Chapter eleven: Like a fairy tail, except turned on its head.
Umi looked up from were she had spent the past couple of days back at home, crying her heart out about Clef.
She thought back to when Fuu and Hikaru had last come to visit her, she remembered herself being very pail and also there was the fact that they had not been able to report to her any change in Clef's condition, there was no hint of it either being better or worse, than it had been at the start of his Comer like state.
Umi then drifted off in a light dose the sun streaming in through her window. After some time she opened her eyes, when she did she saw Fuu, Ferio, Hikaru and Lantis (Who had recently learnt to travel to earth as Ferio could) walked through her bedroom door.
Umi still couldn't get use to the two men in earthen clothes and she often had to stifle a laugh when she first saw them. Ferio was in a green shirt, long brown boots, cream jeans and jeans jacket. Lantis was dressed in a long billowing black trench coat, black jeans and dark blue shirt.
She smiled wanly at them, her mother smiled at Umi and then at her friends. "Umi ate a little more today."
Fuu and Hikaru's smiled at her in praise, Umi's mother left them alone, closing the door behind her as she went.
Lantis sat down on the bed. "We need you to come to Rayearth."
Umi looked at him puzzled. "Why?"
Ferio smiled at Umi. "We have a large surprise for you there. We asked your mother if we could take you out for the day and she said yes, if you think you can manage it."
Umi smiled at them. "Ok."
Lantis and Ferio helped her to stand she was a lot better than she had been before she practically no long needed there aid to do this. The two men left the room whilst she dressed.
When Umi and the other two knights surfaced, from Umi's bedroom after what had seamed like forever to the men, Umi was dressed in a blue summer dress and blue straw hat.
Lantis smiled at her slightly. "Very nice Umi."
Umi blushed.
They left her home and went up the Tokyo tower. When they reached the top the five of them joined hands and transported to Rayearth.
As soon as they arrived there Lantis put his hands over Umi's eyes and lead her through the castle, he pushed her through Clef's room door and shut it behind him.
When she heard the door shut Umi slowly opened her eyes and when she saw what was before her they went huge. Clef lay peacefully asleep on top of the bed clothes, there was some colour in his cheeks now, his face was very soft in his sleeping condition, his curls fanned out over the bed, he wore what he had been at the ball but with the addition of a long white cloak with a purple inside and a long sword which he held by the silver hilt in his long fingered hands, just over his chest bone, the sword had a crystal like blade that glittered many colours in the sun light of the room, the blade ran to the middle of Clefs calves.
Umi sighed in delight at the way he looked, she could feel her heart it was thumping so hard, she walked over to the bed and fell down on her knees next to the bed her mouth level with the sleeping mages ear. "Clef its Umi, I'm so sorry about what I said, I should never assumed that you didn't care about me it was very wrong of me. I want you to be with me, I want you to hold me again, I want you to kiss me again, I want you to open your big blue eyes and tell me how you feel about me. Please Clef wake up."
Much to Umi's amazement colour flooded back into Clef, she gasped as she realised he had heard her. "Please Clef, please…"
Gently she placed one of her hands over Clef's two, he felt warm to her touch now rather than the ice cold he had been before.
Umi then summoned up all of her courage and stood up. She threw her hat off backwards not caring what happened to it, he was more important than the hat was. Umi sat on the edge of his bed, she lent over him and put her hands to Clefs cheeks, she then put her lips to his in a soft kiss.
Umi felt herself get pulled by the magic he had into Clef, were she saw a bright light grow it was white, silver, purple and dark blue. When she saw the blue there Umi gasped, she could tell it was Celes' magic, he swam up to her. "Celes what are you doing here?"
"I am in Clef to protect you as I said I would. Rayearth is in Lantis and Windam is in Ferio that way we can be close to our ladies and protect them as these men wish to."
Umi's mouth opened wide and then she managed to speak. "But these other powers. . ."
"They are Clefs alone."
Umi felt herself go back into her own body she was glowing blue, he was glowing blue then purple, silver and lastly white in response to her kiss or at least it seamed that way to Umi.
Slowly his eyes flickered and opened, the deep blue eyes lit up at the sight of Umi, they parted from the kiss and he put his strong arms round her waist. "Umi. . ." It was all he could say, he was to surprised, that she was here, that she had apologised to him and that Umi wanted him awake, he couldn't seam to manage to say anything more than that to her.
She smiled at him gently; Umi's eyes then suddenly clouded over like the sea does when a sudden storm comes over it. She silently berried herself in his chest, clinging to his clothes with both of her hands, her chest shuddered and then she sobbed into him. Clef stroked the back of her hair murmuring to her softly, after some time the storm of her weeping subsided and he spoke again. "Umi I see that you have discovered my new friend, I only found out about Celes being in me, myself when I slept."
Umi clutched to Clefs shirt so hard her knuckles went white. "Do you mind having to protect me for the rest of my life?" The question was asked tenderly, but on it hung all of Umi's future happiness and she knew it, which frightened her more than a little she had never known a man could have so much power over her heart but Clef did.
In silent anticipation Umi awaited the answer to her question that would decide weather she would ever find true happiness with the man she truly wanted or weather she would have to find happiness else were, as his heart could never be hers and to be honest after the way Umi had treated Clef she felt that she beyond doubt deserved to be rejected by him.
Clef looked at Umi a little confused he couldn't quite fathom why in heavens name she had asked him that question, however he knew his answer to it immediately. "No Umi I don't mind having to protect you for the rest of your life in fact I think I will rather enjoy doing so, if you allow me to do so? Oh and did you forget that I volunteered to protect you before, Celes became part of me and I became part of him for the rest of your life span?"
Umi sat back up on the edge of the bed and beamed at Clef in relief. "No I didn't forget what you said and as for protecting me for the rest of my life as long as it's only you who has the job, then its fine by me."
He smiled at her happily and then studied her for a moment his eyes were very serious. "Did you mean what you said to me whilst I was still asleep?"
Umi gulped and nodded, a little worried as to ware he was going with this conversation. "Then I hope you have gathered from my now awake state that what you assumed was wrong?"
Umi's eyes went wide; she couldn't believe what Clef had just said to her. "My assumption was wrong…" Her eyes suddenly filled with happiness as she realised what he was telling her quite cryptically. "Oh good I'm glad. We had better go and tell the others your awake."
Clef smiled at her and nodded. "Yes your right we should go and see them."
Clef stood up and with a gentle smile on his face offered her one of his long fingered hands, Umi took it smiling they walked off hand in hand to find the others. The others were standing in the main hallway waiting, when they saw Clef and Umi together they smiled and when the fact that they were holding hands was noticed they all beamed at the young pair.