http://clampfix.fanworks.net/re-fix/doh6.txt </head><body><pre> Part 6 Duchess So the three people decided lived in Clef's cathedral, Fuu got over her pain in two weeks time. And in the mean time they have learnt that Clef held his organization for the people who were willing to fight against the witch hunters. And since he was a Madoshi, he helped to shape up Cherry and Fuu's magic. Fuu and Cherry looked as if they were willing to learn and was getting along well. Cherry seemed to be seeing Apple a lot, and people had realized that they looked like each other as well. They got the same features. Apple was a boy in the youth period who likes to talk about girls and what's with relationships, (Once he asked a women about what she did with her husband in the bed room at night.) he was viewed as a pervert, but somehow, Cherry, Fuu and Ferio sees him differently, they found out that he was just mystified with these sorts of relationships, so they became the only people who ever thought that he was normal. Apple soon liked all these new people. Ferio with no magic was usually practicing his skills of using a sword with the other men in the cathedral. Everyone found that the three newcomers were quite friendly once they get to know them, it was peaceful there. One day they received a message from their messengers. "The witch hunters were now setting their eyes on Duchess Evie." Clef announced. Fuu said quietly in the meeting "That would be quite hard to be dealt with then..." Clef said "Everyone knows that, they got soldiers guarding their mansion from the outside." Fuu said "I know, I have read about these. But the witch hunters could easily shoot some fire arrows from the outside and burn the whole house down. But if we have to protect her, there will be lots of problems." Clef nodded "Have you got any plans?" Fuu thought for a moment "Send someone in to protect her, he could just bring her out if there would be any danger." Clef asked then "What will happen to the rest of the people there then?" Fuu said "He could contact us then, there will always be a few of us around the big mansion looking for suspicious people." Clef smiled "One of the ideas." Fuu lowered her head. Cherry asked then "Who should be the person who get into the house then? What sort of things he must be able to do?" the messenger said "Fight, must be able to get the duchess to save places whenever there is danger." Clef's gaze drifted pass everybody in the meeting room. Then it stopped on Ferio. Ferio looked around then, "Me? You want me to do it?" Clef didn't say anything. Fuu looked at him. Cherry asked "That means that you have chosen the right person." The messenger said "Yes, Ferio-san could make it, duchess Evie was looking for a bodyguard. Ferio, you can try it. That way, you can stay near her as much as possible." Ferio then looked at Fuu, she turned away in a blush. Fuu said quietly "Ferio could do it." Cherry nudged her whispered "You wanted him to go to some other girl?" Fuu blushed "What other ways could there be then?" Cherry shook her head. Ferio sighed "I will go then." Clef said "Pack enough things, Evie lived in the village near here in the big mansion to the very north." Ferio nodded as the meeting ended. Fuu walked Ferio to the opening of forest to the village. She didn't know what to say or whether she should say anything or not. They just walked on. Soon they reached the opening. Ferio turned to her "You can head back now, I can go alone." Fuu nodded, lowered her head. Ferio smiled at her "It's just like a few weeks or so, don't look like that." Fuu smiled back at him "I know, its so strange, we haven't been parted for weeks, probably a whole month, and now you say you have to go." He took her hand, kissed it "It seemed that we have known each other for ages. But remember, you said that I am able to do this job properly, so that's why they chosen me. You get me into this and now, you say that you didn't want me to go after all." Fuu sighed "I know you can do it, I can't be selfish about this because it matters about other people's lives, I didn't want to any more people died." Ferio asked quietly "Will you miss me then?" Fuu blushed "I think I will..." he hugged her. "I'll call you every night if possible." Ferio tell her as he walked off. He turned back, "I'll see you later. Bye!" he called as he ran off. Fuu stood there watching him, "Goodbye!" she called softly. Ferio was now standing in the room where all the bodyguards candidates were. He hates it, everyone was staring at his blade, some of the young man there pointed at him and laughed. Ferio didn't seem to care, he looked out of the window, he looked for the forest, he knew its impossible to see Fuu from this distance, but he still did it. Just then someone patted his back lightly. It was a gang of boys about seventeen, "What do you want?" Ferio asked them easily, eyeing them coldly. The boy in the front who looked as if he was the leader asked "Why are you here?" Ferio smiled "For the job, what a question." The leader laughed as he lead his boys away. Another guy about eighteen approached him again, this one has a friendly face on. "Hello, I'm Jack Van Helsing. Nice to meet you." Ferio quitted being cool and held up his hand "I'm Ferio. A pleasure to meet you." They turned as a little maid opened the door, she announced "the Duke and Miss Evie is waiting now. Please all come out when ready." Ferio rolled his eyes as he followed the rest of the guys out of the room. Then they got onto a huge stage. Then they realized that they have to fight every one of them before they could be the duchess's bodyguard. Ferio realized that hiring a bodyguard was not the real reason, Choosing a husband for the duchess was the thing. The Duke said then "we could only hire the young man who will be able to take care of my daughter Evie where danger is near, so fighting is needed." Ferio thought "What nonsense!" he then looked at Evie, she had long sandy hair and soft brown eyes. He thought only of Fuu now, her soft green eyes, soft voice and curly blonde hair. He held her handkerchief which was now in his pocket tight. They soon started fighting each other off. It is now that Ferio realized that how skilled in fighting his opponents in the Cathedral were even though he always win. Soon he faced Jack, Jack seemed to take it quite seriously when Ferio just wore a smile on his face, definitely having fun with Jack. He knew that Jack was not a good fighter as he was, but since he seemed to like Jack, he might as well fight longer to show that Jack was strong as well. The duke dismissed the losers politely then turned to the two of them. It is now that he got a chance to look at the two guys in close distance, he liked them both at once, since they were both young and strong and pretty handsome. Jack the taller one was well built with brown hair and mossy green eyes, he looked polite, the way he stood showed people how well brought up he is. He is the kind of guys parents love, matured, well mannered, quiet charm and easy going. While Ferio was the opposite the way, he was lightly built and even though he didn't do it on purpose he looked as if he was flirting with you. He was much more of a natural type, he didn't like to so things on purpose, he showed that he did things to go in his own way. He got a boyish charm that made girls fell for him, but parent could be amused by and probably liked him, but will not loved him. The duchess smiled sweetly at Jack while he smiled back shyly, she then turned to Ferio who was just looking at her father now, she showed that she liked what she was looking at. The duke said "I can't decide which one of you I should hire, so I decided to hire both. But still, you must end this fight because both of you must use your real powers." Ferio bowed with a sure-win smile on his face, but Jack bowed obediently. Ferio just wished that Jack could lighten up a little. Jack was stronger, his stabs and slashes were really hard, Ferio knew that if he didn't dodge off every time, he will get injured quite severely. But he knew that he was winning as well because he was much more skilled. Ferio suddenly jumped up to the air when Jack was not ready. "Look out! Jack!" the duchess's call was heard when Jack felt cold metal touching his neck. The blunt side of Ferio's blade was there. Ferio got his blade back once he heard the duke tell them to stop. The bowed to each other. Then turned to the duchess and her father the old duke. The old duke was an old man with a red face and jolly smile. They found out that the duchess was standing up, she blushed as she sat down. "It's a good fight, I'm sure you tried your best Jack, and you performed well, my young man there. What's your name?" Ferio said "Ferio! At you service." The old duke smiled "Well, you two must get along well, because you two are going to work together in the near future. Now both of you must be tired, come into my house and have some tea and a rest." Jack turned to Ferio "You spared me my humble life just a minute ago, so my life shall be yours." Ferio said "I don't kill people in competitions. But if you really wanted to give you life away that badly, you might as well give it to duchess Evie." Both Jack and Evie blushed as they started to walk back to the mansion. Ferio and Jack was sharing the same room next to the duchess's, Ferio was just about to make an excuse to call Fuu when Jack asked him a question "Ferio, you know that this hiring a bodyguard for Evie was a lie, the real reason was to look for a husband?" Ferio nodded "I just knew it before the competition, it was too late to back off at that minute." Jack said "I loved her the first time I see her. So when you're hired as well now, you will be my rival." Ferio shook his head "I won't be." Jack asked "Why?" Ferio turned to him "I'm married." Jack seemed to be quite taken aback by his answer "Excuse me? I thought you're just a year older than Evie, you're sixteen right?" Ferio nodded "right." Jack asked then "How old is your wife?" Ferio answered "fourteen, but she only looked fourteen, she's really thoughtful." Jack asked "how could you two be married then?" Ferio smiled "We're betrothed, her parents died recently, so I have to look after her. But I think she looked after me instead. We're penniless when we married and she had a weak body. I planned to go and find work which is near our village, but before I can even find work, she volunteered to work in a sewing work shop for our living, she didn't seem to mind at all. But I mind, I can't let her abuse herself when she was already weak. So I come here, just for her. I'm glad I had her as a fiancee She was really selfless." Jack smiled "You must be happy with her then? She sounded wonderful." Ferio nodded "She was perfect, sweet and kind to everybody." Jack smiled "I think I know how you feel." Just then Ferio held a small voice calling him. He got the egg out of his pocket, it was Fuu talking to him through it "Ferio...Hear me?" Ferio smiled "Fuu." Fuu asked "How's your job going?" Ferio said "Very well, don't work too hard over there, I will bring enough money back." Fuu seemed to be mystified by him "Money?" Ferio said to Jack, "Excuse me, I wished to talk to my wife privately." At this he went out of the room. Jack smiled to himself. "Fuu, listen, I have made an excuse here, just in order not to marry the duchess." Fuu asked "Marry the duchess?" Ferio said "Don't get mad now, I didn't know it until the start of the competition, and that would be too early to quit, so I..." Fuu said softly "I understand that, its all right." Ferio whispered softly "Thank you." Fuu said "I have to tell you something..." Ferio cut in "Let me finish my story first, I lied to the people here that you're my wife, so just help me. I know you can do it." Fuu was silent on the other end. Then in came another voice "Fuu-chan, you're blushing, Ferio's there, right?" Ferio said "Hi, Cherry." Cherry asked "What did you say? Fuu-chan's blushing like a tomato." Ferio said "I just want her to be my wife." Cherry said "Your lie, right? You lied to people here that Fuu's your wife. Excuses like this "We were betrothed, she was weak in the body and for me she went to work in a sewing factory." Is it something like this?" Ferio asked "how did you know?" Cherry let out a little laugh "I don't think you can come up with anything better. Better say that you *wanted* to tell everyone Fuu-chan's your wife." Ferio blushed slightly. Cherry continued "Hey guess who's going to come to help you in this business?" Ferio asked "Apple?" Cherry said "I know you can't guess it! You'll be happy about it. Its Fuu and me! I know you're not keen in seeing me, but you're *really* keen about Fuu!" Ferio was slightly shocked "But you're too young!" Cherry said "Apple is just as old as I am." Ferio said "But he's quick!" Cherry asked "Am I slow then?" Ferio said "Not exactly, but still he's quicker." Cherry said "I know, I'm just telling you to make sure that you won't come out during your job and screwed the whole plan out." Ferio said irritably "I don't *screw* things up." Cherry said "I get it, I think you would want to speak to Fuu." Ferio said "At least you knew this." "Ferio..." came Fuu's voice again. Ferio said "Participate okay?" Fuu said "Okay..." Ferio said "Will you say okay then if I said something like "Will you marry me"?" Fuu was silent again. Ferio said "I won't press you, but I'll always be there whenever you said yes. Now, just help me." Fuu said quietly "okay." Ferio went back into the room, Jack was there. "Make sure you eat enough, don't over work." Ferio said. Fuu said "I won't, I know how to look after myself, don't worry about me. Are you having a hard time there?" Ferio said softly "no, everyone's nice to me." Fuu said shyly "I missed you." Ferio felt a smile creeping into his face "I missed you here as well, I love you, good night." Fuu said quietly "Good night, love you." Jack smiled "That was a long talk." Ferio said "I missed her." Jack said "You showed it. Your wife did brought you your happiness." Ferio said "She's the best thing in my world." Jack smiled said dreamily "Evie is the best thing in my world as well." Two weeks passed with no events. Ferio was getting bored of getting cooped up in a house and was dying to get away, but looked as if he was not allowed to do it. One day during breakfast time the duke said "We planned to get to our country house in the summer." Ferio said "I have to buy polish for my sword then." The duke said "Can't you ask some servants to do it?" Ferio said "No one understand my sword better than me, so it's only me who can get what it wants." The duke who was jolly and easy going said then "Well, I obviously knew nothing about swords and you made sense to me. I think you can go then, Jack can protect my daughter by himself I think." Ferio smiled "thanks" he said. Again he saw a strange look from duchess Evie. Ferio was getting out of the house for the morning. He found that no one was following him and was relieved. Just then he heard some soft foot steps behind him. He turned put the sword to the followers back. He was very shocked to see that it's Fuu following him. She seemed to be shocked that he would struck a sword out in front of her, she was paled. He took his sword back immediately "Sorry..." Fuu smiled politely, walked past him, shoving a piece of paper in his hand, he read it as he followed her from afar. "Follow me to the closed sword making workshop." It says. He crunches it up and put it in his pocket. Fuu was sitting on a stool waiting for him in the sword shop. Ferio closed the door gently behind him. Fuu smiled at him "Hello. You have got into the house successfully then?" Ferio said "Yes, and got to be a candidate of the duchess's husband." Fuu said "You've mentioned it before." Ferio said "I know, but it's just so uncomfortable!" Fuu said "What can I do to help you then?" Ferio knew that she was joking "marry me and be my real wife so I don't have to lie any more." Fuu blushed "Be serious, have you got any news?" Ferio asked "What news?" Fuu said "About the witch hunters." Ferio said "Yes." Fuu asked "What is it?" Ferio asked "Where's Cherry?" Fuu said "keeping watch over the duchess just to be sure that she was not in danger, she said that Jack-san, your partner was not much of a fighter since he's so very kind." Ferio said "All right then." Fuu asked "You got news?" Ferio said "yes." Fuu asked "What is it then?" Ferio asked "What will I get if I tell you the news?" Fuu looked at him "Be serious." Ferio approached her, she got off her stool. "I'm serious" he whispered right into her ear. She blushed, wanted to push him back as he held her close, kissed her on her lips. She pushed him off gently, moved her hand to her mouth. Ferio enjoyed kissing her, she was so soft in every angle. "Are you mad?" he asked as he pulled her hand away from her face. Fuu lowered her head for a moment the raise it, staring at his chest, not at his face "Not really." He smiled "Thanks, I got what I want. I won't try anything more for now." Fuu blushed. Ferio said "The duke said he wants to go to the country house, a perfect place to strike, little people around and he didn't even planned to bring lots of people, I think." Fuu nodded "That is quite easy for the witch hunters to launch their attack." Ferio said "Time for me to get back. I'll call you whenever possible." Fuu nodded as he ran away. Ferio bought some polish, and found that Evie was waiting for him outside the house. Ferio ran to her "It's dangerous outside here without any bodyguards." Ferio said formally, he was always formal to her. She smiled "But you're here now." Ferio nodded. She carried on "I think you know that getting bodyguards for me was just the excuse, to choose the husband is the real thing." Ferio said "I know, I regretted coming. She will be pretty hurt if she heard this." Evie asked "Who she?" Ferio said "My wife." Evie's eyes widened "I'm sorry, I didn't know that..." she ran off. "You had a wife before you came here?" The duke asked Ferio in the studies. Ferio replied easily "Yes." The duke asked "Why are you here then?" Ferio said "I just thought that all you want is a body guard, so I came here for the job. Its actually your fault that you mistaken me into thinking that." The duke nodded "Well, that's our fault. But when you have your wife, why did you leave her then?" Ferio said "For money." The duke asked loudly "Money?" Ferio nodded "Money, My wife's just fourteen and she's weak in the body, and for us, I mean for me, she abuses herself by working too hard in a sewing workshop. I loved her, I can't let someone I love do something like that for me, so I came here, if I have money, I can find a doctor for her and She can also stop working." The duke smiled "Do you want me to lend you any money then?" Ferio shook his head "She won't stop working unless I got the money from my work and only from my work." The duke smiled "Okay then. Though you have hurt Evie, I think I still liked you too much to fire you." Ferio bowed "Thank- you." He turned to leave when he heard "I love young people who were and still are loyal to the one they love." They packed quickly and was in the country house in no time. Just as Ferio expected, the duke just brought a few maids to do the cooking and house work, he didn't even think of bringing body guards for *himself *! Ferio was looking out of the window when Jack was reading in the studies, Evie was doing her make up and the duke was having a good sleep in his room. Just then Ferio heard a knock in his window "Ferio opened the window." Ferio opened, Fuu was sitting on the branch, smiling at him "We met again." Ferio climbed out. "No one followed you?" Fuu shook her head "the duke was not suspecting a thing. I guess he's really trusting." Ferio smiled "That made our work so easy." Fuu nodded and said "but he would make a good friend right?" Ferio nodded "Why are you here then?" Fuu said "I'm suppose to be the messenger, I'm just here to see if there are suspicious people." Ferio said "Is there any suspicious people in my room then?" Fuu smiled "Yes, the one named Ferio, being the spy here and lied to every one." Ferio smiled putting a hand to her face "You liked the lie though?" Fuu blushed, shook her head "I don't like people who are dishonest." Ferio smiled "I can make that lie come true. Once you married me." Fuu looked away. Ferio said "Okay, enough jokes for now. How can you come here?" Fuu said "The duke didn't bring any soldiers, and its just easy for two girls to steal into here quite easily." Ferio nodded "All right, then, are you going to sit out of my window for the rest of the day, not that I mind, but I would like to invite you in." Fuu blushed then smiled "The duke was a careless gentleman, he never really counted how much maids he had brought and the other maids will never know how much maids he will hire more." Ferio asked "You'll pretend to be a maid now?" Fuu nodded "Cherry's preparing for it." Ferio asked "You know how to cook?" Fuu nodded, lowered her head as she thought about the time she learned cooking with her sister. Fuu said quietly "I have learnt how to cook with Kuu." Ferio realized that he caused her to think about her sister, he regretted, he said "Sorry, I didn't mean to..." Fuu shook her head, smiled sweetly at him "No, Its a good memory, I love them, I don't want to forget them, but I won't loathe either because they wanted me to be happy, I guess." Ferio smiled "That's the right spirit." They talked a little more and Fuu was gone to prepare for her disguise. Fuu and Cherry got on pretty well for the first three weeks, no one seemed to notice them as any odd people. Ferio noticed a blonde serving them dinner and a pink head causing people trouble. That was until one night. "Fire!" one of the maids shouted, Fuu and Cherry noticed a strange man running away, but they knew too well that saving the people in the house was much more important than chasing after the man, so they escorted people out of the building by making the maids in the kitchen jump out of the nearest windows. Soon when all the maids in the lowest floor ran away, they ran up to the second floor where they met Ferio. Fuu said calmly "There's a fire here. Ferio, you can help the duchess out when Cherry-san you can help Jack. I'll see about the old duke." Ferio nodded, admiring her coolness under the crisis they were now facing. Ferio knocked the door over with his huge sword, he was in the most embarrassing situation, the duchess was just undressing to bed and she was just in under clothes. Ferio didn't have time to think about that, Before she could even blush, Ferio quickly carried her and jump out of the window, then he ran to the nearest back yard where there was a pond. "Sorry to jump into your room like this, but I'm just trying to save you." Evie nodded, he was strong, quick and good looking, if only he hadn't got a wife already... Jack was reading his bible when he heard his door open, he never locked the door at night, so its just easy for Cherry to slip in. Cherry opened the door real wide. "There's a fire here. Don't be so calm then, jump off to the nearest window." She shouted Jack was just shocked to see this girl not in a maids' uniform to run into his room in the middle of the night. But also saw that there was fire behind the girl as the girl quickly slammed the door shut behind her. Jack looked down from his window "But this is so high..." Cherry put on a patient face "There are two choices here, either get injured and be alive, the other is burnt to death, which one will you choose?" Cherry was beside him in front of the window now. Jack frowned as he leaped down from the window. He heard a painful crack as he landed. He knew that he broke his arm but saved his live. Cherry then landed beside him light as a swallow. She helped him up as they went to Ferio. Jack was just glad that Evie was all right. Fuu opened the door quickly yet quietly, the old duke was praying. Fuu said softly as she closed the door behind her "There's a fire in the house, do run now, old duke." The duke was quite impressed by this girl's fragile put look and calmness, felt the heat in the house also, just as he ran to the window, he felt a push then a scream. He turned, one of the loosen wooden poles fell down on him. Fuu pushed him off just in time, but the wood was sharp and it drove into her ankle. She was bleeding. She forced herself to stand up but it was obvious that the wound was much serious than she thought. But she managed it. Together they jumped off the second floor. Ferio felt that something was not right when he didn't see Fuu coming out, he ran to the Duke's window then. Fuu and the duke was jumping down from the fire lit room. He felt something drip on his face. Warm and red, blood, he glance up, Fuu was falling on top of him now. He caught her. The duke was quite good in this sort of art and he landed on his feet. Fuu just slumped in his arms, lose her conscious. He realized that she was injured, blood was gushing out of her wound in the ankle. He ran back to the others with the duke. A fish, or maybe its a bird with the shape of a fish waiting for them. Cherry, Jack and Evie was on the back of the fish. The duke climbed up with the help of Cherry and Jack, Ferio jumped up with Fuu. Ferio took her handkerchief out of his pocket, took her boot of then tied it tightly around her ankle, it was the worst wound he ever saw, the blood was just everywhere. Cherry put a spell in her wound that stopped the pain, but she had to get back to conscious or get back to Clef before she can get some proper treatment. Ferio held her tight as the night goes and the day follows, they were heading back to Clef's on Fyula the flying fish. </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>