Title: The Sound of Silence
Author: Amm-chan (SoulSeeker)
Pairing: Awayuki Mawata/Sasame
Fandom: Prétear
Theme: #24—good night
Rating: For Everyone (PG)
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of Prétear. I am just playing 'Barbie' with them, cause god knows they're a lot more fun than real Barbies.

My muse died soo much for this couple T.T But, I still have a little more up my sleeve…

Even from the very beginning, Mawata knew that the trip would be anything but fun. Waking up late, running out of hot water in the shower, overcooked breakfast, and to put the cherry on top, she left her CD player sitting atop her dresser in her room, not to be seen again for three days.

By the time she realized it, it was too late. They were already about three-fourths of the way to the beach, and while her parents loved her very much, they were not willing to drive the extra miles to get something as simple and unnecessary as that. She knew that, and understood it perfectly, so she said nothing; but she still remained bitter about it.

"Mawata? Something wrong?"

She felt a nudge and turned to her right where she had felt it. Of course—Himeno would be the one to notice. She noticed anyone when they were upset or sad; Mawata was willing to bet anything that it had something to do with her natural people-pleaser instincts.

"No," she replied; a little coldly, but it was to be expected.

"Liar," Himeno pouted.

She didn't say anything in reply.

"If something's wrong, you should tell us, you know," added Kaoru from the driver's seat. "We're going on vacation! Everyone should be having fun!"

"Yeah, Mawata, you can tell us!" She got another nudge from her other pink-haired sister, Mayune.

Mawata sighed. "It's nothing. Really," she reassured them. "I just left my CD player at home, that's all. I'll live…I think."

"Aw, that sucks! You always sleep with that thing on," Himeno remarked. "I'd let you borrow mine, but I didn't bring mine either…Sorry."

Mawata shrugged. The two had different tastes in music anyway; and for now, she'd just have to endure sleeping without music. Thankfully in the car, she at least had the radio to listen to. She leaned back against the seat and gazed out of her window, watching as she noticed the sun's slow descent.

Before she knew it, she had dozed off and woken up again, and she noticed that a half an hour had gone by. Her mother had apparently been asleep too, and she could hear her stir in the front seat.

"We're almost there, dear," she heard Kaoru—her father—say.

"That's nice, dear…" Natsue yawned, looking as though she wasn't awake at all. Mawata looked around her, and it had seemed Himeno and Mayune had dozed off as well.

She stayed awake for the rest of the ride, mainly because she was worried Kaoru would doze off; little sparks of conversation burst between them until finally, they had pulled up to the hotel where they would be staying. They had naturally reserved a room with a straight-forward view of the ocean, and she had to admit—it was gorgeous.

"How does a morning walk for tomorrow sound?" Kaoru suggested. "We all look too tired to do anything more tonight…"

Mawata wasn't tired. In fact, the thirty minutes of rest she got in the car seemed to be just what she needed. "I like the idea of a midnight stroll better," she argued.

"Yeah, right," Mayune teased. "You just don't want to sleep without your music! What's that show you always listen to again? Words Gate,was it?"

She laughed, even through Mawata's glare. "What I listen to is none of your business," she shot back in a low growl. Sighing, she walked over to one of the bedrooms. "Forget it. I'm going to bed. Do whatever the hell you guys want."

With a plop, Mawata allowed herself to fall onto the only bed in the room, leaving the lights off and the room dark, the only exception being the moonlight pouring in through the window. She spent a few minutes barely listening to the mumble of conversation going on outside, hearing little bits of 'you should apologize' and 'just leave her alone for now.' Good—at least someone understood.

She got back up again to see if the lights were enough to see the ocean at that hour, but unfortunately, they weren't. After a few moments of being distracted by the shiny stars, she finally decided she wanted to go down and get a better look. But how would she get past her family?

She crept out of her room and was relieved to find that everyone had gone to sleep—or at least, they were out of the living room. This made sneaking out relatively easy. It was no big deal. After all, she did intend on coming back.

Walking past all of the hotel's staff and the front desk, she heard the roar of the ocean and felt the sensation of cool sand running through her feet. She walked on, the ground below her getting more damp and finally, she could feel the salt water rushing through. It felt good; quite soothing.

"You know, your family will worry if you're out here by yourself."

Mawata jumped and spun around, hearing the water below splash. "Who's there?" She could swear it was the voice of someone she recognized; but she couldn't see him.

"Now, now Miss Mawata…as my number one fan, I would think you would be able to recognize my voice?"

Her eyes widened, and her breaths got shorter.

"S-sasame! What are you doing here?"

She felt his arms wrap around her and she almost pushed him away; but luckily, she realized that she liked the feeling first…

"Not much really…I just heard you were having a little trouble sleeping that's all. And I was worried."

Mawata raised an eyebrow, turning around and looking up; she knew she was looking right at him, although it was too dark to see. "How did you kn…? Oh…right…" He was the Leafe Knight of Sound—stupid question.

Sasame chuckled lightly, and they both stood unmoving in silence. He kept his arms as they were, and she didn't seem to mind.

"That's a little creepy that you can do that, you know…Almost stalker-ish…" Mawata noted uneasily.

"Do you mind it?" the Leafe Knight responded; his tone of voice indicated that he already knew the answer.

"No…"

More silence followed, and suddenly, Mawata began to shift uneasily. She began to look around, as if she were trying to find something. Sasame followed her to the best of his ability in the darkness. "What is it?" he asked.

She blinked a couple times. "Music…" she replied. "It's…coming from…somewhere…"

In fact, it sounded like the music was coming from everywhere. There was no way to tell its origin, or who was playing it.

"I don't hear any music," Sasame stated plainly. He looked around as well.

"That's impossible," Mawata barked. "How can I be hearing something you can't? It's my favorite song too…"

He shrugged; and not too long afterwards, he heard a yawn come from her. Mawata could feel her eyes become heavier, and she was beginning to wonder even more. She was completely wide awake not five seconds ago…

"What the hell…"

Sasame smiled, approaching her and as if she was hypnotized, she fell into his arms, dead asleep—just like he planned. He promptly returned her to the hotel room, laying her comfortably on her bed, and he touched his lips gently on her forehead.

"Good night, Miss Silk."

And the song still echoed on as he left the room, leaving her to get the sleep she had undoubtedly needed.

People talking without speaking…
People hearing without listening…
People writing songs that voices never share
And no one dare disturb the sound…

…of silence…

A/N: The song The Sound of Silence used at the end belongs to Simon and Garfunkel, and not me n.n