C'est une Baignoire!
"Good evening, Hayate." Sasame said pleasantly, turning round to face the Knight of Wind. "What brings you here?" He asked, titling his head to the side. They stood in a large field in a remote area of Leafenia, a small house that the Leafe Knights had built for the couple off to the side. It was simple and peaceful, with a small pond nearby. Takako was inside.
"..He came to us today." Hayate said nonchalantly, bowing his head to look at the ground.
"..Who?" Sasame asked quietly.
"...The new Knight of Sound. He appeared before us not twenty minutes ago." Hayate said, taking a deep breath before doing so. Sasame smiled gently at his former teammate.
"How is he?" Sasame asked.
"He.. seems frail. Frail and very quiet." Hayate responded. A long moment of silence followed. Hayate and Sasame had not spoken to each other much since Sasame's turning sides, and even after Sasame rectified his betrayal, their friendship was awkward and had remained that way ever since.
"..Well.." Hayate began as Takako approached from behind Sasame. She smiled at Hayate, placing a hand in Sasame's.
"Hello, Hayate.. how are you?" She asked, tossing a few strands of her long dark hair behind her shoulder. There was another hanging moment of silence.
"The new Knight of Sound awoke today, Takako." Sasame said before Hayate could say anything in response. Takako blinked, looking to Hayate.
"Really? What is he like?" She asked.
"He's only been awake for a short while, it is hard to say." Hayate replied. She nodded in acknowledgement. "..But we wanted to know.. if.."
"..If I would like to assist him in his training?" Sasame asked, almost seeming as if he was waiting for someone to suggest it. Hayate smiled a little, nodding slightly.
"Yes, actually.." He said quietly, scanning Sasame's face for a reaction that would hint at his response. "We thought that having the previous Knight of Sound able to assist the new Knight of Sound would help him understand his powers and gifts more easily."
Sasame looked to Takako for her response. She smiled and nodded to him. "I think you should, Sasame. You know how much you've missed.." Takako began, trailing off as Sasame looked to the ground. He smiled a little, shutting his eyes before looking up to face Hayate again.
"It would honor me to be able to meet and help teach the child. I know how hard it is to understand the powers of Sound.." Sasame nodded in agreement to Hayate. "In layman's terms.. I would love to." He said.
Hayate smiled, a little relieved that Sasame had agreed to help the new Knight. He bowed his head a little, kicking the dirt with his shoe for a moment before looking up at Sasame once again. There was another long, awkward pause.
Takako looked from Sasame to Hayate, smiling understandingly. "..I am going to go inside." She said quietly, walking away from the former Knight and the Knight of Wind. She looked back at the man she loved and the man she used to love, smiling a little as she ducked into the house.
The wind whistled by as Hayate began to turn away. As he did, Sasame spoke up. "Hayate.." He whispered as Hayate turned round to face Sasame again. "We need to talk." He said. Hayate nodded, realizing that the two may actually talk about what had been nagging at each for the past seven years.
"Agreed." Hayate said, kicking a pebble with his foot before looking with me." Sasame said, approaching Hayate and placing his hands to his sides. Hayate nodded as Sasame walked past him, following his ex-fellow knight. The two walked through the field, looking about as small fireflies lit up against the darkening sky. The moon began to rise, and as it did, a Leafenian moon flower began to open. Sasame stopped suddenly as he and Hayate reached an area of the field where the house was finally out of sight.
"..Well?" Hayate asked in his usual manner. Sasame breathed in the night air, looking skyward.
"..Takako and I are trying to have a child, Hayate.." He began, looking back at Hayate. This took Hayate back a bit, the thought of Sasame or any of the others ever having a child had never crossed his mind
He tried to play it off like it didn't shock him at all, bringing up a rare smile. "I give you the best of luck." He replied, looking to the side as the idea fully processed in his mind.
"..Thank you." Sasame said, looking away. "I can't say the idea of it all doesn't scare me in the least.. but.." He began, clenching and unclenching his fists. Hayate moved over to his friend, reaching out and placing a hand on the pale man's shoulder. A small smile appeared on Sasame's lips.
"Everything.. will be fine." Hayate said as everything finally dawned on him. It all seemed to strange to him, his best friend trying to have a child.
"More importantly.." Sasame said, shaking his head, "..I want you to know.. since we never really addressed the situation.." He began as he took in a long breath, "..I.. never hated you, Hayate.. I said I did when everything was so.. so.."
Hayate nodded, knowing that Sasame had never really meant what he had said those several years ago. There was a pause of silence, not as long as the others, as Hayate made a decision. He moved his hand, the left one that was on Sasame's shoulder and brought the slightly younger man to himself, embracing him in a hug of friendship. Sasame smiled over Hayate's shoulder, lifting his right arm and hugging Hayate in return. Before pulling away, Hayate slapped Sasame on the back a couple of times. The two retracted, smiling at each other.
"So.." Hayate began, placing his hands in his pockets. "..Tell me all about your and Takako's plans for this.. child." Hayate said, smiling as he kicked the grass and began walking again. "Your rabid radio fangirls may steal your child from you, or despair since that would mean that you are officially off the market." Sasame gave a light chuckle, following the Knight of Wind. "..Are you planning on marrying Takako before you.."
"Of course, Hayate." Sasame said in a slightly annoyed tone. "What kind of man do you think I am?"
"..I don't think you want to know." Hayate laughed lightly, looking up. "I would tell Himeno about this if I were you.. and pretend like you told her before anyone else.. or she'll get mad at me." Sasame winked at Hayate, nodding.
"..She.. err.. already knows." Sasame chuckled, scratching his forehead lightly as Hayate fell silent. The Knight of Wind turned to look at Sasame, blinking.
"You.. told Himeno.. before me?" Hayate asked. He gave Sasame a slightly hurt look as his friend smiled sheepishly. Hayate sighed, shrugging it off as they continued to walk along the field. "Anyway, continue with your plans.." Hayate said as Sasame brightened, speaking up.
Mannen was not the tidiest person in the world. His room was fairly well sized, at least by his standards. He had a twin-sized bed to the right of his door with unmade dark blue sheets. Next to his bed was a white bedside table, and across from his bed sat his dresser drawers, which a stereo sat upon. On the left side of his room was a spacious closet, which at the time was open and spilling its contents: his school uniforms, his regular clothes, a work uniform (he had recently been 'enslaved' by a video game store at the mall), and his baseball uniforms. On the adjacent wall was another door, which his towel and jacket hung on, which led into a bathroom he shared with Hajime and Shin. Stacks of magazines and dirty baseball cleats surrounded his bed, and a small path was cut in the mess, leading to the bathroom, closet, drawers and finally out of the room.
The young Sasame wriggled into the sheets of Mannen's bed, the Knight of Ice sighing as he did. The pale young boy looked up at Mannen, smiling lightly to the older knight.
"..How old are you?" Sasame asked, causing Mannen to blink. Most Leafe Knights stop counting the years as they generally stop aging at sixteen, which was last year for him.
"I'm seventeen."
The boy nodded, smiling a little. "Thank you for letting me sleep in your room." He said as he picked at small fuzz knots on the blanket.
"You're awfully wordy for a six year old, aren't you?" Mannen muttered, causing the silver haired child to shoot a miffed gaze at him.
"I am seven." Sasame said in a slightly annoyed voice. The older man rolled his eyes, hissing something to himself under his breath. Another annoyed look came from the boy as he snapped his face away. "Don't call me a smartaleck brat." He said, his tone a little more perturbed.
Mannen blinked, realizing once again that this boy was the new Leafe Knight of Sound, and no matter how quietly Mannen spoke, Sasame could hear him if he wanted to hear him. "Psh, show's what you know. I didn't call you a smartaleck brat." Mannen said in a light mocking tone.
"Yes you did.."
"No, I called you a smartASS brat." Mannen hissed. This elicited a small whimper from the child, a pout forming on his lips. "Oh, geeze.. no.. no.. don't start crying." Mannen groaned, reaching over reluctantly and patting the boy lightly on the back. The boy paused for a moment, looking up at his older companion. A little smile appeared on his lips again. Mannen sighed in relief, not wanting to deal with Goh's overactive maternal instinct if he really had made the child cry.
Goh entered the room, carrying a tray in his hands, a bright smile on his face. "Are you hungry, Sasame?" He asked, gesturing at the bowl on the tray. Sasame blinked, pushing the covers off of him and sitting up on his knees to peer upward at the tray.
He felt his mouth water as he studied the contents of the tray. A bowl of chicken soup rest on the center of the tray. To the right of the soup sat a small plate with a slice of the homemade bread from dinner resting on it. The child's tongue darted out of his mouth momentarily to lick his lips in eager anticipation of his first meal.
Goh turned to rest the tray on a small table next to Mannen's bed, watching as the child practically pounced on the food. He smiled is amusement, noticing the boy was using a spoon.
"I guess.. being born at an advanced age gave you pre-taught table manners." Goh said, lifting his hands to knead them in the apron he had dawned for cleaning dishes while waiting for the soup to cook. He peered around the room at the small disaster area Mannen had made for himself, taking a moment to glare at Mannen for the state of the room.
Sasame dropped the spoon, slurping a small noodle into his mouth as he angled his head up to look at Goh. He smiled lightly, lifting his hand to wipe the broth from his lips. The Knight of Fire smiled, taking the napkin from the tray and handing it to the child. He snatched the napkin covering his face within its folds.
"You should finish your dinner and take a bath.. then get ready for bed.. you'll have a long day ahead of you." Goh commented, gesturing behind him at the bathroom. "Do you.. need help?" He asked slowly, studying the child's face for a response. He stared blankly in response.
"I'm not giving him a bath, don't look at me." Mannen said lightly, holding up his hands as he pushed off of the bed and exited the room. "Ask the Shinjime Effect to do it." He muttered. 'Shinjime Effect' was a title Mannen had given Shin and Hajime several years prior, noting how inseparable the two boys were, and how alike their tastes in.. well, everything was.
Goh scowled as the Knight of Ice left, taking the child by the hand and leading him into the bathroom. "I'll give you your bath." He said, leading him into the bathroom, where Shin was cleaning a cut on his hand he had received from the sound wave.
The Knight of Plants looked down, smiling at Goh and Sasame as they entered the bathroom from Mannen's room. "I'm just getting a band-aid.. don't mind me." Shin said in a soft voice, reaching into the medicine cabinet to take a bandage from a small first aid kit.
After Shin said this, Goh felt the hair on the back of his neck stand on end, and a horrible, cold feeling passed through his body. It nearly froze him in place, and he felt his heart speed up suddenly. However, it passed just as quickly as it came, causing him to blink. He looked to Shin, who was watching him with a puzzled expression on his face.
"Goh..? Is something wr-" Shin began, but Goh cut him off.
"That's okay, Shin.. I.. I'm just getting him cleaned up and ready for bed.." The older knight smiled, tilting his head in the direction of the bathtub. Shin raised an eyebrow, smiling as Goh leaned forward to pull up the hot water and cold-water nozzles, moving them so the temperature would not be too hot or cold.
Sasame jolted, covering his ears as the water began pouring from the faucet. He stepped away from the bathtub, his face puzzled.
"..It's a bathtub. The water comes out of the faucet and fills the tub so you can take a bath." Shin explained, moving his hand to cover the boy's head. "Is it loud?" He asked.
"..I don't have.. full control of volumes yet.." Sasame replied softly, peering over the edge of the bathtub at the water. As he did, Goh reached over and tugged at the shirt the child was wearing, a smile on his lips.
"Do you mind?" Goh asked as Sasame stared at him blankly. "You don't wear clothes in the bathtub, you know."
Sasame bit his lip, nodding as he removed his clothing slowly, unsure of how to do it. When he finally managed to remove the last of his garments, Goh lifted him into the air and began to place him in the tub of hot water. The child tucked his legs up in surprise when his toes touched the hot water. He looked to Goh, easing himself as Goh continued to rest him into the tub.
As he child began to move his hands over the surface of the water, Goh reached for the shampoo placed on the right end of the tub, opening the lid with his thumb. When he did so, Kei appeared at the doorway, looking in at Goh.
"..Goh.. come here. I need to talk to you about something." Kei said lightly, looking at Sasame, then at Goh. The Knight of Fire looked to the child, sighing.
"Don't worry, Goh.. I can handle this." Shin stepped in, smiling as he rolled up the sleeves of his emerald turtleneck and kneeled on the bathroom floor next to the bathtub. The older knight smiled in appreciation, handing the shampoo to the Knight of Plants as he stood and exited the bathroom, shutting the door behind him. A smile formed on Shin's lips. "You get to take baths alone.. I used to have to take them with Mannen and Hajime.. Mannen would freeze one half of the tub and Hajime would be making waves on the other side.. and I would be in the middle.."
"You are very powerful.." Sasame observed, his amethyst eyes sparkling in a sudden reverence. "..I feel.. the most Leafe coming from you.." He added.
Shin felt his face begin to redden as the child mentioned this. It was true that Shin had always been 'the strongest knight' Leafe-wise, but he did not like mentioning it much. He did not have a leader mentality, and enjoyed staying behind Hajime and assisting from the sidelines. "..I.. um.."
"..sorry. I can tell by your tone that was rude of me to ask.." Sasame lowered his voice to a whisper, blowing on the surface of the water to make small ripples. Shin shook his head, grinning.
"I don't understand how you can speak so eloquently but not understand the concept of taking your clothes off for a bath.." Shin commented, dipping his hands in the water.
"..The Knight of Sound is able to master a language just by hearing small bits of it.. it is something I was born with.." Sasame replied, half-lidding his eyes. A light knock on the door came from the right side of the bathroom, alerting Shin to look up to the door.
"..yes?" Shin asked.
"Sorry, Shin.. are you.. um.." Hajime's hesitant voice followed, trailing off near the end of his sentence.
"It's okay, Hajime.. I'm just giving Sasame a bath.." Shin answered as Hajime opened the bathroom door, peering in.
"Oh.." Hajime blinked, flashing a slightly embarrassed smile. Shin gestured for Hajime to sit on the ground next to him, to give him some company. Hajime obliged, sitting cross-legged on the bathmat next to Shin.
Sasame turned his unrelenting gaze on Hajime, "..and you are the Knight of Water..?"
Instead of answering, Hajime lifted his hand, adding a slight wave to his hand. The water around Sasame swirled, and drops of water rose from the bathtub, dropping on Sasame's head. The child wrinkled his nose as a water drop fell on its tip. "Answer your question?"
A large smile appeared on the child's face as he nodded, shaking his hair as the water ran over his head. Shin raised an eyebrow in amusement, squeezing some shampoo onto his palm as he proceeded to show Sasame the ins and outs of taking a bath.
Himeno stood on the balcony of her dorm room, sighing deeply as Yayoi, who was her roommate since both had joined the university, said her goodbyes. Yayoi had become something of a party animal, and was not around the dorm room too often.
"Stupid male.. 'I'm going to be back soon'.." Himeno muttered, kicking a stone off of the balcony. "See if I let him spend the night, that.. that.. Hayate." She said, her eyes darkening.
Almost as if uttering his name signaled it, a light wind passed through her hair, alerting her to turn around, where Hayate was standing. "Oh, look what.. ugh. Nevermind. Did you talk to Sasame?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Are you mad at me for being gone longer than you wanted?" Hayate asked quietly.
"...you're growing to be more perceptive Hayate.. good. Hanging around gay guys has done you well." Himeno smiled, running a hand through her wind-mussed primrose hair.
"..Indeed." He replied flatly.
"So.." Himeno began, looking to the side, "Are we bringing Sasame Part 2 to meet Sasame Part 1 tomorrow?" she finished, her eyes rolling back in Hayate's direction.
"..Sasame Part 2?" Hayate asked in a slightly amused tone.
"I have to keep them straight." Himeno replied.
The Knight of Wind placed his hands to his hips, shrugging, "I suppose."
"Good." Himeno smiled, shutting her eyes. "You owe me." She said quickly, causing Hayate to blink.
"Owe you what?" Hayate muttered.
"Don't act like you don't remember, you stupid man." Himeno said, her tone growing annoyed. As Hayate continued to stare at her blankly, Himeno gave a snarl of annoyance. "You promised me you'd take me to King Frostie for dessert!!" Himeno snapped, pointing in the direction the ice cream emporium was.
Hayate paled, "King.. Frostie? Weren't we banned from there after Kei said the waitresses were 'improperly dressed and had drug trails up their arms', and Mannen tried to blow it up.. as a joke?"
"..That was the Fryer's Bucket.." Himeno sighed. "But you're not getting me off subject! You owe me as much ice cream as I can eat!"
Hayate's eyes lowered, "That's attractive."
"What?" Himeno blinked.
"The birthday girl bloated on ice cream.. you were complaining about your pants being too tight at dinner." Hayate said, realizing how stupid what he had said was a moment too late.
Himeno stared at him, her face reddening. "For that.. you're buying me the 110 Gallon Gorge.. now move." She hissed, pointing to the door. As Hayate turned around, she swung her hand forward, giving a slap to Hayate's behind as he moved toward the door. He gave out a surprised shriek, squinting at Himeno as he recovered.
"I hate you." He muttered.
"Love you too, dear." Himeno replied, grinning.
"..Is something wrong, Kei?" Goh asked, wiping his hands on his apron as he followed Kei into their bedroom.
"..I just felt something." Kei replied. Goh looked from side to side, a smile appearing on his face.
"Kei.. we can't.. the kids are all still awake.. and.." Goh began as Kei shot him a rather shocked look.
"Not that, Goh.." He said, his voice giving off a slightly embarrassed undertone.
"Oh.. then what?" Goh asked.
Kei bit his lip, turning to point at his laptop that was resting on their bed. "I was working on the Demon Larva Detection software.. when the signal suddenly indicated a heavy flux in the balance here.. The screen was literally covered in Demon Larva hotspots.. It stood like that for a minute, and then suddenly fell back to 0." Kei explained.
"Could it have just been a glitch?" Goh asked, looking to his lover, feeling his skin grow cold at the seriousness in Kei's voice and face.
"..It is possible.. but I thought I had worked all of the glitches out.. but the thing is, moments before it.. 'glitched', I felt my body grow extremely cold.. and I.. I don't know.. I felt very.. afraid, almost." Kei replied, directing his eyes at the floor to avoid Goh's gaze. Kei hated discussing his feelings with anyone, he was just like that, or at least he had always been that way since Goh could remember.
Goh felt his stomach sink. He realized suddenly that it must have coincided with when he felt his body grow numb. "..Kei.. I.." Goh began, feeling that he was short of breath.
"..What is it?" Kei asked, his eyes moving slowly back to where they had been.
"I.." Goh mumbled, not able to say it himself, "Nothing.. i.. it must have been a glitch in the system. And.. maybe.. maybe something from dinner upset your system and you're starting to feel ill from it.." Goh replied, trying to sound certain, but of course it didn't seem to fool Kei.
"..Perhaps.." Kei said lightly. "..I.. think I am going to take a shower.. perhaps that will clear my mind." He said suddenly, folding his arms and approaching the bathroom door. "Maybe.. you would like to do the same?" Kei asked, looking back at Goh, the slightest smile appearing on his lips. As he did so, he turned and entered the bathroom, shutting the door behind him.
Goh turned his head to look at the laptop sitting on the bed. He felt his stomach churn. "..I.. it had to have been a glitch.. It couldn't be.. no.. no it couldn't be." He said to himself quickly, trying to reassure himself. Suddenly, he rethought what Kei had just said.
"I think I am going to take a shower.. maybe you would like to do the same?"
"..Holy shit." Goh mumbled under his breath, his neck twisting back to look at the bathroom door, where he could hear the water running. He smiled as he rushed to the door, Kei's hidden meaning dawning on him. He tugged the door open and rushed inside, shutting it behind him.
"Here.." Shin whispered, tucking the small Sasame into the unmade bed. "Mannen will probably be home later.. I'm sure he'll try to not wake you up."
"He drools like nuts." Hajime said.
"..Drools?" Sasame blinked, looking up to Shin.
"..nevermind that." Shin said, looking sideways at Hajime. "If you need anything, feel free to come get me, okay?" He added, smiling comfortingly.
"Thank you.." Sasame replied as Shin approached the door. "for.. everything." He added.
"Goodnight." Shin smiled, flipping the light off as he made his way through the bathroom into his and Hajime's room.
"Night, kiddo." Hajime said, waving with two fingers as he followed the younger knight.
Sasame looked up through the window, seeing the moon hanging in the sky. "..why.. am I awake now?" He asked to himself, his eyelids growing heavy. He rolled over onto his side, burying his face into Mannen's pillow. He quickly drifted off to sleep, knowing that tomorrow would begin his long and arduous training.
Tomorrow would be the first day of his life.
A/N: Yay! Chapter three is done and I'm not dead yet! I hope you all read my sis' fic 'Your Light', which I helped write.. well, some of it.. she wouldn't even write it unless I poked her with a stick every five minutes to work on it. Let's see.. look forward to more Leafe Knight goodness in the next chapter, as we move nearer and nearer to the TRUE Reflets Sombres. (if you know what that means and what language it is, I'll give you a cookie)
Also! I have one Pretear fanart up on my deviantart site, and it's a Kei/Goh one! If you care to view, go to the linky-poo on my user information page.. I would have more up but I'm too lazy to.. move.