The Ramarian Crisis
By DarkHorse

Chapter 6: Return to Cephiro

*The Grand Hall, Cephiro*


  Clef was expecting many things upon meeting the Magic
Knights. Three battle-weary girls, the leader of which was
carrying an unconscious girl, was certainly not one of them.
They all appeared exhausted either by actual fatigue or by
the tension they obviously just experienced. Their hair was
all disheveled. Hikaru's waist-length red hair, which was
usually braided into a single ponytail, was untied and in
disarray. There was also the Pillar's armor. She was not
wearing her usual uniform and skirt. Instead she was wearing
a flame-patterned bodysuit beneath her white armor, which
tightly hugged her young and delicate curves. And finally,
*who is that girl Hikaru is carrying?* Out of the corner of
his eye, Clef saw Lantis move forward to relieve the Pillar
of her burden.

  "Thanks, Lantis," Hikaru said, as she looked up at the
tall magic swordsman and smiled wearily. She conjured up a
levitating single-sized bed in front of Lantis. She failed
to catch Lantis' raised eyebrows at the ease in which the
Pillar was able to use magic. Lantis gently laid the girl on
the floating divan.

  "Hello, Clef," said the weary Fire Knight as she focused
on the mage.

  "Princess, what has happened to the three of you?"
  
  "I'll explain in a minute." The Fire Knight turned and
smiled at everyone present. "Hi everybody."

  This was what everyone seemed to be waiting for. For as
soon as they saw her smile, they rushed forward to greet
them. Ferio made a beeline to Fuu, taking her into his arms.
It seemed exactly what the blonde Wind Knight needed for she
not only welcomed the embrace but also collapsed in relief
right into it.

  Ascot also rushed towards Umi, clearly intending to
embrace the statuesque blue-haired girl but stopped just as
he reached her. The Water Knight had her arms crossed on her
chest, eyeing the tall Summoner dangerously as if daring him
to take one more step towards her. "Uh, hello Umi," was all
Ascot managed to say, a hand behind his head.

  "Hello, Ascot," Umi finally smiled, dropping her arms to
her side. She turned to look at everyone else. Caldina, La
Farga, and Presea were clustered around Clef, Lantis and
Hikaru. They had been watching the two and were clearly
having difficulty hiding their amusement. Umi turned back to
Ascot, her eyes narrowing. She approached him, reached out
and tapped him lightly on the cheek. "Control yourself next
time, Ascot," she said in a low voice.

  "Uh, sure Umi. Sorry," Ascot mumbled as he watched Umi
walk past him to approach the group.

  "...so we had to take Fuu's sister," Hikaru was saying when
Umi neared them. "We have much to talk about Clef. I need to
ask you a lot of questions. Also, I would like to speak with
Geo Metro of Autozam soon."

  Clef nodded and then glanced at the Knight who had just
approached. Despite the less-than-perfect appearance of the
Water Knight, he marveled at her poise. "Hello Umi. Are you
okay?"

  "I'm fine," said Umi, taking a deep breath. "I'm just a
little bit tense."

  Lantis who had also been looking at Umi, now turned to
Hikaru. "I think it's best that you three rest for a while."
He reached out and draped a comforting arm across Hikaru's
shoulder. The redhead glanced up briefly at Lantis and then
looked down, clearly blushing.

  "Ah, yes.we need some rest," Hikaru stammered. She felt
Lantis give her shoulder a gentle squeeze and then lead her
from the grand hall towards the residential quarters.

  Ferio likewise led Fuu to her room. Fuu took a few steps
before realizing that she was about to leave her sister
behind. She was surprised by the fact that the bed was
floating behind her, obviously following both Ferio and her.
She turned towards Hikaru and saw the petite redhead wink at
her. She smiled back at the Fire Knight gratefully.

  Umi was about to follow them when she sensed Ascot by her
side.

  "Allow me to escort you to your quarters," he said with a
voice that was suspiciously high pitched.

  Umi thought about declining but then decided to allow it.
"Sure Ascot." She was a bit annoyed when Ascot offered her
his arm but she hid it. *What the heck*, she decided and
looped her arm around his.

  When the group reached a juncture in the hall, it was
Hikaru who first noticed that Fuu, Ferio, Umi and Ascot were
turning right while Lantis was leading her to the left. She
looked up at her escort. "Where are we going, Lantis? Isn't
my old room that way too?"

  "You have different quarters now, Princess," Lantis said
simply.

  "I see."
  
  In a few more minutes, Lantis and Hikaru arrived at a
room whose doors were bigger than she had ever seen anywhere
in the palace. "This is my room?"

  "Yes, Princess," Lantis took his arm from Hikaru and
proceeded to open the doors to her chambers.

  "Wow!" The room was huge and ornate. As Lantis led her
in, she noticed that every conceivable luxury was present.
It had a sitting room and its own dining room. Against the
far wall of the room was the four-post bed complete with a
resplendent canopy. The Fire Knight thought that the bed was
big enough for all three Knights to sleep in comfortably.
She also noticed three open doorways: one was her personal
bathroom, the other a walk-in closet filled with wardrobe
for every occasion and the third seemed to be a personal
library, filled with scrolls, tomes and various other
references. Finally, the entire room was very tastefully
done in a reddish, pink motif that truly appealed to the
Hikaru.

  Just as Hikaru finished her wide-eyed survey of the room,
two ladies-in-waiting appeared before her. They promptly
knelt on one knee and bowed their heads. Hikaru took a step
back and looked up at Lantis. "I can't sleep here," she
whispered while shaking her head almost imperceptibly.

  "It is not to your liking?" Lantis asked. Even the ladies-
in-waiting looked up to see their Pillar's reaction.

  "It's a bit too much."
  
  "But this a room fit for someone in your station,
Princess."

  "Lantis, my name is *Hikaru*."
  
  Lantis gave a sigh. "You are truly different. But we
haven't prepared any other room for you."

  Hikaru grimaced, looking at the opulence before her with
disdain. "Oh, very well." Upon hearing this, the ladies-in-
waiting jumped up excitedly and rushed towards her, gently
pulling her further into the room by the arm.

  "It is truly an honor to be of service to you, Princess,"
the one the right gushed.

  "We have been looking forward all day to meeting you,
Highness," the one on the left enthused.

  "Ah, well.um, thank you?" Hikaru glanced over her
shoulder towards Lantis, pleading with her eyes to be
rescued. Lantis gave a smile of amusement and simply waved.

  "If you need me, *Princess*, you know where to reach me,"
he grinned as he bowed, closing the doors to the room.

  *Someone help me*, Hikaru prayed.
  
                          * * * * *
  
  Hours later, the three Magic Knights had already napped.
They were all dressed in white satin gowns that, although
loose fitting and comfortable, did not hide their budding
femininity. Each was wearing a cut that was distinct with
their personality and color. Hikaru's was an off-shoulder
version, showing off her graceful neck and shoulders. She
had on a carnation sash around her waist. Umi and Fuu wore
two different variations of a sleeveless cut. The former had
a blue sash while the latter, a green one. Contrary to
Hikaru's wishes, her ladies-in-waiting, whose names she
learned were Vivien and Lana, insisted on adorning her with
a bejeweled golden choker and an equally elaborate breast
ornament. Umi and Fuu also had necklaces and breast
ornaments but were slightly less ornate.

  Hikaru and Umi both decided to visit Fuu's room where
they knew Kuu was also staying. Kuu was still unconscious
which worried Fuu greatly. It took a bit of comforting from
both Hikaru and Umi to calm her down. Fuu was also worried
about how her elder sister was going to react to the truth.
Her mind churned with ways of explaining the things that
have happened to her, Hikaru and Umi. What might she be
thinking about the events she witnessed? The Wind Knight
gazed at the sleeping form of her elder sister.

  Seeing that everything was more or less stabilized, Umi
decided to take a walk around the palace. Hikaru opted to
remain in the room with Fuu and her sister. She walked out
to the balcony and watched the setting sun. Now that the
tension and fatigue was completely bled from her system, she
could distinctly feel the pulse of Cephiro course through
her very being. She took a deep breath, relishing the clean,
pure air of this beautiful, untainted world.

  It was very tempting to just remain in this world, to
leave the troubles of Earth behind and just stay here. But
Hikaru banished that thought immediately. Earth was her
world too. And what's more, she had family back there. There
was absolutely no way she was going to abandon the world of
her birth. Her eyes narrowed as she remembered the attack on
them. *What motivated them to attack us?* Something told her
deep down that Earth was somehow in danger. *But what did
that have to do with us?*

  Hikaru remembered what Malor told her. There were *beings*
that were on Earth with access to *awesome technology* who
were planning to kidnap them. Malor had distinctly said the
word "beings". Not "people", or "men". Were they aliens? The
men who attacked them were clearly human for they bled. They
also did not possess any special powers or wield weapons
that even remotely resembled out-of-this-world technology.

  The topic of Malor was something she was definitely going
to bring up with Clef. She was also looking forward to her
meeting with the people of Autozam, particularly Geo Metro
and Zazu Torque, to discuss technology. Hikaru's thoughts
were interrupted by Fuu's call. She immediately turned and
headed inside. "What is it, Fuu?"

  "I think she's about to wake up," Fuu said, cocking her
head towards her sister. She stood, wringing her hands
together. Her anxiety was clearly evident.

  "Sit down, Fuu," Hikaru urged. "It's best if Kuu's sees
someone familiar the first time she opens her eyes."

  "You're right of course, Miss Hikaru," Fuu said as she
sat back down beside her sister. Hikaru walked over to the
bed and sat down on the opposite side. Together they watched
as Kuu stirred.

  Kuu's eyes fluttered open. At first, all she could see
was a blur. She sat up and brought her hands to her eyes,
rubbing the cobwebs of sleepiness from them. When she opened
them again, the first thing she saw was Fuu's concerned
face.

  "Fuu?"
  
  "Yes, Kuu. It's me, Fuu," Fuu moved closer and held her
hand.

  "Where am I?" She looked around at the unfamiliar
surroundings and then focused back on her little sister.
Suddenly, her eyes widened when her memories came crashing
back to her. She recoiled from her sister and instinctively
brought the sheets up to her neck as if the thin material
could protect her from any danger.

  "Kuu, please don't be frightened," Fuu pleaded.
  
  "You! I-I saw you.you." Kuu was shaking her head in alarm
and confusion.

  "Kuu, please, we can explain," it was Hikaru this time.
Kuu gave a yelp of surprise and fright when she realized
that someone was seated at her right side.

  "Hikaru! I-I heard you in my head!"
  
  "Yes, it's kinda like telepathy," Hikaru said finally
capturing one of her hands and clamping them down with two
of her own.

  "You," Kuu looked alternately between her sister and her
redhead friend. "Both of you have powers, and.and
speed.blinding speed."

  Hikaru looked at Fuu, using her eyes to encourage the
latter to try to explain things to her elder sister.

  "Kuu, yes, it's true," Fuu took the hand that was free
and like Hikaru, clamped on it with two of her own. "We have
powers. Hikaru, Umi and myself."

  There were tears flowing from Kuu's eyes as she squeezed
the hands of the people she thought she knew. "But how?"

  Fuu took a deep breath. "Kuu, do you remember that field
trip we had at Tokyo Tower a few weeks ago?" Kuu nodded. "Do
you remember at breakfast the next morning, you saw a news
article about a bright light that was seen from Tokyo Tower
the day before?" Again, Kuu nodded. "You commented about it
and asked me if I saw it.

  "I said yes but I didn't give any more explanation, which
puzzled you, I'm sure," Fuu took another deep breath. "That
was when this whole things started." Fuu removed her eyes
from her sister's and glanced at Hikaru, searching for the
strength to continue. She found it. "The three of us,
Hikaru, Umi and I were drawn to the light. It was a portal
of some sort. It brought us here, to Cephiro, another world.
It was here where we learned our powers."

  "Wait a minute!" Kuu let go of Hikaru's hand and held
onto her sister's shoulders. "Did you just say 'another
world'?" There was a look of wild incredulity in Kuu's
expression.

  Fuu nodded, smiling. "You are in that other world right
now." And Kuu promptly fainted.again. Fuu took one glance at
her unconscious sister before looking at Hikaru, her
expression one of helplessness.

  "Was it something I said, Miss Hikaru?"
                              
                          * * * * *
                              
  Umi found herself again in front of a massive set of
doors leading to the working chamber that Clef occupied. She
remembered the first time she came here was after she had
returned from Tokyo, right after the death of Princess
Emeraude, the previous Pillar of Cephiro. She had felt the
great need to apologize to the Master Mage for mistreating
and disrespecting him. At that time, she didn't realize how
kind and wise he was. Despite the hardships he had to
endure, the difficulties he had to surmount, he came through
for her.

  Her thoughts took her to their second day in Cephiro.
They were traveling through a small town when she was
mortally wounded by Alcione's sneak attack on them. Hikaru,
being the only one at the time to have learned magic, was
the only one fighting the evil sorceress. It was a desperate
battle, one that Hikaru was losing. Umi had asked for magic
to help her new friend. She wanted so much to help Hikaru,
even if it was the last thing she did. And then, Clef came
to her at that crucial moment, in a vision and taught her
how to find her magic. Fortunately, he was able to help Fuu
as well, allowing her to find the healing magic to save Umi
from certain death.

  So here she was again. *I guess I just want to talk to
Clef*, Umi thought. Just before leaving Cephiro, after Hikaru
was crowned as the Pillar, she had felt something for the
diminutive mage. Now, she wasn't so sure. All she was
certain of was that Clef was still special to her. And that,
she supposed, was enough.

  Just as before, the heavy double-doors of the chamber
opened on its own. And just as before, this completely
surprised the Water Knight. She squinted her eyes to filter
out the brightness of the chamber. When her eyes adjusted
she could see Clef standing in the middle of the room,
smiling his beatific smile.

  "Come in, Umi."
  
  Umi smiled brightly as she entered the room.
  
                          * * * * *
  
  "Warp speed in ten...nine..."
  
  Drak held onto the sides of his command chair tightly in
preparation for entering hyperspace. His battleship will be
the first followed closely by ten others. This small
contingent of battleships is the only one of the entire
fleet that had reliable hyperdrive motivators that will be
able to travel in hyperspace for extended periods of time.
They were of course heading towards Earth and travel time
would at least be one iata. After hearing about the failed
attempt to capture the three human females, he decided he
didn't like to wait any longer.

  "...seven...six..."
  
  Higon was also seated in the control center but several
meters away from Drak. He glanced at the Supreme Commander
from the corner of his eye. They had argued at length about
going through with this little adventure. It amazed him that
Drak didn't really have that much trust in his own son, Lam.
It was clear from the report he received that to initially
use a criminal group to capture the females was a brilliant
plan to determine exactly what these humans were capable of.
So what if it turns out that they were more powerful than
any of us had imagined?

  "...four...three..."
  
  The command center began to shake slightly. Everyone in
the bridge looked at one another with puzzled expressions on
their faces. The transition from regular thrusters to
hyperdrive motivator was usually a smooth one. Higon glanced
once more at Drak. This was a long time coming. He had
already warned him about it but the fool wouldn't listen.
The antiquated motivators could only stand so much strain
and wear and tear.

  "...two...one...engaging hyperdrive motivators," the onboard
computer droned on, oblivious to the telltale signs that a
jump to hyperspace would not be successful.

  The huge battleship shuddered and then lurched forward.
Everyone on the ship was pushed back against his or her
chair and the stars on the view screen became starlines.
Drak was about to smile triumphantly at Higon when the
entire bridge shook with a force never before felt. The
battleship jerked to a sudden stop; the starlines on the
view screen once again resolving to stars. Klaxon bells
began ringing throughout the bridge.

  Drak's head snapped to and fro, trying to get some sense
out of the situation. "Prono! Damage Report!" Drak barked
out the order as he stood from his chair.

  The first officer jumped up from his seat and rushed
towards the bridge engineer. "Sir! The motivator has
exploded. Plasma gel is leaking from several cracks on the
main thruster shaft causing fires to break out, Sir." Prono
straightened up rigidly, already expecting an outburst from
the Supreme Commander.

  To everyone's surprise, Drak merely sat back on his
chair. He looked out through the view screen. "Esteemed
scientist," he said without turning to address Higon. "I
would greatly appreciate your assistance in this matter.

  Higon, who was equally surprised, was quiet for a few
seconds. "Of course, Drak," he said at last. The scientist
stood from his seat and made his way out of the bridge.
Those that were left behind could only look at the
retreating form with envy. None of them wanted to be in the
bridge at the moment.

                          * * * * *
  
  Lantis, La Farga and Ferio were inside a tavern within
the village of Celophas, all three nursing their mugs of
Cephirean ale. They had just completed their rounds and had
agreed to visit one of the popular watering holes in the
village. Because they were all swordsmen, any conversation
they started would always end up with a discussion on the
merits and demerits of various sword-fighting styles.
Uncharacteristically, Lantis was quiet throughout the
ongoing debate. Eventually, the other two swordsmen noticed
that Lantis had not participated at all and was just sitting
there staring into space towards the palace. La Farga and
Ferio looked at each other, clearly puzzled by their
friend's behavior.

  "Hey, Lantis," Ferio called out, nudging the magic
swordsman in the arm. "Are you okay?"

  "Huh?" Lantis blinked a few times, clearly jolted out of
his reverie. He looked at his two companions with confusion
in his eyes. "I'm sorry, were you guys talking to me?"

  "Not really," Ferio quipped. "We were only talking about
our favorite topic and you seem to have had no interest at
all today."

  "It seems you have a lot of things on your mind," La
Farga said as he leaned back on his chair.

  Lantis gave the two an enigmatic smile. "Sorry about
that. I guess you're right. I've got a lot of things on my
mind."

  "Or maybe you just have one thing on your mind," Ferio
winked at La Farga. "Make that one person on your mind."
  
   The magic swordsman gave a sigh. He crossed his arms on
his chest, his eyes still focused outside the tavern. "Have
you guys noticed how much more beautiful Cephiro is when
Hikaru is here?"

  "Of course we noticed," replied Ferio.
  
  "It is only natural," La Farga opined. "She is after all
the Pillar."

  "It's amazing she's able to maintain this world even when
she's in another," mused the magic swordsman.

  "You forget, Lantis," La Farga leaned forward. "She gave
the power of maintaining this world to the people."

  "But she still possesses a considerable amount of power."
  
  "Well," Ferio said after a few seconds of thought.
"Hikaru has the strongest will here in Cephiro. This is,
after all, the land where the strength of the heart is the
strongest power."

  "Without exerting any effort at all, she's able to
project her power to this world."

  "Exactly what is your point, Lantis?" La Farga frowned,
clearly not getting where this conversation was heading.

  It was at this point that Lantis turned to face his two
friends. "My point is that Hikaru is extremely powerful.
More powerful than Princess Emeraude," he leaned in for
emphasis.

  "So?" It was Ferio this time. He didn't particularly like
talking about his late sister.

  "So, she has no one like us to protect her back in her
world. If she falls into the wrong hands..." Lantis allowed
his words to trail off, his intent already clear.

  "You yourself said it, Lantis," Ferio argued. "She's very
powerful. Who would even think of...of capturing her?"

  Lantis looked squarely at the green-haired swordsman.
"Yes, it's true that she's powerful. But she does have
weaknesses. Surely you haven't forgotten that final battle
between Hikaru and Nova?"

  Ferio glanced at La Farga catching his expression. Both
of them slowly nodded, remembering how Hikaru got herself
almost killed because she wouldn't attack Nova while the
latter held Lantis hostage.

  "It's not very difficult to see how Hikaru truly values
and cares for others," Lantis continued. "Anyone with
malevolent intention would be able to take advantage of
that."

  La Farga leaned back on his chair and crossed his arms on
his chest. "What is it you propose to do then?"

  Lantis shook his head slowly. "I'm not really sure."
                              
                          * * * * *
  
  Kuu managed to not faint this time as Fuu finished the
story. Her expression was curiously vacant which cause her
little sister to frown in wonder as to whether Kuu
understood everything that was said. Finally, after a few
seconds, Kuu blinked and then turned to look at Hikaru.

  "So, Hikaru, you are like the goddess of this world?" Kuu
asked point blank.

  Hikaru shuddered visibly at the word "goddess". "W-what!?
I'm not a goddess! Please don't use that word." The redhead
girl was already scowling.

  "But that's exactly what you are," Kuu insisted.
  
  "But I'm not immortal or anything!" Hikaru protested. Kuu
merely shrugged and then looked at her little sister.

  "And you, Fuu, are a Magic Knight with powers of the
Wind."

  Fuu nodded.
  
  "What about Umi? She's a Magic Knight too, right? What
are her powers?"

  "Miss Umi has the powers of Water."
  
  Kuu nodded slowly and then suddenly cradled her head on
her hands, shaking her head slowly. "I think I'm going
crazy."

  In response, Hikaru took Kuu's head gently in her small
hands and faced it towards her so she could look at Fuu's
sister right in the eye. "You are *not* going crazy, Kuu.
C'mon, why don't you get up and we'll show you around?"
Hikaru pulled up a reluctant Kuu from the bed.

  Once up, it was the first time Kuu took a good look at
both Fuu and Hikaru. Both were dressed very regally in what
appeared to be very fine satin gowns adorned with jewelry on
their necks and arms. "Wow, you two look great!" Kuu looked
down at her own self. She was wearing a flannel nightgown.
"If I'm to go out, shouldn't I be wearing something other
than this?"

  Hikaru merely smiled. As if by some unhidden signal, the
door to Fuu's room opened revealing two ladies-in-waiting.
With wide smiles, the two girls rushed to Kuu
enthusiastically. Kuu was startled and began to step back
but the girls were too fast for her. In a flash, they were
both holding onto Kuu's arm and gently leading her to the
bathroom.

  With wide eyes Kuu looked at both Hikaru and Fuu. "Where
are they taking me?"

  "Don't worry, Kuu," said Fuu cheerily. "They are going to
take care of your every need." Seeing that her sister was so
cheerful about it and sensing no danger from the two girls
who were guiding her, she allowed herself to be led.

  Hikaru chuckled at Kuu's plight and then glanced at Fuu.
"I know exactly how she feels."
                              
                          * * * * *


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