outside, but she could see it wasn't something good. That thing that had hurt Kaho, and almost got her, and that they said wanted something Naoko had. Rika had seen there was something in it, something strange, almost like unreal. She had always known Sakura, Tomoyo, Eriol and Shaoran had secrets, but whatever this was it was beyond all her imagination, and there was also the fact of Naoko being a part of it too.
"I'll stop this now." Naoko said suddenly.
No one could stop her, she just left the temple.
.---.
Sakura and Shaoran were already tired. Using their magic without staff or sword was something truly difficult. And there was also the fact of the training they had done that morning, just as everyday. They wouldn't be able to go on for long if they didn't find a way out.
"Hey you!" Naoko suddenly called out.
The three mercenaries turned their attention to her.
"Naoko-chan!" Sakura didn't like what was going on.
"You want this don't you?" Naoko asked showing them the urn.
"Naoko-san go back inside!" Shaoran yelled at her.
But Naoko paid him no heed, it was time she demonstrated why she was chosen to protect that urn, the powers she possessed.
The mercenaries walked to her.
"Let me tell you one thing." Naoko said calmly. "This is something you'll never have." She concentrated hard. "Sakura-chan! Shaoran-kun! Get down!"
The two sorcerers did as they were told. And just then Naoko threw out some kid of yellow powder, that made the mercenaries cough violently until they collapsed to the floor.
"What was that?" Sakura asked once she could get on her feet.
"A special powder." Naoko answered. "It confuses their senses, and their mind. When they wake up they will be really confused as to what has happened, and they won't remember ever being here, or after this." She held the urn tighter.
Sakura and Shaoran nodded.
Just then Eriol got outside and using his magic sent the three mercenaries to Azkaban, along with a letter addressed to Albus Dumbledore, explaining who those men where and why they had been sent to the prison.
Meanwhile Kerberos and Yue decded to return to their false forms and take their leave, before anyone besides their mistress discovered them.
Behind them exited Touya, Kaho, Tomoyo, and a still confused Rika.
"I don't know what happened here tonight, and I won't pretend I do." Rika said slowly. "Nor will I ask you what happen, because I know you won't tell me."
The others just nodded, thanking her for understanding.
"Still." Rika added. "I do know that you're special. And that whatever you do, it's for the good of everyone. I just want to ask you something. Please, take care."
"Don't worry Rika-chan." Tomoyo was the one to speak to her. "We will."
Rika nodded, she knew their friends were strong enough to take care of themselves, to fight off whatever it was that was against them, although she still got worried for them.
A while later Yoshiyuki arrived and drove Rika away, she had promised not to tell anyone what she had seen, and the sorcerers trusted her.
"What will happen now?" Kaho asked the teens, although she already knew the answer.
"We must go back to England immediately." Eriol said seriously. "All of us."
There it is. I'm finally done.
Now about my lateness. I'm not gonna say I had a writer's block, because that wasn't exactly the situation. The truth is that I got inspired for a fanfic of another anime, and had to work on it. Then I noticed this fanfic was supposed to be more important.
Anyway, I haven't gotten as much people reading this fic as I hoped I would get. If you people don't like the fanfic tell me so I don't continue with it. If you do, please leave reviews, I so need the support!
Another thing I wanted to tell you is that it is likely that at least for now the updates will change from being each two weeks to each three, as I'm having some problems getting the right inspiration to write. As I said before once I get the line of the story ready updates shall be sooner. Ok?
And going back to the fanfic I told you I have being writing. If you don'tmind I will tell you a bit about it. That's if you like Escaflowne fics:
Vision Queen.
Seven Years after the Great War, Peace Festivities turned into the preamble of a new war. The arrival of a mysterious queen that is much more than what she appears, and knows things that might hurt more people than they will save. An enemy related to the Mystic Moon might be the last chance for Van to get notice of his beloved Seer but, will he like what he'll find out? Dozens of secrets, a country not known, a war about to unleash, and one person that binds it all together: Queen Iris…
That's all.
Arigato. Ja ne!
