Summery; Warning; Disclaimer: See First Chapter.
Thank you, Painted Angel Wings, for reviewing and the vote of confidence! Oh, there will be stronger language in this chapter and the next, just so everyone knows. As a side note, I hope it doesn't seem like Sasame and Toni's relationship was rushed or something like that - I like to think that she secretly had a crush on him, and he develops his feelings slowly. But. That's in the next chapter as well, so you'll see what I'm talking about. There will more than likely be only one more chapter, two at the most.
Please review if you read. Comments, ideas, suggestions, and helpful criticism welcome.
"I'm an idiot," she muttered, stalking around the city, the only lights coming from the streetlights. "I can't believe I freaked out like that in the middle of a battle…but what was that stuff? It was sort of like the trees, but more…evolved, somehow. Almost like the Leafe itself is become tainted and affecting the different things in turn." Thinking out loud, she couldn't help but walk into a street pole, and rubbed her nose ruefully. "Well, that hurt."
Shrugging it off as nothing more than she deserved, she continued to prowl the streets, not really caring where she was heading. She stopped abruptly when she heard male laughter nearby, and sighed to herself.
"Hey, where're ya heading, cutie?" one called out, while another wolf-whistled. She eyed them with disgust and began to continue walking on, but a third moved to block her path. Bracing herself for more action, Toni shrugged off the guy's hand on her shoulder and turned to face him.
"What do ya want, jackass?" she asked conversationally. He merely grinned toothily at her and reached for her arm, but a swift kick in a rather-sensitive spot dropped him easily enough. Mentally thanking her dad for wanting her to start karate, Toni swung her leg further out to kick the second one's throat in, but swore when he grabbed her ankle and tossed her on her back. Muttering, she moved to get up, but grunted when he placed a foot on her ribcage.
"You may be a looker, but you're not worth the fight," he sneered, his foot moving back to connect to her face. She turned her face to avoid the worst, but the blow never landed. Blinking when she saw the guy go flying across the street, she was suddenly pulled to her feet as the third guy ran down the street, abandoning his limping friend.
"Geez, not exactly in the zone, are you?" Go teased, holding her wrist until he was sure she was okay.
"Thanks, Go."
"Hey, it's our job," he grinned, and then sobered some. "Kei said to leave you alone for a while, but you looked so glum back there – it's been a while, right?"
"Yeah, I guess," she nodded, a bit confused.
"Well, we're sorry for not telling you sooner. You see, when a Knight Prêts with a Pretear, he either acts as her weapon for attack, or her shield in defense," Go explained. "We take the blows for you so you stay protected. That's what we're for – we're Knights. Not letting us do our job is like saying to someone they're not good enough."
"I don't mean it like that!" she protested, but he put his palm out to stop her.
"I'm not saying you did," he said. "But that's how we could take it, get it? But if you let us do our jobs, then we'll let you do yours."
"Which is?" she asked suspiciously.
"Let us guard you and help the Leafe," he said simply, and she blinked. After a second she took his proffered hand, and he gripped her hand firmly. "Glad to know we see to eye to eye. Now, don't tell Kei I told you any of this, or he'll be pissed at me for 'interfering' or whatever."
"My lips are sealed," she agreed, laughing at his suddenly overdramatic-furtive glances around the street.
"Shh! You never know where he could be!" he warned her jokingly, and suddenly lifted her into the air.
"Hey! Where're we going now?" she asked helplessly, with a sigh.
"Oh, I'm just taking you home. It's either that or the homeless shelter – or I could take you to Leafeania," he added thoughtfully, then shook his head. "Nah. Then we'd really need to be looking for another Knight of Fire soon."
"I see," she giggled, and then stopped, surprised at herself. He grinned down at her and she returned the smile before locking her arms around his neck to keep from falling.
"It seems no one listens to Kei, huh?" Toni shook her head the next morning, after Hajime, Mannen, and Shin arrived at her doorstep. A little voice in the back of her head had hoped it was Sasame, but she ignored it as usual.
"Not really," Hajime agreed, and Mannen smirked.
"Don't you guys go to school?" she asked, closing the door as they came into the house.
"Huh? What, you think we don't?" Mannen asked in disbelief, and then shook his head. "Of course not! We may be kids, but we're not kids – get it?"
"Not really."
"Oh well. Anyways, lots of people think that Sasame is the oldest, but that's really Hayate," Mannen continued in a lecturing tone, as she watched him in quiet amusement. "You thought that too, didn't you? It's okay, you can admit it."
"I didn't really think about it, actually," she admitted with a shrug. "You guys haven't given me much to think about anything."
"Right," Shin nodded with a smile, and she beamed down at him. Even though they were Knights as well, she couldn't stop thinking about them as just kids, especially Shin.
"I thought I'd find them here with you," Kei said dryly, appearing at the park later that afternoon. "Didn't I tell you three to stay with Hayate? Or did you sneak off again?"
"Uhm…"
"It's all right, Kei," Toni interrupted. "I had fun – I'm glad they came by. It wasn't a bother."
"I suppose it's all right, then," he relented, but fixed the young Knights with a stern glare. "But if you do it again, we'll seal you Leafeania until you're needed, understand?"
"Yep!" Hajime nodded, with Shin following his lead. Mannen took a little longer, but he agreed reluctantly when Tori gazed calmly at him.
"Good," the Knight of Light nodded in satisfaction, and then looked around. "See? There's Hayate looking for you now."
"Aw…" Hajime pouted and Tori shook her head in amusement as the annoyed-looking Knight of Wind stalked up to them.
"What do you think you're doing?" he demanded, but Kei interrupted.
"Calm down, Hayate. Toni said they didn't bother her. Since you're here we may as well go eat somewhere for lunch, as I'm sure they're hungry…"
"Yeah!" Mannen cheered, and Shin nodded happily.
"You guys don't have to take us out," Toni began, but Hayate looked at her sternly.
"No arguments. We'll go to where Go works – he should be having his break as well by now."
"Hey, guys!" he called happily, seeing them approach. "Kei? What're you doing here?" he added in surprise, and the other Knight appeared as if he was suffering much. "He doesn't usually tear himself away from his computer at work," Go whispered in Toni's ear as they sat down, and she grinned.
"What are you saying about me now, Go?" Kei demanded, but he immediately acted innocent. When the other Knight's back was turned, however, Go winked at Toni and mouthed "I told you so," earning another laugh.
"You certainly seem to be feeling better," Hayate commented as they waited to order, and Toni looked surprised for a moment before nodding.
"I guess I am," she shrugged, and looked around momentarily. "It's hard to stay depressed with the way you guys act, you know."
"Good point," Kei admitted, with a shake of his head. Hajime and Shin looked proud of themselves, while Mannen was busy trying to catch the attention of a passing server. Go suddenly whistled sharply, causing them all to jump, and the guy headed over within moments. "Impressive."
"Thanks," Go smirked, obviously pleased with himself.
"Is Sasame coming?" Toni asked, before she could shut herself up.
"I think he's busy at the studio," Kei told her, and she nodded. They fell silent for a bit, having quickly received their orders and contenting themselves by eating. Once they were done, however, the three younger Knights grabbed Toni's arm and began to tug her from her seat.
"Let's go back to the park!" Hajime suggested, and Hayate stood up.
"Hey, hold on a sec. Maybe Toni wants to go somewhere else," he informed them, but she shrugged.
"I don't mind – it's a nice day," she agreed. She stood up and let herself be led away by the Knights, while the older ones gazed after them for a few moments.
"She really seems to have grown used to her situation," Kei commented.
"And they've become practically attached to her hip," Hayate added, and Go nodded. "Where's Sasame, by the way? I know he's not at work, and usually when we're all together he's here as well."
"Dunno," Go shrugged, standing up and stretching. Swinging his arms back down, he began to amble across the street, following Toni and the others into the park.
"I think he wants to give Toni some space, for whatever reason. Well, I've wasted enough time. I need to get back to work," Kei said, turning to Hayate, who nodded as the Knight strode off down the street. After realizing he had been left to pick up the bill and paying with it muttered threats to Go, he sighed and headed down the street himself, going back to work as well.
"What are you doing?" she finally asked, having watched Mannen and Hajime run around in circles for almost thirty minutes. Secretly, she was surprised and rather impressed that they hadn't thrown up or gotten dizzy yet, and Shin curled up next to her silently.
"Exercising," Mannen replied, as if it was obvious.
"They're nuts," Go shrugged. "I don't think they're doing anything except burning off energy they got off that ice cream."
"Oh," Toni blinked. "I guess it's like having a bunch of brothers with you guys, huh?"
"Yeah, I guess," Go nodded, "Sasame, Hayate, and Kei usually take charge, though. I mostly just go off and fight whatever comes along. You don't have any siblings, do you?"
"No," she shook her head. "I don't think I've ever really wanted any, to tell truth. But having you guys around is…an experience and a half, I can tell you that much. It's fun, though, I'll admit it."
"I think we have to get going," Go realized, looking up at the sky. "I've got to get back to work, and these guys do have stuff to do."
"Aw, c'mon, Go!" Mannen protested, but to no avail.
"How about the bunch of us meet you here around six, and we can go out to a movie or something?" Go suggested, reining in the two protesting Knights as Shin merely clung to Toni.
"That sounds cool – I'm not doing anything else, obviously," she nodded with a grin. "Same place here?"
"Yep, right here," he agreed, and began to drag them away. "I'll see you then, Toni!"
"Bye!" she waved, and then looked around. There wasn't many people around, seeing as it was a weekday and most people were at work or school. Sighing, she headed back to her house to hang around for a few hours.
"Why do I care what I look like?" she wondered out loud, finding herself digging through her already-messy closet looking for something to wear. Pausing in her actions she straightened and placed her hands firmly on her hips, looking at the wall. "What the hell am I doing?" she asked herself. "I better not be turning into a little twit, or I'll blame them."
Heaving a dramatic sigh she resumed her search, the late spring weather beginning to slightly warm. Finally finding something that appealed to her in the still-cool temperatures, she shoved the rest of the clothes back behind the door, making a mental to clean it out and promptly forgetting it. Silver sandals with low heels followed stockings and a black skirt that flowed around just above her knees, and a snug white tank-top underneath a sheer black T-shirt with a deep V-neck.
"I don't know why I care," she muttered to herself, quickly putting on some eyeliner and brushing her hair out. Checking the clock she saw she was early, but gave a slight shrug. "Ah well, I'll just go and wait around for a while," she decided, and locked the door behind her as she strode down the street.
"Ah…" she took a deep breath and closed her eyes, leaning against the tree. Her legs were folded underneath her, and there were hardly any people around, seeing as the sun was setting and the park wasn't very popular to begin with on the weekdays. Relaxing her body she drifted off into a half-conscious state, only jumping awake when someone poked her shoulder. "Huh?"
"Hello."
Toni found herself face-to-face with a young woman about her age with dark brown hair and deep green eyes. For some reason, Toni was reminded of a tree, but couldn't figure out why.
"My name is Fenrir."
"Fenrir…wait a sec, Fenrir…"
"Yes, only I'm not the Princess of Disaster Fenrir," the woman laughed, and knelt beside Toni. She placed a finger on Toni's lips, and Toni found herself unable to move. "The Princess summoned a Great Tree of Leafe – the Great Tree of Fenrir, to absorb all the Leafe in the world. However, she lost her nerve and allowed it to die. The Tree, angered, retained a small sliver of conscious and slowly grew in power, feeding off Leafe in small amounts, so as not to attract too much attention."
Toni blinked when the woman looked her in the eye and laughed prettily.
"You can imagine my surprise when I discovered Himeno Awayuki, the girl who defeated the Tree, was no longer Pretear! Ah, but I suppose Power is fleeting…" she sighed wistfully, then returned her attention to Toni. "But I'm sure you're wondering who I am. Well, if you have any brains, you should have realized it by now. I'm the Tree of Fenrir – hence the name, you see. What do I want with you? I suppose it won't hurt to tell you. I decided that the easiest way to accumulate Leafe is to become the Pretear, the creator of Leafe. And if I could Prêt with the Knights of Leafe, I could absorb their Leafe myself, and dispose of their annoying existence."
Toni's eyes widened, but Fenrir continued.
"And so, I'm going to take on your appearance – and powers with it, of course," she added absently. "I've arranged for more of the tainted Leafe to attack us tonight, giving me the opportunity to Prêt. You will become invisible, and I'll mask your Leafe as well after copying it. You will come along, however – I wouldn't want you to miss yourself, after all." She laughed again, and then abruptly pressed her palm flat against Toni's forehead. The other girl gasped as an odd sensation flowed through her – almost as if she was losing a vital part of herself. To her horror, she saw Fenrir transform into an exact copy of herself before her very eyes.
"You little bitch!" she hissed, suddenly regaining her power of speech.
"I almost forgot – don't worry, I'll kill you as soon as I finish off your Knights," Fenrir told her. "And yes – I was the one who created the red snow, not Fenrir. I had to see if you were the Pretear or not, after all."
"What did you do to Himeno?" she demanded, but Fenrir only laughed again before pressing a fingertip against Toni's lips. Toni opened her mouth, and realized that her voice was gone. When Fenrir next spoke, she sounded exactly like Antonia.
"I won't forget you, don't worry," she said mockingly, and Toni felt herself wrapped in invisible bonds. She was lifted off the ground and trailed after Fenrir, who was walking towards Sasame and Hayate, who appeared deep in conversation.
"No! I can't let her do this – not now, I can't! But…no!" Toni tried desperately to struggle, but was unable to do anything. She found herself directly in front of Sasame, and the feeling of having the Knight look right through her hurt more than she would have thought.
"Hello, Tonia," he smiled, and Hayate nodded curtly, appearing as if he had to finish saying something. "Can you wait just a moment? There's something Hayate and I need to discuss."
"Of course," Fenrir smiled sweetly and strode off. Toni hoped they would realize that wasn't her kind of behavior, but they apparently had something more important on their minds.
"You say Himeno wasn't home?" Sasame asked, lowering his tone. Hayate nodded.
"Yes. I went to pick her up, and her father said she had already left. I searched around, but she's nowhere to be found," Hayate said, and Sasame frowned.
"That's odd…we'll wait until the others arrive," he decided. Hayate looked displeased, but didn't argue. Fenrir approached them once more with a grin – Toni got shivers seeing a copy of herself and knowing what Fenrir was going to do.
"The others are coming, right?" she pressed, and Hayate nodded curtly.
"They should be here soon – ah, here they come," Sasame noticed, looking past her. Go was followed by Mannen, Hajime, and Shin, while Kei approached a little ways behind, looking like he'd rather be back at his computer.
"So, where're we going?" Go asked, once they were all standing together. "Hey, where's Himeno?"
"She'll be here later," Sasame said, interrupting Hayate. As Shin and Hajime crowded around Fenrir, Toni saw her hands twitch and figured she was suppressing the urge to Prêt then and there and get it over with. Instead, her copy smiled and began to talk to them, and Toni almost wanted to cry out of frustration.
Almost.
She much rather would have beaten the crap out of her, but she was in no position to do so.
As the time Fenrir spent with the Knights progressed, Toni grew more and more tense, waiting for the Leafe to attack them and keeping an eye out for an opportunity to escape. Unfortunately, Fenrir was keeping a firm concentration on her bonds, leaving no room for struggle.
"Those jackasses!" she swore, "Can't they tell it's not me?" She knew it was no use to be mad at the Knights – Fenrir must have observed her for an adequate amount of time, because she played Toni's part to perfection. "The bitch should have been actress," Toni thought grudgingly, and then paused as a thought struck her. "If she's a tree, is she a she, or what? I'll have to figure that out later, I guess."
Fenrir, for her part, was enjoying tormenting Toni immensely, and if all went according to her plan, was going to drag the night out as long as possible.
The Knights – Sasame, at least – thought Toni was acting rather more cheerful than usual, but put it down to her recent changes in attitude toward them.
"I knew I should have kept being a bitch!" Toni groaned, "It probably would be easier for them to figure it out, the dumbasses. I swear, men are all assholes. But I'm complicated when I'm a bitch, if I say so myself. The best I can hope for is that the bitch fucks up something awful." Fenrir was now firmly lodged as "the bitch" in Toni's mind.
"That girl must be going out of her mind by now," Fenrir thought in amusement, with a small smile. Suddenly, Sasame's eyes narrowed and Hayate shot to his feet.
"Leafe! It's being tainted again!"
"Fuck!"
In case it's not obvious, that last swear was Toni, of course. Please review and let me know what you think so far!