Me: Uh, wow....how long's it been since I updated?
ET: (glares)
EGP: (glares)
Kratos: (glares)
Me: Wait, why is Kratos glaring at me?!
Kratos: Because it was simply peaceful while you were at a writer's block. Now, you return.
Zelos: Hey, lay off, old man! She was busy playing Knights of Ratatosk nonstop! (cheers)
Me/ET: Oh, KoR!! SQUEE!
(poof)
Kratos/Zelos: DAMN IT, NOW WHO-?!
Emil: Uh-?! Where...where am I?
EGP: Emil?!
Emil: I-I'm sorry!
Me: I DIDN'T DO IT, I SWEAR!!
(Emil goes Ratatosk)
Ratatosk: DAMMIT, WHERE THE HELL AM I?! WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?!
Kratos/Zelos: ...SWD, ET, and EGP own nothing of Pretear, Tales of Symphonia, or Knights of Ratatosk.
Chapter 9
(A/N: This chapter switches back and forth a lot. The XxXxXxX just means it changes scene instead of typing where it's all taking place over and over again)
"Five. There are still so many to unlock."
"Just be patient, my sweet. It will happen before long. They are unlocking swiftly - more swiftly than we originally thought."
"You are right, my Queen. However...I do feel sorry for these children...having to pay what Kaoru did."
"He may have betrayed us, but-"
"But nothing. Be betrayed us, and there's nothing more to it."
-------
On Wednesday, Heihachi, Atsushi, Hayate, Yukari, and Naomi stayed behind from school to watch over Hikari. Heihachi hardly left her side as she slept, feeling that the entire thing was his fault, sending her out at night to buy groceries without going with her. Atsushi was simply traumatized, staring off into space for long moments at a time. It was about one in the afternoon before the clarinet player woke up slowly. Heihachi saw her eyes open, and his face lit up. He opened the bedroom door and called, "Hey, she's up!"
Hikari looked around, "I'm...at home...?"
"The Awayukis'. How're you feeling?" her twin inquired.
"I'm...okay, I suppose..." Hikari rubbed her eyes, which were filled with sleep.
The others crowded into the room, Naomi practically tackling Hikari off the bed by hugging her. "HIKAAA! I'M SO GLAD YOU'RE AWAKE! HOW DO YOU FEEL? ARE YOU HUNGRY? ARE YOU OKAY? DO YOU NEED ANYTHING?"
"I need..."
"YEAH?"
"AIR...." Hikari choked.
"Oops." Naomi released her best friend from her deadly grasp.
As Hikari sucked in air, Hayate asked, "Are you sure you're okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. Some breakfast wouldn't kill me, though..." Hikari grinned weakly.
"I'll go make some," Atsushi said monotonously, walking out of the room.
Hikari stared after him. Atsushi...
XxXxXxX
Mr. Fuji had been in his office when Goh, Kei, Mannen, and Michiko told him what had happened. His door was shut as the four students stood in the room with him, the rest of the band smashing their faces up against the window to see what was going on. Mr. Fuji had his arms crossed, and he was leaning back in his chair. "Well, she's okay, right?"
"We hope. She hadn't woken up yet when we left," Mannen shook his head, "Since she stayed at our place."
"...Well, if you guys want to, or need to, you can go home for the day."
"..." They pondered over it, but decided against it. No doubt that if she was awake and they all went home, she would simply seek solitude. She more than likely would want time to herself. Michiko pointed that out. "Every time something bad happens or she's worried over something, she'll climb a tree or go to her roof so she could be by herself."
"...Okay, then. Just update me later, will ya?"
"No problem."
With that, Mr. Fuji pushed by them, opened his door and roared, "YOU EVIL LITTLE KIDS! NOW YOU'VE GOTTEN MY WINDOW ALL SMUDGED WITH YOUR NATSY LITTLE FACES! CLEAN IT UP NOW!"
Toro narrowed his eyes, "But what's the matter? You guys didn't look too happy in there."
"Maybe I'll tell you once you CLEAN MY WINDOW!!"
Everyone proceded to clean the fingerprinted window.
XxXxXxX
Hikari quietly finished her pancakes that Atsushi had made her. Then, looking at her brothers, she softly asked, "Have you contacted Mom or Dad?"
"We called, but no one picked up," Heihachi answered.
Silently, Hikari stared at her plate for a minute, then asked, "Where's my clarinet?"
"At home- you can't be serious. Right now, Hika?" Yukari frowned.
"Please...I want it right now..."
Atsushi stood and said, "Then I'll go get it. Just wait a little. Get something to drink and find some clothes to wear. I'll be back." And he left without another word.
Hikari nodded at his back, and Naomi offered to look around for some clothes for her. They both walked upstairs, and as they closed the door to Himeno's bedroom (which they had placed her in) and Naomi whispered, "Do you have any idea how much you had us all worried? Atsushi and Heihachi most of all."
Hikari bit her lip.
"You know...Heihachi thinks this is his fault."
This caught Hikari by surprise as Naomi gave her a clean shirt. "He...what?"
"He thinks that it's his fault because he didn't go with you. And instead, he went to Kosuke's...he feels terrible."
"But...it wasn't his fault."
"But he just feels like it was. The way he knew to come to our house is because he said he just felt something. And then, Atsushi feels it's his fault because he had to go talk to Yukari."
Hikari's hands balled up into fists. "I have...such stupid brothers..." Tears threatened to fall.
Naomi hugged her friend again, stroking her hair gently, "But this proves how much they care."
XxXxXxX
"What?!"
"Is she okay?!"
"What happened?!"
"Man, give us details!"
"Yeah! Anytime would be nice!"
Grabbing his bullhorn, Mr. Fuji bellowed, "SHUT UP!!!"
The band all shut up and sit down, obeying their red-faced band director. He sighed, and said, "As I said...SHE'S OKAY."
All sighed with relief. Then, they looked at Mr. Fuji with more expectation. The band director looked at those who knew all the details and he nodded his head towards the door. Deciding that telling it once was enough, Goh, Kei, Mannen, and Michiko walked out of the room and into the hall, Goh wrapping his arms around Michiko in assurance. "She's fine," he whispered gently into her hair.
"I know. She IS Hika, but still...she feels like my little sister, too," Michiko murmured, getting closer to Goh.
"For all we know, she's awake right now..." Mannen smirked weakly.
XxXxXxX
Naomi and Heihachi sat in Himeno's room, which was on the top floor. From the roof, they heard Hikari playing a low-toned, mysterious, and dark song on her instrument. They sat silently, listening to her playing. Although they knew why she was playing such a depressing song, they couldn't help but feel soothed in a way. Hayate was leaning against the doorway, his presence unknown until he asked quietly, "Where did she learn that?"
The two sitting by the balcony jumped slightly. They turned and saw him before saying, "She wrote it herself."
"...When?"
"A long time ago," Heihachi answered, turning away again. "She started learning the clarinet when she was ten. Before that, she'd played violin since she was very young."
"I thought she told Sasame she didn't play," Hayate frowned, walking into the room.
"Well...we had an uncle who scolded her if she didn't play perfectly. I had, in a way, always played percussion. Atsushi's always played piano. So, when our uncle died, she wanted to change instruments. Believe it or not, though, she still plays. It's as if..." Heihachi trailed off, as though he were thinking back a long way. "...as if she still wants to prove that she's just as good as he was."
"And he was good," Naomi mumbled, pulling her knees up to her chest.
Suddenly, the music halted, and the others looked upward in surprise. Hikari landed out on the balcony, holding her clarinet carefully. The three looked at her questionably. She said simply, "Can we go to our house?"
Heihachi and Naomi stood up, Hikari's twin brother nodding, "Of course."
"...Thank you."
"Don't mind if I tag along, do ya?" Naomi smiled weakly at her best friend.
"Of course not," Hikari gave her a weak smirk in return.
"Just let me go get the key from Atsushi and we can go." Heihachi vanished from sight.
Hayate shoved his hands in his pockets. "You mind if...I come...?"
Despite the tension in the room, Hikari and Naomi managed to give Hayate a dumbfounded look. He glared at them. "I don't mind..." Hikari blinked, taking her clarinet apart. She placed it in its case and closed it. She picked it up and tossed her head in the direction of the door. Hayate walked in front of them, the two girl friends walking beside each other. Hikari whispered to Naomi, "I need to tell you something later."
"What's wrong with now?" Naomi inquired softly.
Hikari's eyes shifted to Hayate's back.
"Oh. Okay."
Atsushi and Yukari were sitting down in the living room. Yukari looked at Hikari and suggested, "Why don't we all just relocate to your house?"
"That's fine," Hikari nodded.
The two stood, and Heihachi appeared from another room, saying, "Okay, then. Let's go."
XxXxXxX
"My dear...I see that one of their hearts is unstable."
"Unstable?! How?!"
"The newest one...the black and red headed child."
"Our shape shifter...how could she be unstable?"
"One of our informants reported that she was mugged the same night she awoke."
"...We must keep the evil away from them a little longer. Allow the shape shifter time to heal and the others time to wake."
"Of course, my dear. But, darling...if you do not find a way to explain to her, without revealing yourself, her heart may lock itself again!"
"That is a problem, isn't it...? Believe in me, my Queen. Dreams are stronger than they appear."
XxXxXxX
From out in the hall, Michiko, Goh, Mannen, and Kei heard Mr. Fuji bellow, "WHO WROTE THAT ON THE BOARD!?"
The familiar voice of Daiki, screaming, "HE'S GONNA KILL US ALL!!"
"I suppose it's okay to go back in now..." Mannen blinked.
The four walked into the band room just in time to catch an eraser fly across the room and hit Daiki right in the face, the trumpet playing dramatically falling backwards out of the chair. They blinked, not knowing what they'd walked into.
"But Mr. Fuji, apparantly, you are a sugar plum fairy!" Another percussionist, Jiiyun, smiled innocently.
He was attacked by a screwdriver, which he intelligently dodged, but when he stood up, he was mauled by a saxophone playing teddy bear, which came to life and proceded to-
"AGHH!!! GET IT OFF! GET IT OFF! THIS THING IS-!"
Excuse me. The following is...bleeped for readers. Some things should never been revealed. Have no fear, for it is nothing HORRIBLE. Just something that would scar you for life.
"THIS THING IS (BLLEEEEEEEEEPPPPPPP)ING ME!!! THAT IS SO NOT RIGHT! THIS IS NOT RIGHT!!! AND THAT VOICE IS BACK-!!"
The rest was muffled as the teddy bear mauled Jiiyun. Mr. Fuji cackled, "I must thank the Furby Leader(1) for that bear."
"IT'S KILLLLING MEEE!!!"
"Umm...Mr. Fuji, even though we all want him to get what he deserves, which is a teddy bear (bleep)ing him, you don't want to lose a percussionist, do you?" Someone random cried. "WE'RE ALL SCARRED AS IT IS!"
"Oh no! I can't find another percussionist now!" Mr. Fuji clapped his hands, "Come here, Precious! C'mere!"
The teddy bear dropped to the floor, lifeless. Mr. Fuji snapped his fingers in disappointment as Jiiyun fainted on the ground.
"What...what the hell...?" Mannen gaped.
XxXxXxX
Heihachi looked around the property as they walked up, as if expecting someone to be there, waiting for them. He and Atsushi walked out front, then Hikari, Naomi, and Yukari walking behind them, all in step with each other. Atsushi unlocked the house, and they all walked inside, the eldest present shutting the door behind them. Hikari, silently, walked towards her room, clarinet in hand, Naomi following her friend. Yukari stood up against the wall and crossed her arms. She murmured, attempting at sparking a conversation, "It looks like rain may be on the way."
"Yeah...the weather said something about a thunderstorm," Heihachi agreed quietly.
Silence.
"Damn it, all of this silence is getting on my nerves," Yukari hissed.
Fittingly, Atsushi left the room without making a noise, the teen slapping herself in the head, the sound of a violin now filling the house.
ET: That's....it?!
Me: Hey! It's 8:46 and I need to practice! Concert, concert!
EGP: CONCERT! CONCERT! I wanna read my Christmas list again... ;_;
Me: (pat) It's okay, Stini, it's okay.
Ratatosk: Dammit, you still haven't told me what I'm here for!
Me: I don't know! You just suddenly POOFed in here, and none of us did it-!
(suddenly realizes Zelos is gone)
ET: (turns to Kratos) Hey...where'd Zelos go?
Kratos: Damn it, he left me here?!
EGP: ...ZELOOOOSSSS!!!! (runs off to look for the idiot Chosen)
Ratatosk: ...the hell?
Me: ...my words exactly.
Kratos: Review. And happy holidays, because she will only get another chapter up if she starts now.
Me: (starts)
Ratatosk: Dammit, Martel, why me?
(1) Furby Leader: My oldest sister's dog. Atsushi's real life person, Yume-nii, and I have had a conversation on this fluffy and lick-everyone-loving-creature. He was nominated as the FURBY LEADER, FOR FURBIES ARE MAKING A COMEBACK.
ALSO, I FORGOT ABOUT GRANDPA(1)!!! AHHHH!!!
Grandpa: Oh, our poor, poor, twenty-four year old band director. Stini/Naomi had begun calling our band director Grandpa last year, and at first he rejected it. But now... (flashback to Christmas performance in town...)
Lady: Where is Mr. ----? I need to speak with him.
Me: Okay. (many of us turn around) Hey, Mr. ----!
(he ignores)
All: GRANDPA!!!
BandDirector: WHAT?!
...and that has what has befallen him. It's awesome, really. X3
