Moon Knight2: Return to Cephiro

Chapter One: The new Summons and the Return of the Magic Knights

Hikaru bolted upright from her bed. She'd been having nightmares since the final battle in Cephiro. The nightmares always were filled with images of what had been, and shadows of people that she'd never met. Deciding to give up on sleep, Hikaru went outside to see if she could clear her head of the images. Hikari looked up and wagged his tail when he saw his mistress come out of the house. With a happy yip, Hikari bounded over to Hikaru and licked her face.

"Heya, Hikari." Hikaru said, with a sad smile. Hikari looked into those sad eyes and his tail stopped wagging; he knew something was bothering his beloved mistress, but he didn't know what. He watched as she listlessly walked into the training room and sat down, starting her morning meditation. From a doorway, two of her brother watched, also concerned about her.

"She hasn't been herself here lately." Kakeru, the youngest of Hikaru's brothers murmured.

"She's been like that since the field trip to Tokyo Tower." Masaru, Hikaru's second eldest brother agreed, as they both watched the girl.

"What happened?" Kakeru asked, starting to spaz out.

"What do you think?" Masaru also asked.

"Maybe tourists slammed into her!" Kakeru shouted, angrily.

"Or some guy made a move on her?!" Masaru suggested, also angrily.

"If I find out who it was, I'll give him a beating he won't forget! No one bothers our little Hikaru!" Kakeru said, determinedly.

"Yeah!" Masaru and Kakeru agreed, not even noticing when their elder brother walked past them and straight to Hikaru. Hikaru looked up when she heard someone settle down in front of her and saw her eldest brother sitting there.

"Satoru………" Hikaru murmured, as he gently ruffled her hair.

"You won't say why you're sad." Satoru said, gently. Hikaru looked away.

"I get it. I won't ask you." Satoru said, sensing that Hikaru couldn't take any serious questioning.

"I'm sorry, Satoru." Hikaru whispered. Satoru smiled, understandingly.

"A person must make up his own mind. Stick with your decision." Satoru said, comfortingly.

"Yes!" Hikaru said, then yelped as Masaru grabbed her from behind.

"I'm worried, too." Masaru murmured, as he hugged his little sister.

"Thanks Masaru." Hikaru said.

"Seriously! I'm worried about Hikaru! If it gets tough, cry on my shoulder." Kakeru sobbed.

"Kakeru." Hikaru giggled, then said, "Thank you, guys!" Hikaru said, smiling for the first time in weeks.

Yukito sighed as he stood waiting for his escort to school. It had been weeks since that fateful day at Tokyo Tower, but it felt like years.

"Yuki!" a familiar voice penetrated Yukito's melancholy and made him look up. His best friend and girlfriend were standing there, looking worriedly at him.

"Ohayo, Touya-kun, Sakura-chan!" Yukito said, trying to smile for them.

"Good morning, Yukito-san. You looked so sad just now…..is anything wrong?" Sakura asked.

"No. Nothing's wrong, Sakura-chan. Just thinking, that's all." Yukito replied.

"But why did you look so sad? You looked like you were about to cry." Sakura said, gasping when he hugged her.

"Nothing's wrong, Sakura-chan. I've just been having a hard time here lately." Yukito replied, as he got on his bike and started pedaling off.

"Yuki……." Touya said, before Yukito could get too far.

"Hmm?" Yukito asked, stopping and turning to look at him.

"If something's troubling you, you shouldn't hesitate to talk to us. We've been friends since grade school, and I know when something is bothering you. If you ever feel like talking, you know where we are." Touya said, trying to get his point across to Yukito.

"Arigato, Touya-kun, Sakura-chan." Yukito said, with a small smile.

Umi stared gloomily at the plate in front of her, her thoughts also on the past.

"Umi, what's wrong? You don't like my cooking?" Mrs. Ryuuzaki asked, getting a startled response from her daughter.

"No, Mom. It's fine." Umi said, startled by her mother's sudden concern.

"Really, what's wrong, Umi? You haven't been yourself lately." Mr. Ryuuzaki said, as he flicked his newspaper and looked at his daughter.

"It's nothing. I'm fine. I'm just not hungry." Umi replied, with a smile.

"You should go see a doctor." Mrs. Ryuuzaki said, worried about her daughter's health.

"I'm okay, really. Please don't worry." Umi said.

"Is it a boy?" Mr. Ryuuzaki asked, getting a surprised reaction from Umi.

"NO WAY!" Umi yelped.

"Love is good, Umi. I fell in love, and married a wonderful woman." Mr. Ryuuzaki said, as he looked lovingly at his wife.

"Oh honey!" Mrs. Ryuuzaki cooed.

"They act like newlyweds………" Umi muttered, then sighed.

"I don't worry about romance." Umi murmured, sadly.

"See you later!" Fuu called, as she left the front yard of her home.

"Fuu, wait!" Fuu's sister shouted, as she ran to catch up with her.

"Kuu?" Fuu asked.

"I'll walk with you a little. Dad and Mom are worried about you." Kuu said, gently.

"I'm sorry." Fuu replied, softly.

"It's okay. You try so hard to make sure Mom and Dad don't worry that I know it's something serious. Fuu, do you have someone to talk to? It's hard not having someone who understands. If you are not alone…If you have someone to talk to….Someone to give you good advice, then it's okay." Kuu said.

"You're right." Fuu agreed, with a smile.

"Does Mother know you're meeting friends?" Kuu asked.

"Yes. I'm gonna meet them today at Tokyo Tower." Fuu replied.

"Tokyo Tower? The sweets at Tokyo Tower are great!" Kuu exclaimed.

"I'll buy some for you!" Fuu shouted, as Kuu went on her way to her own school. Then Fuu's expression turned thoughtful.

"Tokyo Tower is such a memorable place for us." Fuu murmured.

Hikaru gazed sadly at the sunset from Tokyo Tower's observation deck. Her thoughts were, as usual, on Cephiro.

"Princess Emeraude……" Hikaru murmured, gloomily.

"Don't look like you're gonna cry! If you do, I will too!" Umi said, as she hugged Hikaru and Hikaru faced her, to find that Fuu and Yukito stood with her.

"Umi-chan……Fuu-chan……..Yukito-chan…….I dream about Cephiro." Hikaru said, with sorrow in her eyes.

"The world we were summoned to…." Umi murmured.

"The volcano, the sea, the floating mountain, and the midday moon. The world supported by Princess Emeraude." Fuu said.

"The Pillar…" Yukito said, softly.

"The Battle." Hikaru said, remembering the terrible event very clearly.

"The Pillar of Cephiro. She held Cephiro's peace using only her will." Yukito said, his voice trembling.

"And…..with these hands……." Hikaru said, as she clenched her fist hard enough to draw blood.

"Stop it, Hikaru!" Umi yelped, when she noticed the blood dripping from her friend's hand. Yukito gently, yet firmly, tied his handkerchief around the hand.

"We can't use the spells we learned in Cephiro here. I can't heal you." Fuu said, gently.

"Sorry. I just thought that becoming Magic Knights would make us heroes. I don't know why Zagato caused that battle. Or why Princess Emeraude did what she did." Hikaru said, helplessly.

"I don't either. In the beginning, I just wanted to get home. Then I learned magic and acquired weapons. We thought we were helping Princess Emeraude and everyone in Cephiro." Umi said, as Yukito silently nodded in agreement.

"The world seemed like an RPG, but it was real. Things weren't just 'good' or 'evil' like in a game. We followed our hearts and that caused tragedy." Fuu said, sadly.

"Now I can't play RPGs. It feels like the enemy in the game is my enemy. I'm the hero in the game, but the enemy sees me as the villain." Yukito said, with a sigh, his eyes dull, not at all the way they were when they first met.

"I want to go to Cephiro." Hikaru said, then added, "Nothing changes there. I want to go to Cephiro again. I want to help the country that Princess Emeraude treasured so much."

"Yes." Umi agreed.

"I also want to return there." Yukito said, his eyes now determined.

"Me too." Fuu said, in complete agreement with her friends. Then a brilliant light lit the sky.

"What's that light?!" Hikaru asked.

"It's the same light that shone when we were first called to Cephiro!" Umi yelped, before the light engulfed them. The next thing they knew was that they were falling through the sky.

"Where are we?!" Umi cried, as they fell though the air, as lightning and thunder made their presences known.

"The sky is black!" Hikaru shouted, as they fell. As he'd done before, Yukito gathered the three girls in his arms and braced himself. And, just as before, they landed on something soft.

"Hey! It's the flying fish!" Yukito shouted, almost immediately.

"Then that means………this is Cephiro!" Fuu said, realizing that the turbulent land they had fallen into was indeed Cephiro.

"What?! Where's the sea? The floating mountain? The midday moon? The volcano?" Umi asked, as she scanned the bleak landscape for the familiar landmarks, but saw none of them.

"Where are you taking us?" Hikaru asked, as a castle appeared before them.

"A castle……….that wasn't there last time." Yukito muttered, as they all looked at the shimmering castle. Once the fish touched down in the castle keep, a familiar bouncing marshmallow was there to greet them.

"Puu puu!" Mokona shouted, as the four teens dismounted from the fish.

"Mokona!" Hikaru greeted, as the creature happily bounced over to her and into her arms.

"Hey Mokona!" Umi said, when Mokona had hopped into her arms.

"Mokona-san!" Fuu said, giggling when it jumped into her arms.

"Hello, Mokona!" Yukito said, smiling when Mokona got into his arms then hopped down.

"It's good to see you again, Mokona!" Hikaru said, happily. Yukito smiled, it pleased him to see his friends smiling again. Then Mokona started bouncing down the hall.

"He wants us to follow him!" Hikaru said, as they started following the creature.

"I don't get it! How were we able to get back here?" Umi asked, as they ran after Mokona.

"Maybe we'll find out in a little while." Yukito said, as they all arrived at a door. Slowly, the door opened, revealing a huge room inside. On the far side of the room a man stood with his back to them. Then, as though sensing their presences, he turned and looked at them.

"Madoushi Clef!" Hikaru murmured, as the somber eyed mage looked at them.

"Children from another world, I led you into that terrible battle. I am sorry." Clef said, guiltily. Umi shook her head.

"No. You knew Princess Emeraude better than we did. It must be very hard for you, too." Umi said, gently. Clef was taken by surprise; he'd never expected such a calm response from Umi.

"We couldn't help Cephiro or Princess Emeraude." Hikaru said, sorrowfully. Clef shook his head and looked at something that was behind the four Magic Knights. They all turned around and stared in shock at who stood there.

"But……….but it can't be!" Fuu muttered in disbelief.

"Presea!" Hikaru cried, then ran toward the Chief Artisan.

"Hikaru!" Presea said, as Hikaru hugged her, tearfully.

"Presea! Presea!" Hikaru sobbed, as her friends watched, with happy tears in their eyes. Yukito's tears really flowed when he saw that Presea was wearing the pendant he'd left at her grave that long ago day.

"Is this true? Can it really be true? Are you really here, Presea?" Hikaru asked, through her tears.

"Yes. Can't you feel me holding you, Hikaru? I'm here, I'm real." Presea replied, as she approached the other teens and wiped away their tears.

"Presea and others who lost their lives in the final battle were brought back to life after Princess Emeraude disappeared. It was her final wish." Clef said, as the four Magic Knights' expressions sobered.

"Princess Emeraude's…………" Fuu trailed off.

"Final wish…………" Umi finished, as Hikaru and Yukito both turned their gazes to the floor.

"Magic Knights, I knew about the Legend, but I didn't know the terrible secret. I'm sorry. The weapons I created for you caused much grief." Presea said, mournfully. Hikaru shook her head.

"You gave your life to make those weapons, Presea-san. Besides, as you'd said, you didn't know that we had to…………..that we…………" Yukito trailed off and looked away from her.

"Yukito………." Presea murmured, as Yukito struggled to regain his composure and looked back at Clef.

"What happened to Cephiro? It looks completely different." Hikaru said, remembering the barren landscape she and her friends had seen before arriving at the castle.

"We have lost the Pillar. She kept this world stable with her will. Cephiro has become a land of confusion. Cephiro crumbled when the Princess passed away. Those of us with strong power created this castle for the people of Cephiro." Clef said, as another mage jogged in.

"Hello, Clow." Clef greeted.

"Hello, Madoushi. It seems that we have some visitors." The other mage said, flashing a friendly smile at the four teens, then noticed the sorrow in their eyes.

"Hmm……..these are not ordinary visitors……..are these the children that came from another world and became the Magic Knights, Madoushi?" Clow asked, motioning to the four with his hand.

"Yes. These four were the Magic Knights." Clef replied.

"Ah, it's no wonder why they look so sorrowful. Madoushi, have you told them about the invading armies?" Clow asked.

"No, I was just getting to that." Clef replied.

"Then I will leave that to you." Clow said, as he took his leave.

"Armies from other lands are coming close." Clef said, as he willed a illusion screen to appear above them.

"Other lands?" Hikaru asked.

"There." Clef said, motioning with his staff to a small point of light.

"What is it?" Yukito asked, suddenly feeling uneasy about the situation.

"What is that?!" Hikaru asked, as the image became clearer.

"Those are the countries beyond Cephiro. Autozam, Chizeta, and Fahren." Clef explained, as each 'country' appeared to the teens.

"There are other countries." Umi said, as she shared an uneasy look with Yukito.

"Once the sky was closed, and there was only thunder and darkness beyond the barrier." Fuu commented, remembering when they had confronted Zagato that time.

"We didn't get a chance to look around." Umi added.

"Princess Emeraude was the Pillar. She protected Cephiro from attack. Anyone who attacked was repelled by an invisible wall. Her willpower was incredible. She kept the peace and protected Cephiro from the outside. After her death, the wall crumbled, allowing access for the other countries to invade." Clef said, grimly.

"Why do they come?" Hikaru asked.

"Why attack a dying land?" Yukito also asked.

"They seek the Pillar of Cephiro itself." Clef replied, dropping yet another proverbial bombshell onto the four teens.

"N-nani?!" Yukito yelped, as similar exclamations of surprise came from the three girls. Clef sighed.

"People outside of Cephiro can become the Pillar. The only requirement is that one must have the strongest heart in the world." Clef explained.

"If one of those attacking becomes the Pillar…….." Fuu said, trailing off when she thought of the implications that would bring to Cephiro.

"Cephiro is created and upheld by the will of the Pillar." Umi murmured.

"The new Pillar must lead Cephiro back to peace and protect Cephiro from invaders." Clef said, his eyes filled with the same sorrow the Magic Knights had in their eyes.

"The Pillar………" Hikaru murmured.

"Hikaru, Umi, Fuu, Yukito, Cephiro has no Pillar, but only the Pillar can summon people using the summoning spell. I do not know who summoned you. Cephiro is about to turn into a battlefield. You fought hard battle as Magic Knights and granted the Princess' wish. Therefore, there is no need for you, children from another world, to become involved in Cephiro's war. I have no idea who summoned you, but someone in Cephiro has a heart strong enough to summon from other worlds. We will find a new Pillar. That's all I can do for this country which Princess Emeraude gave her life for. I will find the person who summoned you. For now, stay her in the castle with the others." Clef said, calmly. Hikaru shook her head and her eyes took on a stubborn glint.

"I will fight with you!" Hikaru said.

"Hikaru!" Clef and Presea yelped, in astonishment.

"I will fight with you for Cephiro." Hikaru said.

"As will I." Yukito said, with the same determination in his voice.

"You have nothing to do with this battle! You don't know who summoned you! You don't even know why you are here now! There is no reason for you to fight!" Clef shouted, desperately.

"There is a reason. It's in my heart. I feel that I should be fighting with you, Clef." Hikaru said, calmly.

"There are so many reasons to fight. Everyone fights for their desires. We all figured that out, painfully, the last time. We learned." Yukito explained, his heart in his words.

"During the battle, Princess Emeraude tried to kill us with the part of her heart that cared about Zagato, the part that was saddened by his death. But, she still tried to save Cephiro with what remained of her heart as Pillar." Hikaru continued.

"Princess Emeraude cared about this country. That's why I think she was so worried. She protected Cephiro with her kind heart. Clef had taught us that Cephiro was a beautiful, peaceful country, but we have not truly seen what Cephiro really looks like." Yukito said, his mahogany eyes reflecting his heart.

"We four……We matured a little bit in the last battle, not only our fighting skills, but also……our hearts." Umi said, softly.

"Before, we only sought to return to Tokyo, but it's different now. Please let us help you save Cephiro." Fuu begged.

"Hikaru……..Umi…….Fuu…….Yukito……." Clef murmured, not believing what he was hearing.

"We still have to find out who brought us here. Presea, lend us some weapons. Weapons, so we can fight to save Cephiro!" Hikaru said, as she and her three friends faced the Chief Artisan. Presea reluctantly nodded and raised her arms in the air, where four swords materialized above her. The swords then floated over to the four Magic Knights.

"These swords………" Umi muttered.

"Are ours……..?" Yukito finished, not believing that he'd been reunited with his own sword.

"Yes, these are the weapons of the Magic Knights. Only you can use them." Presea said, as Clef raised his staff into the air.

"Accept!" Clef shouted, as light flashed from his staff and surrounded the four. When the light had faded, they stood together with new armor………or was it new?

"Madoushi………….?" Yukito asked, noticing that something was amiss.

"Something's wrong, Clef!" Hikaru said, as she looked at the armor.

"This is like the armor we had at the beginning!" Umi stated, pointing that fact out.

"I thought our armor had evolved past this." Fuu commented. Clef smiled, slightly.

"I have given you new armor. These are the guards for warriors who have already become Magic Knights. These guards will react directly to your hearts. They won't evolve like before, but they will change shape when necessary." Clef said, as the befuddled looks left the faces of the Magic Knights.

"They react to our hearts?" Yukito asked, as he looked down at his new armor.

"As before, you can use magic. You will be able to use the spells you learned earlier, and, as your hearts mature, you will be able to cast new spells. But, Hikaru, Umi, Fuu, Yukito, please use those guards, weapons and magic first and foremost to protect yourselves." Clef said, seriously. The four Knights nodded.

"Clef, Presea, thank you." Hikaru said, speaking for all of them. Then, without warning, a brilliant light filled the room and surrounded the Magic Knights.

"Hikaru! Yukito!" Presea shouted.

"Umi! Fuu!" Clef cried, before the four Knights disappeared from sight.

As the four Knights fell through the darkness, voices called there names.

"Magic Knights……." Four voices called. The Knights opened their eyes and gaped in surprise at what stood before them. Their Mashin!

"Rayearth!" Hikaru yelped.

"Selece!" Umi cried.

"Windam!" Fuu exclaimed.

"Yue!" Yukito shouted, stunned to see his Mashin and all the others.

"Magic Knights from another world. You have once again come to save Cephiro in its time of crisis." The four said, as their Knights gazed up at them in awe.

"Will you don us once again and head forth to the field of battle?" Rayearth asked, speaking for all of the Mashin.

"I will fight." Hikaru said, determinedly.

"I'm ready." Yukito stated, facing Yue proudly.

"I understand what it mean this time." Umi said, as she looked up at Selece.

"I have decided for myself." Fuu said, as Windam stood silently before her.

"We want to fight for Cephiro!!!!" the four Knights shouted, raising their swords into the air as they said that.

"We have existed to protect Cephiro for many ages. Magic Knights, we accept your hearts. Don us, and fight for Cephiro!" Yue said, speaking for all of the Mashin as their Knights summoned their final armors and ascended up into them. Within seconds, the four Knights found themselves above Cephiro Castle.

"We're right above the castle!" Hikaru said, as she looked down on the crystalline structure.

"When did we get here?" Umi asked.

"You were just in a different dimension. Where we sleep." Selece explained.

"It is part of Cephiro, but somewhere that is not Cephiro." Windam continued.

"We are in the other dimension. Anytime you need us, call out our names." Yue said, calmly.

"And we will appear before you. Always." Rayearth promised.

"Wow, thank you." Hikaru murmured.

"Hey, Selece, where are we going?" Umi asked, when she saw that they were flying away from the castle.

"Beyond the sky." Selece replied, matter-of-factly.

"But what exactly is beyond the sky?" Yukito asked.

"A battleship." Yue replied, simply.

"Battleship?!" Hikaru yelped, as they all looked ahead of them and saw that there was, indeed, a battleship coming their way.

"Hey, this is amazing! Hey Eagle! Get a look at this!" a man shouts, from his post on the battleship's bridge.

"What is it, Geo?" 'Eagle' asks, as he turns his mahogany eyed gaze to where the first man is sitting.

"There's something strange coming straight toward us." Geo said, as he brought up a picture of the objects that were approaching. Eagle arched an eyebrow when he saw four robotic looking objects appear on the viewscreen.

"WOW! It's a huge robot! Can it transform?!" a youth said, leaping three feet off of the floor when he saw what was on the screen. Eagle chuckled as Geo nudged the younger boy in the ribs.

"I suppose you would be interested in something like this, wouldn't you, Zazu?" Eagle asked. 'Zazu' nodded.

"Those are……….Cephiro's Legendary Mashin." Eagle said, as his expression sobered. All activity ceased in the bridge.

"So that's the Mashin……and inside of them, are the Legendary Magic Knights." Geo murmured, as he gazed at the screen.

"Zazu, please ready my FTO for take-off." Eagle said, calmly.

"What?! You're taking it?! Why?!?!" Zazu asked, aghast.

"I will go and greet the Legendary Magic Knights." Eagle said, with a good-natured smile.

"Whoa! Hold up! Why is the Commander the first person to go fight?!" Geo asked, jealous that the younger man would be the first to fight against the Magic Knights. Eagle smiled again.

"I am responsible for this mission, I must formally greet the opposition, the so-called saviors of Cephiro, the Legendary Magic Knights!" Eagle said, as he walked off of the bridge and into the docking bay. Once there, he got into his trusty white mecha, the FTO, and prepared to launch.

"You're all clear, Commander!" Zazu called.

"FTO, Go." Eagle whispers. Immediately, the machine reacted to the command and launched.

Umi was the first to spot the oncoming threat.

"What?!" Umi yelped.

"Do they have a Mashin, too?!" Fuu asked, as the threat flew past them in a blur of white.

"No,………….it moves more like a machine………" Hikaru stated, as the thing came to a stop before them.

"So these are the great and powerful Legendary Magic Knights! Allow me to introduce myself, I am Eagle Vision, of Autozam!" the pilot shouted, sounding cheerful.