Uck, my hard drive crashed, and I have to type this chapter all over again . . . It took me long enough the last time, ne? He he he, oh well, I'm going to be doing some mad typing these next couple of days hoping to catch up, but If your reading this now, that means that it's finished and what I just typed happened long ago. ( wow, that's kinda' "Twilight Zone-y" ) My fingers are sore from answering a whole bunch of e-mails earlier, so I'm going to cut my author's notes short this time ( Umi, who is currently offstage let's out an approving cheer ) Oh, shut up Umi.

Umi: Make me.

Peach: I can't . . .

Umi, surprised by this answer tosses Peach Goddess a quizzical look, urging her to go on.

Peach: . . . because I don't own you, Fuu, Ferio, or any other CLAMP or Rayearth character for that matter.

Umi: Really? Muh-ha-ha! I can take over this Hellhole of a fan fiction! I'll have money and towns named after me, not to mention a boyfriend, yes, a boyfriend! Ha ha ha!
( Umi is now shown tied up by a old worn rope and dangling from a cliff.)

Umi: Wha-what happened how did I get here?! Help!!! (Peach goddess repels down the cliff, decked out in climbing gear.)

Peach: I might not own you, but I'm writing this story and I can have what ever I want happen. Now, how about getting this show on the road?

Umi: Fine! This story is rated PG-13, I don't know why, she just felt like making it PG-13 just to be safe probably, Anyhow, she gives a big thanks to Suzanami, who made her two beautiful Fan Art Pictures of the Pond scene from the last chapter."

Now, Enjoy Part 3 of "The Only Battle Worth Fighting For"!

By: Peach Goddess

Rated: PG-13

~*~*~

Twitching his nose lightly the small Manobity turned its head to the side, knitting its eyebrows in puzzlement and worry. An understanding look swept across the Manobity's face, squeaking urgently to his family, warning them of the upcoming danger. The force coming was far worse than any monster or natural disaster that had stuck Cephiro in the past days, the force coming was defiantly not one to be reckoned with. An angry woman.

Fuu pushed stray branches and leaves as she stormed back to camp, sometime along the way she had lost a slipper, but she really didn't care. How could he have done such a thing? She tightened her grip on the towel wrapped around her. Her cheeks were flushed with anger and embarrassment. What would have happened if he had seen her well, wearing her oldest pair of clothes? A better question was why he would have wanted to look anyhow, she didn't have a lot to show off, nor did she really ever like too. It's not like the boys on Earth gave her a second glance, or even a first for that matter. Most of the time when they talked to her was when they passed notes or whispered to her in class, asking for an answer. Fuu often wondered how they got into a genius school if they couldn't even figure out a simple calculus answer, most likely bribed their way in, she though.

Fuu ducked under another branch and leaned up against the trunk of a tree, dropping the pile of clothes from the crook in her arm onto the grass by her feet, pushing aside her jacket and skirt, looking for her socks and shoes. Finding the objects in question, she slid to the ground and pulled a white sock on her left foot, followed by her right. Following the same process with her shoes she began to get dressed in a hurry. Ferio would most likely come looking for her, and by that time she wanted to be long gone. As she finished buttoning her jacket Fuu wrapped her towel around her head to help dry her hair. Fuu sighed as she looked back at the direction she had come from. Mabey she should go back to check on him, it was a long way down and who knows, he might have hurt himself on the way down!

Her face turned red again, but if he was hurt it was his own fault! Ferio knew how shy she was, what was running through that boy's mind when he stole her clothes? No longer quite as worried about him, she began the short walk back to camp again.


~*~*~


Ferio ran a hand through his damp hair, his gloves and shoes sitting on a rock in the sun to dry while he rung out his hair and clothes nearby on the shore. He soon joined his footwear and mitts as he stretched out beside them, resting his hands behind his head on the warm boulder. His familiar, mischievous, grin rapidly spreading across his face. Ferio had done some pretty crazy stuff in his life, mostly just to get reactions out of people, but he didn't quite know why he did this. Fuu was horribly shy, and was most likely angry at him at this very moment for the prank he pulled, and was probably asking herself why he did it. Well, he himself was trying to figure that out. The answers he was coming up with weren't exactly great . . .

' I just wanted to see her nude? Nah, that's not it, I would want her to keep her dignity, no matter how cute her body is.' Ferio's smile grew as images of her plain back ran threw his mind, his visions of her were limited, for he had actually only seen her back…

' Damn shouldn't have closed my eyes, then I would really have something to smile about.' He let out a small chuckle and rolled over so he was now lying on his stomach, giving the sun a view of his back, he really did hate being wet, but he enjoyed the lounging in the sun when he had to dry. Ferio yawned and moved his arms once again to let his cheek rest on them, to keep his face from touching the sun-heated stone. After he dried off some he would find her and apologize, on his knees if necessary, but he suspected it wouldn't be, Fuu was a very compassionate and forgiving person. Ferio Rolled over onto his left side, but winced in pain and flopped back over onto his belly.

'What the . . . ?'

He reached into his pocket and pulled out his pink, Ferio's mouth twisted up distastefully, nobody could even begin to imagine how he despised that color . . . , Orb, Wondering if it still worked. When he received them as a gift from the Princess, she had told him they were from a neighboring country, Autozam, and were very delicate, the were some kind of device that the Princess was very fond of, she enjoyed hiding one around the castle, and ran as far as she could in the opposite direction of it. When her Advisers came looking, they found nothing but the communicator. Emerode smiled to him when she spoke of that story, as if it was long ago, when she was a child, and also as if she knew better now. Ferio knew that if had asked her to hide one, she would have dashed out of the room at breakneck speed to start the hunt. That was when the Palace Guards took him away.

He also recalled that she had told him to never get them wet, for they would most undoubtedly break, something about gears, or other such nonsense. He looked down at the device in his hand and cursed, if it broke he'd probably go crazy, Ferio just loved leaning against a tree at night and talking to her when they couldn't be together, for different reasons at different times. Once he had received a nasty wound from a monster and couldn't keep up with the girls, and wandered into the closest town to see the Apothecary's doctor. He was weak in bed, barely able to move, she had called him, worried, it was nightfall, and she hadn't seen nor heard Hyde or Hi from him. He had told her of his dilemma, and she chimed out, and she wouldn't answer his calls for her. An hour and a half or worrying about her later, she was there, by his bedside, muttering a healing spell and smiling warmly down at him. Ferio stared down at his arm in sick fascination as his wounds healed over, leaving no scab or scar, just fresh, un-touched skin.

Ferio fell asleep almost immediately after that, he had worn himself out from worry when he went without hearing from her, he remembered muttering a quiet 'thank you' and her leaning over him telling him it was no problem and gave him a quick kiss on the forehead.

Ferio's hand lightly over the spot where Fuu had kissed him, it still tingled even after all that time, she had that effect on him somehow. If they actually kissed one day, lips on lips, he would probably die on the spot, surely something that would bring so much bliss and happiness would be a deathly to him. At the current moment though, that would be most unlikely, Fuu most likely wouldn't even talk to him, at least not for a while that is.

'Ah well,' Ferio thought. 'If I can't be with her in person, I'll be with her in mind and memories.'

~*~*~

He had watched them ever since they had entered his territory, the place he guarded with his very life, his domain that he patrolled, making sure no monster left the forest and endangering the lives of the townsfolk further. With the bad harvest that was progressively deteriorating on account of the sporadic weather Cephiro has been having over the past months, fortunately enough the villagers had detected this, and began preserving their harvests and cattle that was undoubtedly coming, the elders were worried about this, nothing like this had happened, well, ever . . . but he had other things to worry about, these girls, obviously not from around here, were in danger here, he would follow them and wait for the right moment to make them head back, for he was what is called an opportunist.

He followed them, hidden in the thick canopy of the trees made this task quite easy. Ferio listened in on their conversations, evaluating them in his mind. The blue haired one, 'Umi' as 'Hikaru', the redhead had called her, was quite vain and snobby with a mean streak that made him feel sorry for the others she traveled with. 'Hikaru' was trusting, very trusting. She would tell you everything about herself if you would ask her. The other girl 'Fuu', was still somewhat of an enigma to him, she rarely spoke or smiled, he focus was on the task at hand, whatever it was, she seemed quite determined to get thought it with the least amount of fighting as possible. Ferio, still trailing after them, went back to waiting for the moment for his grand entrance.


The moment came hours later, much to his surprise, Ferio thought they couldn't last half the time they did, He watched the trio fight, although it was more like only a single person was doing most of the work. Hikaru appeared to be doing most of the fighting, although Fuu would often come to aide with an arrow to the face or heart. While Umi, still a bit reluctant to fight, but slowly gaining confidence as the group continued on, mostly stayed back, but intervened when necessary. And now, not even a quarter way thought the forest, Hikaru was begging to tire. He watched as another monster pulled Fuu and Umi away from helping Hikaru, both in his vine arm grasp, now was his cue.

Leaping down from the high branch of the tree he was only moments ago perched on Ferio bolted behind the monster Hikaru was taking on, slicing it in half with his Scimitar and bounded to the one holding the other two captive. Repeating the feat he just preformed on the previous beast, slicing across the underside, which was a particularly vulnerable spot on this breed of monster. The creature howled in pain and disincarnated into nothingness, leaving only the foul stench that seemed to follow it everywhere warning others to leave him alone. His train of though was interrupted by a scream from above. Quickly tilting his head upward, he found the source of the scream, Fuu, plummeting down from the sky above.

Ferio's reflexes kicked in and his arms shot out, prepared to catch the girl, now free from the monster's grasp and falling quickly. Finally he felt impact, the girl connected to his arms, caught more off guard than he would like to admit, he stumbled back and toppled over, landing with an audible thump and pained release of breath on his part. Fuu clinging to his chest as he slanted backwards and fell, looked up at him, trying to untangle herself form him, their legs were twisted about form Ferio trying to keep his balance on the uneven ground. Fuu was now blushing five shades of crimson and muttering apologizes to him, pushing herself off of him and standing up again, patting dust off of her skirt. She held out a hand to him and he took it, amazed that such a small girl could pull him up as if he weighed nothing at all.


Umi, who wasn't held up as high, fell without injury, but plenty of complaint. Fuu looked over at her traveling companions with a look of relief on her face, she was most likely worried they were hurt, but they seemed to be all in one piece. Hikaru rushed over to him and smiled so wide Ferio brought a hand up to his cheek, thinking of the pain smiling that much would bring.

"Hello! I'm Shido Hikaru, and these are my friends, Ruyuzaki Umi, and Houiji Fuu," She chirped excitedly, pointing to each on of her friends in turn, Umi giving him a friendly smile and Fuu a polite nod. He wondered what she would look like without that plain look of mild interest on her face, quite pretty he imagined, Ferio turned his head back to Hikaru.

"I'm Ferio"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Okay, done with this chapter! 'Bout time too, I forced myself to sit down and write finish it today after I saw that there weren't any more fics on either of the pages I post this story on, What the Wind Carries or The Shrine To Fuu and Ferio (F2F) I was disappointed about that, and most likely other Fuu and Ferio fic are to, so I posted for you, out of the pure kindness of my heart, and a couple of treating e-mails I received to "Post soon, or else . . ." any how . . . When you all write me, not IF, WHEN, please tell me what page you read this on, thank you.

Peach Goddess
confused@crosslink.net