http://clampfix.fanworks.net/re-fix/doh4.txt </head><body><pre>Part 4 Love and Betrayal Note: This was based on episode 7, though Ascot did not appear. I have made other changes, changes that people might not like... They walked on until noon, when they reached a little village by the desert. Ferio asked "We go straight on or stay here for the night to wait for tomorrow?" Cherry said "Wait for tomorrow, we can't carry on in this heat." They agreed and went to the cheapest little hotel they could find and rented two rooms. Ferio went to the girls' room when he had put his sword down. "I'll go around and have a look, we will meet at lunch." Cherry called "Okay." Fuu walked up to him, smiled shyly at him "Be careful." She said softly. "I will." He said through a blush, then flashed her one of his most charming smiles. She definitely cared about him. Before he got out of the room, he heard that Cherry said "Fuu, you're starting to like him." Fuu said quietly "Maybe I am." He walked to the desert, then he saw another troop of witch hunters. He was curious he wanted to know what they were up to. So he sneaked up to them quietly. "It was reported that the witch was here." The leader, a giant of a man said. "She looked like this, shoulder length blonde hair, green eyes and wearing a green frock the day she disappeared, capture her alive, that's what our queen Debonair wanted." Ferio asked himself "Debonair? The woman who got the throne at princess Emeraude?" he didn't know why, he seemed to be quite concerned about the fact that princess Emeraude was losing power over Cefiro. Strangely, he had only met her once from a long time ago... He thought of a plan to get near Debonair in order to help the princess. "Yes general! Do we have to use Pajero this time?" one of the soldiers asked. "Use everything you can." The general said. Just as the soldiers were dismissed Ferio jumped out of his hiding place to see the general. "Hi! General! I have heard what you have just said and was willing to help you." The general glared at this short young man in front of him. He asked suspiciously "Who are you?" Ferio said "I'm just a traveler who admires the witch hunters, will you let me join you?" General barked at him "What sort of use are you to me then?" Ferio asked "The name of the girl was called Fuu Hououji, right?" "How do you know?" the General asked. "I know her, so I could lure her out to the desert where you can get her easily." General thought for a moment "All right, Letting you try won't hurt." Ferio asked "By the way, what's a Pajero?" The general sighed "My monster, used to catch people for me." Ferio said "Okay I won't fail you! Can I know your name?" The general said "Seward." Ferio bowed to him then ran off. leaving Seward behind him saying "What a strange young man!" Ferio met the girls in a cheap restaurant Cherry was hunting for the cheapest food in the restaurant when Ferio went in and sat next to Fuu. Fuu asked "What have you found?" Ferio thought for a moment, he was not sure whether he should betray them or not, Cherry was still too young to be harmed, she was merely a child while Fuu was caring about him, she did like him and went to him for help when she needed him. So can he betray her? Most of all was that he could feel that he was feeling something for her, he felt that he was melting every time he saw her blush and every time she was sweet to him. But he could carry out his mission to save princess Emeraude if he could forget his emotions for her for a moment, he could regret later. He said "Well, the witch hunters were going to attack here with a monster tonight. The desert was suppose to be in the desert now." Fuu lowered her head for a moment. Ferio asked "What do you suppose?" Fuu said "Save them. Go to the desert now. I can't leave them to die again." The memory of her father and sister lost in the witch hunter's hands came back to her. She lowered her head again. Ferio ached a little, seeing her expression. "Go now." She said softly looking at him. He looked away "I'll lead the way." He said quietly. Cherry paid off the food and they went. Fuu realized that there was something wrong with Ferio "Are you all right?" she asked him. "Yes, don't worry." He told her, can't bear looking at her straight in the face, can't bear to meet her eyes. She said softly "Okay then..." he knew he could still go back there and tell them that's its all a lie. But he can't keep princess Emeraude's sad eyes of his mind. So he just went on he had no choice, he could regret betraying her later, betraying his love. But can he ever go over the regret feeling? Just as they reached a little way in the desert, he said to them "Wait for me here, don't go." He then hurried off. Fuu said "There's definitely something about him." Cherry nodded. Seward was hiding behind a sand dune. He said "Looked as if your plan worked." Ferio smiled "It's the time Pajero should come out." Seward nodded. He clapped his hands. Ferio saw that the sand bulged up a little, then in lightning speed the monster was near the girls. Cherry screamed as she saw something was near them, the something was huge. She pulled Fuu. Fuu saw it and ran with her. But they were not fast enough. The monster surfaced a little. Then the most fierce sand storm was aimed at them. They were blown away. Fuu sat up from the sand realized what happened while Cherry was beside her coughing violently. She said quietly "Ferio tricked us, he betrayed us." She was lost in her own thoughts when Cherry screamed again, this time the monster rose from the sand and advanced near them again. Fuu got up and threw the spell "Imashime no Kaze!" that stall him for a minute when Fuu got Cherry's hand and together they ran for safety. "That won't stall Pajero for long." Seward said. Ferio asked "What?" Seward said smugly "Pajero is really powerful, these winds can't hold him too long." Ferio asked "He had no weakness?" Seward thought for a moment "Well, yes, there are, Pajero didn't know who he's attacking, he just simply attack anything moving when I'm not there to stop it. And he could only move in the desert." Just then he saw that the wind the binds Pajero together was lost and he again disappeared into the sand with on oh the bones that stuck out from his back stayed out. Ferio saw that Fuu and Cherry was in danger again. He didn't know why he leapt out of the sand- dune and ran for them. Soon the monster blew them away, looked as if Cherry was lighter, and flew quite a long way this time while Fuu landed quite near Pajero. Ferio reached her. Picked her up. "Why did you..." Fuu asked as Ferio held her close to him, kissed the corner of her mouth then whispered "Sorry..." and pushed her right out of the way when he got attacked by Pajero. Fuu could no longer see Ferio when Pajero landed on top of him. Fuu ran back to the village, she didn't know whether to cry or not. She met Cherry in the hotel. Cherry had been searching for Fuu when she got blown away. "What should we do now?" Cherry asked. Fuu broke down "Ferio betrayed us..." Cherry patted her back when she saw a fly buzzing near them, Cherry tried to kill it when suddenly a voice and picture was in their minds. "If you want to save Ferio, come here by dawn tomorrow or I'll kill him." The voice said while the picture shows that Ferio was dangling on Pajero's tail. Fuu bit her lip as she made up her mind that they would think of a good way to save him before he got killed tomorrow. That night in the girl's room, Cherry asked "Fuu, why did Ferio betrayed us? What did he want from the witch hunters? Are we going to save him tomorrow? We haven't thought of a good plan yet..." Fuu didn't reply, Cherry sighed looked at Fuu who was lying beside her "Why am I talking to someone who's sleeping and why should I worry about someone else's boy friend while she was sleeping? And why am I talking to myself now?" she grunted and went to sleep. Fuu touched the corner of her mouth, where Ferio's kiss has been. "Why did you give us away? And why did you save us later? What does the "Sorry" mean?" she asked herself. Cherry woke up early the next morning, it was just about dawn. She got dressed then found that Fuu was missing. She grabbed her things and hurried to the door. She tried to open it. It was locked from the outside. Cherry screamed in frustration "Why am I always the one who got locked when crisis was near?" She searched in the drawers of the room for needles or head pins for lock picking for she didn't remember any magic that will open locks for her. "Why did you safe that girl then?" Seward asked Ferio said "I just want to try Pajero's powers that's all!" Seward snickered "Better say that you were in love with her!" Ferio blushed said "How can I..." he realized that it was the truth, he did hate seeing her getting hurt, he did hurt her mentally, he didn't want to get her harmed physically as well. Just then Seward said "Look, she was here for you." Ferio scrutinized, it was her, she looked much more fragile and defenseless in the soft morning sunlight. "Idiot..." he said under his breath, he was worried that she might get killed yet he was pleased that she cared about him even though he had pulled her into dangers a day ago. She stopped in a safe distance from Pajero. "Midori no..." she was about to throw a spell when Pajero let out a sand storm, she struggled to stay in place but after five seconds she got blown away. Pajero then swung its tail real hard that he swung Ferio away and disappeared into the sand. Ferio ran to Fuu once he landed. She blacked out from the fall. He shook her violently in his arms "Fuu! Fuu! Wake up!" Fuu soon let out a little cough then coughed much more violently. "Ferio..." she blinked to get the sand out of her eyes. "Why did you come?" he asked irritably. She let a tear out of her eye so the rest of the sand could follow. Ferio thought she was really crying and held her closer to him. She coughed again as she reached up to wipe the tear away, she wanted to laugh, he looked so worried. He held her hand as he wiped the tear away from her face "Why did you come? I have lied to you and brought you into danger." Fuu smiled as she looked away "I'm really mad at you when you gave us away, you might have the thought of giving me away right from the start, but why did you gave Cherry-san away? You have just met her. I feel that I can't forgive you for doing this to us, yet I come, strange enough!" she then smiled at him. He was touched by her tear (though its for the sand and not for him.) and more touched deeply for her words. "You're weird." He smiled at her. More tears rushed out of her eyes, she felt better once the sand was all out, but he thought that she was crying for him "Don't cry, please..." he hugged her. She laughed to herself, he was such a dear when he was worried about her. Ferio turned to see the monster advancing them. He said "Don't move, just stay here the thing didn't know where or what it's heading or killing." "Ferio..." Fuu called his name. "Be quiet!" he ordered as he turned and ran to Pajero. She wiped her tears away, now these were not from the sand. These were for him. She remembered the first time he saved her from the monster in the Forest of silence and then the second time he even hurt himself in order to get her untouched. She touched her mouth again she understood what that kiss meant, the goodbye kiss. He was going to die in front of her now, and she could do nothing, She could do nothing to save her love. She felt hopeless, before she knew it her tears were flowing freely out of her eye and she was calling his name in the top of her voice. Pajero's jaw was just about to snap on Ferio when he heard the cry and changed direction to her. Just then a pink head appeared with a huge sword on her back (Ferio's sword), she was panting. She pulled the sword off her back then prayed quickly to it "Go to the girl with blonde hair, safe her for she's just trying to rescue you master." She threw it to Fuu. Fuu caught it, she felt that she could handle it though weighed pretty much in her hands. With a cry she ran to the monster. The sword did give her more weight so she didn't get blown away by the storm that easily. She sliced the wind that was blowing in her direction in half with a cry she swung the huge blade mightily and that also sliced the monster in half. She let the blade fell off her hands as the most fierce sand storm appeared. She sat on the sand panting. Cherry and Ferio ran to her. Cherry asked "Am I useless?" Fuu smiled at her "No, you're most helpful, Cherry-san." Cherry then asked putting a very fake smile on her face "Do I get to be locked in a hotel room then? You're just trying to leave me out, you don't have to lock me up. If you didn't want my help, just say so and I won't butt my head into your business." Fuu looked apologetic "Sorry, I'm just trying to protect you." Ferio patted Cherry on the head fatherly "Okay, no one will try to protect you from today on." Cherry turned to him "Ferio! May I ask you a question?" Ferio said "Shoot!" Cherry asked "Why did you betrayed us?" Ferio said "For a girl I respected and admired very much." Fuu looked down at the sand. Ferio stopped to see if Cherry understand every word. Cherry rolled her eyes "I know what you're talking about! Continue please." Ferio said "I have been living with my uncle and learnt how to fight from him. Soon he died and left me penniless. Later as I grew up I took on stealing as to pass my time and to earn my living. One day I stole into the palace, it was quite easy to get into. I set my eyes on a pair of rubies, they looked quite pretty, so I decided to lay my hands on them. But I got caught by the guards of the palace and was brought in front of her, the princess of Cefiro Emeraude herself. She told the guards that I didn't do what they accused me of. She said this quietly "You're all mistaken, I gave him the stones myself , he didn't steal it." She was the first woman who showed me all these kindness and gentleness. That's why I sworn to myself that I must save her from Debonair who got powers by abandoning the princess." Fuu was silent. Ferio looked at her he was afraid that she might think of something else. Cherry nodded wisely "I see! Then why did you save Fuu when you have set your heart to betray her in order to get near to Debonair?" Ferio smiled innocently charmingly at Fuu who was now looking at him "Because I love her." Fuu was steaming now. Cherry jumped up from the sand "I knew it!" she exclaimed happily. "Its love that saved both of you!" she cried. Ferio helped Fuu up, while Cherry said "Relations are forming! And we got a whole day to get through this desert!" "I have lost a whole night's sleep!" Ferio protested lightly. Cherry said "Its your fault then!" as she skipped in front of them on their way to Clef. </pre><p><a href="./">Back</a></p><p><a href=http://www.dreamhost.com/donate.cgi?id=216><img border=0 alt="Donate towards our web hosting bill!" src=https://secure.newdream.net/donate1.gif></a></p></body></html>