Part I: Two Hearts' Wish

"It wasn't a dream," Hikaru said while sobbing and hugging Umi and Fu.

"No, it wasn't, but if it were a dream, it's one of the most bitter sweet dream I ever had," Fu replied.

"I will surely miss them," added Umi who was still wiping her tears.

"Let's promise to meet year every year to celebrate our Cephiro's new life, and our friendship," Hikaru suggested.

"That's a great idea!" Fuu agreed.

"Alright, now that we've decided what to do, we now must regroup with our schoolmates because I think we're seeming weirder to them by the minute."

They all laughed.

"What happened Umi?" asked their fencing team captain.

"Ahm not that much. I just bumped into some old friends, hehehe" she replied.

"Oh I see. Anyway, we're heading back to the bus to reserve our energy for the training later this afternoon. Are you coming with us?"

"I want to stay here a little longer. I haven't had enough of this place yet. You girls go ahead. I'll follow you in a few minutes." She smiled and waved at her teammates as they were leaving.

She looked around to see if Hikaru and Fuu were still there, but she could not find them. She decided to just enjoy her remaining time there. She lined up for to the telescope and reached for her pocket to get some coins. When she raised her face to coin how much she has, her peripheral vision caught something big and green. She just ignored it.

Unexpectedly, the crowd in that floor grew noisier. She turned her head to see what the commotion was all about and at the center of a group of people, she saw a familiar big green hat. She approached the group and tried to look closer. She was dumbfounded when she realized the object of everybody's unsettlement.

"Ehhhhh! Ascot! How did you get here?" Umi asked Ascot who was looking very uncomfortable.

"I do not know. Ahmm...can you help me go back to Cephiro?" Ascot asked.

"Of course." She squeezed her way to him and turn her back to him so she's facing the crowd.

"He's a cosplayer and we'll have a shoot here later. He just came a little earlier than the rest of the models. Please don't mind him." Umi explained to the crowd.

"He's so good-looking! I wish I could have a picture of us together taken." A student in the crowd commented.

"Wow! He's so handsome. I think my daughter would like her." A middle-aged woman said.

"He'd be an instant matinee idol. I wonder if he has any talent. I better offer him a contract!" A talent scout merrily talked to himself.

"Looks like they won't be pacified unless you leave." She grabbed Ascot's hand and dashed to the elevator. She phoned the family driver.

When they got off, the car was already waiting for them at the exit by the lobby. Umi shoved Ascot's big figure on to the car seat.

"Take us to the nearest Regatta store." Umi ordered the driver.

"Umi, what do you call this box? Is this run by magic? Why is it colder in here? Where are we going?" Ascot asked, his bangs covering almost half of his face.

She pressed a button on her arm rest and a two way mirror descended in between them and the driver. She didn't want the driver to think that Ascot was crazy. "First, this is called a car. It is run by processed energy in the form of fuel. It's colder in here because of the aircon, an machine invented by the people of this world. We are going to a boutique to get you some new clothes because we don't want you attracting unnecessary attention like what happened in the tower. Going back to my question earlier, how did you get here?"

"I told you I don't know. I remember wishing to come with you here in your world but I don't think my will was powerful enough to take me here. I guess there's another person who wished me to be here." Ascot responded.

"Hmmmm... I wonder who that person is." Umi replied.

Flashback

Umi: "Clef, I... Never mind."

Clef: "Thank you Umi."

Umi: "I wish I could take Ascot to Earth though. He saved me so many times and I haven't thanked him properly yet.

Everything dawned to her.

"Whoever that person is, I believe she has a good intention in doing what she did." She awkwardly said in between chuckles.

"We're here," announced the driver.

They headed straight to the store. There, they were greeted warmly by her good friend, Yue, her stylist.

"My, my Umi, what a surprise! I did not expect to see you today. What brings you here?" Yue welcome her with a peck on her cheek. "And who is this gorgeous young man with you?"

"I'm sorry for coming without notice. I need your help. This is Ascot. He is a very good friend of mine. He needs a new wardrobe because all of his stuff were stolen." She turned to Ascot. "Ascot, please follow everything that Yue says. He is a trusted friend. I will just go to the ladies' section. I will just cancel all my appointments this afternoon. Yue knows how to reach me when you're already done. Okay?" She did not let him answer. She turned her back, looked for her cellphone and informed her captain that she would not be able to attend their fencing practice.

After 30 minutes, she received a text message from Yue. She finished her window shopping and went back to Yue's station.

As she approached Yue, her eyes are searching for Ascot but she could not find him. Yue was talking to a guy wearing an emerald green long sleeved polo and white pants that hugged him like a second skin. His hair was the same color as Ascot but it was much shorter. So far, this stranger's physique, basing from the back view, would get a 20 out of 10 in her hotness meter.

She dismissed the thought of assessing this guy as she remembered how she would accommodate Ascot when they get to her house. She walked straight to Yue, ignoring the guy. For all she care, he might be just one of Yue's high class clients.

"Excuse me Yue. Where is Ascot?" She asked

Yue's lips and eyes were both smiling. "My dear, you are standing right beside him."

Her mind went blank for a moment.

She turned her head to her left to take a better look of the guy Yue referred to as Ascot. The first asset of his that her eyes landed on was his cleft chin. She did not notice he had one before. Her eyes went up and focused on his peach colored lips. It looked so supple that she barely managed to take her eyes off of his mouth. Her weakness in men was their smooth and milky complexion. Ascot just had that. His face seemed poreless. He also had a perfectly chiseled nose. She's surprised to learn a lot about his facial features up close. She was about to stop staring when her eyes were drawn to his deep emerald colored eyes. His light brown hair made his eyes pop. He was looking straight to her. She felt her heart stopped when their eyes met. She felt that his eyes stripped her of all of her feelings.

She was at a loss of words.

"You can stop staring at my creation now and admit that I'm the best stylist in Japan," Yue broke the long silence.

"Ahhhh! Why is your hair short?" She reached up to touch his hair. It was very soft to her touch.

"You said that I should follow Yue. He advised that it's not good for my skin if half of my face is covered by hair so I allowed him to cut it. Does it look bad?"

"No. It actually suits you. You look like someone who just stepped out of a magazine!" She answered with a flushed face. "Yue, thank you very much for your excellent work. You really are the best stylist in Japan. As much as we want to stay, we can't. We still a lot of work to do."

"Alright Umi. I understand. Just promise me one thing." Yue stretched his arms forward and touched her shoulders.

"What is it?" She asked. Perplexed.

"Promise me that you will not, in any case, corrupt Ascot's innocence." He was looking intently to her eyes.

Umi clenched her fist. Yue really got into her nerves. Unceremoniously, she was about to punch Yue on his face but a pair of strong arms wrapped around her waist. She continued struggling but she couldn't reach Yue. She was getting tired so she stopped.

That's when she realized how Ascot was hugging her. She could feel his chest and stomach on her back and his face on top of her head. She looked up and ended up being face to face with him. She could smell his breath. She was mesmerized by his eyes.

"Umi, I think Yue is just kidding. I don't think it's a good idea to punch him." Ascot calmly explained to her. Concern was visible on his face.

"You too! Of course I won't really punch him! Let's go!" Again, she didn't wait for any of the two men's responses. She stormed out of the shop and waited for Ascot in the car. She's wondering why Ascot's mere presence was starting to make her uneasy.

After a few minutes, Ascot opened the car door, and they left for their next stop.

Not knowing that a pair of eyes was watching their every move.