CHAPTER 10: Not Again!
The three knights watched Mawata and Shin bouncing just ahead of them, Shin talking a mile a minute to Mawata about different plants and the girl pretending to understand him. It made Blaise smile and quickly look at his heavy boots so the other two wouldn't see. "So, Saeko? What's been going on?"
Saeko sighed, flicking his soft golden hair back again. Him and Hayate... they should either pull it back tightly or cut the bloody stuff off! "The Queen of Nightmares' army has become extremely powerful. She's gathered every sort of creature possible, and even a few from Leafenia. Erelah's team was spotted there as well. Their Pretear... so ineffectual! Why doesn't she DO something with him?"
"She can't," Blaise answered at once, feeling sorry for the poor girl. The Pretears were chosen for the teams by the team. Erikur chose a weak girl on purpose. The Knight of Mimicry knew a strong one (like Himeno) would have challenged his authority, and rightly so considering. He forgot that it was usually the ones with spunk that turned out to be bloody brilliant Pretears. How that man ever became a captain was beyond him! As much as he despised Tasia from the States, she was good at her job. Almost scary good. Until he'd met Himeno, he would have said she would be the one to return the legendary White Pretear to them. Himeno... "Hayate, how's Himeno doing?"
Hayate was silent for a long time, face turned away to look at the purplish mountains in the distance. Shimura's land. "I don't know. One minute, everything's fine and the next she's close to breaking. I know Shimura's been giving her nightmares about... about what had happened to the other knights. What troubles me is that she didn't tell anyone it was still bothering her."
Neither knight needed an explaination about the event. It was in reference to Sasame and Goh dying, and Takako returning to being the Princess of Disaster and being sealed away again. Saeko shielded his eyes as he looked into the setting sun. "If we expect to defeat Shimura, we need the White Pretear. The other teams combined can take care of the army. But Shimura herself..."
Blaise's hand twitched irritably. Saeko didn't need to go into that. He knew first hand what Shimura was like. Standing in her presence made you want to piss yourself. Having that sword of hers swing at you made you want to kneel down and take the blow, just to escape. And if you fought back... He shivered, hugging his arms around his waist. The Queen of Nightmares truly was the most awful thing this side of Hell. "Hayate, how straining is it to keep half-preting with Himeno to pull her back? And be bloody honest, mate, because right about now you're all we have keepin' the White Pretear here."
"It's a strain... but it's not too bad. I can recover quickly from it, quicker if we fully pret. Don't worry about that. Worry about-,"
All three stopped as all the sound in the area seemed to be sucked up, a pressure building in their chests. Shin wailed and clung to Mawata, who fell to her knees, eyes wide. It was as if the very air became heavy with humidity, pressing down around them. Like bugs being squished, Blaise thought unpleasantly. Then, it was all released at once, slamming into them and toppling them to the ground, forcing them to cover their ears at the high pitched screeching sound that ripped into their minds, hurting their eyes. It carried on and on, the wind picking up and tearing at the earth and trees, tugging hard at them. Blaise managed to crack an eye open and see Mawata clinging to Shin, trying to keep them both rooted in one spot. Then, just as sudden as the storm hit it stopped, everything fluttering back into place and returning to normal except...
Blaise jumped to his feet, followed quickly by the other two as a black fog began to decend the mountains, blanketing Leafenia with it's inky thickness. "Oh...bloody...hell..." The purple mountains were smeared with the ooze, the ground shaking as if there were an earthquake. But this wasn't an earthquake at all. The pounding on the earth had a steady rhythme... like thousands of feet marching in line.
Saeko's amber eyes threatend to fall from his head. "It's Shimura... She's attacking!" He dropped to one knee in front of the other two, head bowed. "What are your orders?"
"She can't be ready! How the bloody hell could she be ready so soon?" Blaise shouted, kicking at the loose grass angrily. Bloody, bloody, BLOODY HELL! Things were moving a lot faster than he'd thought. That blackness was caused by Shimura herself descending into Leafenia. She was destroying it, and at an alarming rate, too!
"Blaise?" Hayate prompted, glaring at his friend from the corner of his eye. It was then he realized that Saeko was still kneeling and Hayate was waiting patiently.
Blaise blinked, snapping out of his angry thoughts. "Summon the teams, get them gathered at the Palace. Hayate, you and your team come up with the Red Guard. Otoshi's team can take left front. Try and find where Erikur's team is stationed and pit him against Kondhae. Kondhae's team slaughter the little bastards at the last spring games." His eyes flickered over to Mawata, listening to the exchange with a puzzled little crease on her brow.
"Blaise?" The knight looked down at Shin's frantic tugging.
"Yeah, poppet?" He smiled in what he hoped was a comforting way. From the way the little one's eyes welled up even faster, it was obvious he'd failed.
"The plants are dying! Can't you feel it?" Shin's eyes were glassy looking with tears. He wiped his nose on his sleeve, which he normally would have been chastized for except that it was obvious he was being hurt.
Blaise ruffled his hair and lied quickly. "Of course, poppet! But that's why I wanna tar this bi- this evil woman's bottom 'til she says she's sorry!"
The other two knights and Mawata let out their held breaths, relieved he'd edited what he was going to say. "Saeko?" The question was enough to get the Knight of Sand up and at attention.
"Consider it done, sir. And am I..."
Shaking his head, Blaise gave him a cold smile. "Nope! What's the point anymore? I'll be there, mate. And you can stop pretendin' to be dead."
Saeko nodded before winking out.
"Hayate, a gateway, if you please." There was so much to do still...Ravijot and Pasha were at the beach. They had to hurry and get Himeno ready as well. IF she wasn't in freak-out mode...
Hayate nodded and opened the gateway between the real world and Leafenia. The Knight of Wind took Shin through first, giving Blaise a knowing look. Blaise sighed, shifting next to Mawata uncomfortably. "So, love..." This was going to be awkward...
"Blaise... what's going on?" Mawata asked. Her eyes were narrowed suspiciously.
"Oh, you know, raging psycho bitch decided she wants to play rough. That's all!" God, don't let her ask... if she asked, he didn't know what to tell her...
"No, I mean... yes, that's obvious. But you were acting awfully different just now. What's going on with you?"
Sighing, Blaise's shoulders slumped. Damn... He was kind of hoping she missed that. "Mawata, love... I think we better clear somethin' up now. See, the thing is... I'm not who you think I am."
She arched a brow, lips tightly closed, waiting. She wasn't angry... yet.
"The truth is... I'm an escaped clown from the circus, hidin' out until they agree to get rid o' that bloody elephant that constantly sends the wind o' death at me trailer car!"
Those pursed lips twitched a little as she fought not to smile. It broke through anyway and she shook her head, curls bouncing. "A clown, huh?"
Grinning, he shrugged. "What, don't ya see in wearin' them big pants and all?" Once again, sheer charm saved his ass!
Mawata poked his stomach, still smiling softly. "Seriously now. What's your secret?"
"My secret?"
She nodded, eyes losing their laughter and being replaced with a steady calm. "Yes. I want to know."
Taking a deep, shaky breath, Blaise glanced away, trying to think of something else. Damn her for not being completely swept away by his humor! His eyes fell on the gateway and he seized on it as a distraction. "We should be gettin' back, love. They're all waitin' for us."
Mawata's eyes narrowed. She wasn't falling for it. Sighing, she nodded, very reluctant. "Fine, you don't need to tell me now. But before all this is over, okay?"
Blaise smiled, kissing her cheek very quickly before grabbing her hand. "Thanks! You're such a doll!" He guided her through the gateway, relieved he'd bought a little more time. This was something she might not like at all!
Himeno blinked, looking up at the startling sound. "What... are they gone, Sasame?" she asked.
Sasame's familiar gentle eyes turned to her and he smiled, the light catching on his glasses. "Yes, they are. But we should move you both somewhere more safe. This place is very dangerous for your mother."
Her hands tightened on her mom's sleeves. Her mom laugh softly, just like she always did when something was wrong. It made her heart clench up. No... not again. "We need to leave, mom. Before someone hurts you."
Her mom kissed her forehead with cold lips. But... her kisses were always warm... she shook her head, clearing the confusion. What did it matter if they weren't as warm as she remembered? What mattered was they were together and nothing was going to keep them apart. "I trust you, Himeno-darling. And I will never leave your side."
Himeno smiled and stood up with her mom's arms still hugging her. Goh and Sasame stepped forward, both smiling. Goh waved a hand in the air and a dark doorway entered, opening up into a swirling violet and black tunnel. She frowned, hesitating. This wasn't a gateway... Sasame had taken her mom's hand, guiding her toward the door. She turned back, smiling over her shoulder at Himeno. "Hurry, darling!"
Himeno reached for the hand her mom held out to her...and frowned. "Where is it?" she asked frantically, checking both her hands. She couldn't have lost it, not so soon! "Where did it go?"
"Himeno, we have to hurry. Whatever you're looking for we can find later. The bad people are coming."
"No, I can't leave it! I just got it and now I've lost it!" She dove onto the bed, tossing pillows aside. She couldn't just leave it behind! Himeno stopped again, frowning at her hands. Wait... the ring Hayate had given her... was still on her hand? But, it hand't been moments ago! What... "Something's not right here!" Blinking, she shook her head. Something was very wrong... but it wasn't the ring. It was something else...
She gasped when a cold hard grasp closed around her wrist, nails digging in hard. She whirled around in time to see the image of her mom fade away into that of a tall hooded figure with cold bluish skin and big midnight eyes that were glossy and blind looking. Black sticky stuff oozed from deep gashes covering the face, arms and hands, sticking to her skin and freezing it. "Sssstupid girl! You will come with ussss, whether you want to or not!"
Himeno screamed again, kicking the creature in the stomach as it dragged her toward the door. "NO! LEMME GO!" Not again... she wasn't being dragged off again! "Sasame! Goh! Why are you just standing there?"
Sasame and Goh remained on either side of the black door to the tunnel, unmoving and unblinking. It wasn't natural for someone to be standing so still. Himeno scratched, kicked, hit, and even thought about biting the creature dragging her closer and closer to the door, digging her heels into the carpet to try and stop it. Those ice cold fingers weren't budging from her wrist, not even with all that slimy crap between her skin and it's. She pulled harder and harder, swinging her leg out and tripping the thing to the ground. Even that didn't make it let go. Instead, it pulled her in close to it's chest, letting out a weazing breath. Himeno choked on the cloying sweet smell around it. That smell... God, she knew that smell! It was the smell of sick people in the hospital. People living off of machines or near death. Her mother had smelled like that...
"GET AWAY FROM ME! SASAME! GOH!" Why weren't they moving? What was wrong with them? She knew as soon as they did turn toward her why they weren't moving. Their eyes were the same midnight color of her kidnappers. They weren't real. Which meant... Himeno screamed again as the skin melted away from the faces she knew so well and became thin and sliced up, black stuff trickling down their cheeks. They descended upon her in a rush, that smell invading her senses, making her cough for fresh air. It only sucked that smell into her lungs, made her eyes burn.
Cold clammy hands grabbed her ankles and she kicked at them, heard an angry hiss as her foot connected. Not again... not again! She kept repeating that to herself over and over again, turning it into a chant. She wasn't going to let them get her again. Himeno managed to free an ankle, struggling to try and crawl away from those grasping hands. Her breath left her hard as the one still locked on her wrist rolled over on top of her, hissing in her face, the horrid smell of death pouring from it's mouth. Gasping as a hand clamped under her chin and forced her to face it, Himeno found herself confronted with midnight eyes. She couldn't look away, no matter how hard she tried to close her eyes. Images bombarded her mind, memories being ripped to the surface and forced on her in a mad crash. Her mom dying, her dad remarrying, the first fight with the Princess of Disaster, the deaths of Goh and Sasame... her hands around Hayate's neck. It was all too much for her. Too many emotions, none of them good, slammed into her at one time. Himeno screamed again as her body went into shock, forcing her to pass out. Crap... not again!
Kei groaned, taking a shuddering breath. Cool fingers were pressed to his forehead, slipping back into his hair. They grazed over a gash in his head and he winced.
"Sorry, I missed that spot," Sete said softly. She was trying to keep him from sitting up, but he shrugged her hands off.
"Himeno... something's happened to her," he managed to get out before he hissed in pain, clutching his head. "Why is it always me getting beaten up?"
"I don't know, darling," Something in her soft voice made him pry his eyelids apart and squint up at her.
"Sete?"
Sete blinked, looking away to hide her tears. Kei frowned, reaching up to push her hair behind her ear. But she wasn't looking at him. Following her gaze, he saw Feryn sitting on the steps with Yayoi on his lap. Yayoi was sobbing hysterically, and even Feryn had tears in his eyes. Manen and Hajime were sitting on the stairs with them, hugging each other. "What...?"
"I tried, mon ami, but I was too late," the Knight of Storms said, his accent extraordinarily thick with his emotions. "As soon as you fell, Mannen, Hajime and I went to defend her but... Himeno was taken. I am so very sorry!"
"WHAT?"
Kei winced when Sete's nails dug into his arm. Everyone turned to that voice, absolutely brimming over with rage. Kei shielded his eyes as the air began to pick up speed, swirling around the two figures to have just entered the house. Oh... shit! "H-Hayate?" Sete asked, clutching Kei to her tightly.
Hayate was standing just inside the door way, one hand on Shin's shoulder. Shin was glancing up at him nervously, eyes wide and tear filled. Without another word, the Knight of Wind shoved the younger one toward the group before running back out the door.
"Hayate!" Kei struggled to get up, pushing to his knees before collapsing back, clutching his chest in pain.
"Kei, I haven't gotten to your ribs yet," Sete exclaimed frantically, trying to get him to lie down again.
"Feryn go after him! You can't let him go!"
Feryn had run after their captain, dropping Yayoi on the floor ungracefully. "HAYATE!" He was too late. Hayate had already vanished.
Kei struggled to his feet, leaning heavily on Sete and having trouble breathing. "What are you waiting for? You know where he's going! Go after him, you damn pansy!"
Stepping back, Feryn allowed Kei to see what was holding him in place.
Dark Knights. Eight of them. The one in the lead grinned, electric blue eyes snapping wickedly. "Well, now that he's out of the way, let's finish this!" Feryn barely managed to dodge the lightening leaping from the other knight's hands.
Gritting his teeth, Kei shrugged away from Sete. "Fine, let's do this!"