Green Winds: A Magic Knight Rayearth Fan-fiction
**************************************************
by Alina
alinasan@yahoo.com

This is about Fu, and about Ferrio. I felt watching it that the story
merely skims the surface about what these two characters think, particularly
about each other. So here's my interpretation and imagination of that
hidden story.

Spoiler warning: Extreme Spoilers ahead, everything to the end of
the first season of the show...I'll avoid the fate of characters that don't
relate to Fu and Ferrio, but other things I can't help....so be warned.
*******************************************************************
PRELUDE:
Ferrio stared at the gem in his hand, and back up at the Princess.

"I gave it to him" She whispered, her eyes looking at him with a mixture
of sadness, happiness and love.

He didn't even feel the guards release him, nor their apologies. He
could only stare up at her. She was beautiful. The most beautiful
woman he'd ever seen. Her hair tumbled down around her like sunshine.
Her voice put every song he'd ever heard to shame.

Yet what struck him the most were her eyes. Her eyes reminded him of the
sky, but not a clear one. Loneliness hid in those eyes like thin wisps of clouds, not easy to see, but hard to hide.
She looked as delicate as a butterfly and as ephemeral as a rainbow.

Yet she was the strength of their country, the Pillar of Cefiro. Why
on earth, Ferrio thought, had she saved him?

"Ferrio..."She said with such strong emotion, that he felt bolder
and took another step towards her to thank her.

Before either one of them could say another word, a tall man in heavy
armor strode into the room commandingly. In his low deep voice
he all but growled "Princess, have you forgotten you are the Pillar?"

She shook her head and closed her eyes.

"You cannot indulge in personal things." The man said, raising his hand.
"Throw that boy out of the castle."

"But..." The guards hesitated. The Princess did not move, except to
clasp her hands across her chest.

"Whether or not he stole the gem, his stay at this palace is over."
The man said stonily. "Emeraude, do not interfere!"

Angrily Ferrio met the man's eyes "Who are you to order the Princess?"
He challenged the man, angry that someone had addressed the Princess
so harshly.

The man turned to look at him, and instantly looked away,
conveying how utterly insignificant he found Ferrio. Yet his
eyes had remained cold and emotionless throughout the entire judgement,
just as if he were a machine merely processing information.

Ferrio muttered to himself. "Hmmph.....don't bother throwing me out,
I was leaving this place anyway." He
said haughtily, and turned and walked out cockily.

As he crossed the garden, and descended the steps of the palace,
he stopped hearing a voice.

"Ferrio---" The princess's voice or at least, he thought it was her,
"Ferrio...I'm sorry!" When he looked over his shoulder, she was gone.

He never saw her again. Except in his dreams, and there, he kept
seeing her every night after he'd heard she'd been captured by Zagato.

Ferrio dismissed his memories and concentrated on trying to trace his
path again. Damn it...how had he gotten himself so lost in these Woods?
How could he save her if he could not get out? Used to being alone,
and taking care of himself, the last thing Ferrio liked to do was
rely on others. At that moment though, Ferrio prayed fervently for
someone to come along so they could show him the way out. Someone,
he thought, anyone, I need help. And miraculously, he heard a voice.
In fact, he heard three. He watched as three girls screamed
in terror. Unsheathing his sword, he grinned to himself. He couldn't
have asked for a better entrance, he thought as he dove to save
them. He'd have them in the palm of his hand after this...and they'd
lead him out of this forrest. Princess Emeraude, he thought, I'll set you
free.

**************************************************************************
Fu paused at her door, feeling the wind lift her hair.
Everything seemed clear and normal, but somehow every time the breeze
had fluttered against her she'd felt worried. She couldn't explain it.
Of course, she admitted, she tended to feel that way. Yet everything
seemed so normal this morning. Her sister, late as usual, left for
school in a run, barely grabbing the lunch Fu had prepared.

Her parents had already left to take the train to the University at which
they taught. The commute was long, but given the cost of housing, there
was nothing else her family could do. Her mother, she knew, regretted
not being able to mother her children as much she wanted. A sign of
this was the small note she'd left Fu with some money and a message.
"You work so hard, so enjoy this trip today. Buy a souvenir or whatever
you would like!" Indeed, her mother seemed more excited about the trip to
Tokyo Tower than Fu herself. Fu had, of course, been to the Tower already
and would have preferred to visit a museum or even potential high-schools
that day.

So perhaps her mother's excitement explained the unexpected money and note.
Yet her parents did not usually give her money for frivolous spending.

Her family was not poor, but both she and her sister attended fairly expensive private schools. She would not have minded
the public ones but her parents had told her that her education came first
to them. Which was why Fu found the money and message rather perplexing.
Still, the money really was not the source of this worried feeling welling
inside her. What could it be? Had she forgotten to do something?
She ran through all the things she might have left undone--turning
the faucets off, the stove, lights and locking doors. No, everything seemed
in order.

She glanced at her watch, and decided she needed to leave, even if she
hadn't solve the mystery of her apprehensive feeling....she just felt as
if something were going to happen to her today that would change
her forever. She laughed at herself--it was just a field trip,
and to Tokyo Tower....what could really happen there?
Fu folded the note, placed the money carefully in her pocket.
She sighed as she gently closed and locked the door.

The worry plagued her right up to the top of Tokyo Tower.
Feeling more isolated than usual amongst the clumps of chattering school-
mates, Fu leaned over the railing running around the inside. She admired the
view and the spreading of the city. She hugged herself, trying to ward
off her unease. Girls from her school gossiped beside her, an occasional
conversation floating into her ears. One in particular froze her helplessly,
pulling her attention form the pamphlet on the Tower's construction she
had started reading.

"And she's been going steady with---Oh wait, look, that girl is Houji Fu....you know, the genius girl in the other
class our year. Even though you're a new exchange student, I'm sure you've
heard of her by now. "

"That's her? I pictured someone different...she looks normal!" another girl
exclaimed, and Fu caught the hint of an accent. "I want to talk to her!"

"No, you don't! I bet right now, she's identifying every district of Tokyo that she can see!"

"Or reading the pamphlet on how the Tower was built!" Another giggled.
"She probably doesn't want to talk to us. We're probably not smart
enough for her! She always looks so embarrassed when we talk
about boys, and our star poster collections...I guess its not
intellectual enough for her. She likes to be left alone."

"I would hate to intrude on her..." The foreign girl said, not
sounding convinced. "But are you sure!?"

"Yes " laughed the others. "Now tell us about that cute
brother of yours! Why waste time talking about Houji-san?!"

A weird trick of light created a reflection in the corner of Fu's
glasses and she could see the clump of girls who'd been talking. They were
walking away from her.

Fu slowly folded the pamphlet, placing it back neatly on the table from where
she'd found it. She breathed in slowly pretending to study the view for a
minute, and then when she felt the constriction in her throat ease, she
smiled. The loneliness lingered, but she thought philosophically
that she understood why the other girls perceived her the way they did. Quietly, she decided to walk to the other side of the Tower, perhaps away
from where the girls from her school clustered. If she were among
strangers, perhaps she would feel less alone.

As she walked, she wondered why her school had chosen the Tower. In fact,
she noted that several schools seemed to be arriving. She spotted the
beautifully tailored blue uniforms of an extremely expensive private school. Her gaze briefly met that of one of those girls, one with long dark straight
hair. She's beautiful, just like a model! Fu thought, admiringly. The girl smiled politely, as Fu passed with a slight nod.

Feeling slightly uncomfortable among these poised, sophisticated girls,
Fu headed closer to a group of girls from the public school, continuing
on her walk around the perimeter of the Tower. Their
bright red uniforms seemed cheery and Fu smiled as she watched one little
girl excitedly peering into the telescope device. Fu sighed,
wishing she were in elementary school again, too, as she remembered feeling
less pressured then.

The girl on the telescope practically wailed, then frantically started
searching herself for money. Fu could hear her dismayed voice exclaim
she'd run out of time on the telescope. Fu smiled, as her hand touched
the money her mother had given her. Pulling it out, she handed it
to the little girl, and smiled saying "Please, use these coins, okay?
I have been having fun watching while you enjoyed yourself on the telescope. So, please take them!" Without waiting for an answer, Fu continued on her walk
but somehow, she already felt better.
She merged into the shifting crowd of girls in uniforms, not realizing the little girl followed trying to thank her. In fact she wasn't aware
of anything but the crush of people around her, until a sudden light caught
her attention.

She heard a girl's voice pleading "Please save our world, Cefiro. Legendary
Magic Knights..........."

And then the world dropped out from under her. She slipped through the
a blue sky only to land on what appeared to be a big flying fish.

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
*****************************************************
How many days had it been since she'd landed in Cefiro? So much had happened
already, their meeting with Master Clef and the armor he'd given them. Their battle with the woman wizard Alcyone. Then meeting Pursea, and gaining
their new weapons. Fu looked down with amazement at the green gem on her hand.

Inside, she knew her bow and arrows rested, though she still found it hard
to believe.

"Fu!" The others called for her to catch up to the rapidly bouncing
Mokona who led them through the maze of the Woods of Silence. Fu
gasped for breath and ran to keep up. Athletics, other than archery, had
never been her strong point. Determinedly, she vowed not to hold back
the others and forced herself to sprint. Besides, she didn't exactly
wish to stroll in this place--these so called "Woods of Silence" echoed with the groans and growls of hidden monsters. The sooner they left
it, the better she would feel.

. Already, Fu thought as she stepped over a branch and ducked another, she
felt a strong bond to the other two girls. Hikaru's spirit
impressed her, and though Umi still intimidated her a little, she
felt a fondness for her as well. With their help she felt sure they would
make it to Eterna and home.

The sudden appearance of a monster startled her from her thoughts, and
she and Umi scrambled out of the way while Hikaru leapt
into action sword barred. With one blow the small girl slashed the
creature in two.

Fu sighed in relief to see that Hikaru and Umi were safe. Mokona
reappeared and Umi began to fume about their path and the monsters on it.

"Perhaps we had better walk more slowly
so we will not be so tired from running if we're attacked" Fu interceded
to calm down Umi's ravings.

Umi nodded, and yelled at Mokona "If you don't slow down, we're going
to stop following you!" Either Mokona agreed with Fu's logic or actually
believed Umi's threat, but Mokona did slow down to a calmer pace.
"And make sure there are less monsters!"

Yet it seemed as if anything, they found more monsters, and they
all felt as if something or someone was watching them.

As much as Fu felt confident that Hikaru could take care of the monsters,
she knew her friend must be getting tired. When they stopped because
Hikaru got a weird feeling, Fu suggested they all pull out their
weapons. At that exact moment though,two huge monsters appeared.

Hikaru targeted the first, but Fu felt huge tentacles grab her before
she could activate her arrow and bow. The monster started
squeezing her. Desperately she called for Hikaru, but she could tell
Hikaru was too far away. Everything started to fade and Fu wondered
if this was how it would end? It couldn't...she thought...it couldn't!
She had to keep going to help Hikaru and Umi and return to Tokyo!

And then suddenly, the creature crumbled, split in half by the quick blow
of a curved sword. Their savior moved so fast that he appeared a green
blur of wind, until he landed, sword in the air, back towards them.

Fu rushed to the other two, glad to see they were all right.

Their savior turned around, and Fu was surprised to see he was a very
handsome boy not much older than themselves.

Hikaru chirpingly thanked him, before he could say anything.

He smiled slightly as he asked who they were. He raised an eyebrow
as they said their names, as if he found the names unusual.

"I am Ferrio." He replied when they were finished. He barely paused
before he began chastising them for their carelessness on walking
through the Woods of Silence without weapons. Sticking his
sword into the earth he concluded "You're just asking to be killed".

Hikaru's eyes grew larger at that pronouncement.
"Why is it dangerous to walk without weapons!"

Fu caught Umi's gaze over Hikaru's head, and Umi rolled her eyes. Fu
knew what Umi was thinking. "We've been fighting monsters all morning,
how could she ask why its dangerous!!" But Fu listened carefully to
the answer, because the more information they had about this forrest the
safer they would be. She knew the first step to solving problems was
to learn all you could about it.

"The Woods of Silence is like a nest of monsters. Thousands of monsters
are roaming around here." The youth said as he leaned nonchalantly against
a tree, arms crossed.

Fu felt her heart stop at that assessment as Umi uttered "Thousands!?" in
horrified disbelief.

"By the way, would you like to hire me as your bodyguard? Its impossible for
you to go through these woods by yourself. I work as a hunter in this forest.
You have seen how skillful I am." He continued confidently as he
straightened up, looking into the woods as if searching for monsters.
"I could be very useful to you."

Hikaru's eyes met hers briefly, and Fu shook her head slightly.
"I'm sorry but we can't hire you. We don't' have any money."

He dismissed this easily. "I will accept food as payment. I haven't
eaten very much lately."

Hikaru started to say they didn't even have food, but suddenly Mokona
"Pu Pu PU'd" and a huge mound of food appeared on the ground.

Fu's eyes widened as she beamed at the little furry creature. Astounded
she petted the talented Mokona.

"So let's seal the bargain!" Ferrio said as he started munching hungrily
on a fruit.

Fu and Umi exchanged a worried glance, and stopped Hikaru before she
could agree. They drew her a few feet away, so they could discuss
the situation without his hearing.

Ferrio pretended to be absorbed in eating the food, but actually he strained
his ears to hear what they were saying. Did they know the way out or had he wasted his morning following them and saving them? If they did know the way out, would they accept him? He didn't need to worry about the
little girl with the red wavy hair barely contained in a braid.
He couldn't imagine an easier person to charm. He wouldn't even need to lie
to her--she trusted people on sight and questioned things later.
The other two were a different story. He wished he could hear what they were
saying, but from their faces he guessed they were going to tell him to leave.

As a travelling entertainer he's long since grown adept at reading people's
faces and gaining clues about how to manipulate them. Everyone had a story,
things they wanted to believe. If he knew that, he could usually
charm them into doing what he wanted them to do. Too bad, he
thought, that he couldn't charm the woods themselves into showing
him the way out. But if these girls knew where the exist lay, they
would do just as well. The princess's face flashed before him, and
he knew that even if it were a long shot, he had to try. Besides,
what were the three young girls doing in the Woods of Silence if they
didn't know the way out? Again, he eyed their clothing and weapons,
noting its uniqueness.

"I'm sorry." The pretty girl in blue announced,stepping closer
as the other two hung back. "We do not need a bodyguard. I will give
you food if you will please leave." She said politely but somewhat
icily.

Apparently, his saving them had not been enough to win their trust.
He would need to try another tactic. He studied the girl briefly.
She was easy to read but difficult to handle. She's proud and a bit vain, he thought, quick tempered and stubborn. If he could appeal to
her ego, she might cave in. "What, no bodyguard for a beautiful girl
like you?"

"Beautiful?"She giggled at the compliment, her composure and the
iciness melting away.

He smiled to himself, knowing his words had hit their mark. Now, he
needed to go for the kill. "It's dangerous for a beauty like you to
walk around these woods without a bodyguard." He said as if he were making an
objective comment, with no personal interests at stake.
The girl continued to preen herself, obviously affected by the compliment.

"Fu, can we hire him?" The blue haired girl called.

Two down, he thought, just one more to convince. His eyes flickered to the one called Fu as she approached him. He felt his breath catch a bit.

The first thought that struck him was that she had enormous eyes, but he
quickly realized her eyes were normal but magnified by a strange device
she wore. It seemed to be made of wire and glass, and rested on the
bridge of her nose. He'd never seen anything like that. What
purpose did it serve? The thickness of the glass modified her
features, and he found himself wondering what she really looked like.

Her gaze met his, and he felt as if she were studying and reading him as
easily as he'd read the others. Yet he couldn't easily tell what her
thoughts were. She's not going to be fooled easily, he thought. If they
*were* working for Zagato, he would need to be careful.

"Ferrio-san, you said you are a hunter but if you are truly a hunter
isn't it strange that you hunt in the Woods of Silence which are filled
with monsters?"She said politely.

He stared into her immense green eyes, unable to think of a glib response.
He closed his eyes, looking away from that too intelligent gaze. He
would need to try something else...perhaps part of the truth. Somehow
though he didn't know why, he knew if he wanted them to trust him then
he had to trust them a little. But not too much. At least,he thought
as he opened his eyes again to look at her, they couldn't be working for
Zagato. They seemed much to innocent to be allied with someone that
evil.

"Well, I suppose you could say I lied. You're right. I am not a hunter
but a swordsman. Earlier I was almost caught when I tried to attack
Zagato. But when I tried to escape, I entered these woods and can't
find my way out."

She blinked, and pushed the strange device back into position.
Calmly, she replied "That's an interesting story. You lied before,
but this time, you are telling the truth? I find it hard to
believe."

He knew as she opened her eyes that he'd made a mistake by trying
to lie to them in the beginning. Or at least not using a more
plausible lie. Now no matter what he said, this green-eyed girl
would be skeptical of him. He'd better try something else because
he'd lost this time. Besides...he didn't
need to travel *with* them, if he could follow them.

"Ok, you win. I'll give up being your bodyguard." He capitulated.

She smiled gently and approvingly, glad to have avoided a more
violent confrontation over the matter. "That is very wise of
you." She said in that slightly stiff formal way of hers.

He smiled as they walked off, and slowly he began to trail after them.
He almost enjoyed their game of hide and seek as they tried to
shake him off their trail. He didn't know that they were so inept at
hiding because they'd been raised in a city, but he could tell they
didn't understand how to cover their tracks.

He grinned as he jumped in front of them yet again, to ask
why they kept trying to lose him. They were kind of cute, he thought
watching the three girls scramble to run away. Especially that
stony faced one...he found himself wondering if she ever smiled, and
idly imagining how to find out.
**************************************************

Night began to fall, and Fu shivered. Though her legs ached from
all the walking and running (increased by their futile attempts to
avoid Ferrio), she hesitated to stop. Where could they sleep, if they stopped?

The others complained about this also, and Fu was about to suggest
they gather leaves to sleep on when Mokona suddenly produced a
large tent. Fu marvelled at its luxuriousness as she stepped inside.

Wandering over to the bed, she felt the soft silk cloth of the pajamas
already laid out. As she inspected the rest of the room, Hikaru
asked if she could take food to Ferrio.

The question caught Fu a bit off guard, and she debated for a second
before answering. She's so sweet, always thinking of others! Fu thought
approvingly. Yet they still didn't know what his motives were. She admired
Hikaru's kind heart, but she worried that her guard might be down against
Ferrio should he try something.

Tactfully, Fu suggested that perhaps it would be best if she and not
Hikaru carried the food. "Otherwise, you might invite him into our tent!"
She teased.

Hikaru smiled while Umi muttered "She *would* do something like
that!" But Umi's expression suggested she wouldn't have minded had
that happened. After all, he'd called her beautiful!

Fu smiled at the other two as she carefully picked out a variety
of food to create a balanced meal, loaded a basket and existed the tent.
As she felt the bite of the wind and heard the eerie calls of far away
animals (or monsters?) even she started to feel a bit bad. Would
he be safe out here? She shook herself. He'd been living in these
woods a while now, he could take care of himself. And he'd lied to
them.

Her resolve strengthened, she approached him and placed the basket a
short distance from where he'd curled against a tree to sleep.

"I've brought you some food, so please eat." She called softly, unsure if he
were awake or not. Somehow, she felt hesitant to leave him out here. With
his eyes closed, curled underneath that giant tree he looked more like
an ordinary boy. Could he really defend himself against monsters if
he were asleep? She shook her head, and curled her hands into fists.
The reason she'd come out here was because of the three of them she
was the only one he couldn't fool. Even if he wasn't their enemy he'd
proven by his lies they couldn't trust him. She
couldn't let him take advantage of them. She resumed her walk back
to the tent.

"Will you wait?" He called out, his voice startling her into stopping.

"Is there something you need?"She asked without turning back.

"You. Will you stay with me for awhile?" He wasn't quite pleading, but
he'd uttered these words without the hint of arrogance she'd noted earlier.

"What nonsense are you saying?" She said a bit heatedly,as she felt herself
blush. He was trying to charm her too now, she reminded herself. It
was the same trick he'd used to win over Umi.

"I don't want to eat alone." He said quietly and simply, and Fu realized,
honestly.

She felt her heart beat increase as she puzzled over this side of him.
He'd seemed so vulnerable right now that she couldn't leave him out
here all alone, could she?

"Just stay until I finnish eating." He continued without looking up
or opening his eyes. "I want you to stay here with me."

"Ferrio..."She whispered, barely hearing her own voice over the sound of
her heart. She supposed she could stay with him...

"I'd prefer to see someone with a smile, instead of your sulking face,
but its still better than eating alone." He added, with a slight
smirk.

She stared at him confused and slightly hurt, before she ran back
to the safety of the tent and her friends, without an answer.

Ferrio looked up as she ran, and laughed. She was a funny girl, he
thought, one he couldn't really understand...she'd been distrustful before,
but here she was bringing him food and asking him to make sure he
ate. He glanced down at the careful arrangement of the basket she'd brought.
It felt odd, he thought, to have someone worry about him like that...but
she'd been so wary of him at the same time. He bit into the bread.
Well, he might not understand her but...he was starting to really enjoy teasing her. One day, he swore, he was going to get her to smile.
*********************************************************

"Ah, a good night's rest always makes me feel stronger!" Hikaru
cheered as they watched the tent disappear. Fu suppressed a yawn,
and wished she could agree but she'd found it difficult to sleep
the last night. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Ferrio
huddling against the cold and monsters, and he was saying he was lonely.
And then, he would laugh. Was it at himself, or at her? She wondered.

Unfortunately, the monsters apparently felt recharged like Hikaru, and from
that moment on until lunch they fought a steady stream of creatures.

By lunch time they'd already destroyed more monsters than they could
count, Fu thought wearily. In fact, they didn't even have time to
have lunch. A break in the trees alerted her to the fact that
a clearing lay up ahead, but even before she could feel relieved she noticed
something strange.
The field was not empty, but instead filled with a variety of monsters.
More monsters, in fact, than they'd fought in their entire trip!
Mokona hopped closer to the field.

"No way! STOP" Umi yelled throwing herself in front of Mokona. "Do we
have to go through there? It's impossible! Even with our weapons
how can we fight so many monsters?" She yelled grabbing Mokona's
ears and picking the creature up to shake it.

Hikaru leaned against a tree, her lip trembling a bit as she
asked "What should we do?"

Umi dropped Mokona and perched against a rock, as Mokona bounced
saying "pu" insistently. "We should go back."

"No. I want to ask Ferrio." Hikaru protested.

"Hikaru-san," Fu called warningly, but Hikaru cut her off knowing
what Fu would say.

"Remember what Clef said about Cefiro's changes? Its a world where
monsters roam but doesn't it seem extreme here? Something is very wrong
here." She said.

Fu frowned as she interrupted Hikaru. "It's dangerous to trust someone
like him!" She exclaimed. "Because he never told us the truth." She added as she looked down. Did he ever stop lying? His
words of the night before came back to her "I want you to stay with me."
No, she thought, they couldn't trust someone like him at all, who lied
just to amuse himself.

"But Clef and Pursea aren't with us. Ferrio's the only one who knows something
about these Woods!"Hikaru argued.

From high above, Ferrio grinned, as he lounged against a tree, balanced
on a branch. "You've got that right!"

Fu's eyes widened as she looked up "Ferrio!?"

"So, its finally time for me to help you!"He said as he leapt
to the ground, as quickly as a cat might. "IF you like, ask me
what you want."

"Ferrio, what's wrong with these woods? Is it Zagato's fault?"

"No, its been like this before him. Magic has never worked here, so its
easy for Monsters to live here. Even Zagato can't get rid of them. I
believe the cause is that evil rock over there. It attracts monsters
and transforms them into stronger and more hideous forms."

"SO if we destroy that rock, we'll destroy the monsters!" Hikaru
said inspired.

"Don't be silly...we'd be killed by all those monsters if we even
tried. There are just too many of them!" Umi protested.

"So, let's split into two groups. One can distract the monsters and
the others can go for the rock!"

Ferrio interrupted. "I'll distract the monsters." He admired the
little girl's cleverness in coming up with that plan, and her
bravery, but he couldn't let her do something that dangerous.

"No." Hikaru said adamantly. "If we cannot do something like this,
then we are not strong enough to save Cefiro."

Save Cefiro? Ferrio wondered a little taken aback at the girl's words.
"I thought I heard you mention Clef...did you mean Master Clef?"Ferrio
inquired as a sudden thought entered his mind. Could these girls
be the legendary Magic Knights? The thought seemed absurd.

Hikaru nodded, as the three girls lined up together. "Master Clef is
counting on us to save--"

Fu grabbed Hikaru's arm gently and whispered "We shouldn't trust him yet!"

They were standing close enough that Ferrio heard her. He smiled to
himself. That one just didn't give up, did she? But if they were all
to survive this forrest they would need to trust each other. He could
trust them, but he'd have to convince Fu to do the same before they could
work together.

"I see...so you are trying to help Princess Emeraude and save Cefiro,
are you? So am I." He smiled. He leaned against a tree, and prepared to tell
his story. He briefly contemplated lying again, but one glance at Fu
convinced him that would be a mistake. Yet he still hesitated to
reveal his motives. All he really had that he could call his own were
his memories, precious few though they were. He didn't like sharing them.
"I want to save Princess Emeraude too. I want that more than anything."

All three girls gasped at that, while he smiled organizing his story.
When he was sure they were about to explode from curiosity, he started
again. He was too much of an entertainer not to play with his audience,
even if he had to tell the truth. "I used to be
a travelling entertainer, in a group. I never knew my parents, and they
raised me, teaching me stunts and tricks when I was old enough. One year,
we went to the palace. I'd never seen a place like it, so wonderful
and beautiful. I couldn't help but look around. I knew it was
dangerous, and probably rude, but something compelled me to wander into
the rooms. In one of them, I found a box with two beautiful gems, and as
I stood there holding them, the guards caught me. Stealing is a serious
crime, especially when you steal from the royal palace. The punishment
is death."

"Oh no!" Umi exclaimed.

"For stealing!?" Hikaru asked, entranced by the story, leaning forward.

Fu looked a little more skeptical, as if she were going to start
poking holes in his story or pressing for details.

Undaunted, Ferrio continued " They dragged me off,
but before they could punish me, Princess Emeraude saved me. I don't
know why she did, but she stood there in the throne room and told
the guards that she'd given me the gem. I was but a worthless boy,
wandering without permission yet Princess Emeraude saved my life." He
paused, as he saw her face in his memories again. He turned away,
embarrassed at the emotions he was feeling. He was losing control of
his story. "When I am only alive because of her kindness, how could I do
nothing when Zagato has kidnapped her? I have no choice but to defeat Zagato
and save her, no matter what it takes!" He finished. He felt a bit
embarrassed over revealing all of this, because somehow he'd said more than
he'd meant. With a flourish he added. "That could be my story...did you believe me?"He grinned a bit too cockily, somehow destroying the impression that he'd been telling the truth.

At least, it had that effect on Umi, who was not amused. "You're awful. You
lied to us." She said crossing her arms and stamping her foot.

Fu leaned her chin against her arm thoughtfully. His story seemed too
elaborate to be false, and she'd heard the emotion in his voice. Maybe
he'd turned away because he was embarrassed about revealing his heart.
She sensed he wasn't used to trusting others, which, if she thought
about, was a trait she shared. Perhaps she was being too hard on him.
Her eyes softened a little.

He shrugged. "Do my reasons matter? I want to get out of these woods,
but I can't find the exit. That's why I have no choice but to join
with you."

Without waiting for the other's opinions, Hikaru exclaimed. "I understand.
So, Umi-chan and I will distract the monsters from the rock. You and Fu-chan
can destroy the rock!" She said, ready for action.

"Gotcha." Ferrio replied, grabbing his sword. "Let's do it."

Fu watched as Hikaru sprinted, followed by a rather taken aback Umi.
Hikaru certainly tended to make impulsive decisions, Fu sighed. Perhaps
though, she thought, they had no choice but to trust him.

Ferrio waited until the field lay clear, revealing the ominous looking
black rock floating in the air. "Now!" He shouted as he sprinted
off towards it. "Let's go."

Reacting a bit slower, Fu ran behind him struggling to match his
speed. Though the ground was flat, she felt as if she were running up
hill or through water. Something pushed her back. Yet at the
same time she felt almost sick as something tugged her forward.

Ferrio, still in front of her, heard her struggling. Glancing
backwards he called "I will destroy the rock. You wait here."
She seemed too delicate, he thought, to handle this force. Even he
could barely stand it. But he had to keep going.

"No way. I could not let you do that!" She protested still struggling
a few yards behind him.

Yet the closer he came to the rock the more the force pushed him down,
and suddenly it overwhelmed him. He lost his balance and stumbled
forward, dropping his sword. It stuck into the ground, the blade embedding
inside the rock.

A strange force surrounded his body, and he felt himself rising into
the air, helpless to stop the pull towards the rock. "What kind of power does it have!" He yelled in disbelief.

"What is wrong?" Fu yelled as she still raced towards him.

"Stay there!" He warned, and she slid to a halt. "This rock is monstrous.
It doesn't just attract monsters, it makes monsters!"

He grunted catching his sword and temporarily halting his inevitable
slide to the rock. Yet even without touching it, he could feel his body
slowly transforming.

Fu watched horrified as his body began to mutate into rocks. "Ferrio!"
She called watching him struggle to hold fast to his sword.

He looked up at her. "You...you have to hit the rock from there.
With your arrows..you have to crack that rock." He fought to
get the breath to save each word as the mutation of his body racked
his mind with pain.

"My arrows?" She said looking at the rock that was still about 100 meters
from her. "It is impossible. I am too far away."

He shook his head as he grunted. "Listen to me. I believe you can do it.
Cefiro is a world of Will. If you believe you can do it, your arrow
will reach."

"But!" She loaded an arrow, but lowered it at the last second hesitating.
Could belief really overcome the impossible? But if she didn't try,
he would die.

With the last of his strength, Ferrio yelled "Trust me! You can
do it! Hurry!"

She shut her eyes. She had to try. No, she had to believe that what
he said was true. She could do it. She
raised the bow and let her arrow fly.

She watched as it lodged itself in the rock, but at first, nothing
happened. Then suddenly, Ferrio's body fell, and returned to normal.

Dropping her bow, she ran over to where he lay unconscious on the ground.
She could see the rise and fall of his chest, so she knew he was alive.
Yet he still hadn't moved.

She leaned over him, calling his name. "Ferrio?" He didn't move. Worried,
she leaned closer to him, repeating his name more urgently, but he still
didn't move. What was wrong? Did he have a concussion, or had he...
No, she told herself. He had to be alright.

Gently, she raised up his head so as to lay his head on her lap rather
than the hard ground. As she did, she suddenly felt his arm come up
around her waist.

He opened an eye and looked at her. "You need more training with that bow...
You couldn't break that rock into pieces!"

Rather than being insulted by his teasing, she replied "If you're going
to insult me, then I know you must be all right." She laughed with
relief and smiled.

Ferrio shifted his weight so he could sit up, "So, I almost have to
die to see your smile, huh?" He said, moving his sore arm a bit. "Well,
it was worth it." She stared at him, not sure of what to say, but
she didn't have a chance to reply.

"Fu-chan!!" Hikaru yelled as she ran over to them.
"Fu are you all right?!" Umi asked a second later.

"Yes." She said. Physically she was fine, but she thought to herself,
she felt a bit confused when she looked at Ferrio. Why
did he say these kinds of things to her? She thought, keeping her
eyes from meeting his. "Yes, are you?"

By the time they came to the exit of the woods, the sun began to
set in red-gold glory behind the sharp mountains in the distance.

"Oh...I thought you were going to come with us to Eterna!" Hikaru
said dejectedly when Ferrio bid them goodbye. Fu felt an intense
disappointment herself, which she didn't quite understand. After all,
they had only just met, and most of that time he'd spent lying to
them or teasing her...she blushed recalling his words about her smile.

"No, I was only searching for the exit, so its natural to
separate our paths now, isn't it?" He said gently to Hikaru.

She nodded slowly, as he stood and walked over to Fu. She blinked
in surprise, wondering what he wanted to say to her in particular.
Perhaps he wanted to acknowledge in words the truce they'd formed in
the rock battle. She wanted to tell him she trusted him now too, and
she opened her mouth to try. Yet she didn't know where to start.
So she just smiled, and he smiled back at her.

Suddenly he grabbed her hand and said without preamble "This is
for you." With his other hand, he pressed something small and round
into her hand and folded her hand over the object. For a fraction of
second, he held her hand like that, and smiled at her, then released
her so she could examine the object.

She stared in wonder, at the small red and gold gem, set in a case.
It had to be, she thought, the gem from the story he'd told. She
looked up at him to confirm her guess, and he explained "If you
make a wish, then this gem will make it true."

Umi interrupted, tapping Ferrio rudely on the shoulder. "Why is Fu
the only one to get a present?" She demanded.

He turned around and stomped towards his sword. "Why? Because
I love her." He said irritably, as he grabbed his sword and
ran away without even looking back.

Fu felt as if she were bathing in flames. Had he just said....
"Fu-chan?" Hikaru asked wide eyed. "Is something wrong you're
all red!"

"GRRRRRR" Umi growled, her eyes narrowed to slits as she swivelled
to look at Fu. "Were you *hiding* something from us, Fu?" She
demanded.

"I ...of course not" Fu shrunk back.

"But why would he say that!?" Umi almost yelled into Fu's face.

Bright red, Fu protested "I have no idea why he said that!"

"I do!" Hikaru said as she gathered Mokona and looked off towards
the field where the rock had been.
"Because Fu-chan's loveable! If you hadn't shot that arrow
we wouldn't have escaped! I'm glad you and Ferrio don't hate each
other now!"

Umi groaned wondering how Hikaru could be 14 and so innocent.
"It's not the same when a *boy* says he loves you!" Umi explained
as Hikaru looked a bit puzzled and asked why not, while Fu tried to change
the subject, helped along by an impatiently "Pu Pu Puing" Mokona.

END CHAPTER ONE

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