Title: Good Again

Author: Omnicat

Spoilers & Desirable Foreknowledge: Junichi Sato & co's Prétear anime.

Warnings: None.

Characters & Pairings: Mannen & Hajime & Shin & Goh & Kei & Sasame x Takako.

Summary: After the destruction of the Great Tree, Mannen, Hajime and Shin want to make sure Sasame is really a good guy again.

Author's Note: This fic has a spiritual sequel in The White Snow Of Miracles Fell ( fanfiction net/s/3486593/ – replace the space with a period), which focuses on Sasame and Hayate's reconciliation – and which I personally think works better if you've read Good Again first. But reading that fic is in no way required to enjoy this one. Enjoy!

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Good Again

They almost couldn't believe it. Himeno wasn't dead! Hayate had kissed her back to life! She was smiling, sitting up... They ran over to her and almost knocked her to the ground again, Hayate shoved to the side to make room for the three youngest Knights. Himeno returned their overjoyed hugs and kisses with her widest smile, though Hayate didn't look quite as pleased about the barrier of children between them. It was Goh who eventually dragged them off, to 'give Himeno some room to breathe'.

"Tell that to her!" Mannen said, pointing at Himeno, who'd scrambled up to her feet and was now doing the same thing to Sasame and Takako that he, Hajime, and Shin had been doing to her. And then her family washed over her like a tidal wave, leaving Hayate to trail after them like a lost (and indignant) puppy.

Goh just laughed and ruffled his hair. When Mannen swatted his hand away, he scooped the smaller boy up and gave him a crushing hug. Once back on the ground, Mannen swayed on his feet and toppled over when Hajime tugged his sleeve.

"Hey, what was that for?"

Shin pointed. "Sasame is back too."

Well, du

Wait wait wait, hold on.

Mannen's eyes widened, and he pulled Shin and Hajime to the ground next to him. They stuck their heads together.

"How'd he get there? He faded!" Mannen whispered urgently.

"Himeno brought him back," Shin said, like it was the most normal thing in the world.

"Why?" Hajime wondered aloud, his eyes worried. "Sasame was a Bad Knight, right?"

"But Himeno hugged and kissed him!" Shin said, tears forming in his eyes as he looked over his shoulder to where Sasame stood, talking quietly with a pale, black-haired lady that seemed somehow familiar to him. "She wouldn't do that if he was bad."

"How can you be so sure?" Mannen countered. "He and Fenrir fooled us before, remember? They made us think they were nice, while they really weren't!"

"They were nice!" Shin persisted tearfully. Foreseeing an all out bawling session if he didn't do something to stop it, Mannen desperately sought something to cheer the blond boy up.

"I know!" He jumped up excitedly. "We'll test him! Then we'll know for sure if he's good or evil. Come on."

And he dragged his 'minions' off.

"Sasame!"

The Knight of Sound broke off his conversation with Takako and turned when he heard his name.

"Mannen," he said softly. "Hajime, Shin."

The latter hid behind their brash leader, not feeling nearly as confident as him. Mannen planted his feet wide apart and raised himself to his full height.

"We want to know if you're really good again." He swallowed thickly under the much older, much taller, much stronger Knight's impenetrable gaze.

Sasame lowered himself to one knee and looked the three boys in the eyes one by one. "I have every intention of being a good guy again, and staying one."

Mannen, Hajime and Shin gave him blank stares.

"Does that mean yes?" Hajime asked.

"That means yes," Sasame confirmed with a small smile. Hajime and Shin cheered and wanted to run straight into Sasame's arms, but Mannen stopped them.

"Prove it!"

Sasame blinked. "How?"

That took Mannen aback. "Huh? Well, uhm, ah..." He noticed Sasame exchanging glances with Takako, who had stepped aside shyly. "Kick her!" he said, suddenly pointing a finger at the startled girl. "She tried to destroy the world, so she –"

Sasame cut him off. "Mannen! You never hurt a girl, not when she's not an enemy. Do you understand?" he said sharply.

Mannen looked like he'd been slapped across the face. Hesitantly, Takako stepped forward and put a hand to Sasame's shoulder.

"Sasame, please don't... It's okay, I understand why –"

"No, Takako," he said sternly, rising to his feet. "The cycle of vengeance has to end here, today. It would be an insult to all Himeno's efforts if we persisted in fighting each other because of mistakes made in the past."

Tears shone in Takako's already red-rimmed eyes. "And your sacrifice would have been for nothing," she whispered brokenly.

A shadow passed over Sasame's eyes. Takako broke down sobbing and hid her face in her hands. Sasame took her in his arms without hesitation and began murmuring in her ear soothingly, stroking her hair with one hand.

Mannen felt like scum, like he'd kicked a puppy. But he couldn't forget the proverbial teeth marks these innocuous-looking puppies had left.

Tears brimming in his own eyes, he cried out: "That's not fair! Telling me what I should or shouldn't do while you are the one who –" He sobbed. "– who blew up Himeno's house and made us hide out in that dank old church and – and – and b – beat Hayate up and made Hi – Himeno cry and made Shin cry and Hajime and – made me cry!"

Sasame looked down helplessly at Mannen, who was rubbing at his eyes furiously, trying and failing to stop crying while his young shoulders shook with sobs. The regret in his eyes was stronger than tears could have communicated.

"There is no way to justify what I have done," he said in a low, intense voice. "I know that, Mannen. Don't think I'll ever forget that."

Takako looked up at him. "I'm so sorry. It's all my fault."

But Sasame shook his head. "It was my own decision."

Goh quietly came up behind Mannen, Kei not far behind. When he put a hand on Mannen's shoulder, the younger Knight spun around and buried his face in Goh's shirt. Shin let out a wail, causing Takako to let go of Sasame and look back.

"Oh please, little one, not you too."

The young Knight of Plants ran up to her and threw himself in her arms. She stumbled back a step, eyes wide with shock.

"Hey, buck up, big guy," Goh said, gently stroking Mannen's hair. "It's all over now, remember? And I'm sure Sasame is sorry for all those things. Right, Sasame?"

Sasame looked around at his fellow Knights, from Goh's sincere, expectant expression, Mannen's hurt, puffy eyes peering at him from the safe folds of Goh's shirt, to Kei, who was awkwardly rubbing a confused and upset Hajime's back, to Shin clinging to Takako's blouse and Takako herself, holding Shin to her chest and looking even more guilty than he felt as she fumbled to comfort the boy. He couldn't meet her gaze.

"No. I'm not sorry," Sasame said softly, closing his eyes as if in defeat. "Not for anything. I'm not sorry for abandoning the Leafé Knights to join Takako as her Knight of Darkness. Just like I'm not sorry for helping seal Takako away sixteen years ago." He took a shaky breath. "But I'll never forgive myself for any of it."

Mannen looked up, his eyes wide and incredulous, and wiped his nose with his sleeve. For once, Goh let him. "How can you be sorry and not sorry at the same time?"

"You think about that for a while, kid," Kei said, his eyes unwaveringly on Sasame's down-turned face.

"I'm not a kid!"

"When the heart breaks, a man must live on for his principles, or die a meaningless death," the Knight of Light mused. "Who would have thought you would turn out to be so ruthless?"

Sasame's lips pulled into a wry smile. "If only. The fragments of my heart were still alive, beating as wildly as before they were torn from each other. It gave me the foolish hope that I could keep living with one part of my heart by killing off the other."

"I'm not a kid! Would you guys talk normal?! Stop showing off!"

"Don't worry Mannen, I don't think I get it either this time," Goh said, looking from Kei to Sasame and back doubtfully.

"That, gentlemen, was what we call symbolism," Kei sighed, rolling his eyes.

"Huh?" Mannen cried out in dismay: "But – we still don't know if he's a good guy or a bad guy!"

"As good as he's ever been," Kei said impatiently.

"Yeah, like that says much!"

"You know Sasame is good, right lady? The flowers told me. They were glad when he came back, because Sasame is the only one beside me who can hear them. Are there any of those cookies left?" Shin said tranquilly.

Mannen sweatdropped. What use were talking flowers to the Knight of Ice?

"Cookies?" Takako looked confused by the sudden request.

"Shin, you glutton!" Goh whacked Mannen over the head by force of habit. The sight triggered Takako's memory.

"Oh! Those cookies." She looked at Shin with a tender smile. "I'm sorry, those cookies got old. They were yucky, so I threw them away. But I'm sure I can find you something even better in the kitchen. Don't tell anyone, but I have a secret stash hidden beneath the sink." She winked, making Shin giggle. Then she remembered her audience and looked up with wide, guilty eyes. "I – if that's okay with you, Goh, Kei?"

The Knights exchanged glances. Goh sighed.

"Well, you always were good with kids. I still envy you for that, you know?"

Takako's face filled with joy as Goh smiled as her.

Taking a deep, shaky breath, she put Shin down and stood up, one of his small hands in hers. "Did you hear that, Shin? Let's go! Hajime, would you like to come too?" she added, seeing his eager expression from the corner of her eyes.

"Yeah!" Hajime cried, and ran over to her, grabbing her free hand.

"Yay!"

Takako led the squealing boys away. Shin grabbed Sasame's tunic in passing, causing him to finally look up.

"Should I bring you some cookies too, Sasame? You'll feel better."

Sasame's anguished expression softened at the innocent words. "Thank you, Shin, I'd love some."

"Okay." The blond little Knight tugged at Takako's hand, and with one last glance at Sasame, she led the boys to the house.

Mannen had the rare common sense and discretion to wait until they were out of hearing range before stomping his foot and saying: "No cookies before he passes the test!" He bit his lip for a moment in deep thought. "I know!"

And he lunged straight at Sasame's chest.

Sasame was thrown back, landing sprawled out on the grass with Mannen on top of him. It took a heartbeat for him to realize what the younger Knight was up to, but when he did, he yelped.

"No, please, don't tickle meeeeek –"

He squirmed and tried to flee, but Mannen clung to him like a spider and mercilessly sought out the sensitive spots at his sides.

Sasame was ticklish. But it was common knowledge among the Leafé Knights that you should never try to exploit that particular weakness. It rubbed the Knight of Sound the wrong way that he, who was normally so imperturbable, could be so easily reduced to an undignified pile of giggles. Anyone who tried to do what Mannen was doing had to have a very good reason to face Sasame's wrath. Kei and Goh looked at each other and gulped, remembering the last time they'd tried to tickle their silver-haired friend to death. They'd been haunted for days by the most obnoxious music imaginable.

"If he's really good again, he won't try to get back at me," Mannen panted, as if reading their minds.

For a moment, Sasame's twitching and shaking stilled as he looked at Mannen with a look of shocked disbelief, and he would have said something along the lines of 'Aw, come on!' if it wasn't for the fact that Mannen was still tickling him.

He burst out laughing again and was only barely able to say between gasps: "What about – gasp – running away? Hahagh – what would that – ngigh – what would that make me?"

"A wuss," Mannen declared. He pulled his hands away and jumped up. "I'm gonna be gracious, though. That's enough, you passed!"

Sasame rolled over on his side, clutching his stomach while he caught his breath, his body still shaking with aftergiggles.

"I guess I deserved that, huh?" he said as he finally sat up, sheepishly running a hand through his tousled hair.

"Oh yeah," came Mannen, Kei, and Goh's simultaneous reply.

Chuckling lightly, Sasame stood up. Or rather, tried to stand up. Hands grabbed his shoulders as his wobbly knees threatened to give in. He looked up to see that Kei and Goh had rushed to his aid.

His eyes stung, and he gave them his widest smile in years.

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PSAN: Comments on older fics will always remain welcome. :)