Hey there all, so this is the revised version of PoS. I haven't touched it in about a year :ducks rotten veggies thrown from random directions:

I know! I know! But I decided (after an inspirational review from Ryo and reading others on the page) to update AND change all the spelling errors. Here you are now, the finished product. Well, I SAY finished, I mean getting there...

A fic about the series from another person's point of veiw. This is my second fic with one of my own characters in it (well two technically) And I'm not sure if people are gonna' like it, but I hope you do. Have fun!

Disclaimer: I do not own Pretear or anything involved with it. Though I do own Maikeru and Hime!

Princess of Sorrow

Hime sat on the grubby seat of the bus, staring vacantly at a glob of chewing gum on the floor. The headphones she had on crackled violently as she flicked through the stations.

"...And I am unable to accept the things around me."

She stopped there. This was Sasame's show. His calming voice flowed through the 'phones into her ears.

"Well Miss Silk, you seem to have lost someone very dear to you. I know how you must feel as I was once in the same situation."

Trees and cars slid by in whirl of silent colours, and the bus jutted to a stop. Hime stood up and walked down the narrow isle, her shoes tapping on the polished floor.

The bus stop wasn't far from her house, but she didn't want to go there, not to that place. Instead she pressed on through the crowd towards a place she knew she could be alone.

The park, when she reached it, was empty. The little fountain in the middle bubbled away and birds chirruped noisily. There was a clump of hedges at the far end, she clambered through these and emerged into a sun dappled clearing. It was only big enough for three people, but it was quiet and Hime liked that. The hedge surrounded her, unbroken on all sides except for a tree that was covered in pink blossom. Its rough trunk stood out from the hedge proudly. She sat with her back against it and listened to the radio. But it was so easy for her to do that. The radio didn't require anything, you didn't have to talk to it and you couldn't hurt its feelings. But, perhaps more importantly, it couldn't hurt you either.

Her gaze slid over the grass in front of her, then back down to her lap. Her hands rested there, crushing tiny creases into her school skirt.

Hime winced as a bright light stung her eyes. She looked down at what had caused the flash. A silver bracelet on her wrist winked up at her, the sunlight dancing playfully across its surface. She slid her finger along the thin band. She could feel the engravings under her finger tip, they were strange. No-one had seen the markings before, and there was no record of them in books or on the internet.

Suddenly a flame of bright black light shot up in front of her, making her gasp. There, on the grass, stood a tall man. His clothes were unusual, he wore nothing that was not either black, or a dark shade of purple. The whole ensable was topped off by a black, knee length cape.

Short black hair slid down over his dark eyes and he wore the same thin, silver band around his wrist.

"Good afternoon Hime." He said, his voice as charming as his face. Hime turned off the radio and removed the earphones. "Was that...was it Sasame?" He asked. She looked up and smiled.

"Yes." She answered. There was a pause before she carried on."How do you know Sasame?" Hime looked at him questioningly, he couldn't know Sasame. The reason was...He wasn't alive. The man was called Maikeru, and he, silly as it sounds, seemed to occupy her bracelet.

She didn't know much about his past, only that he had died during a great battle.

"I...I heard you listening to him." That would make sense. Her and Maikeru shared a bond, Hime thought it was through the bracelet, and sometimes he could use her senses. hear what she heard, see what she saw. Some would call him a ghost, but Hime thought that a much to inhuman term. He was a spirit, trapped in the bracelet for a reason unknown to her.

"I should go home." Hime said, standing up.

"You still havn't been fostered?" There was nothing she could hide from him. She sighed and fiddled with her radio.

"No, but I'm old enough to leave that stupid childrens home now. No-one seems to want me around anyway." Blinking the tears away from her eyes, she looked up. "But I still have you." Maikeru smiled. It was a rare thing, but his smile could melt even the coldest of hearts.

Their gazes were locked until a loud roar broke the still evening air. Maikeru swivelled around and stood over her protectivly. Hime wasn't sure what he could do though, whatever it was would go sraight through him.

A long, green tentacle crashed out suddenly from the bushes. She sprang up, her long blond hair obscuring her veiw. She just avoided it, whatever 'it'was. Picking up a stick, she managed to keep the thing at bay until another wrapped itself around her waist. She struggled to untangle it but it wouldn't budge. The other tied itself around the tree. Dark, black nothing spread down the trunk, as if sucking the life from the tree, leaving only grey. It ate its way across the branches, and began on the hedge. She suddenly felt very tired, and wanted nothing more than to curl up on the floor and sleep. Maybe she should just give up...

A brilliant light slashed across the two tentacles and they exploded into grey whisps of fading maybe. Hime was flung to the ground, but kept conciousness long enough to see a human shape slice through the rest of the green vines before darkness invaded her eyes.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

She woke to Maikeru's concerned face.

"Where is it! We have to run!" She rasped, her throat parched.

"Sshh, it's alright, it was dealt with. I thought you were going to die or something."

"But how?"

" It just was, now it's over and we can just forget about it." Hime was about to protest, but a stranger looked down on her.

"Are you alright?" He asked. " I heard a yell and thought you were in trouble..." He was tall, and wore a white suit. His long blond hair was up in a ponytail on the top of his head and he looked tanned.

"I..." She thought of Maikeru."...I'm fine."

"Are you sure? You look shaken."

"No, honestly, I was just resting." He didn't look convinced.

"I'm going to get us something to drink, and I won't take no for an answer." Reluctantly, Hime let him help her up and walk her to a cafe. He ordered tea and she had water. He offered to get some food as well, but Hime's stomach was already doing backflips and she didn't think she could hold anything down.

"So, your name is Hime? Nice to meet you, I'm Kei." Hime smiled weakly.

"Thank you." There was an uneasy silence as Hime argued whether or not to ask. Eventually her more curious side won. "Did you, was there something back there?" Kei thought about this for a moment.

" Yes. Though I couldn't see what it was." Hime was dissapointed. She wanted to know what had attacked her.

" Why? Did it hurt you?"

"Um, my parents will be worried about me, I'd better go." She got up hurridly and grabbed her satchel, funny, she didn't remember bringing it back. She began to run when there was a tinkle behind her.

" Wait! You dropped this." Kei's voice came from over her shoulder. She looked down at her wrist. No bracelet.

She didn't want to go back, but just her luck...

She turned and walked back to Kei, who was now standing up.

"What strange symbols..." He muttered. Hime stood next to him shuffling her feet. If Maikeru was there she couldn't see him, but she could just imagine the expression on his face. The lecture she'd have to sit through later would be so boring. She'd have to go through repetitions of 'you shouldn't be out so late' and 'come straight back from school', not to mention the grounding she'd get...

"Where did you get this?" Kei's voice shattered her self pity.

"Huh? Oh, that. I found it." She answered.

"Oh, it's...pretty." Kei said, handing it back to her.

"Thanks. Like I said I have to...-"

"Go, yes. Goodbye then, it was nice meeting you." He smiled. Hime smiled back.

"You too."

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

When she reached the Sunnydale Children's Home it was dark. She sneeked in on tiptoe up to her room. When the door of her room was carefully closed Maikeru spoke.

"I told you to forget it." His tone was sharp, and Hime winced as he talked.

"I just wanted to know what it was, that's all. You know, in case it came back." She answered carefully. What was so wrong with him? Maybe he was peeved at her going off with another man. Maikeru was staring out of the window, and suddenly changed the subject.

"Who's that new girl at your school?" Hime was surprised. Whatever, she thought, I'd rather not talk about it anyway.

"Who, Himeno? She's not exactly new any more. She's been there a long time now." Maikeru looked, if it was possible, even more miffed than he had before. But he kept his cool.

"Oh."

"Apparently, her step mother is Natsue Awayuki." Maikeru gave her a look of why-do-I-care-? and Hime sighed. "This is Awayuki town. She owns it." He nodded at this. "Anyway, you can bog off now. I'm going to bed and I don't want you perving." Maikeru rolled his eyes, but swiftly vanished in a flash of black flame.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Weeks passed, offering nothing but more of the same. The holidays began and Hime was glad not to have to go through the torture of school. She went to the tiny clearing almost every day, the little cafe too, but never once saw Kei. She wasn't even sure why she was looking for him. There was just something about him, something that reminded her of Maikeru. But what was it?

He didn't have Maikeru's smile, or his deep eyes, or his slender fingers and soft touch...

Shut up! Maikeru's voice slashed through her thoughts. Hime turned a deep, strawberry shade of red, she forgot he could sometimes hear her thoughts.

You shouldn't be listening in anyway!

It's still disgusting. And how can I have a 'gentle touch'? I'm dead remember.

Yeah whatever.

Watch out! Hime threw herself to the ground as a flaming fireball sizzled through the air above her head. She turned to see the bushes behind her singed and steaming, and a hole that went right through the whole hedge. Hime walked to where the hedge ended and peered around it cautiously. A huge maggot-like monster was writhing around like a snake in the park beyond, lashing out with tentacles like those that got her. This must be what attacked her that time! She gasped as a man dressed in red hit the floor next to her. He pulled himself back up and threw a fireball like the one that nearly killed her. It hit the monster but seemed to have no effect. She realised that there were quite a few people there, but they seemed to be flying. Flying?

A sound next to her brought her back to earth, looking down she saw a little boy. He had blond hair and looked about five. He was wearing a strange outfit that was green, it had a cape and a hat, and he wore a necklace. The necklace levitated in his hands and let off a red light. Hime jumped back but tripped and fell on her rear, and watched in silence as vines grew from the ground, entwining together to create a dome shaped cage. The cage itself let off another red light and Hime thought it was going to explode, but instead it just disappeared. Disappeared completely into thin air.

She stood up and walked to where the edge of the cage had been and reached out for it. There. Her hand hit something invisible and a flicker of something painted the air in front of her. She hit the cage and saw it appear, like the screen of a laptop, it rippled. The familiar black flicker of Maikeru appeared beside her.

"What is this?" She asked outright. Something inside her told her Maikeru would know.

"What's what?" He asked back. Hime could tell he was lying, but humored him anyway.

"This." She said slamming her fist hard into the surface of the cage.

"Oh, that." Hime watched him for a second before geting impatient.

"Well?"

"'Well' what?"

"WHAT IS IT?" She yelled. Maikeru sighed.

"I can't hide anything from you for long, can I?" Hime shook her head, he was obviously about to tell her something big. "It's a containment shield."

"And that would be...?"

"A shield that contains things." She gave him an evil look."It's used to contain battles. To make sure they don't effect the rest of the world or hurt anyone who isn't fighting." Hime looked at the ground, trying to take it all in. It was a bit unbelievable. But there it was, right in front of her, or not. She hit it again to make sure.

"But...Why is it here? There's no wars or anything going on at the moment."

"Well actually..." Maikeru began but was cut off when there was another flash of red. The shield that Hime's hand had been resting on was gone and she wobbled, losing her balance. The little boy that she'd seen earlier was suddenly next to her again, and there was another group of people in the park.

"Damn, caught." The man she'd seen before was one of them, only now he wasn't wearing red. There were two other children there, one with white hair and one with orange. There were four adults and a girl. There was the Red Man, a man with long blue hair up in band, another with grey-white hair and glasses and...

"Himeno...and Kei"

"What?" Maikeru asked. "Never mind, look out, here they come!" Hime looked up to see Kei walking towards her, a worried look on his face. The others were following him and the white haired kid kept talking.

"I told you." He said. "I told you I saw someone."

"Hime?" She gulped, what had she got herself into this time?

"Hi. Ha, we meet at the weirdest of times." She laughed nervously.

"We have something to tell you."

"Um, you do?"

"Yes, something very important. You see, you're in a lot of danger." Hime's stomach flipped. It was all just to wierd. Spirits, flying people, monsters and containment shields. It was like being in a really bad horror movie. And now she was in danger? Oh Kami, she thought, this is bad. A bunch of strangers just killed a giant maggot and want to help her. What should she do? "Let's sit down." Kei offered, gesturing to a nearby bench. She gave Maikeru a look of a-little-help-here, but he just shrugged. He couldn't do anything, so she sat.

"First of all, there's this thing called leafe..."

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Yay! My first Pretear fanfic done. I used Kei a lot, but nothing really happened to him in the series so... I hope you liked it, Maikeru being a ghost is a bit weird but if you havn't got it already there is going to be an explanation soon. There will be another chapter in a bit and please review cause I just love reviews!

Forgetful