Magic Knight Rayearth Fan Fiction ❯ In Dreams ❯ Longing ( Chapter 1 )

Yep, I'm back with yet another story. A Magic Knight Rayearth story! No, I haven't abandoned Snowstorm but I am taking a break for a bit to write this short piece in three (or possibly four) parts.

This fic takes place sometime after the series ends. Consider it an alternate ending, because in this story the Knights do NOT leave Cephiro, rather they stay to help repair the world, as Hikaru is (kind of) the Pillar and all. Also, the main pairing will be Umi and Clef, as I adore Clef (in both of his forms) and I really, really wanted him to confess to Umi that he loved her. *pouts*

However…I don't claim to own the series or anything. That belongs to CLAMP, the wonderful ladies that they are.

In Dreams

By Quickening

Part One

Longing

He was most certainly intoxicated.

Clef stared down through bleary eyes at the small, crystal chalice of amber-colored liquor he held, his slender brows pulled together in a concentrated frown as he fought to recall the last time he had been so completely drunk. As near as his alcohol-dazed state of mind could recall, it had been at least several centuries, back when he had still been young and therefore not half as dignified as he was at his current age of seven hundred and forty five. Or was it six by now? He'd lost count.

The liquor burned pleasantly in his veins, warming his blood and buzzing faintly behind his ears, and he smiled to himself and wondered why he didn't get drunk more often. It really was a pleasant state to be in, with everything all hazy and dreamy and calm…conveniently forgetting that such a hazy, dreamy, calm state of mind would very soon dissipate and head-splitting, stomach-churning hell would gleefully take its place. Then again, in over five hundred years, the little memories like hangovers tended to be lost to time.

Clef sighed and strode…rather ungracefully…to the large, sound-proofed window in his chambers (he did like his quiet, after all), which opened into the castle's Garden, a place where the residents of Cephiro tended to spend most of their time. It was quite the hub of their little society, aside from the dining hall, that is; women gathered to gossip among themselves, men gathered for much the same reason (although "gossip" was such a womanish word for the kind of talking they did), and children gathered to play their innocent games. It was really rather sad to see so many people confined to such a small place, not that the Garden could actually be described as "small" in any sense of the word, but there really was little choice in the matter. As their world had been nearly destroyed by Emeraulde's death, the castle was the only safe haven the people had left to live in, at least until the new Pillar-with the help of those very people-could heal what was left of the devastated planet.

Speaking of which…

Clef's eyes fell upon three girls playing with a group of children beside the fountain nearest his window. Three girls who had single-handedly brought the world back from the brink of destruction with their courage, compassion, and determination to help save a country that they, for all accounts and purposes, should have had nothing to do with in the first place.

There was Hikaru, the Fire Knight and the new Pillar of Cephiro, laughing gaily with a little girl as they attempted to weave chains of flowers, with her ever-present shadow, Lantis, hovering protectively over her. There was Fuu, the Wind Knight, sitting serenely on the edge of the fountain beside her own love, Ferio, the present king of Cephiro, while smiling at the antics of the third girl as she played tag with the other children.

Clef's eyes were drawn to the tall, statuesque figure who was currently engaged in running around in circles in a rather silly-looking attempt to escape the outstretched fingers of a giggling boy, her silken hair flowing behind her, adorned with one of Hikaru's flower-chains, and her brilliant eyes shining with laughter. Clef's normally stoic face softened as he continued to gaze at the Water Knight, her name falling from his lips on a soft, entreating sigh. "Umi…"

It was this girl…this mere child…that had caused him to come to be in this drunken state, he thought with a rueful smile, his eyes following her graceful form as a starving man eyes a plate of fine food kept always just out of his reach. It was ironic, really. He, the most powerful, respected man in Cephiro (despite his diminutive size and childlike countenance), reduced to sighing after a mere slip of a girl like a love-starved fool. It would have almost been funny, had it not been so disgraceful.

Clef grimaced and tossed back the remainder of his drink, feeling the overly-sweet liquid burn a trail the whole way down his throat and into his stomach. He still could not comprehend how she could make him feel things he had never felt in all of his long life. Being the most powerful mage in Cephiro entitled him to certain duties, and these duties were what kept any woman from turning his head in the past. His job came before anything else, and that included love. Oh, he'd had his share of flings, especially during his younger years, but he'd been aware that those few women had been with him mostly for the power he possessed, and so he'd never allowed them to amount to anything more than casual affairs, and eventually, even those had dwindled to nothing.

He had gotten pretty good at ignoring the few advances certain women had made at him over the decades. Of course, maintaining his current image certainly helped them to keep their distance…not many women were willing to get involved with a man who was half their height and often more than five times their age, no matter how powerful a mage he was. And that had always suited him just fine…until now.

It was Umi…loud, opinionated, bossy, disrespectful Umi…who had finally managed to achieve what few other women in Cephiro ever had. She had finally managed to make Clef remember that he was a red-blooded male, and that as such he had certain needs and desires that suddenly could no longer be ignored. Centuries spent achieving the goal of pushing aside all of his baser instincts were wasted when those instincts suddenly came rushing back with a vengeance at the first scent of her hair, delicate and sweet as some exotic flower. He could barely refrain from reaching up to caress her soft cheek whenever the light touched her delicate face in such a way. When she tilted her head at a certain angle and looked down at him with smiling eyes, it was all he could do not to pull her down to him and kiss her breathless.

He didn't even know when he'd started thinking of the girl as anything other than a temporary student or even a friend. During the Knights' first visit to Cephiro, he'd spent most of their time there as a stone statue, guiding them in spirit as best he could, and so was not able to get to know them as he would have liked. During their second visit, however, he was with them in body as well as spirit, and therefore could interact personally with each of them. They had all started out as respected guests-the saviors of the world, of course, deserved high esteem-but soon that developed into a sense of camaraderie, and eventually a respectful friendship. Life-threatening situations did have a way of bringing people close together, after all.

But with Umi, it hadn't stopped there, oh no. Out of all three of them, Umi had been the one most in need of comfort when the times got tough. Despite her flippant, couldn't-care-less attitude, Clef was well aware that inside she was struggling with feelings of inadequacy and uncertainty, not to mention homesickness. All three girls had been under such strain, of course, but Hikaru had Lantis to comfort her, and Fuu had Ferio. Who did Umi have? Ascot had always been there, of course, making it quite obvious that the feelings he held for her went beyond mere friendship, but it was, surprisingly enough, to Clef which she had turned when she was most in need of comfort, a role that he did his best to fulfill. He had gladly offered her a friendly ear when she came to his chambers at night, and kind words to help comfort her, and thus encouraged she had gradually opened up to the Guru, telling him of her life in Tokyo. He eventually found himself looking forward to her nighttime visits, which sadly did not come as often as he would have liked. As time passed and he grew to know her better, he began to realize that the feelings he held for her had grown into something beyond the respect a teacher holds for his students, or even the friendship he held with all the Knights.

Yes, Clef had finally fallen in love, and he could not imagine a more wonderful or painful experience in his entire existence. Wonderful, because simply being with Umi was enough to make him feel as though nothing could ever go wrong again. Painful…because he was well aware that there was absolutely no way that Umi would ever love him-a pint-sized old man living in a child's body-in return.

Clef grimaced and tossed back the remainder of his drink, only to remember that he'd already finished it off, and grimaced again as he glared down at the empty chalice in his hand through blurring eyes. What good was liquor to him, anyway? A temporary relief, that was all. Enough to knock him out for a few hours, make him forget his pain. And even then, he could not fully forget, for always her face haunted his dreams.

In a slightly uncharacteristic display of temper, Clef threw the empty chalice across the room, watching it shatter with a satisfying crash against the stone wall, chips of sparkling crystal striking the floor with musical clinks. Then, with a thought, he was adorned in a simple white dressing gown, stumbling wearily into his bedchamber and over to his large, depressingly empty bed. For once, he could feel the weight of his seven hundred plus years resting heavily on his shoulders as he crawled under the covers, feeling the alcohol beginning to tighten its hold on him and drag him swiftly into drunken slumber.

He never even noticed the startled countenance of a girl as she stood staring in through the window, ignoring the children who tugged on her hands in an effort to get her to rejoin their game. Her gaze slowly lowered to the scattered crystal shards littering the floor, her ocean-colored eyes filled with worry, and in another moment, she had lifted the latch (which was thankfully unlocked) that held the window closed and began to step through, determined to find out what in the world was wrong with her dearest friend.