Two Much: Sometimes the end is just the beginning...

Disclaimer- I do not own any of the Pretear characters...nor will I ever...just letting you know so I don't have to retype this thing over an over and over.

12 years before...

"We're moving. I don't know where yet. My dad says if you ask your dad, then maybe you can come and visit."

The young girl shook her head slowly, her eyes scanning the floor. "My dad didn't even know I was coming outsides."

"Really? Are you not aloud to come outside or somthin'?"

The young girl shook her head again. "He knows that I came outsides becuase my big brother told. Now I'm in big biiig troubles," she said gesturing with her hands exactly how big. "I can't come outsides no mores."

"That's not fair!"

"I just came outsides to tell you that I can't come outsides no mores." The little girl looked like she was about to cry.

"Hurry up Kaisho! Before dad notices we're gone!" The girl's big brother shouted from not too far away.

"Bye Himeno," the girl whimpered. She turned and walked over to her older brother.

"B...bye Kai..."

Now...

"This is not the last you'll see of me, lefae knights. I will disinegrate you and your pathetic pretear soon enough! Until then, I suggest you enjoy your short victory while you have it." Fenril disappeared with a wave of a hand. All her seeds vanished as well. She had retreated after nearly being butchered to death. Her blood puddle where she once stood evaporated into the air.

"There was very minimal damage. No casualties. We might want to disappear before these people become concious again," Kei advised.

"Are you alright, Himeno?" Mannen asked concerned.

Himeno gave Mannen a feeble smile. "I've been doing this for four years now, Mannen. I think I can take a little pain by now." Himeno then clutched the wound on her right arm. "I'll probably be sleeping off a little pain for a couple of days. Don't worry about me though. Hayate is the one who took the most damage." Himeno unpreted with Hayate, letting him fall softly on the grass.

Mannen slumped Hayate's arm over his shoulder and lifted him from the grass. "Goh, Kei, Hajime, do you think with those injuries you could help Sasame, Hajime, and Himeno fly home?"

"No problem," Goh replied in his best attempt at a cheerful. Shin grabbed Himeno (she was the lightest), Goh lifted Sasame, and Kei helped Hajime.

"I...believe...barking out orders...was my job," Hayate grinned in a tired whisper.

"And I believe you deserve a break," Mannen replied, returning the grin.

They flew back to the palace in Lefaenia. It was now that they could rest in peace. Fenril had been fataly injured. Nothing she said as she departed phased any of them for they knew she was no longer a threat. As months passed, the knights and pretear healed from their injuries. The people of Lefaenia basked in the glory of their victory. The Lefae Knights were at ease for a while during the week of celebration, but soon after picked back up guard. They weren't expecting for the Princess of Disaster to strike, but she was still alive. Even if she were dying. Though they didn't keep up as tight a guard as their previous days of battle. So...why....were seeds still appearing?

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"I don't get it," Kei pondered. Shin used his power to restrain the seed with a few vines. "I just don't get why they keep showing up. Fenril hasn't been in this realm for about a year now. She's even fled her previous realm. Could she be sending them here from her current hiding place?"

"That's most likely possible. Which means, some how, she's survived her injuries. But even so, she still can't be strong enough to attack again," Hayate spoke monotonously. "So I guess there's no real way to figure out what she's trying to do."

Himeno watched as Goh burned the seed into nothingness, ashes floating to the floor. Her eyes were slightly saddened. Fenril's gone now. All that's left is a bunch of weak seeds. Not even larvae. The Lefae Knights don't need a pretear to get rid of weak seeds when they can do it themselves. There's no need for me anymore...so why am I here? Himeno sighed lightly.

Being the knight of sound, Sasame noticed. "Are you alright Himeno?" Hayate turned his attention when he heard Sasame's question.

Himeno forced a cheerful smile on her lips. "I'm fine." Just a little bored.

"You sure?" Sasame persisted.

"Ofcourse," Himeno replied, ending the conversation. She didn't notice how quickly the smile disappeared from her face once she stopped paying attention.

After dealing with the pesky seed, they flew home. Himeno walked to her room. She opened her window while grabbing her watering can. "Hey, Mom." Himeno watered the plant on the window cill. "There wouldn't be a real point in explaining to you what I'm thinking right? You always seem to know what I'm thinking." Himeno almost laughed, but instead softly smiled. "And I already know you wouldn't like it. But...I know I'm right. I don't wish for Fenril to come back...but...what use am I without her here? Sooner or later I'm going to have to move on right? I know, I know, they wouldn't try and get rid of me just becuase there's no job for me to do anymore. We're like family. But it's just so obvious. Soon the time's going to come where the superior powers get rid of me...and eventually the knights all together...I think...would they? I guess I wouldn't know really. I'm just...depressed. It's been a month now and none of them even remember it's my 19th birthday tommorow. And I'm not going to remind them. sigh If they don't care then...o well." There was a slight tap at the door. Himeno turned away from the window. "It's open..."

"I'm not interupting anything, am I?" Hayate asked while sliding into the room. Himeno smiled and shook her head. "Dinner's ready."

"I'm not really hungry," Himeno replied with a smile.

"You need to eat something." Hayate said concerned. "You didn't eat lunch." Hayate smiled as he looked past her to the open window. Himeno was about to protest but Hayate cut her off. "Your mother will wait."

Himeno smiled at him again, then turned to close the window. She then walked over to him, accepting his held out arm, and walked with him down the hall. She rested her head against his shoulder as they made their way to the dining hall.

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"I still have time before she comes down here. Just let me change out of this thing," Mannen complained.

"It's Himeno's party, Mannen. It's just for one night. Do it for her," Sasame calmed.

"Exactly. It's just for one night. Which means it wouldn't matter if I were in this suit or my regular clothes. Besides, it's not like she's my girlfriend or anything," Mannen retorted. Hayate gave Mannen a murderous look from the corner of his eyes which he ignored.

"You don't see them complaining," Sasame said gesturing toward Hajime and Shin.

"Look at me Sasame. Does it look like I care?"

"Well..."

"That's a retorical question jack ass."

Sasame laughed at how annoyed Mannen became. Then turned his attention back toward Hajime and Shin. "Shin, stop poking at your tye. And Hajime, take that bandana off and put away that CD player," Sasame ordered. The too obeyed, Hajime putting the belongings in his inside suit pocket. "That's better," Sasame smiled with approval.

Himeno was now lazily dragging herself down the hall, toward the dining room for breakfast. As soon as she came around the corner, to the door way, she was met with a loud "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!". So much so, she almost fell over from shock. Everything was so beutiful. The dining room decorated with balloons and streamers. She couldn't believe it. Everyone looked so wonderful. Her face went a bright red from all the attention, and for the mere fact that everyone looked so fancy. While she, on the other hand, had come down in nothing but a t-shirt and some jeans. "Hello everyone," was all she could manage to say. Everything happened so quickly. Before she knew it, she was having the time of her life. Eating cake, opening gifts, teasing Mannen about how she was never going to see him in a suit again. It really brightened her mood....then.

"We have a problem!" One of the workers from the scensor room that refused to take the day off bolted into the room.

"What is it?" Hayate said now on his feet.

"There a deamon larvae on a remote island off the shore absorbing the lefae."

"Larvae?! How big is it?" Kei asked almost choking on his food.

"By the rate of consumption, I'm assuming quite big."

With those words, the knights quickly morphed into their fighting uniforms with a flash of light and darted out of the palace with Himeno by the wrist.

--------(while on the island)----------------------------

"What the hell is going on out there?!" the man shouted. He sat inside an old stlye sliding door home. Before him, a woman kneeled, her nose to the floor.

"It seems that one the creatures rumored to be seen around the area has found it's way here, sir."

"The creatures said to be absorbing life? Perpostrous! They were also rumored to be small creatures. Besides, if the rumors are true, then the people said to show up to stop said events would be here."

"I can only confirm what is there. And this creature is not small. It is rather big, like an enourmous distorted mushroom with tentacles, and seems to be doing just as rumors say. Absorbing the life of the land and samurai alike. As for your saviors, they aren't here."

"Our people cannot leave this land. Not after our generations of inhabitance!"

I should have been the leader. I am stronger, smarter. Your arrogance will get us all killed! "The monster is relentless. If we do not get our clan to safety-"

"No! The honorable thing to do would be to stay and fight. Now go. Get rid of it. I shouldn't have to do everything myself."

And what is it exactly that you do?! I do everything while you bark orders! Your a worthless waste of human flesh. You've forgotten the way of the sword due to your inactiveness and lack of practice. You are a disgrace, yet you speak of the honor to die fighting. You will surely flee after the death of the final samurai soldier. If only our father weren't such an arrogant bastard as well. Strong, but stupid. Only a leader because your a man in his eyes, but not in mine. Coward...

"Are you listening to me?! Go, dammit!"

"Yes, brother."

------------------(The larvae field)-------

"That's the biggest I've seen in a while," Himeno said looking up at it. There were drained bodies lying all over the floor, and those still fighting it. "This is so sad..."

There was a tentacle heading toward Himeno. Hayate quickly blocked it, chopping it off with his sword. "Pret with Sasame, quick!" The tentacle regenerated itself from all the lefae it was recieving and knocked Hayate to the side. Samurai know watched in awe of the guests, as they levitated and shot magic.

"Shall we?" Sasame said extending a hand. Himeno grabbed it, a smile spreading across her face. They fused together in a flash of light, leaving Himeno in her Pretear of Sound uniform. She could hear Sasame speaking to her as if his words were her own thoughts. First use the flute to pute the civilians to sleep. "Right..." Himeno held her hand in the air. Though it was not visible, she could feel the flute appear in her hand. It was made of sound waves so vibrating, it felt solid. Then, she played it, placing the samurai into a deep slumber so they looked no different from those already dead. Then she let go of the flute, letting the sound waves disperse into the air. The bow. Aim for the artificial heart. "I don't even know where it is." Fire a test shot. You'll hear it when the arrow vibrates through the larvae's body. "Alright." Himeno proceded with the same motion, this time recieving a bow in one hand and an arrow in the other, both again made of vibrations. Himeno menuvered her aim to get a clear shot past the fighting knights. When she did, she fired. The bow went into the monster, releasing a wave of vibrations inside it. Himeno listened closely through the commotion. She heard a small kink when she saw the waves menuvering around the right portion of the larvae. Before Himeno could get the momentum to fire again, she noticed a woman approach. She was now staring at them in awe. "Where'd she come from?!" She must have just come, too late for the flute to catch her. The others looked at her as well, and in one clean swoop, all seven tentacles wrapped around all seven knights. Great! I can't unpret with you like this! "Damn! It's going to suck us dry!" They were all screaming in pain from trying to fight the Lefae being drained from their bodies. The woman backed away, then ran in Mannen's direction, since he was the closest one. She jumped up as high as she could, sword in hand, and sliced through the tentacle. Mannen fell to the floor and unwrapped himself from remains of it.

"Who are y-"

Mannen was cut off by the screams of his comrades.

"Maybe later," the woman said backing away again.

"Right." Mannen took off into the air again, slicing his friends down. The female samurai began running again. She jumped up as high as she could, then sliced another tentacle. It only went half way through becuase of the hieght. The larvae got the pain though and dropped Hayate. It quickly bounced back, ramming itself into her. She flew back a few long feet, then tumbled over in the deadened grass. Her sword landing nearby. Himeno took to the air again, and struck the larvae in the artificial heart. It dispersed in a blast of dust. However, the stolen Lefae did not return.

"It was fed to someone," Goh shouted angered.

"So we can't help them?" Himeno asked, almost crying. It wasn't the first time she'd seen dead people, but it always brought her to the brink of tears.

"No. We can't," Kei replied emotionlessly. He saw that it was already too late for the dead ones. They have no chance at life, so no use crying over it. Sasame unpreted with Himeno.

"That was good. Nice to know you didn't go soft after so many months," Sasame said rubbing his side.

"Thank you. ...um...where's that girl?" Himeno asked concerned. "I mean, she did save us afterall."

Himeno and the Knights walked over to her motionless body. "Are you alright?" Shin asked worried. "Are you alive?"

"She's breathing. She must be then," Hajime said with a small smile.

The woman could hear their conversation. She made a feeble attempt to raise herself, but crashed back to the floor. Mannen reached down and grabbed her arm but she pulled away and raised herself again, now succesfully. "I'm fine," she said in an almost inaudible whisper.

"You don't look fine," Shin objected.

"You don't sound fine," Hajime added.

She waved it off with a sad attempt at a smile. "But I am fine. Just a little banged up. What I really want to know is...who are you people."

"We're not obligated to disclose that information," Hayate replied quickly.

"Fine, fine. Well thank you anyway."

"You saved us. We sould be thanking you," Sasame corrected.

"We-...." The woman winced and clutched her stomach. "Well I'm sure you have somewhere to be. I only assume you are important people...or...disturbed people in halloween costumes. I can only assume. Good day." There was a subtle laugh amongst them at her joke.

"Are you sure you're alright. We could help you-"

"I said I'm fine now go," The woman replied with a smile.

"You heard her. We must be bothering her," Hayate said trying to get them to go.

"Don't be so pushy Hayate. She did save you too," Himeno commented. As much as Hayate would hate to admit it, Himeno was right.

"And what would your name be?" Goh asked leaning over with a cheerful smile.

AGH! My head...so...dizzy...AGH! My stomach! I think I'm bleeding on the inside! No...just a little pain...I'll get over it...I hope. AGH!

"Hello in there?" Goh persisted. He noticed the dazed expression on her face between winces.

"It...It's ...Kaisho...Haritansu," The woman exclaimed between her panting. Himeno's eyes widened a little. That name...it was familiar. "Kai...for..short..." Then the woman fell to her knees from the naugia taking over. Everything was blurred and spinning. Then up coughed blood. Alot of it. She wouldn't stop coughing.

"Internal damage!" Kei said feverishly. "That direct blow to the stomach must have ruptured something."

"We're going to have to take her back with us. We can't just leave her out here to die."

"I know that, Goh," Hayate said crossing his arms. Mannen caught her before she hit the floor. He then hoisted her up on his back and they took to the sky.