Hey Everybody!

How's your week going? With Thanksgiving around the corner, let's be thankful I found the time to update! A lot of you are concerned that I've skipped an episode in the series. Well…I wanted to do that episode, but due to SO many requests, I've decided to have Romeo appear! Sorry if you want to see the Silent card, but if you have any suggestions for who it should be, feel free to give me a suggestion!

Without further ado…

Wendy's Rival! The Mysterious Romeo Conbalt!

I've been here before, Wendy thought dreamily.

Through a haze in her mind she watched the lights of the Kardia Cathedral bounce off the building and reflects upwards, meeting the lights of the stars shining downward. It was all very beautiful, but she wondered what she was doing there. She clutched her staff a little tighter to her as the Cards fluttered around her in the breeze.

She had seen all this before; she had been here before. But this time there was something different. This time it wasn't her that stood on the edge of the rooftop, preparing to jump. This time it was someone else.

Who is that? It's not me.

He was elegantly dressed, in robes of a rich fiery red that rippled with the breeze. There was foreign, exotic look to them and they suited the boy that wore them well. Who was he? He didn't look any older than she was, though it was hard to tell. She couldn't see his face. Black hair hung over his eyes, creating a shadow. Dimly she realized that his lips were moving, though she could hear no sound. Then, abruptly, he raised a sword and leapt out into the air, holding his blade as if to strike…

Happy hovered above the bed, watching Wendy toss and turn. She was groaning slightly and twisting so violently that her sheets were becoming a tangled mess.

"Hey, Wendy…what's wrong?" She didn't wake, and he drifted closer to her face and spoke louder. "Wendy? Wendy? Wake up, Wendy!"

Somehow at last he penetrated her consciousness and her eyes fluttered open to see his round blue face peering anxiously into her own.

"Aaaah!" She shrieked and jolted upright, sending the little creature flying to the foot of her bed.

"Hey!" He raised his head from the rumpled covers. "Wendy, I was worried about you because you seemed to be having a nightmare."

She gave a guilty cringe.

"I – I'm sorry, I really am. I just had a weird dream."

"A weird dream?"

"I've seen it before, a dream of the Kardia Catheral at night. And a boy wearing strange clothes was in it."

"Strange clothes?" Happy frowned and was about to ask something else when there was a knock on the door. He barely had time to stiffen and fall down against the covers before Natsu had pushed it open. Wendy pulled the covers up to her chin.

"Natsu!"

"Were you having a nightmare? I thought I kinda heard your voice." He was trying to act irritated, but Wendy heard the concern anyway.

"Oh, it's nothing. I just had a weird dream." She did her best to look blasé, and he relaxed.

"I see. Just grunts from the monster." She gasped in annoyance.

"What did you say?" He saw the pillow she threw just in time and pulled the door shut, leaving her alone.

"Sheesh!" Happy sighed, and fluttered to the shelf behind her head. "My shoulders were getting tense!" The door opened again, and Happy straightened his back.

"What is it?" Wendy asked nervously. Was it her imagination, or was Natsu staring at Happy?

"Breakfast is ready, so hurry up and come down." He closed the door once more, and both Wendy and Happy sagged with relief.

It looked as though it would be a beautiful day. Wendy pushed open her window and savored the early morning breeze.

"I am not a monster," she grumbled to herself. Happy was more concerned about their earlier conversation.

"About that dream you had just now. Wendy, you have magic, no matter how large or small the power is. So that dream might be a – a foretelling dream."

"A foretelling dream?"

"In other words, you might end up meeting that guy in strange clothes in the future."

Wendy tensed slightly. She couldn't quite explain it, but Happy's words gave her an uneasy feeling.

I was just getting used to the business of collecting the Cards. Why do I have a feeling that everything's about to change on me?

"Wendy you're going to be late!"

"Coming!" Rapidly Wendy finished snapping the latches on her blades, then pulled on her wrist-guards. "Natsu wait up!" She knew her brother had just left, and he never bothered to wait for her. Why couldn't he be decent and let her have that much?

Igneel was holding the front gate open and gave her a fond smile as she glided through the yard.

"Take care!"

"See you later!" She gave one last farewell wave to her father before pouring all her energy into the skating, eating up the pavement with long smooth strides. She turned the corner and found her efforts were not in vain; Natsu was just ahead of her. Relieved, she fell in beside him.

"You eat way too much breakfast," he commented, in answer to her unspoken rebuke.

"But - "

"Hey, Jellal!" He cut her off with a wave of greeting to his friend, waiting by the tree as he always did.

"Good morning!"

Wendy's mood was improved instantly, and happily she glided between the two of them on their way to school. She was drinking in Jellal's profile when he turned to her.

"Did you have sweet dreams last night?"

It was so unexpected that Wendy was caught unawares.

"Dream?"

"Apparently wasn't such a good dream," Natsu answered instead. "I heard huge groans all the way to my room, like some monster."

"Shut up Natsu!" Wendy said, blushing.

"Was it a scary dream?" Jellal questioned, and Wendy tried to ignore her brother.

"No. It was more like a strange dream."

"I see. There are things called foretelling dreams, you know."

Wendy drew her breath in sharply. He'd almost repeated Happy's statement, word for word.

"Actually," Jellal continued, "I had a foretelling dream myself last night. In the dream, my breakfast was a roasted fish. And I really had fish for breakfast. I was so happy; I had six more bowls of rice!"

Wendy almost lost her skating rhythm at that, but Natsu just laughed. He didn't understand how someone as skinny as Jellal could eat so much, but he'd stopped wondering a long time ago. That was just the way he was.

The bells in the tower softly chimed as students gathered in their homeroom class. Chelia studied her friend with a perceptive air.

"You are in a good mood today, Wendy."

"I was together with Jellal until I got to school today," Wendy answered blissfully.

"That's wonderful!"

"Oh, and I got this too." She opened her hands to reveal a small hard piece of candy. She liked the brand just fine, but that wasn't what made the smile grow on her face. She was remembering how he had turned on his bike as he rode on to his school, a friendly smile shining from his eyes. "See you later!" he had called out, and tossed her a piece of candy which she caught in midair. It was a present from her cherished one, and therefore Sakura cherished it as well.

"He always carries food around, doesn't he?" Chelia commented, and Wendy nodded.

"Yeah, Jellal seems to eat a lot."

"Isn't it good that he's so healthy?"

There were lots of good things about Jellal that superseded his health, in Wendy's opinion, but she nodded again anyway.

"Yeah I guess so…"

The bell rung again as the teacher entered the room, the students scurrying to their seats. He cleared his throat as the classroom grew silent.

"Today, I'll introduce you to a new transfer student. Come on in." The door began to slide open, and students whispered to one another in surprise.

"It's unusual to have a transfer student at this time of year," Chelia murmured, and Wendy nodded in agreement. Her mind was still on Jellal and she wasn't really paying attention to the room around her, but that was before she looked up and made eye contact with the new student.

"Huh…?"

He was not exceptionally tall, or exceptionally short. He was dressed in the same uniform as any other male student in the room. Scruffy black hair fell in bangs, almost overshadowing his eyes. Almost, but not quite. Those eyes were a deep, dark blue, and they were glittering with hostility. Paying no attention to the whispered conversations around him, he directed his glare to Wendy and Wendy only, the fierce gaze boring into her until she felt almost a tangible physical effect. Shrinking into her chair, she wondered if it was just her imagination that he was staring at her.

"Wendy," Chelia said uncertainly, "are you being stared at?"

Then again, maybe it wasn't.

"Romeo Conbolt," The teacher announced upon writing the name on the board. "He's from Hargeon. Everybody please be nice to him. Now, his seat, let me see…" His eyes roved over the class before settling on the back corner where Wendy sat, shivering. "Ah. The seat behind Miss Dragneel is empty."

What? Wendy wailed inwardly. How can the seat behind me be empty? He can't sit there. Anywhere but there!

But the new boy had already started in her direction, never dropping his stare for a moment. She glanced down at her desk, then up again to see if he was still staring, then down again. Finally she glanced up to see that he had come to a stop right in front of her.

Why? Please stop looking at me…please stop it! I don't know you!

Chelia broke the silence at last, indicated the empty seat behind Wendy.

"Your seat is over here, please." It was obvious Romeo's behavior bothered her as much as Wendy. But the girl in pigtails didn't feel any better as the new boy finally settled himself into the chair behind her. Now she could feel all the hairs on the back of her neck rise, and she knew without a shadow of doubt, that he was continuing the glare.

The back corner of the school building, near the chain-link fence, was deserted and Wendy fidgeted a little as he continued to stare. She wished she hadn't followed him out here now. Why did her curious mind make her do foolish things?

"Um, what is it that you want?"

He ignored her query and held up a strange object. It looked like a square, flat piece of board, though it was beautifully decorated with colors and symbols.

"Oh mystics of Fiore, wind, lightning. Mages of Fiore, thy divinity watches over all four corners. Metal, wood, water, fire, earth, thunder, wood, lightning. Whirling blades of lightning answer my call!"

Wendy had listened raptly, half fearful, half fascinated as he went through the litany. But she gave a startled yelp as a blue beam shot out of the board and aimed right for her chest. It had a tingling, sizzling sensation that she didn't quite like.

"Just as I thought!" he exclaimed. "You have Fiore Cards in your possession!"

His words struck Wendy like a punch in the stomach.

"How – how did you know…"

"This compass was created to search for Fiore Cards," he said impatiently. "Hand them over."

"What?"

"The Fiore Cards," he enunciated, his tone brisk and efficient. He paid no attention to the stupefied expression on her face.

"I can't!" she protested. "I promised Happy that I would collect all the Cards."

He looked puzzled for a moment.

"Happy… the Happy? The Beast of the Seal?"

"You know him?"

"If Happy is around, why is it letting such a child hold onto the Cards?" Wendy flushed at his condescending tone, even though he was no older than she was.

"Happy doesn't have enough magic power to be bigger. That's why - "

"The symbol for Happy is the Sun. It rules over fire and earth. You don't have either of those Cards?"

"No…"

"How long have you been searching?"

"Since, um, April." He gave her an incredulous look.

"You've been searching for two months, and you still haven't gotten them all?" She wilted a little and clutched at the fence for support.

"That's right – but, how do you know about the Fiore Cards?"

"That's none of your business," he sniffed. "I'll look for the rest. Now hand them over!"

His persistence was starting to frighten Wendy and she backed away, instinctively covering her pocket with one hand.

"I can't do that. It's something I promised Happy - "

"I get it," he said thoughtfully to himself. "They're in that pocket." Next thing she knew he was almost on top of her, groping at her skirt pocket and snarling at her meows of protest.

"Wendy?" Chelia was unable to find her friend anywhere and at last decided to peek around the corner. She was shocked at the scene that greeted her eyes. It looked as though Romeo was trying to attack Wendy. "Wendy!"

"Give them to me!" he barked.

"I can't!" She cried out, struggling within his grip. Someone help me!

Meanwhile…

The skylines of Fiore were clear and blue. Some people were going about their day, happily working or chatting among themselves.

Suddenly, the sky grew darker and lightening crackled in the sky. The people fled in terror, lightening striking in the most random places. From atop of the Kardia Cathedral, a man with blond hair stood. On his face, a lightening shaped scar shone brightly. He was smirking, feeling the power permeate around the area.

""I can feel the Cardcaptor around here. Well the sky ain't big enough for two dragons."

And that's the end of this chapter! Next time: Combine your powers! Sky Dragoness and Flaming Knight vs. the Lightening Dragon!

See ya around! Reviews are appraised and delighted, but favorites and follows are too!