Summery; Warning; Disclaimer: See First Chapter.

I hope this is turning out okay! Thank you Painted Angel Wings and LMGroupieGirl for reviewing! I hope you keep reading and enjoying it!

Please review if you read. Comments, ideas, suggestions, and helpful criticism welcome.

Tonilay in her bed later that night, fresh bruises scattered on her body. Frowning, her dreams were apparently not pleasant from her restless sleep. Sasame remained outside the window, unsure why he was still there. She had been asleep a good two hours, but something told him to stay. Tossing in her bed, she took the covers with her as she rolled toward the edge of the bed. Sasame flung the window open and caught her just as she was about to crack her head against the wooden nightstand that was beside her bed. Mumbling slightly, she shifted once more in her sleep. Seemingly sensing the change of where she was sleeping she popped awake, and almost shrieked to find herself looking up at Sasame.

"What are you doing here?" she hissed, jumping up and promptly falling backwards on the bed. Suppressing a sigh she quickly sat back up straight and glared at the Knight of Sound, who paused. "Well? If he – "

"Antonia? Is everything all right in there?" Duane called from the bedroom across the hall, and she froze in horror. Shooting a terrified at Sasame, she shoved him back toward the window, urgently gesturing for him to get lost.

"Everything's fine! I just fell out of bed!" she called back hastily, giving Sasame a final push. He left reluctantly, but couldn't help but laugh when he saw her lock window. As if a lock could keep a Knight out – but that wasn't the point.

"A Knight is supposed to protect the Pretear from anything that can harm her," he brooded, reclining against a tree a block away. "But when the danger is in her own home, in that form…what is a Knight supposed to do then? How do I protect her then?"

Glancing up briefly, Sasame shook his head to clear it and strode down the street, leaving the question unanswered for the time being.

"You almost got me an ass-kicking last night," she informed him the next day in the late morning. She had skipped class again – she had all but dropped out at this point – and was lecturing the Knight of Sound in a secluded part on the grounds of Himeno's mansion, where they had decided to train. Mannen grinned at the sight of the collected Knight looking startled and getting chewed out, and Shin and Hajime looked confused. Kei and Go were both at work, and Hayate was nowhere to be found.

"What were you doing in her room last night?" Hajime asked teasingly, and Toni flushed a bright red. Sasame merely looked mysterious, and she quickly punched his arm.

"Cut that out!"

"Cut what out?"

"That…that look!" she spluttered, as he gave her his best innocent smile.

"What look?"

"Sasame! Cut – it – out!" she begged, almost wailing. He decided to stop teasing her for now and return to the matter at hand.

"All right. Now, we're here to help you train with your powers as a Pretear," Sasame told her, and her look clearly said "duh". "So, who will you Prêt with next? The rest of us will act as enemies or decoys to train your senses."

"Prêt with me!" Mannen eagerly volunteered, clasping her hand. Before she could utter a word of protest, she felt herself being swept up into the Prêt, and was quickly the Pretear of Ice.

"Good," Sasame encouraged the two of them. "Now, let's begin, shall we? And Mannen – try not to overdo it. It's good of Himeno's family to let us use the grounds as it is – no need to destroy it in the process, understand? You have more experience here, remember."

"Yeah, yeah, let's get on with it!" Mannen said impatiently, and a part of his emotions seeped into Toni as well.

"Not bad," Sasame praised them almost two hours later. "You both work very well together – good job, Mannen."

"What are you talking about?" the Knight demanded, appearing just as fresh as when he had merged with Toni. The young woman was a little ways off with Hajime and Shin, and looked rather pale and out of breath. "She was the one who used most of the Leafe. She hardly let me do anything!"

"I see," Sasame blinked, not as surprised as he supposed he should be. After considering something for a moment he strode up to the trio, two of whom were chatting happily. "Why don't you two and Mannen go get something to eat?" he suggested. "I'm sure they won't mind feeding a bunch of brats like you."

"Who're you calling brats?" Hajime demanded, before rushing off with the other two. Sasame sat on the edge of the fountain next to Toni, who seemed prepared for a lecture.

"What'd I do now?"

"It's more of what you're not doing, to be honest," he admitted, and she looked at him in confusion. "When a Knight Prêts with the Pretear, there comes a certain expectation of teamwork," he explained. "Especially when it comes to Leafe. A knight is prepared to sacrifice himself in battle for the Pretear, no matter what. If you keep using your own and blocking the Knight's, you can very well kill yourself like that. The reason for the Prêt is to combine forces, you see?"

"I know," she nodded, looking discouraged. "I know what I'm supposed to do, but…I can't help it, somehow. I just don't want them to get hurt," she ended lamely, and cast a glance at him. "I guess that sounds ridiculous, huh? I mean, they're more experienced than I am in fighting stuff."

"No…it's not ridiculous," Sasame said slowly. "But you have to understand that a Knight is there to give himself to the Pretear – just as I gave you Leafe, remember?"

"You tricked me!" she protested, but a look of understanding began to cross her face.

"It's a Knight's job – not to trick the Pretear, but to help you," he added hastily, seeing her look of horror. "Sorry."

"I don't get you guys," she sighed, slumping as if in defeat. "Hayate acts like he can't stand me, those three kids are…well, I don't know! Kei seems absorbed in work without emotion, and I think Go is going to drive me insane. And Sasa–"

"And me?"

"Huh?" her head shot up and he knew she had been mostly talking to herself, forgetting he was there until the last moment. Seeing his smile her face began to flush, much to her chagrin.

"What about me?" he repeated, enjoying her trapped look.

"Sasame! What are you doing to her?" Go asked teasingly. Toni, completely taken by surprise, jumped and fell backwards, only avoiding the water thanks to Go's quick grab. "Sorry 'bout that," he grinned apologetically, and Sasame was grateful for a distraction.

"We were training, but they went off to get something to eat," Toni explained, as Go sat next to her. She eyed him cautiously, but stuck between the Knights of Sound and Fire, she didn't have much of a choice except to stand up, which she decided not to when the aforementioned trio ran up.

"Hey! Sasame told us to!" Mannen said indignantly, and Go's eyes lit up.

"Oh-oh! I see! Sasame, you are up to something!" he announced, and Toni looked at him in disbelief. Sasame closed his eyes and shook his head in suffering toleration, as Hajime handed Toni an ice cream cone.

"Want one, Go?" she offered, to his surprise.

"Huh? Oh, no thanks Toni – sorry, Anto–"

"Toni's fine," she interrupted him calmly, as if she had never said anything about her name to being with. "I don't mind."

Go exchanged an incredulous look with Sasame, who shrugged helplessly from behind her line of view as Shin and Hajime kept her occupied, as Mannen tried to ice Go from the feet up.

"Hey! Cut that out!"

"Are you going home?" Sasame asked later that evening, as the sky darkened to a dusky purple. She glanced over at him, becoming used to his sudden appearances. Considering the question, she shrugged wordlessly. He continued to walk alongside her as she gazed over at the ocean waters, ignoring his presence.

"I guess not," she sighed. "They're on a vacation for a week or whatever, so I can do what I like for once."

"I though you did that all the time," he commented, but the look she shot him was anything but calm. Opening her mouth, she abruptly snapped her jaw shut with an audible click and looked away, trying to keep her temper in check with the calm Knight.

"Well, maybe I do, at that," she said finally, her voice too low for anyone but the Knight of Sound to be able to pick up.

"So, where are you going then?" he asked. His question took her by surprise, and she gaped at him for a moment before regaining her composure.

"Nowhere, I guess," she shrugged, and he gazed sharply at her. "What? You look like you're going to tell me off."

"I was just wondering what you were going to say about me before Go interrupted us," he smiled calmly at her, and she turned a dark pink.

"Y-you…he didn't interrupt anything, because I wasn't going to say," she shot back, just as calmly. He cocked his eyebrow at her and she gave him her best innocent look, which only made her look more suspicious.

"All right then, if that's how you're going to be…" he trailed off, purposefully avoiding her suspicious gaze.

"What? Sasame, what are you hiding?" she demanded, but he continued to ignore her. For someone who was going to be eighteen, sometimes Toni couldn't help but act like a child again. "Sasame! If I'm you're Pretear, and you're my Knight –" She cut herself off at that, realizing how it sounded, but he merely grinned. Glaring at him, she took a deep breath and continued anyway. "If you're my Knight, then I order you to tell me!"

"Now you're giving orders?" he asked in mock surprise, the most relaxed she had ever seen him so far. "I thought you'd never start acting like Pretear."

"Huh?" she blinked, confused. "What do you mean? A Pretear is supposed to yell at you guys? I mean, if that's what I'm supposed to do, I'll certainly be able to manage a hell of a lot more of it."

"No," he shook his head. "Acting confident – self-assured, instead of moving like someone is going to jump at you from behind all the time. And even if someone does," he added, veering off the serious compliment he had given her, "If someone does, that's what we're here for."

"So…you guys would beat up people for me?" she asked, trying to keep a straight face. He eyed her before shaking his head in amusement.

"Not quite. Nice try though, Tonia."

"What'd you call me?" she asked sharply, and he thought for a moment. The name had slipped out from him before he realized what he had said, and Sasame wasn't sure why she had grown so pale. "Sasame, what did you call me?" she repeated, her voice much softer than before.

"Tonia," he replied. "I didn't mean to. If it bothers you, then I won't do it again."

"N-no, it wasn't…it was just…never mind!" she finished in annoyance, obviously mad at herself again. Kicking at the sand proved futile, but she concentrated her gaze so hard on the water Sasame was sure he was going to see steam rising from the ocean in any moment. "I don't mind, I guess."

"You don't mind sleeping here alone?" Sasame asked, surprise faint in his voice. She eyed him curiously for a moment before laughing – really laughing, not the bitter one he had heard several time before. "I'll take that as a no."

"Of course not," she shook her head with a smile. "The couple next door is an elderly couple with a few guard dogs they let loose in the backyard at night, and the guy across the street is a cop. Nope, I think I'm good. Thanks anyway, Sasame."

"All right," he nodded, and turned to go. "Good night – Tonia."

"Night, Sasame," she called, before shutting the door.

"Who's there?" she called impatiently the next morning, her hair in a loose knot and wearing sneakers, jeans, and a plain black shirt. Getting up from the piano where she was banging out Rachmaninoff, she headed towards the front door in annoyance. Flinging it open, she was floored to see the Knight of Wind at her doorstep. She thought he hated her! "H-Hayate?"

"Funny – I never pegged you for the classical type," he said teasingly, peering over her shoulder. "I've been standing here for a while. Doesn't your doorbell ring?"

"Uh, yeah, it does. I guess I didn't hear it," she mumbled, her ears going red.

"Oh."

"So, do you want to come in, or what? I mean, why are you here?" she asked, letting him into the house. He took in the surroundings for a quick second before turning back to her.

"Well, I was talking to Himeno not long ago, and…I'm sorry for the way I've behaved toward you," he forced out, each sounding as if he was going to die from saying it. Toni's eyes almost fell out of her head – she knew that apologies from Hayate were as rare as pink grass – but she quickly snapped her mouth shut.

"Oh…uh, okay…"

"So, I was wondering if you'd like to spend some together getting to know each other," he said, ending with a small smile. "After all, if you're the new Pretear, I better not be the only Knight who doesn't know anything about you."

"Um…all right, just let me grab a jacket," she nodded, and rushed off. She also managed to change into a dark-gray shirt with red designs and black boots as well instead of her scrubs, and reappeared next to the Knight in less than two minutes.

"I thought we could just walk around the city, if that's all right," he suggested, and she shook her eagerly – and nervously. After all, she knew next to nothing about the Knight that seemingly had hated her, and now she was supposed to spend the day with him – alone!

"No, that's fine," she grinned. To her surprise, he nodded with a return grin. "If I didn't know how he and Himeno felt, I'd pay more attention than a friend to him, but I'm not an asshole – or a backstabber to my friends," she thought, following the tall young man down the street.

"I'm glad Himeno talked some sense into you," she said, laughing as the sun began to set in the horizon. She bit her tongue, hoping she hadn't offended Hayate. He merely shook his head, amused about something she didn't get.

"Well, that certainly helped," he admitted. "But what convinced me you might be Pretear was when I heard you were able to Prêt with Mannen for training, when there was no danger around. That means you're able to accept some of us, at least."

"I'm sorry about that," she mumbled, but he shook his head.

"No need to be. Himeno had to work through the same thing. I think you two would be good friends," he added absently, and she openly gaped at him. Hayate offering friendship advice?

The world as she knew it was coming to an end.

Looking in the sky, she didn't see any sign of the impending Apocalypse, but kept an eye out just in case.

"What are you doing?" he asked, seeing her gaze wander. She snapped back to attention with an innocent smile.

"Nothing, Hayate."

"Mm-hmm…" he eyed her, and then checked his watch. "Oh, I was going to meet Himeno for dinner."

"Oh, it's no problem!" she grinned. "I had a great time today, Hayate. I'm glad we can be friends too. After all, we have to work together."

"Yeah," he nodded, and suddenly petted her on the head before striding off. She stood frozen for a moment in shock, unsure whether to be offended or complimented. She settled for the latter, and settled herself on the damp sand neat the short, letting the cool water lap at her covered feet. Suddenly, she felt a weird sensation in the back of her head and stood up abruptly, looking around. She didn't see anything odd, and shook her head to clear it.

"I knew it," she muttered. "I am going nuts!" Toni started to turn away from the ocean to head to get something to eat, but something made her whirl around just in time to see a huge wave lunge at her. Only – waves weren't normally so high and narrow, and they didn't lunge at people. Rush, sure.

But not lunge.

"Oh, shit!" she shrieked, and gasped for air, prepared to be dragged out into the water. Closing her eyes and bracing herself, she blinked when she felt herself in the air, and found herself being towed by a grinning Go. Releasing her breath in a huff, she steadied herself as he lowered her back on the ground.

"I thought there I sensed something wrong," Hajime frowned, staring at the water. It had taken on a dark taint, almost clear in a grayish color. Hayate had returned with the other Knights, looking more put out than concerned.

"So, what's the matter?" he demanded. "Toni's the Pretear – she can take care of it."

"Hayate!" Sasame said in exasperation, but Toni merely grinned. She knew that Hayate meant it as a vote of confidence, not a disparaging comment.

"No, it's cool. C'mon, Hajime, let's go get rid of this gunk," she smiled, holding her hand out to the Knight of Water. He grinned back at her cheerfully before initiating the Prêt. When she was the Pretear of Water, Toni hovered above the water, eyeing the strange-looking water in confusion.

"What's going on with it, Hajime?"

"I don't know!" he wailed inside her head. "Water Leafe has never been tainted like this! I can sense it still, but it's…twisted somehow."

"Any idea how to purify it?"

"Not really."

"Damn it."

"Toni!" Mannen shouted, icing over the water that had been about to strike.

"Thanks, Mannen!" she called back, beginning to move once more. Using the Water Flail, she tried to restore the balance to the Leafe, but the tainted Leafe only absorbed the pure Leafe and corrupted it. "What's going on?" she cried, and shrieked when one of the tentacles made contact. To her shock she felt no pain, but heard Hajime's cry of pain. "Hajime!"

"It's okay – I'm fine. That was nothin'!" he assured her, but she still felt him in pain. Distracted just for a moment, she failed to see the water headed her way until it had enclosed her within its grasp. Gasping for air, she only received a mouthful of water, and realized that Hajime would drown as well. That feeling, that he would die because she made a mistake, froze her completely and she forced the Prêt to end before any of the Knights could do a thing.

"She forced me out!" Hajime shouted, landing on his behind in the sand. "I couldn't stay in!"

"No one's blaming you. Now get back in there!" Hayate yelled back, doing his best to defend against the tainted Leafe. Toni was encased in a growing sphere of tainted water, unable to breath.

"Damn it!" Go swore, shooting fire at it. He momentarily blasted it apart, and Kei managed to catch the falling Toni. She sputtered on water, and Mannen merged with her before she could register what was happening.

"Don't worry – let's just put this thing on ice!" Mannen ordered, trying to get her to move. Sensing she was still paralyzed he used a last resort. "If you don't move your ass, we're all gonna get hurt!" That certainly hit a nerve, and she sprang into action. Icing over the tainted water, she waited as Hajime made sure it wasn't able to be purified before Kei shattered it with blasts of light.

"There," the Knight of Light landed noiselessly on his feet like usual, showing little effort. "That should stop whatever it is for a while."

"What the heck happened out there?" Mannen demanded, having ended the Prêt with Toni once the danger was past. Hajime and Shin crowded her, and Hajime looked at her with worry.

"I said I wasn't hurt – see?" he offered his arm for inspection, but she ignored it. To be honest with herself, she was embarrassed at the way she had acted, and angry that she had behaved the way she had.

"Tonia, it's all right," Sasame said gently, ignoring the suspicious look Go shot him at the new nickname. "The thing's gone, which is all that matters. You did fine – we should have told you how a Knight acts during a battle."

"Yeah, probably," Hayate cut in brusquely, before turning around. "I've got places to go. Good job, Toni."

She blinked at those words, but shook her head.

"I'm sorry – I acted like an idiot," she managed, her gaze focused on the sand. "I should've listened to you guys. I just…I…" Clenching her hands into fists, she took off before they could grab her, and Kei held Sasame and the others back.

"She needs time to digest what happened today," he said coolly. "We should have informed her of the consequences of a Knight's role in battle instead of letting her discover this way, but talking to her isn't going to help. Let her have some time to herself for now."

Bonding with Hayate - what fun! Now to see how she'll deal with these events...please review and I'll update as soon as possible!