Disclaimer: Magic Knight Rayearth and all its characters belong to CLAMP.

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"I've got a new mission for us, guys!" Umi Ryuuzaki yelled to her two best friends, Hikaru Shidou and Fuu Hououji. "This one is the one we've been training for!"

In her hands, Umi held a thin scroll, tied in a scarlet red ribbon. Umi walked over to a battered wooden table and rolled the scroll out upon it, revealing a map.

The two young women crowded around Umi to see the map and waited anxiously for Umi's plan.

"I've been searching the map for any sign of a demon civilization. I've ruled out every colony we've defeated so far, and there's only one left."

Umi laid her finger on the image of a mountain to the northwest. "This one," she declared. "According to the rumors from the villagers, the Demon Prince resides there."

Hikaru, Umi, and Fuu's reason for becoming Demon Slayers was because of a tragic past. One day in their village, not too many years before, a pack of demons had attacked them. The entire village had been destroyed; many people perished—including the families of Hikaru, Umi, and Fuu. Ever since that day, they had sworn they would destroy all demons, and took on the roles of Demon Slayers.

"That's the lair of the wolf demons," Fuu pointed out while observing the map carefully. "The castle is called Ryoushi no Yoru."

"A wolf demon prince?" Umi mused, mostly to herself.

"Wow!" Hikaru, the fiery red-head, exclaimed. "A Demon Prince!"

"We're... supposed to assassinate him?" Fuu pondered.

Umi nodded. "That's what I was thinking." She pulled her sword from its scabbard and gently ran her fingers swiftly across the dragon-shaped hilt and down its side. "A wolf pack, eh? This should be fun."

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"Your Highness..." a cautious voice echoed throughout the dark chamber.

"What is it, Clef?" the Prince responded as he turned to face his comrade, who was crouched on one knee in deep respect. The prince's bright golden eyes shimmered in the dim light and his forest green hair seemed unusually dark. His ears were at a small point (almost like an elf's, but not so long), as were all wolf demons' ears. His long tail was barely visible from under his cape.

"Prince Ferio," Clef addressed his prince with the utmost caution in the event of bad news. "I..." Clef hesitated. His clear blue eyes reflected a tentative worry. His lavender hair glowed softly in the faint radiance of a single candle. Letting out a long sigh, he shook his head lightly. "Prince, it has been reported to me that a group of Demon Slayers have set out in hope of assassinating you."

Ferio's lips curled into a malicious smile, revealing a pair of sharp, wolf-like fangs. "Oh, really?" Ferio reached to a small, elegant table beside him and picked up a extravagantly detailed wineglass. He wrapped his clawed fingers around its base and brought the deep, red liquid to his mouth. He drank the wine thirstily and then positioned the elegant, crystal glass below his chin. He licked the side of his upper lip slowly, a small smile still upon his lips.

"Then we must get rid of them."

Clef's grip upon his staff tightened slightly, then relaxed. "Shall I send scouts to search for them?"

Ferio placed the wineglass beck on the table. "No," he stated. "We'll wait until tomorrow night, the night of the new moon. Then, we will have the advantage. They won't be able to kill us if there is no light for them to see us by. Of course, I expect you to lead them, Clef. After all, you are our most skilled magic-user. Not to mention the only mage left." Ferio laughed softly and coldly.

At his words, Clef tensed. It hadn't been the magic-user remark that had left him so uneasy—he had always been the high mage, and he was indeed the only mage left alive—but the thought new moon petrified him.

Ferio had, without a doubt, seen Clef's reaction to being assigned to the ambush on the night of the new moon. Clef had always, for some reason, disappeared on the night of the new moon without a trace, only to return the next morning as if nothing had happened. Ferio planned to find out exactly why.

"I understand, Your Highness," Clef said shakily.

"Good."

Clef stood and left the room, his tail swaying softly behind him. Once he was gone, Ferio was left alone to ponder. Why in the world would Clef keep disappearing every time the moon was black? Ferio brought a hand to his chin and stroked it thoughtfully. The possibilities were endless! Ferio sighed. Soon enough, he would find out what had been driving his friend crazy all that time.

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So, what do you think? ^_^ Sorry if the formatting is bad, I'm still trying to figure out how to format it. Please review! Please be gentle with your reviews, this is my first fic.