Fuu tossed and turned in her bed, trying to fall asleep. Every night had been this restless since
she and her best friends had returned from Cephiro. She hadn't seen Hikaru or Umi since that day. She
missed them terribly, but she knew it wouldn't be long before they could see each other again. Three

more days, and she'd be meeting them again at Tokyo Tower, where it had all began.

Fuu sat up and brushed tears from her face.
"Emeraude....Zagato..." She whispered, her heart heavy with sorrow. It had all seemed like a very
vivid bad dream, but speaking to Hikaru and Umi over the phone proved to Fuu that she hadn't been

the only one "dreaming".
It all really happened.... She thought, getting out of bed and stepping over to her window, where the
moon shone it's silvery light into the dark room. Fuu gazed out at the city lights beyond her quiet

neighborhood and closed her eyes.

"Ferio...." She whispered tearfully. She suddenly covered her eyes with her hands, crying softly.

Ferio gazed out the window of the castle, watching theviolent storm crashing outside.
I wonder what will happen now, He thought, his gaze steady, but worried. Cephiro has never seen a
time like this. Absently, he reached up and touched the gold ring he wore in his left ear. The one that
he'd given to Fuu....the one that had returned to him after that last battle, when he lost his only sister

and Fuu had vanished to her own world, along with the other two Magic Knights.

Ferio removed the ring from his ear and gazed down at it as he held it in his palm. He wondered if
he would ever see her again. Every night, he'd prayed to God for her safety....that she was well in her
own world. He also prayed that God would somehow erase her memory of what had happened
here...that she would forget all about Cephiro....and that she would forget him as well. It hurt him to
think that she might never think of him again, but he knew it would save her the heartache, and that was
what he wanted. But, still, in his heart, he missed her deeply. Some nights, Ferio was startled out of an
uneasy sleep, thinking he had heard her soft voice call his name. He would dash out of his room and
search for her, only to realize his wish to see her again was so strong, he'd only imagined hearing her
voice. Those nights were the worst for him, and there was hardly a night that went by when he didn't

think of her.

Ferio sighed and closed his eyes, clutching the ring tightly in his fist. "Fuu..."

Three days went by slowly, and as each one passed, Fuu grew more and more restless. She
couldn't explain it, but she could barely wait for Friday to come and for school to be over so she could
meet Hikaru and Umi at Tokyo Tower again. Each day as she walked to school, her gaze was drawn to

the Tower.

Fuu's mother and father and her older sister, Kuu, noticed her strange behavior. They worried and
discussed their concerns in hushed voices when Fuu was in another room. Even though she knew why
they were worried, Fuu knew she couldn't tell them what was troubling her. She tried her best to smile
and act like her normal self, but she just couldn't keep the sadness from her eyes or the distracted tone

from her voice.
I'm sorry, Mom...Dad....Kuu... She thought with a sigh as she left the house Friday morning. But I just

can't tell you...
"Fuu-san!"
Fuu turned at the sound of her sister's voice.
"Kuu?"

Her older sister caught up to her breathlessly. She smiled warmly. "I'll walk with you a little, okay?"
After a few moments of walking silently, Kuu glanced at her younger sister. Fuu seemed to be a million
miles away, her normally sparkling emerald eyes dark and solemn. Kuu cleared her throat and tossed

her long brown her over one shoulder.
"Fuu..."
Fuu looked at her sister, slightly startled.
"Fuu...what's wrong? You haven't been yourself lately at all."
Fuu frowned and lowered her eyes.
Kuu continued, looking concerned. "You try so hard to hide the way you feel, that I know it must be

something serious."

Fuu remained silent. Kuu put a hand on her shoulder gently, causing her to look up.
"Do you have someone to talk to?" Kuu asked with a soft smile. " If you can share your troubles with

someone, then you can work through them together."
Fuu blinked in surprise, then smiled. "Yes....that's true..."
Kuu smiled again. "So you're meeting them today?"
Fuu nodded. "Yes...at Tokyo Tower...."
Kuu's face lit up. "Tokyo Tower? The pastries there are great!"
Fuu flushed. "I-I'll buy some for you then."
Kuu grinned cheerfully. "Thank you, Fuu-san!" She turned with a wave and started off in the direction

of the high school. Fuu's smile faded as she watched her sister disappear.

"Tokyo Tower..."
Everything looked so different somehow, even though nothing had really changed. Tokyo Tower was
still the same, but the three girls who gazed silently down from it's windows would never be the same

again. They stood together in silence, each thinking the same thought.
"I have dreams at night," Hikaru began quietly. "Of Cephiro....of Princess Emeraude and Zagato....of

the Mashin...."
Umi and Fuu bowed their heads.
"I can't even play RPG's anymore," Umi said softly. "It feels too real now."
Fuu nodded. "And yet, it all seems as if it were a dream...." She felt a sting in her chest as she thought
of Ferio's ring.
Hikaru looked at her friends with a fiery gaze.
"I want to go back to Cephiro!" She said suddenly. Neither Fuu or Umi was surprised.
"Me, too." Said Umi.
"So do I." Fuu added.

Suddenly, there was a bright flash of light........

Ferio awoke with a start. He sat up, suddenly wide awake, wondering what it was that woke
him. At that moment, there was an urgent knock at his door.
"Prince!"
"Clef?" Ferio hurried to the door and opened it. As soon as he saw the expression on the little
sorcerer's face, his heart jumped in his chest.
"The Magic Knights," He said immediately. "They have returned?"
Clef was momentarily startled, then nodded.
"Y- yes. We must go and greet them."

As the Prince and the sorcerer hurried down the corridor, Ferio frowned suddenly and looked at Clef.
"Do you know who summoned them?"
Clef shook his head. "That doesn't matter for now," He looked up at Ferio. "Cephiro needs them again."
Ferio gazed down the hall.

Fuu.....

Fuu, Umi, and Hikaru were soon in the castle, where they were happily reunited with Presea and
Mokona. As soon as Fuu had realized they were once again back in Cephiro, she'd been flushed and her
heart had been pounding. Though she never would have admitted it, only one thing was on her mind.
Ferio....
Clef was the next to greet them. Ferio stayed behind for a moment, unseen in the shadows of the
doorway. From there, he watched as Clef approached the Magic Knights.
"Fuu..." He whispered as the blonde girl came into his view. His cheeks grew slightly pink and his heart
thumped. She looked a little different since he'd last seen her. A bit thinner, but....there was something
else. There was something about her eyes that hadn't been there before. Ferio looked from Fuu to
Hikaru and then to Umi. Each girl had the same sad shadow in her eyes. They were all such cheerful
girls when he'd last seen them. Before......
He sighed and stepped out of his hiding place. Hikaru was the first to notice him.
"Ferio!" She cried excitedly, running over to him, Umi right behind her. Fuu stood still for a moment,
surprised, then blushed and followed her friends.
Ferio smiled. "Hikaru.....Umi...." He greeted them. Then he turned to Fuu and his eyes softened.
"Fuu."
Fuu blushed again, her heart pounding. "Ferio...."
Hikaru looked from Ferio to Fuu and then back again, puzzled. Umi grinned knowingly, then looked at
Ferio.
"Ferio..." She began. He turned his golden eyes in her direction.
A little reluctantly, Umi noted with a suppressed giggle.
"Ferio, what's with that outfit?" She asked.
Ferio looked down at the regal gold and white uniform he wore, fanning the matching cloak out behind
him.
"What's wrong with it?"
Umi shook her head. "There's nothing wrong with it, it's just that...." She frowned, searching for the
right word. Behind her, Hikaru brightened.
"You look just like a prince from a story!" The shorter girl exclaimed. Umi clapped her hands.
"Yeah! That's what I was going to say! Like a prince."
Ferio's eyes darkened slightly. Fuu stepped forward a bit. "Ferio?"
Ferio looked up at the three girls.
"Magic Knights," He began, his tone suddenly changing, becoming more serious. "I want to offer you
my gratitude for what you have done." He suddenly knelt before them, bowing respectfully. The girls
looked at each other and then back at Ferio, eyes wide.
"Thank you for what you did for Cephiro.....and for my dear sister, Emeraude."
The magic Knights gasped as one.
"Your...." Hikaru whispered.
"Sister?" Umi gasped.
"Yes." Ferio answered solemnly. "Princess Emeraude was my sister."
"Then...." Hikaru began slowly. "Then you are...."
Ferio smiled gently and patted Hikaru's head.
"I am the Prince."
He turned to Fuu then, his smile fading.
"Fuu....."
She couldn't look at him, her eyes closed and tears streaming down her cheeks. She lowered her head,
her hands over her mouth.
"Then.....then that means...." She whispered softly. "That means I....killed your sister....." Her shoulders
began to shake with silent, painful sobs.
Ferio stepped forward, gently putting a hand on her shoulder. "Fuu." He said softly. Fuu opened her
green eyes and looked at him, her tears streaming freely.
"I-I'm so sorry....Ferio..." She whispered, barely able to contain her sorrow. Ferio reached out and
stroked her golden hair gently.
"No, Fuu. There's no reason for you to apologize. You are not to blame." He looked over at Hikaru
and Umi, who stood by silently, tears streaming down their cheeks as well.
"None of you are to blame," Ferio told them firmly. "You were asked to become Magic Knights and
save Cephiro. You used all the strength of your hearts to defeat Cephiro's true enemy, and by doing so,
also granted my sister's wish." He looked at Fuu again. "So please, don't cry." He said gently. "You
had no other choice."
He stepped back and faced them all.
"It was my sister's one true wish that she would be with her Zagato. She is finally truely happy and
she'll be with her beloved forever.......do you know what her last words were?"
The girls shook their heads silently. Ferio smiled gently, but sadly.

"She said to tell the Magic Knights.....`thank you`."

The next several hours were chaotic. Fuu, Hikaru, and Umi were reunited with Caldina, Ascot,
and LaFarga. Then a mysterious man appeared out of nowhere. It seemed as though he wanted to see
the Magic Knights for himself. He'd looked at them silently for the longest time, before Ferio and
LaFarga grew uneasy and stepped forward protectively, demanding to know what he wanted. The dark
mysterious man glared at the two of them before turning and walking out as silently as he'd come in.
When Hikaru commented on his familiar face, Lafarga told them who he was.
"That is Lantis....the younger brother of Sol Zagato."
Zagato's brother! It was all almost too much to take. The sudden return to Cephiro....being reunited
with people who had so surely been part of a dream....learning that Ferio was really Princess
Emeraude's brother....and now this!

Clef could sense how overwhelmed the girls were feeling, and insisted that they get some rest.
"A room has been prepared for you." He told them gently. "It's late and it's been a very tiring day for
all of you, so please get some sleep."

Fuu had been relieved, but now, as she lay in the large bed beside her soundly sleeping friends, she
found herself wide awake, unable to quiet her thoughts. She sat up with a quiet sigh and eased herself
out of bed, carefully as not to wake Hikaru or Umi. She dressed quickly and gave her friends one more
glance before leaving the room. Little Hikaru was curled up on her side, a snoring Mokona in her arms.
Umi was sprawled on her back beside Hikaru, her long sky blue hair fanned out on her pillow and
draped over the edge of the bed. Fuu grinned a little, the warm feeling of affection she held for her two
dear friends shining in her eyes.
"Sleep well, Hikaru-san, Umi-san...."
Mokona snorted loudly in his sleep. Fuu held back a giggle.
"You, too, Mokona-san!" She whispered as she slipped out into the hall.

It would be very easy to get lost here.... Fuu thought as she wandered down the long
corridor. Every few feet she passed a window, each revealing Cephiro's presently tormented state. She
paused at one of the windows and gazed out. A dark storm raged outside, brilliant flashes of
lightning breaking the sky every few seconds. Fuu shivered and remembered what Clef had said at the
beginning of all this, when she and her friends had first been summoned to Cephiro.
"Belief is power in Cephiro....a heart that believes can change the world."
"A heart that believes...." Fuu repeated to herself. It was strange, but before coming to Cephiro, Fuu
didn't often listen to her heart. She had believed that reason and thinking things through were always
best, but now....
"Fuu."
She turned with a slight gasp of surprise.
"Ferio...."
Now things were different.

Ferio walked up beside her and gazed out the window. They were both silent for a long
moment, watching the storm outside. Fuu realized how warm her face felt and how her heart seemed to
thump in her chest. Ferio looked at her then.
"Fuu. I...I..."
Fuu looked at him curiously.
Ferio cleared his throat, his cheeks turning slightly pink.
"I was worried....about the three of you, after you returned to your world." He turned his golden eyes
back to the window again. " I thought of you... often."
Fuu blushed slightly as Ferio continued.
"I wondered...." He looked at her again. "I wondered if I'd ever see you again." He whispered.
Fuu met his eyes, feeling tears come to her own.
"Ferio." She said softly.
He gently brushed a lock of hair from her cheek.
"I missed you....very much."
Suddenly, he reached up and slipped a ring from his ear.
"Do you remember this?"
Fuu's eyes widened. "It's the ring you gave me....that day in the Forest of Silence! I thought I still had
it with me, but when I returned to Tokyo, it was gone. I was so sure I'd lost it....." Her voice trailed off
and she blushed as Ferio gazed at her, a gentle smile on his face.Suddenly, he took her hand and
pressed the ring into her palm.
"I'd like you to take it again." He said, looking into her eyes. "My sister gave these to me."
Fuu gasped and immediately burst into tears.
"Your sister.....I can't accept this..."
Ferio reached out and drew her into his arms.
"Please, Fuu." He said softly, holding her tight and stroking her hair. "Don't cry...I didn't mean to make
you cry. My sister told me when she gave me these rings, that if I ever found someone I....cared for,
that I should give one to them." He drew back a little and gently lifted her chin so that he could look
into her eyes.
"Fuu....ever since I was very young, I was always alone. I've always been on my own and I was never
really happy. The only things that ever brought me any joy at all was hunting monsters and fighting. But
since I met you.....from the first time we met, I couldn't wait to see you again. I thought about you
every day and always prayed that you were safe." He smiled warmly. "There is no one I would rather
give this ring to....I want you to have it. And I know my sister would wish it as well."
He gently brushed tears from her cheeks with his warm gloved fingers.
"Ferio." Fuu whispered. For the first time, she couldn't think of anything to say. Ferio pulled her close
to him again and she rested her head on his chest, her cheeks glowing pink as she listened to his heart
beat and felt his warm arms around her. She'd never felt this way before, but (although she would never
admit this to anyone in a million years) she had often imagined what her prince might be like if she ever
met him one day. Ferio was so much better than anything she could have ever wished for. Fuu closed
her eyes, content and happy.

Suddenly, a gasp escaped her as a cold wind surrounded her and Ferio was suddenly gone.
Fuu opened her eyes and uttered a small cry as she looked around her. She seemed to be in a large cave
of some kind, darkeness surrounding her, except for the little bit of light shining from an unknown
source, outlining an immense metallic shape before her.
What is this place? How did I get here?
She shivered as the cold wind snaked around her again, and gazed up at the figure in front of her, barely
able to make it out, yet it seemed very familiar.....
"F-Ferio?" Fuu called out into the darkness timidly, looking around her again.
Suddenly a six-pointed star glowed to life on the giant figure, and in the center of the star, was the
symbol of the Magic Knight of Wind....
"Windam!"
The Mashe instantly came to life at the sound of Fuu's voice, it's eyes glowing with an intense yellow
light. Windam gazed down at Fuu.
"Magic Knight from another world," Windam intoned. "You have used the power of your heart to
overcome many obstacles and thusly have saved Cephiro. The time has come once again to stand as a
Magic Knight and defend the people of this land. This time, however, your heart is not free. You have
other concerns."
Fuu's eyes widened and she blushed.
He surely couldn't mean-
"The time has come for another test of the heart," Windam continued. "I must be sure you are prepared
for the battles ahead, for if you enter into battle with distractions in your heart, you shall surely die,
which may also cause you comrades to fall, as their sorrow would hinder their ability to concentrate on
the enemy. And without the Magic Knights, Cephiro would be lost forever. Therefore, you must
embark on a journey....this will be your test. And you must go alone. Tell no one of this. Tell no one
that we have even spoken. Not the other Magic Knights....or Clef....or the Prince. No one may know. I
will summon you again when the time has come. Meanwhile...." Windam's voice suddenly changed in
tone, becoming somehow more gentle. "Please prepare yourself for what lies ahead, Legendary Magic
Knight. The journey you face promises to be difficult, perhaps more difficult than anything you have
faced this far....but I will be with you. You can call on my powers anytime you need them and I will
come to you.....for I am now a part of you."
Suddenly, the shadows seemed to close in as Windam receded into the darkness, the light from the

winged Mashe's glowing eyes and emblem fading on Fuu's tearstained face.....

Ferio gasped as Fuu vanished from his embrace.
"Fuu?" He said, his confusion quickly growing into alarm. "Fuu! Where are you?!" He cried, looking
down the hall first to his right, then to his left. His mind raced to understand what had just happened.
"Fuu!!!"
Hikaru and Umi appeared at the end of the hall, racing toward Ferio, their nightgowns billowing around them.
"Ferio! What happened? Where's Fuu?" Hikaru cried.
He met them with a very troubled, worried expression.
"Fuu was standing right here with me a second ago, and then she just disappeared!"
Umi and Hikaru exchanged fearful glances.
"Fuu!" Hikaru yelled.
"H-here I am...." Fuu's soft, pretty voice spoke up behind them. The three of them spun around to see
the petite blonde girl adjusting her glasses, her green eyes wide and looking slightly bewildered.
"Fuu!" Hikaru and Umi cried joyously, running to her and nearly knocking her to the floor as they both
embraced her at the same time.
"You're okay?" Hiakru asked, her wide innocent eyes showing her worry.
"You're not hurt, are you? What happened, Fuu?" Umi demanded in her usual scolding manner.
Fuu smiled slightly at her friends. "I...." Her eyes caught Ferio's golden ones, her heart instantly struck
by the overwhelming concern in them.
Ferio....
"I-I don't know what happened," She lied, lowering her eyes. "One minute, I'm standing over there
with Ferio, the next I'm all the way over here....I h-have no idea what happened in between then. I
have'nt any memory of it."
Hikaru's eyes widened and Umi shook her head in disbelief.
"How weird!"
Fuu chanced a look at Ferio. He was gazing straight at her....and she knew he didn't believe her story at
all. Fuu quickly looked away again.
Hikaru clutched her hands into fists.
"Whatever it was, it won't happen again!" She said fiercely. "We'll protect you, Fuu-chan!"
Fuu smiled warmly at Hikaru, her eyes a little sad. Then, on an impulse that was very unlike her, Fuu
suddenly hugged Hikaru tightly.
"Thank you, Hikaru-san." She smiled as Umi reached over and sqeezed her hand reassuringly.
"Umi-san."

Over Hikaru's shoulder, Fuu could see Ferio, still gazing at her intently with those searching
eagle's eyes. Fuu closed her own green eyes tightly, fighting back fresh tears.

Please, Ferio, She thought, her heart aching. Please forgive me....

Clef paced the floor of the throne room restlessly, every now and then casting a worried glance
toward the green-haired young man who stood silently gazing out the window. Clef paused, frowning.
"It was her Mashe, wasn't it?"
Ferio nodded. "Yeah....that's what I think."
"But why would she hide it from us? Even from Hikaru and Umi?"
Ferio turned to Clef, his eyes betraying his worry and frusteration.
"I don't know. Something happened though, I'm sure of that...." He looked at Clef hopefully. "Do you
know of any way to speak to a Magic Knight's Mashe?"
Clef shook his head sadly. "Only a Magic Knight can summon the Mashin. I've never heard of anyone
else being able to contact Windam, Seles, or Rayearth."
Ferio sighed and gazed out the window again.
"I'll try to talk to Fuu tomorrow."
"Ferio..."
Ferio looked back at Clef.
"I need to know, Clef. I need to be sure she's alright."
Clef came and stood beside Ferio.

"If she's with Windam, she will be." Clef said gently, then smiled. "Just have faith in her."

Hiakru paced the hall just outside the bedroom door, feeling anxious. Umi stood with her back
to the wall and her hands behind her, her blue eyes following Hikaru nervously.
"Hikaru, please stop pacing. You're giving me motion sickness."
Hikaru stopped and sighed. "Sorry, Umi-chan. I'm just worried."
Umi grinned reassuringly. "I think that Fuu is okay now. Whatever it was, it hasn't happened again."
Hikaru shook her head. "I think I already know what happened."
Umi looked at her little friend quizically. Hikaru pushed a strand of red hair behind her ear.
"I think it was her Mashe, Windam."
Umi paused for a moment, then nodded thoughtfully.
"You're right," She said slowly. "That would explain it."
Hikaru nodded. "Whenever our Mashin summon us, we just disappear, and anyone around us wouldn't
be able to hear them call us, because we're the only ones who can hear them or summon them."
Umi frowned. "But if that's true, then why wouldn't Fuu tell us?"
Hikaru dropped her head and sighed.

"That's why I'm so worried."

Fuu sighed, still unable to sleep. Mokona lay beside her, dozing peacefully, even after all the excitement.
Fuu had done her best to reassure everyone that she was alright, but she knew in her heart that no one
believed her, and that they were worried. She closed her eyes as tears slid down her cheeks.
"I'm sorry, Hiakru....Umi....Ferio...." She said softly.
Behind her, Mokona opened one eye, the jewel on his forhead suddenly glowing green......