Okay, here it is, chapter 8. I didn't really like chapter 7, much like I didn't like 6, but they were both necessary to move the plot along. And yes, Ferio WILL be in this chapter *cheers ring out* yes, yes, there was much rejoicing. (mostly on my part) As always I would like to thank the people who wrote me, you are all hands down the greatest people to ever exist in the history of man! And also as always, this fic is dedicated to suzanami, the absolutely sweetest person I have ever met online. Make sure to go to her page;

http://www.oocities.org/suzanami/main.html

Umi: You . . . you . . . YOU!

Peach: Me . . .me . . . ME! What?

Umi: I was stuck at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean in a sound proof bubble for the past four chapters! And you have the gale to ask me what's wrong? Why didn't you come to get me?!?!?!?

Peach: Well, how was I supposed to get you when I didn't know where you were?

Umi: What are you talking about?! You put me in that damn bubble!!!

Peach: *sweatdrop* Hehehehe . . . "The Only Battle Worth Fighting" is rated PG-13, and is written by me, Peach Goddess, I don't own Rayearth, or Fuu and Ferio, but the plot line and fic are both mine, If you want to post them on you page just e-mail me!

confused@crosslink.net

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He was cranky. He was worried. He was just tired. Master Mage Clef of Cephiro needed to rest, not that he would admit it of coarse. He was heading to bed, mostly under Presea's insistence; he had so much to do but so little time for it all. He still had to tend to the injured but he also had bags under his eyes after staying up all night long to watch for any monsters that may have found a way into the castle. For the first time in years Clef was feeling his age. Clef sighed and closed his eyes and walked down the empty hallway, the only empty hallway in the entire castle.

Even in a world of will it was still quite a task to fit an entire country into one tiny castle. He had requested his rooms to be far from everything, LaFarga thought this to be a bad idea in case someone were to attack him but Clef had insisted, and in the end gotten his way. Clef paused mid step, he thought he had heard something, but he was tired and old, a good compilation for hallucinating. He resumed his walk only to stop again moments later. He turned his ear so it was facing down the hallway, listening closely for whatever sounds her might hear.

"Crying . . .?" The Mage mumbled worriedly. Clef picked up the hem of his robes and dashed down the hallway as fast as his legs could take him, he yelled ahead to the noise.

"Are you alright? You aren't hurt are you?" The crying seemed to stop. Clef did as well and began to walk again cautiously, he called out again.

"Hello? Is there anyone there?," The Mage heard low whispering, 'Girls' He decided after hearing the high sopranos of the whispering voices. Clef slowed to a stop as three figures came into view, he squinted against the dark to see who would be down here so late. Lighting stuck outside, illuminating the figures and producing dark silhouettes. He was shocked at what, no, who he saw. The trio seemed as shocked as well.

"Clef?"

"Hikaru?"

"CLEF!," without warning the red-head sprung fourth from the group and latched her arms around Clef's neck, giving him a quick squeeze before backing off.

"So . . . if your here . . . that must mean we are back in Cephiro, right?"

"Yes, you are in Cephiro, Hikaru," Clef looked past Hikaru and smiled towards the other Knights "Umi, and Fuu. Might I ask you a question girls?" The three nodded their approval.

"How exactly did you get here? I didn't sense your presence outside the castle, and I only felt a strange power only a few minutes ago."

"Well, you see" Hikaru gushed " I had just woken up from sleep to get ready for school, but I was still tired from the day before 'cause I had stayed up and helped teach classes at my Dojo, and I stayed up even later because my Mom was home late, then I forgot to walk Hikari, then I . . ."

"Hikaru-san? I believe Clef just wants to know how we got to Cephiro, not about you walking your dog," Fuu said softly, not wanting to offend Hikaru who let out a small 'Oh, sorry.'

"Clef-san, truth be told I'm not sure how we ended up back here, all of us were in our rooms back in our world, and we stepped out of them and we were in this hallway," Fuu explained.

"Yeah, It was really odd! What's weirder is that our rooms are still here, too! I wonder what Mama will think when she goes to wake me up and my room is gone," said Umi.

Clef looked at the three doors in the hallway that hadn't been there when he walked down this way earlier in the day.

"I'm sure we will find out later how you got here, but for now you girls should go back to bed, I'll have food sent to your rooms, it looks like you need it." Clef was referring to the state of dishevelment the Girls had fallen into, it looked like they hadn't eaten in days, much less slept well. Their eyes which had once sparkled with youthful enthusiasm were now dull and sullen, giving off the impression of sever depression.

"Alright Clef, thank you," Umi bowed slightly to him and turned back to her door, which had been monogrammed with Selece's emblem in front of a true blue back round in the short time The Knights were conversing with the mage.

"Yes, thanks Clef"

"Do take care Clef-san, and thank you" Hikaru and Fuu turned to their doors, which had undergone similar changes much like Umi's and walked slowly in, waving slightly to each other before closing the doors entirely.

Clef sighed. Sleep seemed further away now, and he had just gotten used to the idea of it. Damn. He chuckled lightly and smiled a true smile, a sight very rare in Cephiro now and days.

'Now,' Clef though 'Cephiro has a fighting chance.'

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Fuu feel onto her bed with a sigh, she wasn't tired at all; she was quite excited to be truthful. She let her eyes roam around her room taking in all of the posters and knick-knacks that had one way or another fallen into her possession. Normally when she couldn't sleep Fuu would read a book, but at the moment she really didn't want to sit still, which was quite unusual, sitting down and reading was her favorite part of the day. Scooting to the end of her bed she kicked her shoes off and pushed them under next to her slippers and reached down to pull out her sandals.

'No use wrinkling my uniform when there is no school,' Fuu decided as she walked to her closet and pulled out a change of clothes, comfort clothes as she called them. A pair of old, worn, light blue jeans that had belonged to her sister and a t-shirt she found at a thrift shop advertising her favorite play, The Mikado. Fuu pulled on the clothes and looked at herself in her full-length mirror, running her index finger down the silhouetted geisha on the front. She had always found it odd she liked a play that mocked her own culture, she had yet to meet a person named 'Nanki-poo', Phoo-Bah, or even Yum-Yum for that matter, in Japan. Fuu walked to her bed and slipped her sandals on and put her glasses on her bedside table, she had found that they were pretty much useless in Cephiro; she could will herself to see perfectly. Fuu trudged to her door and closed it silently behind her.


Fuu looked left and then right, which way should she go? Well, Clef had come from the left, so that's the way she would go, if Clef was there than something had to be, right? Fuu walked down the hallway, peeking in the open doorways she passed by, turning every once and a while to add some variety to her walk. She kinda' wondered just how big this castle was, she had passed by more doors than she could count and was doubting her ability to find her way back on her own. Pausing she peeked into a room, which was obviously a garden, and took a baby step in. Maybe someone would stop by later and she could ask them where her room was

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Ferio rubbed at his temples harshly, trying, but failing, to massage his headache away. A little while back he had decided to just get away from everybody, which was a harder task than it sounded. Ever since he had 'tried to slit his wrists' in the kitchen they wouldn't let him go any where without a healer or a guard.

'I wasn't trying to kill my self, I was just making some tea.'

Not that he would tell them that, not that he would tell them anything. Two months and two weeks had passes and Ferio hadn't uttered a word, not even a sniffle or a cough, he had heard of many bets around the castle about how long it would take him to talk. Ferio sighed and looked down at the waterfall in the garden, he had managed to scale the rock wall and sit beside the rushing rapids flowing down to the pool below. Ferio let out groan of frustration and folded his legs up under him angrily; someone had come into the garden. Who in their right mind would be up this late? Squinting he looked down at the figure, still seeing nothing he leaned farther off of the ledge, hoping to get a better look. He scooted his knees closer to the edge and leaned even further out. The figure looked up and his eyes widened,

'No . . . it couldn't be . . .' Ferio leaned out even farther, unfortunately running out of cliff as he did so. Ferio plummeted down to the water below and came up to the top of the water sputtering and looking around for the girl. She was looking worriedly at the water waiting for him to come up, curly golden hair playing with her chin and green eyes wide with worry. Ferio's eyes widened and a huge grin spread on his face.

The girl wiped a tear from her eye as she laughed at him.

"How come every time I see you you're submerged in bodies of water after falling from high heights?"

Ferio reached up to the girl and pulled her down into the water with him, cradling her like a china doll. He ran a soggy hand through her mostly dry hair and pulled her to his chest, letting her sob into his shirt. Ferio rested his head of hers and watched as his tears ran down from the crown of her head and drip off of the tips of her hair.

"Fuu . . .," he croaked, voice breaking as he spoke.

"I missed you so much Fuu . . . it was like I was missing my heart," His voice was becoming more solid as he spoke.

"I missed you to Ferio . . .," Fuu said in between sobs. Her sobbing started to calm as she peered up at him with her enchanting emerald eyes.

"Ferio . . . I-I'm sorry I left before, I mean, I didn't want to but I had to go! I tried my hardest to stay here, but I couldn't! It's all my fault I was sent back, my will wasn't strong enough to keep me here, in Cephiro. I would understand if you are upset with me. And I would also understand if y-you didn't love me anymore. I know I hurt you . . . I'm so sorry, Ferio, my Ferio."

Ferio looked down at Fuu frowning.

'Oh no,' Fuu thought. 'He really doesn't love me anymore,' Fuu could feel her lip quivering. She looked down at her feet and started to pull away. Ferio tightened his grip. Fuu's eyes shot up to his confused. Ferio's frown had been replaced by a smile and his eyes had grown soft.

"Fuu, I can't blame you for that. It wasn't your fault after all, it was your place to go home, it's part of the legend that you were to return after your mission. I knew it to, but I just didn't want to have to let you go."'

Fuu smiled and snaked her arms around Ferio's neck, her mouth playing dangerously close to his.

"Then don't let me go ever again, Ferio."

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I'm sorry I seemed to have this obsession with 'The Mikado', not only is it my favorite Gilbert and Sullivan play, but I finally get to see it live this month! I told ya' that Ferio would be in this chapter, didn't I? Not as much as I would like, but the next chapter(the last one by the way) will most likely be all Fuu/Ferio.

confused@crosslink.net