Author's notes:

Sorry, I managed to forget to put anything on the first one -_-' That was my first time putting on a part of my fanfiction, so please don't be too hard on me, I'm just learning how things work. Anyway, I hope everyone enjoys this story, I started it a few years ago so don't be too hard on the poor workmanship; I'll let you know when the newer chapters come.

Alright, so…Disclaimer: I don't own Pretear in any way, shape or form, however I do own my OCs as well as the ideas for this story!

Five Years and Still Waiting

"Any luck?" Himeno questioned as the seven tired comrades walked into the house.

Hayate shook his head, "looks like this will take longer than I thought" he sighed.

Kanzen walked into the room from the living room. "Nothing again, huh? Himeno, if the time comes you can always help them" he said gently.

She shook her head; "I'm too busy now…" she started.

"What, too busy to save the world?" Hayate questioned angrily.

The room was silent until another child walked into the room, rubbing her eyes. She was five years old with deep auburn, almost brown, straight hair that reached almost to her shoulders and deep blue eyes. She stopped once noticing the seven, strangers to her, males. All eyes were focused on her and after a few minutes she finally managed to speak.

"Hello…" she said, looking at each new face in turn. "My name is-"she was cut off as Kanzen picked her up.

"Back to bed with you, tomorrow is another day of school so you need to rest" he said as he began walking down the hall to his daughter's room.

"But…" she started, instead of arguing she moved so that she could see the strangers one last time. "Umm… Good night, maybe I'll see you again. Hopefully sooner more then later…" she muttered more to herself then actually telling them. Her expression hadn't changed much, but it looked like she was sadder now then she had been when she first came out.

Once the two were out of sight Hayate along with the others looked over at Himeno angrily. "I thought you told us your new born child didn't survive?!" Hayate questioned, his body full of rage. She didn't want them to know she still had the child, but for what reason would she have for keeping that from them?

Looking at the ground Himeno replied, "I didn't want her to know that while she's growing you seven weren't. She's still young so I was going to wait until she was at least fourteen before letting her meet you guys. Then again… now that you've met her, do you seven mind being her guardians?"

"Guardians? You're asking us this after we just found out, five years later, that your child is still alive? Why should we?" Hayate questioned.

"She doesn't have any friends Hayate; I was hoping you seven could at least be her guardians so she has someone other than Kanzen and me to talk to. Please guys… be her guardians, if not for me then for her" Himeno pleaded.

"I'll be a guardian!" Mannen volunteered.

"Me too" Hajime smiled.

"Yeah" Shin nodded.

"Well… I guess I could be a guardian… I mean we can't just let these kids do all of the work, now can we guys?" Goh smiled and ruffled Mannen's hair.

"I'm not a kid!" Mannen yelled angrily.

"I suppose I could be a guardian as well" Kei said with a slight sigh.

"Of course, I will accept the responsibilities of being her guardian" Sasame smiled kindly, as always.

Hayate glared slightly but then nodded. "Fine, I'll accept the responsibilities of being her guardian as well."

"That's great!" Himeno smiled, "thanks for understanding guys."

At that moment Kanzen walked back in the room. "I managed to get her back to sleep but I had to promise her something first" he started.

"What?" She questioned him when he didn't finish.

"I had to promise that one of the strangers, as she called them, would take her to school tomorrow instead of one of us" he replied, "and she wants to meet them without someone interfering."

"Oh that's all?" Himeno questioned sarcastically.

"You don't mind, do you?"

"Not right now I don't" she sighed.

"Great, so which of you will be taking her tomorrow?"

The Knights looked at each other a moment before a certain white haired kid volunteered. "I'll do it! I'll take her to school!" Mannen volunteered happily.

"Sure you're man enough to take her to school by yourself?" Goh teased.

"Yeah, I can do it!" He said in an annoyed tone.

"Great, then you should get to sleep" Goh laughed slightly, ruffling Mannen's hair again.

"I'll go to bed when I'm-"he was cut off by a yawn. "Fine, I'll go to bed…" he muttered.

Mannen awoke to the sound of someone saying something. He opened his eyes and blinked a few times to focus on the face above him.

"Good morning sleepyhead" a girl smiled slightly.

"Oh, you're the girl from last night" Mannen muttered sleepily, then jumped up. "Its morning already?!" He yelled.

She nodded, "yeah and you might want to keep it down a little, your friends are still sleeping. Come on, I'll show you where my school is and then you can come back and a have a nice nap."

"I'm not fi-"he stopped. "I'm too old for naps" he said quickly. "So come on, I gotta get you to school now right?"

"Yeah" she nodded again. "Let's go"

After grabbing her book bag she took the lead as they walked through the gate and onto the sidewalk which led to town. "It isn't really far, but if you don't want to go the whole way with me you can go back home" she said in an emotionless tone.

He looked at her a minute before looking the other way and putting his hands behind his head. "No way, I'm gonna take you to school then I'll go home. It's my duty."

"But aren't you only doing this because my parents asked you to?"

"No, I wanted to take you to school… I need something to do in the morning anyway." He wasn't really lying, her parents did ask one of them to take her but he had volunteered to do this himself.

They walked in silence another few minutes before she stopped. "What's wrong?" Mannen questioned.

"This is my school" she replied, "You can go home now."

"Oh, alright… I'll see ya tonight then" he said and watched as she walked into the school yard.

As she walked into the school she pasted three kids who looked at her disapprovingly and shook their heads. Man, even at that age kids can be mean… talking about others behind their back and looking on as if they shouldn't be there. Now I know why she's so depressed. Poor kid… Mannen thought then turned and ran back home.

He slammed the door as he ran into the house and tried to catch his breath.

"What the hell?!" Goh yelled, jumping off of the coach. "Mannen?"

"You should…" he started breathlessly. He took a deep breath then tried again. "You should see the looks they give her behind her back. It's like they want nothing more than to see her disappear."

"You woke me up just to tell me that?" Goh questioned grumpily.

Mannen glared."Of course I did! If we're her guardians then we all have to figure out why she's so depressed!"

"What's with all of the yelling?" Kei questioned, walking into the room with his arms folded.

"I was just…" Mannen started.

"He woke me up!" Goh yelled his reply.

Kei waited for Mannen to finish. "I was just telling him what I seen while taking umm… her to school" Mannen sighed.

"And what would that be?" Kei asked him.

"The way she's treated, it's like all of the kids hate her…"

"What are you three talking about?" Sasame questioned, walking in from the dining room.

"I… Look, I'm not repeating myself six times" Mannen said, annoyed.

"Well then, we can tell Hayate, Hajime, and Shin later if they ask" Kei replied.

"Fine" He muttered, "it's like the kids at school hate her, alright?"

"That's why…" someone muttered from behind the coach.

The five jumped and looked over to see Himeno standing up from her kneeling position. "That must be why she won't talk about school and why she doesn't have any friends yet… I never noticed that before…" she muttered.

"Well, now she has us! We'll be her friends and she won't be so alone any more" Mannen announced with a smile. "We can help her."

That night, around seven, everyone was setted in the living room. "Now we can finally meet" the five year old said.

"Yes, do you mind going first?" Sasame questioned gently.

She nodded. "My name is Shizuka Awayuki, Mom never changed her last name and she didn't want me to either."

"I'm Mannen" the young Leafé Knight smiled.

"I'm Hajime" he smiled as well.

"I'm Goh, and this little guy here is Shin" he said, ruffling the child's hair.

"I am Kei; it's a pleasure to meet you."

"I'm Sasame" he nodded slightly with a kind smile.

Shizuka looked over at the last young man, waiting for him to introduce himself. He stayed silent instead and kept his gaze fixed on the wall. Sighing, Shizuka stood and, with the others watching, she walked over to where he was standing."I believe it's your turn…" she started but then stopped and quickly put a hand on her forehead. "What…what is this pain…?" She muttered.

A few seconds later Sasame looked over to the door, "It's a demon larvae!" He cried.

"Has it taken root?" The other man questioned quickly.

"I don't think so" Sasame replied.

The group walked over to the door and opened it; just on the other side was what looked like a scaly ball with an eye which had a sharp pupil. In a second Mannen had a ball of ice in his hands and threw it at the creature. It was frozen just as the ice hit.

"Alright!" He cried in triumph.

Once the larvae was frozen Shizuka removed her hand from her throbbing head, which was no longer throbbing. "What…?" She whispered to herself.

The young men looked over at her for a second then went back to where they were sitting. "If you want an explanation, you'll have to wait until you're older" Goh told her.

"I don't want an explanation right now" she said, "what I want is to know all of your names." She looked at the man again, but still he said nothing. Finally Shizuka moved away from him, going around him and heading for the door; stopping just short of it.

Everyone was quiet, wondering what she was going to do. They got their answer quicker than they thought. Shizuka turned around and quickly, yet surprisingly quietly, ran and jumped onto his back. He jumped slightly, surprised by the action.

"Now" she said with slight amusement in her voice, "tell me your name."

"My name is Hayate" he replied.

"Was that hard?" She questioned.

"Not as hard as having you hanging off my back" he replied.

She sighed, "Adults can be so mean… but…" her voice became filled with sadness and she continued quietly, "but not as mean as your own classmates' words…"

The group looked at her sadly and Hayate sighed. "But… don't get the idea I let that bother me…" she said quickly. "I don't care about what they think about me, I don't even know them… so… I don't let their words get to me."

"You seem to have a big vocabulary for a five year old" Goh said, "and you know a lot more than five year olds normally would even understand."

"Hm?" She looked at him a minute then felt herself slipping so began to jump down, but Hayate hooked his arms under her legs and pushed her up farther onto his back. "Well, I get more time to myself then normal five year olds do" she told them.

"That's true…" Goh muttered.

Himeno came in at that moment and then noticed Shizuka and Hayate. She smiled then said, "It's time for bed, you have to get up early tomorrow for school."

Her face fell slightly, even though you wouldn't have exactly noticed since she looked sad in the first place. "Alright" she sighed and reluctantly started to climb off of Hayate's back, but to her surprise he held on tighter and started walking toward her room.

"I'll take her to school tomorrow" he said as he walked past Himeno and down the hall toward Shizuka's room.

The next day, Shizuka walked silently beside Hayate as they walked to school.

"Hayate…" she started, not sure of what to say at first. "How do you know my mother?"

"We can talk about that when you're older, alright?" He said, his voice harsh.

"Alright," she sighed, "I was just trying to make conversation; I don't get to talk to people very often so I just figured I would try to talk with you before I got to school, but…"

"But we're here," Hayate finished for her.

"Yeah, and if you want to pick me up after school, then you'll have to come later tonight, I have something I need to do after school. Mother or Father can tell you what time to get me," Shizuka informed him, walking onto school property.

She silently walked past a group of kids as they watched her disapprovingly, some scared, others looking to be angry. Hayate watched carefully as she walked into the school. Why would they be scared or angry at someone they had never met? It makes no sense…

Throughout the whole day Hayate stayed just outside of the school property, watching over Shizuka as she went through her classes until the children were dismissed. She had been the only one that stayed behind, but then a young male teenager greeted her with a kind smile, a sword sheathed at his side.

"Are you ready for your training, Miss Shizuka?" His voice was kind and innocent. He had gentle brown eyes and black hair that reached just past his shoulders.

"Yes," she nodded, a sheathed sword clenched in her hands.

"Good, strap your sword on and show me what you can do now."

Nodding, she strapped the sheath to her side, moving into a fighting stance. "I'm ready when you are, sensei."

"So far so good, let us begin…" he ran forward, trying to throw a punch at her stomach but she quickly jumped back, running to the side after landing.

She kicked him in the side, jumping back then quickly ran to be behind him as he tried to grab her throat. Getting to her destination, she hit him multiple times in the back before kicking him again, using the force to do a summersault in the air before landing easily on her feet.

"Good, let's test your knowledge of the sword now, show me your strength," he instructed, unsheathing his sword.

"Right," she quickly unsheathed her sword, running forward she quickly jumped up, struggling under the weight of the large sword clenched in both hands.

Forcing the blade down as she landed, she caught his sword, forcing herself back and landing neatly on her feet. She quickly ran forward, smashing her blade against his and in a second she managed to get it out of his tightly clenched hand.

"Great job as always Miss Shizuka," the male smiled, "no matter how tight I clench that sword, you always manage, I wonder how you can do it."

"Thank you, sensei…" Shizuka sheathed her sword before bowing. "It really isn't hard to use a sword though…"

"Well, either way, you did great, you don't have to call me sensei anymore," he had sheathed his sword and now was standing beside the child. "You may call me by my name, now that you've beat me fifteen times, you are the new Master of the Sword around here."

"But…" she started.

"Just call me by my name," he placed a hand gently on her head.

"Alright… Yasashii Konpaku."

"Close enough," he laughed lightly, ruffling her hair. "You better get home, it'll be late soon, wouldn't want to worry your parents."

"Alright, see you next week Yasashii-sensei," she nodded, running over to the gate.

Hayate watched as she approached him calmly, as if his being there wasn't a surprise.

"What did you think of my training?" She questioned lightly as they walked down the sidewalk toward home.

"I'm wondering why your parents have let that teenager train you, you're too young to wield a sword," Hayate replied.

"I may be young, but I have a lot of talent, Yasashii told me that…" she whispered.

"Even if you're talented, that doesn't mean you have to begin training at such an age," Hayate shook his head, "I don't care anyway, it will be your own fault if you get hurt."

"That's right, so you can just stop worrying about me and don't pick me up until this time tomorrow," she muttered, running into the house and gently closing the door.

"Welcome home Shizuka," Himeno smiled, "have fun training with Yasashii?"

"Of course mother," she nodded, walking past her toward the living room.

"Hey, Shizuka's home!" Mannen smiled as he noticed her walk into the room.

"I don't need any of you to accompany me to school tomorrow," she told them, walking past to her room.

"Hayate must have done something," Goh sighed, "man he's even mean to kids."

Shizuka sighed, laying down on her bed, hands behind her head. "I know I over reacted, I should apologize to him…" she muttered, "to all of them."

There was a light knock on the door followed by a gentle voice. "Shizuka, may I come in?"

"Yes, Sasame," she muttered.

He opened the door and walked in, quietly closing it behind him. He walked over and sat on the edge of her bed. "Is there anything you want to talk to me about?"

She shook her head, "No, I don't need anyone to talk to, but thank you for offering…"

"If you ever need to talk, I'll be here to listen," he smiled, leaving the room.

"He's nice…" she muttered, getting out of bed and walking over to the door.

She left the room and entered the living room. "Guys, I'm sorry for telling you I didn't need any of you to come with me tomorrow, I didn't mean it… But none of you have to come with me if you don't want to."

"I'll take you tomorrow," Sasame offered.

"Thank you…" she smiled slightly.

Hayate walked into the living room, ignoring the slight glares he received from his fellow Leafé Knights.

"Hayate…" she looked at the floor, "I'm sorry about…"

"I will not accept your apologizes," he said plainly, "and you will not be forgiven."

"Hayate," Goh glared, "how can you be so mean?"

"No," Shizuka shook her head lightly, once again emotionless. "It's fine, he shouldn't forgive me, I don't mind that fact. I'm… I'll go to school by myself tomorrow, Sasame; you don't have to pick me up if you really don't want to." She turned, going back to her room.

"Good going Hayate," Mannen sighed.

The Next Day

"Miss Shizuka, I brought a friend of mine to go against you this time," Yasashii waved lightly. "I would like you to meet my older brother, a sword master."

Shizuka looked over, "I'm only supposed to fight you, Yasashii-sensei."

"But I'm not even worth your time, don't worry, my brother won't hurt you, I promise."

"Alright…" she muttered, unsheathing her sword.

The two ran forward, smashing their blades together. Yasashii's older brother was a lot stronger than Shizuka and she was forced back, jumping back quickly and trying to get the sword out of his hand, but he was much quicker. He managed to get the sword out of her hand in a second, slashing her left arm down to her side, then slashed her left cheek.

"Isn't pain a wonderful feeling child? Now that you've felt the steel of a sword run through your flesh, I would advise you to give up on wielding a sword, it's far too powerful. I do admit you have a lot of potential; you're strong for such a young child, almost as strong as me actually. If we were to fight again when you were seven, I'm sure you would win, but the question is, are you willing to continue with your training after this?"

Shizuka was breathing heavily, blood running down her left side. "No, I will continue, and I will go against you again when I'm seven…"

"Brave child, though what will your parents say after seeing you in that condition?"

"I won't let them know…"

"Have fun trying to deal with the wounds alone then child, we may or may not see each other again." He walked away with Yasashii close behind.

Sighing heavily, Shizuka took out the bandages she had in her pocket, going over to the lake a little ways into the forest behind her school. Carefully cleaning the wounds, she gently began to wrap her wounds. Once finished she sighed, knowing that her parents would see her torn clothes before she made it to her room.

"Good thing I have money," she muttered, walking to the nearest store. "I'm glad I told Sasame not to come if he didn't want to, if any of them found out then they'd probably go straight to my mother about it; that would ruin everything…"

She easily found a shirt identical to the one she was wearing, buying it and changing before leaving, throwing out the torn shirt. "No one will care, and no one will notice, the scratch on my face can be from tripping during training… that's easy enough to believe."

About half-way home she could hear faint footsteps behind her and stopped. "Who's there?" she questioned without turning. Receiving no answer, she turned around. "…What are you doing here, Sasame?"

"You're mother was worried that you hadn't come back yet so she asked me to come find you," he replied.

"How long have you been following me?"

"Not long, only five minutes, you actually noticed my presence much faster than I had thought."

"Oh…" she muttered, "Well, let's get home."

"I might as well let you know now though," Sasame began as they entered the gate to the Awayuki mansion, "that we haven't seen Hayate today."

"Where did he go?" Shizuka questioned emotionlessly.

"We're not sure; I just thought I would inform you, that's all."

"Well, thanks for the information, I hope that you don't think I'm rude or anything, but I would like to go to my room now, so if you'll excuse me…" she walked into the house, slowly going to her room.

She closed the door as soon as she made it inside, turning around she wasn't surprised to see Hayate sitting on the edge of her bed.

"Stalker," Shizuka muttered, "I told you and the others not to come."

"I just wanted to watch you practice again, but I hadn't thought either of them would actually hurt you," Hayate sighed, "I'm sorry for not realizing it sooner."

"You didn't even bother helping me with the wounds, why? If you were going to let me know that you were following me in the first place, why didn't you help me?"

"I had planned on telling Himeno about the little incident you were in, but once I was half-way here I decided that instead of telling her, I would train you instead, that way you won't be able to get hurt again."

"I thought you didn't like the fact that I was learning the way of the sword at such a young age."

"I've decided that you're ready for some real training, but it won't start until those wounds of yours are healed."

"I guess that's fair enough," Shizuka stated, walking over to sit gently on the bed beside Hayate. "Thanks for not telling my Mother about what happened…and for deciding to help me train."

"Don't think that I'm going to be nice to you all the time from now on, because I'm not and just because I decided to train you doesn't mean I like you either. Are we clear on all that?" He glanced over at her, noticing her look slowly to the floor, her eyes vacant.

"Yeah," she replied, voice soft, "I understand."

"Good," he sighed, standing up, "I'll see you in a few days then." As he began to walk out of the room Shizuka stood, a slightly confused look on her face.

"But Hayate, why in a few days, won't I see you tomorrow as well?"

"No, now that I'm going to be training you, you're not going to see much of me anymore, I don't want to become attached to you," he replied, closing the door silently behind him.

"So strange," she muttered, laying carefully down on her bed, staring at the ceiling, placing an arm over her forehead. "Ever since I've met my new guardians, I keep getting this headache…I wonder what's going on…"