Pretear: Legend Of The Golden Princess Pretear

Summary: All that Sakura Petala, winner of a contest to meet Mr. Kaoru Awayuki, a famous romance novel writer, expected was to spend the whole summer at Mr. Awayuki's mansion with her best friend, Tenshi. What she DIDN'T expect was to be thrown into a world full of magic, a legend older than Snow White, and the descendants of the original Leafe Knights, as the one they call…Princess Pretear. Lots of OC pairings.

A/N: Chapter 9! WHOO! XD This chapter is gonna be purely for hilarious comedy, fluffy romance…and whatever random ideas pop into my demented brain! (Lightning flashes) BWAHAHAHA!

Hiro: WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE!

MuraSakura: THAT'S RIGHT! BE AFRAID! BE VERY AFRAID! BWAHAHAHA! (Chases Hiro with Daddy Frying Pan)

Saitoshi: Er… (Sweatdrop) Um, I guess I should do the disclaimer: The authoress of this fanfic does NOT own Pretear or Kai Hiwatari from BeyBlade. Tenshi and Tenshi's catchphrase belongs to Tenshi Hikari, and Invisible Love owns Hiniku. MuraSakura owns all the other OC'S in this fic.

Hiro: (In the background) SAVE ME!

MuraSakura: (Pounces on Hiro and starts viciously hitting him on the head with her Frying Pan) HA HA! VENGENCE WILL BE MIIIINE!

Saitoshi: ...Sakura-chan, did you take your medicine today?

MuraSakura: (Looks around shiftily) … Maybe…

Answer To Reviews:

Dreamgirllogan: No problem! I couldn't keep you wait TOO long, LOL. You're hoping for a HiroxSakura coupling, eh? Well the, you'll LOVE this chapter! (Wink wink)

KHStennis01: Well sure, the story is confusing in the BEGINNING, but you only read up to chapter three! It starts making more sense if you read the WHOLE story. And I know how Goh is spelled; I just forgot to spell it that way. XD Sorry. Thank you for reviewing! Hopefully you'll read the rest of the story and start to get it.

Chapter 9: A Simple Day At The Beach

"BWA-CHOO!" Kenji sneezed. He had been doing that all morning, ever since he woke up to a blotchy face and a stuffy red nose. He was now in bed, not being allowed to get up unless Sakura said so. He sighed and sneezed again, almost making the thermometer in his mouth go flying, but catching it with his teeth just in time. "Really, Saku, I'm fine." He tried to convince her after sticking the thermometer back under his tongue. "I just caught a little cold from being out in the rain last night. I'm not gonna die."

"Well, we can't take any chances, can we?" Sakura answered, placing a wet cloth on her boyfriend's steaming forehead. "It was bad enough when you showed up to breakfast looking like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, but THEN you let out a gigantic sneeze and infect everyone's food! If you weren't feeling well, you should've stayed in bed! You should know better than to make me worry, Sweetie!" Sakura finally finished ranting on an affectionate note, stroking Kenji's cheek in a loving way.

Kenji's face turned even redder than it already was. Sakura then plucked the thermometer out of his mouth, read the temperature, and let out a low whistle.

"One hundred and one. Looks like YOU'RE staying in bed today, Kenji." Sakura announced with a smirk. Kenji gave her a scared look.

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?"

"So what if I am? Besides…" Sakura gazed out the window, where the sun was pouring in. "…Whenever I get sick, or feel bad, you're always the one who cures me. I guess it's because you want to be a doctor that you stay so healthy all the time, but on this rare opportunity of you getting sick…" Sakura turned back to him, a smile on her face so bright that it envied the shine of the sun. "I'd like to take care of you and repay my debt to you." She said softly. Kenji stared at her; he never knew she felt that way. He sat up and took her hands in his, staring intently into her eyes.

"Sakura…you've already paid your debt. Just being with me is thanks enough." He whispered, leaning in for a kiss, when Sakura pulled her hands loose and crossed her index fingers in front of her lips.

"Germs." She simply stated, winking. Kenji laughed with her, silently cursing his luck at not being able to get a kiss. "Anyways, don't even THINK about getting out of bed today, because I'll be here all day to take care of you." The Cherry Blossom Princess said.

"Sorry, no can-do, Sakura-chan!" Shouted Hitori, wearing a bathing suit with a towel slung over her shoulder and sunglasses hiding her eyes from view.

"AHHH!" Sakura and Kenji shouted in unison, startled by Hiro's twin's sudden appearance.

"Uh…how long have you been there, Hitori…?" Sakura asked shakily, feeling slight Déjà vu over this scene. Hitori winked mysteriously.

"Long enough. And you CAN'T stay inside all day! We're going to the beach!" The over-zealous teen declared, striking a surfer pose.

"Huh? The beach?" Sakura blinked.

"That's right!" Hitori confirmed, grinning widely. "Mom and Dad gave me permission to use the Awayuki summer house near the beach, so we can have a sleep over there! It'll be like…a vacation AWAY from a vacation!" She said, giggling at her own joke. Sakura smiled weakly.

"Well, it sounds nice Hitori-chan, but I just can't go off and leave Kenji here by himself…"

"It's alright. You should go, Sakura." Kenji cut in, causing Sakura's attention to be directed towards him.

"But Kenji-"

"Really, it's okay, I can take of myself. After all, it's just a cold." Kenji smiled, making the African-American teen's heart melt. "Go have fun." Before Sakura could ask Kenji if he was sure, Hitori took this opportunity to seize Sakura by the arm and drag her out of the room.

"You heard the man! Let's go!"

"Now wait a minute! Hold on!" Sakura protested in vain, staring helplessly back at Kenji, who was waving good-bye, a smug smirk on his lips.

Sakura's POV (The dreaded Point Of View switch! BWAHAHAHA!)

"Hitori, you're SURE it's okay to shirk my duties as the Pretear?" I asked for what seemed like the billionth time. Hitori just smiled patiently at me, which was VERY uncharacteristic of her.

"Don't worry, it's fine! Mom and Dad can handle WHATEVER the Princess of Disaster decides to dish out! Besides, this is a day for rest in relaxation!" She declared, mindlessly dumping her stuff on a vacant spot on the sand next to where we were standing, and madly dashed towards the sea, giggling like a maniac.

I swear, that girl always worries about the molehills, never about the mountains.

I raised my hand to shield my brown eyes from the viciously bright beams of the sun. I had no particular interest in the beach, because when I step into the water, the sand in between my toes feels weird…in an utterly gross way. Second, when the seawater accidentally flows into my mouth, I have to fight the violent urge to puke my guts out as I spit the nasty bile back out.

The horror of it all!

But, just for today, I was going to try and enjoy our time in the sun, especially since Tenshi has to put up with worse that I do: the painful sunburn she always manages to obtain, no matter HOW much sun block she puts on.

Plus, Hitori said that if Tenshi and I want, we could just go to the inside AND outside pools at the summer home!

HOORAY FOR RICH FRIENDS!

I suddenly felt eyes on me, and turned to find Hiro standing a few feet to the bottom left of where I was standing, staring shamelessly at me.

Okay, so I was wearing this cool two-piece bathing suit that was red with blue tiger stripes on it, and it hugged my body and showed off my curves; and my hair was pulled back (except for my bangs) by my matching bandana so my neck and shoulders were actually visible, but he didn't have to STARE like that!

"What?" I wanted to know, annoyance evident in my voice. Even though Hiro and I had decided to become friends, his staring was SERIOUSLY starting to get to me. Finally realizing that I could SEE him staring at me, he quickly turned the other way, his face bright red.

"Nothing." He replied in a would-be nonchalant voice.

Yeah right, as if you ogling me is 'nothing', you perv! My thoughts accused. But then again, as I looked him up and down, I wasn't really doing any better.

Hiro was the decent kind of guy to NOT wear a Speedo like other guys who think it's sexy (gag), so he was wearing blue swim trunks with a wind pattern instead. (Typical of the Knight of Wind.) My eyes wandered up to his chest. This guy looks like he's been working out for a good portion of his life.

Did people normally get that buff fighting monsters?

Then again, since when did NORMAL people work out by fighting monsters?

And as much as it KILLED me to admit, with those muscular arms, solid torso, and broad shoulders… Hiro looked good.

He looked GREAT. Almost…hot.

WHOA! Where the hell did THAT thought fall from! I tore my eyes away from Hiro's body and smacked my cheeks to snap out of it. I've been in the sun too long. So, I dumped my stuff on the sand along with everyone else's junk, and went to go join the others in the shallow part of the ocean.

"Hey, has anyone seen my brother?" Hitori asked, after taking a sip of her smoothie. We were all lounging under a big umbrella Hitori had brought, and on towels, either slurping smoothies or licking an ice cream cone. I momentarily took my sunglasses off and glanced around quickly, searching for the hot-er-I mean average looking 18-year-old.

"No, why?" I asked nonchalantly, contentedly eating my double scoop chocolate ice cream cone with rainbow sprinkles and hot fudge. (Hey, don't act like YOU'VE never had an ice cream cone packed with as much sugar as that.)

"I haven't seen him since a few hours ago, and I'm starting to worry." Said Hitori, concern for her twin written all over her face. I wasn't listening, though, because an abnormally large group of girls were gathered near the snack bar, giggling like idiots about something.

"Whatcha lookin' at, Sakura?" Tenshi asked curiously. She was sitting next to me, wearing a cool two-piece blue bathing suit with gold stars everywhere, and slapping on her THIRD bottle of sun tan lotion that day. Kai, who was wearing black swim trunks with a red phoenix on the left leg of it, was helping Tenshi by rubbing some of the lotion on her back, and I couldn't help but smirk. Those two were SO in love. (A/N: Sorry Tenshi, had to do it! XD)

"That crowd of girls over there." I explained, pointing. "I wonder what's so interesting that they're all crowding over there for?" Hiniku, who was sitting on my left, followed my line of vision and snorted disgustedly.

"Probably some whores throwing their selves at a hot guy. I had to chase away some of them who were trying to come on to Sai-kun." She glared sharply at the 17-year-old on her left, and he sweatdropped slightly. "WHY didn't you bother to say that you were TAKEN, Saitoshi?" She demanded of him. Saitoshi sweatdropped more heavily.

"Well, they were all just being nice, and I didn't see anything wrong with it…" He muttered, fiddling with a loose thread on his white swim trunks with purple music notes on it.

"You MEAN you didn't know how to say "no" to them." Hiniku huffed, crossing her arms over the top of her red Chinese style two-piece bathing suit with gold dragons on it.

Poor guy. I feel so sorry for him.

Suddenly, the crowd of giggling girls parted, revealing who was the source of all the commotion. My jaw dropped all the way to China.

"Is-is THAT Hiro!" I exclaimed, unable to contain my shock. Everyone whipped his or her head to the direction of where I was gawking. Pretty soon, their jaws joined mine in China.

"Oh. My. God." Hitori said, a scandalized look on her face.

"Well, who would've thought?" Gaki said in a bemused way.

"Way to go, Hiro!" Saitoshi cheered, a smirk on his face.

"Hey! I should be the one getting all the attention from the cute girls!" Kato complained, but quickly took it back and said "Not that ANY girl comes close to YOU, Tenshi my love!" Kai promptly scowled at that comment, and Kato quickly shuffled a safe distance away from him, with Moki, Himura, and Shinta snickering behind him.

I watched as one of the girls flirted shamelessly with Hiro, and he blushed and smiled awkwardly back. This shocked me, and I paid no attention when my ice cream slid off the cone and landed with a soft "plop" onto the sand.

When did THIS happen! Hiro was becoming more open, more social. I had never realized until now, that Hiro could be really sweet…when he wanted to. A frown began to cross my face as I looked on, Hiro smiling and talking, with the girls laughing at everything he said as if he were the funniest damn person on Earth.

Wait a minute…he could be friendly with a whole bunch of strange girls he barely even knew, but it's taken me THIS long to even REMOTELY be friends with him? For some reason, this pissed me off immensely, as I let out a disgusted snarl.

"Hmph. Bunch of skanks." I muttered bitterly, moving to eat more of my ice cream when I realized that it had dropped off the cone already. Fuming, I threw the cone in a conveniently near-by trash bin, cursing my luck. Tenshi observed my actions with a calm, knowing smirk on her face.

I hate that smirk.

Whenever she has that smirk, she uses her freaky way of figuring out what's on my mind and making it public.

NOT something I enjoy.

"Hmm, do I detect a hint of JEALOUSY, Sakura-chan?" She asked innocently. I shot up in an upright position and made a noise between sputtering in objection and snorting in amusement. Everyone else had heard Tenshi's comment and froze.

Why were they all staring at me?

I glowered fiercely at my so-called "best friend." "Of COURSE I am NOT jealous! Why would I be jealous? There's nothing to be jealous OF! Jealous, oh please." I ferociously denied, crossing my arms. Tenshi raised her eyebrows at me, and I KNOW she was thinking otherwise. Unable to take the stares of everyone anymore, I got up and announced that I was going to get a drink from the snack bar to replace my ruined ice cream. As I left, I heard Hitori cluck her tongue.

"Denial and Confusion. TWO major crisis in a relationship, whether it be someone you love…or someone you HATE to love…"

Hiro's POV

I grinned politely at all the girls who were trying to tell me something virtually meaningless all at once, when in reality I wanted to get away from them as far as possible. But I feared that if I tried to make an escape, one of the girls would tackle me, drag me back to the group of rabid girls, and they would do horrible, terrible things to me just because they thought I was good-looking! (Don't know what they're on, but they seem to like my looks.)

………

Okay, so maybe my mind was exaggerating because I haven't been around that many girls for so long, but you never know! Besides, with the way Hitori acts when she's PMSing, I don't think I WANT to know what this group is capable of. Sakura's no better either, as a matter of fact.

Speaking of, didn't she just walk past?

I watched as she strutted by without even glancing at me (What was HER problem?) and made her way to the snack bar. I was about to call out to her when I noticed three other guys with greasy slime ball hair and Speedos (Oh God, I'm going to have to live with that image for the REST of my life! Some one shoot me!) checking her out.

Who the HELL did they think they were, staring so greedily like that!

My hostility grew even more when they got the bright idea to follow her. Knowing this would end ugly if I didn't do anything, I sidestepped the girls, following silently behind them. I ignored the whining calls to come back, as I had a more important mission to attend to.

Those girls would just have to find another plaything while I went and saved Sakura.

Sakura's POV

I thanked the man behind the counter after I paid him the correct amount of yen and started to make my way back to my friends while sipping on my lemonade when these bozos with greasy hair and Speedos (Excuse me while I puke. Ugh!) surrounded me. SO not in the mood to deal with any drama, I snapped, "What the hell do YOU want?" To the guy in front of me, who seemed to be the leader. He smirked, looking me up and down while licking his lips.

"Damn, baby, your body SURE does look good in that bathing suit." He said, attempting a husky voice.

Dammit! WHY was my voluptuous body SUCH a curse! Look where it gets me!

I glared fiercely at the goon, resisting the urge to sock him in the jaw, even though he VERY much deserved it! I figured I'd give him a warning before he tried anything funny.

"Listen, I'm in a foul mood right now, so if you wanna be able to reproduce when you grow up, I suggest you leave me alone." I snarled viciously. The leader didn't seem affronted; rather, he raised his eyebrows in a disgustingly amused way.

"Wow, we've got a feisty one here, boys." He joked to the other assholes on my right and left. After that comment, they began to make their way closer towards me.

Crap. What am I supposed to do now?

They were WAY too close, and if I tried to make a break for it, they would undoubtedly reach out and put their slimy paws on me, then continue to drag me off to a secluded area where they'd proceed to have their way with me!

Oh HELL naw. I am NOT going to play the victim today!

Inspiration suddenly hit me as I eyed the cold lemonade still in my hands. Swiftly, I threw the cup at them, successfully making the liquid burn their eyes.

"AHH! SHIT!" The leader cursed. I felt no remorse as I turned and dashed wildly the other way, away from the beach and towards the boardwalk.

Yeah, okay, so the SMART thing to do would be to run TOWARDS civilization, i.e. my friends. THEN those jerks wouldn't dare approach me! But hey, what do you want me to say? I was THIS close to being raped, so I freaked and did the first thing that came to my mind: Ran like hell, praying to God those thugs wouldn't catch me.

Unfortunately, God didn't seem very fond of me today, for it only took a couple of seconds for the Goon Squad to catch up with me as my feet pounded to the rhythm of my heart against the boardwalk wood.

Oh Lord, I was SO going to have splinters after this!

C'mon, focus, Sakura! You have to find a way OUT of this mess!

To my dismay, I only found myself in DEEPER mayhem then I already was in, when I failed to notice the loose board sticking up from the rest of the wood on the boardwalk. And of course, I HAD to trip over the damned thing, painfully twisting my ankle in the process. I hit the boardwalk roughly, hissing in pain as I drew my injured ankle closer to me, and watching helplessly as it swelled to the size of a softball.

Well, there goes running for my life.

The Goon Squad had finally caught me, surrounding me once again and eliminating my very slim chances of escaping. All I could do was leer up at them in what I hoped was an intimidating manner.

God, I'm done for. WHERE was Kenji when I NEEDED him! Oh, that's right, Kenji was back at the Awayuki Mansion, with his cold. Dammit, of ALL times to be sick!

"I'm going to punish you for doing such a wicked thing as to throw lemonade in an attempt to blind me, Sweetheart." The leader drawled, a playfully scolding tone in his voice that sickened me. "You'll pay for your naughty deed." I flinched as he kneeled next to me and leaned in towards my face, his hot, not to mention FUNKY breath making my eyes water.

Seriously, has this guy even HEARD of Listerine?

Just as he was about to make his move on me, to my relief and utter astonishment, he flew back a good 15 feet instead, a trail of blood following him.

Damn! Whoever did THAT deserved a pat on the back!

But who-?

The leader's attacker moved so quickly that I didn't even notice him in front of me, his back to me, until just now. He turned around to face me, and my eyes quadrupled in size at the sight of his face.

"HIRO!" I blurted out, strangely relieved to see him. He didn't respond, rather, he held out his hand as an offer to help me to my feet. I noticed that it was his right hand, and I took care in placing my left hand in his so we wouldn't accidentally prete and scare the other two off.

Although I would VERY much enjoy that.

As he pulled me to my feet, I winced as weight was forced onto my bad ankle. Hiro saw this and a worried look overtook his features. I stared wide-eyed at him.

What the…

"HEY! WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE!" Goon #2 demanded to know, with Goon #3 glaring at Hiro in an attempt to look threatening.

Oh PUL-lease! I've just about had enough of the Goon Squad!

Apparently, so had Hiro, for his menacing stare-down froze Goon#2 and 3 in their tracks. I wanted to laugh, but was distracted by the arm snaking around my waist. Before I knew it, I found myself being held possessively against Hiro's body, his sudden warmth making my face go so red that I would've put a rose to shame.

Hmm, now WHY did this feel familiar? Wasn't I in a similar position as this before, but with a different person?

I thought of my poor sick Kenji back at the Awayuki Mansion and instantly felt guilty for letting Hiro hold me this way.

But why?

After all, Hiro and I were just friends, right…?

I snap out of my thoughts just in time to hear Hiro threaten in a low growl, "If I EVER catch ANY of you coming near MY Sakura again…" The two goons were now literally quaking in their boots, with their knees knocking together. I don't blame them; the look on Hiro's face was utterly frightening…

Wait a cotton pickin' minute!

HIS Sakura?

"WOW, look at the time! I believe we should go now, Bye!" Goon #3 shouted, taking off with Goon #2 right behind him, the two only pausing to stoop down and grab their fallen Goon Leader, and then resuming to get as far away from Hiro as possible. Hiro watched them go, still glaring in their direction.

When he turned back to me, his emotionless mask was in place, but the concern he let show earlier was still lingering in those mysterious auburn eyes of his.

Hiro is one handsome teenager.

I'm not afraid to admit that obvious fact anymore.

"Are you okay?" He queried, stepping back to let me have my space. This dissatisfied me immensely.

Why?

I wish I knew.

However, he kept a firm grip on my shoulders. My face was still pretty red, and I started to trip over my tongue. "Yea-I mean no-uh, my ankle…" I gestured stupidly towards my swollen right ankle, and Hiro took hold of the lower part of my thigh, lifting it so he could gingerly inspect my ankle. My face felt like it was on fire.

This was SO embarrassing…

"Ah, it'll be alright. At least it's not broken. When we get back to the summer home, I'll get you some ice for it." Hiro said, gently placing my leg back down instead of just letting it drop like he usually would.

Wow…he's changed so much…

I wonder if Kenji would've came to the same conclusion of my twisted ankle…

Well, THAT was a random thought!

I shook the out-of-the-blue musing out of my head and noticed that Hiro's back was to me again, but this time, he was kneeling down. He turned his head to look at me out of the corner of his eye.

"Get on. Since you obviously can't walk, I'll carry you back to the others." He somewhat ordered.

No way.

This is NOT happening.

Hiro, of ALL people, offering ME a piggy-back ride!

What parallel universe have I unknowingly sprinted into?

Stunned by all this, I had no choice but to nod and mutely climb onto Hiro's back. He held me under the knees to make sure I was securely on his back, and then we began to make our way back to the beach at a steady pace. After all, what was the rush? My hands held onto Hiro's shoulders, as I stared curiously at the back of his head, wondering if this was really Hiro and not some long-lost male triplet of his. After all, he didn't yet complain to me about how heavy I was or how much I was straining his back like I expected him to. Weird.

I surveyed the pink sky, the sun beginning to make its descent over the horizon.

Should I ask him?

Biting my lip, I somewhat timidly asked "Hiro…? Can I ask you a question?"

"You just did." Hiro replied with a hint of amusement in his voice. "What's up?" He asked on a more serious note.

"Um…how did you know I was in trouble?" I questioned, punking out on the first question I wanted to ask him, which was "Since when am I YOUR Sakura?"

"I saw those guys following you to the snack bar. And they just had "Trouble" written all over them. So I came to save you." Hiro answered.

I heard that! In Speedos no less! Yuck!

"But why did you feel the need to save me?" I asked in plain curiosity this time. Hiro stopped walking and turned to look at me. There was an incredulous look in his eyes.

"What did you except me to do? Ignore the fact that you were in danger?" He demanded of me, sounding a little hurt that I would feel the need to ask that question.

Actually, to tell you the truth, that's EXACTLY what I expected him to do.

Even though we were slowly starting to become friends, I expected him to ignore my presence and continue to have a good time with his little groupies.

Looks like I set my expectations too low for Hiro.

He faced front and continued to walk on without waiting for me to speak. I think he already knew the answer anyway.

"You're the Pretear. It's only natural that I, A Leafe Knight, would feel the need to protect you." He explained. For some reason, this didn't make me feel any better.

"Oh." I answered dully.

That's right. It was because I was the Pretear. If anything happened to me, the whole world would basically be screwed. It was the Leafe Knights' job to, if necessary, lay their lives down to protect mine. It wasn't because they cared for me as a human being, but because I was the Pretear.

Hiro must have noticed my sudden melancholy mood, for he then said, "But you know…you DO mean more to us than just as the Pretear." He told me.

Was that really true? Or did you just say that to make me feel better, Hiro?

And who was "us"? Did "us" refer to him and the rest of the LK (Leafe Knights)? Or was Hiro speaking in a really weird form of 3rd person?

…Nah, he must've been referring to him and the rest of the Leafe Knights. For some reason, I was unsatisfied with this answer too.

What did I want him to say?

Something more along the lines of "You mean more to ME than just as the Pretear" instead of "us"? Why would I want him to say that?

My God, what is WRONG with me?

………

You know, quite frankly, all these unanswered questions in my head are starting to get on my nerves.

But at least I knew I could get rid of one by asking Hiro about it.

"Hiro?" I started.

"Hmm?" He responded.

"What was with the whole "my Sakura" bit back with the Goon Squad?"

Hiro's ears go immediately red at my bringing up the topic, but he manages to say in an even voice,

"I figured they'd leave you alone if they thought we were a couple."

"Ohhh, so that explains why you held me so close like that." I say, finally understanding that part.

"Yeah."

"…"

Not knowing what else to say, I continued to go over the day's events in my head while Hiro continued to carry me to the beach, which was now in sight. Remembering a thought I had earlier concerning Hiro KO'ing the Goon Leader, I gave the 18-year-old a congratulatory pat on the back. He turned his head to look at me out of the corner of his eyes once more.

"What are you doing?" He wanted to know.

"Just patting you on the back for a job well done." I replied, grinning toothily. Hiro gave me a Look, his awkward smile on his face.

"You are so weird." He commented.

I merely smiled and rested my head on Hiro's shoulder, a content sigh escaping my lips.

Okay, so maybe God didn't hate me after all. I mean, he DID send Hiro as a guardian angel to protect me. Maybe Kami-sama DID like me!

Just as I thought that, clouds that seemed to come from nowhere overtook the skies and rain poured down in buckets while lightning flashed and thunder boomed. We had FINALLY reached the beach just to have people running around everywhere and screaming, trying to get out of the rain.

"Crap!" I shouted, frustrated, above the noise as Hiro began to sprint in the direction of the summer house with me clinging to his neck and holding on for dear life.

Oh well. Guess I spoke too soon!

Authoress' POV (FINALLY!)

Sakura was sick. She was sure of it.

Ever since she and Hiro had returned to the summer house, with everyone else already there, she was feeling REALLY weird.

She sat in a chair, an ice pack wrapped around her right ankle, and watched as everyone jammed to the beat of the music that was playing on the boom box in the living room. Hiro was in a corner of the large room, discussing something with Saitoshi. He looked over to find Sakura staring at him, then smiled and waved. Sakura blinked and instantly smiled in return. Hiro returned to his conversation, and Sakura resumed staring at him, a faraway look in her eyes.

Something's wrong with me… The Cherry Blossom Princess thought vaguely, her chocolate brown orbs stuck on Hiro's features. My head is screaming at me to love Kenji, but what does my heart know that my head doesn't?

/Tsk. Is it THAT hard to figure out/

Eh? YOU AGAIN? I thought I got rid of you!

/Oh please. You can't get rid of me, I'm your conscience/

Ugh. I guess your right. So, what do you want? I don't hear from you for so long, and NOW you're bothering me by spouting off some nonsense?

/It's NOT nonsense! It's a question of your intelligence. /

NOW you're making fun of me?

/NO! God, listen! I have a friend down in the heart region who's been telling me things… /

What the hell? You ACTUALLY have conversations with other parts of my body?

/Of course! How ELSE do you think you can restrain yourself from breaking things every time you're mad/

Touché.

/ANYWAY, my friend told me that there have been MAJOR changes going on with the heart. It's beating really fast when it's not supposed to, and this has been affecting the brain as well, causing you to think more about SOMEONE ELSE other than your boyfriend all the time. /

So?

/ 'SO'? Do you NOT get what I'm saying here/

Not really.

/Ugh. It MEANS your feelings are CHANGING! That means that…Hey, are you listening/

Man, I just can't seem to get Hiro out of my head. Tell me, Conscience. You work in my brain. Why is that?

/ That's what I've been TRYING to tell you! A princess being saved by her knight in shining armor and living happily ever after mean anything to you/

No.

/Really? With all the romance novels YOU read? Either you're really stupid, REALLY dense, or both. /

Hey! Can you PLEASE get to the point!

/Fine fine. Looks like I'm gonna have to spell it out for you anyways, even though the answer is OBVIOUS… /

SPIT IT OUT ALREADY!

/Hee. It's fun to make you mad. /

Grrr…

/Okay, calm down. Here's why: You have fallen head over heels for the Leafe Knight of Wind. /

………Hiro…?

/Yup. /

"…AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAA!" Sakura laughed out loud suddenly. The music was up full blast, so it drowned out most of her laughter, but the sudden outburst was enough to grab Tenshi's attention, and she looked over from where she was dancing with Hiniku, Hitori, and Garnet, Gaki's little sister who was driven up to the summer home by her and Gaki's parents at her request. She was a 9-year-old little girl, with wild fire red hair and green eyes to match her mothers. She had heard about Sakura and her friends from her brother, and wanted to meet them herself. So far, she was having a good time. Garnet followed Tenshi's line of vision and stared at Sakura, still laughing and slapping her left knee in hilarity.

"I wonder what's so funny…" She said aloud.

"I'd like to know the same thing…" Tenshi agreed.

"That's silly." Sakura said to herself, once her guffaws subsided. "Me, have the hots for Hiro? No way! I mean, we HATED each other when we first met! There's no way I'd like him…even if he is sweet, and caring…and his looks really suit him…and he seems like a really cool person on the inside…and he has a knack for saving me…and that I'm entranced by his mysterious auburn eyes… Oh my Kami." Sakura's eyes widened in realization.

My conscience is right…I HAVE fallen for him…that would explain why I've been feeling so weird around him…I LIKE him… WHY DOES GOD HATE ME!

To ease her frustration, as always, Sakura yanked on her hair, gritting her teeth. What the hell? How can I be in love with Kenji but still like Hiro at the same time? Jeez, why does love have to be so damn CONFUSING!

Sakura felt a tap on her shoulder and nearly jumped through the ceiling. "W-what!" She yapped in surprise to Tenshi, who was standing behind her, grinning amusedly.

"I saw you pulling your hair. What are you frustrated about now?" The angelic teen glanced down at the ice pack wrapped around Sakura's ankle. "Does your ankle hurt THAT bad?" She asked, a concerned note in her voice. Sakura shook her head.

"Nah, it's better, actually. I think the swelling has gone down." She replied, observing her ankle. The ice pack certainly wasn't bulging off her leg like it was in the beginning, so that MUST be a good sign. Sakura looked back up to see Tenshi staring at her, that same knowing smirk from earlier on her face. Sakura stared back, annoyed with Tenshi's smirk.

"Did you want to say something, Onee-chan?" Sakura asked, signaling Tenshi to take Sakura's hand and lead her up the stairs to the bedroom they were to share for the whole weekend.

"Did we HAVE to come all the way up here? I have an injured ankle, in case you forgot!" Sakura complained, finally limping up the last few steps and catching up to Tenshi.

"Oh please, suck it up. Besides, you SAID the swelling had went down." Tenshi scoffed, closing the door behind her friend/sister and flopping down on one of the beds in the room. Sakura stared down at Tenshi, wondering why she had dragged her all the way up here.

"Well?" Sakura questioned, getting more annoyed by the second, as she watched Tenshi observing her nails, taking her sweet time.

"Hm? Oh yeah, I want to talk to you about something." Tenshi said, feigning forgetfulness to boost her innocence. Sakura looked at her suspiciously.

"What are you up to?" Tenshi blinked innocently.

"Why, nothing." She answered. "What makes you think I'm up to something?"

"One, because you're beating around the bush. Two, because I know you better then that. And Three, because you and I BOTH know your name is misleading. So spill, because your horns are starting to show." Sakura commented dryly, folding her arms in a no-nonsense way. Not being able to keep up appearances, Tenshi's face split into a wicked grin.

"I noticed that ever since you and Hiro got back that you guys have become really close. AND that you can't seem to take your eyes off him. What's up?" Tenshi demanded to know, her eyebrows raised in amusement. Sakura's face immediately flared up, but she stood her ground.

"Nothing happened. He just saved me from the stupid goons that attempted to attack me, that's all." Sakura insisted, staring down at the ground. Tenshi was not convinced.

"Oh c'mon, there's gotta be more to the story than that! Why don't you just admit it?"

"Admit what? There's nothing TO admit."

"Sakura…" Tenshi said in a singsong voice. "You know I know YOU better than that. You've been acting funny around Hiro, don't think I haven't noticed. It used to be this way with you around Kenji before he asked you out, which leads to only ONE conclusion…" Tenshi stood up and looked Sakura in the eye, a triumphant gleam in her mahogany orbs. "You, Sakura Petala, have a crush on Hiro!"

Sakura stood there, blinking at Tenshi, before she sighed and trudged over to the bed Tenshi was previously occupying, flopping down on it and laying back so she was staring at the ceiling.

"I guess there's no use in hiding it since it's pretty much obvious, huh?" She muttered. Tenshi stared wide-eyed at the new Pretear. When Sakura didn't get an answer, she lifted her head to look over at a gawking Tenshi. "…What? Were you expecting me to deny it?" Sakura asked.

"Actually, yes." Tenshi replied, sitting down next to Sakura. "You alright?" She asked concernedly. This "torn between two guys" thing couldn't be good for Sakura's health. Sakura sighed tiredly, the palms of her hands over her eyes.

"I don't know what to do, Tensh. The human heart is so complicated. How could I possibly feel the same way for two guys?" Sakura complained, turning over so her head and legs hung off the bed.

"Wow. You're in love with Hiro too?" Tenshi asked.

"No, of course not. I just started crushing on him." Sakura grumbled. "But if things keep going the way they are now…who knows." The African-American teen suddenly sat up, livid at the world. "You know, it was SO much easier to hate him when he was being an ass!" She declared. "Now that's he's gone from sour to sweet, I…" Sakura's bangs hid her eyes from view as she stared down at her lap, lost in thought.

Tenshi sat there with Sakura, feeling sorry for her best friend, when an idea struck her. As she sat there thinking the idea started to grow into a devious and well thought-out plan, and Tenshi smirked evilly.

"Hey Sakura." She said, causing The Cherry Blossom Princess to raise her head and peer curiously at Tenshi. "I've just had an idea. An AWFUL idea. I've just had a wonderfully AWFUL idea. And I think it'll make you feel better." Tenshi claimed, the corners of her mouth curling. Sakura's raised eyebrows disappeared into her hairline.

"Okaaay, ignoring the fact that you're quoting The Grinch, lay it on me." She ordered.

Tenshi and Sakura spent the next few minutes sitting on the bed, with Tenshi muttering her plans to Sakura in a low voice. Pretty soon, Sakura was wearing a smirk identical to Tenshi's.

"Oh, that is perfect." She complimented. "You're a genius, Tensh." Tenshi smiled in response.

"I know."

The rest of the day had whizzed by and nightfall came. THAT was when Tenshi's plan was supposed to take action. The word had gotten around to the other girls, and they simply adored the idea of being able to scare the crap out of the guys. As the Leafe Knights and Kai were in the living room, chatting about guy stuff, the girls retreated to Tenshi and Sakura's room, gathering props and going over the plan in detail.

"So, everyone's clear on what they're supposed to do?" Tenshi asked.

"Hai!" Sakura, Hitori, Hiniku, and Garnet nodded in affirmation.

"Good." Tenshi said, pulling out a scary movie from her bag she had brought to the summer home. "Time for Phase One of Operation: Prank Night."

"Yosh!" The others cheered.

The girls left Sakura and Tenshi's room and filed down the stairs, each wearing their own forms of sinister smirks. They reached the living room and Tenshi emerged with the tape in hand, signaling the girls to switch to "Innocent Mode."

"Hey! You guys wanna watch a scary movie?" Tenshi asked, waving the tape around. The guys looked up, surprised. No one had realized that the girls had left the room to get a scary movie, and they were all wearing identical smiles that made the guys shift uncomfortably. If they didn't know any better, the guys would be suspiciously aware that the girls were up to something.

They had NO IDEA how right they were…

"Man, that was a pretty good movie." Hiro commented, as the end credits flashed on the T.V. screen.

"Totally. You girls were just fighting the urge to scream, weren't ya?" Gaki questioned, ruffling his little sister's hair, who, in turn, bit one of his fingers.

"Nah, that movie pretty much made me wanna go to sleep." Hiniku replied, snuggling against Saitoshi. Sakura stood up, feigned a big yawn and stretched.

"Well, I'm gonna hit the sack. I'm really tired." She said, hiding a wink to the girls by yawning again, signaling the other girls to go into "Too Tired To Stand Mode."

"Yeah, me too." Tenshi said, getting up and following Sakura back to their room, both of them raising their eyebrows pointedly at Hitori and Hiniku.

"Gotta get my beauty sleep!" Hitori said, hopping up and kicking Hiro in the shin, who had muttered under his breath, "Lotta help that'll be."

"C'mon, Garnet, you look exhausted." Hiniku observed, taking the 9-year-old who was almost as tall as her by the hand. (XD) Hiniku had automatically taken a liking to Garnet, because she possessed the same fire Hiniku had.

"You guys should go to bed soon too. It's not good to stay up so late." Garnet threw over her shoulder as she followed Hiniku up to bed. Gaki scowled at her back.

"It's not like SHE has a right to talk, being 9 years old, but she DOES have a point." The Knight of Fire admitted. The others nodded in agreement and headed up to bed shortly after the girls. They knew this because they were all gathered in Sakura and Tenshi's room after stuffing pillows and junk under their blankets to make it look like they were sleeping, all gathered around a laptop in Garnet's lap, as she made cameras that were EVERYWHERE in the summer home zoom in on the unsuspecting guys as they headed for bed.

"This is SO cool." Sakura whispered, holding in the urge to squeal in fear of attracting the guy's attention. Hitori grinned.

"Normally, these cameras would only be used for security reasons, but Garnet, growing into the computer whiz that she is, was able to pull a few strings." Hiro's twin stated proudly, patting Garnet on the back. The 9-year-old grinned in spite of herself.

"This is what happens when you spend an entire summer with Uncle Kei." She explained. The cameras now showed that all the guys were now in their rooms; Hiro and Saitoshi to one room, Kato and Moki sharing the room next to that one, and Gaki, Himura and Shinta rooming together at the end of the hallway. They seemed pretty exhausted, because within a few minutes, they were out like lights.

"Okay, time for Phase 3." Tenshi declared, resisting the urge to cackle evilly. "Everyone got their props and walkie-talkies?"

"Yup." The group held up their bags of props and their walkie-talkies. Sakura's adrenaline was buzzing. She couldn't wait!

"Alright. Everyone take your positions. Garnet, I want you to stay hidden until I give you the signal. And from now on when we use these walkie-talkies, we are to refer to each other by code names, got it?" Tensh ordered, taking charge.

"Got it." Everyone replied.

"Good. Okay, Sakura, come with me, we have to set you up first. Good luck everyone!"

With that send-off, everyone left the room except Garnet, who was hidden in the closet, tapping away on the keyboard of her laptop. The girls silently made their way to where they were supposed to go, and got themselves ready to frighten the hell out of the guys.

Boy, are THEY in for it! The girls thought together.

Clang clang clang!

A noise sounded somewhere from downstairs, slightly rousing Hiro from his sleep. He sat up, rubbed his eyes, and glanced at the clock. 2:13 a.m. With a groan, he rolled over on his side, trying to go back to sleep. He had no such luck when he heard a noise again. Hiro sat back up, very grumpy that his sleep was being interrupted. He looked over to Saitoshi, who was sleeping like a baby. The Knight of Wind frowned.

For the Knight of Sound, he is certainly immune to noise in his sleep. Hiro observed, wondering to himself why that was. Deciding to ponder it later, he got up and started towards the stairs to see what the minor ruckus was about, not noticing the hall camera that was zooming in on his sleepy form.

"January to Cherry and Angel, over." Garnet muttered into her walkie-talkie, watching her laptop as Hiro got to the steps.

"Cherry and Angel, we read you loud and clear January, over." Came Tenshi's voice over the walkie-talkie.

"January to Cherry and Angel, Wind is making his way down the stairs, I repeat, Wind is gusting down the stairs."

"Cherry and Angel to January, copy that, we're almost done. Keep watching, over and out." Tenshi replied, suppressing the need to grin. Walkie-talkies were SO much fun. "Hold still, Saku." Tenshi commanded as she tightened the noose around Sakura's neck.

"Ow! Hey, I'm supposed to LOOK like I've been hanged, not BE hanged!" Sakura complained, smearing watery ketchup over her face and her clothes.

"Yeah, but we have to make it tight enough so it'll be convincing!" Tenshi grunted, finally satisfied with the way she had it. She stepped off the ladder and put it away. "Okay, I'm going back in. Scare his pants off, Saku!" Sakura grinned and gave Tenshi a thumbs up.

"Oh I will, believe me." She confirmed. And with that, Tenshi dashed out of the open garage and into the rain, just as Sakura's walkie-talkie crackled into life once more.

"January to Cherry, Wind is in the kitchen! I repeat, Wind is in the kitchen!" Garnet whispered furiously into her end of the line.

"Cherry to January, copy that, I'm ready. Cherry over and out." Sakura turned her walkie-talkie off for the time being and slipped it into her jeans pocket, grinning wickedly.

This is where the fun starts. She thought, and then let out a strangled scream.

"Hm…well, whatever that noise was, it's gone now…" Hiro muttered to himself, then turned, ready to go back up to bed when he heard an even stranger noise that came from the garage. "…What the hell was that?" The new Knight of Wind wondered to himself, turning back around and facing the garage, a curious frown on his face. A feeling of unease settled into the pit of his stomach, but he shrugged it off as lack of sleep, and made his way over to the window in the door that led into the garage.

Everything was dark, so he could barely see anything. I'm sure the noise came from in here… He told himself, opening the door and stepping inside, letting the door slam shut carelessly behind him. He groped around the wall for a light switch, but found nothing. Silently cursing himself for not thinking to turn the light on before he stepped into the garage, he stumbled forward blindly, listening to the soft pitter-patter of something. When his eyes adjusted to the darkness, Hiro noticed that the pitter-patter sound was just the rain outside of the open garage vehicle door.

Wait a minute…wasn't the garage CLOSED when everyone went to bed…? Hiro wondered, not being able to recall the garage ever being open that evening. Frowning, he shrugged his shoulders, deciding it wasn't anything to get so worked up about.

"Where's the damn garage door closer button?" Hiro muttered out loud, walking out of the garage to try and find the box where he would punch in a simple code and the garage would close automatically. As soon as his foot stepped out of the shelter of the pitch-black garage, lightning struck not to far away, and Hiro jumped, a grotesque sight catching his auburn eyes.

There, hanging from a noose tied tightly to the open garage door, was Sakura, blood splattered everywhere on her body, as if she'd been stabbed multiple times before being hung mercilessly from the garage door. Hiro's breath hitched in his throat. He couldn't breathe. The Knight of Wind stared at the body, horror-struck, as the lightning continued to strike and light up the ghastly scene, finally noticing that the pitter-patter noises he was hearing wasn't ONLY the rain, but the blood that was dripping from Sakura's corpse, forming a puddle under her.

"Oh my…" Hiro managed to choke out, before he started to scream his head off, dashing wildly back into the garage and through the door that led back into the house. When she could no longer hear Hiro's shouts of terror, Sakura burst into hysterics, untying the noose from around her neck and landing roughly on her feet, wincing a little since her ankle was still injured.

"Cherry to Female Warriors." Sakura said into her walkie-talkie after turning it on while she cleaned up the blood on the floor, using the line on the walkie-talkie that allowed her to communicate with everyone. "Mission Complete. Wind has successfully been scared shitless."

"Such language, Cherry!" Interrupted Tenshi's voice through the walkie-talkie. Sakura ignored her.

"I'm heading toward our gathering spot now." Sakura said, finished cleaning up the mess on the floor and she waltzed outside into the rain, flashlight in hand, and punched in the code she got from Hitori inside the box on the side of the wall, which made the garage door shut. "Good luck to the rest of you, and I'll see you outside. Cherry over and out!"

"Saitoshi! Damn it, Musika, WAKE UP! This is an emergency!" Hiro yelled, shaking Saitoshi violently. At the word "emergency", Saitoshi's eyes immediately sprang open, and he hopped out of bed, trying to rub the sleep out of his violet eyes.

"What is it? Is someone in danger?" Saitoshi asked urgently, when he caught sight of Hiro's pale face. "…Hiro, you look like you've seen a ghost." The Knight of Sound commented, frowning concernedly. "What's wrong…?" Hiro took a deep, shuddering breath and let it out slowly.

"It…it's Sakura…" That was all Saitoshi needed to hear. Within minutes, he was in Kato and Moki's room, shaking them urgently awake, while Hiro went into Gaki, Himura and Shinta's room and snatched Gaki right out of his bed.

"Wha- Hey, I was sleeping!" Gaki complained as Hiro continued to drag him down the hallway to the stairs, Saitoshi close behind with a confused Kato and Moki in tow. "What's going on that you had to wake me up in the middle of the night?" Gaki finally managed to free his arm from Hiro's grasp, refusing to move any further. He wanted answers, and he wanted them now!

Hiro slowly turned to him, a haunting look in his eyes. "As we're standing here…" He began, his voice deathly quiet so Gaki, Moki, and Kato had to strain to hear him. "Sakura's CORPSE is hanging from the open garage door, leaking blood everywhere…" The Knights of Fire, Sound, Light and Ice's eyes widened considerably with every word Hiro uttered, and their faces paled to match Hiro's shade. They quickly ran past him towards the garage.

"Why the hell didn't you say so in the first place!" Moki shouted, his voice unnaturally high-pitched as he yanked opened the door that led inside the garage, with the other 4 piling in behind him. Kato raised his right hand and the metal ring around his middle finger flashed brightly, illuminating the entirety of the garage.

There was nothing there.

No corpse, no blood, nothing.

The damn garage wasn't even open!

Hiro had sounded the alarm for nothing.

Saitoshi, Kato, Gaki, and Moki all turned to glare incredulously at Hiro.

"Was this you're idea of a sick joke, Hiro?" Gaki demanded of him, VERY angry at the auburn hair and eyed "friend" of theirs.

"What were you THINKING, sending us off into a panic like that?" Kato interjected. Hiro gaped at the garage door, then turned to the others, who were impatiently waiting for an explanation.

"Wha-, no, I swear! Her body was hanging right there!" The Knight of Wind insisted, gesturing foolishly to the vacant air above their heads. Saitoshi walked over to his friend and placed a hand over his forehead, checking for a possible temperature.

"Hiro, are you sure you're not sick?" Saitoshi wanted to know. Hiro roughly pushed his hand away.

"I'm NOT sick."

"Then are you ON something?" Moki queried. Hiro glared fiercely at the 14-year-old, deciding not to dignify that question with an answer.

"She was THERE." He insisted once again, walking over to where Sakura's body should have been hanging, and stared up at the garage ceiling, as if expecting the corpse to fall from it. The others scoffed.

"Whatever, Hiro. You can sit in this garage with your delusions all night for all we care, but WE'RE going back to bed!" Kato said with finality, stopping the Light Leafe from flowing into his ring as he went back into the house with the others (except Hiro) in tow, leaving the garage pitch-black once again. Hiro scowled to him self, then found the button near the wall that opened the garage from the inside, and pressed it.

The garage slowly rattled open, making small clanging sounds as it went, which Hiro realized to be the noises that woke him from his much needed sleep. He stepped outside into the rain, looking this way and that for any signs of blood or a body. When he found nothing, his frustration grew, and he began to question what he saw.

Was it just all in my head? Was the lightning just playing tricks on me…?

The horrible image of blood dripping from Sakura's clothes and onto the floor still sent chills down his spine.

No…it was too real for me to imagine it…and no matter what, I'm going to PROVE that I'm not insane!

"The NERVE of that guy! Sending us into a frenzy when it was a cruel joke of his!" Kato ranted rather loudly, stomping up the stairs in a huff. Gaki and Moki grumbled their agreements while Saitoshi followed silently behind, gripping his chin thoughtfully.

"I dunno, you guys. Something doesn't add up. We know that Hiro doesn't really like to joke around, so why would he suddenly decide to now? And his fear was WAY too convincing…" Saitoshi pondered. Gaki paused and looked back at the new Leafe Knight of Sound.

"That is true…"

"So, d'you think we should check the girls' rooms?" Asked Moki. The four looked at each other.

"Well, you know, I mean, it wouldn't hurt to SEE, right? You know, just to make sure…?" Kato agreed, trying to keep his calm demeanor in place. So, as quietly as they could, Saitoshi, Gaki, Kato, and Moki crept back up the stairs towards the girls' rooms. Saitoshi went to check Hiniku and Garnet's room along with Gaki, Moki went to Hitori's room, and Kato went to Tenshi and Sakura's room.

(A/N: Kato and Moki had an extensive fight over who would get to check Tenshi and Sakura's room, before they finally settled it over a game of Rock Paper Scissors. Kato won, apparently. XD )

All boys proceeded with caution, for if they were found creeping around the girls' rooms, Kami KNOWS what hell they'd be put through. Each looked around, and saw big lumps in the girls' beds, which HAD to be their bodies.

"Hitori's asleep in here." Moki assured the others, closing the door behind him on the way out of Hiro's twin's room.

"So is Hiniku." Saitoshi confirmed.

"And Garnet." Gaki added, stepping out of their room.

"The Pretear's safe and sound in her bed." Kato said, leaving Sakura and Tenshi's room. "And my angelic love is-"

"Then we had nothing to worry about." Gaki concluded, bringing Kato's lovesick rant to a halt.

"Good. Let's go back to bed then." Saitoshi suggested, yawning as the boys followed behind him further down the hall to their rooms.

Now, had the boys been a little brighter then they were, they would have noticed that the lumps smothered in blankets weren't moving, ergo, they weren't breathing. If the boys were AVERAGELY smart, this fact would strike them as odd, and they would pull off the blankets to reveal that the girls were NOT in bed, and that something was up.

What's even MORE shameful is that Kato is the friggin' Leafe Knight of Light, and he failed to notice the small beam of light pouring from the crack of Sakura and Tenshi's closet in their room, where Garnet was still hidden, a sneaky smirk playing across her lips.

Uncle Kei would have found me, but not Kato. Auntie Mayune's slowness must have seeped into his genes. After the boys had gone up the hall, Garnet pulled out her walkie-talkie. "January to Female Warriors, all clear. Midget, you're up!"

"Midget to January, copy that…hey, who came up with these nick-names!" Hiniku demanded to know, standing on Saitoshi and Hiro's balcony in the rain, clad in a black cloak that was a little too big for her short stature. (XD)

"I did. Now shut up and do your job!" Came Sakura's commanding reply. Muttering under her breath about how she was NOT that short and how Sakura and the others were just meanie butts, Hiniku waited outside on Saitoshi's balcony until he entered the room and went to bed, with the intention of going back to sleep. She pushed her dripping wet bangs out of the way and quietly slipped into Saitoshi's room, pulling out a knife doused in watery ketchup from the folds of her cloak.

I'm sorry sweetie, but this opportunity is just to good to pass up! The fiery Asian thought in a silent apology.

Saitoshi yawned widely, smacking his lips as he rolled over to go back to sleep, when he saw a rather stout figure approach the foot of his bed, encased by shadows. Saitoshi stared at the figure, puzzled.

Who the heck IS that? And why is he or she in my room…?

Before Saitoshi got the chance to interrogate this mysterious being, lightning from the night's storm brightly flashed, and he caught sight of the bloody butcher knife slowly being raised over the figure's head, ready to plunge it into Saitoshi. The new Knight of Sound's eyes became huge saucers.

"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" Saitoshi screamed, scrambling out of bed and running as fast as he could towards the door, crashing into it first before he gathered enough sense to open it and run down the stairs in a panic, still screaming his head off.

Hiniku cackled evilly and fled the scene of the crime, hopping off of Saitoshi's balcony and landing smoothly on her feet, with the intention of meeting up with Sakura. "Midget to Female Warriors, Mission Accomplished! Cherry, I'm heading your way! It's your turn Angel!"

"Angel to Midget, roger that." Tenshi whispered into her walkie-talkie as she precariously balanced herself on top of the chandelier hanging high above the floor below, wearing a long black cloak identical to Hiniku's. She watched in amusement as Saitoshi ran down the stairs, almost tripping over himself as he flew through the front door and headed towards the woods outside, screaming the whole time.

Kato, Moki, and Gaki emerged from their rooms, wearing similar bewildered expressions.

"What the hell is going on?" Gaki wanted to know, leaning against the stair railing, watching as Saitoshi's frightened form disappeared into the storm.

"We were just wondering the same thing." Kato explained, as he and Moki leaned on the rail as well. Another flash of lightning was seen, and the three Leafe Knights caught a glimpse of someone in a black cloak hanging from the chandelier.

"What the-" Moki started to say, before the figure hopped from the chandelier. Kato, Gaki, and Moki jumped back, and the cloaked figure landed on the railing, bringing into view a scythe covered in blood! Needless to say, this terrified the three immensely, and they ran shrieking out of the house, just as Saitoshi had. Tenshi had a good laugh about being able to scare the living daylights out of her two stalkers, the fished in her pocket for her walkie-talkie.

"Angel to Female Warriors, my task is complete, over. As soon as Twin completes her task, be in position for the grand finale!"

"Roger that!" Sakura, Hiniku, and Garnet all replied.

"Are you ready, Twin?" Tenshi asked.

"You know I am!" Came Hitori's excited reply, and the revving of an engine starting was heard in the background.

"Good. Keep it up, guys! We're only a few moments away from our ultimate blackmail!"

"Hai!"

"LET'S GET OUTTA HERE!" Moki shouted in the high-pitched voice he had used earlier when he was panicking. Gaki and Kato didn't need to be told twice as they all bum-rushed out of the house and ran into Hiro, who was still out in the rain, pondering on the garage door murder mystery. Without bothering to explain, they grabbed him and proceeded to tear into the woods, nearly hitting trees as they went.

"Whoa whoa WHOA! Hey, what's going on!" Hiro ranted, pulling away from his crazed comrades. They all looked back at him with equally frightened looks.

"THERE'S A KILLER IN THE HOUSE!" They all shouted at the same time, making Hiro slip into an anime fall.

"Uh…what the HELL are you all talking about?" He inquired, both of his eyebrows disappearing into his hairline.

"It's true. There is a killer in the house." Confirmed Saitoshi, who popped out from the bushes behind the group, nearly making them all have a heart attack.

"DON'T SCARE US LIKE THAT!" Kato, Gaki and Moki shouted at Saitoshi, and Hiro sweatdropped.

"Sorry. I was hiding here because I heard footsteps. I just realized it was you guys a few minutes ago." Saitoshi apologized, his face ghostly pale.

" 'Hiding?' Wait a minute, just what exactly is going on here?" Hiro questioned, wanting to know what scared everyone so badly and made them so jumpy.

"Oh my gawd! We heard someone screaming, right?" Gaki started to explain. Saitoshi sweatdropped and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"Eheheh…that was me." He admitted. "Someone in a black cloak managed to get into my room without me noticing, and was about to chop me into little pieces with a bloody butcher knife!" Moki's eyes widened.

"That's so weird! Someone in a black cloak who had a bloody scythe chased US out of the house!" He explained, as Gaki and Kato nodded vigorously to back him up. Hiro smirked and felt each of the four's foreheads.

"Are you guys SURE you're not sick? Or are ON something?" He mocked in revenge for the incident earlier. Saitoshi, Gaki, Moki, and Kato scowled at him.

"Very funny." Moki grumbled.

"This is serious though, guys!" Kato exclaimed.

"I know. If there's really a killer in the house…" Gaki started, and Saitoshi's violet orbs widened in sudden realization.

"Oh no! The girls are in danger!" The Knight of Sound cried, jumping to his feet in a panic.

"Damn!" Kato swore, ready to sprint back into the house and save Tenshi at all costs. "We have to protect the girls! The Pretear especially!"

"It's no use."

The Knights of Light, Ice, Fire, and Sound turned to look at Hiro, who was the only one still on the ground, his head lowered and hair surrounding it so they couldn't see his face.

"If there is indeed a killer in the house, then Sakura is already…"

"Oh…" Saitoshi tried to find the words to comfort his best friend, but couldn't find any. Does this mean we have to look for a new Pretear…?

Before anyone could supply the answer to his metal question, Saitoshi's ears picked up a buzzing sound not to far away.

"…Do you guys hear that?" Saitoshi whispered, as the buzzing sound grew louder. The others looked at him.

"Well gee, now do we ALL have power over Sound Leafe like you and your father, Saitoshi?" Kato asked sarcastically, still wanting to rush into the summer home and make a daring attempt to save his beloved Tenshi.

"No, it's getting louder. Listen." Saitoshi commanded, and they all fell silent. Pretty soon, Moki, Hiro, Gaki and Kato could hear it too. It grew from a soft buzzing sound to a loud revving sound, and the five whipped their heads this way and that, trying to identify where the sound was coming from.

"Whoa!" Saitoshi yelped, stumbling backwards and falling down on his butt, as he stared up at a figure before him. The others turned around and came face-to-face with a person in a hockey mask wielding a bloody chainsaw!

"AAAAHHHH! IT'S JASON!" The group of scared Leafe Knights shouted, running through the woods as "Jason" chased them, the chainsaw hacking away at anything that got in the way. The 5 managed to get out of the woods alive, and they sprinted towards the summer house, deciding they'd rather take their chances with a butcher knife and scythe than with a chainsaw. Hiro ran to the door first and ferociously yanked on the doorknob, but it wouldn't budge.

"We're locked out!" He yelled, making the others panic even more.

"Shit! What'll we do!" Gaki questioned, trying to break the door down.

"There's nothing we CAN do!" Kato concluded, watching in horror as "Jason" came into view. The boys huddled onto the doorstep as "Jason" came closer, chainsaw revving. Then the two murderers with the butcher knife and scythe joined the chainsaw-wielding killer, along with a zombie-looking person, her injured foot dragging behind her.

"AAAAAAHHHHH!" Hiro, Gaki and Saitoshi screamed, hoping by some miracle that they would be saved, while Kato and Moki hugged each other, screaming "I WANT MY MOMMY!"

But just as the killers are about to attack, they suddenly burst into fits of uncontrollable laughter, clutching their sides and rolling around on the ground. The guys blinked. Were they missing something…?

"Uh…aren't you supposed to kill us now?" Saitoshi asked meekly. The killers dropped their weapons and pulled off their hoods/ masks to reveal Hitori (Jason), Tenshi, Hiniku, and Sakura.

"GOTCHA!" The girls shouted, then burst into another fit of giggles. The Leafe Knights of Wind, Sound, Fire, Light and Ice blinked again, then narrowed their eyes.

"Wait a minute…it was YOU GIRLS the whole time! This was all a prank?" Saitoshi asked incredulously, extremely ticked off that he didn't catch onto their little plot sooner.

"You bet! Did you get all that, Garnet?" Hiniku called to Garnet around the corner of the house. Gaki's little sister emerged, with a video camera in her hands, grinning like a Cheshire cat.

"Oh yeah. Every bit!" The 9-year-old confirmed.

"Sweet!" Hitori cheered, giving Garnet a high-five. Kato and Moki, finally realizing that they weren't going to be butchered, pushed each other away in disgust and gave the puppy-dog face to Tenshi.

"Um…Tenshi my love, y-you're not going to, uh, you know…show that tape to anyone?" Kato pleaded.

"Yeah, um, cuz you know, that'd be, like, embarrassing…" Moki added. Tenshi smirked at the two of them.

"Oh, of COURSE I won't show anyone." She said, her "gracious" mask in play. Kato and Moki's eyes became sparkly.

"Really?" They asked.

"Sure…unless you count sending the tape to Japan's Funniest Home Videos as showing everyone." Said Garnet, smirking along with the rest of the girls.

"WHAT!" The guys yelled.

"You are SUCH an evil little sister." Gaki grumbled in annoyance. Hiro walked over to Sakura and stared at her for a few seconds, making sure he wasn't dreaming and she was really alive.

"…So…you're okay, then?" He finally spoke, grabbing the temperamental teen's attention.

"Of course I'm okay." Sakura replied, smiling. Hiro let out a breath, not going unnoticed by Sakura.

"Good." He said…in a RELIEVED way?

"…Hiro…were you worried about me?" Sakura inquired, a puzzled look on her face.

Before Hiro had a chance to respond, a figure jumped from the roof and landed in front of the doorstep, where the guys (except Hiro) were still sitting.

"AAHHH!" The yelled, being caught off-guard. The figure turned out to be Kai, and the Leafe Knights relaxed once more.

"I heard screaming. What's going out here?" The Russian blader wanted to know, looking around at the scene.

"Oh nothing, Kai. We just pulled the ultimate pranks on the guys!" Tenshi exclaimed gleefully. Kai sighed and shook his head.

"Why am I not surprised?" He muttered, knowing fully well that Tenshi was famous for these kinds of pranks back in Kyoto.

Hiro, Saitoshi, Kato, Gaki and Moki all started to fume, silently vowing to get revenge for what the girls did to them that night, no matter what it took.

A/N: WHOO! End of that EXTREMELY long chapter. I hope you guys enjoyed reading it as much as I did typing it. XD Gomen ne, this chapter probably would have been up last month, but I went to Myrtle Beach for a week, and then got wrapped up in other things I had to do. Not to mention that school starts for me this month. X( NOO! Where did my summer go? (Is sad) So, I'm sorry, but I won't be able to update as often as I'd like. But I guess it's okay, since I got a whole bunch of pics from the Otakon in Baltimore! Did anyone else go? I was the nut job in black who yelled "OH MY GOD, IT'S ROXAS!" and glomped an unsuspecting dude dressed as Roxas. I think I scared him. XD Hmm, what revenge will the Leafe Knights get on the plotting girls in the next chapter? Review and then I'll show you! The more reviews, the faster I type! Review please!

-MuraSakura