Magic Knight Rayearth R

Chapter 3
Confusion at the Castle

Viper looked at Sentra as she kneeled before him. “Care to tell me why you don’t have that brat?”

Sentra looked up in despair. “I would have gotten him! But the stupid youma failed and those two interrupted!”

Viper frowned at her. “Be quiet. They were very important people. That girl who defeated your youma was a Magic Knight. Protectors of Cephiro.”

“Ah, so the past has Magic Knights too!” said a woman with curly, shoulder-length raspberry hair and pink eyes to Viper’s right.

“Of course idiot! They’re just like the Magic Knights we fought in the future!” snapped a woman with silver locks to the floor and grey eyes to Viper’s left.

“Don’t be mean, Corsica-neesama. I’m just the youngest,” said the woman, twiddling her fingers.

“Just cause you’re the youngest doesn’t mean you have reason to be an idiot, Achieva!” Corsica snapped.

[Author’s note: The Corsica is a car made by General Motors and the Achieva is made by Pontiac]

“SILENCE!” yelled Viper, striking out at the two sisters. “I don’t have time for your arguing! Now, what are you going to do about this problem?”

“Let me try again, Viper-sama. I know I can defeat them this time!” Sentra cried, fists clenched.

“Hahahahaha! Sentra-neesama, you already had your chance,” giggled Achieva. She tugged at Viper’s sleeve and said, “Viper-sama. Let me go. I want to see these past Magic Knights myself!”

Viper smiled and nodded. “You go play with them, Achieva. Let us see if you can accomplish what your sister failed to do.”

Sentra gasped as Achieva giggled again. “I will, Viper-sama! I’ll take down those past Magic Knights for sure!” Then she disappeared in a swirl of black smoke.

“Viper-sama! Why wasn’t I allowed to go?! I am stronger than Achieva!” cried Sentra.

“You say you are stronger, but it is apparent you are not as competent,” sneered Viper. “Now retire, before I report this failure to Dynasty.”

Shamed, Sentra walked slowly away. As she passed them, she heard Corsica hiss, “If you keep this up, Sentra-neesama, you’ll be in big trouble with Dynasty-sama. Wouldn’t that be a shame?”

Sentra glared at her, and clenched her fists. As she walked into the darkness she vowed, “I’ll get you, you little twerp. You arrogant Magic Knight! You and that brat!”

***

Fuu and Ferio arrived at the castle, and were welcomed by surprise. Bombarded with questions about their whereabouts and Ferrar, Ferio finally cried, “Enough! One question at a time!”

“Fuu-chan, where did this little boy come from?” asked Hikaru, looking at Ferrar sleeping in Ferio’s arms.

“Yeah, Fuu! You were gone only an hour or so, and you already produced this?!” declared Umi, pointed at the boy.

Fuu felt a blush stealing down her neck. “N-no! We found this little boy just outside the forest.”

“You mean the kid found us. Jumped right on top of us!” snorted Ferio.

“And just what were you two doing, anyway?” asked Umi slyly.

Now Fuu felt herself burning, and Ferio had a slight blush to his cheeks as well. Thankfully, to spare them the embarrassment, Ferrar woke up.

Sitting up in Ferio’s arms, he rubbed his eyes and looked at the people surrounding him. At first he leaned towards Ferio, then he realized whose arms he was in. Looking up at Ferio in alarm, he squirmed and jumped down, then looked at the group.

“Where am I?” he asked, looking up at Fuu, Umi, and Hikaru. “What happened?”

“You’re at the castle,” said Hikaru. “Hey, what’s your name?”

“What’s yours?” asked Ferrar haughtily, eyes untrusting.

“I’m Shidou Hikaru, but everyone calls me Hikaru,” said Hikaru, leaning down to see him better.

“I’m Umi. Ryuuzaki Umi. Now, where do you come from?” asked Umi, hands on hips.

Ferrar glared at her. “Where my Mama and Papa live.”

“And where’s that?” asked Umi. “Where do you live?”

“. . . . . .” Ferrar said nothing, just glared at her. As he and Umi stared each other down, Clef and Fuu had a hushed conversation.

“Fuu, you say this boy was following Mokona?” asked Clef, glancing at the boy as he was engaged in a staring contest with Umi.

“Hai. Mokona jumped on us, then Ferrar followed,” said Fuu. “Why do you ask, Clef-san?”

“Mokona has not been seen for quite some time. Not long after you went back to your world. We don’t know where Mokona went,” said Clef, looking troubled. “Where is Mokona now?”

“I don’t know. He disappeared during that battle with the weird monster-san,” said Fuu.

“I see. So Mokona could be anywhere now,” said Clef, eyes cast downwards.

“Grrrrrrrr! Forget it!” shouted Umi, breaking her glare with Ferrar. “Where is that fluff ball anyway?”

“PU PU PU!!!!!”

“AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!” screamed Umi as Mokona jumped on her head. “You little fluff ball! I’m gonna find out what’s inside you and eat it for dinner! You little marshmallow head!” she screamed as she chased Mokona around with a knife and fork.

“Don’t hurt Mokona!” cried Ferrar, jumping in front of Mokona, arms outstretched.

Umi stopped in her tracks, and everyone stared at Ferrar. The boy stood defiantly in front of Mokona, glaring. “Mokona’s my friend! Don’t you dare hurt him!”

Umi blinked. Why did this kid care so much about Mokona? “I’m not really gonna eat it,” she said.

“That is true. Umi-san won’t eat Mokona. They actually really do get along well,” said Fuu, putting her hand on Ferrar’s shoulder.

“Get along well? That little marshmallow and me? HA! Step aside so I can show you how well we really get along!” said Umi, brandishing knife and fork.

Ferrar stepped back involuntarily, then hid behind Fuu. “Don’t let her hurt me or Mokona!” he pleaded with Fuu.

Fuu started, but kneeled down until she was eye level with him. “Don’t worry. You won’t get hurt. You can stay here at the castle until we get things straightened out.”

Ferrar beamed. “Arigato gozaimas!”

Ferio, who had been watching, felt his blood boil. This kid was stealing Fuu away from him. He was just an annoying little brat, yet Fuu seemed more interested in him than Ferio. She was certainly taking his side more. “This kid is a sneaky liar. Those ladies obviously are after him, but he won’t tell us why, and he won’t tell us where he’s from. He’s the one we should watch, not take care of,” he thought, clenching his fist.

Before anything more could happen, Caldina seized up the situation. “Well! Everything’s all right now. We oughta rest up and talk about it tomorrow! This aint exactly the best way to deal with a problem. Besides, it’s way past bedtime! I’ll take Ferrar with me and Skylark and put him in a bedroom. C’mon kid,” she said, extending her hand.

Ferrar looked at it disdainfully, then looked up at Fuu again. “Will I see you tomorrow?” he asked.

Fuu smiled. “Of course.”

“All right,” he grinned. Then went off with Caldina and a sullen Skylark.

“Well, it would probably be best that we all retire,” said Clef. “We can discuss the situation again tomorrow. Until then, get some rest, all of you.”

Everyone nodded, then went off towards their bedrooms. As Fuu watched Ferio walk away, she noticed he seemed upset about something. But what?

***

Achieva reappeared in front of the large entrance to the castle. “Not floating like it should be. No protective barrier even. Aren’t they silly!”

She turned her head to look over her shoulder. “You there, Cougar? Ready to do some action?”

A panther-like youma appeared in a ball of fire behind her. “Ready and willing, Achieva-sama!”

[Author’s Note: The Cougar is a car made by Ford]

Achieva smiled. “Good. I’m sure you can do better than that silly youma Sentra used. You can slice and dice this castle until we get that brat.”

The youma smiled insanely, then extended five long and extremely sharp claws from each paw. “You bet.”

Achieva frowned. “Don’t make too much of a fuss at first. We don’t want those past Magic Knights interfering, or any other magic users. Just get in there, get the brat, and get out. If you should meet trouble along the way, well. . . .”

The youma grinned, then sliced a nearby rock to ribbons.

Achieva grinned until it filled her whole face. “Exactly.”

***

Ferrar looked around the room he had been given. It was smaller than his old bedroom, but it was still inviting and comfy. As he sat down on the bed, he looked at Mokona who was bouncing all around the room.

“Not bad, eh Mokona? These guys are suckers for little kids,” he said, dangling his feet.

“Pu pu,” Mokona agreed, as it hopped up next to Ferrar.

Ferrar smiled. “Think Papa would be proud of me?”

“PU!” Mokona cried, doing a funny little twirl.

Ferrar’s smile vanished. The thought of his parents brought back unwanted memories. He looked through the little window, where he could see the floating mountain hanging in the sky.

“Mama. . . . . . .Papa. . .”

A younger Ferrar stood looking down at Cephiro with his mother. “Why is our castle in the sky?” he asked his mother, standing regally behind him.

“For protection. And so we can keep an eye on our subjects all at once,” she replied. “This is a beautiful castle. Your father and I are very fond of it. It holds a lot of memories for us.”

Ferrar looked up at her quizzically. “Celes-san said that this wasn’t always a castle. She said that it used to be some sort of a shrine. Rayearth-san and Guru Clef said the same thing. Is that true?”

“Hai. This used to be the shrine of the wind,” she said, as the breeze blew her hair back. “The shrine is still there. It is the very center of our castle.”

“Then this is the shrine of the mashin! Can I see it sometime?” he asked, pulling at her skirt.

“Iie. Not now. Perhaps when you are older,” she said.

He frowned, disappointed. “Why not? Why can’t I go see the mashin?”

“Those are questions that will have to be answered later,” said his father, coming up behind them.

“Can I find out then why this castle is so important to you and Mama too?” he asked, running up to his father.

His father gave him a saucy grin and said, “Perhaps.”

Ferrar felt tears running down his face, which he arrogantly rubbed off. “No time for tears now. I have to keep thinking of my mission.”

“Pu pu. . . . .” whimpered Mokona, looked up at it’s young master.

Ferrar looked down and smiled determinedly. “Tears won’t solve anything, will they Mokona?

Before Mokona could answer, Ferrar’s door was sliced open. Jumping back in surprise, Ferrar opened his mouth to scream, when it was covered by a heavily clawed hand. The youma looked down into the child’s frightened eyes, and growled.

***

Ferio tossed and turned on his bed, plagued by a nightmare.

Ferio and Fuu stood under a tree, holding hands. Flower petals blew around them, as he slipped a ring on her finger. Fuu looked up at him and smiled, and he smiled back. They leaned in to seal it with a kiss, when the ground fell out from under her.

“Fuu!” he cried, as she fell down into total blackness.

“FERIO!” she screamed, until she was swallowed whole.

Ferio stood up in surprise. The tree and landscape were gone. All that was left was barren rubble and blackness. “What the hell is going on?” he wondered.

“You must not do that to her. . .” a voice echoed.

“Do what?!” he yelled. “I didn’t do anything to her!”

“Don’t love her. Don’t protect her. All it will bring is sadness and despair. I have seen the future. Believe me, it is for the sake of you both. . . . .”

“How can I stay away from her?! She’s the most important thing to me!” he yelled at the void.

“If she truly is the most important thing, then you will forget her. . . . . .” it echoed, almost sadly. “The fate of the future rests on it. . . . .”

Before Ferio could retort, the ground around him sprang up. Before he could run from it, it swallowed him.

“AHHHH!!!” he screamed, sitting up abruptly. Holding his head in his hands, he tried to figure out the muddled dream he had had. That voice was oddly familiar.

“Ferio!” Fuu cried, banging on the door. “Something is wrong! Ferrar’s in danger!”

“Nani?” he asked, opening the door. “What do you mean?”

“Something strange is in the castle, and it was headed towards Ferrar’s room!” she cried, clinging to him. “We have to go after it!”

Ferio sighed, but followed after her.

***

Cougar was having a fine day. Getting into the castle was easy, as there was no magic barrier and very few guards. What guards there were were easily taken care of. A slash here, a slash there, and problem solved. None of them had time to scream even. But their bodies did leave large trails of blood, which meant he had to act fast before they were noticed. Luckily he had found the brat’s room quickly, and had him in a tight hold. Now all he had to do was get out before anyone was missed.

“You are important to the Master,” it hissed into Ferrar’s ear.

“Therefore, I will deliver you to the master. And I will bring Achieva-sama glory over her sisters.”

His mouth still covered, Ferrar could only widen his eyes in fear.

Cougar started to turn around with his catch, when he felt a sword slash his side.

“Gahhhh!!!” he yowled, dropping Ferrar to the floor. Springing up, he saw a small, red-haired girl standing before him, sword ready.

“MADA! You’ll pay for that!” he screamed, lunging at her.

Hikaru jumped to one side, barely evading the youma’s claws. It ripped the side of her shirt, centimeters from her skin. “Who are you?!” she cried, landing in a fighting stance.

“I am Cougar!” he hissed. “I am sent from Achieva-sama, to get that brat. And take care of you!” he screeched. He punched outwards, sending his claws shooting out towards Hikaru’s throat.

Hikaru gasped and held up her sword to block the attack. The two weapons clanged, and sent Hikaru’s sword flying.

Cougar hissed, then sprang at her, claws ready.

Hikaru knew she had precious seconds before it would reach her. “FLAME ARROW!” she yelled.

“GRAAAAHHHHH!!!” Cougar screamed, as it was engulfed in a blast of fire. It turned to dust, and settled to the floor.

Hikaru breathed a sigh of relief. That had been too close. First an attack on that village, now an attack on the castle?

Ferrar lay on the floor, having fainted from fear. Hikaru started to run towards him, when a blast of black light appeared in front of him. The light revealed an image of a woman. A very angry woman.

“How dare you? You killed Cougar! You’ll pay for this, you little red-haired twerp!” she cried, before vanishing.

Hikaru blinked, wondering what that was all about.

“Hikaru!” “Hikaru-san!”

Hikaru turned around to see Umi, Fuu, Lantis, and Ferio running towards her.

“Daijobu? It didn’t hurt you?” asked Umi, running up.

“Iie. But Ferrar-chan fainted. I think he was scared,” said Hikaru pointing.

“We’ll move Ferrar to a different room,” said Lantis. “And we had best alert Guru Clef. It would appear we need a line of defense around the castle.”

Everyone nodded, then separated after Ferrar had been taken to another room.

Ferio hadn’t even looked at Ferrar. He was too caught up in the voice in his dream. “The fate of the future rests on it. . . .”

***

Viper frowned as he watched a barrier circle being placed around the castle. “Now they are aware of our presence and are taking precautions,” he murmured.

Achieva knelt on the floor before him, head bowed. “Sumimasen, Viper-sama! The youma failed! But I can get them next time if I use a different youma!”

Viper sneered at her. “Next time? I think not. Both you and Sentra have failed me. I believe it is your turn next, is it not, Corsica?”

Corsica grinned and nodded. “Hai. Allow me to format a plan that is certain to capture the brat. I am sure I can do it.” With that she disappeared in a twist of black water.

Achieva’s cheeks burned. These Magic Knights were more bothersome than she thought. First they defeated Sentra-neesama, now her. She would be sure to pay it back tenfold.