The Search for Information
"Mannen, can I talk to you for a second?"
Mannen left his class to skate over to Hayate. The freezing temperatures of the room felt wonderful against his skin. On the other hand his friend was certainly not used to chilly ice arenas. So when Mannen reached Hayate he handed him his coat. Hayate took the coat gratefully before moving to one of the benches as Mannen sat down next to him.
"How is your class going?"
Mannen watched several of his students practice simple routines before saying, "They are improving greatly. Although I am a little concerned about that boy over there in the corner. He seems afraid to really try anything. So why are you here Hayate? I know what you like and that does not include freezing cold ice rings."
Hayate nodded, "You're right, I hate being in here but I need to ask you something. Since you were a rebellious teenager before you mellowed I figured you could understand Atarashi."
Mannen sighed as he turned to Hayate. He had no idea what to tell his friend. Atarashi never told him anything. If Hayate truly wished to learn something then he should ask Shin. Looking at his students again, Mannen took a deep breath.
"Hayate if you want to learn things about Atarashi then you should go to Shin or better yet Atarashi herself," the Knight of Freezing began, "However if you really want my opinion then here it is. Atarashi just wants to be included in your life. To hide something like your life as a Leafe Knight leaves her out of the loop. She goes to Shin because he includes her in everything as long as he is allowed to. Ata is very strong-willed because she wants to show you that she can be included and not become damaged. Understand?"
"Give me a chance to think about it."
Mannen shrugged as he returned to the rink, "Well let me know when you're done thinking."
He returned to his students to find them surrounding the boy who usually kept himself away from the others. Rolling his eyes, Mannen continued forward until he could here one talking.
"Come on," a boy taunted, "Go out there and practice. Sensei won't skate for us unless you do something too. Now get out there you baka gaigin!"
The boy being teased simply kept his head down. Finally Mannen could stand it no longer. He skated through the crowd straight over to the young boy. He grabbed a hold of the boy's hand and brought the two of them out into the middle of the rink. There he made sure that everyone was watching him before he turned to the boy.
"I am going to talk slowly alright?" The boy nodded understanding. "Good, now I want you to repeat everything I do. Do you understand?"
The boy nodded excitedly as Mannen began to perform a simple routine. The students watched eagerly to see what the boy would do. Once their teacher had finished, the boy flew through the same routine with ease smiling all the way.
Mannen turned to his students to find them all stunned. Then he turned to the boy and gave him a steep bow of respect. The boy returned the gesture before returning to the others.
"Now everyone the moment you've all been waiting for!" Mannen cried as he skated backwards towards Hayate calling over his shoulder, "Hayate turn on the music in that CD player next to you!"
Hayate did as he was told and waited for Mannen to begin. The Ice Knight was in his territory as he removed his heavy jacket leaving him in just his t-shirt. At last he began moving with grace to the music. The song relaxed Hayate as he watched the enchanting dance. When the song ended, the Knight of Wind frowned in annoyance.
As soon as Mannen had everyone out of the arena he came back to his friend. Now they could really have some time alone to talk. He waited for Hayate to say something while he removed his skates. When at last Hayate did speak, Mannen raised his head to face him.
"Mannen I think you are right about my daughter."
"Uh-huh?"
Hayate sighed, "I'll see you later. I need to talk to her."
"Chikiu, you have failed to destroy the Leafe Knights! You had better have a good reason for this."
The blonde teen bowed low before his mistress as he said, "Mistress, they have another Prétear."
Her purple eyes narrowed dangerously as she bore holes into his head with her eyes, "What?"
Chikiu rose to face her fully, "As I was just about to destroy the knights, a young girl with blue hair arrived with the final knight. Together they managed to defeat me."
"Which knight?"
"The Knight of Plants. I was unable to win because the Prétear created a barrier that separated me from any plant life. There was nothing I could do."
Hidoi turned away from her youngest knight. So a new Prétear had been found. Perhaps this battle would finally become more interesting. Hidoi would just have to adjust slightly but everything would work out in the end. The world would still be destroyed. Her laughter rang through the fortress as Chikiu shrank away in fear.