KeyQuis: I had to rewrite this chapter. I apologize for neglecting this story (haven't given up on it though). For the past month and half, I've been busting my brains studying Japanese (self-taught). Italics are thoughts or past speech.
Laptop has serious overheating problems. I'm hoping the HD doesn't die on me... My work term ended and now I'm back in Vancouver. Next time I go for a short-term stay, I minimize spending to food alone because packing and shipping was 'not fun'.
Chapter 4: Blazing With Justice
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o
The castle had been abandoned since the day it became engulfed in darkness. Time stood still for the fortress among the briers and thorns. The inhabitants were all asleep in an eternal slumber with its princess, neither dreaming nor living, only hoping to awaken once again. The shroud cover hid its once glorious kingdom; the grounds unwelcomed all who glimpsed into the shadows.
He shrugged off the sense of death looming outside the bedroom chambers. He vividly remembered all life that flourished in this fallen kingdom. His princess lay asleep on her bed. One hand went to caress her perfect porcelain skin; it was an indescribable cold that greeted his fingertips.
"I'll restore your soul, my love. Wait for me."
I'll do anything to see you smile once again, even destroy all of Leafeania. I'm sorry I failed to protect you.
The little boy with golden hair grimaced at the sight of the young girl lying against the stones of the town's water fountain. Her head had been carefully placed on the ledge and her hair drifted in the waters. Her spirit was completely drained from her soul.
Is he mocking us? To display his power in such plain sight?
Kei held back the curses lying on the tip of his tongue. Haidhis had taken his first victim last night and from the looks of it, the victim had attended Himeno's ball last night too. The once shiny dress lay dull, covered with town dust. In a mere hour, the sun would rise and other residents would discover her. His options weren't good either.
"He got her good, didn't he?" A chirpy voice came from behind him.
"Mannen. This is a serious matter. I can slow the death of her body, but it'll cost me a lot of spirit. It'll be a matter of time before it'll turn to dust without its soul. And you don't have near half of what I have to save her either." Kei faced the Ice Knight.
"You just had to rub it in." Mannen sighed. "I know I'm not very old compared to you, but at least give me a chance."
"Do you have something in mind?" Kei raised a brow. "We don't have too much time. Even if I give her my spirit, her soul won't return unless he's defeated. She'll just be an empty case...but at least she will have a second chance at life if we recover her soul in time."
"You revive her, I'll freeze her in a time stopper," Mannen coolly replied. "With her frozen, the spirit you give her will last forever. Then we won't be so pressed to defeat Haidhis in a rush. He must be a sneaky bastard if he escaped your detection and I don't think he's gonna show up anytime soon either."
"Time stopper? Are you sure about it? But your spirit-"
"I'll be fine if I rest up afterwards. I mean, it's not fair if you get to ... sacrifice your spirit and I don't," Mannen snapped. "Stop bearing all the load alone, Kei! Let the rest of us help too."
"Fine. We'll take her back to the mansion, and place her in an empty room, where we'll give her our spirit." Kei watched the rays of sunrise slowly glow over the town. "We must hurry. Mannen, carry her."
Mannen swiftly hoisted the sleeping maiden into his arms. "Ai aye, captain Kei."
The two angels ascended into cloudless skies, their wings unseen by the those who lived on the ground. Perhaps if they were seen, hope would fill the hearts of the hopeless.
The morning was considerably beautiful today. The sun had not risen over the horizon, but the clear sky paved a bright light blue ocean above his head. Hayate had woken up promptly the next day to clean up the decors left outside. All that week of hard work just for one night...one unforgettable night at that too. It had been humanly fun for him. Hayate loaded up a few stone statues onto a cart and wheeled them to the storage cabin. A few thoughts lingered in his mind.
"What do you think you were doing?"
Kei had a nice chat with him earlier on this morning, when the sky was still dark. The Light Knight found out about what happened during the dance and didn't like any of it one bit.
"You engaged yourself in a compromising situation. Had something spurred from it, you'd be threatening mankind...again."
Hayate neatly stacked the statues beside each other and draped a large cloth over them to protect them from collecting dust. He only had another 30 or 50 some odd statues left to bring in. He could easily bring them all in using the wind, but it'd be a waste of spirit. There is merit in using your own strengths over your own powers. Everyone has some strength, but not everyone has power. His father had taught him that. And what's a statue weighing twice that of a human to an angel anyways? Nothing.
I might have done something stupid, but I didn't do anything wrong. I did something I shouldn't have done, but I don't regret it.
Hayate looked around. Large cloths covered up exquisite items that were only brought out on special occasions, old antiques that were no longer in style and other sentimental gifts that had no place inside the house. This storage was really a treasure box in Hayate's mind.
"There really isn't any value in hiding something beautiful. Keeping it locked or hidden away is just a waste of its existence. It's like a flower in the dark. Leave it there and it'll wither without anyone knowing until it's taken out. Leave it in the sun and it'll wither eventually, but not without bringing some joy and smiles to peoples' faces first. Death is nothing to fear if life was lived to its fullest."
Hayate remembered the words; the voice that spoke them had become fuzzy over the years though.
"What am I suppose to do, mother?"
Hayate caught glimpse of a few early rays of sunlight at the entrance doorway, reminding him of the work ahead of his day.
"Well, that's that." Go gave a thumbs-up to Hajime. "We can head back now."
Hajime smiled up at the clear sky. "Besides that, it's another beautiful day blessed unto the lands. Just look at the radiance from our trigger barrier. Father must be pleased with us."
"You can say that again. Tell that to Kei and maybe we'll get to see him cheeky and cheerful too. Heh, makes me glad he's in a child's body."
"Leader needs to laugh once in a while. It's good for the soul."
"Alright, race ya kid." Go grinned and started off.
"A head start won't do you any good! Water is faster than fire." Hajime propelled himself forward with a bit of spirit.
Water won by a long shot, making fire eat its droplets.
Hayate clenched his fists at the sight of it. The girl encased in ice was placed in the dark corner of the storage room. Kei told him that Haidhis had struck his first last night. The fact that he was able to conceal his evil spirit posed the greatest threat of all. The knights would have to stay closer to their Pretear since anyone approaching her could be him.
"This stinks and I don't mean you, Kei," Mannen grumbled. "How in heaven's name are we not able to sense him? It's like fishing without a rod! We can't find him!"
"Your analogies stink, Mannen," Kei quietly retorted. "Anyhow, Hayate. Go will now be her primary protector. You will no longer be assigned to her due to your compromising actions last night. Note that I would replace you with Shin since he has the higher defensive capabilities, but I don't want him wasting his spirit. Your duty will now lie in protecting the maidens in the local area since your speed will serve the purpose well. I'm planning several team formations to optimize our chances of winning in different battles. Should an unexpected circumstance arise, I would like to make sure that we are prepared. Hajime and Mannen will be support. Shin and I will be the trump cards. Any questions?"
"Where is Go? Shouldn't he be here on the estate as well?" Hayate crossed his arms across his chest.
"I will notify him when he finishes his round. You'll switch with him when he gets back. He's out setting tracking spirit with Hajime. They're creating a detector field around the perimeter. If there's an unknown spirit disturbance trying to enter the premise, we'll know. Shin's in heaven making preparations. And he needed to rest himself. Apparently, last night took a toll on his body."
"I'll say. You shoulda seen him get swung around like a doll. It was hilarious." Mannen beamed his leader a cheeky grin.
Gracious Light simply glared up at Absolute Zero.
"Hayate, go check if Himeno's awake yet. She should be awake by now, but I haven't seen her around. We need to discuss battle tactics with her soon. If she's willing to train, that'd be great too." Kei pointed to Mannen. "And you will be delegated to make runs to the local towns and contact us if you notice anything suspicious. Put your energy to good use other than making jokes all the time.
"Boo, I can't help that I was created to be a serious joker." Mannen waved bye as he headed out the storage, with Hayate following his lead.
Kei took a final look at the iced figurine. "I'm sorry this happened. It's hard to protect the Pretear and every other girl at the same time. It's not that we don't want to...it's just that we really can't without risking the fate of the world. I hope you'll understand and forgive our selfishness. We'll do our very best to get you your soul back. It really is a pity to have your first kiss charmed away...and your soul stolen away. May you forget this horrible ordeal when it's over. God bless."
Kei never looked back. Duty was waiting for him.
It was so cold. Himeno found herself lost in a forest, void of life and light. The trees had distorted figures of horror, their branches bearing no leaves or fruits. The land looked like death.
"Where am I?"
Her legs continued to carry her on the path that lead her in one direction. They stopped at a gate. Its model was that out of fairy tales; large, majestic, with intricate patterns painted with faded gold. Thorny vines crawled all over the patterns, warding off those who dared to lay hands on it.
"That's as far as you go, princess." A voice from behind called out to her.
Himeno snapped around, her heart pounding hard in her chest. The voice, as beauty as it sounded, struck a chord of panic and fear to her soul.
"Hai...dhis." She trembled and found her limbs paralyzed in terror at the dark figure whose eyes were the only thing she could see. The colour of evil lurked in those eyes that.
"Silence now...your soul is mine now."
The thorny vines that were wrapped against the gate now bound themselves to her body, piercing it all over. Himeno felt the pain of the deep pricks that made her bleed all over. The more she struggled, the more they tore her body. He walked over closer, a pair of black lips came into view.
All she could do was scream.
"Himeno!"
It was a nightmare...I'm still alive.
"Himeno, wake up!"
There's something warm holding me. So warm...safe.
"Himeno! Open your eyes."
They're so blue, so deep, and so endless.
"Ha..ya..te?" The syllables slipped from her mouth. Her eyelid slowly lifted up.
"Are you alright!" His face was full of worry.
Hayate had entered her room through the balcony windows and found a dark mist drifting on her bed. He dispelled it with his wind and rushed to her side. Her face was scrunched with pain, her breathing was uneven and the air around her body was freezing. She thrashed about restrained underneath invisible binds. Without a moment to spare, without even thinking, he just pulled her against his body and wrapped his arms over her body, his legs slightly entwined with hers. He desperately tried to warm her up, lest her soul leave her body. Himeno lay helplessly cradled in his arms.
"What...I..." The vivid images of death flashed through her mind. Her fear resurfaced and she screamed.
"Stop Himeno. It's over. The nightmare's gone now. You're awake now." Hayate muffled her cry by pressing her head to his chest. "You're..safe now."
Himeno frantically cried out. "He came. Haidhis came to me. It was so dark, I was pinned down by thorns! I was bleeding all over...he was going to take my soul!" Her body shivered and she couldn't help but to lean in to his warmth.
"I didn't think he'd enter your dreams so soon. Looks like we've got more to deal with now. He knows who you are, where you live. We'll have to increase our guard over you until we pinpoint his identity and location." Hayate comforted her with gentle strokes to her hair, a gesture his mother often did to him.
They remained in each other's company. Himeno let the soothing touch on her head continue without complaint. It was the nostalgic feeling of being a little child again that felt so reassuring. Hayate knew better than to build the bond between them. Kei had warned him and he would no longer be by her side in a short while. He was being selfish and he knew it. It was not love, but a longing to open up his kind self to another. A knock on the door broke their moment.
"Miss Himeno, are you well? I heard some screams inside your chamber." It was Makoto, her dutiful servant. "Is everything alright with you?"
"Yeah, I'm fine now. It was just a nightmare," Himeno replied out after promptly turning her buried face to the door.
"Breakfast will start shortly. Please come down as soon as possible."
"Uh...thanks!"
"I shall excuse myself now, Miss Himeno." Footsteps faded away from her door.
Hayate swiftly detached himself and got off her bed, leaving her in a slight daze. "Kei wants us to meet up and discuss a few matters. Due to new information, there is going to be a change of plans in how we'll be dealing with Haidhis starting today."
"Um, Hayate." Himeno's body still tingled from his touch. "Thanks for...comforting me."
His reply was a quiet glance into her eyes.
Himeno took in a deep breath to calm herself. It took just a few seconds for her mind to take in what had happened - she threw herself into the arms of a guy...a mighty fine looking one at that too. Her cheeks went instantly to match the shade of red roses in the garden.
"Are you alright? Your face is flushed."
"Eh?" Himeno slapped her cheeks. "It's noth-nothing. See, I'mmmm fine," she stammered. "Ahh, I have to change...can you leave?"
Hayate immediately turned his head and headed for the windows. "We'll be waiting for you at the same place. Hurry up with breakfast because it's urgent." He left as he came.
Himeno stared at the spot where he had been standing. The image in her mind seemed almost sad. With his back towards her, he didn't look like an angel at all. There was no radiance or glow from his eyes, no wings or feathers. If Himeno didn't know any better, he might as well have been a human boy.
"I'm being strange...and it's not from my dream...and it can't be from last night."
"Aww Himeno. Won't you thank your daddy for giving you such a wonderful ball?" Mr. Awayuki ran over and coddled his little girl the moment she stepped into the dining room.
Himeno was too weary to push him away this morning and let him cling to her while she forced herself to the dining table. Her thoughts were occupied about the dream and the feel of death.
"Ah! Is my little girl still a dazed from the magic of romance? The knight swept you off your feet and now that the enchantment is over, you are heartbroken."
"Dad...you're starting to act like Miss Yayoi. It's unbecoming of you," Himeno mumbled and shoved an entire croissant into her mouth, followed by a serving of warm milk tea and topped off with a several miniature sweet custard cakes. "And I will never be heartbroken because I'm never going to fall in love."
Is that a lie? It is, isn't it, Mother? I'm lying to myself. What am I so afraid of anyways?...
"Are you alright, Himeno?" Natsue leaned across the table and felt her daughter's forehead. "You don't have a fever, but you do seem a bit pale."
Himeno cracked a smile. "I kinda woke up to a bad dream. Body still feels rather on the numb side, mother. Really, I'm fine." She started laughing to ease the atmosphere.
"If you say so dear...," her father raised a questionable brow.
Himeno devoured several slices of toast and finished off a glass of milk. "See. Perfectly fine." She rose from her seat. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have some business to attend to."
"But your lessons aren't until this afternoon? Are you going out somewhere? If so, Makoto has to come with you," her father chimed in, concerned for her well-being
"I'll just be out in the garden." Himeno walked out room before more questions came at her.
I have to be strong...I can't let a dream get to me.
They all gathered in the gazebo, sheltered from morning rays. Kei had placed his illusion shield up to hide detection.
"Himeno, Go will be guarding you from now on. Hayate is needed elsewhere," Kei informed her so as-a-matter-of-factly when Himeno arrived to their gathering.
"Eh?"
"To clarify, it is more strategic to have Go by your side than Hayate."
"Wait...what's going on? By my side? What are you talking about, Kei?"
"Oh yes. You were uninformed that Hayate was assigned as your guardian to protect you from lesser demons. It will now be Go."
"Wait, why the switch? What's more strategic?" Himeno thought back to this morning. Was that why he was there? Because he was told to watch over me? Was that why he was able to...
"And I must tell you that Haidhis has taken his first victim since his awakening. Last night, one of the ball attendees was found drained of her spirit."
"Last night!"
Mannen interrupted, "Well, we're not too certain about the details, but we know he did it."
"How is she then?" Himeno panicked at the thought of Haidhis attacking a girl.
"She's..been stabilized for now. But we need to defeat him as soon as possible to release her spirit from him," Kei answered calmly.
"Wait, so where is she now?"
Hayate spoke up. "You shouldn't go see her. Not after what happened this morning."
"What happened this morning?" Kei's question was a demand. "Are you hiding something from us, Hayate?"
"It's nothing." Himeno waved her hands to excuse the matter. "I'm alright. It was nothing serious."
"You lie, Himeno." Shin's statement caught everyone's attention. "Since this morning, the flowers have felt your troubled self. Your spirit has made them worry. If it has anything to do with Haidhis, you'd better tell us because it is serious to us."
"She doesn't have to say a thing, Shin. Don't pry into people's feelings with your flowers."
"Hayate?"
"You don't have to tell them what happened, Himeno."
"Hayate! What's gotten into you?" Mannen grabbed the collar of Eternal Motion's outfit. "If she was attacked or something, we have to know!"
Himeno watched them argue over her. Hayate really didn't want them to find out. Was it because he didn't the others to worry? Or had it been something more?
"It was just a bad dream!" she roughly blurted out. "Nothing happened. I just had a bad dream."
"Was Haidhis in it?" Kei sharply asked. "Did he come to greet you?"
There was no reply. Her widened eyes told Gracious Light all he needed to know.
"Now we can presume he knows where you are." It must have been last night, when her spirit overflowed. He must have been able to detect it. We were too careless! "Alright, you'll have to see the victim. Only then will you understand the true horrors of Haidhis. You can still back out afterwards. We won't force you to fight it you're afraid."
They waited for her answer. All eyes were on her slightly trembling form.
I know I shouldn't be scared. Maybe I got myself involved with something I shouldn't have. This is way over my head. I should have gave it more thought before deciding...that's right...I became the Pretear because I wanted to stop Haidhis. I can't let him bully me with just a dream! I won't give up. I won't let him win!
"I want to see her. I'm not afraid of Haidhis."
Hayate had been sent off to the towns for surveillance. He figured that Kei wanted to minimize his contact with Himeno after what happened. He hadn't intended on protecting Himeno from the others, it just happened. Instilling fear into her heart would have caused them problems. There was no need for Himeno to see the first victim.
The towns had changed since he last remembered. The streets were still of stone and houses of wood and plaster. There were more businesses, more people, more life. Fashion had changed considerably. It was different like it should be. Nothing could ever stay the same with time...at least he'd like to think so. He knew plenty of constant things of life. Love would always be love, it would not change its character in anyway. Hate would always be hate, complimenting love as usual.
Hayate felt something at its feet. It was a ball. He picked it up instinctively and his eyes looked for its owner. A little boy ran up to him, his small group of friends waiting for the retrieval of their ball.
"Can we have our ball back, big brother?" the little boy smiled up at him. He must not have been 7 years of age.
"Sure." Hayate placed the ball in the boy's hands and patted him on the head. "Have fun."
"Thanks, you too!" He ran back to his friends.
Hayate never had any friends as a kid. He never had the chance to play with other children before being taken to heaven. There hadn't been much choice after his parents were killed. The guilt of being their cause of death still haunted him. His parents died protecting him. He had the power and couldn't save the ones he loved. In bitterness and pain, anger and sadness, hate and love, he agreed to becoming an angel knight. He wanted to slay all demons.
The previous Pretear. He could never forget her. She had been his friend out of free will, not fearing his power. She saw through to his kind and gentle heart, and thanked him for vigilantly protecting her. Her smile ceased his guilt and her words comforted his soul. And in the end, he had been the cause of her destruction. Just because he could not love her, he caused her to lose her soul to Haidhis.
So what was the deal with Himeno? He was going down the same path as he knew it. He wanted to protect her, but didn't want to risk having her fall in love with him because of that. He wanted to be her friend, he wanted the warmth of someone he could trust. Humans were so different to angels. They had a short life. They lived with the day to day pleasures. It was a world he could not return to. For both their sakes, Hayate would try to avoid coming close to Himeno. He would fulfill his duty in a cold and uncharacteristic manner, like the way Kei wanted. He would lie to himself and use the Pretear for a source of power.
Hayate grimaced as he looked up in the sky, ignoring the sounds of street life around him. There was no way he could change his heart.
Himeno felt the void of spirit when she entered the room. In the corner lay the lifeless maiden entrapped in unmelting ice. Her steps wavered at first while approaching it, but in her determination took broad strides over. She was going to get rid of her fear and beat that soultaking creep.
Kei had sent Hayate away and his absence made her uneasy. After seeing the girl, she could only hope that Hayate would be able to stop something like this from every happening again. Himeno was face to face with her destiny. There was no turning back now she saw the truth.
"He did this to her?"
"Yes. When we defeat him, she'll get her soul back."
"Then I hope he shows up soon because I want to beat him now." Her tone was frightening, full of absolute anger. Her voice was low and serious.
Kei and the others felt her spirit rise from her emotions. They felt her power radiate and it beckoned them to want to pret just to feel the warmth of a Pretear. The experience of a pret was always different with each new Pretear. The first touch was always intoxicating.
"You should be careful what you wish for." Shin's words broke through their thoughts. "It might not turn out the way you want to."
"The sooner we fight, the sooner we get her soul back though." Go shared his feelings with his team. "Besides, I'm getting a little anxious just sitting around and waiting. I want some action!"
"That's why you always get stuck with the boring jobs. You need to cool your head." Mannen scoffed him over the head. "Patience is a virtue if you haven't forgotten."
"Now now, no fighting amongst ourselves," Kei calmly interrupted, "Whether he shows up or not isn't our concern. We need to focus on training with Himeno and increase our awareness. If we are not prepared for battle, then it is pointless to have one." The leader had displayed his authority timelessly.
"So can we start training then?"
"Thought you'd never ask," Go grinned. "Me first!"
"No, Shin will test her out. He's a much better guide. Plus his gentle spirit should balance hers." Kei chuckled as his fellow knight sulked. "But we must find a training area first. A place out of sight from human eyes."
All eyes turned to Himeno, asking if she knew of such a place.
"Uh..., when I was just a kid...there was this one place I played at a lot..., but..."
The view was breath-taking. Despite being overrun with wildflowers and willow trees, the mountainside off by a short distance to the property was beautiful.
"but...I stopped going when mother died."
There was plenty of tree cover and a small running river added its luscious sight. Kei nodded with affirmation.
"This place will do just fine."
"Heh...it feels kinda weird coming back here after a long time. It's changed, but it still feels the same."
"Shin, please teach her the basics of controlling spirit flow. We don't want her to burn out too fast. Mannen, Hajime, the both of you practice shots at them. Himeno needs to learn how it feels to be in sync with her knight while he's moving around. Based on the first fight with Hayate, she just poured spirit into him and collapsed from exhaustion. We can't have her doing the same thing now that Haidhis knows her whereabouts." Kei passed out the instructions to his team. "And Go, you will pret with Himeno when the enemy sends out his minions. For now, just watch over their training."
"Eh? You're not staying, Kei?" Mannen blurted out.
"I have to check up on a few things. I'll probably meet up with Hayate if you want to find me." Kei gently lifted himself off the ground, preparing to fly off. "Blessings be with you all."
Mannen waited for his leader to disappear out of sight before speaking up. "Geez, that's Kei for ya, always doing things his own way. I swear, if there's something that doesn't change with time-it's him."
"Hey...Kei is a good leader though," Hajime protested. "He always does the hard stuff so we don't have to."
"Blessed Spring does have a point, Absolute Zero," Shin added. "Kei is a leader we can trust to always take on more than what is needed from him. Don't build up feelings of dissatisfaction against Glorious Light."
"Geez...can't anyone take sarcasm and jokes around here?" Mannen muttered, "I was just trying to ease the tension before practice."
Shin bowed slightly held out his hand. "Himeno, may I?"
It was almost like a request to dance. There was a small step of hesitation when she placed her hand in his.
He must have been here. I know he would go visit her.
Kei entered the broken kingdom that had been sealed off from the rest of Leafeania. In here rested the tale of the sleeping princess who would only awaken to a kiss of true love. Kei knew the tale was a lie. No kiss could restore a lost soul. His footsteps traced an old path. His eyes recalled the past glory the long halls were filled with. His heart grieved at his mistake.
Her room was at the very top. He was the one who laid her to rest when they sealed Haidhis. He gave her a portion of his light to keep her body suspended with life in the darkness. He had removed light from the rest of the castle, casting them to a dreamless and timeless slumber. He vowed one day to bring everything back into the light. Her pristine beauty was as he remembered. Hair as black as night, skin as white as snow and lips as red as blood.
"Takako." Kei bit his lips, holding back his guilt. "I'm sorry I wouldn't let you love him. Eternal Motion isn't allowed to have another love him...the past isn't allowed to repeat. I'm sorry for leading your heart into confusion and hatred."
Kei got down on his knees and pleaded. "Please forgive me for hurting you. I only wanted to protect my knights from falling astray."
But Perfect Harmony loved you with all his heart and soul...I couldn't stop him from loving you.
"Forgive me, Sasame. I never meant to hurt the one you love."
Kei rose up from the ground and proceeded to leave her room via her dusty balcony.
"Forgive me, Sasame. I'm going to have to destroy you in order to get her soul back. It's still inside of you, isn't it? Her soul is still giving you power, isn't it?"
"To pret is like trusting someone with your life. You're not afraid of getting hurt, nor causing pain. It's a two way relationship, perfectly balanced and mutual. There's no need to strain yourself, Himeno. Give me your strength as my body asks for it. Don't force it through me or you'll burn yourself out."
Himeno could hardly focus on his words. This pret felt so different than with Hayate. Granted that Shin's spirit felt succumbingly warm and secure, but she didn't feel connected to him at all. Their minds weren't of one, neither was their spirit. Instead of a bodily embrace, it felt like they were holding hands and Himeno was the one tugging at him to run faster, while he was pulling her back to slow down. She felt queasy, almost dizzy in her state of mind.
"Himeno?" Shin dodged a few ice lances and weaved through water whips with ease. "How are you feeling?"
"Sick. Let me out, I don't feel so well." Himeno wanted her soul and body back to herself.
The separation felt harsh as Himeno felt herself get thrown to the ground during the unpret.
"Yo Himeno, what happened?" Mannen rushed to her side, followed by Hajime and Go. He propped her to a sitting position. Her spirit felt irritated.
"I don't know. It was going alright for a while until we starting moving." Shin checked her pulse and found it to be racing violently. "You should rest for now. Hajime, give her some water."
"I don't get it. Did I do something wrong?" She drank in the cool refreshing water from Hajime's hand. Her body relaxed as it was rejuvenated. "It was nothing like with Hayate..."
"You just need to control your flow of spirit. Essentially, it's like we're feeding off your soul. You can only give us so much before our bodies can't take in any more. Balance is what you're missing. Trust is something we need to work on too." Shin watched her struggle with her weakened condition.
"Alright...let's try again." Himeno bit her lower lip and forced herself to stand up. She suppressed the queasy feeling in her stomach. "I need to practice so we can beat him."
Shin hesitated. Clearly she had no clue how to control her intense emotions and her feisty spirit. To try again without even considering her physical state was too reckless of a Pretear. He felt somewhat frustrated with her rebellious attitude, yet could not help admire her unyielding determination. "All right. We'll try again."
"I'll try harder this time. I'll do my best to balance my spirit."
It had been Mannen who noticed it. Her eyes held an all too nostalgic intensity within them. How long ago was it when he last saw the same look in Hayate's eyes? He was young, fierce and prepared to succeed at all costs. Watching Himeno was like looking at Hayate's reflection in a mirror. They were similar, only separated by a fragile wall of glass. Realization struck him. The past would repeat itself, another tragedy would awaken if the glass between them broke. However impossible it may be, the two should never pret ever again. Absolute Zero cursed silently at Eternal Motion's fate. The youngest knight was never going to have a happy ending.
Hayate did his best to drive thoughts of Himeno out of his mind. Thoughts of the previous Pretear mixed in and he wished that he had not been created. If he hadn't been born, then he wouldn't have caused such great sadness to those who didn't deserve it. He loathed the human weakness in his heart. Those thoughts were irrelevant to an angel. To question his own existence was a very sin.
Takako. He still remembered how she smiled at him. Her title was the Princess of Light in the Kingdom of Tyipi. Aside from being the most sought after girl in all of Leafeania during her time, she had been the purest of spirit out of all the Pretears they had encountered. Her love was her greatest strength. Her kindness was her greatest weakness.
"I have to let go of my past...or I'll just repeat it again."
Hayate failed to notice the enemy make his first move. Waves of darkness quickly flooded the town with screams.
Their training session ended with some degree of success. After the 12th pret, Himeno managed to endure through the motion training without wanting to unpret. She lay with her back against the untended field of wild flowers, with her knights joining her as well. She panted for air and did not grumble at how still her body felt. Shin had warned her about the effects of consecutive preting without taking a break. If not for her high stamina from all her martial training, she'd be done for.
"You did well, Himeno. Both you and Kei dodged all of the water whips." Hajime knew compliments were typically well taken by girls. "That was impressive."
"I'm beat," crooned Mannen. "Using the ice lance as a projectile was not a cool idea. My spirit feels so wiped out."
Himeno let out a chuckle. "Looks like you need to practice balancing your spirit too. You overspent yourself."
In their state, only Go was capable of being in a pret if danger arose. Shin felt completely drained of spirit and he just wanted to return to heaven to rest. Not even the vast flowers and trees in the area gave him enough of their life for his spirit. Hajime lay in the small river, feeding off its life to recover his lost spirit.
"That's definitely enough practice for today," Shin clumsily sat up. "Mannen, Hajime. The both of you are coming back with me to heaven. We're useless in the state we're in. Come on, our souls needs to be replenished." He opened up a gate back home. "Better hurry because I'm quite exhausted. Go, we leave her in your hands now. If an emergency arises, try to fight it yourself. I don't want Himeno to pret at least for another hour. For best, take her back to the mansion and let her rest. We'll just have to hope Hayate can deal with Haidhis's attack in the local towns. Day one is always busy. When you meet up with Kei, tell him that we've gone back to heaven and that Himeno's made some improvements."
"Will do, brother." Go waved farewell as they walked through the gate of light. He faced Himeno with a wide grin. "Come on, princess. Let me fly you back home. I'll carry you on my back. Don't worry, all my intentions are noble."
"Sure."
Himeno let him help her up onto his back. If her mind hadn't been exhausted by the training, she probably would have declined and insisted on going by foot. It was in midair when she noticed the sinking warm feeling from his back and how tight her arms were wrapped around his neck. The cringing thought of being piggybacked appalled her. It was utterly embarrassing. Her cheeks were flushed with a pretty shade of pink by now and she refrained herself from wriggling out of his firm hold and falling down 100 feet from the sky. At first, her position felt uncomfortable. The last piggyback ride she had was long forgotten. After a while, she ignored her insecurities and relaxed. The fear of relying on another disappeared while the wind brushed her face and the warmth of another body lulled her into a light sleep.
It was overwhelming. Had the enemy plotted the entire thing and decided to take out each knight one at a time? Hayate didn't even think as he responded with random attacks in random directions. There was enough familiars to drain the town dry if he didn't use his power fast. He looked for a source of life. The fountain overflowing with water would do. He dashed through the panicked crowd and jumped into the wet shield. It took a brief moment to extract the spirit from the stream he stood in and a violent wind was released upon the minions of death. A good portion of the sky cleared up before being covered again. This time, all their focus was on him. As if being led by one mind, the familiars all swarmed at him hell bent on taking his soul. Hayate gritted his teeth as he prepared for the worse. They attacked with an immense force that knocked him over. He felt their presence begin to devour him.
An intense flame sheared his impending doom.
It was a sickening feeling. Dread, horror and fear swelled up within Himeno in an instant and her grip choked Go's neck. Something had triggered pain and panic through her body, jolting her out of the light slumber.
"Himeno? Something wrong?" Go pried her arms off his neck, almost dropping her.
"I don't know. I just feel strange...like something's wrong." Her face scrunched up in confusion. "I..."
Go was hit with the same feeling. "Damn, Hayate's in trouble."
"What?" Himeno didn't get an answer.
Go grabbed her by the waist, dangling her body in one arm. "No time to explain. We just have to move fast!"
Himeno didn't argue with the rough treatment. She wanted to get rid of the unsettling feeling in her.
"Hayate's in trouble?"
"He's fighting the enemy right now. When one of us fights, we can sense each others feelings." Go sensed Himeno's distress as well. The fear clearly coursed through to his body and he flew in its direction.
"You still alive there, Hayate?" Go grinned. They arrived just before Hayate was buried underneath the swarm of enemies.
"Go!" Hayate had been utterly surprised by the rescue. "You..."
"Himeno sensed it first and alerted me. Our Pretear's quite the keener it seems, picked up your distress call faster than me." Go fixed his eyes the looming bats soon-to-be-burnt to crisp as he held out his materialized soul weapon. "Oh yeah! Take the justice within my heart that takes the form of an executioner's axe. My blade will eliminate your foul existence from this realm and return you to the infinity of nothingness."
The soul weapon mesmerized Himeno. Her additional spirit as the Pretear allowed Go to bring forth a weapon which concentrated all his power into one source, thus amplifying its power and capabilities. Fire was at their bidding. Himeno grasped what Shin had meant by balance and trust in her pret with Go. Balance meant complimenting and completing each others' feelings. Trust meant to believe in each others' thoughts and feelings. Neither were achieved during training because Shin's and her thoughts were not the same. The fear she experienced with Go aligned them together. The desire to rescue Hayate sparked a strong bond union between the knight and his princess. Himeno felt her hands tighten around the axe's handle base. She poured more of heart into its strength.
Go released a low growl from his throat. It spurred from anger after seeing the many townsmen lying on the streets, collapsed after having their spirit drained out. He hated it when the innocent were attacked. He hated it when the innocent were caught between their battles. He hated it when the innocent were treated like sacrifices.
"Himeno, let's finish this in one shot."
Himeno said nothing. She merely focused on adding fuel to the flame of the axe. Go guided her feelings with his own. She remembered smiling to herself before losing consciousness.
"Himeno, darling."
"Yes, mommy?" Himeno absentmindedly walked along the grassy path, clinging onto her mother's long sundress. The little 3 year old happily enjoyed the stroll in their backyard.
"Never forget how beautiful life is."
"Mommy is the most beautiful one of all." Himeno beamed with innocence as she said it.
Her mother returned her words with a smile. "And one day, you'll find love and become more beautiful than me."
"Love?"
"Yes. The reason why you exist, my precious daughter."
"Is it good?"
Silence with a smile spoke words only the heart heard.
It was late in the evening, the stars began to cover the night sky. Mr. Awayuki had thrown a panic attack when his daughter had shown up late for dinner. He didn't question how awfully quiet his daughter was at the dining table. She ate gracefully, slowly and displayed impeccable manners. After excusing herself, she made her way quietly up her room for an early retire. Kei sighed a breath of relief as he removed his light illusion. It had been tough to image himself as a girl. He entered the room, where Go and Hayate were waiting. They had covered up Himeno's absence with Kei as her stand in. They spoke to each other in low whispers to avoid waking the sleeping beast.
Himeno heard the faint sound of chatter in her room. It sounded like an argument between several people. One voice sounded angry, another sounded worried and the last sounded unhappy. She couldn't make out the owners of each voice.
"We can't afford to be separated as a team. He'll target each one of us individually."
"But we can't leave the the towns unprotected. It's too risky."
"She doesn't have unlimited spirit, Kei. We can't train her and have her enter battle."
"It was bad timing. Haidhis just so picked a bad time to challenge us."
"It doesn't matter. If Go's attack didn't finish everything off in one swipe, then we would've lost. All the town folks' spirit, including hers. We need to redo our strategy."
"I think we should let Himeno choose what she wants. She is our Pretear after all. She should be allowed to choose how she wants to continue this battle."
"Isn't there some other way to fight him without the help of a Pretear?"
"Don't be absurd, she's the best chance we've got."
"We need to lure the real thing out and get him before he puts the pressure on us. It seems like he's really going after the public, is he sending a message to us or what?"
"We've got to stop him no matter what." That was all Himeno managed to sputter out in her weariness. "Must stop him."
"Himeno, you're awake!" Go rushed to her bedside. "Scared me to hell when your soul collapsed inside of me!" He held back tears of relief. "Geez, don't ever overdo it again. If you strain yourself too much, you'll never wake up next time."
"Ahh...sorry." Himeno weakly gave him a thumbs-up. "At least we beat the enemy...and saved Hayate in time."
"You trained too intensely and depleted yourself during the the battle. You must take more caution next time, Himeno, or you'll die." Kei gave her a stern look. "This is no joke, your spirit is essentially your existence. Use it all up and you'll die. Don't be so reckless with yourself."
"Huh? Isn't my spirit suppose to be a power booster? What do you mean by die?"
"You...give us power by completing our existence, Himeno. It's rather complicated." Kei's body glowed a soft light, his radiance giving off spirit for her. "For you, death means the return of your soul to heaven...and you departing from life in Leafeania before your actual time is up."
Himeno mentally cursed at herself. Her eagerness to end the battle nearly ended her life. She held back the anxiety. She watched Go move aside to let Hayate speak with her. Hayate carefully took a seat on the bed. He reached out and placed his hand on her head, stroking it with a comforting reassurance.
"Don't worry about it. I'm really grateful for your help. If you rest your body, your spirit will regain itself." His words conjured a tingling warmth in her body. "Please don't worry about it too much...it'll sadden your mother."
"Hmm...you're right." The little princess gave into her weariness and entered into a state of deep slumber.
"We shouldn't have her train so intensely next time. A time limit of 20 minutes should be sufficient. What do you think, Kei?"
"She shouldn't train anymore. Real battles will be her training. We can't afford to waste our strength, Go. Three of us were in restoration just from training alone. We can't let that happen again. We must assume Haidhis is coming for a full frontal assault. I doubt he's fully reawakened to his true nature, but that time can't be far from now at this rate." Kei's eyes narrowed and his expression doubled with seriousness. "But our real problem lies with her. Himeno is too spontaneous, unpredictable...and strong. If we're not careful, she'll be able to break us with her power. Her capacity cannot be underestimated."
Hayate kept his thoughts to himself. Being with Himeno felt somewhat nostalgic when she wasn't throwing tantrums and waving fists in the air. She reminded him of her.
"Go, you know your duty. Hayate, return to patrol."
"Eh? Shouldn't Hayate also stay here and guard with me just in case that guy decides to attack her upfront?" Go was surprised at Kei's decision. "I mean, I wouldn't be able to take of it myself. And Himeno's in no state to pret."
"No, Hayate needs to protect maidens offsite. Just pray that he doesn't show up for a late night battle."
"Don't worry, Go. I trust in you to protect her well. Besides, I'll arrive really fast in case something does happen." Hayate walked over to his leader's side. "I'll leave now."
"Proceed." Light watched Wind exit.
"Kei, I still think Hayate's the better protector for Himeno. He's much stronger than I am"
"Go, they can't be together. And your pret today proves that you'll do fine."
"Are you that afraid of the past!" Go asked, almost shouting. "Hayate can't possibly make the same mistake again."
"And that is precisely why I will make sure it doesn't happen again. I won't let the both of them pret for the sake of Leafeania." Kei's calm face was too inhuman.
"Kei! You can't mean that. Hayate's potential combined with hers will make him unstoppable against the enemy. It'll be the fastest route to victory."
"And it'll also lead us into another disaster, Go. One I'm not willing to face again."
"Kei!"
"I'm not willing to lose another brother." With that, the Light vanished from the room."
Go could not continue his refutes. In frustration and sadness, he roughly sat on the edge of the Pretear's bed. "Kei...you care too much that you're so selfish sometimes. Losing Sasame...you haven't gotten over it yet?" He glanced in the direction of the sleeping princess. "And you...aren't you quite the surprise?" His voice lowered. "Your heart...you're lying to yourself, aren't you?" And with a whisper, he spoke his final words for the night. "I felt it. You do want to find a true love for yourself, don't you?"
"Ahh Makoto! What can I do for you?" The father greeted his fellow servant. The reading room welcomed the unexpected visitor.
"Master Awayuki, I'm concerned about Miss Himeno. During the past few days, she has been eluding my sights and I cannot watch her as I've been appointed to. I would like to make a proposal." The young servant stood full of mirth, his uniform crisp and tidy.
"A proposal?"
"Yes, for her safety."
"Safety? She hasn't been doing anything dangerous lately from what I've seen. I've just assigned you to keep an eye on her. To make sure she doesn't disappear from the estate. Himeno's not planning on running away...is she?"
"Oh no, sir. I've heard rumors about a devious creature on the prowl. Local towns have been attacked with no recollection of the monster. I fear that it may have reached the estate and should Miss Himeno encounter it..."
"Rumors? Well, until the creature is actually spotted, I don't think I'll be concerned with it appearing on the property. I do have guard dogs on the edges of the premises. They'll alert the security if this rumored monster appears."
"Very well, then."
"I fear no monster in this land. Legends and myths shouldn't be taken too seriously. They are interesting to read and study, but in the end they do not exist."
"I wouldn't take it too lightly, sir. The safety of your household does rely on your judgment and protection." The servant's voice coaxed the master to think about possibilities.
"Since this concerns you greatly, Makoto. I'll look into it. If there's a least bit of evidence of this monster, I'll take precautions." Mr. Awayuki gave into the idea. "But...what does this have to do with Himeno's safety? Her safety is as precious as everyone's here."
Makoto's smile was almost devious. He parted his half-smirked lips to reply. "Because rumor has it that the monster is particularly fond of devouring young girls."
Under the dim light of the moon, the blood illuminated as a thick scarlet trail from their bodies. The shadows laughed at the slayed creatures, dogs that had been trained to ward off the enemy. It was a joke, almost a waste of time killing them. Their spirit was worthless to him; they couldn't even be considered as snacks. He had been after their blood and horrible demise. The bloodier, the better.
The knights were useless against him. Hayate's pathetic fight disappointed him. He had thought that the Wind Knight would use the full extent of his special ability to save himself. That gust of wind that had sliced his army was unimpressive. Where had all the destructive power gone?
"Did you lose your touch? Or have you become a coward? If you face me like that, you'll lose. I won't even have fun torturing you."
Haidhis decided to massacre anything with a heartbeat in a small radius of 100 meters. He listened to bodies dropping and blood splattering. Nothing had the chance to even scream. It was hardly amusing. Nothing seemed to satisfy his craving to destroy. He could hardly wait.
"Just wait, Takako. I'll revive your soul by taking all of Leafeania's life. I'll use her soul to replace yours. And then you'll come back to me."
He greeted the silence that came with death. It was delicious.
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o
Author's Notes: Ah, I'm trying to unfold the story quickly with as much detail as possible (Just to follow the pattern of the manga). I laid a few seeds for twists in the story too. Ah, I hope readers enjoyed this incredibly delayed chapter. My final year of engineering courses will be in full speed within a few weeks. I'll try my best for updates ToT.
As for Four Months For Eternity, I have decided to drop it for several reasons. Difficulty in writing it and time allocation. I am not adequate enough of a writer to bring the story to half its full potential. Why? The story deals with several issues that requires additional research, time I don't have. Maybe one day I'll finish it, but not now. I apologize to fans for the disappointment...but I suppose if I get spammed with enough readers telling me to continue on its crash-burning course, I might reconsider and give it my best shot without the research.
