Disclaimer: I don't own Pretear. But as always, I do own one of the men, and the lucky man is Sasame, so Takako can go jump off of a cliff!
Chapter 1- The Beginning
"Hurry up and find the core!" Mannen shouted inside of Himeno's head. "I'm trying!" she shouted back. Hayate sent a cyclone of wind at the demon larva. "Himeno! What the hell are you doing!" he yelled. "Oh shut up! I can't find it if you keep shouting at me!" she snapped back at the dark haired man. Her eyes scanned the demon, searching for some kind of target. Himeno's eyes widened. "There it is! I see it!" she shouted. "Good! Now let's get this over with!" Himeno nodded, "Right!" As she focused on the core, a large hammer made of ice formed into her hands. "Ice…MALLET!" she yelled as she attacked the core. With that attack, the demon larva dissolved into a zillion of tiny fragments. The sky began to regain its blue glow. Himeno and Mannen unpreted and floated to the ground, landing on their feet. "You did very well Himeno," Sasame said, patting her on the head. The rest of the knights transformed back to their human forms. "You didn't do half bad either Mannen," Goh laughed, giving him a noogie. "What's that supposed to mean?" Mannen asked him with a look of disgust. Goh just laughed and backed away from him. Himeno laughed at them both. "Hey, since we all did a good job, why don't we go out for some ice cream?" she asked. "That's not such a bad idea," Kei said. "Why don't we head over to the Awayuki Ice Cream Parlor?" Hajime said. "Yeah, Yeah, I want vanilla ice cream!" Shin cheered. "Okay, okay, ice cream for everyone…" Sasame said.
At the ice cream parlor
Goh and Hayate carried all of the ice creams to the booth where everyone else was sitting. "Yeah! ICE CREAM!" Mannen cheered. He practically tackled Goh and Hayate for his ice cream. "Sit your ass down, Mannen!" Hayate scolded. Mannen bumped into Goh and he began to fall over. Suddenly, Sasame caught all the ice creams at once as Mannen fell beside Goh. Goh punched him in his head. "Oww! What did ya do that for, Goh!" Mannen yelled. "Why I oughtta--!" "Can you stop acting childish for once?" Kei interrupted. Goh and Mannen turned to Kei and stared in his face. He was extremely serious. After settting his ice cream down, Hayate grabbed Mannen and dropped him in the booth. "Can't you two ever stop arguing?" he asked. Mannen sunk in his seat. Himeno laughed. Everyone else also tittered as Sasame passed out the ice cream. "Mmm!" Himeno exclaimed, "Green Tea Kimchi with chocolate chips!" She began to quickly eat her ice cream, starting before everyone else. Then, everyone else began to eat. Mannen and Shin ate their ice cream quickly as well, trying to catch up with Himeno, who was already half-finished. Hajime, Hayate, Sasame, Kei and Goh all ate their ice cream at a pace where they were comfortable. All of a sudden, Shin and Mannen cried out. "Ow! Dammit!" said Mannen. "What did you do this time, Mannen?" asked Kei. "It's cold! My head hurts! It hurts a lot!" said Mannen, digging through his head. "Hmm... looks like you two got a brain freeze," Himeno snickered, "You shouldn't eat it so fast if you aren't experienced with these things…" Shin cried out, tears streaming down his flushed face. Himeno gasped and picked him up. "There, there, Shin," she said soothingly. She bounced him on her leg. Shin finally quieted down and came at ease with himself. "Are you okay now?" Himeno asked him. Hayate and Sasame both smiled at the tulip-headed girl.
Sasame's POV
His mind wandered off to thoughts of Takako; how they could've had something between each other; how Takako could be sitting there comforting Shin instead of Himeno; how Takako could've still been the pretear and been close to him forever…his smile slowly faded. "Sasame, …Sasame!" Goh shouted. Sasame had come back to reality and shook his head. Himeno had sat Shin back in his seat and turned to Sasame. "Are you alright, Sasame?" she asked him. He looked at her and gave her his signature smile.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to worry you," he told her.
"You seemed deep in thought? What were you thinking about anyway?"
"It's nothing that you should really be concerned about," he said reassuringly.
Himeno blinked at him confusedly. "Umm…Okay, whatever," she shrugged.
After another hour of joking, laughing, congratulating, and talking, they finally decided to head for home. They all surrounded Himeno, laughing and having fun. "Hey, Himeno?" Shin said in a quiet voice, walking next to her. She looked down at him. "Hm? What is it Shin?"
"Can we go to the park?" he pleaded with a beam, "Pleaseeeeeee?"
"Of course! As long as the others are willing to go though," she smiled.
"Willing to go where?" Mannen asked.
"Yeah, where Himeno?" Hajime said.
"Do you guys want to go to the park?" she asked everyone.
Hayate turned to her. "The park?" he asked. Sasame smiled his signature smile once again. "That doesn't sound like a bad idea," he said. "Sounds good to me," Kei added. "Well then, it's settled!" Himeno exclaimed, "We're going to the park!" "Yay!" the children cheered.
In the park
Himeno sat on a bench alone, watching Mannen, Hajime, and Shin play tag beyond the horizon. She smiled warmly, gazing at the three, thinking about when she'll have a family of her own one day. They look so content…I can't wait to have kids of my own someday… For the split second, Hayate went through her mind. She shook her head in disgust. No, no, no! Why am I even thinking about that guy! I'll have someone way better than him! She slouched over so that she was looking straight at the ground when she felt someone sit next to her. She came from her position and hit the person dead in the jaw. She heard a man shout out and looked at him. Speak of the devil, it was Hayate. "What the hell, tulip head!" he shouted at her, rubbing his jaw constantly. She blushed and covered her mouth. "Oh, Hayate! I'm so sorry!" she apologized, "Are you hurt?" He looked into her red eyes and felt his face flush. He hurried and turned away from her. "I'm fine! You hit like a girl anyways…"
Himeno felt herself becoming enraged. "I hit like a girl, huh!" She shouted, hitting him way harder than before, only in the arm.
He fell off the bench. "Ow! I only said you hit like a girl! Why'd ya have to hit me so hard?"
Himeno dusted her hands together. "You also called me tulip head, as if I didn't hear you…" she said dismayed.
Hayate got up and began to walk off. Himeno reached out for him. "Wait, Hayate"
she bellowed. He turned and glared at her. She looked to the ground, blushing. "Could you stay with me…please?" she asked, twiddling her thumbs. He stared at her and then sighed deeply, walking back over to the bench. He sat next to her. They both sat in silence as they watched everyone have a great time. Just then, Himeno spoke up. "Why did you… decide to come over here?"
Hayate turned and blushed. "You were sitting alone, and I just thought that something was wrong, that's all…"
Himeno looked up at him. "I'm glad that you were concerned, but I'm fine," she smiled.
He turned around to see her and her goofy smile. He couldn't turn away; he just gazed at her beaming face. She turned back to watching everyone. He finally stop looking at her and rested his elbow on the top of the bench, leaning his cheek on it. "Hey Hayate?" she started. He glimpsed at her. "Huh? What is i--?" "Mawata?" Himeno interrupted. "Mawata?" he asked. Himeno pointed out in the open. "Yeah, there's my step-sister Mawata," she said, "Hey! Mawata!" she called out to the girl.
Mawata's POV
The blue-haired girl stopped in her tracks. "Who called me?" she said. Her icy blue eyes scanned the sunset painted park, in search of the voice that called out her name. She finally made a full turn to see a girl with hot pink, short hair waving at her. "Himeno?" she said confusedly. She walked over toward her and Hayate.
Hayate's POV
He got up from the bench and walked off. He didn't want to be near anyone but Himeno. He didn't want anyone there to interfere, and he also didn't want everyone to be caught. He approached everyone slowly. Sasame and Kei sat on another bench across the park, Goh lounging in the grass right beside them. Kei looked up to see Hayate coming toward them. "Oh, Hayate," he waved. "What brings you over?" Sasame asked. "Yeah, weren't you with Himeno?" Goh added. "Shut the hell up!" Hayate shouted to Goh. He leaned up against a tree nearby them.
Himeno's POV
Himeno couldn't even get a word out before Hayate left. She just watched as he walked away from them. Hayate… she thought. Mawata finally reached Himeno, who was dumbfounded. She then looked from the man back to her. "Am I intruding?" she asked. Himeno shook away the feeling. "Oh no, no, no! He's just…some weird pervert guy who started talking to me!" she laughed, "What brings you here, Mawata?"
"I just thought I would go for a nice quiet walk through the park…I doubt that's going to happen now," she sighed. Himeno somehow didn't catch the joke. She looked at Mawata with big eyes. "Ugh, never mind," Mawata muttered, sitting down next to her. "Oooookay!" Himeno laughed. There was a moment of dead silence. "I hate long silences," Himeno said, breaking the ice, "they're so deafening." Mawata looked back to her. "I find the silence to be very enjoyable…" she quoted.
"You're pretty weird, you know that?" Mawata stood up and began to walk off. "Oh wait! Mawata! I'm sorry!" Himeno yelled. But, it was useless. Mawata continued to walk.
Mawata's POV
No one understands me…she thought. Why am I always ridiculed for being myself?
Himeno watched her as she continued to walk on. "Okay! I'll just, see you at home, I guess…" Goh looked over to Himeno. "Hey guys, she's gone," he told the others. Hayate and the others concluded their private conversation and turned to Himeno. Goh got up and walked over to her, the others following behind him. "Oh, hey guys!" she smiled. Sasame looked at the sky. It was getting pretty late as the sky darkened. Then, he looked to his watch. "Himeno, it's getting dark, maybe we should go?" he said to her. She looked up to the sky as well. "Yeah, I guess so," she turned to the children, "Shin, Mannen, Hajime! Come on, it's time to go!" she shouted to them.
The three turned around and saw Himeno waving for them to come back. "But, I don't wanna go home yet!" Hajime whined. "Me either!" Shin added. "If you hurry, I promise we can come back tomorrow!" The three looked to each other. "Go!" Mannen shouted. He and Hajime took off running, leaving poor Shin behind. "Wait for me! That's no fair!" the young boy whined, running after them. "I win!" Mannen cheered. "No fair, you cheated!" Hajime shouted, breathing heavily. As Shin crossed the so-called "finish line", he tripped and started to cry. "Owww! I hurt my knee!" he cried. Himeno lifted him up and patted him on the back. "It's okay, show me where it hurts," she said to him. He pointed to his knee and she kissed it. "There, all better?" He sniffed and nodded. "Uh-huh…uhh, Himeno? Can you carry me back home on your back?" She smiled at him. "Of course! It's okay with me!"
"Yay!" he cheered. Himeno smiled as they all laughed and walked home.
To be cont.
Okay, I honestly hated this chapter as I wrote it, but I guess it was okay for my first try at something new. shrug I thank all of my readers and encourage you all to review! Thankies! And from now on, I am known as Rin, because it is cuter than Akumu… So, please address me as Rin from now on, in both stories and all reviews! Thankies again! Sayounara!