Syv: Konichiwa minna-san!

Hikaru, Umi, Fuu: Konichiwa Syv-chan!

Syv: Oh! Hi Hikaru-chan, Umi-chan, Fuu-chan!

Hikaru: So what are we gonna do???

Umi: Yeah, what do you have in mind for a story?

Fuu: This is your first Magic Knight Rayearth fic, ne Syv-chan?

Syv: Yup, it is. Well, I was thinking…oh! Matte, if I say something, it'll spoil the story.

Hikaru, Umi, Fuu: Aaaawwww…not fair!

Syv: *smiles* You guys will just have to wait! Well…let's not keep the readers waiting! *whispering to the readers so Hikaru doesn't hear* It'll be more H+E in this chapter but I assure you it'll become H+L in the following chaps.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Magic Knight Rayearth! It's too wonderful to be created by a simpleton like me. ^^

(Translation) ~for uncommon words only

'Thoughts'

"Talking"

Author note

            'A bed…so soft…'

            A girl with flaming red hair and red eyes sat up. She looked around her wearily. She was lying on a soft bed with red covers and white lining. The room in which she stayed was covered with white and red wallpaper. There was a nightstand beside the bed and a rug below it. There was a dresser facing the bed somewhere to her right. A wide rectangular window was positioned to her left side and there were chairs near her bed. Gomenasai, I'm not really sure what their rooms are supposed to look like. -_-;

            The girl, whose name was Hikaru, stood up and walked over to the window. She was wearing a long white sleeping gown that reached her ankles and her hair, which was usually tied in a neat thin braid, lay loose on her back. She stared out of the window, lifting her hand to the glass, looking at the world of Cephiro. There were stars, twinkling lights that shone and dotted the skies, and the dominant darkness of the night.

            "Cephiro," Hikaru quietly uttered, "The world I am supposed to protect, the world plagued with monsters and evil beings caused by its inhabitants' fears."

            Hikaru sighed to herself and slowly dropped her hand to her side. Her hair covered her eyes as a tear slid down her cheek.

            A war had happened and ended in the short span of a day and the people of Cephiro were still recovering their losses and rebuilding whatever was destroyed. Monsters had entered the castle of Cephiro and they had destroyed plenty of property. Walls, rooms and houses were crumbled. People were injured, some died.

*****Flashback*****

            Screams could be heard all around the castle of Cephiro. People were running around the place, away from the monsters. The flames rose higher, burning everything in their path as it continued to spread to the other buildings. Most of the buildings were breaking apart and collapsing due to continuous beatings from the different attacks of the monsters that had invaded the castle. There were people hiding out in small, enclosed rooms that were protected by magic. Others were out helping the injured to the hideout where they could be healed. Bodies lay strewn across the floor indicating the number of deaths that had occurred in that span of time.

            Hikaru, Umi and Fuu were fighting against several monsters at the same time, protecting a group of kids that had gotten caught in the middle of the battlefield. Lantis, Eagle, Lafarga, Caldina, Ascot and Ferio were battling other monsters nearby. Presea was guarding Clef as he protected the rest of Cephiro's inhabitants, creating shields to protect them. But no matter how hard they tried to protect all of Cephiro, more and more monsters just kept coming and replacing those that were destroyed. In fact, the newer ones seemed to be stronger than those that were previously destroyed.

            Umi and Fuu had just realized that the strength and number of the monsters were determined by the fear of Cephiro's people. They had been trying to convince the people to have courage and stop their fears because it was their fear that produced these horrible beings. The others followed in coaxing the people to stop their fear as they continued to battle whatever monster appeared.

            The monsters were growing weaker as each person gathered courage from the warriors' comforting words. Less and less monsters were appearing. It was a good thing too. The warriors' strength was slowly waning. But it also brought a little carelessness.

            Hikaru was battling with a monster and had just succeeded in slashing it in half when she spotted a monster approaching the children. She immediately jumped in front of it, slashing it. She stood up straight and sighed in relief as she wiped at her forehead. As she was trying to regain her composure, she didn't notice another monster behind her. It had opened its mouth and was charging up for a strong attack. No one noticed it until it had reached the max of its attack. The children pointed out to it, screaming, as Umi, Fuu and the others turned in horror. It had released its attack when Hikaru turned around frozen to the spot. No one had enough time to make a move. They all stared, horrified, unable to breathe. Hikaru was just as stricken by the oncoming attack. She was numb from shock. She didn't even have time to think of anything. Then it happened.

            A burst of light erupted just before Hikaru. They all shielded their eyes, fearing for the worst. Hikaru forced herself to open her eyes and stare in front of her. She let out a gasp of utmost surprise as she realized who stood in front of her. There stood a body of a man, a man dressed in black with short black hair.

            "LANTIS!!!"

            Everyone looked up when they heard Hikaru scream. They each let out their own gasps of surprise when they saw what Hikaru saw. Lantis had taken the full force of the attack instead of Hikaru. He put himself between Hikaru and the attack. They watched in horror as Lantis body faded away. But Hikaru had seen something else. Lantis had turned his head back and stared at Hikaru before smiling at her reassuringly.

            And, as if his voice had been carried by the winds, Hikaru heard him say, "Take care of yourself. I'll be back for you…I promise."

           And she heard no more. She was dumbstruck. Lantis had risked his life for her! He died because of her carelessness. He died because of HER!!! She couldn't take it anymore.

            Everyone stared at Hikaru. A red glow was emanating from her body and it was spreading in all directions expressing her rage. Hikaru didn't even notice what was happening to her. She was just so angry at herself and at the monster that she wasn't paying attention to all the power that was building up within her. And before she noticed it, her rage was let loose. The power that had been building up exploded all around her. It spread throughout the whole of Cephiro, destroying every monster it came across. The onlookers covered their eyes, unable to see through the bright red light. The screams and horrified moans of the monsters were the only thing that could be heard throughout the castle. Hikaru wasn't paying attention to any of that. All she could think of was Lantis' smile and his last words before he vanished, leaving her sight forever. Nothing could stop her pain and anguish. She couldn't help but feel guilty, taking Lantis' death on her shoulders, blaming herself for everything that happened.

            When the light died down, the people dropped their hands to see what had happened. They took in all the damage to the structures and other buildings of Cephiro. They saw all the casualties, people hanging on for dear life as doctors tried to attend to them all, and bloody bodies that lay scattered on the once luscious green grounds of Cephiro. The grass no longer looked green. Instead they were stained with the blood of monsters and humans alike. No longer did Cephiro look like a paradise. It looked more like a hellhole. Flames continued to rise and buildings continued to crumble. Cephiro was utterly destroyed.

            Amongst all the destruction around, Hikaru stood in the middle of it all. She stood there with eyes that looked as if they wanted to shed tears but didn't have enough energy to. She was sweating from all the strains and stress of all her previous battles since the start of the war. Suddenly, all the pains, sorrow, and despair dropped on her shoulders, weighing her down. She couldn't take it anymore. She collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

            Umi and the others had just dropped their hands right after the light died down when they saw Hikaru collapse. Umi and Fuu gasped before running towards their friend. The others followed suit with Eagle in the lead. They reached her when Fuu had taken hold of Hikaru's hand feeling for her pulse. She sighed in relief before reassuring the others that Hikaru was still alive. Eagle immediately stepped forward and picked her up, saying he was going to take her to the castle. The others glanced at each other behind Eagle's back, unsure of what to do. Eagle, unaware of the others' uncertainty, started to walk in the direction of the castle. Umi glanced at the others one last time before shrugging her shoulders and following behind Eagle. Fuu followed her, then Ascot. Soon, the others were also following but the uncertainty from before never left them.

            When they reached the castle, Eagle brought Hikaru to Clef who checked if she was all right. After some tense minutes, Clef had said she was fine and just needed plenty of rest. The others sighed in relief and relaxed a little but that moment didn't last long. Eagle had picked Hikaru up again, saying he'd bring her to her room. Umi and Fuu got up quickly saying they'd accompany him and glanced at the others, reassuring them that they'd take care of Hikaru. The others nodded their understanding.

            As soon as they left, Clef asked them what had happened and they explained every bit of what they knew. They related Lantis' death and the red light that had emanated from Hikaru's body before. Clef had listened attentively and sighed when hearing of Hikaru's reckless use of power. But then again, he never knew Hikaru was capable of doing something like that.

            'It must have something to do with Lantis' death,' he mused.

            Well, they'd never know. They all sighed and tried to relax their muscles. They had been through extreme pains and work so it wasn't a wonder when they soon fell into a light sleep in their current positions.

            Meanwhile, Umi and Fuu had been following Eagle in silence and observed his every move. They noticed how he looked with that loving and concerned expression at Hikaru's unconscious figure. They stared suspiciously, making sure he didn't try anything funny.

They knew Hikaru liked both Lantis and Eagle and even suspected her of loving them both. They didn't disapprove of it but they were always carefully watching the two boys, judging them to see who would be better for Hikaru. They noticed that Hikaru's love for Lantis though was stronger than that of her love for Eagle. And they were quite happy for that. They knew Lantis and Eagle both loved Hikaru but there was just something about Eagle that made them suspicious of him. In fact, everyone in their group knew the love triangle between Hikaru, Lantis and Eagle. And all of them agreed that Hikaru would be better off with Lantis than Eagle. They had long accepted Eagle into their community but there was just something about Eagle, some evil in him that would never leave. It worried them thus they continued to watch Eagle carefully. And with Lantis gone, their worry increased.

            Eagle, on the other hand, was aware of their suspicions but most of the time he never noticed it because he was too caught up staring at Hikaru. He was captured by her beauty and cheerful attitude that he didn't mind their stares as long as he got Hikaru. Of course, that had been hard for him considering his rival was Lantis, his best friend. But he soon started feeling less and less of a friendship towards Lantis, and more and more of a rival.

            'And now that Lantis is gone, I can take Hikaru…'

            Soon, the trio arrived at Hikaru's room. They opened the door and walked to Hikaru's bed where Eagle laid her down gently. He was about to make a move on her but remembered that Umi and Fuu were in the room with him. He straightened up and faced the two girls. He smiled an innocent smile before heading to the door.

            "I shall leave Hikaru to you two now. If something happens, please feel free to call on me."

            With that, he closed the door behind him. Umi stared at Fuu for a moment before heading to the door. She opened it a crack and peered outside. She made sure Eagle was nowhere near. Seeing Eagle at the other end of the hall, she silently closed the door and sighed. She walked up to Fuu and they both took chairs and positioned themselves beside Hikaru's bed. They stared at their friend, each having their own worried thoughts. They hoped Hikaru would get well soon, even if it was just physically. They continued to stay with her, intent on not leaving her alone. Though their own bodies screamed out for care, they chose to ignore it and worry more over Hikaru. Even if Hikaru does get well, her heart will never be the same. They were very much aware of that fact and, unfortunately, they can't do much about it. They let out what could've been their millionth sigh that day as they continued to watch over their friend. Soon, night came leaving the room in darkness.

            A soft knock was heard on the door breaking the silence in the room. Umi was too tired to move so Fuu went to open it. She found Ascot standing by the doorway.

            Looking back at Umi for a while, she asked, "Nandayo (what is it), Ascot?"

            "Clef-san said to call you and Umi-san because we are to eat dinner now. He also said to tell you that it's no use to stay with Hikaru-san if you don't have the energy to watch over her anyway."

            Laughing a little at this, Fuu replied, "Yeah, he's right. Tell him Umi-chan and I will follow in a while."

            "Hai," Ascot said before leaving in the direction of the dining room.

            Fuu closed the door quietly behind her before going to Umi.

            "Umi-chan, it's dinner time. Ikuso (let's go), Hikaru-chan will be fine."

            Umi nodded wearily before standing up, "Yeah, you're right."

            They left the room and closed the door tightly before leaving for the dining room. Fortunately for them, Eagle was in the dining room so they need not worry too much about him doing anything to Hikaru. They ate their dinner quietly and soon everyone said their "goodnights" and left for their rooms. Umi and Fuu made sure Eagle wasn't heading for Hikaru's room before relaxing. Seeing their nervousness, Clef walked up to the two girls.

            "Do you want me to put a barrier around Hikaru-san's room?"

            They looked gratefully at him before nodding, "Arigatou Clef-san."

            Clef nodded and told them to get rest and he'd take care of Hikaru. When they left, he put a barrier that'd let Hikaru out of the room if ever she needed to go out but wouldn't let anyone in even Umi, Fuu or himself. After that was done, he too retired to bed.

            It was actually a good thing Clef put up that barrier. Eagle decided to pay a visit to Hikaru a few hours after everyone went to bed. He tried to enter but was stopped by the barrier. He muttered inaudible curses beneath his breath and sighed longingly at the door to his loved one's room. Seeing as he couldn't get in anyway, he left quietly, sulking.

And that's where Hikaru woke up an hour before dawn.

*****End Flashback*****

            "Lantis…" Hikaru wiped away at the tear that had fallen down, "It's my fault you died…if, if only I wasn't so careless…you'd still, you'd still be alive…"

            She couldn't help but cry. More tears fell down from her eyes as her body shook. She tried to wipe away at her tears but it was useless for more tears replaced them. She felt responsible for Lantis' death.

            "Why? Why did you have to go and save me? WHY!?"

            Her body shook even more and more tears coursed down her cheeks. Suddenly, she felt a breeze. She looked up at the closed window. Puzzled, she turned around. The door was closed so wind couldn't have passed through there. That's when she remembered Lantis' last words to her.

            Take care of yourself. I'll be back for you…I promise.

            He said he'd be back but…

            "It's impossible! You died! How can you say you'll be back for me? How? How…"

            With that, Hikaru broke into more sobs. She turned away from the window and headed back to her bed. She collapsed on top of the bed still crying.

She cried and cried until she fell asleep with one last thought, 'Lantis, how could you…'

            Day had come for the inhabitants of Cephiro. The light of the sun shone harshly on the destruction caused by yesterday's war. It seemed to be mocking the people of Cephiro, reminding them of their fear that had caused the war in the first place.

            Meanwhile, in the castle of Cephiro, Umi and Fuu had just come from Hikaru's room and were heading to the dining area. Upon reaching the table and taking their seats, Umi beside Ascot and Clef while Fuu sat beside Ferio, they looked at the others' concerned faces.

            "She's still asleep," Umi said bluntly.

            Everyone sighed as each of them nodded and ate quietly. After breakfast, Lafarga, Caldina, Ascot and Ferio went to monitor the rebuilding of the place. Fuu, Umi, Clef and Presea headed towards the hospital wing to assist in the healing of the injured and to measure just how many people died in the war. Eagle, on the other hand, slipped away from the group and headed towards Hikaru's room.

            While the others were busy working, Eagle walked on, each step bringing him closer and closer to his beloved's room. When he reached it, he stretched out his hand reaching for the doorknob. Just as he touched the doorknob, he felt a jolt on his arm forcing him to let go. He remembered the barrier that had prevented him from checking on Hikaru the night before. He growled in annoyance. Then an idea came to him.

            He pulled out a small gadget from the sole of his boot. It looked like a round, slightly domed disk. He placed it on the back of his palm where it seemed to attach itself on his hand. It suddenly popped up and you could see small blue circles beneath the dome. Eagle touched a certain part of the gadget and suddenly, he heard the sound of glass breaking. He smirked before returning the gadget to where he got it. He then grasped the doorknob and turned it, opening the door to Hikaru's room.

            He smirked for a while before fully opening the door. He expected Hikaru to be asleep and he could just imagine what he could do to her. He would make sure she forgot about Lantis. Smiling evilly, he pushed the door fully open and was surprised by the turn of events. For there, standing by the window, was Hikaru in her usual attire. He cursed inaudibly at this but regained his composure and coughed, announcing his presence.

            Hikaru had gotten up a while after Umi and Fuu had left the room. She felt wet and sticky from the tears she shed the night before. Not wanting to feel dirty any longer, she reluctantly took a bath. After her bath, she felt better physically. Her body had lost all signs of pain and bruises. Unfortunately, that was only on the outside. Her heart was torn into a million different pieces and she felt it would never be whole again. She sighed before getting dressed. She couldn't help remembering Lantis so she didn't feel like going out to face the others. She just stayed by the window, watching the others organize parties to fix certain parts of the castle. They all looked so unaffected by the events the day before. She smiled.

            'It looks like I'm the only one who's sad today,' she thought to herself.

            Before she could think further, she heard glass breaking just outside her door. After a while, she heard the door creak open and someone cough. She didn't want to be bothered by anyone but her politeness took over. She turned around and was surprised to see Eagle.

            "What is it?" she asked tentatively.

            Seeing her slight nervousness at his presence, he smirked and said, "Hikaru, wouldn't you like to come out with me? It's much nicer outside than here in your room."

            Sighing, she nodded hesitantly before following him out. Smirking one more time, Eagle took her hand in his and led her to the garden, which, fortunately, had not been disturbed. The trees and flowers surrounding the place gave off a nice heavenly feeling and they were calming in spite of Hikaru's tense and melancholy mood. The fountain in the middle of the whole garden, with its sweet trickling sound, brushed away most of Hikaru's tension even for just a short period of time. Taking this to his advantage, Eagle invited Hikaru to sit by the fountain with him. Hikaru nodded in response.

            Hikaru still felt badly hurt inside but she allowed herself to be led to the fountain by Eagle. She looked Eagle over carefully remembering those feelings of love she held for him before.

            'Maybe…just maybe, I could try to fall in love with Eagle and forget about Lantis…'

            Even though her heart screamed otherwise, she ignored it and sat beside Eagle. Silence enveloped the two of them. Eagle stared at the goddess beside him. He glanced around at the garden and feeling that they were alone, he decided it was time to make his move. He held Hikaru by the shoulders and forced her to look at him. Hikaru, unaware of what would happen next, looked up at him curiously. Before she could react, Eagle pushed his lips against her mouth forcing her into a kiss. She stared at him in shock. She said she'd fall in love with him, right? She forced herself to kiss him back with just as much passion. Eagle misinterpreted it though. He didn't sense the hesitance she put in the kiss. All he noticed was the passion in it.

            Eagle pushed her down onto the grass and continued to kiss her, tangling his hands into her hair. Hikaru didn't know what to do but respond to his kisses and put her arms around his neck. She would forget Lantis, Lantis was gone. Eagle was here and he was ready to love her. Why deprive him of that? Their kiss became more passionate with each passing second. Finally, they broke away from lack of air.

            Hikaru was stunned by the passion in Eagle's kiss and more so from the passion she put in it. Her heart was screaming for her to stop it but she ignored it. She stared at Eagle and smiled. This relationship would work out.

            Dinnertime soon arrived. Everyone was at the table when Hikaru came in. They were surprised to say the least. But what surprised them even more was the fact that Hikaru was clinging on to Eagle! Umi immediately stood up, ready to beat Eagle up. Clef put a hand on her arm, telling her in a silent way to leave them alone… for now. Umi reluctantly sat down and Fuu, seeing the apprehension in Umi's face decided to break the silence as Hikaru sat down beside Eagle.

            "I'm glad to see you're all right, Hikaru-chan," she said with a small smile.

            "Hai, I feel much better now thanks to Eagle. He…"

            She was cut off by Eagle who whispered to her saying now wasn't the right time to tell them. Hikaru looked to him confused.

            Umi heard what Eagle had whispered to Hikaru and prompted her, "He what?"

            Hikaru looked at Umi for a while before saying, "Never mind. Let's eat! I'm starved."

            Umi stared at her suspiciously and narrowed her eyes at Eagle. She started eating but her eyes never left Eagle and her mind continued to think of ways to keep Eagle away from Hikaru. Fuu, on the other hand, shared little of Umi's fear. She just smiled, happy that Lantis' death didn't affect Hikaru as much as she thought it would.

            As the days passed, the construction of Cephiro became more and more progressive. The people's hard work showed in the many buildings that have been completed around the castle. At the same time, Hikaru and Eagle became closer and closer. And this time, Eagle didn't restrain Hikaru from telling anyone about their passionate kisses. In fact, he boasted of it by kissing her in front of Umi and the others. Of course, Hikaru didn't know that Eagle was boasting of it to anyone. She thought he was just showing his extreme love for her.

            Soon, the reconstruction of Cephiro was finished and everyone was resting after all the months of hard work. Seeing as her job was done, Umi decided to focus more on watching Hikaru and Eagle. She was doing that one day when she noticed the two of them walking together with Hikaru blindfolded and looking extremely excited. She stared suspiciously at them and decided to follow them when they disappeared around the corner.

            She heard Hikaru continue to ask Eagle where they were going and Eagle, on the other hand, continued to evade answering. She looked around her trying to tell where they were going and before she could determine her location, Eagle said they were there. She hid behind a post as she watched Eagle bring Hikaru to the garden and took off her blindfold. Hikaru stared about her and laughed merrily.

            "We're at the garden! So what were you going to tell me, Eagle?"

            "Sit down by the fountain and I'll tell you."

            "Okay!"

            Umi continued to watch the two of them. She too wondered just what it was that Eagle was going to tell Hikaru. Before she could think further, she heard footsteps behind her. She turned around and saw Ascot walking up to her.

            "Umi-san what…"

            Umi quickly put her hand over his mouth and told him to keep quiet. She pointed to Hikaru and Eagle and Ascot immediately got the message. They stared silently at the two lovers with tense looks on their faces.

            Eagle and Hikaru were unaware of the two faces watching them, well at least Hikaru was. Eagle smiled mysteriously at Hikaru before putting his hand in his pocket. Hikaru glanced at him curiously, and Umi and Ascot did the same. Suddenly Eagle bent down on his right knee. Hikaru gasped in understanding. Ascot was trying to refrain Umi from screaming out loud and walking over to Eagle, ready to murder him. Eagle just continued to smile at Hikaru as he pulled out a velvet box from his pocket. Hikaru stood up and gasped.

            Opening the velvet box that held a small golden ring with a rounded diamond on top, Eagle asked in a clear voice, "Hikaru, will you marry me?"

            Hikaru continued to stare at Eagle, her heart screaming for her to reject him and at the same time reminding her of Lantis, but Hikaru didn't want to be alone anymore.

            'Lantis isn't coming back,' she thought firmly to herself and with all her might she replied, "Hai, I'll marry you Eagle."

            Umi didn't want to see anymore. She ran from the spot with Ascot following her. Hikaru thought she heard a sob and looked to the place where Umi had hidden just a moment before. She shook her head thinking she was imagining things. Eagle, on the other hand, knew Umi had been watching them. While Hikaru was shaking her head, he smirked with one thought in mind.

            'She's mine now and you can't do anything about it.'

Syv: So? What do you guys think? Is it okay? I wonder what's gonna happen next???

Umi: Grrr…I'm so gonna get that Eagle! What happened to Lantis? I preferred him over Eagle!

Fuu: Why are you so upset Umi-chan?

Umi: I don't know! I just have this really bad feeling about Eagle…

Hikaru: *just enters the room* What's everyone talking about?

Syv: Nothing Hikaru-chan! We were just telling the readers to review, ne Umi, Fuu?

Fuu: Hai, onegai leave a review. Syv-chan will really appreciate it!

Umi: Yup, *whispers so Hikaru can't hear it* And she promises that the next chaps will be mostly Hikaru and Lantis. You can be sure of it! Because if she doesn't, she'll have to answer to me…*glares at Syv*

Syv: *laughs nervously* Yup, it's gonna be Hikaru*Lantis all right! *gulp* Well, I'll be going now. Bye-bye and don't forget to review!

Hikaru: *puzzled with question marks popping all over her head* Why do you look so scared Syv-chan?

Syv: No reason! Ja ne!!! ^^