I don't own Magic Knight Rayearth. It is the creation of the wonderful CLAMP.

I think the scene title says it all. It's nearing the end now! Yay! I think I can have the last chapters up by Saturday. And then, I have to get ready for school again . . .


Scars

by Maelstra

Scene 8: Clef Has an Epiphany

"After what you've told me, I can only think of one possibility," Clef told the three Magic Knights.

"What's that?" Umi prompted.

"Given this girl's ability to disappear and reappear at will, I have come to the conclusion that she must be a ghost."

"What? A ghost?!" Hikaru gasped. "But, she seemed so solid! How can a ghost wield a sword?"

"It must be the strength of her will that lets her," the boyish Guru responded, shaking his head sadly. "That, and she probably was a user of magic as well. That might also permit her to retain so much power, even after death."

"But then, if she is a ghost . . ." Fuu murmured to herself. "What can she want with Ferio?"

"Do you know who she might be?" Umi asked.

Clef shrugged. "I don't recall anyone matching the description that you gave me. It is possible that this ghost is older than even I am."

Hikaru gaped. "But then, if she's that old, then how could Ferio have made her angry?"

"We did discuss the possibility that the ghost was actually angry with Emeraude, and was only attacking Ferio because he was her closest relative," Fuu reminded Hikaru.

"Hmm . . ." Clef tapped a finger to his chin and started pacing around his personal study. "That's a good idea, Fuu – but then it raises the new question of why we never encountered this ghost while Emeraude was the pillar."

"Maybe Emeraude's will keep all the ghosts asleep, just like she kept away the monsters," Fuu suggested.

"Yeah, but what about all those monsters that started appearing once Emeraude locked herself in her prison? Shouldn't the ghosts have been able to wake up then?" Umi countered.

Hikaru sighed. "So maybe Emeraude's not the one who made the ghost angry either?"

Clef suddenly stopped pacing. "Hikaru . . . that's an excellent idea."

"Huh?" Hikaru tried to recall whether she had just said anything profound.

"I was rather young myself, and so I seldom think of it, but . . ." Clef abruptly turned to face the three girls again. "Magic Knights, did I mention to you that I remembered the day Emeraude became the pillar?"

The three girls nodded, and Fuu vocalized, "Yes, I believe so."

"The pillar before Emeraude was a man – Prince Amethys. Now, didn't you tell me the girl said something about wanting to attack 'the prince'?"

Fuu's eyes went wide with understanding. "Yes, she did. Something to the effect that since Ferio was the prince, that was all the reason she needed to attack him."

"So then, maybe it was this . . . Amethys the ghost was angry with? And she just decided to attack Ferio because he reminded her of the other prince?" Umi looked to Clef for his opinion.

Clef nodded. "And this theory would also explain well why we never encountered this ghost during Emeraude's reign." Clef clasped his hands together and resumed pacing. "Somehow, I still feel we are overlooking something . . . but perhaps this is the best we can do for now." He stopped once more. "Magic Knights, you said you wish to have your magic reawakened, so that you can help protect Ferio?"

"Yes, Guru Clef," Fuu nodded, her eyes almost growing teary. The two other girls agreed as well.

"Very well. Look deep into your hearts, Magic Knights. Feel the power that flows within. I will reawaken your power this one last time – for after this time, the power should become a part of you that you can find on your own, whenever you are truly in need."

A rush of magic surrounded the girls. The air around Fuu resolved into a green mist, Umi was enveloped by water, and Hikaru appeared to burst into flames. After a moment, the magical manifestations vanished, and the girls were left just as they had appeared before, still dressed in their normal school uniforms.

"I can feel the magic within me again – and the armor!" Hikaru exclaimed. She closed her eyes and concentrated, her face contorting almost painfully. Armor very similar to what Clef had given the girls on their second visit to Cephiro appeared out of nowhere, going over the top of her uniform.

Clef nodded in approval. "Very good, Hikaru. Now then, we –"

An orb of blue flame suddenly flared up within a bowl on one of Clef's desks. The guru stared in surprise for only a split second. "It's a warning . . . Something is approaching Cephiro from space."

"What is it?" Hikaru asked, her voice getting swallowed up in the spell Clef started casting which slowly resolved itself to show a room-sized replica of Cephiro and its surrounding worlds.

Chizeta and Fahren shimmered innocuously, then faded from the scene. Autozam and Cephiro became brighter and larger. "There!" Clef jabbed a finger a point halfway between those two worlds. That tiny spot expanded until it filled almost the whole room, pushing out all the other details. What at first appeared to be a swarm of little gnats turned into a fleet of assault ships and Autozamian Mashin.

"There's over fifty of them," Fuu gasped. "Why are they doing this?"

Clef frowned. "It seems the situation with Autozam has become even worse than I thought."

"We should go tell Eagle!" Umi burst out. "He said he wanted to know. Besides, maybe he would have some idea of how we can resolve things peacefully."

"There's little Eagle can do at the moment," Clef cautioned. "But you may talk to him if you wish. I in the meantime will attempt to contact Geo Metro through my spell . . ."

"Thanks Clef!" Hikaru yelled as she ran out the door. The other two girls rushed out after her.They careened around the corners of the high-arched hallways and set a new record for speed going up the stairs.

Hikaru reached the room first and threw the door open. "Eagle? Eagle! There's a fleet from Autozam, heading toward Cephiro!"

Wh-what?! His shock even showed faintly on his sleeping face. Has my father lost his mind? I – Hikaru, I really don't understand what would drive them to do this.

"We should all stay calm. Maybe they have a good reason," Fuu suggested. "Maybe their problems with their atmosphere have suddenly gotten much worse. Eagle, didn't you say that even during Emeraude's time they had already tried invading?"

Well yes . . .

"Eagle! Do you think they might be trying to get revenge on Cephiro for when Cephiro attacked them before?" Umi demanded, recalling her last conversation with the unconscious young man.

But that was so long ago . . . And truthfully, Cephiro didn't exactly attack them before . . .

"Huh?" Hikaru looked puzzled. "What are you guys talking about?"

Umi scowled. "So if Cephiro didn't attack them, then what did happen?" she demanded sternly.

Mmh . . . well . . . Eagle shifted slightly, still not truly wakening. What I heard was that Cephirans kidnapped the Supreme General's youngest child. In exchange for the child's life, the Cephirans demanded that Autozam immediately destroy all their machinery powered by mental energy. The President of Autozam obviously could not comply with such a threat, but in the end he did order another invasion. That attempt failed, and the Autozamians returned home, and we have heard nothing from Cephiro ever since.

"Oh my goodness!" Fuu gasped. "Princess Emeraude . . . would never have condoned such a thing!"

"Yeah!" Hikaru piped up. "I don't think that even Zagato would be that mean!"

I believe you, Eagle answered slowly. And just from all the circumstances of it, I had been wondering . . . I mentioned it to Lantis once, and he knew nothing about it. If the government of Cephiro had been involved in this, then surely Lantis would have known. Eagle stirred again, just slightly, as though trying to relax into a more comfortable position.

"We can ask Clef if he ever heard anything," Umi suggested.

No – don't trouble the Guru about this. It couldn't possibly be the cause behind the current threat of invasion. That incident was over ten years ago.

"I don't know about that," Hikaru countered. "After all, we've figured out that the strange girl who keeps appeared in the castle is a long-dead ghost who's just picked now to start seeking her revenge."

A ghost – really? How fascinating. On Autozam, most people don't believe in ghosts . . . Have you figured out what she wants?

"No, not entirely," Hikaru sighed. "She has something against Ferio, so we're guessing she might have a grudge against the pillar before Emeraude – maybe Ferio reminds her of him."

Umi would not let Eagle drop the issue yet. "Hold on, Eagle. So if Autozam isn't attacking Cephiro because of that old incident, then what is the most plausible reason for this invasion?"

Eagle thought a long time. He finally answered slowly, I would assume that they are still seeking the same goal of conquering Cephiro, either for the purpose of relocating all our people here, or else to try to gain control of magic or other powers that might heal the diseased air on Autozam. But my father . . . is it possible that he might not realize I am still here?

"Well, like you said," Umi pointed out, "with your condition, we can't offer him any direct proof of your being here. I'm sure Geo would have passed your messages on to him. Why would the President doubt Geo's word?"

But why . . . What?! There's something cold – !

"Huh?" Hikaru glanced around the room in confusion.

Umi frowned. "Don't change the subject, Eagle."

No, I'm serious. Something cold . . . downstairs?

Fuu gasped. "I feel it! She's back! We have to protect Ferio!" Without another word, she was out the door.

Moments later, the Magic Knights arrived outside Ferio's door. Hikaru got there first again, so she was the one who wrenched the double doors open and charged inside.

The strange, purple-haired girl turned around and glowered at them, then held out her right hand and made her magical blade appear in her fist. Ferio had backed himself up against the wall, and was looking almost as pale as his tunic, but otherwise okay so far.

"Stop it, you!" Fuu demanded, pointing a finger at the unwelcome stranger. "We've discussed it over with Clef. Ferio can't be the one you're angry at – he's much too young. Isn't Prince Amethys the one you're really after?!"

"Age? What does age matter in Cephiro?" she asked solemnly. Then her face twisted. "But how could you so callously mention Prince Amethys? Have you no manners?!" She screamed a battle cry and slashed at Fuu.

Fuu shrieked and tried to dodge – she only made it because Hikaru blocked the stranger's blade on her own magical sword.

"Summon your armor, Fuu," Umi directed as she helped her friend back to her feet. She had already drawn out her own magical, blue armor and sword for the fight.

Fuu nodded, then closed her eyes and concentrated. Green light enveloped her briefly, then solidified into chest and shoulder guards, and a long sword made of escudo. Meanwhile Umi and Hikaru wasted no time in pressing their attack against the strange girl.

"Then what is your problem?! Has Ferio ever done anything to you personally?" Umi yelled while trying to alternately slash and dodge.

"No! You little girls couldn't possibly understand!" The girl dropped her sword so that she could summon a ball of fire to hurl at the girls. "Roiling Lava!"

"Protecting Winds!" Fuu countered, absorbing most of the deadly attack.

"Wait! Did you know Amethys then?" Hikaru asked.

"Prince Amethys. So disrespectful – just what I'd expect from Magic Knights – and yes, I did!"

"So, are you by chance Aki?"

Everyone was surprised by Ferio's question and turned and looked his direction.

The girl especially looked unnerved. "How would you know that?!" she hissed.

Ferio tried to maintain his cool, but nevertheless did not venture away from his wall. "Emeraude told me about you – the Magic Knight who turned on her friends because she fell in love with the pillar she was summoned to destroy."

Hikaru, Umi, and Fuu all gaped. Meanwhile, Aki yelled back, "He was lonely! Because he was the pillar, he was not allowed to think any more of one person than another – and so they kept him away from everybody! Is it any surprise that he would grow tired of caring for a world that cared nothing for him? It wasn't fair!"

"No, it wasn't. But when the people of Cephiro tried to fix things, it went no better. My older sister became the next pillar, and in an attempt to keep her from being lonely, the people of Cephiro encouraged her to be around her subjects." Ferio noted the point of Aki's sword was drooping, so he finally took a few steps away from the wall. "But that didn't help at all, since she soon fell in love with one of them. The end result was the same – she had to summon these Magic Knights to stop herself from destroying Cephiro in her sorrow."

Aki spluttered, "Well – that – it still makes no difference!" She raised her sword and started for Ferio again. "You're here now!"

Fuu took a gamble and burst out, "Aki-san, Ferio is not the new pillar."

Aki stopped short. "What?" Her sword tip dropped to the floor.

Ferio sighed in relief. "She's right – I'm not," he told Aki, then commented for the Magic Knights' benefit, "Many times, the new pillar is a close relative of the previous one. Amethys was actually my uncle – but he died before I was even born."

"Oh, I see – so Aki jumped to the conclusion that because you are the prince then you are also the pillar – right?" Umi asked.

"So, then who is the new pillar?" Aki demanded, unimpressed and unwilling to admit her mistake.

"Well . . . Hikaru would be . . ." Fuu truthfully, but a bit nervously, gestured to her friend.

Hikaru nodded. "Yes, but since I became pillar, I could decide the fate of the world – and so I decided that the pillar system should be abolished."

Aki's mouth dropped open. "So . . . there's no pillar?"

"Right. After what we had to do . . . and saw with Emeraude, there was no way I wanted that horrible situation to ever happen to anybody again." Hikaru, smiling gently, once again offered her hand to Aki. "Please – I don't want anybody to have to fight. Can't we be friends?"

Aki was frozen in shock. Her sword slipped from her hand and disappeared, but she didn't even seem to care. The door slowly opened and Clef slipped in, but Ferio was the only one who noticed. The girls' eyes were on Aki and Hikaru.

Hikaru took Aki's unresisting hand in hers. "I'm so sorry you had such a sad time with Prince Amethys. If he could see the feelings in your heart, I'm sure he wouldn't want you to be so unhappy."

"I agree," Clef said, startling Aki so that she pulled her hand free, and took a quick step back. Clef meandered into the center of the room and faced Aki directly. "And actually, while I was trying to communicate with Autozam, someone interrupted me – someone who wanted to talk to you . . ." While Clef started a spell, Aki just stared. Then, a magic circle appeared, glimmering around the room. "Spirit Reveal!" Clef intoned, spreading his arms.

The glowing circles disappeared, but the spell had left a seventh person in the room. He had purple hair and wore very plain, white robes, but otherwise he looked very much like a slightly older version of Ferio. He glanced briefly around at the other people in the room, then focused on the ghostly girl. "Aki? What are you . . . ?" His brow furrowed in confusion. "What did you do to your hair?"

Aki's eyes went wide. She blushed, and then with a flick of her hand, changed her hair color and the highlights of her dress to magenta. "Prince Amethys! I changed it to remind me of . . . you . . . why are you still here?"

Amethys sighed plaintively. "You've kept me waiting. You told me that you would be my friend . . . but then you never came . . ."

Aki choked back a sob, then ran and gave Amethys a heart-felt hug. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I was just so angry . . . with the pillar . . . and then Emeraude put me to sleep!"

"And me as well . . . but her influence has been waning for a long time." Amethys gently wrapped his arms around Aki. "Why do you still linger here? What have you left undone?"

For a moment, Aki only sobbed. Finally, she cried, "Nothing – nothing. Except . . ." With obvious reluctance, she broke away from Amethys and walked over to Ferio. She still had tears streaming down her cheeks. "I'm sorry for everything. I was . . . mistaken." Aki stood on her tiptoes and kissed Ferio on the forehead. "I leave you my best wishes – for Cephiro, and for the happiness of everyone in it." This said, she returned to Amethys and looped her arm through his. "Shall we move on?"

A shy, grateful smile slowly spread across Amethys's face. "Yes. It is time." Arm in arm, they turned and strolled out of the room, fading away with every step until they were gone.


I think Aki is psycho . . . yet her character still has a certain odd charm. I wonder if anyone guessed this outcome. I hope it was at least partly a surprise. And just in case there was anyone wondering, Aki and Amethys are my own invention.

And I should probably refrain . . . but I just can't resist: a scene that should never be!

Clef threw open the doors and burst into the room, completely out-of-character. Proudly, he declared, "I've just had an apostrophe!"

Lafarga shook his head. "I think you mean an epiphany."

"Lightning has just struck my brain," Clef said while tapping his head with his index finger.

Lafarga rolled his eyes. "That must hurt."

Ha!!! Sorry. Really. But ever since I named the chapter, this is what I kept thinking of. Besides, "Hook" is such a good movie that surely the MKR characters would appreciate it, too.

Right?