Bobbyneko: Heyy thanks for the review and I plan on doing a lot more character building on the younger knights. I do not think they get as much credit in the series as they should.
Mystlady: AHH thanks for the review, I was hoping no one would notice them missing L LOL but hey since you did I guuueesses I'll include them now as well (originally just going to write them off). ,
A/n hope none of ya mind a major time warp. OH OH and sorry if its a bit confusing i cant get it to seperate the little sign keeps erasing :( maybe it will show up on upload ... i dunno just keep in mind this is serveral diffrent places taking place in the chapter.
Now on with the chapter w00t!
Disclaimer: Ditto
Chapter 2: silent tears of crimson red
They disappeared they left us. They left without saying goodbye to all of us… I don't know where they are the boys don't know where they are, Where did they go? I just do not understand, Mayune and Mawata say they will be back after all the boys are still here… but why would they come back. Hajime, Mannen and Shin are in great care here they have a giant plot of land and they are getting educated life will be better here for them. What if… what if Hayate Goh and Kei do not return… Then what will happen to all of us?
That was three years ago today, and every year Shin, Mannen, Hajime, and Hayate shared a night of memories together. Shin did not remember as much as the other two knights but Himeno made them go through it as if as long as their memories were still there, they were. Sasame and Takako came to the ceremony as well neither fully understanding why they were gone for so long with out any contact.
"Alright guys it's been three years since they left us" Himeno said and a tear rolled down her cheek, she had only tortured herself daily with her feelings for Hayate. She felt as if somehow it was her fault they had all left.
"And even today they are remembered more than ever right?" Mannen said eyeing the other people in the meeting. Hajime just nodded his head and shin just kind of nodded with a yawn it was late and the three younger kids had school in the morning.
Sesame and Takako Smiled and lit a candle for each of the knights who had disappeared and all said a prayer and then all of them rose hand in hand and muttered a return.
"Himeno, are you going to be ok?" Takako asked she recognized the sadness in the former Pretear's eyes saw the burden she carried; she once carried a similar burden. "Himeno every year I remind you if you want to talk about it, sesame and I are always here"
"Thanks, I... I'll be fine" Himeno flashed a smile "OK you midgets you three better get off to bed!" She said and scooped Mannen up with a slight difficulty.
"Don't call me a midget i'm going to be taller than you soon!" Mannen said and stuck his tongue out; three years had caused him to grow very tall but still as silly as he was years ago.
Himeno managed to get the three boys out of her room and escorted them to their own rooms, Mannen had his own, and Hajime and Shin still shared a room.
"Time in Leafenia is different then the time on this world" Sesame said and shook his head "and they sealed the portal between worlds when they entered, they didn't want to be followed. I just don't understand why they did it.
Takako shook her head, she was pregnant with Sasame's child, they had been married, and life had been loverly for the young couple except the absence of their friends from so long ago.
"Sasame, we can wonder that for the rest of our lives, perhaps they feel the world is safe and the boys should grow… I don't understand it either Sesame, but Himeno continues to lose hope every year, She still feels for him you know?"
Sesame just nodded his head and hugged his wife giving her a soft kiss and smiled at her, she was remarkable. "We must keep an eye on them till the knight's return, we owe them that".
Himeno finished reading Shin a bedtime story and Hajime were all tucked in when Himeno went to leave but Shin stopped her.
"Himeno, smile more… they'll be back someday and then things will be ok" Shin said with a yawn and rolled over on his bed.
Himeno smiled and nodded though she was unsure if either boy saw it but she just turned to go to her room none of that seemed to matter. Hayate had left her with no saying to where he was and why he had left her, of course, they were unofficial but to Himeno Hayate was her world.
"Himeno I checked your room you weren't there, Mayune has just came back from Europe with her fiancé!" Mawata said laughing, she had adjusted great and everything was beautiful now for her.
"OH!" Himeno said and Mawata and Himeno ran down the hall together to greet Mayune and her fiancé who was getting the run around from Mr. Awayuki already.
Mayune's finance was a tall young man with blue and yellow hair he had large purple eyes that screamed I am not interested in any of you but Mayune insisted.
"He is 24 moms and a law student!" Mayune nearly squealed to her skeptic of a mother.
"How do you plan to take care of my daughter and why didn't you come to Kaoru or me before you went and got engaged?" She said in her most severe of ways causing everyone to shiver.
"Ahh baby sis, Himeno!" Mayune said going over to both girls and giving them each a welcomed hug. "This is Carlos, he's my fiancé!" She said and all three did a girly group squeal. "Come on you two we have to go have a chat and let mom and dad talk to Carlos come on now let's go"
The three girls waved to Carlos who looked as if he just wanted to go with them rather than face the speeches he was sure to get from Mayune's parents.
"You know Hayate, when we return it'll be a little bit longer than three years, a lot could have changed" Goh said and sighed, being gone for so long was truly torture. He hadn't got to see the kids grow up or anyone else for that matters. He knew Mannen was 13, Shin would be eight and Hajime would be 10, they had all grow since they last saw each other.
"I know she'll have changed, but she is my only one, and to her I am her knight her one knight, she'll still have me" Hayate said in response, the three were recuperating after spending long hours with the new Leafe knight of sound.
"My business has probably made a great profit, and served the kids as training for knights" Kei had left several games to be released in hopes the boys
Would buy them and play them, they were created to train the knights.
"I wonder how they are"
"Mannen probably has a girl!" Goh said and started to chuckle.
"Hayate do you really think Himeno's just waiting for you?" Kei asked and shook his head this was hopeless.
"I don't know… I hope so though"
The three older knights lay on the grass soaking up the sun. After a while, they went to the bubble chamber to check on baby knight Yukio.
"He'll be ready soon to go to Earth; do any of you want to stay in Leafenia for a bit?" When they all shook their heads no, Hayate smiled he would be able to seal Leafenia again. Inside he had a feeling that something was going to happen that would require the Pretear again.
The babies eyes opened they were dark red and he had black hair, he was a very beautiful child, he was tanned and heart warming. The three knights loved watching over Yukio.
Hajime and Shin snuck down the hallway to Mannen's room and remembered that Mannen wanted them to knock before they entered his room.
"Ahh what do you kids want don't you two runts know I'm BUSY!" Mannen said opening the door of his room and glaring at the two younger boys.
"Mannen… MANNEN tell us about Leafenia and the other knights Mannen pah-lease!" The two boys begged with much glee hoping to hear all about the knights and the place Leafenia.
"Cant you bother someone else!" Mannen yelled t his friends slamming the door in their faces.
He didn't feel like dealing with the memories of this world, he didn't want to think of their 'friends' who had just abandoned them like this. He never wanted to remember them. Every year the ceremonies drove him nuts all the memories getting bottled up and poured into his memories and surpassed his mind. He crawled into his bed and went to sleep to forget all about today and how terrible his friends were.
"Hey lets go see Sasame and and Takako maybe maybe they will tell us of Leafenia!" Hajime suggested and the two of them raced down the hall to Sasame's and Takako's room giggling the entire way.
"Hey what are you two up for?" Sasame asked opening the door due to all the noise going on outside, he and Takako were talking about their future.
"Sasame, Ms Takako… will you tell us about Leafenia and the other knights!" Shin begged with the cutest smile in the world.
Sasame just laughed at the two boys and picked them up placing them on the couch where Takako was.
"They want to know about Leafenia and the knights" Sasame said and smiled at his wife who smiled back and nodded.
"We can tell you of Leafenia and the knights if you promise to go to sleep when we are done!" Takako said and laughed softly the kids were truly amazing.
"So how has my two very sexy sisters been?" Mayune asked with a laugh that was distinctly her own.
"We're ok" Mawata replied in surprise that her sister had seemed to change so much since they had last got the opportunity to speak with her.
"Himeno, what about you, ever find those three guys of yours?"
"No, they they are gone forever" Himeno said with a frown.
"Well is there a new guy then?"
"Hm… oh no no of course not I love Hayate, even if I may never see him again."
"Himeno I'm sure they will be back cheer up"
"Mayune, Himeno is right they probably won't be back, they've been gone for three years now."
"Well Mayune what about Carlos what's with him?" Himeno asked with a smile.
"Oh oh! He is a law student in England he's 24 and he is just wonderful! I met him when he accidentally pushed me into a fountain and as a gentleman he took me out and bought me new clothes and he also took me to lunch, he is so amazing." Mayune went on and on for another 15 minutes and finally Himeno dismissed herself saying she needed sleep.
When Himeno got upstairs she undressed quickly crawling into her bed and started crying
"Hayate Hayate where are you Hayate!" Himeno whispered into her pillow in between her sobs. She fell into a restless sleep of tears.
Hayate held his chest in pain, Himeno was crying for him again. He felt this way a lot her sadness would enter his body and multiply within him. Today it was worse than usual and Hayate needed a break.
"I need… to lie down" Hayate cringed, Goh and Kei led him to a soft patch of moss. They couldn't help him all they could do was watch their friend suffer from the pain someone was causing him due to their own absence.
"It's not surpassing?" Goh asked with a lot of concern he had never saw an episode this bad. It appeared Himeno was feeling much sorrow towards Hayate and them being gone.
"HAYATE!" Himeno was screaming in her sleep and Mawata and Sasame stood over her trying to wake her.
"Himeno shh" Sasame said with a look of despair he had never saw Himeno this sad.
"Hayate please come back, I'm sorry I failed you please return please" Himeno said sobbing when she woke up "Please come back"
"Mawata get a knight get Mannen" Sasame directed his desperation filling with every word. What Himeno needed was a knight, a knight who was in Leafenia and not here with her.