Subject: [FFML] [Fanfic][MKR] The Ramarian Crisis - Chapter 13a
From: "DarkHorse" <darkhrse@edsamail.com.ph>
Date: 5/26/2003, 10:55 PM
To: ffml@anifics.com


The Ramarian Crisis
By DarkHorse


Chapter 13: The Battle for Earth

*Ryuuzaki Residence, Tokyo, Japan*



Lantis watched as the families of the two Magic 
Knights gathered around their daughters. Umi and 
Fuu were lying on side by side on thick mattresses 
laid on in the spacious Ryuuzaki living room. A 
doctor was attending to them both. Satoru and 
Masaru were standing beside him, a good distance 
away from where the two girls were. He did not 
know where Kakeru was at the moment.

	Umi began to stir. She was probably going to wake 
soon. At the moment, she was moving her head from 
side to side, a distressed expression on her face. 
It was as if she was fighting to not wake up.

	The magic swordsman's eyes fell on Fuu. She, on 
the other hand, was still completely unconscious. 
It was probably going to take some time before she 
wakes. It was his fault. The Wind Knight was shot 
right before his very eyes and he wasn't able to 
do anything about it. The alien who shot her was 
still alive...with Hikaru...out in deep space. 
That was his fault too. Lantis clenched his fists 
in anger and frustration.

	He glanced at Satoru, Masaru and Kakeru. Their 
faces were all lined with worry and anxiety. He 
almost wished they would take out their own anger 
and frustration at him. He failed utterly. His 
task in life was simple: to protect the Pillar. 
And he couldn't even do that. Perhaps he shouldn't 
have listened to Hika--

	"Hikaru!"

	Everybody turned to look at Umi who began 
thrashing in her bed, calling out her friend's 
name.

	"Please don't hurt Hikaru! She's my friend! Don't 
hurt her!"

	Umi's parents tried to restrain her, speaking 
soothing words but the blue-haired teenager 
continued to writhe, alternately spasming and 
arching her back, her eyes tightly shut.

	Lantis was stunned by what he saw. He was riveted 
by the sight of her thrashing about on the 
mattress. When he averted his eyes, he noticed 
that Umi's parents were looking at him. Scanning 
the room, he saw that *everybody* was looking at 
him. It was then he realized that Umi was 
screaming in Cephirean.

	Galvanized, he stepped forward and knelt on one 
knee by Umi's head. "Umi...Umi! Listen to me. It's 
Lantis." The Water Knight began to gradually calm 
down, her head tilted to the side, straining to 
hear more. She wrenched her one arm from the 
father's firm grasp and thrust it towards the 
magic swordsman, gripping his arm desperately. She 
began to weep.

	"L-Lantis...I had a...a terrible dream..."

	"Everything's all right now, Umi," the magic 
swordsman said, covering Umi's hand with his own.

	"But...it was so real. It-it was as if I was 
there. They had Hikaru s-strapped naked on some 
kind of upright table and...and they were 
electrocuting her...oh, Hikaru!" Umi broke down in 
wracking sobs. She took her hand from Lantis' arm 
and covered her face with it, trying to bury her 
sorrow.

	Lantis signalled gently to the girl's mother that 
it was okay to release her other arm. Umi 
immediately buried her face in her arms and 
continued to wail, curling up into a fetal 
position. He turned his focus back on the 
distraught teenager. "It was a dream, Umi. You 
must wake up now. We need your help. *I* need your 
help." He reached out to rub her shoulder.

	"I-I'm afraid to open my eyes," the girl said 
between hiccups.

	"Why, Umi?"

	"The last time I opened my eyes there was...awful 
pain in my head," she answered in a piteously soft 
voice that reminded the magic swordsman that the 
girl in front of him was only fourteen years old. 

	Lantis felt a hand on his arm and turned to see 
that it was Mr. Ryuuzaki. He was speaking to him 
but he couldn't understand. Damn this language 
barrier! He thrust his thoughts into the other's 
head. "What is it, Mr. Ryuuzaki?"

	He could see the astonishment register on his 
face. He was about to say something.

	"No, Mr. Ryuuzaki. Speak to me here so we can 
understand each other. Just think of what you want 
to say and then focus it to me. I'll be able to 
pick it up. It's not that difficult."

	Umi's father nodded slowly and made an effort to 
concentrate. "Hello?"

	"Yes, Mr. Ryuuzaki, I can hear you."

	"This is astounding!" The father's eyes went wide. 
He quickly turned to look down at his daughter and 
then back at him. "What was my daughter saying?"

	"She said she's afraid to open her eyes. She said 
that when she tried to open them the last time, 
she felt great pain in her head."

	Mr. Ryuuzaki's eyes widened and then nodded before 
calling the attention of the doctor. The two spoke 
for a few seconds and the latter began to rummage 
through his bag for what Lantis could only assume 
to be more medication.

	The magic swordsman rose slowly to his feet and 
walked back to where the Shidou brothers were. 
Satoru stared at him inquisitively. "She's going 
to be all right," he said mentally to him. "She 
just had a bad dream."

	"I see."

	Both returned their focus to Umi who had calmed 
down significantly. She was also already able to 
communicate normally with her parents in the 
native language. Lantis didn't realize that he was 
holding his breath as he watched the teenager 
slowly open her eyes. She blinked a few times and 
let out a breath of relief. He took that to mean 
that she was no longer feeling any pain.

	Slowly, with her parent's aid, Umi rose to a 
sitting position. She turned to her side to see 
Fuu and tears began to well up in her eyes again. 
She averted her eyes, scanning the room. Her 
expression turned into a deep frown as her blue 
eyes settled on the magic swordsman. 

	"Lantis, where is Hikaru?"

                    * * * * *

	Hikaru Shidou slowly opened her eyes...and 
blinked...and blinked again. She began batting her 
eyes furiously. She felt her eyelids move up and 
down but all she saw was the same gray color as 
when her eyes were closed!

	Her anxiety rose several notches when she realized 
that she could not feel any of her limbs. It was 
as if her arms and legs didn't exist. Where was 
she? Why couldn't she feel anything? Was she dead?

	She began to work her mouth. She could feel her 
teeth with her tongue. She felt relieved. She bit 
down hard on her tongue and felt pain! Yes! She 
*was* alive. But other than that, she couldn't feel 
anything.

	The Fire Knight began to shiver uncontrollably. 
She had to fight to calm herself. She had to try 
to stay calm...try to think. She closed her eyes 
and her terror began to take over once again. She 
could not even feel whether she had her eyes open 
or closed.

	*Calm down and think*, she repeated the mantra over 
and over in her head. She fought to regain a 
modicum of control over her emotions. When she 
finally regained her composure, she struggled to 
remember what happened. She remembered negotiating 
with the aliens for the release of her friends. 
She recalled conjuring up the portal. She had a 
plan. She would allow herself to be captured, 
giving Lantis, Umi and Fuu time to figure out a 
way to either get to her or find a way back to 
Cephiro and get reinforcements in the defense of 
Earth.

	At the last moment Hikaru changed her mind. She 
decided to blow up the alien ships as soon as she 
crossed through the gateway. If she died in the 
process, then so be it. She was prepared to do 
that if it meant saving her friends and loved 
ones...if it meant saving Earth.

	However...the moment she crossed the 
threshold...she couldn't remember. Try as she did, 
she couldn't remember anything beyond stepping out 
of the portal. What happened? She repeated the 
question to herself over and over again. She began 
to feel agitated. Her anxiety grew and grew. When 
the answers didn't come she screamed.

                    * * * * *

	"I can't believe you let her do this," she said 
between gritted teeth, throwing accusing looks at 
both Lantis and Satoru.

	"Calm down, Umi," Lantis urged, reaching out with 
both hands to hold her shoulders. The blue-haired 
teenager shrugged his hands off and began pacing 
briskly in front of the magic swordsman and 
Hikaru's eldest brother, her fists clenched at her 
sides.

	"I'm not going to calm down! Hikaru is in trouble 
right now. And worse, you've placed Earth, and 
even possibly Cephiro, in jeopardy by allowing 
those...those *aliens* to take her!"

	"She assured me that she knew what she was doing," 
Lantis countered, feeling anger beginning to rise 
within him as well.

	"That's exactly what Hikaru always says. I can't 
believe she would do this. Knowing her, she'd 
probably just blow up their entire fleet in 
space," the teenager spared the swordsman a 
withering glance as she walked past him a few 
steps only to turn back and continue the whole 
process all over again. "Yes, she would do that 
all right, even if it killed her," tears of rage 
and frustration began to spill. Umi angrily 
brushed those away as if they were an annoyance.

	"Well, she didn't do it," Lantis said firmly. It 
was enough to cause the other to stop dead on her 
tracks right in front of him.

	"How would you know that?" she snarled.

	"Because I'm a Cephirean," he said, defiantly 
staring right back at the blue eyes that conveyed 
accusation and anger so vividly. "The death of the 
Pillar is something that all Cephireans would 
feel."

	Umi brought her eyes low, finally unable to match 
the unflinching intensity in the magic swordsman's 
gaze. After a while she brought them up again 
briefly, just to show the other that she wasn't 
through with him yet. Turning completely around, 
she walked briskly towards the unconscious Fuu.

	Everyone who was on her path widened his or her 
eyes and stepped back, giving the frighteningly 
determined teenager a clear path. Even Fuu's 
parents did not hesitate to give way to the girl. 
Upon reaching her friend, Umi knelt by her side 
and gathered her hands into her own. "Fuu, wake up 
now, girl. You can't be sleeping at a time like 
this." She reached out and shook the other's 
shoulder.

	Umi felt a restraining hand on her shoulder 
causing her to look up. She shot a quick, angry 
look at Fuu's father, startling him so effectively 
that he very quickly retracted his hand from her 
shoulder as if electrocuted. She looked back down 
at her friend and saw that her eyes were now open, 
gazing up at her.

	"Miss Umi?"

	"Thank goodness, Fuu. How are you feeling?"

	"Like steamed, soggy vegetables."

	"How imaginative of you," Umi said dryly. "Can you 
get up?"

	Fuu frowned as she cast an eye as far down her 
body as she could without raising her head. "I 
don't know."

	"Well, let me help you."

	Fuu nodded and using Umi's hand for support, she 
pulled herself up to a sitting position. The 
movement caused her head to spin. She lifted her 
other hand to her temple, massaging it gently.

	"Are you okay?"

	"Yes, Miss Umi. It was just passing dizziness." 
She looked up and was gratified to see her parents 
smiling down at her. After reassuring them that 
she was fine with a smile of her own, she began to 
scan the room.

	Umi watched her friend without uttering a word, 
waiting...knowing that she would ask the same 
question she asked of Lantis.

	"Miss Umi, I don't see Miss Hikaru around," Fuu 
finally asked as her eyes finally came to rest on 
her friend's.

	Umi let out a sigh. "Hikaru's been captured by the 
aliens."

	Fuu's eyes widened, her hands painfully squeezing 
Umi's. Her eyes searched and found Lantis. The 
magic swordsman seemed to flinch and tense up. 
"Sir Lantis, where have they taken Miss Hikaru?"

	"They forced her to open a portal to their fleet 
of ships just outside of your solar system."

	"No power on Earth or Cephiro could force Miss 
Hikaru to do anything," the Wind Knight protested, 
her eyes darting between the Cephirean and her 
friend.

	"Seeing her two best friends at gunpoint would," 
Umi said matter-of-factly.

	"Oh no," Fuu's eyes fell to her lap. After several 
heartbeats, she looked up. "What do we do now?"

	Lantis stepped forward as he reached behind and 
took out a medallion. "I'm not sure what Hikaru 
had in mind, but she gave me this." He dangled the 
Fenestra by its chain in front of the two girls. 
Both sets of eyes widened. Perhaps the situation 
wasn't as hopeless as they thought.

                    * * * * *

	"The stasis field is weakening again, Ma'am!"

	"Increase power to stasis field."

	"It's barely holding, Ma'am."

	"She can't continue this onslaught indefinitely."

	"Stasis field integrity down to sixty percent and 
dropping."

	"This is unbelievable."

	"Forty-five percent..." Pause. "Thirty percent..."

	The scientist Lezle let out a sigh. She didn't 
want to do this. She watched the human strain 
vigorously against her restraints. The transparent 
material separating the human and the scientists 
was made of their planet's toughest crystal--it 
was virtually unbreakable. Or so they thought. 
Ever since the girl regained consciousness, she 
had been exuding tremendous amounts of heat, 
causing microscopic cracks to form in the chamber. 
It was necessary to reinforce the structure 
through the use of an electromagnetic force field. 
However, even that wasn't working. The chamber had 
already begun to rupture. When the force field 
failed, the room would immediately be flooded with 
fatally high levels of radiation and thermal 
energy.

	It was time to use something more drastic. The 
female Ramarian scientist approached her console 
and touched a button, which opened a small panel; 
it had a single red button on it. Lezle glanced at 
her assistant.

	"Fifteen percent, Ma'am."

	Lezle nodded, took one glance at the chamber and 
pressed the red button.

                    * * * * *

	"In the short time we have known Malor, he has 
proven himself to be resilient, courageous and 
loyal. All qualities befitting a Magic Knight. For 
that was what he was." Lantis paused, his eyes 
staring off into the distance. "But Malor was more 
than a Magic Knight to us. He was our friend." The 
magic swordsman turned to face the gilded casket 
levitating over a rectangular hole in the ground. 
"We honor your sacrifice today, Malor, by laying 
you down here," he first looked up to the golden 
obelisk constructed in honor of Princess Emeraude 
and then back down towards the casket.

	"You will never be forgotten," Lantis concluded. 
He raised his eyes to Master Mage Clef.

	The highest ranking mage nodded almost 
imperceptibly and waved a hand. The floating 
casket gradually descended into the opening in the 
ground. Once inside, the earth magically swallowed 
it, finally laying the elder Fire Knight to rest.

	Sniffles here and there could be heard. Lantis 
swept his eyes over those assembled to pay homage 
to the warrior. Tears were streaming freely from 
Umi's eyes but she stood tall, bearing her grief 
with dignity; Mrs. Ryuuzaki was behind her, 
holding her daughter's shoulders. Fuu, on the 
other hand, was sobbing openly. Her parents move 
to comfort the Wind Knight, encircling her in 
their loving arms.

	After a few moments, the gathered crowd began to 
gradually disperse in groups. Umi and Fuu found 
each other and clutched tightly. Their arms were 
wrapped around each other as they walked, giving 
comfort to one another. The parents of the two 
Knights trailed them quietly.

	The Shidou brothers and Kuu followed closely 
behind, speaking in soft tones. La Farga, Caldina 
and Ascot, after lingering for a while, decided to 
leave as well.

	Lantis felt Master Mage Clef and Ferio approach 
him. He looked up into the dark skies, eyeing the 
roiling thunder clouds, before turning to face the 
two.

	"It has been this way for a few months now," Clef 
answered Lantis' unasked question.

	"The lack of sunlight has begun to adversely 
affect plant life," Ferio offered. "All the mages 
in the land have been working hard to sustain 
them." He didn't have to say that the entire 
ecosystem of the planet was in serious jeopardy.

	The magic swordsman let out a sigh. The good news 
was that the land was not starting to break up. 
That meant only one thing. "The Pillar is alive."

	Clef nodded sagely. "We need to find her and bring 
her back. She is suffering and because of that, 
Cephiro is suffering."

	Lantis clenched his jaw at the mage's words. He 
couldn't bear the thought of anyone hurting 
Hikaru. "Is there any way at all we could use the 
Fenestra to open up a portal..." He left the 
sentence unfinished, looking the mage in the eye, 
hoping that perhaps he had found a way for them to 
rescue the Princess.

	Clef could only shake his head sadly. "Even if we 
combined all the magical powers of the land, it 
would be too risky. The power to open portals was 
meant for the Pillar and the Pillar alone."

	"But--"

	"The Fenestra is to be used sparingly, only in 
dire emergencies."

	"This is an emergency."

	"Lantis, listen...we do not possess the fine 
control that a Pillar has over this power. To be 
able to create a portal to open up across such 
great distances requires pinpoint accuracy, not to 
mention tremendous magical reserves."

	The magic swordsman shook his head slowly and then 
let out a breath. "Then we are left with just one 
option."

	Ferio, who had been content to just listen to the 
two, spoke up. "I'm not sure whether the Autozam 
High Council will agree to it," he said, already 
knowing what that option was.

	"The High Council might not agree to it, but I 
know of at least two Autozamians who we can count 
on for sure," Lantis said firmly, giving both Clef 
and Ferio a passing glance before walking away.

                    * * * * *

	They were gathered in the Grand Hall of the 
palace. Every single person (or in Mokona's case, 
creature) who was involved in the conflict that 
nearly destroyed Cephiro was present. Once 
enemies, now good friends, sat in peace around a 
long, ornate oval table. All eyes were at the 
moment focused on two battleship commanders from 
Autozam.

	"Of course we will do it," answered Geo Metro, who 
was now the commander of the NSX, the latest and 
most powerful battleship in the Autozam armada.

	"You didn't even have to ask," Zazu offered. "I'd 
do anything for Hikaru," he said in a much toned 
down voice.

	Lantis pretended not to hear that last comment and 
instead focused on Geo. "No matter how powerful 
the NSX is though, it cannot hope to stop an 
entire alien fleet by itself."

	"Count the Bravada in," Princess Tarta of Chizeta 
declared, searching and finding support of her 
decision in her elder sister's eyes. Tatra could 
always be counted upon when it came to noble 
causes.

	"And the Dome of Fahren as well!" First Princess 
Aska of Fahren joined in. Sanyung nodded 
vigorously in affirmation.

	"Thank you all," Lantis said, nodding gratefully 
to the foreigners. "Unfortunately, those still 
will not be enough to defeat the alien forces." 
The magic swordsman glanced at the Wind Knight. 
"How many ships do these aliens have, Fuu?"

	"A little over five hundred." She looked up only 
briefly to answer before focusing once more on the 
holographic image of the Milky Way in front of 
her.

	Lantis nodded and then turned to the Autozamians. 
"Geo, is there any way the High Council can 
mobilize the Autozam armada for this cause?"

	"I don't think convincing the High Council is 
going to be a problem. I've already had 
preliminary talks with them and they fully 
understand that these aliens pose a threat to the 
security of Cephiro as well.

	"What *is* going to be a problem is refitting our 
ships for battle. Except for the NSX, all the 
other ships have been converted into transport 
vessels."

	"How long are we talking about?"

	"Months."

	"Good. We have time for months, but not years. 
Fortunately, the time flux will work in our 
favor."

	"But even if we can get all these ships ready, how 
are we going to transport them to Earth?" Zazu 
piped in.

	"We are working on that problem," Lantis said, 
gesturing towards Master Mage Clef. "We have every 
confidence that we will be able to transport all 
ships over." The magic swordsman didn't say that 
coming back is going to be a bigger problem if 
they did not successfully bring back Hikaru.

	"So I guess we do this," Zazu said, clearly 
excited about the prospect of engaging a hostile 
enemy into battle.

	The feeling was obviously shared by Geo. "I'll 
schedule a dialogue with the High Council and we 
should have an answer and a timeline by this time 
tomorrow."

	"Thank you, Geo," Lantis said meaningfully. 
"Again, thank you, everybody for your help."

	The assembly rose and slowly filed out of the 
hall. Umi and Fuu stayed behind. When everyone 
left, they approached Lantis and Clef, who were 
conferring with each other.

	"We need to get back to Earth," Umi began.

	Clef turned to regard the two Magic Knights, his 
eyes already conveying his question.

	"The people of Earth need to prepare for this 
threat. They need to truly understand what they 
are up against," answered Fuu.

	Lantis and Clef glanced at each other.

	"What?" Umi asked, seeing the way they both 
exchanged knowing looks. "Is there going to be a 
problem?"

	"Opening a portal isn't easy. It takes a lot of 
mental and physical energy," the mage paused and 
let out a sigh. "But, I suppose that your quest is 
important. When would you like to leave?"

	It was girls' turn to exchange glances. Both of 
them planned a visit to their respective Rune God. 
"Tomorrow should be soon enough."

                    * * * * *

	Fuu gazed at the immense being approaching her. 
He knelt on one knee, resting his massive forearms 
on the bended knee, and regarded the Magic Knight. 
To most, the Rune God would appear completely 
robotic and mechanical. Nothing could be further 
from the truth, for the being in front of her was 
more biological than anything else, possessed of 
great power and wisdom.

	"Hello, Windam," Fuu said, smiling tentatively.

	"Fuu...it has been a long time," the Rune God 
replied.

	"Yes, it has." The Wind Knight sighed deeply, 
lowering her head.

	"Something upsets thee." It was a sentence. Fuu 
could only nod in reply.

	"This Pillar is powerful. We feel her 
influence...even across space and time," Windam 
admitted, his glowing eyes unwaveringly taking in 
Fuu's form. "Take heart, Magic Knight from another 
world. Thy friend is alive."

	Fuu finally looked up. "Yes, she is. But for how 
long? How much suffering is she going through? 
What else can you tell me, Windam, besides the 
fact that she is alive?"

	"I can tell thee this, Magic Knight: the Pillar 
will not give up so easily."

	Fuu's eyes widened in surprise at the rebuke. 
Windam was correct. Her thoughts went back to 
those times before Hikaru became the Pillar, 
before they even became Magic Knights. Her 
redheaded friend was relentless and unwavering, 
pushing ahead when she and Umi were just about to 
give up, battling incredible odds and sustaining 
injuries in the process that would pale even the 
staunchest of warriors. All that to fight for a 
cause she believed in, for the welfare of a planet 
that was not hers, for people she did not even 
know.

	Several emotions swirled inside her: shame, 
concern for Hikaru's safety and fear for the 
uncertainty of the future. A single tear fell from 
the Wind Knight's eye. At that very moment she 
felt weak and she began to doubt herself. Surely a 
Magic Knight should not be having these kinds of 
feelings.

	"Thy emotions are what makes thee human, Fuu," the 
Rune God said after a while, "but what makes thee 
a Magic Knight is how thee deals with them. Never 
forget that."

	Fuu was taken aback. She gazed up at the face of 
Windam and gave him a small smile. "Can you read 
minds too now, Windam?"

	The massive head moved as if cocking an eye at the 
teenager. Fuu was convinced that he was actually 
smiling at her. "I have existed for eons, little 
one. I have learned a thing or two in all that 
time."

                    * * * * *

	"Supreme Commander--!"

	"At ease, scientists," Higon commanded, his eyes 
focused only on the transparent chamber holding 
the prized human who could create wormholes. "Is 
her body still rejecting the neural implant?"

	"Not anymore, Sir. It took us several days to 
adjust the frequencies to match those of her 
brain. We've also had to strengthen the implant's 
outer shell to withstand the intense heat the 
human was exuding."

	"Good. So, how is she doing now?"

	"Her anxiety levels were dangerously high in the 
last few days but we were finally able to 
stabilize her," Lezle reported. "We've begun 
external stimuli testing on her--"

	"And?"

	"She has responded well. It took a while but I 
believe she is beginning to trust us."

	"Have you been able to gather some information 
from her yet?"

	"We were just about to begin probing her now, 
Supreme Commander."

	"Well done. I want to be the one to probe her."

	"Of course, Sir."

                    * * * * *

	The Voice intruded once again into her 
consciousness. Hikaru slowly opened her eyes, or 
at least, focused her awareness to it. In her 
current state, it was difficult to determine 
whether her eyes were open or not.

	She eagerly welcomed the Voice. Her starving brain 
craved external stimuli and this was the only 
source of it.

	"Hello?" Hikaru called out when the Voice did not 
return. "Please talk to me...hello?" The Fire 
Knight began to get agitated again when the voice 
returned.

	"Hello, Hikaru."

	"Yes! Thank goodness you've come back!"

	"I am here now, Hikaru. How are you?"

	"I'm still not well. I think I'm trapped in some 
kind of alternate dimension...please, you've got 
to help me!"

	"We have the power to help you--"

	"You do? Oh please help me!"

	"--but we are not sure we should."

	"Wh-what do you mean?"

	"You are obviously a very powerful being. We need 
to be sure you will not harm us."

	"I will not harm you. I promise! I'll do anything 
you ask!"

	"All we need from you for now is information."

	"If I give you the information you want, will you 
help me?"

	"Of course we will help you."

	A small voice inside Hikaru told her not to trust 
the voice. But this was immediately quelled by her 
greater need to escape this gray prison. "What is 
it you want to know?"

	"Well, we understand you can create...portals..."

	"Yes, yes I can!"

	"Tell us how you do it..."

                    * * * * *

	"Miss Umi, please stop fidgeting and just focus," 
the Wind Knight whispered to her friend for the 
hundredth time.

	"We've been standing here for more than two hours 
now, waiting for the mages to open a damn portal," 
the Water Knight retorted, clearly nearing the end 
of her patience.

	Fuu, however, knew the real reason why her friend 
was so restless. They were planning to go and see 
the Prime Minister of Japan. To reveal to him who 
they were. To prepare him, essentially, for the 
arrival of *another* alien force, not to invade this 
time, but to help defend Earth. When the aliens 
did attack, it was necessary for the people of her 
planet to not mistake the combined forces of 
Cephiro, Autozam, Chizeta and Fahren as not 
another hostile enemy.

	This whole idea of revealing themselves to all and 
sundry on Earth frightened her blue-haired friend. 
The truth was it frightened the blonde teenager as 
well. However, they didn't have any choice. She 
did have a plan, however, of parlaying the 
information she had about the aliens against a 
guarantee from the Prime Minister that they would 
still be able to live their lives normally on 
Earth when all of this was over and done with. It 
was reasonable to expect that the Japanese leader 
would agree to it.

	If not, difficult as it may be for them to think 
about it, they could always permanently relocate 
to Cephiro. The thought was not especially 
difficult for her to imagine. Ferio was here, 
after all. She wasn't too sure about what either 
Umi or Hikaru felt about it though. Neither did 
she want to dwell on what her parents would say to 
the idea.

	Fuu focused her attention on the mages in the 
distance who had formed a circle around the 
Fenestra, which was propped up on top of a round 
table made entirely of white marble. She didn't 
realize conjuring up a portal would be so 
difficult. It didn't seem to take up too much 
effort from Hikaru.

	The Wind Knight lowered her head. The thought of 
her petite friend tugged at her heartstrings. She 
missed the bubbly redhead terribly. Glancing at 
the Water Knight, she was sure that Umi was 
missing Hikaru as well. 

	Fuu glanced once more at the mages and noticed 
that their concentration seemed to have gotten 
more intense. The Fenestra began to glow more 
brightly.

	"Finally!" Umi exclaimed, also noticing the 
progress. "I still don't understand how something 
so obviously complicated seems easy for Hikaru to 
do." The side of Fuu's mouth curved upwards in a 
small smile.

	"I was thinking the same thing, Miss Umi," the 
blonde offered.

	The blue-haired girl sighed. "I really miss her, 
Fuu."

	"Me too, Miss Umi. Me too." 

                    * * * * *


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