At last, the end of it...

                           #Final assault#

  A rivlet of cold sweat ran down Geo's brow.
  Hikaru hugged Lantis. Ferio hugged Fuu.
  Nemo grabbed his chair's arm so tight as to crack it.
  The mass of energy was on the NSX; now it filled all the bridge's view.
  The Cariddi's engines buzzed and flared with red-white plasma, propelling 
it at shocking
speed like a fiery-tailed comet.
  Umi closed her eyes. <I knew Nemo wasn't going to do anything.>
  On the NSX, the world went black and an explosion shook the ship.
  The Cariddi was there, punched against Autozam's flagship, the side holed 
and smoking,
but still operative and ready to strike. Nemo's face appeared on the NSX's 
comm screen:
  "Are you bbzbxuuu? I repeat, are you all right?"
  "Yeah" ranted Umi pulling herself up.
  "Yes, we have suffered no damage" Geo answered more military-style.
  "Good. Be ready to shoot."
  "When?"
  "When the Cariddi will impact on the enemy." The transmission was closed.
  "What?" Lantis asked amazed. "He is not going for a *ramming* attack, isn't 
he?"
  "I fear he is crazy enough" Zazu replied checking some monitors. "They are 
using some sort
of inertial ram."
  From their position, they could already see a pale luminescence coming from 
the Cariddi's
bow.
  "Be ready for the Laguna Cannon" Geo ordered; but Hikaru interjected:
  "Isn't it dangeorous?"
  "Yes, it is" Lantis explained. "Especially if they'll not be able to get 
away from the beam
course."
  "And I'm going to shoot anyway" Geo said a bit roughly.
  "Why?" Umi asked.
  "We have no other choices" Fuu interjected. "Nemo offered to help us this 
way, and I think
he fully understands all the implications."
  Geo nodded.
  Metal plates groaned as the Cariddi lifted from the NSX and rocketed down 
its target, light
enveloping its bower section as the power of the ram increased and more and 
more particles
disintegrated upon it, until the end, until the impact. It was of huge 
violence, sending the
energy of the ram into space in a ring of crackling white concussive force 
together with a
good part of the obsidian-like material that covered the Eye's ship.
  "Zazu!" Geo shouted with all his strenght.
  "Wait" Hikaru cried. "The ship is still!"
  "Damn" Lantis leaned to the railing. "It doesn't move." He launched a 
inquisitive glance at
the captain.
  The Cariddi, without any propulsion, fell, letting gravity do its job. Nemo 
was only hoping it
would have been enough.
  "Laguna Blast!"
  On all the three ships, all eyes fixed on the NSX's most powerful weapon 
that with only one
shot was about to decide the destiny and doom of three crews. Was it powerful 
enough to
destroy the black building-looking ship? The Cariddi was going to dodge it? 
Could this be the
defeat of an Eye?
  In the following few seconds everybody hold his/her/its breath.
  The beam passed no more than twenty meters above the Cariddi's turret, 
burning away the
remaining antennas and all the paint, but it did much more damage on its next 
target. The
Eye's ship was hit exactly where the Cariddi had rammed it, tearing literally 
a hole in it and
triggering a chain reation of smaller explosion inside and outside it. All 
that was left of it was
a black wreck floating in the void.
  "Damage report!" Geo ordered.
  "Ours or theirs?" Zazu asked, just before being poked on the head by the 
captain.
  "*Theirs*" he said, caustic.
  "Let me see..." he was nearly whistling. "Bad news, Geo. That thing is 
*still working*."
  "How it could?" Umi cried.
  The Eye appeared on the screen, followed by Nemo, and spoke:
  "*You pests! I will have my revenge! Time and space are not limitations to 
me!
Remember!*" and disconnected.
  "Don't take it seriously" Nemo said shrugging. "It is no more a danger for 
us, or for me; this
is one of the worsts defeats in its life, so he will not boast about it."
  "Are you sure?" Hikaru asked.
  "Sure; anyway, it'll *never* see Cephironians on Earth, right?"
  "Right" said Geo, with the hint of a smile.

                                 #Final#

  They were all on the NSX's landing bay, Nemo's car parked near.
  "So, it is time we say farewell" Nemo said, trying not to be too rude in 
such a moment.
  "Yes, we have to" Hikaru said with a sigh. "Farewell, Lantis."
  "Farewell, my dear redhead."
  "Fuu, it's time we must depart" Ferio said, bringing her some steps away 
from the group.
  "Yes, we must." She leaned to his chest to feel its warmth. "I don't want."
  "But we must" he said taking her hand into its own. "Don't forget that for 
you, Cefiro is
nearer than everything."
  He kissed her hand, but she didn't blushed as before: her eyes were now 
fixed into his, not
in the void.
  Nemo coughed faintly. "Fighting with you has been a pleasure, but, and 
don't take this as an
offense, I hope we'll never meet again."
  "Me too" Geo said smirking, and shaking his hand trying to squeeze it.

  As Nemo's car hovered and finally disappeared from sight, Lantis kept 
looking at it with an
expression difficult to understand. Noticing it Ferio tried to rise his mood:
  "C'mon, I know how are you feeling now; Hikaru was..." He was stopped by a 
slow shook of
his head.
  "The car...has my same name..."
  Ferio facefaulted.

  "Thank you for bringing us back to Earth" Fuu said as soon as she was able 
to touch solid
ground.
  "He couldn't leave us floating in space, Fuu!" Umi whispered.
  "I think we have to pass through another round of goodbyes" Nemo said.
  "Farewell" Hikaru smiled. "I think we'll never see again, right?"
  "Yes."
  The Magic Knights saw him crawling back into his car, turn on the CD-player 
and drive
away into the night; the last thing they heard of him were some words, faint 
and nearly
drowned in the breeze: "Tomaranai negai..."

                                                         THE END

  Now that you've read it (because, you *have* read it, right?) you can send 
me C&C at
mbnesons@uli.it or try at http://www.geocities.com/tokyo/garden/5779/

  Costructive criticism is welcome, flamers will be flamed.

  Hang there a sec! What it this? A sequel?

                          ##The Second Coming##