A/N: Here's chapter two! Please review and let me know what you think!

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The Final Piece
Chapter Two

"So Takako believes that there could possibly be someone else controlling the demon larva? Who? How?" Himeno frowned. "How are we going to figure out who is behind this?"

"Simple. We wait for their next move." Answered Hayate.

Himeno paused. "Do you think…whoever they are…do you think that they are human?" she whispered.

"It's possible. Anything is possible." Sasame replied. "We just need to try to be ready for anything. That's our only option right now."

Himeno nodded. "I understand."

There was a knock on her bedroom door. When she answered it, she discovered Mayune, Mawata, and her father and stepmother. Each was staring at her with concern in their eyes.

Himeno blinked. "Uh…hi everyone!" she waved. "Is there something that you need?"

"Are you going to be all right?" her father asked. "Has something happened? Something has happened, hasn't it? Is it bad?"

Himeno blinked several times at his series of questioning, but quickly smiled and shook her head. "No, no! It's nothing serious! I'm fine. We just had some catching up to do is all. It's absolutely nothing to worry about at all."

Behind her, the Leafe Knights were staring at her as if she had lost her mind. She was lying to her family. This was something to worry about. There was a problem, and Himeno wasn't fine. They were in trouble.

"Uh, Himeno…" began Hayate.

"Oh, sorry, Hayate. Are you thirsty?" she asked, clearing her throat loudly, and signaling to the rest of the knights to be quiet.

Hayate nodded. "Yeah, that's it. May I have a cup of tea?"

Himeno's stepmother smiled and nodded. "We'll all leave you alone now, and I'll send one of the maids up for tea as soon as possible," she added, ushering her children and Himeno's father away as quickly as she could.

When they had gone, Shin tugged at Himeno's skirt. "Himeno, why didn't you tell your family that you might be in danger?" he asked her.

She shook her head. "Because my possibly being in danger means that they are in danger too…if I stay here." She reminded everyone. "I think I am going to relocate myself to Leafenia once again. I do not want what happened last time to happen again…"

The group nodded. They already knew she had to be talking about what happened with her stepsister Mawata. In truth, it actually was safer for her to leave.

"That's all right with us," Kei nodded. "You are no burden."

"Maybe sometimes…" Hayate smirked, and Himeno hit him squarely in his shoulder that was not injured. He groaned. "All right…I'll lighten up. Tulip head…" he laughed.

Himeno stopped short of hitting Hayate again. She looked thoughtful. "I have school tomorrow." She stated plainly. "Do you guys think it possible that maybe the person controlling this new demon larva is someone at my school?"

They were about to answer when the maid showed up with a pot of tea, several cups, and a tray full of cookies.

"It's…a…possibility…" Mannen managed as he shoved a cookie into his mouth. "After all, Takako was probably about your age when she was the Pretear, and then she turned. It was all before we were born, so we don't remember it of course, but I'm just saying, it might be…"

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Himeno glanced nervously around the courtyard at her school the next morning. There was really no one she could think of that could possibly be causing all of the trouble. Of course, she didn't understand why any of this had to be happening again, but it would be better if she could at least find a clue or two about what was going on.

Just outside the school grounds stood Hayate, keeping a vigilant watch out for anything suspicious, and keeping his eyes on Himeno…should anything bad happen.

It was just after Himeno's lunch that she decided to stop by her locker. The lock was jammed, and she had to jiggle it quite a bit before she could finally turn the lock. She screamed as the door opened. The minute she had turned the lock and opened the door, a black sort of gas had begun to spill forth. It stung her eyes and burned her lungs, but she felt as if she was paralyzed. She was rooted to the spot as the gas enveloped her entire body in pain. Finally she fell, but she didn't remember hitting the ground before falling into unconsciousness.

When she woke up, she was in a dimly lit room…her own. Surrounding her were the various Leafe knights and the members of her family.

"What happened? My locker…I was…" she began. "It hurts so badly…"

"What was it that hit her?" her father demanded. "Why is she still in pain? We've called the doctor. She is medicated. Is she hurt somewhere else?" he frowned.

Hayate and Sasame sighed, but Goh was the first to speak. "No human doctor can do anything for the pain Himeno is experiencing. It has nothing to do with human ailments…" he explained.

Himeno's father nodded in understanding. "But she will be all right, won't she?"

"Yes." Sasame assured them. "Now…if you'll excuse us, we would appreciate if we could talk to Himeno alone for a moment?"

Her family nodded and slowly left the room.

Himeno groaned. "What is this stuff, guys?" she asked groggily. "Who did this?"

"We were hoping you could answer that," Kei nodded.

Himeno shook her head and moaned in pain. "But I didn't see anyone do anything, Kei. The black stuff started coming out of my locker as soon as I opened it. I didn't see anyone do anything…"

"We know, Himeno." Sasame agreed. "But there is something else…"

"What is it?" she asked.

Hayate cleared his throat softly, and Himeno looked over in his direction. He smiled at her, but his expression quickly turned to a serious one. "Himeno, I found this on the ground next to you after you were attacked. I didn't say anything to your family, as I know you don't want them involved…but we thought maybe you could tell us who this is from…"

Himeno frowned. "How am I supposed to know?"

"It's just a note." Goh explained. "We thought maybe you might be able to recognize the handwriting on it or something."

"You don't have to do anything right now if you still don't feel well…" Hayate reminded her.

Himeno moaned with pain. "Help me up, please. I want to do this now." She said.

Hayate nodded, but still looked very worried about her. Slowly, he helped her up into a comfortable sitting position, and she sighed with relief. Holding out her hand, she waited paitently for Hayate to place the note into her hand.

"Did you read it?" she asked, and Hayate looked away nervously.

She opened it. It consisted of one line, which she read and reread several times before looking back up at the knights.

'Himeno, you should be more careful. Next time you won't be so lucky.'

"Someone is making a direct threat on your life." Sasame stated the obvious. "Do you recognize the handwriting? That would help up to figure everything out. It would make things a lot easier."

Himeno looked at the note again. The handwriting was indeed rather familiar, although she still could not pinpoint exactly whose handwriting it was. She blinked several times. She may not remember the name…but it was familiar. That meant that she must know this person.

She shivered. "It's familiar…but I can't think of a name."

"Familiar?" Hajime repeated, and she nodded.

"That is a start." Sighed Sasame. "Maybe you'll think of something once the toxin wears off…"

"Yes." She agreed. "Maybe I will."

There was a knock on the door, and this time it was not Himeno's family calling. Standing in front of the door was Yayoi, Himeno's friend from school. She smiled at Goh, who answered the door, and basically invited herself into the room.

"She's not feeling well." Hayate insisted.

"I'll be quick. I come bearing gifts." Yayoi promised.

"Huh?" frowned Himeno.

Yayoi cleared her throat. "Yeah, everyone in class heard about what happened to you, and we've all signed a card for you…" she held out her hand. Looking around, her eyebrow rose as if she had just noticed everyone else in the room. She leaned down to Himeno's ear. "Who are they?"

"They're family from out of town…well, most of them…" she added. She knew Yayoi had her own theories about Hayate's involvement in her life, but she wasn't in the mood for any comments.

Yayoi nodded. "Oh. Well, everyone says hi, and we all hope you get better soon!" she smiled happily.

Himeno grinned. "Thank you, Yayoi. Now, if you'll excuse me, I think I need a bit more time with my family before I go back to sleep…" she gestured to everyone else in the room.

Again, Yayoi nodded. "I'll show myself out." She said as she left the room.

When she had left, Himeno opened up her card. Yayoi wasn't lying. Many of her classmates had indeed signed it. She gasped in shock.

"What?" worried Hayate.

There was something she recognized about the handwriting of one of the people on the card. She snatched the note out of Hayate's hand quickly, and began to study it and the card. She paled considerably.

"Himeno?" frowned Shin. "You don't look well. What's wrong?" he asked.

"The handwriting…" she whispered. "It's the same."

"What's the same?" asked Goh, leaning over the side of the bed carefully to get a better look.

Himeno pointed. Written on the card in very neat handwriting was a message. It simply read 'Get well soon! –Yayoi'. Himeno held up the note from earlier. Written on that paper, in the exact same neat handwriting, was the message that had threatened her life.

"Oh…" Goh whispered.

"Sasame, go find her! It's Yayoi! It's her! She did this! We let her leave! She may not have even left the house!" Himeno screamed, and Sasame tore out of the room and down the hallway.

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A/N: There's chapter two! Hope you liked it. Please review, and I will try to update as soon as possible! Thanks!