Chapter 10: Spring Thaw
Hayate sat on the edge of the pond, staring at the oak tree holding Saihi for eternity. Shin did a good job creating a prison, even if Sasame and Gou are still uncomfortable with imprisoning Saihi. We'll have to watch it closely without Shin here to maintain it, Hayate thought. This has been a costly failure on my part. We've lost the three oldest because of it. I don't know how the others can stand me. He held a velvet pouch in his hand, dangling it from the satin ribbons wrapped around his slender fingers. It swung slightly in the gentle breeze off the pond.
Kei appeared next to him and they sat silently. Hayate waited for Kei's blunt truthfulness to tell him to snap out of it, but Kei was wordless. Kei thought about the countless times he had found the older three sitting on the bank like this trying to decide what to do about the most recent crisis of the day. He never thought he'd be sitting here by Hayate doing the same thing.
"Sasame wants to go through with his Knighting Ceremony," Gou said, tossing each of them a familiar bottle of sweet soda. Neither of them jumped at his sudden arrival.
Hayate rolled the warm bottle in hand. "'Member how Mannen would chill these with just a touch?" Hayate said, lifting his bottle of Rumune up to the light. Kei and Gou nodded in agreement. Stillness fell between the friends.
"Can we do the ceremony ourselves without the older knights?" Hayate asked after a while, feeling the weight of the velvet pouch pulling on his fingers.
Kei nodded, "Mannen wrote it down after he did each of ours. You just have to read it, Hayate. I left the journal on your bed."
Hayate looked surprised. "Me? You're the oldest, Kei. The leader's always the oldest."
Gou and Kei shook their heads no. "We agreed, all three of us. You're in charge now."
Hayate hide his face between his knees, his long hair covering it completely. "It's all my fault this happened," he muttered.
"That's why you're in charge, Hayate. You'll never forget the cost of failure." Kei replied coldly.
"Besides, we all failed this time," Gou said, trying to soften Kei's brisk words.
"Not to mention, you won't take direction from anyone else," Kei reminded him.
Sasame joined them quietly and Gou handed him the fourth bottle. "Well, Hayate?" Sasame asked softly.
Hayate searched Sasame's eyes, but all he saw was his own sad reflection mirrored back. He nodded yes. "If you want to," he said faintly.
"How long will we have to wait for them to rejoin us?" Gou asked sadly.
"If you read Mannen's journals about raising us, you wouldn't be in a rush," Kei said ruefully.
Hayate opened the velvet pouch and pulled out the talismans of the missing knights one at a time. He handed Mannen's armlet to Kei. Kei held it briefly. A small smile flickered across his face as he remembered skating with Mannen in the backyard as a child. He passed it to Gou quickly.
Gou didn't bother searching it for any remnant of Mannen. He was slowly coming to terms with the hollowness inside him where Mannen, Hajime, and Shin had resided his entire life.
Hayate pulled out Hajime's hair bead and gave it to Sasame. Sasame heard it loudly speaking to him. "Duty, responsibility, protection of your brothers, you are a Liefe Knight forever, never forget," reminded Hajime as Sasame held the bead tightly. He reluctantly released it to Kei.
Hayate reached in, feeling Shin's necklace. Memories of Shin's sacrifice flooded his mind. He showed it to the others. They passed the talismans around, each saying good-by in their own way. They returned each precious one to the bag where it would wait for it's owner to reclaim it and Hayate flew to the tallest tree in Liefenia.
They joined him as he tied the bag to the highest branch available. "Hurry home, Mannen, Hajime, Shin," Hayate said. "We need you, Knights." They popped open the bottles of Rumune and poured them on the ground below the talismans. The golden liquid shone and sparkled as it splashed on the green grass below them.
"Hurry home," murmured Gou, "hurry home. I'll be waiting for you."
Hayate sat on the edge of the pond, staring at the oak tree holding Saihi for eternity. Shin did a good job creating a prison, even if Sasame and Gou are still uncomfortable with imprisoning Saihi. We'll have to watch it closely without Shin here to maintain it, Hayate thought. This has been a costly failure on my part. We've lost the three oldest because of it. I don't know how the others can stand me. He held a velvet pouch in his hand, dangling it from the satin ribbons wrapped around his slender fingers. It swung slightly in the gentle breeze off the pond.
Kei appeared next to him and they sat silently. Hayate waited for Kei's blunt truthfulness to tell him to snap out of it, but Kei was wordless. Kei thought about the countless times he had found the older three sitting on the bank like this trying to decide what to do about the most recent crisis of the day. He never thought he'd be sitting here by Hayate doing the same thing.
"Sasame wants to go through with his Knighting Ceremony," Gou said, tossing each of them a familiar bottle of sweet soda. Neither of them jumped at his sudden arrival.
Hayate rolled the warm bottle in hand. "'Member how Mannen would chill these with just a touch?" Hayate said, lifting his bottle of Rumune up to the light. Kei and Gou nodded in agreement. Stillness fell between the friends.
"Can we do the ceremony ourselves without the older knights?" Hayate asked after a while, feeling the weight of the velvet pouch pulling on his fingers.
Kei nodded, "Mannen wrote it down after he did each of ours. You just have to read it, Hayate. I left the journal on your bed."
Hayate looked surprised. "Me? You're the oldest, Kei. The leader's always the oldest."
Gou and Kei shook their heads no. "We agreed, all three of us. You're in charge now."
Hayate hide his face between his knees, his long hair covering it completely. "It's all my fault this happened," he muttered.
"That's why you're in charge, Hayate. You'll never forget the cost of failure." Kei replied coldly.
"Besides, we all failed this time," Gou said, trying to soften Kei's brisk words.
"Not to mention, you won't take direction from anyone else," Kei reminded him.
Sasame joined them quietly and Gou handed him the fourth bottle. "Well, Hayate?" Sasame asked softly.
Hayate searched Sasame's eyes, but all he saw was his own sad reflection mirrored back. He nodded yes. "If you want to," he said faintly.
"How long will we have to wait for them to rejoin us?" Gou asked sadly.
"If you read Mannen's journals about raising us, you wouldn't be in a rush," Kei said ruefully.
Hayate opened the velvet pouch and pulled out the talismans of the missing knights one at a time. He handed Mannen's armlet to Kei. Kei held it briefly. A small smile flickered across his face as he remembered skating with Mannen in the backyard as a child. He passed it to Gou quickly.
Gou didn't bother searching it for any remnant of Mannen. He was slowly coming to terms with the hollowness inside him where Mannen, Hajime, and Shin had resided his entire life.
Hayate pulled out Hajime's hair bead and gave it to Sasame. Sasame heard it loudly speaking to him. "Duty, responsibility, protection of your brothers, you are a Liefe Knight forever, never forget," reminded Hajime as Sasame held the bead tightly. He reluctantly released it to Kei.
Hayate reached in, feeling Shin's necklace. Memories of Shin's sacrifice flooded his mind. He showed it to the others. They passed the talismans around, each saying good-by in their own way. They returned each precious one to the bag where it would wait for it's owner to reclaim it and Hayate flew to the tallest tree in Liefenia.
They joined him as he tied the bag to the highest branch available. "Hurry home, Mannen, Hajime, Shin," Hayate said. "We need you, Knights." They popped open the bottles of Rumune and poured them on the ground below the talismans. The golden liquid shone and sparkled as it splashed on the green grass below them.
"Hurry home," murmured Gou, "hurry home. I'll be waiting for you."