(Scene: SKJAM's den. The wizard and Officer Midori have
switched chairs in a vain attempt to liven up the proceedings.)
SKJAM!: Straight to the MSTing, then...
On Thu, 17 Jul 1997, KOUMA RYODACHI wrote:
Chapter 12: Trials and Tribulations
Kira: Physical or emotional, we wonder?
"That must be it, up ahead," Fuu said, pointing. The Magic Knights
gaped in awe as the phoenix descended towards a gaping maw of rock,
from which smoke and steam belched forth.
"Guess I'm ready," Hikaru said. The bird circled around the
volcano, and landed near its base. The Shrine of Fire loomed before
them.
"Are you sure you're ready, Hikaru?" Umi asked.
Hikaru gulped nervously, and nodded. Within seconds, she began to
slip into a trance...
SKJAM!: (Hikaru voice) "I am one with the fire. The fire protects me
and heals me. I will not burn."
<This is truly remarkable. It also greatly disturbs me,> a voice
rumbled in their minds.
Ranma and Hikaru rose from where they'd slumped to the 'floor' of
their shared mind, and blinked at each other. <What th' heck's goin'
on?> Ranma asked. Hikaru shrugged.
<The Fire Knight hath summoned. I have responded.>
Ranma and Hikaru looked around for the source of the voice, and
gasped. Something very large, its features and form indistinguishable
through a shimmering wall of heat, occupied the boundless void in
which Hikaru and Ranma often communed.
<Who, or what, are you?> Hikaru asked.
<I am Rayearth,> it responded. <I am that which you seek.>
<Th--THAT'S the Mashin?> Ranma asked.
A great, hot force bored into Ranma. Hikaru felt it too. Although
they could not see Rayearth's eyes, they both somehow knew the Mashin
was *glaring* at Ranma.
Kira: This could be bad.
<Your presence within is not tolerated,> Rayearth informed him.
SKJAM!: Yes. This is bad.
Hikaru stepped forward. <Excuse me, Rayearth-san...but his
presence *is* tolerated.>
<Preposterous.>
<This body belongs to him.>
<Absurd.>
<Rayearth-san...did you know that the other two Mashin were
awakened a long time ago?>
A pause.
<This...this was not known to me.>
Kira: I've sorta been stuck in this volcano, no one calls, no one
writes...
Hikaru pressed on. <It's been a very long time since the Knights
were summoned here. Much happened-->
She was cut off by a bright crimson beam from Rayearth. Ranma
moved to intervene, but was also pinned by a beam.
They felt memories, thoughts, emotions being torn away from them,
consumed in some eager, hungry flame, processed down to the ash of
truth. Then, they were released.
SKJAM!: Interesting variation of telepathy special effects, which works
very well for prose.
Rayearth seemed truly astonished when finally he spoke. <Truly,
much has befallen you, young Fire Knight. And you as well, brave
young warrior.>
Another pause.
<Truly, I cannot claim to know what course of action must be
followed under these circumstances,> Rayearth said. <However, for now,
Fire Knight, thine trial doth commence.>
Hikaru was engulfed in a bright flame, and vanished.
<Hey!> Ranma shouted. <What'd you do with her?>
Kira: Toasted!
<Fear not for the young Fire Knight, warrior. Her lot is to face
the test of courage and of Heart.> A pause. <As is thine.>
SKJAM!: Uh-oh...
Ranma felt searing flames cover his mental 'body'. Then, he too
vanished, leaving only Rayearth to occupy the vast greyness.
Kira: Which suggests that Rayearth is now in command of the body...
Ryouga cursed himself. He'd gotten separated from the rest of the
group, and was now wandering the majestic corridors of the palace,
utterly lost.
As he rounded one corner, he collided head-on with Ferio, who
happened to be carrying a glass of juice. The juice spilled onto
Ryouga, and in an instant, a small black piglet looked balefully up
at the prince. Instead of the usual spotted bandana, he wore a
studded yellow collar, with an emerald tag hanging from it.
SKJAM!: Having P-chan show up here would really be straining Akane's
"no-see-um" attitude. He'd better hope no one notices...
Ferio smirked. "So you're one of the ones who's cursed?" The
entire tale of Jyusenkyou had been spelled out to the Cephirans at
the banquet dinner. None of them reacted with much surprise, being
used to all sorts of magic.
Kira: And Ferio has no reason to conceal it, does he?
"Bukii."
Ferio nodded. "Hot water reverses it, right?"
Ryouga nodded.
Ferio grinned. "Too bad," he said, and walked off.
SKJAM!: uh-oh! Permanent vendetta time.
"BUII! BUKII!" Ryouga squealed as he chased the prince. Ferio
laughed as he broke into a run.
<Man, when I get hold of you...> thought Ryouga. <Soon as I'm back
to normal I'll...>
Suddenly, the gem flared. Ryouga felt himself expanding, and armor
covering his body.
Kira: Tonde Buurin!
Ferio looked back, and stopped running, grinning. "Well, looks
like you're the very first one to figure it out! Congratulations!"
Ryouga, now human and fully armored, skidded to a halt and blinked.
"Huh? What--?"
Ferio chuckled. "Cephiro is dominated by the will. Your will is
far stronger than your curse. Therefore--"
SKJAM!: Yes and no. Put him near a girl, especially Akane, and his
willpower drops to nil.
Ryouga gasped, eyes wide. "Wait...you mean, here in Cephiro, the
curses don't work?"
Kira: Ryouga-kun, it just did.
Ferio shook his head. "They work, but only if you let them work.
You got mad when I took off like that, and I bet you thought about
what you were gonna do to me when you turned human again."
Ryouga blinked. "Yeah...and then I *did* turn human?"
SKJAM!: No, you turned into a potted plant.
Ferio nodded, grinning. "You got it! As long as you want to be
human, you'll be human. If you want to be that pig, you'll be that
pig. Even without getting splashed. Go on, try it."
Ryouga didn't particularly care for being a pig at the moment, but
curiosity won out. He concentrated. <I wish to be a pig right now,>
he told himself. Gradually, his body reduced to porcine proportions,
and his armor collapsed into his gem.
Ferio grinned. "See? Nothing to it."
Ryouga grunted, and changed back to normal. "Too bad I can't cure
my sense of direction like that," he groused.
Kira: Who says you can't?
SKJAM!: And if Akane and Ranma start getting closer, staying in Cephiro
might seem like a pretty good idea to Ryouga.
> Ferio chuckled, and let
SKJAM!: led.
him to where the others were gathering. >
Hikaru blinked, and looked around. "No...NO!" she cried. "NO!"
Around her rose the all-too-familiar peaks of Qinghai. She
recognized the trail leading into Niichieju, and the trail that led
to...the Musk Dynasty.
She fell to her knees, and sobbed in anguish. "Not again..."
"Do not despair, young one," said a kindly old voice. She looked
up, to see Tso Pu standing before her. She wore a scarlet robe unlike
her traditional garments.
Kira: Hint, this isn't the real Tso Pu...
"How...why...I'm..."
"You have been given a second chance. A chance to get even with
those who tormented you. Who hurt you. My God, child, the men who
*raped* you."
"How...do you know about all that?" Hikaru gasped.
"I know all," Tso Pu said. Something was different about her. She
seemed much wiser than usual.
SKJAM!: Trick, it's got to be a trick...
Tso Pu pointed at the trail to the Musk. Kho Kain and Ghun Xia
stood, sneering at the two women. Hikaru shuddered, disgust, hatred,
rage building within her.
"Kill them," Tso Pu said in a soft whisper. "They violated you.
They deserve to die."
Kira: Taking the law into your own hands is illegal. You should
immediately report them to the police so they can be arrested, fairly
tried and executed in due accordance with the Chinese penal code.
Hikaru raised her hand above her head. The magic gathered there,
anxious to be released.
Zagato appeared on the trail also.
"Kill him," Tso Pu suggested. "He sent you here to begin with.
It's all his fault."
SKJAM!: Okay, what's *he* doing in ancient China?
The energy burned brighter.
Emeraude appeared on the trail.
Kira: This is definitely some kind of trick.
"Kill her," Tso Pu demanded. "She brought you and Umi and Fuu to
Cephiro in the first place. To kill her, because she didn't think she
could love Zagato and her world both. Her ignorance caused your
suffering. Get your revenge."
Hikaru faltered. The magic faded somewhat.
"Kill all of them!" Tso Pu hissed.
Kho Kain stepped forward. "Kill me now, or I'll rape you again."
Ghun Xia stood at his side. "Better do it. We liked you the first
time around, we'll like you even more this time."
Kira: When rapists tell you to kill them, there's something wrong.
Zagato chuckled evilly. "If you're too weak to take our lives, you
deserve what you get."
Emeraude snickered. "Weak girl. I can't believe you are one of the
Magic Knights. You couldn't kill a fly, much less the Pillar of
Cephiro. Why did I even bother with you?"
SKJAM!: Hey, you got off pretty lightly, lady.
Tears streamed down Hikaru's face, but the magic continued to
falter. "No," she whispered hoarsely. "No," she repeated more clearly.
"Revenge is wrong. The Princess could not have known what would
happen to any of us. Zagato...can't be forgiven, but he can be
understood. I respect his reasons, if not his actions."
"But the two Musk?" Tso Pu asked.
Hikaru considered that, then scowled. She dissipated her spell.
"They're not *worth* killing," she hissed.
Kira: At least not without a trial.
The four people on the trail vanished like smoke. Tso Pu chuckled
dryly. "Very good, child," she commented. Her features blurred and
shifted. Now it was Cologne standing before Hikaru. "But you have yet
to face your true tormentor."
SKJAM!: You?
The Nerima warriors stood in a loose semicircle, weapons in hand,
waiting patiently for whatever wisdom they were about to receive.
Kira: Patiently? Okay, where's the real Nerima warriors and what have
you done with them?
Clef cleared his throat, and smiled at them. "Well, I believe--"
he paused abruptly, and cast a glance at Cologne's staff. "That staff
looks very familiar," he noted. Then, he continued, "Anyway. If you
wish to help save this world, you must learn some magic first." He
closed his eyes, and raised his staff. In an echoing voice, he
thundered, "MAHOU DENSHOU!"
Brilliant light flared from the ornaments on his staff, engulfing
the six martial artists.
However, something even Clef could not have prepared for happened
then. A broad beam of white light slammed forcefully down onto
Cologne, striking the staff she held. Even as the teenagers received
their magic, Cologne became a living light show. Clef couldn't see
into the whirling cone of light which engulfed her. The light show
quickly attracted Ferio and Presea, who watched in awe.
SKJAM!: Major power-up!
Meanwhile, the others received their Magic...
A dark, crackling stormcloud descended upon Akane, penetrating
into her body. She opened her eyes as the last of the vapor seeped
into her, with a crackle of electricity. She felt a power within her.
She waved her hand, and a fog bank appeared off to the side.
Concentrating, she caused a lightning bolt to strike in the center of
it. She laughed megalomaniacally.
Kira: Super-soba effect...I'll bet Shampoo and Ukyou are glad they're
getting their own power-ups right now.
SKJAM!: Actually, I enjoy any fic where Akane gets to one-up her
rivals...absent accidentally gutting them with a katana, of course.
Mousse was lifted off the ground. He blinked, and opened his eyes,
just as a searing light tore into his optic nerves. He felt a strange
tingling in his eye sockets, as if something was adjusting itself.
When he could see again--he could actually *see*. He remained
hovering in the air, watching the others receive their Magic.
Kira: Ooh, Mousse just got *really* dangerous.
A wave of silver light descended over Ukyou, and she felt as
though she had become one with a steel refinery. She felt the metal
of her weapons with every fiber of her being, and discovered she
could will them to do whatever she wanted. Trying a small spell, she
transformed the dull battleaxe into a giant gleaming spatula, charged
with magical energy. She cast a similar spell on her shurikens.
"Feels like old home week," she grinned.
Presea wasn't too impressed. "She'd better change them back when
she returns them," she muttered under her breath.
Kira: (Ukyou voice) *beeda!*
SKJAM!: Should be really fun if she can do that with escudo too.
Ryouga felt as if he was encased in stone. Then, it seemed to
shatter, but instead of breaking off of his body, it was breaking
*into* him. He was keenly aware of the ground beneath him. Not really
knowing what he was supposed to do, he tried mentally commanding the
earth at his feet to tremble. To his surprise, it did.
Kira: Planetary Bakusai Tenketsu!
A darkness descended upon Shampoo. Her body became a living, three-
dimensional shadow. She was frightened by the intensity of this magic,
but at the same time excited by it. She felt herself become
invisible, melting into and even concealing her shadow. She emerged
from the darkness, with a gleeful expression on her face.
SKJAM!: (Darth Vader voice) "Feel the power of the Dark Side, Shampoo."
As the new magic users finished discovering what they had been
given, they all turned to see the white pillar of light surrounding
Cologne.
Kira: Definitely a major power-up.
Finally, the whirlwind around the elder Amazon died down. Everyone
gasped in shock.
Where moments before a withered old woman had stood, now stood a
very small, very young-looking woman. About Clef's height, and with
the same childlike appearance, and flowing blue hair. Her body was
swallowed by her voluminous green robes. She held a thin silver staff,
three times her height, in one hand. She looked around, blinking
rapidly, then down at herself.
SKJAM!: Apparently deaged past her very tall teen years.
"Aiyah!" Shampoo said.
"What in the world--?" Akane wondered.
Everyone else stared. Then Clef raised a hand, pointing at her.
"You..."
The now-youthful Cologne blinked, then whispered in awe,
"Incredible." Then, assuming her usual dry humor, she chuckled, "Well,
this is certainly interesting."
Everyone crowded around her. "Great-grandmother, what happen?"
"Is this even Cologne?" Ukyou wondered.
Kira: No, it's a tall Smurf.
"Yes, I am Cologne," the small woman said. Then, she flashed a
grin at Clef. "It would seem," she informed him, "That we are related.
"
Clef blinked at her. "In...what way?"
Cologne chuckled. "Well, it appears that you are my great-great-
great uncle."
Everyone fell over.
SKJAM!: Well, that would explain a few things.
"M--mom..."
Ranma gaped in shock. His mother stood before him, in front of the
Shrine of Fire. She was scowling at him, and held her naked katana in
one hand, and a paper-wrapped tanto in the other.
Kira: We're in the anime continuity, so this is before Nodoka has found
out the secret, right?
SKJAM!: In theory, though the Musk haven't appeared in the anime
either. But since she wasn't mentioned in any of the Tendou home
scenes, we may presume that is the case.
"My son. You are not manly. You
must commit seppuku." > Ranma gasped. "Mom? How can you say that...?"
Kira: (Nodoka voice) Through the miracle of human speech. I would
explain in greater physical detail, but I'm in a hurry to kill you.
"You turn into a girl. You are pursued by four women and reject
each of them. You are a coward, an opportunist, and a liar. You have
no honor."
SKJAM!: Well, not *no* honor.
Kira: Must be Blade in disguise.
As much as it hurt Ranma to hear these things from his mother,
something nagged at his mind. Why would his mother say these things?
How could she be here on...
Wait.
That's what this was. It's not real. It's the test. <I'm being
tested. Something about courage and heart...I guess I have to prove
myself to the Mashin...>
"Mother. The things you say are not true," Ranma said, taking care
to use formal speech.
SKJAM!: Well, not all of them.
Nodoka struck him. He didn't flinch.
Kira: he's kind of used to getting hit.
"You dare to call your mother a liar when it is you who have no
honor?"
"I have honor. A hell of a lot more than Pop has."
"That isn't saying much, Ranma."
Ranma sighed.
SKJAM!: (Monty Python voice) But...and this is the important part...it
is larger than it was.
Nodoka's expression became pleading. "Ranma...you can prove to me
you're a manly man. Marry one of your fiancees. Take the rest in as
concubines."
Kira: Well, the manga Nodoka would be okay with this. The problem is
getting the girls to *share*.
Ranma scowled. "No way. I'm not gonna have four women. I'm gonna
marry one, *if* I marry any of them."
"Then choose."
"I need time."
"You've had time. Choose."
Ranma sighed. "I'm not even out of high school yet. I'm too young
for marriage. Heck, I ain't even gotten to know any of them real well
yet. I need to have more time, to decide who I want to be with."
SKJAM!: Akane, you idiot! You want Akane! *froth at mouth*
"I see. So you intend to string them along?"
"It ain't like that! It ain't my fault they're so persistent! I
just...need to be sure, that's all."
"Or maybe," Nodoka's eyes narrowed, "You'd prefer to be with
another man. Unmanly," she pronounced.
Kira: Actually, some samurai tradition, like that of ancient Greece,
considered homosexuality the only truly "manly" love. OTOH, they were
still required to marry women to produce heirs.
"Now cut that out!" Ranma was getting *angry* now. "I ain't gay.
Even if I was, that wouldn't make me any less manly. Bein' manly
ain't got nothin' to do with how many people you take to bed with you
and who they are."
"Oh?" Nodoka raised an eyebrow. "Then what does it involve, Ranma?
Since you're the expert."
Ranma faltered a bit. "I--I dunno. Keepin' your promises. Bein'
faithful to your friends. Lookin' out for people who can't look out
for themselves. Helpin' people that are in trouble."
SKJAM!: Mind you, good women have these same traits...
"I see," Nodoka said. "And your bedmates, your spouse, none of
that makes a difference then?"
"Not a damn bit," Ranma pronounced confidently. "I'd be ten times
the man Pop is if I spent *all* my time as a girl, and slept with
three different men."
Kira: Ranma doesn't think very much of his father, does he?
Nodoka flinched as if struck, then composed herself. "And will you
ever make up your mind about who you want to spend your life with?"
Ranma nodded. "Yeah. I will. Let me finish high school first, and
then I'll make my decision and stick with it."
SKJAM!: Well, if anyone will let you.
Nodoka sheathed her katana, and smiled. "Manly."
Ranma heaved a sigh of relief.
"But you're not through yet, son. You have one more obstacle to
overcome."
Kira: (Nodoka voice) You must find the Holy Grail.
"You're my WHAT?" Clef shouted.
Cologne grinned. "That little light show was the spirit of your
sister."
Everyone looked totally confused, except for the smiling Cologne
and the pensive Clef. "My sister...she disappeared when I was very
young..."
SKJAM!: (Clef voice) Only 150 years old, barely out of diapers...
"She, much the same way as young Hikaru, was sent to Earth. And
landed in the same place. Qinghai province, China."
Kira: I expect we'll find out more about why later...
Clef blinked. Cologne continued, "I saw it all, in the light. She
was taken into the village of the Niichieju, and adapted to their
ways. She married, and bore strong, healthy children." Cologne closed
her eyes. "Five generations of her offspring led our people. Then, I
was born, and I too grew to lead." She smiled. "Now, that one of her
descendants has returned to Cephiro, your sister's spirit has awoken,
to show her descendant her true legacy."
Clef chuckled. "This is...remarkable."
The teenagers discussed this quietly amongst themselves.
"Aiyah...Great-grandmother...and Shampoo...both descendant of
woman from Cephiro?"
SKJAM!: Though the brains seem to have been diluted...
"Well," Ukyou commented, "It'd explain how she's lived three
hundred years. Seems to run in the family," she jerked a thumb at
Clef.
"That's right!" Ryouga said. "He's seven hundred years old, right?
"
"That's what he told us," Akane said.
Mousse chuckled. "I've always said that old fossil wasn't human."
Shampoo whacked him upside the head with one of her maces. "Stupid.
"
Kira: Besides, if she's not human, what does that make your beloved
Shampoo, eh?
Hikaru was led to a swirling portal, through which she could see
the Shrine of Fire, as well as Ranma and another lady. Tendou Nabiki
waited by the portal, arms crossed. "About time you got here," the
older teen smirked.
"What--?"
Nabiki grabbed her arm and led her through the portal. "We're
going to face the one who truly torments you," she explained.
"Huh?"
SKJAM!: Nodoka?
"What do you mean, 'one more obstacle'?" Ranma asked.
Nodoka pointed off to the side. "That," she said flatly.
Ranma looked, and gasped. "Hikaru!" he said, starting to rush
towards her. He found he couldn't move. His mother was restraining
him.
Hikaru rushed over, followed by Nabiki. "Ranma-kun! Are you
alright?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," Ranma said. "How about you?"
Hikaru nodded. "I'm fine."
"Ranma," Nodoka prompted. "She doesn't belong here." She thrust
the tanto at Ranma. "Take this. Kill her. You'll never become a girl
again, and her soul will be out of your body."
Kira: yes, that's tempting, but murder isn't Ranma's style.
Ranma gasped. "What the HELL are you talkin' about? No way!"
Hikaru looked worried. "Ranma? Who's this?"
"It's my mom," Ranma said.
Hikaru nodded. "Ummm...why does she want me dead?"
SKJAM!: Because she wants Ranma all to herself.
"Because you compromise my son's manliness and his honor," Nodoka
sneered.
"Stop that, Mom! She does not!"
"Ranma, she doesn't have any right to be here."
Kira: Yes, she does, she's a Magic Knight. It's Ranma that's out of
place in Cephiro.
"Hey, now! Okay, so my falling in that spring was an accident. But
what's done is done. I gotta accept it and move on, and so do you."
"Then move on. Get rid of her, and move on."
Ranma shook his head. "No way. She's got rights too."
Hikaru watched the two of them a bit nervously.
"She's dead, Ranma. The dead have no place haunting the living."
Ranma looked at Hikaru, then back at his mother. "Don't look too
dead to me," he remarked.
"She drowned, over a thousand years ago. Even after that, she
disappeared from Tokyo Tower only two years ago. That makes her twice
dead."
SKJAM!: "over" two years would be better here.
Ranma shook his head. "I wouldn't call being stuck in a spring
fifteen hundred years dead. I'd call that suffering."
"End her suffering now."
"I already did," Ranma shot back.
"She DROWNED, Ranma. Drowning means dying."
Kira: Well, technically, the word usually translated as "Drowned" in the
spring names can also mean "immersed", as in the case of Akaneniichuan.
>
Ranma
shook his head. "Not in her case. She just misplaced her > body, is all."
Hikaru had to stifle a giggle at that one.
"So she stole yours, and that makes it okay?"
"She did no such thing!"
"No. Not only did she steal it, she...she....*PERVERTED* it! I'm
ashamed!"
Kira: (Hikaru voice) But...how did you know about the hamster?
"Nobody asked you," Ranma growled. He was getting fed up with this
illusion of his mother. He idly wondered if he'd snap at his real
mother this way in the same situation.
SKJAM!: No, somehow I think knowing this is a test is giving you extra
gumption.
Nodoka unsheathed her sword dangerously. "Ranma, you are treading
dangerous ground. Dispose of her now, or I will dispose of you."
Ranma shook his head. "I won't do it."
Nodoka suddenly sneered. "Why not? Killing a girl is unmanly?"
Kira: Yes. I'd definitely say yes.
Ranma shook his head. "Killing *anyone* is wrong. It's murder. I
won't be a murderer."
SKJAM!: Note that he does mean "outside combat" here. I'm pretty sure
he considers self-defense okay.
"Even at the cost of your manliness."
Ranma smirked. "I ain't lost that. I won't ever lose that. Just
'cuz I change into a girl sometimes, it don't change who *I* *AM*."
Nodoka smiled, and nodded. "Very well said." She vanished.
"Well, so much for that," Nabiki said. "Okay Hikaru, nothing's
standing in your way now."
"Huh?" Hikaru looked confused.
Nabiki grinned, and leaned closer. "Will is everything in Cephiro.
You have a strong enough will...you could drive Ranma out, and lock
this body in female form. You'd be completely alive again."
Kira: But he just spared *her* life. That'd be awfully ungrateful.
Hikaru gasped in shock. "No!" she said. "I'm not a killer either!
I already proved that!"
"That's right. And now you're letting another oppressive male walk
all over you."
Hikaru slapped Nabiki.
"No, I am *not*. I have hope that somehow we'll find a way to
become two separate people. Even if we don't, we get along well.
Sharing one body isn't a problem."
SKJAM!: At the moment. Your sex life might be a bit of a mess though.
"She's right," Ranma nodded affirmatively.
"It incoveniences you both. Surely one of you would like to remedy
that?"
"NO," they said in unison.
Nabiki smirked, nodded, and vanished.
There was a blinding red flare, and Hikaru came out of her trance.
Fuu and Umi watched Hikaru blink rapidly. "Hikaru-chan?" Fuu asked.
Before Hikaru could reply, an explosion thundered from the volcano.
A plume of liquid fire shot skyward, and a large red shape streaked
towards the ground.
As the girls scrambled for distance, a large red lion landed on
the ground before them. It drew itself up, and announced, "Thine
courage is great, thine Heart is pure and strong. Thou art truly a
Magic Knight, and thou art worthy to wear me." Rayearth paused.
"Thine companion in spirit hath also proven himself worthy. I shall
upgrade thine armor and weapon, that both of you may weild them. When
thou needst my power, I will appear to you." Rayearth disappeared
into the gem on Hikaru's armor.
Kira: Awfully handy gem.
The armor began to change. The shoulderguards became wider, now
with bands of white and scarlet, and gold trim. Light headgear formed
on all three Magic Knights, in their respective colors, as their
armor and weapons achieved their strongest form.
Then, Hikaru's armor continued to change.
The chest gem shimmered, and became half-red, and half-white.
Insets of the opposite color appeared in each side, and a rim of
golden trim seperated the gem in the center. The design twisted,
altering the gem itself further, until it became the symbol of Yin
and Yang.
SKJAM!: *Knew* that was coming.
Kira: Only because I told you last week.
The jewel on Hikaru's left gauntlet remained red, but with an
inset white gem at the very center. A full gauntlet formed on her
right hand, and its gem was white with a red inset.
The other Knights gasped in awe. Hikaru looked down at herself,
and grinned.
"Puuuuuu," Mokona said appreciatively.
"Let's get back to the palace and tell everyone the good news!"
Hikaru suggested. With a triumphant shout, the Knights, Mokona, and
the phoenix spirit beast made haste back to the palace.
SKJAM!: There's another part left, so don't go away!
SKJAM!