AUTHORS NOTE: wow this is the last chapter, I have been doing this story for...a long time, it started in December 21, 2007 and it ends 6-27-08. It isn't taking as long as some of my other stories. I had one since 2006! Of course my first one is finished The Planet Knights. I still have to work on the others from 2006! I know I am evil and I haven't updated The Playboy's Love Quest, i promised I would. Then there is my being evil again and started ANOTHER STORY for Black Cat! sigh, I need to get my priorities straight. This thing is like 9 pages long! Just like my last couple of chapters (11-12) but it isn't quiet 6000 or so words! I know this has been a long time coming but this is finished! YAAAA! Hope you like it as much as I did.

NOTE: I didn't publish this till I checked over it! THANKS EPIC FARMER for being my beta! You helped me a lot! Well again hope you like the ending to my story...sigh i am not good at endings.

IMOUTO- little sister

NII-SAN- older brother

Pretear of the Old Legend

Chapter 14

They saw her fall; every Knight heard the tears in her voice. Himeno just couldn't move, this was just too much for her. She never thought that Risa would die, she was just so strong! How could girl so strong, her will so powerful, just fall out of this Castle so high from the ground?

Three Knights ran toward where she had fallen from. It was the three Knights that mattered so much to her, and she who mattered just as much to them. Mannen just couldn't process it, how could his Princess, his love, fall like that? It just was impossible. She was too strong, sure she was a klutz, but still, she was just too strong.

He heard two voices, it sounded like Kei and Sasame, but he wasn't so sure. After a few seconds of listening to them, yeah, it had to be them, he always knew that they were close to his Princess, closer then he would ever be. That made him sad.

"She fell…because when she changed backed to her old self she stepped back and lost her balance." It sounded like Kei…or was it Sasame? Mannen didn't know, nor did he care, he was heartbroken. His Princess had changed back and yet here she was dying in front of his eyes yet again.

"She wasn't dead when she fell, but when she hits the ground she will be." Mannen knew it was Sasame's voice, so that meant the first one was Kei's.

Mannen looked down, he saw her falling, and it broke his heart again. He couldn't think and we all know that you have to think, because if you don't think you do stupid stuff and Mannen did just that. He jumped after her.

He had one thought, one goal, one wish. He only wanted to do one thing; he wanted to save his love. Even if she didn't love him, he still wanted to save her. It would be enough to just to see her, to see her happy, to see her smile. Even if she was in love and with someone else that wasn't him, as long as she was alive and happy.

He knew that she was closer to Kei and Sasame, then him. She would choose one of them, they had been together for far longer then he and Risa had known each other. He knew that the moment she chose them as her Knights, he had seen the way she always acted with them. So comfortable, she opened up fully for them, she let them in.

He stilled loved her though, and he would do what he had to do to save her. Even if it meant dying, he would make sure she lived, she just had to.

He forgot everything when he saw her, falling faster than he was. At this rate he wasn't going to get to her in time. They still had about five stories left. He only thought of his one goal, his one wish, nothing else matter other than that. Other then saving the woman he had loved for centuries, for a long time. She had always protected him, now it was his turn to protect her.

He knew the only way to save her was use his Leafe. The source of his life, that Leafe, he would use his life to save her. He reached deep down into his core, and found his Leafe, the source of his Life. He grabbed it; he had to think fast, how was he going to save her?

Something happened he never expected, the Leafe spoke to him, it was all the Leafe. Wind, Sound, Plant, Water, Fire, Light, Darkness, Ice...he found the Leafe that controlled Leifaina. The ones that spoke to his Princess, protected his Princess, and possessed her at times.

They saw his thoughts, his only wish, his only goal, and they wanted to help him. Please use us to save our Princess, please we see what you want and we will help you! Just save our Princess, our Knight, our Pretear and Saihi!

He smiled, so this was what it felt like to have every type of Leafe inside of you, talking to you. It took a lot out of him; it was confusing, and the pain. Now he knew what his Princess had been though. He was going to use the Leafe to save his Princess; he had no time to think.

The Wind Leafe he could feel boasting his fall, closer, just a little closer and he would have her. He was so close to her he could see her face. Her eyes were closed, her arms, it was like she was reaching for him. Just like all those other times, she would either wait for him, her arm reaching toward him, waiting for him. Or other times where she just grabbed him and dragged him with her. There were also those times that he was dragging her, this time he would protect her.

He upped the Wind Leafe around him, it pushed against him harder, and there she was! He grabbed her arms and pulled her to him. He squeezed her tight, holding her to him; he looked down two stories left, so close to the ground. They would be on the ground before they knew it, he had no time left!

What was he going to do? He did the only thing he could think of, he used Ice. He was the Leafe Knight of Ice. He made it twist around like a slide till it hit the ground. They slide down it, and when they got closer to the ground he saw Plants spring up to meet them. It seemed that the Plant Leafe around wanted to help too! He was thankful, oh how thankful he was. He honestly didn't know how he was going to stop there fall.

When he got up, he picked her up as well. He was holding her bridal style. She was getting colder by the minute. Her Leafe was leaving her; he had to find somewhere safe to go to help her. As he looked around he knew where they were. They were near her house, the one where they found out she was the Saihi. And the place she had slept for centuries till she returned to them…to him.

He ran toward the house. Of course he knew where it was, he wasn't exactly a stalker. He just came every now and then to watch her make sure she wasn't having any nightmares, while she was sleeping all those centuries. He remembered those nightmares. She couldn't sleep for days after one.

He always knew when she had one, because he couldn't sleep either. He would get out of his tent and walked into the woods, find the closest stream or creek, and he would find here there. She would have her knees drawn up to her chest and she would be rocking back and forth. He wasn't the only one that knew the state she was on, Kei and Sasame knew also.

Sometimes he would get there before they would, and when he did he sat beside her and waited till she noticed him. When she did she would cling to him, he would have to hold her for a while, sometimes she would go back to sleep. Sometimes she wouldn't, but he never left her, he held her for as long as she needed it. The times that she did go to sleep he just held her while she slept.

Those horrible nightmares, they would have blood, death, and despair in them. He always wondered how she could deal with it all. It took her while before she would actually tell him what her dreams were about. She would see past battles, people killing other people. Betrayal, everything you could think of she saw it. She even told him that she saw herself killing the people she cared for, and the people that 

cared for her. She also said she saw herself killing those that didn't matter to her, the ones she wanted to kill.

He asked her once, what age did she start having those dreams and he was shocked and applaud at her answer. She told him she had started having the dreams ever since she can remember, probably as young as one or two years old. He couldn't believe it though, she was always so happy, she never showed that she had seen such horrible things at such an early age. It just showed how good she was at hiding things, how good her masks were.

She could fool anyone and everyone. It didn't take much either for her. She told him after a while it became second nature to her, hide everything from everyone. The only one you could trust was yourself. Though she had told him, he thought it was a few nights before the battle with her sister the first time that she was wrong, about the trust thing.

She wasn't the only one she could trust; she smiled and said that her Knights had taught her that. They had stayed with her through thick and thin. She had learned to trust them with her life and she whispered something that he wasn't supposed to hear. She had also wondered if she could trust one of them with her heart.

Mannen shook his head and opened the door to the house. He just prayed he could get her to her room…now which way was it again? The house had changed since the battle. It looked like a regular Castle now. Except the top floor…it was still the same. The blood was still caked on the walls; he didn't want to know whether or not the bodies were still there.

He found her room, placed her gently on the bed. He looked at her, her face was getting paler. He had to do something! That was when he remembered that this house had lots of rooms full of everything you could think of!

He ran through the house looking for a medic room or something, he found a library. What use was a library when you couldn't tell what book was what? He turned to leave and tripped over something. A book of course, but the title told him this was something he needed. Idiots Guide to Healing a Pretear or a Leafe Knight. There was a little sticky note on the book below the title: You will need this book when your patient is drying from loss of Leafe.

He grabbed the book and ran back to Risa's room. Unfortunately, he couldn't understand the words…this was so complicated, how the hell was this an Idiots Guide to Healing? He threw the book down and saw that there was a note sticking out of it. He picked it up and read it.

Hello and congratulations on getting into my house without being killed! I am Princess Eris of Leifaina. If you are reading this book and know nothing of Healing then you don't understand it. Lucky for you I made it less complicated. Good thing for you huh?

Okay, on a shelf inside of my room—be careful I have traps in there—there are bottles. The white, clear body is for the Pretears dying from loss of Leafe. The other bottles have different colors. The green one is for Leafe Knight of Plants. Red is for the Leafe Knight of Fire. Gold is for the Leafe Knight of Light. Black is for the Leafe Knight of Darkness, etc they are labeled for what Leafe it is.

If you are looking for one for me—which could be a possibility—find the one that looks weird, it has every Leafe combined inside of it. I am the Leafe Knight of Chaos you know, so I need all of them. Use it spraining, don't give me a lot, just a little at a time. I won't need the Ice because as soon as I recover with the stuff in the bottle I will get it back in a matter of days.

IMPORTANT YOU HAVE TO READ THIS! There is one Leafe that I DO NOT HAVE! I don't have Ice Leafe; it isn't in my collection for the Leafe Knights or inside of mine. I just couldn't get that one inside of a bottle…that is weird. Anyway hope this helps! If you are doing this for me, know that I thank you!

Princess Eris

Leafe Inventor/Experimenter: Rank: First Class

Leafe Knight of Chaos: Rank: Elite First Class

Pretear: Rank: SP#1

Wow, was all Mannen could think, she was really smart, she was one of the First Class Leafe Inventors/Experimenters! You had to be elite just to be one of them, and she was first class? Well she had to be if she came up with this.

He went over to the shelf and found the bottle; it seemed no traps were coming at him. It must have been because he came in with her, yeah that was it. It couldn't be because she trusted him and set it up where it won't affect him…maybe that was it. She had told him once upon a time that she did trust him, him and all of her Knights. Just her few precious Knights, she must have set it up for all of them so the traps wouldn't effect them.

He went over to her and gave her just a little. Just like the note told him, once he finished he noticed that Risa didn't look as pale as she did before. She was getting better.

A few hours later he gave her a little more of what was in the bottle. When he tried to leave she grabbed his arm. He froze; he slowly turned to her and noticed she was still asleep. He soon heard something come out of her mouth; he thought he would never hear those words again.

"Mannen…please…don't leave me." Risa whispered softly.

Mannen nodded, he wasn't going to leave her, now or ever. Not until she told him to, he would always be there for her.

Three hours later he gave her some more, her third little drank from the bottle. Ten minutes later he heard something that stopped his breathing.

"Mannen, don't cry. I hate seeing and hearing those Ice crystals fall to the floor. It breaks my heart…" Risa trailed off at the end, it seemed she went further into dream land.

Mannen knew now, that Risa cared more for him then he had originally thought, maybe there really was hope for him. Maybe she could or would come to love him.

Mannen woke up and looked at the clock, it was eleven A.M. He slept for over twelve hours! The last time he looked at the clock it was around nine or so P.M. When he looked at the date on the clock he froze…he had been asleep for two whole freaking days! During that time the Princess didn't get anything from the bottle!

He ran to get the bottle and then rushed back to his Princess. He blinked, she looked so much better. It was like she really was asleep and that was all. It was as if she wasn't fighting for her life, maybe if he was lucky she wasn't fighting for life…he could only hope. He put his hand on her forehand and blinked again, her fever had cooled down. She was perfect, her Leafe was all balanced and everything.

He dropped to his knees, thank God. She was going to live and all thanks to him. Soon he fell back to sleep and was awoken by giggling. He looked up and saw his Princess looking at him with a smile on her face. She had been watching him as he slept, he didn't have time to feel embarrassed, and he took no time in looking her over. She was back to normal, she was herself again.

He didn't think again, and what did we say before about not thinking? You do stuff you wouldn't normally do. He hugged her, whispering over and over in her ear, "Thank God your okay, you came back to me!"

She laughed and hugged him back and whispered in his ear also, "Yes, thanks to you I alive. Thank you Mannen."

He let go of her and just sat back and looked at her. It was his Princess, she back to normal; she wasn't like she was before when she killed her sister. She was Risa, his Princess, the one he loved.

She interrupted his thinking, "So, I hear from the Leafe that they spoke to you! Congrats Mannen, I know for someone who has never done if before it hurts. You will get used to it, I did."

He titled his head, he was confused, "I will get used to it…you mean it wasn't a onetime thing?"

Risa shook her head, "You will always be my Leafe Knight of Ice, but you have changed." She looked away, not wanting to look at him, he thought he heard her whisper an 'I'm Sorry'.

He put his hand under her chin and made her look at him, "What do you mean you're sorry? How have I changed?"

She sighed, "Once you hear the Leafe…you never stop. Apparently, when they talk to someone something happens to them. When I started talking to them they gave me something some after a time would view as a curse, some a blessing. I will forever, as long as they dim me fit, be their Chosen One. I will fight for them; I will destroy those they dim unnecessary. What I mean by that is those that have and can use their power and they don't like it I have to kill them. Like with Yuki, the Snow didn't like her or what she did to people."

Mannen eyes softened, "So, you won't die till they say so right? You could live forever." He chuckled, "I can see how that would be a burden, I am glad you told me. So tell me, I can handle it. What have them given me?"

Risa turned her head away, it seemed she couldn't meet his eyes, was it that bad? Was what the Leafe gave him that bad that Risa couldn't even tell him while looking at him?

"They said, that you were willing to do anything to save me, even use you're Leafe, the Leafe of Life inside of your body." She looked at Mannen now, he nodded, and her eyes grew wide.

"And since they saw you weren't lying and really meant that they…" she just couldn't say it; Mannen sighed and made her look him in the eyes, "Tell me Risa."

She took a breath, "I am sorry, I know that you don't want this. I told them, but they seem to think otherwise. For as long as they need me, they want you to stay with me, as my Guardian, my own Special Leafe Knight. I'm really sorry!"

With that she got off the bed and ran. Look at what she did to him! All she was trying to do was protect him from her sister, protect everyone and here she is condemning him to be with her forever! How could 

she be so selfish? Deep down she knew she wanted him to be with her forever, but she didn't know why though.

She barely got out of the house when he caught her. He grabbed her from behind and held her to him.

"Stop running Risa, I'm not going to bite you know…that is if you don't want me to." They laughed, it really was like old times, just hanging out and laughing together, but she couldn't forget what she did to him.

Again she kept on apologizing, but he stopped her by saying shh, over and over in her ear. "It's okay Risa, you are just assuming things, let me tell you what I have to say about this alright?"

He waited till she nodded, and he continued, "I was so scared, I was truly scared when I saw you fall. I thought you were dead before that. When you combined with the Darkness of your Soul I was really scared that you have left me, that my Princess…my Risa was gone."

She stopped breathing…his Risa? He thought she was his? What did that mean?

"I jumped after you, because I wanted to save you, I would have done anything to save you. About this living with you forever, staying by your side forever, I will only do that if you want me to." He took a breath; maybe he would be able to do this. "I know you would whether have Kei or Sasame at your side, but I am sorry to say it's me. I…"

He stopped, he couldn't' go on, he couldn't tell her that he loved her. She turned around in his arms, and looked into his eyes, "Finish." That was her only word and yet it gave him enough courage to tell her.

He pulled her closer to him and said those three words that he thought he would never be able to tell her, "I love you."

Of course, this is the third time that he forgot to think and he did something he deemed—that is when he started thinking again—unforgiveable. He kissed her. When he got his senses back he was staring into her shocked face. He backed away, he couldn't take this. She didn't love him, he knew it. Her face showed it, it proved to him what he already knew. She loved someone else; maybe it was Kei or Sasame, who knew? But she didn't love him.

He tried to run away, keyword here: tried. It was her turn to grab him, she was confused. "Mannen, you love me?"

He froze, so this was it. She still thought that there was no one who could love her. She always thought that since she had all this power, she could never love anyone or find anyone who loved her. He nodded, she smiled. She started laughing; now Mannen was confused.

"All the signs and I couldn't see it. I am so stupid." Now Mannen was confused, was his love that obvious?

She pulled him to her and kissed him. Now it was his turned to be surprised. All he could do was kiss her back. When they broke the kiss, she smiled another one of her true smiles.

"I was so stupid Mannen, all this time and I never saw that I loved you too. And here I thought I was so smart!" They both laughed.

After they spent an hour or so just talking, about anything or nothing in particular Risa realized something.

"Oh my gosh! Mannen don't you think they are looking for us? I mean, God how long have we been gone? Don't you think they are worried about whether or not I am okay? I did fall down almost ten stories high. Poor Sasame and Kei, they are probably worried to death. Let's go!"

This was another moment where she dragged him along. At least this time he wasn't the one grabbing her, he was glad he would never have to do that again. He never wanted to be as scared as he was when he was chasing her down toward the ground.

They ran, or should I say they flied? Risa could tell where they were, she said, "I can always track Kei and Sasame anywhere. They same goes for them. We have always been able to do that since we were kids. Ever since I got lost that once, they have always been worried when I am not in their sight.." She rolled her eyes, and sighed.

Before they got there Mannen stopped her, he had to know something. Something that had been bugging him for a while, he had to ask her. "Risa, I love you, you know that and I know you love me, but… I am sorry to say I am the jealous type, very jealous type. What are Kei and Sasame to you?"

Her face went from serious to amused in mere seconds. "That's all?" he nodded, and she laughed and started dragging him into the clearing where they were, the rest of the Leafe Knight.

Risa ran straight to Sasame and hugged him. Then she backed up and looked at him funny, then sighed and rolled her eyes. She then turned to Mannen, who was confused at how they knew what the other was thinking, but just guess that it was the Leafe again.

"This thing….called Sasame is like a brother to me. We grew up together; we have known the other since like two years old or so. He is way over protective. He needs to grow up and get himself a girl."

Everyone laughed at that, including Sasame. He just chuckled and said, "How can I get myself a girl when my little imouto needs looking after twenty-four seven?"

Risa just sighed and said, "nii-san, I am grown I don't need a babysitter….not anymore."

Kei just laughed when she turned to him, he didn't do nothing when just for no reason jumped him. She was now on his shoulders, "This idiot is one of my closest advisors and friend most of all. We have been together since we were five I think…anyway—"

Kei didn't let her finish. "You sure aren't a baby no more, you don't weight like one." Risa blushed and hit him on the head, they all laughed except her. She calmed down after a few minutes and sighed.

'You really are a meanie. Anyway I was fixing to say he is my gay friend that—" Every Knight and Himeno included fell down. She fell off Kei when he fell. She laughed, when he started chasing her.

"Tell them I am NOT GAY! You know that BETTER than anyone! I have PROVED to you I am NOT GAY! Tell them!" Kei yelled at her as he chased her. Risa was laughing, and then she hid behind Himeno. That put a stop Kei chasing after her.

"Okay, little Ri, this isn't fair. Hiding behind a girl…that isn't the way a Knight should act, fight your own battles! Be a man and get out from behind that girl and fight me! One of one and then we will see who is the gay one." Kei said.

Risa just laughed, "One I am not a man so that doesn't really apply anyway. Just give up, and accepted it I beat you yet again!"

"Hell no, not until you tell them I am NOT GAY!" Kei said hotly. It just made Risa laugh.

"Fine, I didn't want to do this, but I have no choice it seems. I am going to tell HER, if you don't stop." She smirked as she said that, his face grew pale. She knew she won, this was just so easy.

'That really isn't fair, blackmailing me. I give up." He mumbled.

Risa smirked and clapped! "Yaa for me, I win…again!" She ran to Mannen and stood beside him.

Himeno had to ask, "Who is this girl that makes Kei give up so quickly Risa?"

Risa smirked again, but she looked at Kei before she spoke. He gave her a look, Sasame just laughed. "Tell them Risa, tell them about her."

Risa smiled evilly, "She is someone who has even more control over him then I do. All I have to do is mention her and bamm! He does anything I say."

Sasame laughed and said, "He does that anyway Risa or haven't you noticed?"

Kei was next, "She does the same to me as you do Risa, so don't think."

Risa blinked in confusion, "She blackmails you too? With who?"

Kei pointed to Risa, and Sasame laughed again while Risa giggled. Himeno tried to get her to tell her who this girl was, but Risa wouldn't budge. "Kei has to tell you and don't think of making him tell you."

She looked around and noticed that everything was calm. She tilted her head back and just closed her eyes. "It's so peaceful again; the Leafe is in harmony once again, no more unbalanced."

She walked toward the edge of the cliff and looked over. She saw some ruins in the distance; she turned back to them, her Knights, the ones who had been with her through it all. One new person with each battle eh? Tenebrae the second one, and Himeno the second, she smiled at them.

"So guys, who wants to dig through some ruins? We have time and all. Of course," she smirked at Himeno. "Some may not want to, too scared of ghosts. You comin with us girlie?"

Himeno never backed down from a challenge before and she wasn't going to start now, she nodded. Risa looked at her, an eyebrow raised. "You will be leaving the life you have in your World, are you sure about that? I don't know about how long you will live and all, so are you sure?"

Himeno nodded again, she looked at Hayate, "I will be with him so how can I say no? He isn't meant for my World, I am a part of his World already so why shouldn't I stay here?"

Risa smiled. "That's my girl. Hope you are up for some training, just because you are a human doesn't mean I will go easy on you. I will make you the best Pretear ever! Now let's go!"

Risa giggled, she was finally free, finally able to open up and let her true self get out. She wasn't the only one to notice that, everyone did. They were just happy, finally she was free. Finally they were all free. After so much death, so much sorrow and despair, they were free to enjoy themselves.

Risa started to turn around and grab Mannen's hand, but she was surprised. He had already grabbed her hand and was already running. She was the one being dragged this time, and what was funny was she didn't care. She was just glad that she finally had someone, she finally had someone to love her and she loved them back.

She was free and she had her love, what more could she want?

THE END!!

hope you liked it! I will finish the last two chapters of The Playboy's Love Quest, then Meet your Match! Come see me again with another one of my stories!