A/N: In this author's note, I would like to officially apologise to Galaxy Guardian for using the same sort of storyline as she did. I assure her that it was not intentional and our fanfics differ in many ways. (I read her's, it's good.) And for all my faithful readers out there, this is chapter ten! (Duh. Point out the obvious why don't I.) I should be starting chapter twelve by now, but tonsilitous (Is that how you spell that?) prevented me from getting any further with my fic. For that same reason I haven't been keeping up with all your fics either. I'm sorry. Also I've been told that I'v been spelling Heyate wrong, so I'll try to spell it 'Hayate' but I may forget in places, please bare with me. Anyways, this is the chapter where we finally get somewhere! Read and enjoy! Heh, I did spell Hayate wrong, and went back and changed it in 9 long chapters. I wrote his name so many goddamn times... --;

Disclaimer: I don't Pretear or the characters. In this fanfic however, I do own Hime, Maikeru, Yurokai and dark evil lady that hasn't got a name yet.

Chapter 10

Princess of Sorrow

The dark figure of Hayate slunk through the gardens of Leafenia. The wind sword held loosly in his hand gleamed with all the colours of the flowers around him. He would find the knights and slaughter every one. He caught a streak of blue to his left. Peering through the branches of a willow tree he saw his double, his victim.

Hayate walked up to the door of Hime and Takako's house lost in thought. The dark 'It' hadn't appeared, and it would only be a matter of time. He kicked a stone off the path with his white boot. The whole situation had been dragging on a bit now. He wondered where everyone was, the whole place was so empty.

" Figures." He muttered, turning to leave.

X

Hime trudged on through the Awayuki gardens. The rain had begun to fall a few minutes before, and now she was soaked. She stopped for a moment to watch rain-drops form circular patterns in a puddle at her feet. Out of nowhere she felt something clamp onto her arms. She span round in fright only to see Maikeru's face beaming down at her.

" What are you doing out when it's raining like this? You'll catch a cold." She smiled.

" I was looking for Himeno." She replied quietly.

" Don't you think Himeno will have gone inside by now? At least she has more sense than you, silly." He gave Hime a playful nudge and she shoved him back.

" God, you're soaked! Here." He held out his jacket to her and she took it shyly. She wrapped it around her shoulders and felt a little warmer.

" Thanks."

" You're welcome." The rain slowly began to soak Maikeru just as much as Hime and he shivered.

" Brrr. It's cold! Can we find some shelter please?" Hime nodded but had no chance to say anything as Maikeru grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the little stream not far from them. Together they stumbled blindly across the bridge, and took refuge under the giant wind chime. Hime untangled her hand from his and wiped the rain from her eyes. When she looked up she could barely hold in a gasp. Maikeru's black shirt clung to his chest, and his hair was held against his face by the rain water. His laughing eyes looked out at the rain and he looked...What other word other than gorgeous? She smiled as he looked down at her.

" Now we're both soaked." She laughed lightly. Maikeru smiled, he turned but slipped, landing with an arm either side of her. A gust of wind played with his damp hair and set the chimes clanging against eachother. In that moment Hime felt there was nothing but the two of them and the rain.

" Maikeru?"

In the silence that followed their lips met. Maikeru pulled her close and put his arms around her. The wind blew the rain in, and Hime felt the drops pelt against her skin, but she didn't care. She had Maikeru's warmth, safe in his embrace she could do what she had never admitted she wanted to. Allowing her lips to part she held her own arms around him, feeling his wet shirt crumple beneath her fingers. He drew back, planting delicate kisses on her neck, making shivers course through her. They were lost in the rain.

X

Hayate walked away from the little house. The silent emptiness was eerie, and it just didn't seem right somehow. Hayate prepared to summon the way of light when he felt a pressure on his back. Slowly he turned to see his own face look back at him.

" Damn."

X

Himeno looked up to see Hime and Maikeru fall through the double doors, both soaked and grinning. Though the moment of passion was over, Himeno could tell something had happened between them, and for that she was happy.

" Why are you two grinning like that? I hope you havn't done anything I wouldn't approve of." She teased. Hime looked down to her shoes and a rosy blush adorned both of their faces. Out of nowhere there was a flash the other side of the room.

" Hi Sasame!" Himeno cried cheerfully. Sasame though, didn't return her smile. His serious expression worried them all.

" What's happened?" Maikeru asked. Sasame shook his head.

" We must go to Leafenia at once." He advised, openly worried. He opened the Way of Light, and they all pondered over what terrible horror awaited them.

X

They stepped out of the portal in front of the house. No-one could see anything out-of-the-ordinary, until a whirlwind of blue landed in front of them.

" Hayate! We have to help him." Himeno pleaded.

" I want to." Sasame assured." But I just can't tell which is which." Sure enough, the two fighters were exactly alike in every feature. Even the black marking was hidden.

" There has to be a way." Hime stated. She was positive that there was a solution, there always was.

" There is." Maikeru said. All of them turned to face him." We wait until the victor is decided, then check him to see if he is the real Hayate. If he's not, we kill him."

" But that means Hayate could die!" Himeno screamed.

" Yes. It does." Silence followed as the group watched the battle nervously. Neither figure seemed to give, and it looked like it would last forever. Thrust, parry, block. Thrust, parry, block. Maikeru realised the whole thing reminded him of the battle between Sasame and Hayate. He looked over to the knight of sound. He was stood on tenter-hooks, and every part of his face was etched with anguish. Gasps from the people around him drew his gaze back to the battle. Levitating happily in the air was a dark, hooded figure. The hood was attached to a long, black cape. The inside of which was a deep velvety purple. From the shadow of the hood, a few mischeivious black strands of hair escaped. Around her ivory neck, there hung a black choker, it had a delicate silver tear-drop hanging from it. The left side of the cape was flung loosly across one shoulder, revealing a light purple, knee-length dress. None of her leg was visible though, as black skirts fell down from the purple, covering her feet. A strange black tattoo curled around her slender wrist, and in her hand was a staff, not unlike Maikeru's own, that had perched on its top a black tear-drop. Like Takako, Hime felt this woman emitted the same echoing sorrow the Princess of Disaster had.

The woman threw her staff to one side and it dissappeared. She then sank down to the two wind knights, and put her hands on the shoulders of one, who froze instantly.

Hayate felt magic slide through his body. Making it numb momentarily, then replacing the nothingness with pain. His body arched in agony, and he cried out. He didn't care any more for dignity or pride, the pain was so desperatly terrible that he just wished to be free of it. From his terror filled eyes he saw a bolt of black shoot innocently through the air at his heart. He tried to bring up a shield, but the magic held him in place, his body, mind and powers were all frozen. Just as the bolt was to penitrate his shaking form he blacked out. The pain was gone and he sank to his knees with the relief of freedom. The place he was in was complete darkness, but he could see himself as if there was a spotlight shining upon him. Although when he looked up there was no light anywhere else. Suddenly, a mortifying scream filled his head. After a few moments another joined it, and this one was filled with sorrow, where the other had been full of pain. The disgusting smell of death surrounded him and he heard jeering voices under the screams, all he heard was hatred, betrayal, sorrow and agonising anguish. All the things the leafe knights worked to destroy filled his head, his very soul. He felt his heart break a million times over, and felt the heavy stone of misery weigh him down. All the unwanted emotions of mortals that had ever been felt coarsed through him. I will die here. He thought. Never having admitted my love...

X

The bolt of darkness had slid past Hayate easily, and sailed on into the chest of the imposter. Himeno cried out as the body fell to the ground, and ran over to it only to see it had the tattoo. Maikeru's attack had hit the right one.

" But look...She's still going to kill him!" Himeno pointed up to the woman, whose arms were now wrapped completely around Hayate's chest. Her head rested on his shoulder and she was smiling, her eyes were closed peacfully, but Hayate's whole form was convulsing like he had been poisoned.

" Do something won't you?" Hime screamed. She couldn't stand to see Hayate in such pain. Maikeru couldn't either, nor Sasame. They had both lost the chance to be with the ones they called family at one point, and neither wished to have the chance brutally snatched away again. With war cries they both launched themselves at the hovering forms in the sky.

X

Hayate saw the woman as a glimmer at first. Once he could see her through his blurred vision he knew she was the one causing all the emotional pain. He would get her to release him, he had to.

" Hello, silent knight." Her voice rang with the sound of thousands of glasses smashing, and he winced at its painful projection. With great difficulty he struggled to his feet, and defiantly stood before her. If I'm to die, I shall at least do this thing some damage before I go.

" So, you wish to oppose me? Have I not given you proof enough of the terrible torture I can put you through? Then feel me!" She lifted her hand so the palm faced Hayate. A large mouldy-green coloured vine wrapped itself around Hayate, clinging to him. That, added to the emotions of six billion mortals broke down the Knight of Wind. It crushed him with a strength unimaginable, and he screamed out.

In Leafenia, the strange woman had dropped Hayate as Sasame and Maikeru charged. His body plummeted to the ground beneath, but he did not wake up.

X

Hayate was released by the plant eventually, and the voices receeded. He stood up again and looked into her eyes with all the compassion he could muster. He had to try somthing new, had to try being...sympathetic.

" You, have been through immense pain. But hurting others is only hurting you more." He stammered.

" Fool! Do not try to understand or sympathise with me. You and your knights took away from me the one glimmer of hope in my life! And for it you shall suffer!" She creamed back, her voice seeming to slice through Hayate's heart, leaving a raw open wound in its wake. He was thrown backwards and his head started to clang with the beat of his pulse. She stood over him, then bent down, using her nail to slice a long gash across his chest. It felt like it was on fire, and Hayate was delt a blow to the face before she finally left him, and he woke.

X

Himeno and Hime had rushed over to Hayate when he fell. Once they reached him, they tried their best to help, but there was nothing they knew of that would do. Hayate's face had twisted in what appeared to be agony, and his back had arched before a huge gash in his upper chest had begun to spread a cruel wash of blood across his body.

Maikeru and Sasame tried their best to fend off the woman, but she just laughed at them, before going back to whence she came. Both descended and hurried to Hayate and the girls. Maikeru looked past Sasame to see Hayate knelt in the long grass. The girls were stood not to far from them, and Sasame gave him a look of can-we-have-some-private-time-please? Maikeru happily obliged, he was never good with these sort of situations. Opening the way of light, he ushered the girls inside with joined hands. Before he followed, he took one last look at the pair. Sasame knelt by Hayate, and Maikeru saw a sparkling droplet fall from the darkened eyes of the Knight of Wind. Was he crying?

X

Unknown to everyone, Hime also saw the tear. The Way of Light closed on the scene. Sasame knelt by Hayate, embracing him, consoling a man who'd seen all the evil, sorrow and hatred in the world, and then been beaten for it.

So, the heartless knight has a heart after all. And that heart...has just been broken.

A/N: Whoo, eventful chapter. There aren't enough words for pain damnit! I apologise for using the same words over and over, but the English language has to get a bigger vocabulary. (ooh, big word. Go me!) But seriously now, okay. I always ask you guys to review, right? I think you give great reviews. (Hey, didn't I have nine before? It's gone down to seven now. GODDAMMIT!) So it's not your fault at all. I think people arn't reading this 'cause I have a crap summary. So please, email me some summaries that you think will make people want to read this without giving it all away. Pretty pickle please? I'm desperate and would really appreciate your help. Thanks a bunch!

Forgetful XxxxxxxxxxxxX