CHAPTER 3: THE SAFE HOUSE

Shin was tucked into his room, the night light on and a glass of water on his nightstand, just as he liked. Himeno backed out of the room, bumping into Goh.

"How's he doing?" he asked, peering through the crack in the door.

"He's fine," Himeno answered, smiling. Goh would never admit it, but he was really worried about Shin. Mannan was feeling better already, the cut minor and scabbed over. It was the bruises all along his side that had hurt him. He was sitting in the living room with Hajime and Takako watching tv. The two younger knights had gotten her addicted to Adult Swim, a segment that hosted all kinds of funny and weird cartoons. They watched it for Aqua Teen Hunger Force. She watched it for Inuyasha, though she complained the whole time about why some priestess just didn't kill them and take over. It had taken Sasame a month or so to convince her it was better the way it was.

Goh nodded and let out a breath, running a hand through his short hair. "I wish I knew what happened. I mean, it's never happened like that before...Damn it!"

Himeno hugged him. He needed it. "You didn't know, Goh. He's fine, okay?"

"Am I interupting anything?" someone asked tightly.

Himeno stepped back quickly when she realized it was Hayate. And he didn't look very happy at all.

Goh jumped away from her like she had the plague, laughing nervously. "Ah, hey, Hayate! Just checking on Shin...uh, yeah, I'm gonna go!"

"You do that," he bit out sharply. Oo, jealous much? Himeno thought smugly.

Hayate watched Goh run down the hall and turn a corner before he said, still with the heavy amounts of anger, "It's almost midnight. Kei called your parents and they said you should stay here tonight."

"Oh...alright," she answered, blushing. God, everytime he got around her, the air just got so hot... "Um, I don't have any pajamas."

He blinked, straightening. That strange look crossed his face quickly before disappearing again behind the arrogant mask. "Takako can loan you some. Go ask her." He began to walk away.

Himeno didn't know why she did it, but she reached out and grabbed his arm, stopping him. He could have pulled away at any time, but he remain still, looking back over his shoulder, eyes hidden behind a fall of black hair. "Look, that thing with Goh-,"

"What do I care?" he asked sharply.

Bristling, Himeno said, "Hey, you're the one acting like the jealous boyfriend here-,"

"I am not!"

"I'm just telling you it was a friend thing! Geeze, why do you have to be so high maintainance all the time?"

"Why do you have to be so- wait, a friend thing?" He turned around to face her now, pushing the hair that had escaped the loose ponytail back behind his shoulder.

With the full onslaught of those incredibly blue eyes on her now, Himeno swallowed passed the lump in her throat. "Um...uh...i-it was just..." Damn it, stop stuttering! And why was he moving closer to her? Couldn't he see she was flustered enough?

He very lightly turned her face up so he could look at her. Himeno knew she was blushing all across her face and down her neck. And it was BURNING hot in here! "Just...what?" he asked, leaning down toward her.

Himeno placed a hand on his chest. This was it. He was going to do it this time. Her eyes closed and she stopped breathing for a moment as his breath touched her lips. A little more...

"Hey, Himeno! Kei says you're spending the- EWWW! Gross! Twice in one day! Yuck!" Mannan made a big deal about it as they jumped apart, Hayate glaring at the boy and Himeno very, VERY focused on her shoes. Well, this couldn't get more embarassing. Or frustrating.

"Nothing happened, Mannan. Grow up," Hayate practically growled.

Mannan stuck his tongue out. "Come on, Himeno! Let's go watch tv and eat popcorn! Takako made it and it's really yummy!" He grabbed her hand and pulled her away into the living room, looking back at the utterly frustrated and annoyed face of Hayate before she ran smack into the corner.

"OW! Mannan, stop rushing meeee," she cried, breaking into a run behind the kid.

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Kei was pouring some coffee into a mug, holding it out for Sasame, who declined. Kei shrugged. He lived off of caffeine. If he didn't get it, things got ugly for everyone else. "So, I was right?" he asked.

Sasame shrugged, not really wanting to think about it. Always pain...his pain. It would be nice if it were someone else's for a change. How much was one man supposed to suffer in a lifetime, he thought. True, his lifetime was different than most humans, but the question still stood. He tapped a finger against the table, trying not to focus on the negative. Maybe Hayate had a different reason...He could only hope so.

The door opened and Takako came in, hair pulled back in a sloppy bun, bringing out the unusually bright green of her eyes. Sasame's heart instantly sped up as she smiled at him. Yes, she was once again the woman he had loved before. So very strong and yet so fragile. She was his everything. If this was true...no, don't think of it yet.

Takako opened the cupboard and began poking around, muttering under her breath about all the junk food. "Damn it, I've only got ten minutes," she cursed, slamming one of the doors shut.

"Before you go breaking our kitchen, what are you looking for?" Kei asked irritably. He didn't care for Takako. They both had short tempers and patience and often ended up butting heads if Sasame wasn't there as a calming presence. He couldn't understand why the Knight of Sound would fall for such a moody woman (bitch, he changed it to secretly), but hey, opposites attracted, right?

"Popcorn. I know we've got a whole bunch of it somewhere...damn it, Goh!" Goh had gone through and reorganized the pantry and cupboards to get the junk food out of the younger knights' reach.

Sasame stood up before Kei could get the sharp response out and opened the cupboard she had just slammed shut. It also gave him an excuse to brush up against her, placing a hand at the small of her back to stretch up and pull down the box of microwave popcorn. "Here it is," he said, smiling at her dumbfounded expression.

"But I just searched that one," she insisted, scowling at the cabinet like it had hidden her prize on purpose.

Sasame smiled, pushing a piece of her hair behind her ear. "It was behind the ramen. Do you want me to get it ready? Your show starts soon, doesn't it?"

Takako smiled and shook her head, taking the popcorn from him. "I've got it. Thanks though." Kei scooched across the counter out of her way, giving her an unfriendly look as she swung the microwave door extra wide, stopping it just short of hitting him in the face. Yes, he and Takako were NOT friends.

"So, I heard Shin was hurt by some demon or other?" she asked sweetly, getting a big bowl out from under the counter.

"Some plant form or other," Kei answered noncommitally.

She stood up, placing the bowl on the counter and gave the Knight of Light a withering glare. "And you think it was me, don't you?"

"Takako-," Sasame said quickly, coming to her side and taking her hand. "No one is saying that."

Kei shrugged. "Well, evil is as evil does."

Snarling, Takako drew her hand back to slap his face. Sasame grabbed her wrist before she could and pressed his mouth close to her ear, whispering something to her. Her eyes went from promising pain to calm in a matter of seconds. Sighing, her shoulders slumped and she nodded. "I understand," she said, smiling at him.

Sasame kissed her cheek and opened the microwave when it beeped. He dumped the bag into the bowl and handed it to her. "Make sure Hajime doesn't grab handfuls and take it to the chair," he said. "He has a habit of dropping the kernels and not picking them up."

Takako smiled and left the kitchen.

Kei shook his head and drained off his coffee, pouring more as soon as he saw the bottom. "I'll never understand how you do it, Sasame."

Sasame sighed and sat down again. He was tired. Tired of not having a break from the fights. Tired of playing referee between Kei and Takako. Tired of everything. "Why do you bait her, Kei?"

Shrugging, he flicked his golden hair back out of his face. "I don't trust her. I never will. She turned her back to us before, and almost blew the whole damn world up. And if what I think is true-,"

"Stop it," Sasame snarled, pinning the other knight with a glare.

Kei wisely shut his mouth.

Hayate entered the kitchen, glancing from one to the other. Another arguement, he guessed. He ignored it and cut straight to business. "Shin is resting. We need to keep the younger ones under a close watch for now. Just in case."

Neither said a word to this.

Sighing, he sat down at the table, staring at the vase of flowers in the middle. Himeno had gotten them, claiming they were a house warming gift. Shin had been supplying them with leafe so they wouldn't fade. Himeno...he quickly shoved any thoughts of her aside. Not thoughts, he admitted. Something more...

"Well, I still hold with my theory," Kei said firmly, pushing away from the counter and joining them at the table. "It makes sense, what with all the mounting evidence."

"I'll concede it's a possibility, but what do we do about it?" Sasame asked. He knew the answer, he just wanted to see if they dared to mention it.

"She has to-," Kei began.

"NO!" The last was shouted from Sasame, who stood angrily, fists clenched. "No."

"But if it's the only way-,"

"I said NO!"

Hayate gave Kei a warning glance. Now was not the time to push the issue. "We can't strategize too far ahead," he said, trying to calm them both. "Just watch Hajime and Mannan closer. If it starts to effect them, we'll sit down again and discuss a plan. And I don't want Shin using any leafe until we get this sorted out."

The door opened again and all three turned when Himeno poked her head in, smiling. That was the problem with everyone in the same house. It made holding a secret meeting almost impossible. "Hi, heard some shouting. Everything okay in here?"

"Fine," Kei answered when he realized Sasame wasn't going to answer and Hayate was too distracted to. If it weren't for the fact Hayate pretty much had claim over her affections, he would have been, too. Takako (being decidedly evil, he thought) had loaned her some pajamas that made SURE to show off her...assets. Namely, her long legs and toned arms.

Himeno smiled wider and said, "Okay, just checking. I'm going to bed now, 'night!"

The three of them sat for a bit in silence. Finally, Sasame stood up. "Excuse me," he said softly before going to the living room.

Kei sighed and drained off his second cup of coffee. "I'm staying up for a bit. I want to check on Shin a little later."

Hayate nodded absently and stayed sitting at the kitchen table, still staring at the door like Himeno was still there. What was it a bout her that he...Wait, he was INSANE! He stood up, took a deep breath and decided a nice round of walking the halls and setting alarms would be good. Yeah, that would help him clear his thoughts. And since the hallway with the guest room was closest...

Himeno woke up around three in the morning. What the hell? She'd only just fallen asleep. Stupid, stupid blue eyes! She kept seeing them when she fell asleep and they kept her awake at night. But that wasn't why she'd woken up. Why was she awake-

Her eyes flew open and wide. A noise. Someone was outside her door! Himeno sat up, looking at the narrow sliver of light creeping under her door. A shadow crossed and recrossed again, paused, and then paced on. Someone was pacing around OUTSIDE HER ROOM! She stood up slowly, being careful not to make too much noise. She stayed to one side of the door, listening to her own breathing and the soft creaking of the floor outside her room. She touched the door knob, ready to turn it...

Only to have the person turn it slowly, quietly. Himeno balled her fist, heart hammering in fear, but her mind completely pissed off. Asshole! Whoever was behind that door was gonna get it! Slowly, the door began to creak open, the light growing in the room. A face was peeking through. And...

"PERVERT!" Himeno punched the face as hard as she could, quickly assuming a defensive pose as the person fell to the ground with a yelp of pain.

"WHAT THE HELL IS YOUR PROBLEM!"

Himeno looked down at the person and froze. HAYATE! He was rubbing his jaw, eyes blazing with fury. "Oh, Hayate, I'm so- HEY, what the hell were you doing outside my room?"

Hayate got to his feet, fists balled and shaking. "I was checking the alarms in the house. I was NOT pacing around outside your door!"

"You said pacing!"

"SO?"

"I never said pacing! You were pacing outside my room!"

A door opened and slammed shut, they both stopped shouting, watching the light travel down the hall.

Kei came up, scowling, hair sticking out everywhere and looking very, very grumpy. "SHUT UP! It is three in the damn morning and I have to be up at five! Just tell her how you feel already so I don't have to listen to this bullshit any longer!" Then, he turned and stormed off back to his room, muttering and cussing the entire way.

Once his door was slammed shut again, they stood in the door way, neither looking at the other. Himeno curled and uncurled her toes. Kei said to tell her how he felt? How did Hayate feel? Did he...COULD he possibly...?

Hayate cleared his throat and said, "We need to talk."

"Okay," she said quickly. This was FINALLY it!

"Here and now isn't appropriate. Tomorrow-,"

"I have school."

"Oh. Oh, right. Um...after school? I'll come by around six. Is that okay?" He was very uncomfortable.

Himeno nodded. "Okay, sounds good. A date, then?"

He looked a little startled at first but then a smile came to his lips. "Okay...a date." He quickly left, going back down the hall and away from the back door alarm.

Himeno stared after him for a second. Then, it clicked with her. She and Hayate...had a DATE!