tampered | Log | Open

Log | Open | Completed

When; June 8th; Midday
Rating; PG or PG 13
Characters; Hikaru Shidou, Eagle Vision, and OPEN
Summary; Eagle and Hikaru are sucked into the city during a climactic battle for Cephiro castle.
Log;

[Ooc: The first bit is in Cephiro. When we switch over to the City, anyone may jump in :D]

Leaving the other Magic Knights behind her, the lone Magic Knight raced to catch up with the representative from Autozam. Eagle. Even after he’d revealed that he knew all about the pillar system he had still come to take it. Why?. She’d have to ask him before anything else. If there was a way to avoid bloodshed she’d take it, but more importantly, she never wanted to fight without knowing the reasons behind it anymore. Like the first time they had come to Cephiro.. when they ended up having to destroy the person they believed they’d been summoned to rescue.

Eagle’s FTO soon came into view, still outside of the strong barrier Master Mage Clef had erected but how much longer could it sustain that kind of punishment? The massive castle loomed in front of them. It’s crystallized spires reaching far into the sky. With Cephiro in decline, this castle had been created from the combined effort of everyone’s wills, as a safe haven for all the Cephiro inhabitants. It was also where Emeraude’s crown was residing, anyone deemed worthy possessing a strong will could potentially become the next pillar of Cephiro. A person who must only pray for Cephiro and must never think of anything else, not even her own happiness.

There was no time for that now, she had to stop Eagle.

“STOP IT” The girl exclaimed as soon as she was within striking range. Rayearth, her mecha-like rune god of which she was currently within, glided to a stop near Eagle’s mecha. “You said you knew all about the pillar system… and you’re still willing to go through with this?!?!”. Her tone was accusatory, but in a sense pleading. She didn’t want to fight him. It was odd, they hadn’t known each other for long, but somehow she knew Eagle was a good person. That wouldn’t stop her from protecting Cephiro, the land she’d grown to love. She was going to protect it no matter what!

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The gattling gun ceased its barrage giving the weakened shield a momentary reprieve as Eagle turned his FTO to face this new threat. He smirked briefly… it seemed that one of the Magic Knights had managed to break through Geo’s defenses. No matter… Eagle had known that he would have to face Hikaru in battle again, he had just hoped it might have been after he had entered the castle. His smile faded as the red rune god filled his view screen. He would not allow him self to be stopped here… not when he was this close!

“Yes, I know all about the pillar system and the Legend of the Magic Knights. I don’t consider becoming Cephiro’s pillar much of a sacrifice at all…” He paused letting that statement settle in before continuing, “Autozam needs Cephiro’s pillar system or the planet will die.”

Eagle closed his eyes for a moment even as the thrusters of his FTO flared to life, gathering power. Then he addressed his opponent again, in a tone that left no room for doubt or negotiation.

“You have a powerful will to protect Cephiro and I have a powerful will to protect Autozam. So, there is nothing left for us but to fight for what we believe in. ”

With that the FTO surged forward quickly closing the gap between the two adversaries even as the mecha’s laser sword lashed downward.

The FTO raced towards her at such a speed that didn’t allow much time for preparing herself or addressing his earlier statements. There was no need to anyway, Eagle had made his intentions known, and there was no way she could allow him to continue on this path. Rayearth ducked to one side as Hikaru swung her sword up to meet the opponents blade, the two clashing with alarming force, sending a shower of sparks flickering to either side.

Hikaru knew she couldn’t have outrun him. If she’d learned anything from their encounters it was that this machine of Eagle’s was fast! Possibly as fast as Umi’s Rune God, and that was saying something! “Eagle…” She said more to herself than anyone else. She then placed more force behind her blade giving another shove to free herself.

Blazing yards away, she raised her arm into the air, and drew a breath, “FLAME ARROW…..” Rings of fire, circled around the girl. Despite being inside her rune god, she felt as if she were out in the open air. Thrusting her arm downward she yelled. “HYAA!” Flinging a large blast of fire towards her opponent. She wouldn’t hold back either!

Eagle could have raised the barrier shield that FTO was equipped with… but he had anticipated this move and was already racing out of the flame's path even as the assault flew towards him. It passed within inches of the mecha’s shoulder… impressing Eagle with Hikaru’s sudden improvement in speed. The magical attack continued unhindered until it smashed soundly into the protective shield defending the castle. The castle’s barrier popped and crackled as it tried to maintain its stability, but the damage had been done. The already weakened defense was now even more unsound.

This really couldn’t have worked out better! Eagle smiled and bid his farewell to the young Magic Knight, “Thank you, Hikaru. That will make it much easier to punch through that barrier.”

With that the FTO turned on a dime and with lightening quick speed flew directly into what remained of the defensive wall. The barrier gave a little fight, pushing back against the invading force before it finally yielded… allowing the machine to pass. The view screen filled with fog and light as contact with the barrier was made… but gradually the image cleared and before Eagle stood the castle of Cephiro…

“What?!” Eagle gasped and quickly checked the readings of his instruments.

The view screen clearly showed a town… not the castle he had been expecting… The data itself wasn’t coming in as it should have been. It was as if some thing was blocking his scanners… preventing the collection of information…

The young Commander clenched his teeth for a moment. This was not going according to plan after all… But, he had little time to consider what might have happened. If he knew Hikaru as well as he thought he did then it would only be a matter of seconds before the girl appeared behind him.
Eagle spun the FTO and brought his laser sword up to counter the inevitable attack as he braced him self for Hikaru’s next attack.

[ooc: Oh yeah! I almost forgot! Feel free to join in the post now if you want. They are now in the city!]

Keeping her eyes locked on the FTO Hikaru didn’t catch her tremendous error until after it was already too late to do anything about it. “Oh my gosh!” She exclaimed, one hand darted to cover her mouth. How could she have been the one responsible for delivering such a strong blow to Clef’s carefully constructed barrier. The shield had endured a great amount of pressure but it looked as if this section was nearly done for. On the other side, lay not only Cephiro castle, but also everyone she met in Cephiro, everyone she was fighting for.

While she was busy drinking it all in, Eagle changed direction, and took advantage not only of her misplaced fire spell but also her own shocked reaction. The FTO streaked off in a blaze of light, growing more distant. Shaking her head to clear her thoughts she shouted after him, “ This isn’t finished yet!”.

Rayearth lurched forward hurdling through the open space, trying to play catch up. When she reached the barrier it allowed her to pass merely rippling like a stone cast into water. Something was different about this time. Something just felt off. Her vision became obscured by some kind of mist or fog, when it cleared she was relieved to find Eagle still inside the FTO. If he was still airborne, then he wasn’t nearing the pillar chamber.

“EAGLE” She shouted raising her sword high above her head in a move reminiscent of Kendo-style before slamming it downwards once more. She was so focused on him, and stopping his invasion, she missed the unusual scenery entirely.

Eagle raised his own weapon countering Hikaru’s blow. More sparks flew from the clashing blades as they both struggled to over power the other.

This was no good… He was supposed to have penetrated the castle itself, but instead he was hovering over some unusual city. Was this a magical trick or did the city really exist down there?

Eagle spared a glance at the FTO’s sensors one more time… nothing. The screens were not showing any data at all. The only thing he was receiving was an usual form of static… almost like the metronomic ticking of a clock…

Well… he couldn’t wait for the sensors to come back online… he had more immediate problems. Eagle focused his full attention once more on the battle at hand.

The left arm of the FTO came in low under the locked swords of Eagle and Hikaru’s machines. Its tiny fingers opened fully revealing the palm… and the previously concealed gattling guns. Without hesitation Eagle brought the weapons to bear on the exposed stomach of Hikaru’s rune god, just as he had earlier done to that blue rune god… and fired.

Hikaru's eyes widened when she realized the danger she was in. These machines from Autozam had weapons everywhere! As the barrage struck the belly of Rayearth, Hikaru doubled over instinctively letting out an unrestrained yelp with each strike. The armor did wonders for protecting its occupants, however it did not remove one completely from harm.

Her sword slid casually down Eagle's until the force of the firearms repelled her and Rayearth backwards, careening towards the unprotected city below.

GIRL FROM ANOTHER WORLD. A masculine voice boomed. Hikaru recognized it instantly.

"Rayearth!".

THOU HAS PASSED INTO ANOTHER DIMENSION, LOOK AROUND YOU. WE ARE NO LONGER IN CEPHIRO. Rayearth usually tended to remain silent unless he had something pertinent to relay. Pulling her rune god out of the fall, she did as he asked. He'd never led her astray before.

"Where is this place?!" Hikaru exclaimed, noting the different architecture and the missing landscape. Where was the castle?! The crumbling Earth? The dark skies?! Her mind raced through the possibilities. This couldn't have been one of Nova's alternate dimensions... could it? She didn't really think it was. Gritting her teeth she looked back towards Eagle.

If they kept fighting here, someone below might get hurt or worse. Rayearth had already dropped dangerously close to something that looked like.. a carousal? Swiftly she moved the rune god higher into the sky once more. For all those people, she'd have to get Eagle to follow her, to a less populated area.

The feeling had been impossible to mistake. It was unlike anything else Umi had ever experienced anywhere else: that bond -- the one Clef usually spoke of -- that existed only between those who had become Magic Knights fated to fight together.

The Knight of Water had felt it a couple of times, even in a place like The City, when Fuu and Hikaru, when she was there, had needed her or been in danger. She felt it now. And this sensation had driven her to forsake everything she'd been up to and rush with Fuu to where the feeling converged.

Hikaru... Hikaru was back in The City! The fiery aura was unmistakable enough. As Umi ran toward the outskirts of the urban area she even got visual confirmation of the facts: a sight that almost made her stop dead in her tracks and crash with Fuu, who followed close behind her.

"What the hell... Fuu, look at that!" The Knight of Water cried out as she pointed at the sky where the crimson Rune God faced a barely remembered opponent. "...Rayearth...! And-!"

Umi's eyes went wide in shock.

"Is that what I think it is??"

As with Umi, Fuu abandoned what she was about to do as well. It was her current shift at the Turnabout and after she had just donned her uniform did she feel the familiar presence. Actually, the wind brought it to her, that unmistakable burning aura that could only be one person. And one person alone.

Hikaru.

So, here she was now, running, shoving away everything she was about to do for the day. There were some things far more important than jobs, after all. Bonds, promises, they all came rushing back to her in a whirlwind of emotions. Although, earlier on, she could pick up a mighty disturbance in the gales wafting. It kept telling her that she was about to see something far beyond the presence of her best friend.

One of the Rune Gods was here. She couldn't be mistaken.

And when she almost bumped headlong at Umi, her eyes gradually adjusted to the sight that paled in comparison to anything she had ever seen in this City. A gentle breeze caressed her face, tousling her hair, assuring her of what she had already felt.

"Yes, Umi-san. That's... Rayearth," She paused, watching the amazing display before her. "And he and Hikaru-san didn't come alone,"

Hikaru plummeted towards the ground below leaving Eagle the briefest of moments to try and get his scanners up and working. Under normal circumstances he might have caved in to standard military procedure and attempted to return to the NSX… but these were far from normal circumstances…

He adjusted the settings trying to override the static that was confusing his sensors… and for a flash it cleared. Hikaru was recovering from the blows she had received far beneath his current location… the NSX and GTO were no where to be found… and even more curious… there was a barrier of some kind, maybe the one he had passed through, that seemed to be blocking an escape. Was there no way back out of this city? The sensors beeped then, alerting their pilot to some thing it had recognized from earlier scans… Eagle took a glance at the screen and zoomed in for a closer look.

The two other Magic Knights were on the ground, observing them from below. That was odd wasn’t it? Shouldn’t they still have been in their rune gods trying to protect the castle? How had they been so fast as to get ahead of him when he had left them fighting with his second in command…? That didn’t make any sense at all…

The static returned… popping and hissing in rhythmic time… These scanners were not going to be of much use it seemed…

But, Eagle had no more time to spare on the finicky machinery… Hikaru’s rune god once again hovered in the sky nearly even with his own position.

"Eagle!" Hikaru shouted as if she didn't already have his attention. Keeping Rayearth braced for action, she just hovered there, debating the best course of action. Even if Eagle was the enemy, she felt he needed to know that they were no longer where they should have been. She only hoped that she'd have the time to explain it, "This isn't right!".

"Wherever we are," She explained, "This isn't Cephiro!". The question being, would he believe her? If not, she planned on shooting off toward a stretch of desolate beach. Either he would follow or she would have to use force to persuade the move.

Not in Cephiro… That statement seemed too outlandish to be believed.

He paused from his conversation with Hikaru, keeping a close eye on her all the while, and tuned his FTO’s communication device to a secure channel.

“Geo, do you read me?” There was no answer, “Geo?” But, only static filled the speakers. It seemed the communication system was down too… No, not down… he could still hear Hikaru. Some thing was just limiting its useful range…

He sighed and turned back to address the pilot of the red rune god. Time to fish for a little information, it seemed…

“You say that we are no longer in Cephiro but how can that be true? It seems much more likely that this is some kind of magical illusion…” He didn’t give the girl much of a chance to answer, “Your two friends are down in that city Hikaru…”

He gestured toward the last known location of the two Legendary Magic Knights that his sensors had detected before they went offline again.

“Why don’t they enter their rune gods and help you fight?” He smiled as he raised his laser sword once again… “I would be interested to know the answer to that question.”

With out further warning the FTO streaked towards the red rune god, its laser weapon lashing out at the creature’s head.

For several anxious moments she waited for a response. The FTO wasn't moving at least, that had to mean that Eagle was at least thinking it over, didn't it? Hikaru pursed her lips, and kept her focus forward. Finally, when he did respond, she didn't like what she heard.

"But this isn'--" but he'd already cut her off midway through the statement. Umi and Fuu? They were here too? Her eyes followed the path Eagle had pointed out, but from this distance she couldn't make anything out. There was no reason to doubt his words, but if Umi and Fuu were here wouldn't they be helping her?

Unless! Had Geo managed to fend both of them off?! What if they were injured! Maybe that's why they weren't beside her now. With that thought in mind her eyes widened, as she tried to scan the terrain below once more. Never for a moment did she doubt what he'd said. They were enemies but...

SLAM

Hikaru had looked up just in time to see the laser sword slashing towards her. This time, she was ready. Rayearth firmly grasped the FTO's arm and pushed it upwards, halting both the laser weapon's attack and allowing her to point the missles in another direction. With Rayearth's free arm, she took hold of the FTO's other arm and likewise forced the missle bays to point off into a safe direction.

This is one mecha dance where Hikaru intended to lead. Rayearth thrust backwards still clinging on to the FTO, dragging it towards the vacant lot, and away from the city and the other knights. "I'm telling you the truth, Eagle! This is not Cephiro!!".

Eagle smirked for a minute… just what was Hikaru doing? Trying to lead him away from the two on the ground? Maybe. If they had been injured in Geo’s attack… but if that had been the case then the GTO shouldn’t have just vanished into thin air… No, there was more to this…

He allowed Hikaru to believe she had the upper hand just long enough to move away from the two young ladies on the ground. If they weren’t going to fight then there was really no reason that they should be injured in the battle. But… he didn’t want to get too far away…

It may have been a cruel plan but he had to know why those other young girls stood by and did nothing… Where were their rune gods? Why didn’t they call them out?

The red rune god still held the arms of the FTO effectively neutralizing many of its attacking power… but not all of it. Mindless of caution or the imminent danger he would be placing his own machine under, Eagle threw the FTO’s thrusters into full gear… spinning his mecha and the poor Magic Knight as if they were a top. The immense g-forces pressed the Commander back into his seat. His breath was for a moment stolen away by the pushing power of the agencies of gravity and he had to fight to maintain even a small amount of control over his mecha. But, he had been prepared for this… he could only imagine how Hikaru might have fared, caught unaware of his plans.

Hikaru…

Eagle closed his eyes and brought the engines into a sudden reverse, jolting the pair out of their dizzying pirouette and catapulting them both towards the glossy black pavement below. There had been a time when Eagle never would have considered a maneuver this dangerous… he thought ruefully as his engines stalled out, overtaxed by the exertion their pilot had just inflicted on them. That time seemed so long ago some how…

The pair of mecha fell from the sky, gaining speed as they hurried to meet the ground.
The Commander tried to fire his engines again, to save him self from impact but they spluttered instead of firing. Maybe I have over done it this time… he smiled sadly as he once again tried to restart his thrusters. With a lurch the overworked engines roared to life allowing the FTO to skim the surface of the ground but avoid hitting it. Eagle guided the overworked FTO back into the air and looked for the red rune god even as red warring lights flashed all around him. That had been a narrow escape.

But, what had happened to Hikaru? And would the other Magic Knights do anything to help her? He watched carefully… maybe he would have his answers now.

Dragging the FTO was proving to be easier that she'd expected. At first. It was enough to make Hikaru suspicious, but as long as she could protect the others it was a risk she was willing to take.

The familiar sound of thrusters firing, caused her to increase Rayearth's hold on the other mecha. If Eagle was going to try and break free now.. her eyes scanned the ground, spying that they were still over some manmade structures. It was too early to let go yet. The two mechas shuttered violently, each struggling to take off in opposite directions.

Silently, Hikaru was telling Rayearth to hang in there, but she couldn't hold her position for long. This wasn't the simple tug-of-war she was expecting, as the mecha began to spin uncontrollably. Eagle was essentially using Rayearth's own weight against him! She tried to call out, but no words would project, as the intense centripetal force plastered her to the back of the chamber.

Even under all that pressure, she refused to let go of the FTO, just hunching over and grasping at anything she could to try and right herself. She clamped her mouth closed, and her eyes shut, in hopes that this nauseating ride would soon be over.

Unable to take the strain anymore, she felt her grip slipping, and the two fell from the sky, the pavement rushing up to meet her. There was no time to stop Rayearth, as he slammed into the earth below. The momentum of the encounter propelled the mecha several yards backward, scrapping the back of the rune god as it went.

The Rune god lay motionless for several anxious minutes as did the girl inside.

Deafening alarms resonated through out the cramped cockpit as the engines screamed their protest. It had been a foolhardy maneuver made even more difficult by the struggle Hikaru had put up. It had been much more difficult to shift ‘Rayearth’ than he had ever imagined it could have been… doubtless due to the power of Hikaru’s strong will.
The FTO’s thrusters were now unevenly balanced and there appeared to be an issue with the coolant system since the warning lights for the mechanism were flashing, frantically trying to gain his attention.

Eagle smiled as considered how mad Geo would be if he had seen such a risky move. His radio should have been filled with the yelling voice of his Second in Command… proving beyond a doubt that Geo really was no where around.

And that wasn’t all… The two other Magic Knights, though clearly alarmed by the situation, still did nothing to help their comrade. He did not know much about those girls individual personalities but he knew enough that if Hikaru were in danger and there had been any way to assist her… they would have acted. So, they did not have the ability to call their rune gods…

Hikaru… When he had met the young lady onboard the NSX she had seemed so innocent and honest. What was it she had said…?

“Wherever we are… This isn't Cephiro!"

Eagle sighed, “So… she was telling the truth after all. This truly isn’t Cephiro.”

It was more a comment to him self than to anyone else, but it helped him come to a decision… well, that and the fact that his FTO’s engines were beginning to fail. Eagle shut off his laser sword and guided his battle worn mecha to the ground, landing rather more heavily than he intended… a few feet away from the red rune god. The hulking mecha kneeled as Eagle shut off the weary engines… preventing any damage that the overheated engine might sustain from long term exposure to such high temperatures. With a hiss of steam the cockpit door flew open and the Commander leapt out landing easily on the ground. He kept his distance from the red rune god as he carefully watched the living machine…

Hikaru… are you alright in there?

The sense of anguish and impotence gradually building inside Umi reached its peak the moment Rayearth crash-landed some distance from where she and Fuu remained, unable to do much but stare at how their best friend battled her opponent. On her own! Despite they'd promised...! Anger all but exploded inside her that very second. This situation... it couldn't have turned out to be worse... to render both of them incapable of doing ANYTHING...

"---HIKARU!!"

With that cry the Water Knight rushed toward the downed red Mashin, knowing Fuu would follow her. They had to make sure their friend was unharmed! If Celes and Windam had been able to enter The City...

What was wrong with that place?? It'd brought Hikaru and Eagle in right from during the Test of the Pillar, Umi was sure of it! There couldn't have possibly been a worst moment to pick! And what had happened there exactly? Had Hikaru been distracted by their presence, by the need to keep the battle away from Fuu and her so they weren't harmed? Umi bit her lip as she approached Rayearth's huge armored body. Otherwise she KNEW Hikaru had the ability to win against Eagle. Without a doubt! Hikaru had become the true Pillar of Cephiro, after all. So, more than helping her, they had managed to...

Shaking her head in anger, she focused on making sure the Knight of Fire was okay. "Hikaru-! Hikaru, it's us! Can you hear us in there!?"

Her glance turned to Autozam's Commander after noticing he was out of the cockpit. "Eagle... WHY did you have to keep fighting her? You're not undergoing the Test! Didn't you hear Hikaru? This isn't anywhere within Cephiro's system!"

The test…?

The young lady was understandably upset so Eagle allowed her angry words to wash over him, listening politely while she yelled at him. He understood her feelings… watching as horrible events took place but being unable to act to prevent them…
That was a cruel position to find ones self in…

The blue haired girl paused, having just inquired after his motivation. Well… she did deserve an answer to her question, as a friend of Hikaru’s.

“I had to be certain that what Hikaru had said was the truth.” His demeanor was irritatingly calm, showing no sign that he had just been in an intense battle. “I had heard that some of the more strong willed of Cephiro’s inhabitants were capable of creating intricate illusions.”

Fuu was following suit, there was no mistaking it, and when Umi rushed to Rayearth and Hikaru's side, she too was accompanying her best friend. It puzzled her, more than it perplexed Umi. How come Rayearth was able to penetrate the City's walls? How come he arrived but Celes and Windam couldn't? Was it because the City chose to take them from that time? Researches, studies, observations, they were still not enough to figure out whatever pattern this City worked with.

Glancing over at Eagle with a serious expression, she could worry about that later. Right now, there was a more pressing matter at hand. "Hikaru-san wouldn't lie about something like this. If there was indeed an illusion, why would your enemy warn you of it?" She replied with a serious tone she rarely used. "To the point that it risked her life and cost her, her victory?"

One of said inhabitants showed himself at that moment, albeit not in the customary robes. No, he looked more like any other of the City's residents save for the tell-tale staff he carried. As he approached through the settling dust and smoke, Clef spotted Eagle and Umi conversing. It took only a brief glance at the Autozamian to determine that he was most certainly nothing like Tatra. The disparity between his and Umi's body language, the almost sickening look of calm on his face - no. His intention had been to unobtrusively walk by the pair and check on Hikaru, but since he heard himself more or less being referred to he instead paused when he reached them.

"I would sooner have prevented you from entering at all," he remarked, fixing his gaze up at the invading commander. Fixing an illusion to appear when one's defenses are breached would be a clever maneuver - but not nearly as wise in his opinion as using that willpower to make a stronger barrier. On the other hand, he could not have expected an enemy to be aware of his normally straightforward nature - and perhaps he wanted it that way. "However, your point is granted."

Having said that, his gaze wandered again to the Rune God. It was obvious that Hikaru was in need of medical attention, but what wasn't obvious was how to get her out of there.

There was really no sense in arguing with the Magic Knight of wind. Hikaru had been trying to protect the Castle of Cephiro from his attack… would she have lied to insure the safety of that structure…? Would he have lied to protect Autozam…? It was a definite possibility. So, instead of protesting his actions… actions he ultimately did not regret, he instead favored the girl with a disarming smile.

“You make a very valid point… I will consider myself properly chastised then.”

That was when he noticed the diminutive kid… no, he wasn’t a child after all, arriving on the scene. Perhaps this was the Master Mage that Lantis had told him about? His appearance was some what different than Lantis had described… but his height seemed about right… and the hair color was spot on. When the newest arrival spoke it left little doubt as to his true identity.

I would sooner have prevented you from entering at all…

That was an odd statement… There had been a barrier around the castle and he had breached that obstacle… Did this Clef not remember that?

Eagle favored him with a smile as well, though this one was tinged with just a hint of smugness, “Yes, I believe that was what you were attempting to do.”

"What do you mean? Clef was attempting...?"

A couple of things seemed mismatched here, though Umi was hardly in a state of mind to give the situation deep thought. In any case she imagined the time difference was to blame for them. Eagle was fighting for his own wish, the way he'd been sworn to do during the Test of the Pillar. Even if the Knight of Water felt her temper burn at what had just happened to Hikaru before her eyes, she could begin to understand the Commander's determination.

But little of this mattered at the moment. The only thing Umi cared about was making sure her best friend was unharmed inside her Rune God's heavy armor. If Hikaru had been injured there was Fuu to help with that, and a hospital nearby.

She shook her head and all but climbed the downed Mahsin's flank as best she could, with the nimbleness that was proper of her element, offering a hand to Fuu as she went. "Forget about that. We're getting Hikaru out of there somehow and making sure she's okay!"

However, considering a Magic Knight was always the one to will herself out of her Rune God's armor, that might prove easier said than done. Umi was hoping Rayearth would release Hikaru at any moment, if the Fire Knight happened to be unconscious inside him.

Several moments passed in complete darkness, and silence. The girl was completely out of it, until slowly but surely, she became aware of the voices around her. Two female voices two male, groggily, she couldn't make out who the owners were or what they were saying.

Was this a dream?. She'd been having a lot of those lately, but never quite like this. Hikaru's eyes fluttered a few times before she managed to completely open them.

Eagle! The events were starting to come back to her as well. Was he still going to fight!? If so, she needed to get back up quickly before he could deliver the final blow. How long had she been out?!

Rayearth moved, but only slightly. She just had a feeling, that.. they shouldn't get up just now. For the moment she just let herself become more aware of her surroundings before acting.

"Umi? Fuu?".

With attention now almost solely focused on Hikaru the Commander from Autozam raised his right arm and looked to the mechanical device resting there. He had not dared to try and scan the area since leaving the protective safety of the FTO’s cockpit… The other Knights, or perhaps some hidden allies might have tried to attack him. But, he could relax… just a little, now that concern had shifted to the possibly injured Hikaru…

That girl… Hikaru… she was taking a long time to get up wasn’t she? He scanned her first and the data he collected was encouraging. The poor girl had been knocked around quite a bit inside that rune god, but she wasn’t too badly injured. Better still, he noticed as the hulking rune god shifted position, she was beginning to come to her senses.

He smiled again, this time full of relief. It might have been odd to be happy to see an enemy recovering like this… but he really didn’t want to kill the girl. He only wanted Cephiro’s Pillar System.

He shifted the focus of his scans to the other two Magic Knights who still appeared to be scrambling around on the belly of Rayearth. The data he had collected on them previously was compared to this newly collected data… Umi, Fuu… They seemed nearly the same as the girls he had met… but the data showed otherwise. There were interesting, subtle differences. Unfortunately he would need more time to analyze that information before he could see any firm results.

Eagle then turned the scan toward the Master Mage him self. Clef was a man of short stature but he was the one from Cephiro with the most magical experience. Lantis had always described Clef as some one who wore long flowing robes and carried a staff much taller than him self that ‘resembled a dragon skull on a twisted branch’. But, this Clef wore much more unusual clothing…
Had he given up every thing Cephiro…?
Then what about the ring?

It was subtle… a gentle shift in stance… a glance over the shoulder… Clef knew he was being scanned? Or at least that was the impression Eagle received when the Guru looked briefly in his direction. Eagle closed his eyes and smiled, it really was just as Lantis had said.

Finally Eagle turned forearm based device to the surrounding area. Its range was significantly less than the range of the FTO, since is was a much smaller unit, but maybe it could give him some idea of where he was. If this wasn’t Cephiro…

Rayearth had shifted enough so that the magic knight could survey the surroundings. Where are we? She thought to herself. The only familiar object, the FTO, loomed a mere matter of yards away.

Her muscles tensed for a moment before noticing that it had been abandoned. Did this mean the battle was over?

If Eagle was no longer going to fight her, there was no reason to remain in her own mecha. Should there be a need, she'd call on Rayearth again later. Oblivious to the other knights, she willed Rayearth to disappear.

The rune god started glowing in a brilliant red light, gently placing the girl on the ground as he disappeared. Umi and Fuu however did not have this luxury. At least they hadn't been too far from the ground.

Seeing the two familiar faces she exclaimed," Umi, Fuu! I'm so sorry. I didn't know you were up there!".

“Hikaru,” Eagle smiled as he looked up from his scans, “Feeling better I see?”

The mechanical device on the Commander’s arm beeped ominously and Eagle spared it a glance. Only the data from the immediate area in which Eagle stood was readily available… but some thing was limiting the range of his scanners. He should have been able to scan a much larger area than this.
It was just like the FTO… His recent exploit had caused the thrusters to become unbalanced but a maneuver, even one as risky as the stunt he had pulled against Hikaru… shouldn’t have been enough to throw the coolant system offline. There was some thing blocking the effectiveness of mechanical devices… a dampening field or maybe magic?

"Eagle!" She exclaimed. "You're okay too?!" Hikaru replied enthusiastically, not realizing that she had been the only one to have crash landed even though upon further inspection it was obvious. There was only one large mecha indent lacing the ground. Beyond that Eagle looked just fine, which was good news.

Glancing at their surroundings didn't provide many clues at all. It didn't look that different from her own world, but it definately wasn't Tokyo or Cephiro. "Clef!?! You're here too?!". She exclaimed when she laid eyes on the short sorcerer. He was dressed oddly, for him, but his features and staff were a dead giveaway. It was going to take some time to drink this all in. None of it made any sense. How were they all dragged into the same alternate universe at the same time? Or, had it been at the same time? Hikaru couldn't be certain. And if this was an alternate universe how could they be sure if any of this was real? Shaking her head she cleared her thoughts and thought about what the best course of action may be.

"I'm not sure where we are, but.. when Rayearth crashed like that it had to have been loud. If anyone's in the area they may be drawn to this place to investigate," Hikaru sounded sure of herself and her words as she continued, "We better get out of here and save the discussions for later". With a swift nod she headed off in some direction, making sure to wait for the others to follow.

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