Magic Knight Rayearth Fan Fiction ❯ Here I Am ❯ New Weapons ( Chapter 17 )

Chapter Seventeen - New Weapons

By Crow Skywalker

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Disclaimer - Don't own MKR or its characters. No profit is being made, only borrowing them for my own amusement.

Author's Notes - Wow, it's been a long time since I've updated this hasn't it? Its funny..because I was stuck at the same place for months, and I opened this chapter today and started writing..and I finally finished it! Sorry for the..really long wait, lol. Hope everyone isn't too mad at me ^^; Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

Warnings/Pairings - Rated PG, though I may up the rating later on. Pairings of Umi/Clef, Fuu/Ferio, and Hikaru/Lantis/Eagle.

Summary - Umi wishes to return to Cephiro, and on a cold lonely night she gets sent back. However, things aren't what they seem, for a new evil is lurking not far away, and it has plans for Umi.

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Umi woke up with a start, her eyes immediately searching the room. She had dreamed that she was being held captive by none other than Eagle, who was supposed to be dead. But as her eyes roamed her dungeon cell, she realized it wasn't a dream. She really was being held captive, and her eyes landed on her kidnapper who sat outside the bars, watching her with a hint of amusement.

She narrowed her eyes before she spoke, "What time is it?"

"It's morning." He informed her, before indicating to something on the table beside him, "I brought something for you, in case you were hungry."

Umi sat up, feeling a lot better than she had the day before. She saw a tray of food on the table, and her stomach made a funny noise as she smelled the aroma. She gave Eagle a suspicious look, "How do I know you haven't poisoned it?" She asked.

He stood, lifting the tray before coming forward, and bending down, he pushed it through the space under the bars of her cell. It came to a halt before her, and she stared down at its contents.

"Well, it could be poisoned," He said with an amused smile, staring at her from where he crouched, "But that would ruin my Master's plan, if you were to die."

Umi looked up, suddenly wondering just who was giving Eagle orders. She had to know who the real person behind all of this was. "Master?"

"I'm afraid I'm not permitted to tell you his name."

"Why not?"

"Because if per chance you actually escape," He paused before adding, "Which you won't, because I'm to stay here guarding you at all times, my Master doesn't want the others to know his identity."

Umi frowned. "But if you know I'm not going to escape, then why can't you tell me?"

Eagle forced a smile at the girl. "I can't disobey orders. Sorry."

Umi sighed inwardly, shifting her weight uneasily as she tried to sit in a more comfortable position. I'm being held prisoner in some kind of dungeon, with a dead guy standing guard, and I don't even know why I'm here and who's behind this! Picking up her fork, she absently picked at her food. She suddenly felt the need to cry - it seemed that nothing was going her way. She'd arrived in Cephiro only to get hurt, rained on, fall unconscious, and be kidnapped. Besides Larfarga, she hadn't even gotten the chance to see her other friends!

Looking up, Umi glared at the man sitting on the other side of the bars watching her. No, I won't cry. I'm not weak..I must be strong! The others will come for me…Larfarga..he must have told them I'm back by now!

"What are you thinking?" Eagle asked curiously, staring at the girl who seemed to be deep in thought. She'd been silent for almost ten minutes now, and he was beginning to wonder what was going through the girl's mind.

"Nothing." She snapped, before saying in a dead tone, "You can't keep me here forever you know."

"Oh don't worry," He replied with a smirk, "You won't be here forever. Just until my Master decides you're of no use anymore and kills you."

Umi slid the plate of food away untouched, suddenly feeling a shiver rake her body. Kills me? I'm…going to die? Her hard eyes softened as she looked down at the cold stone floor, I'll never get to see them again…I was so close, and I'll never get to see them!

"Eat up," Eagle continued, "You're injured. You'll need your strength." Please…someone help me! I don't want to die without seeing my friends again! I don't want to die alone in this cold dungeon, where nobody will ever find me! Please - someone save me!

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The breakfast table was silent - nobody really felt like talking, not when one of their friends was missing.

Hikaru sighed, laying her forehead in the palm of her head as she propped her head up above her breakfast, her other hand tightly holding onto her fork as she tried her best to eat something. Beside her, Fuu was doing much the same. Neither really felt like eating, but the others had insisted.

"We'll be leaving once Presea finishes the weapons." Clef informed them, sitting not too far away. He watched as Hikaru glanced up briefly, forcing a smile, before returning to moving her scrambled eggs around her plate. Fuu, however, let her fork drop to her plate.

"Where will we be heading?" She asked, wise eyes blinking behind her glasses, "I thought you said that you couldn't find Umi anywhere - so how shall we know where to go?"

"We'll be visiting a nearby town in hopes of getting a lead," Lantis answered for Clef, "The residence there might know something, or might have spotted something odd that we can follow."

Clef nodded. "Hopefully we'll find some clue to what's going on."

"Will you be accompanying us?" Hikaru asked, finally sitting up straight and placing her fork beside her plate. There was no way she was going to be able to eat breakfast, and she gave up trying.

"Lantis and I shall be joining you." Clef confirmed.

Fuu suddenly glanced at the man beside her, whom had been silent through the whole exchange. "Ferio?"

He looked up at her, giving her a small smile before taking her hand in his. "I'm sorry Fuu, but I'm afraid I can't leave the palace. I must stay here and watch out for my people, in case something else happens." He glanced over at the other two men, "Don't worry, you're in good hands."

"Hey! What about me?" Everyone looked up to see Caldina pouting, "Why wasn't I asked to go? Umi is a good friend of mine, after all."

"I wasn't asked either." Ascot spoke up from where he sat.

"Caldina, Ascot…we need you here at the palace," Ferio informed them, "With our mage and best fighter gone, we'll be vulnerable. We need your powers here, just in case we're attacked. Don't worry, you'll both get your chances to help the Magic Knights."

"But -" Ascot started, but Ferio lifted a hand to cut him off.

"No buts." He said, "If we're going to find Umi, we're all going to have to work together. This isn't going to be an easy task. Umi's out there, and we don't even know where to start searching for her."

Hikaru suddenly clenched her fist tightly, and glowered at the table angrily. "When I find out who did this, I'm going to make them pay!"

"Don't worry," Fuu put a hand on her friend's shoulder, and Hikaru relaxed somewhat, "We'll both make them pay." She forced a small smile, "Nobody messes with the Magic Knights and gets away with it!"

Hikaru smiled at her friend, and suddenly grinned as she nodded once. "You're right!"

Ferio watched the two girls, glad that they no longer seemed as depressed as they had earlier. Now they both seemed determined to find Umi, no matter what. He had been slightly worried there for a while that they weren't up to it yet.

"I see you girls are in a better mood," Came a female voice, and everyone at the table looked to Presea, who had just walked into the room. "Well I have something that will make you even more happy," She said with a smile. "Your weapons are finished. Please, stand and I shall give them to you."

Hikaru and Fuu looked at each other, before nodding and pushing their chairs back as they stood. Their faces set showing their determination, they walked towards the older woman side by side.

"These weapons are different from your old ones," Presea began, holding a hand out in front of her. "They're lighter, and easier to handle. They come when you call upon them, and disappear when they are not needed, and this is all controlled by the gems on your gloves," A white light appeared in her hand, and slowly the edges began to burn a deep green and red. With a flash, two gloves appeared, and Presea handed them both to the magic Knights.

Fuu took hers, a deep green, which was different from the white and green one she was used to. It was embroidered with gold material around the edges, which seemed to sparkle a silver white in the light. Embedded in the back of the hand was a jewel of pure white, with shimmering gold encircling it. Looking closer, Fuu's eyes widened as she peered into the jewel. Swirls of green floated there, moving almost as if it was in a snowstorm.

From beside her, Hikaru stared at her glove as well. Her's was much the same, although where Fuu's was green, her's was red. Holding out her right hand, Hikaru slid the glove onto it, her fingers stretching inside as she fit into it, her finger tips coming out the top.

"Fits perfectly." She commented, before almost staggering back as a swirl of red and sparkling white incased her, cutting her off from the view of the others. From beside her, Fuu stepped back as she watched in awe. When the color dyed down, all the girl could do was blinking.

Hikaru stared down at her totally new outfit, twisting and turning her head to look around her back at see if everything was as different as it looked. Her skirt had shorted, now ending before her knees, and it had changed to the same color red as her glove, with the same silvery gold endings. The blouse that she had been wearing was no more, as it had changed into a matching red coat like shirt with long sleeves that reached her glove, almost making it seem like the shirt and glove were one. A silver chest plate covered her front, reaching around her and molding into the armor that now covered her left shoulder. It was the same silvery color as the plate, only with golden designs embedded in it and red diamond like objects. One her left wrist was a large bracelet of gold and silver with the same red rubies glowing in the light. One her feet she wore red boots that reached above her ankles, gold around the top that bent into designs on the outside of each foot, a silver ruby like the one on her glove embedded in the middle.

"Whoa." Hikaru spun around, her short skirt flaring slightly as she turned, "Now this is different!"

She glanced over at Fuu, who put on her own glove and disappeared into a green silvery light. When she reappeared, she was wearing an outfit much like Hikaru's, only her's was green.

"Your weapons are in the gem in your gloves." Presea told them, smiling as the girls began to comment about each other's new outfit. "All you have to do is call for them. Your powers, too, come from the gems. While you still have your old magic, you will learn new stuff in time. Your old magic is now also more powerful than ever before."

"This," Fuu indicated to her clothes, "Is great Presea. Thank you."

Hikaru hugged the older woman, "With this, I'm sure we'll be able to help Umi!"

Presea returned the hug, and smiled at Fuu. "I'm afraid I'm not much help other than making weapons, but I hope that it will be able to aid you in your quest. Please, find Umi and bring her back safety. And," She pulled away from Hikaru, and with a flash of white and blue another glove appeared in her hand, "If you do find her, give her this."

Hikaru took it, nodding with a small smile. "I will."

To Be Continued…