CHAPTER 9: Memories Like Quicksand
Sete caught the dirty shirt flung up carelessly from the laundry room, eyebrow arched. She had her own laundry basket tucked between her arm and her hip and was looking at someone's ass hanging from one of the hampers. Dropping the shirt, Sete craned her neck for a better angle of the person's rear. Mmm...Hayate. That was definately Hayate's ass. "Trying to find your lucky boxers?" she said dryly, setting her own laundry on top of the folding table to sort out.
"OW!" Hayate yelped, having been startled into slamming his head right into the shelf holding dryer sheets and soap. He scowled at Sete, rubbing his head. "No...something else."
"Oh?" She frowned, pushing her hand down through the black thigh-high she was inspecting. There was a large rip going down teh back of it. Damn it, Kei...She threw the pair out angrily. Those had been imported directl from France! She couldn't afford to get another pair any time soon.
Hayate continued to tear through his own laundry, turning pockets inside out and shaking the clothing, listening. "It has to be here somewhere..."
"What did you- oh! Oh, no, you didn't! Hayate, you dumb ass." Sete realized what exactly he was searching for and dropped everything to help him. That wasn't something to be losing so lightly. "Why the hell were you carrying it around in your pocket anyway?"
"Because Himeno could have found it," he snapped. "It's supposed to be a surprise!"
"Well, it won't be if- There! There, there, under that shirt!" Sete dove forward, throwing one of Himeno's tank tops behind her shoulder and grabbing what they were searching for.
Hayate took it from her, letting out a relieved breath, eyes closing thankfully. "I ower you for this, Sete," he said.
Smirking as she stood, up, Sete said, "I'll remember it, believe me. Now go find a better place to hide that thing!"
He left the laundry room quickly, smiling happily.
It wasn't until Sete returned to her own laundry, smiling and shaking her head that she realized he'd left the room in utter chaos. "Arg... MEN!"
Himeno scowled, putting her hands on her hips and following Hayate angrily as he left their room. "Why can't I go with you?" she demanded.
"Because we don't need you to," he answered. Again. Just as he had the last two times she'd asked to go with him and Blaise to retrieve Mawata and Shin.
"She's my SISTER! What if something happened to her and Shin and I wasn't there?"
Hayate paused halfway down the stairs, looking up at where she glared at him from the second floor. "Himeno, trust me. Mawata and Shin are just fine."
"You don't know that for sure!"
He sighed, rubbing his eyes with one hand. He looked exhausted. "Himeno...you're tired and cranky and that's why you're mad. Please, try to get a little sleep. For me?"
Himeno's scowl grew even darker as she hugged her arms around herself. "I can't sleep! Everytime I close my eyes, something bad happens. And I don't want you leaving me all alone!"
Hayate hesitated a second before climbing back up the stairs. When he was standing in front of her, her eyes glaring holes into his chest, he took a hold of her arm and pulled her back into their room. "I didn't want to do this now," he muttered.
She looked up at the firm set of his jaw and jerked her arm away. "Just what the hell are you doing?" she demanded, aiming a punch for his arm.
He grabbed her fist, stopping the blow. He drew her in to him, pulling her back to the bed. She sat next to him, an odd fluttering feeling in her stomach. "I've actually had this for a while, but every time I wanted to give it to you..." He took a deep breath letting it out and reached into his pocket awkwardly. "Before anything else happens, I want to give you this."
Himeno's jaw dropped. No...no, he better not be doing what she thought he was doing... "Hayate, hold on a-," She stared at the ring he was holding, throat closing off. Air...she needed air. And he needed to get kicked in the knees! "Oh..." Crap! The ring was very beautiful, a little blue sapphire in a silver band with very small diamond chips cirlcing the sapphire to make it look like a star. She closed her eyes when he put it on her finger, swallowing heavily. How was she gonna tell him no? "This...Hayate, I'm not ready for this."
"Huh? What are you talking about?" He sounded confused.
She opened her eyes, took her hand from his and pulled the ring off. "I'm way too young to be engaged. I'm so sorry!" She waited, tense, expecting the pain in his eyes.
Instead, the bastard actually smiled and then started laughing at her. "You think...this is an...engagement ring? So...weird...you're so weird!"
Himeno's scowl returned and she did hit him this time. "Then what the hell is it, jerk?"
He sat up, rubbing his chest where her fist had connected. "Look at the band again, Tulip-head."
She flipped it over, squinting at the tiny script carved into the band of the ring. "Adamare Aeternitatis? Damn it, Hayate, I almost failed Latin! Why would you put that on a ring when I can't read it?"
Hayate wasn't laughing now. He moved a little closer to her, his hair brushing against her leg on the bed. "It says 'Love Eternal'. This is a promise ring. All its for is to remind you that, for as long as I live, I will always love you."
Himeno gasped, covering her mouth. She'd just yelled and hit him...and all he was trying to say is that he loved her! "Hayate..." She put the ring back on, turning to look into his blue eyes.
"So you see, I'm not leaving you, not ever. You're stuck with me, Himeno. Unfortunately for both of us!"
Laughing and wiping at her eyes, she cupped his face in both her hands, kissing him soundly. The guy was such a jerk at times...but he was her jerk and she loved him, too. Drawing back a little, and sniffling, she said, "You better not leave me, cuz I'll hunt you down and drag you back by that hair of yours!"
He smiled quickly before kissing her again. She protested when he stood up, taking her hand and pulling her to her feet. "I can't believe you thought I was proposing to you!"
"What was I supposed to think when you're all like, 'Oh, I want to give you something,' and pull out a friggin' ring?" she demanded, making her voice deeper to mock him.
Laughing and tucking her under his arm, he kissed her forehead. "Such a Tulip-head!" Her elbow in his stomach got him to shut up very quickly.
Blaise grinned wickedly as he and Hayate stepped out the other end. "So...did she cry?" he asked slyly.
Hayate's lips twitched into a little smile before he could hide it. "She did."
Laughin loudly, Blaise clapped him on the back hard. "You're such a bloody romantic!"
Cheeks red, eyes very focused on the ground as they walked, Hayate muttered, "You're lucky you're my friend."
"So are you," Blaise replied. He gave Hayate a very meaningful look. It made the Knight of Wind shift in annoyance, hands balling into fists.
The air right in front of them stirred and the two covered their eyes as bits of sand flew into their faces. When the wind settled down again, Blaise lowered his arm, spitting sand from his mouth. "Do you always have to make such a bloody entrance?" he snarled, glaring at the man standing before them.
Saeko didn't so much as crack a smile. His amber eyes remained as solemn as always as he studied the two in front of him. "Forgive me. I meant no disrespect."
Smiling again, Blaise wiped his sleeves off. Hayate was still shaking his hair out, muttering about how inconvenient it was. "No worries. So...are they safe?"
"Of course! You had doubts of my abilities?" Saeko walked on Blaise's other side, frowning even further at the implied insult.
"No, no, just checkin'! How's little Shin doing?"
"Fine. He just had some more cookies-,"
"More?" Hayate asked, startled. "Just how many cookies did you give him, Saeko?"
Saeko's amber eyes narrowed thoughtfully. He began to count on his fingers, golden hair flicking about in the breeze. "I'd say...twenty or so between last night and this afternoon."
"TWENTY COOKIES?"
Blaise started laughing, hugging his sides. "Don't ever have kids, mate! You'd kill 'em!"
Saeko's eyes hardened angrily, fist bunching. "How was I supposed to know?" he muttered.
Blaise was still laughing as they entered the forest, very easily finding the over grown path. He could have walked it blindfolded, backward and in his sleep. The cottage was especially well known to him, he thought with a grimace. Many days stuck inside with nothing to do... "Aww, ya ripped up me peonies! Ya bloody bastard!"
"YOU killed them! I merely replaced their dead stalks," Saeko pointed out quickly. The tiny freesia blooms added a nice perfume to the area.
"And you painted the shutters," Hayate added, silently approving the dark green color against the earthy brown bricks.
"GREEN? I HATE GREEN!"
The other two ignored Blaise as he went off on a diatribe of how awful green was and why Saeko would to that to such a lovely place. A round little face appeared at the window, grinning happily before disappearing from view. The door opened and Shin came running from the house, green eyes lit up bright in delight. "Hayate! Blaise! Hiiiiii!" He threw himself right around Blaise's legs, hugging for all he was worth.
"Oi, poppet, lemme go! Gotta see if Mawata's doin'g alright," Blaise growled, but he was smiling gently at the young knight.
Shin giggled and let go to throw himself around Hayate's leg. "Where's Himeno?" he asked, searching around for his Pretear.
Hayate smiled, ruffling his hair. "She's sleeping. She had a rough night."
Blaise quickly walked away, muttering about 'her bloody rough knight'. Saeko's jaw dropped in shock, lightly tanned cheeks burning red. "He's gotten worse than before," he commented as Hayate let Shin go chasing after tyipi.
"He's just being an idiot," Hayate replied, watching the Knight of Plants squeal and run away from the flock now chasing him. "Shimura tried to discover the truth."
That had Saeko's attention fully. "And?" he asked sharply.
"She didn't find it. I barely realized in time that it was a dream, though. And...she's been targeting Himeno severely so." He told the Knight of Sand very briefly about the dreams and the odd footprints.
Saeko was silent the entirely time, staring off at the cottage. The door was shut again and no sign of Blaise or Mawata coming out any time soon. Sighing, he stared at his tan boots, scuffing the toe of one into the grass. "This is not good. If she captures the White Pretear, none of us stands a chance against her! We don't have a Pretear at this time strong enough to stand up against the Queen of Nightmares. Himeno MUST be kept safe!"
"I'm trying, but there's only so much I can do. I can call her back but it's been draining me..." He gasped when Saeko turned him sharply by the shoulders, eyes studying him closely.
"Hayate...be careful. You look a little faded."
Hayate smiled and nodded, shrugging his hands off. "I am being careful."
Saeko looked at him as if he didn't believe him, but he let it drop all the same. "I wonder what's keeping them so long," he muttered, going over to the cottage and opening the door.
Blaise left the three other knights outside, grinning to himself. He had something more important to see to. He opened the door to the cottage, shutting it quietly behind him. Mawata was in the kitchen, doing up some dishes. The smile turned evil as he snuck up behind her, moving to stand just at her back, not touching her, but very close.
Mawata was humming to herself, oblivious to the fact she had an audience. She rinsed the plates and put them in a strainer, drying her hands on the dish towel before turning around. "AHHHH!" She slid down the cabinet sides, falling to the floor and covering her mouth in horror.
Laughing, Blaise helped her to her feet, holding her to him as she took deep gulping breathes. Her heart was slamming against her chest so hard he could feel it in his ribs. "Sorry, love! So sorry!"
"You...you...ooooo!" Mawata relaxed enough to put her arms hesitantly around his waist. "You scared me so bad, Blaise!"
He chuckled, hugging her closer. "But was that ever funny! Aw, come here..." He pulled her back when she tried to push away.
"That was so cruel!" She came back all the same, eyes sparkling with laughter.
She was too cute to resist. Blaise leaned down, kissing her lips. Mawata smiled against his mouth, arms circling his neck now. He pulled away just enough to joke, "Knew you thought I was a sexy beast!" Her laughter vibrated against his lips as he kissed her again.
"Ahem!"
Both of them jumped apart quickly at the noise. Saeko and Hayate stood in the doorway, Hayate looking away, cheeks a little red. Saeko was giving them a very stern glare. "This is hardly the time to be romancing," he bit out.
Blaise rolled his eyes. He was used to these little speeches. "Yeah, yeah...You two done gossiping yet? Cuz this pretty gal would really like to go home with me!"
Mawata's face turned redder than even Hayate's and she looked at the floor. Saeko's frown grew even darker.
"Honestly...If I didn't take an oath..." The Knight of Sand let the threat trail off unfinished.
Keeping one arm around Mawata, Blaise guided her out of the cottage and down to where Shin and tyipi were waiting for them to open a portal and guide them back into the real world.
Kei knocked again at the door, frowning. "Himeno? Hey, Yayoi made lunch. I brought it up for you. Himeno?" Nothing again. Sighing, he tried the doorknob, even though he knew already it was locked. "Himeno, come on and open up! You're starting to scare me a little." STILL nothing. Setting the tray down, he went to his won room, going ove to the dresser and pulling out Sete's make-up kit. She had to have it...yes, here it was! He opened the little pack of hair pins and pulled one out. Perfect! He went quickly back to Himeno's door, straightening the pin and inserted it into the tiny hole in the door knob. There was a soft click and Kei stood up, pleased with himself. He was just too damn smart sometimes!
He twisted the doorknob. "You better be decent, Himeno..." He froze in the door way. What...the... "SHIT!"
Silvery eyes flickered over to him and then...
Kei screamed as a burst of sound exploded and sent him careening over the railing to the stairs. The floor was rising quickly to meet him and he only had a few seconds in which to panic before he hit with a thud and everything went black. The last thing that stuck in his mind was the woman...and her kind smile. What the hell?
Himeno lay on the bed, eyes closed tightly, hugging herself and trying not to see, not to hear. Hayate...Hayate, please come back! Almost as soon as he left and she came up here, memories came pounding back, mixing with her dreams until they formed something she was trying to escape from. They sucked at her, trying to keep her there. Himeno shivered, curling her knees up tighter to her chest. This must be what it feels like to be stuck in quicksand, always on the edge of getting free, never able to. Why couldn't she get free?
The bed dipped and she whimpered when she felt gentle fingers brushing through her hair. "Himeno? Himeno, look at me!"
Himeno gasped, eyes flying wide open. No...not that! Slowly, she turned over, tears trembling in her eyes. This wasn't possible...there was no way... The smell of roses filled the room. A whimper broke from her throat and then the tears fell.
That smile...those eyes...no, it wasn't real...but she could feel it like it WAS real...no...maybe... "Mom?" she whispered.
Her mother's smile grew warmer. Sasame and Goh stood by the door, silent and unblinking. Himeno turned as her mother touched her cheek, pushing pieces of her hair away. "Hello, darling! I can't believe how much you've grown."
Himeno sat up, wailing, burying her face against that familiar neck, holding her mother close. "Mom...mom, you came back!"
"Shh...don't worry, darling. I'm not going to let you go." Himeno cried and cried and couldn't stop crying. Her mom...she was here!
"Someone's coming," Sasame said softly. "Someone evil. They're here to take your mother away again." Both he and Goh looked to Himeno for orders.
Opening her eyes, she still held her mother as tight as possible. "Kill them."