Chapter 9 Artic Hearts
The cold evening wind made the two young knights shiver as Sasame tracked down the sound he thought was Takako. The first wrong landing put them in the middle of a high school English class. They disappeared as quickly as they arrived, startling the students.
After several other miscues, Sasame was sure he'd narrowed it down. They landed cautiously on the rooftop of a tower on the suspension bridge crossing the sea. Lights on the bridge blinked on and off warning airplanes of the tall truss girders holding the wire cables in place. From their vantage point, they could see the island at the other end of the bridge. The mountains in the distance loomed over the tiny shining lights from the island inhabitants.
The ocean looked cold and forbidding. The water is as black as Takako's eyes when she is angry, thought Sasame.
"Why are you here?"
The voice startled both of them. Sasame bowed low before the Saihi while Gou examined her face for any sign of the young Pretear he'd prêt-ed with frequently. He searched his insides for recognition or a cue that Takako was still inside the Saihi, but he came up empty. It is a fool's errand, for sure, he thought, still unsure of what Sasame hoped to accomplish on this mission. Takako was gone completely, her power converted into a cold desperate hate. He hoped Sesame understood the young Pretear was gone permanently.
Sasame looked deep in her eyes, and flushed, remembering how warm it felt being connected to her. She broke away from his glaze. He stepped toward her, but she flew away. He followed her without thinking. He offered her his hand. She slapped him so hard it knocked him off balance. He plummeted down toward the street.
Gou formed a fireball and aimed, but obeying the Saihi's every command, vines rapidly grew up the cables from the bridge, grabbing Gou, leashing him to the girders before he could fly away. The fireball in his hand fell into the water, sputtering before dying out uselessly. He watched helpless, the leafe being sucked out of his body rapidly, and called out to the missing knights. "Hajime, Shin, Kei, Hayate, Mannen!"
She laughed at hearing him calling the dead Liefe Knight's name. "He's dead, Gou!" she taunted, "Just like you'll be in seconds. Two down and five to go!" Her words echoed in Gou's ears.
"Mannen!" Gou cried out again, uttering a prayer of protection over Sasame before closing his eyes.
Regaining his balance, Sasame appearing back in front of Takako. His face burning from imprint of her hand, he reached for her, offering her his hand. "Takako," he said earnestly. She stretched out her hand right past his face and the purple familiars rose into the night sky, blocking the remaining light from the moon. He grabbed her hand and pressed it to his face, feeling her cold fingers draining the heat from his body. She coldly glared at him as if he was a stranger, and Sesame's heart shattered from the rejection. He couldn't reach her, lost in her hatred. He'd known he'd be able to convince her to prêt with him once more. "Prêt with me, Takako," he whispered, "Prêt with me." He fell to his knees before her, holding her hand still on his cheek with both of his hands, his eyes begging her to see him, to recognize him. He blocked out what was happening with Gou. He couldn't bear to think about it as well.
Brilliant light slashed through the familiars, temporarily blinding Sasame. Hayate's Wind Sword hacked through Gou's bindings, and Gou collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath. The remaining Knights encircled Sasame and Takako.
"Step back, Sasame," Hajime commanded. As if deaf, Sesame froze, unable to move a muscle, his leafe evaporating from the touch of her hand on his face.
"Saihi," a young firm voice distracted her, and she pulled her hand away from Sasame's in disgust. Hayate floated above her right out of reach. "You're wasting your time with him when it's me you're angry at." Her eyes flashed and he dodged her hit. She flew after him.
He darted and dodged in the night sky, each hit getting closer to him. Hajime flew between them, shooting from his water cannon. She twisted out of reach and returned the aim, hitting him full-force in the chest. His leafe poured out of his body into the night sky. He gave her one last blast and then Hajime fell from the sky, tumbling head over heels, without a cry, slamming into the pavement below.
Gou pulled himself to standing, and flew down to his side. Retching, Gou turned away.
Sasame sat on his heels, blind and deaf to the commotion around him. Kei called his name loudly, "Sasame! Sasame!" but Sasame didn't respond.
Kei turned his back to Sasame and rejoined the battle. Hayate and Shin were tiring and without help, their plan would fail. Then Kei remembered that Gou and Sasame weren't wearing their Knight talisman. He swooped down next to Gou, grieving over the loss of Hajime.
"Get up," Kei commanded. Gou looked up at him through his tears. "Get up, or we all die now." Gou complied automatically to Kei's voice. "Don't look down in battle," Kei said, reaching in Gou's shirt and yanking out the velvet bag. He threw Gou his necklet and without thinking, Gou fastened it around his neck. Kei tossed him the bag. "Make Sasame put on his ear piece, and then we need your help, Gou. Help or we all die tonight. Do you want to be responsible for the death of the knights and the world, Gou?"
Gou responded to Kei's directions without comment. He shook Sasame, but Sasame refused to respond. He put Sasame's earpiece on Sasame's ear, and hollered. Sasame put up a sound barrier between them, knocking Gou back. He picked himself up. "Sasame," Hayate called. "Sasame, Wake up." Distracted, he took a hit, trying to muffle the cry from the pain shooting through his body.
"A little more, Hayate," Shin called. "She's almost there."
Gou flew up to Kei's side. Kei nodded, "Surround her and force her to go toward Shin. He's waiting." Gou nodded and moved into position.
"Sasame," Hayate screamed. His voice squealed over the barrier's surface, skittering away. "Sasame!" Sasame dropped the sound barrier down. "Sasame, don't let us die tonight."
His hand on the bruise her hand left behind on his face, Sasame looked at the night sky, at his brothers surrounding the woman he loved. He couldn't choose a side so he watched helplessly as they moved in forcing her closer toward Shin's leafe cage.
She tried to move right, but Kei blocked her movement with his light ball. She shot at Shin, who refused to dodge, afraid the trap would fail if he moved. He took the strike without a sound. Sasame sobbed as Shin attempted to hide his injury from the others.
Gou moved her to the left and closer to Shin with his fireballs, while Hayate blocked her above. She screamed as the Knights forced her closer and closer to Shin. She darted around Kei and started to break free aiming right for Hayate. Hayate wasn't going to be able to block the shot.
Without stopping to think, Sasame flew into block her movement, forcing her into the cage. Shin shut the door, and collapsed.
The cold evening wind made the two young knights shiver as Sasame tracked down the sound he thought was Takako. The first wrong landing put them in the middle of a high school English class. They disappeared as quickly as they arrived, startling the students.
After several other miscues, Sasame was sure he'd narrowed it down. They landed cautiously on the rooftop of a tower on the suspension bridge crossing the sea. Lights on the bridge blinked on and off warning airplanes of the tall truss girders holding the wire cables in place. From their vantage point, they could see the island at the other end of the bridge. The mountains in the distance loomed over the tiny shining lights from the island inhabitants.
The ocean looked cold and forbidding. The water is as black as Takako's eyes when she is angry, thought Sasame.
"Why are you here?"
The voice startled both of them. Sasame bowed low before the Saihi while Gou examined her face for any sign of the young Pretear he'd prêt-ed with frequently. He searched his insides for recognition or a cue that Takako was still inside the Saihi, but he came up empty. It is a fool's errand, for sure, he thought, still unsure of what Sasame hoped to accomplish on this mission. Takako was gone completely, her power converted into a cold desperate hate. He hoped Sesame understood the young Pretear was gone permanently.
Sasame looked deep in her eyes, and flushed, remembering how warm it felt being connected to her. She broke away from his glaze. He stepped toward her, but she flew away. He followed her without thinking. He offered her his hand. She slapped him so hard it knocked him off balance. He plummeted down toward the street.
Gou formed a fireball and aimed, but obeying the Saihi's every command, vines rapidly grew up the cables from the bridge, grabbing Gou, leashing him to the girders before he could fly away. The fireball in his hand fell into the water, sputtering before dying out uselessly. He watched helpless, the leafe being sucked out of his body rapidly, and called out to the missing knights. "Hajime, Shin, Kei, Hayate, Mannen!"
She laughed at hearing him calling the dead Liefe Knight's name. "He's dead, Gou!" she taunted, "Just like you'll be in seconds. Two down and five to go!" Her words echoed in Gou's ears.
"Mannen!" Gou cried out again, uttering a prayer of protection over Sasame before closing his eyes.
Regaining his balance, Sasame appearing back in front of Takako. His face burning from imprint of her hand, he reached for her, offering her his hand. "Takako," he said earnestly. She stretched out her hand right past his face and the purple familiars rose into the night sky, blocking the remaining light from the moon. He grabbed her hand and pressed it to his face, feeling her cold fingers draining the heat from his body. She coldly glared at him as if he was a stranger, and Sesame's heart shattered from the rejection. He couldn't reach her, lost in her hatred. He'd known he'd be able to convince her to prêt with him once more. "Prêt with me, Takako," he whispered, "Prêt with me." He fell to his knees before her, holding her hand still on his cheek with both of his hands, his eyes begging her to see him, to recognize him. He blocked out what was happening with Gou. He couldn't bear to think about it as well.
Brilliant light slashed through the familiars, temporarily blinding Sasame. Hayate's Wind Sword hacked through Gou's bindings, and Gou collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath. The remaining Knights encircled Sasame and Takako.
"Step back, Sasame," Hajime commanded. As if deaf, Sesame froze, unable to move a muscle, his leafe evaporating from the touch of her hand on his face.
"Saihi," a young firm voice distracted her, and she pulled her hand away from Sasame's in disgust. Hayate floated above her right out of reach. "You're wasting your time with him when it's me you're angry at." Her eyes flashed and he dodged her hit. She flew after him.
He darted and dodged in the night sky, each hit getting closer to him. Hajime flew between them, shooting from his water cannon. She twisted out of reach and returned the aim, hitting him full-force in the chest. His leafe poured out of his body into the night sky. He gave her one last blast and then Hajime fell from the sky, tumbling head over heels, without a cry, slamming into the pavement below.
Gou pulled himself to standing, and flew down to his side. Retching, Gou turned away.
Sasame sat on his heels, blind and deaf to the commotion around him. Kei called his name loudly, "Sasame! Sasame!" but Sasame didn't respond.
Kei turned his back to Sasame and rejoined the battle. Hayate and Shin were tiring and without help, their plan would fail. Then Kei remembered that Gou and Sasame weren't wearing their Knight talisman. He swooped down next to Gou, grieving over the loss of Hajime.
"Get up," Kei commanded. Gou looked up at him through his tears. "Get up, or we all die now." Gou complied automatically to Kei's voice. "Don't look down in battle," Kei said, reaching in Gou's shirt and yanking out the velvet bag. He threw Gou his necklet and without thinking, Gou fastened it around his neck. Kei tossed him the bag. "Make Sasame put on his ear piece, and then we need your help, Gou. Help or we all die tonight. Do you want to be responsible for the death of the knights and the world, Gou?"
Gou responded to Kei's directions without comment. He shook Sasame, but Sasame refused to respond. He put Sasame's earpiece on Sasame's ear, and hollered. Sasame put up a sound barrier between them, knocking Gou back. He picked himself up. "Sasame," Hayate called. "Sasame, Wake up." Distracted, he took a hit, trying to muffle the cry from the pain shooting through his body.
"A little more, Hayate," Shin called. "She's almost there."
Gou flew up to Kei's side. Kei nodded, "Surround her and force her to go toward Shin. He's waiting." Gou nodded and moved into position.
"Sasame," Hayate screamed. His voice squealed over the barrier's surface, skittering away. "Sasame!" Sasame dropped the sound barrier down. "Sasame, don't let us die tonight."
His hand on the bruise her hand left behind on his face, Sasame looked at the night sky, at his brothers surrounding the woman he loved. He couldn't choose a side so he watched helplessly as they moved in forcing her closer toward Shin's leafe cage.
She tried to move right, but Kei blocked her movement with his light ball. She shot at Shin, who refused to dodge, afraid the trap would fail if he moved. He took the strike without a sound. Sasame sobbed as Shin attempted to hide his injury from the others.
Gou moved her to the left and closer to Shin with his fireballs, while Hayate blocked her above. She screamed as the Knights forced her closer and closer to Shin. She darted around Kei and started to break free aiming right for Hayate. Hayate wasn't going to be able to block the shot.
Without stopping to think, Sasame flew into block her movement, forcing her into the cage. Shin shut the door, and collapsed.