CHAPTER 14: The Final Battle

Hayate fell to his knees, hand going to his shoulder to try and stop some of the bleeding. Ginshima still huddled over his brother's body, sobbing. He knew Kinshima wasn't dead. There was a thread of leafe still connecting him and keeping his heart pumping. Good. He didn't want to kill them, even if that was their goal for him. Slowly pushing to his feet, he stumbled over to the two, placing a blooding hand on the soft silver of Ginshima's shirt. "Ginshima, look at me."

The Knight of Silver turned teary, horror stricken eyes up to him. "Just leave us! I won't let you take my brother's body as a trophy."

Weak still, he allowed himself to go to one knee before the other, keeping his hand on his shoulder. "Ginshima, I don't want you to lose your brother."

"He's already lost! Stop mocking me!"

"No, he's alive, but barely. I can feel the leafe inside him fighting to hold on. Can't you?"

Ginshima stopped sobbing, picking his head up from his brother's barely rising chest. His eyes widened and the tears fell faster when he realized what Hayate said was true. "He's... he's... but, there's no way to save him! You might as well have killed him!"

Biting back the pained hiss, Hayate said softly, "There is one way he can be saved. One person has the ability to call him back. And she's hidden somewhere in this castle. Tell me where the White Pretear is, and I promise you she'll do her best to restore Kinshima's leafe." He knew there was no guarantee Himeno could become the White Pretear at will, but he was hoping that maybe, just maybe, she could figure it out and do it for these two.

Staring at him as if in a trance, Ginshima mumbled, "The door to the left. Go through it and straight down until you come to a set of double doors. The White Pretear is there... and being guarded by Jikan. He begged the honor of our Queen."

Nodding his thanks, Hayate got to his feet again and sprinted for the door, heart hammering wildly. Himeno, alone with Jikan. If that bastard hurt her...

Now he knew what people meant by 'seeing red'. Only, the red he was seeing would be Jikan's blood if Himeno was harmed in anyway.

BAM!

Himeno's fist connected just under his jaw, throwing him backward into the water.

Jikan rose spluttering, nose shattered, blood coming from his mouth. One eye was glued shut from the swelling already starting. Himeno stepped back, eyes set firmly. She wasn't going to kill him... just make sure he hurt very badly and wouldn't follow her when she left. As she expected, the Knight of Time surged forward through the water, bellowing angrily. The few teeth that weren't knocked out showed glistening red.

A quick roundhouse kick to the head and he fell like a bunch of broccoli. This time, he didn't get back up. Himeno's shoulders relaxed and she heaved a sigh of relief. Stupid jerk... She was glad it was over. She grabbed a hold of his shirt and hauled him through the water and up the steps far enough to make sure he didn't slip back in and drown.

Giving his unconscious body a final glare and rubbing her bruised and bleeding knuckles, she opened the wide double doors and walked out...

Right smack dab into someone's solid chest.

"Ow! Would you look where you're going, Tulip-head? I'm a little hurt here!"

Stepping back, Himeno followed the crisscross of cuts up the chest, pausing briefly on a shoulder gushing blood, passed the lips she knew very well and into the eyes of... "Hayate!"

"Yeah, it's me. And you're STILL not looking where you're stepping. Mind getting off my foot?" He was glaring fit to crack her skull open!

Scowling, the annoyance edging out the joy of seeing him alive, she slugged him hard across the good shoulder. "YOU BIG JERK! HERE I AM WORRIED SICK THAT YOU'RE DEAD AND YOU'RE GONNA MAKE FUN OF ME LIKE THAT?"

"Ow! Himeno, wait a sec-," He began backing away from her as she advanced, jabbing him sharply in an uncut area of his chest with each point she made

"And where the HELL have you been? I was in there kicking Jikan's ass and you look like you went through a food processor! Shouldn't you be off at war or something? What are you DOING HERE?"

A dark blush flooded over his cheeks and he looked away, swallowing a little and very nervous. "I, uh... I came to... rescue you?"

Himeno's scowl faded slowly, replaced by parted lips and wide eyes. "Oh... you came to... oh!"

"Not that it matters or anything. It's not like you were going to thank me," he muttered. "I mean, I get caught up with two-mmph!"

She turned the tables on him for a change and kissed him quiet. When his body relaxed into hers and he just started to kiss her back, she drew away, smiling up at him. Then...

WHACK!

"OW! Quit hitting me! Did you miss the part where I said I was hurt or is that tulip hair of yours blocking your ears?"

Crossing her arms over her chest and marching ahead of him, she threw back, "I'm sorry, maybe I didn't slap you hard enough to rattle that brain of yours back in place!"

Hayate ran to catch up with her, grabbing her wrist. She looked down at his slippery fingers, realizing a little late they were covered in blood. "Hey... how hurt are you?" she asked softly, really taking a good look at him.

"Just blood loss," he answered quickly. "I'll live. But... there's someone who won't if we don't hurry to the battle. Once you become the White Pretear, he'll be fine."

Nodding grimly, she said, "Okay. Well, let's go. But I'm not promising miracles here."

"I understand that." Together, they ran from the palace, Hayate grabbing her wrist once they had enough room to take off.

Kataru ignored the people around him. His guards asking for his orders, the shouts and screams from the battle. All he cared about was in front of him, trying to stay very still. Big turquois-blue eyes held his in a terrified trance. Mawata was struggling to hold the knife away from her throat, tears splashing down her cheeks. This was unexpected... and unwelcomed!

"Decide, Prince! I'm getting bored with waiting," Shimura demanded, smiling as she circled around toward her hostage. Mawata whimpered when a single white finger trailed down her cheek, catching a tear. Shimura licked a quick wet line up Mawata's face, laughing as the girl screamed.

"Oi, you mind not molestin' me girlfriend while I think?" Kataru shouted over angrily. "An' here I thought you liked a good piece o' man."

"I want a decision, Prince, by the time I count to three. One..."

"Or what, you're gonna put me in time out? I'd like to see ya bloody try!"

"Two..." the knife inched in, cutting a thin fresh line across her neck.

Sighing, Kataru looked over at Saeko, who closed his eyes, shoulders dropping in defeat. "Let me hear the terms."

Smile spreading across her cheeks, Shimura nodded, coming closer. Where she stepped the leafe vanished, being absorbed into her almost instantly. She was very tiny and delicate looking, but nothing about that innocent expression fooled any of them. Shimura would snap them in half in a heart beat. "Do you surrender?" she whispered when she was close enough she could have touched him.

The Red Guard bristled, hands tightening around their weapons. "You're invadin' me personal bubble, Shimura. Step back four paces or learn how I keep me pimp hand strong."

Laughing, she stepped back three, deliberately not doing as he'd said but agreeing to the request for more room. "Answer the question, Knight of Earth."

"Topaz Prince, an' don't forget the title again."

"Why? It's not like there WILL be a prince by the end of the day."

"I'm gettin' bored, Shimura. Terms, if yer done bein' dramatic?"

Clasping her hands behind her back, the very picture of innocent child, she said, "Obviously, I want you to step down."

Kataru rolled his eyes. "Well duh, love. I don't think there's a knight here who didn't know that!"

"I want you to be sealed away forever inside your Palace, along with the knights most likely to succeed you. That means your two precious guards and the blue-eyed captain. After that, I want tribute in the form of knights offering me leafe-,"

"So you can drain us dead? Unacceptable!"

Frowning at his outburst, she continued, "Not to die. But it is hardly fair to my Dark Knights that I use their leafe, especially when I will have such pretty new slaves. And that is exactly what your people will be. Twice a month, one Leafe Knight will be brought before me. I will take their leafe just short of killing them, return them and later that month I will pick a new one. It's more than fair considering they're slaves. And the White Pretear..."

Kataru's back stiffened. "What about Himeno?" Hayate was gonna have his hide if he made any deals concerning her!

"She will be kept as my... guest. Inside my castle, never to see the light of day again. She will grow old and die there, never able to pret or cause trouble again. So, Knight of Earth, what is your answer?"

He opened his mouth, ready to speak.

Kei paused in circling the air, looking down. There was Kataru... and he was talking with Shimura! What the... "Sete, look!"

Sete stopped next to him, looking down. "There's someone else down there, too... Oh, my God!"

He knew what she was 'oh my God'ing about when Shimura moved closer to Kataru. "It's Mawata!"

"Mawata? Where?" Sete demanded.

Glaring at her, he stabbed his finger downward. "YOU just alerted ME to her presence! Have you finally lost what little sanity you had left?"

"Keep talking and you're going to find out what a boot to the groin feels like first hand! And I wasn't refering to Mawata. Look!"

Kei followed where she was pointing, eyes widening. "It's about damn time, too! I'm sick of running things. Speaking of which... MANNEN! IF I HAVE TO TELL YOU TO STICK WITH SHIN ONE MORE DAMN TIME..."

Mannen made a face at him before flying quickly back to Shin's side.

Sete touching his hand made him look back over at her. Her green eyes were narrowed, watching something below. "Kei... look!"

Looking down again, his eyes widened even more. Incredible... "THAT'S new."

"Huh? How is that new? She's always been-,"

"On her own."

Sete almost fell from the sky in shock. "You mean never... with... holy CRAP!"

Kei nodded nervously. "Let's, uh... go this way. Just in case something bad happens. Like they explode or something."

The two quickly went to aide Hajime, Shin and Mannen who were being over run by Dark Knights.

"I-," Kataru started to say.

"HEY! Just what the hell are you doing, taking my sister like that!"

Kataru spun around with the others as Himeno and a very blood covered Hayate came forward, both looking geared up for a fight. "Did yer banshee do this?" Kataru joked, relieved they were finally there. With the White Pretear... if she could BECOME the White Pretear that is...

Shimura's jaw dropped shortly before she let out a terrific scream, high pitched and loud enough to make them cover their ears. It went on for a good minute before she stopped, eyes glowing pale blue. "You... how can you be here? Jikan was supposed to kill you!"

"I'm not gonna let a jerk like him beat me," Himeno replied, hands in fists by her sides.

The Queen of Nightmares' shoulders were shaking, fingernails biting into her palms so tightly blood flowed. Her white skin took on a glowing quality, shimmering with a cold white light. The air around her began to crackle with pale blue lightening, a wind surrounding her, whipping her hair back. "Is that so?"

Everyone, even her own knights, began backing away from her. "Uh... never seen this trick before," Kataru muttered. He glanced over and saw the nightmage was being distracted by the show. Perfect! Grabbing the spear out of one of the guard's hands, he spun toward the nightmage, embedding the spear directly in it's shriveled grey head. It screamed loudly, almost as loud as it's mistress had, black blood gushing forth and spilling across Mawata's shoulder. She screamed, too, jumping up and down to try and get it off her.

Kataru sprinted over and grabbed her by the waist, spinning her out of the way just as a blast of pale blue exploded in the ground where they had stood. "That bitch! She almost burned me girlfriend," Kataru shouted. He got up off of Mawata, who was shaking on the ground. "You stay right here, love. Saeko, Caias! Get yerselves over here and guard her. If she gets so much as a bug landin' on her, I'm having yer nads on a plate!"

"Must you be so vulgar, sir?" Saeko asked as they did what they were told. The look on Caias' face said the same thing.

"Oi, don't argue with the prince, mates! Just...watch her. I'm gonna go back and... Holy sweet JAYSUS!"

Everyone else turned around at his startled exclaimation as a white light began to spread around them. Unlike the deadly blue lightening from Queen of Nightmares, this white light felt... good. Where it touched wounds were healed, leafe restored. Kataru and the Red Guard gaped in awe at the figure throwing off the warm white light. "Unbelievable!"

Himeno and Hayate stood their ground as the rest of the Red Guard ran to their prince. Mawata was safe. Now, to take care of the Queen of Nightmares. This enemy was different than the others before her. As quickly as she was absorbing the leafe she was turning it to her use. "Hayate?" she asked softly.

"Yes?" he answered, eyes still trained on Shimura as she continued draining all the leafe from the area, channeling it into building her power. The electric lightening was starting to break free, hitting whoever it felt like. Shimura wasn't even trying to control it. She didn't care who she hurt so long as someone screamed. The air was being whipped up by this power, pulling long strands of his dark hair free,

"Becoming the White Pretear on my own... won't be enough, will it?"

His silence was answer enough.

Lips set in a firm line, Himeno turned to face him. She didn't come all this way just to sit back while everyone suffered! And she wasn't about to lose to Shimura, not after all they'd been through. She wouldn't be beaten! She had to help everyone, even the Dark Knights. Becoming the White Pretear alone wouldn't be enough. There was only one other choice. She held her hand out to him.

"Hayate, pret with me."

Eyes widening a touch, he smiled and took her hand, knowing full well what she intended to do and trusting her to do it.

The familiar warmth flooded her as he entered her mind. It had always been easier to pret with Hayate. Even back when they were fighting all the time, she'd trusted him to keep her safe. And now, they were going to use their bond to keep everyone else safe. She knew before when she'd become the White Pretear on her own that it had been something never done before. But it wasn't the complete package. Being a Pretear meant preting with a knight. And without a knight inside her, she was only reaching half the potential. She could feel Hayate's emotions, a mixture of nervousness at something they'd never done before and excitement over the same thing. There was one thought that came through a little more clearly than the others: What if preting with her now will result in me ending up like Jikan?

Sighing, she said outloud, "It won't stupid. I was trying to force him out when that happened. I wouldn't ever do that to you."

Relief, amusement and a faint feeling of love came through. "Alright, let's do this! Shimura has to be storing the leafe somewhere inside her, like a larvae core. We need to focus our attack on that."

"Right." She knew how to trigger the change from the Pretear of Wind to the White Pretear. It was her need to save the others. She knew without asking that Hayate wanted to same thing. So long as they were both agreed, then it...

The air around them began to move, leafe filling it to the point where she swore she could feel the different air particles brushing against her hands, her arms. Everything was glowing white now, so bright she could hardly see. It blinded her to everything except...

Except the black core near Shimura's middle, the one greedily sucking the new leafe in.

Taking a deep breath, Himeno calmed herself down and gave herself over to the change completely. This had to work! To save the Leafe Knights... the Dark Knights... Mawata... The need acted as the final shove, forcing the air leafe to explode from inside her, channeling itself into that black void which accepted it gladly. Whatever they gave it, it greedily soaked up, adding to the power building around Shimura. Quick blue flashes became brighter and brighter as the whiteness surrounded it, containing it so it didn't hurt others. The lightening itself was starting to be sucked into that hole, drawn in by the amount of wind leafe being produced. The Queen of Nightmares was eating her own power.

Someone was screaming. Himeno wasn't sure if it was her, Hayate or Shimura. But someone was screaming loud and long as the White Pretear of Wind continued filling that hole to the point of bursting. There was a dull boom, something that rocked against the nearly solid air particles around her but didn't touch her hovering form. And then...

The light faded and there was nothing.