A warm wave of leafe surrounded Himeno and she felt her strength returning to her. Opening her eyes slightly, she found Sasame standing in front of her, holding one hand as he smiled down at her and she smiled back. A warmth that had been absent before now pulsed strongly within her chest and she placed a hand over her heart.
She felt Sasame pull her closer, about to embrace her when his physical form vanished, leaving her with his presence. She closed her eyes and smiled as his leafe swirled around her, making her spin as it began to merge with her.
When she opened her eyes once more she looked down to find herself clothed in the lavender attire of the Pretear of Sound. Looking around, she found the relieved faces of the Leafe Knights. "Hi guys." She smiled. The swarmed around her, hugging her and resting concerned hands on her shoulders and hands. Whatever they could reach.
"Himeno." A gentle voice called out, a bit louder than the others, but gentle all the same. They parted and Himeno caught a clear view of Hayate as he stood with his arms hanging straight at his sides. His gaze was warm, but stern.
"Hayate." She murmured. He made his way towards her, his eyes never leaving hers. When his stood literally no more than a foot in front of her, he reached over and grasped her upper arms. He shook her lightly, his gaze hard now.
"Don't you ever, ever, scare me like that again! Do you understand?" He growled. Speechless and with wide eyes she nodded. "Good." And he pulled her into a tight embrace. He clung to her as if he'd never let go, one hand supporting the back of her head. Her chin barely reached over his shoulder.
"I thought we'd...that I'd lost you. I don't want to ever feel like that again." He murmured into her hair.
"Hayate." She whispered. "I'm–sorry." A lone tear fell from her eye and traveled slowly down her cheek, leaving a small wet trail in its wake.
He pulled her away from him, his hands still resting lightly on her shoulders. He gave her a reassuring smile. Raising both his hands to her cheeks, he brushed the tear away with his thumb. "It's okay. I can honestly say that we all forgive you. I forgive you." He whispered to her.
She smiled. "Thank you. All of you." She said, looking around at the circle of people around her. They all smiled back at her. Then, with no warning, Hayate leaned forward and paused a few centimeters from her nose. Blushing like crazy, Himeno asked the only thing that could be asked. "H-hayate? W-what are you doing?"
Leaning away he nodded to himself. "Just checking to make sure you're okay is all."
She sighed with relief or with disappointment, Himeno didn't even know which. For a few seconds there, she thought he was going to kiss her. Not that, that would be a bad thing or anything. Wait, was she actually hoping he would...that he would...actually...kiss her? Himeno blushed. And...couldn't Sasame hear her thoughts? She blushed bright crimson now.
Sasame's laughter rung throughout her mind. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone. You have my word."
She smiled, her expression full of gratitude. "Thank you Sasame." Himeno looked down when she felt a light tugging on her skirt.
"Himeno? Himeno?"Shin murmured looking up at her, his blue eyes anxious and impatient. She kneeled down next to him and rested an affectionate hand on his hat covered head.
"Yes Shin?" She spoke softly. Jumping up a few inches, he launched himself into her arms and laced his fingers together behind her neck. Surprised, she lost her balance and fell back. She smiled to herself and instinctively wrapped her arms around him protectively.
"I missed you Himeno." He whispered.
"I missed you too Shin."
"Himeno?" She looked up, still holding Shin tightly. Hajime and Mannen stood in front of her. Hajime looked longingly towards her arms and Mannen looked nervously at the floor, drawing patterns in the rubble with his toe. "Can we come too?" Hajime asked.
Letting go with one hand, she held it out for the both of them. "Of course. The more the merrier." With those words said, they ran to her and the young knights and the pretear shared a group hug.
"Well if it isn't a happy reunion for us all. Any more sweet moments and my mouth will be filled with cavities."
"Mother!" Kao shouted into the air. "Mother, stop this!"
Loosening her grip on the children, Himeo guided them behind her and stood protectively in front of them. Turning her head from side to side, she tried to locate Ireika's position. "I don't see her. Do you?" She asked the others. No one answered her, but she knew they were all looking as furiously as she was.
"Don't waste your time. I'll be found when I want to be found. And you Kao, I am displeased. Very displeased. I expected more from you, but in the end, you turned out weak and useless. All of you are weak and useless." She hissed.
"Weak? I'll show you weak you ungrateful..."Miraku snarled untilSaraku silenced him with a hand over his mouth. He shot a disapproving glance at him and Miraku glared back.
"Yes young one. Weak. Pathetic. Pitiful. And nothing will ever change that."
"You're wrong!" Himeno shouted. "They're not weak! They are all strong, all of them! And you want to know why?" She didn't wait for an answer. "Because they fight together!"
"Oh?" Ireika laughed. "They might fight together, but you have overlooked what they have fought for. Unless you agree with those terms?" Himeno was silent. "I thought so. Why do you defend them? Why do you defend those who have strived to destroy the world as you know it?"
"I–I...because I believe everyone deserves a second chance! Everyone!" She cried, clenching her fist in anger."
Ireika laughed again. "Is that so?"
"Yes, it is." Himeno answered. The Disaster Knights stared at her as if she'd grown an extra head. She was actually defending them. Them!
"Let's see how brave you are without your friends to back you up!" Ireika called. Out of nowhere, multiple violet ribbons burst from every direction and wrapped around each knight. She whirled around to keep Mannen, Shin, and Hajime to help them, but they were torn away from her.
"No!" She shouted.
"Him–!" Hayate shouted before the ribbon snaked around his entire body, pinning his arms to his sides and covering his mouth. His muffled cries were heard through the fabric. He struggled against the bindings, but it was like trying to breathe under water; impossible and a waste of time.
"Hayate!" Himeno cried, reaching out for him, but the ribbon ripped him away from her and slammed him into a wall. She began running towards him, but a ribbon wrapping around her waist yanked her away right before she reached him. It swung her around in a circle a few times before loosening unexpectedly and flinging her up into the ceiling and crashing down to the floor.
"Nah-ah-ah." Ireika cooed.
"Himeno!" Sasame cried.
Himeno pushed herself up off the ground groaning. "I'm okay, you don't have to worry." She reassured. "But I can't do anything if I can't see her."
"Relax. We'll find her together."
"How?"
"Close your eyes and listen. Listen for her breath, the movement of her clothes, anything. Prick up your ears and just listen."
Himeno raised both her hands to ears and listened. She could hear the heartbeats of both the Leafe Knights and the Disaster Knights. She could hear the rustle of the violet ribbons as they danced around her. She could hear...Ireika.
Snapping her eyes open, Himeno launched herself up into the air. "I've found you Ireika!" She cried into the air. Dodging left and right to avoid the ribbons she flew forward with a ferocious battle cry. Arms outstretched, her hands met with Ireika's shoulders and slammed the Queen of Disaster into the wall.
Before Ireika could counterattack, Himeno kicked off of the wall. She hovered a few feet away and watched as the woman slowly became visible. Himeno's gasped when she caught sight of her eyes. They resembled that of a snake's. Lilac slitted pupils with red where the white was supposed to be.
"Her eyes! Look at her eyes!" Himeno cried in her mind.
"Himeno! Look out!" Sasame warned. Two violet ribbons came flying out of nowhere and Himeno barely got away in time. A loud shredding sound was heard as the ribbons tore her sleeves into shreds. Small pieces of light purple, almost pink, fabric hung limply off her arms. She stared at them in horror.
"That was close!" She gasped.
"Not close enough!" Ireika snarled. She propelled herself off of the wall and slammed her crossed arms into Himeno's stomach sending her into a dive into the ground, landing harshly on her back. She heard Hayate call her name faintly in the background. He must have gotten free, or at least his mouth.
Before she could push herself up, Ireika landed right next to her and wrapped both her hands around her neck. Himeno could no longer breathe and she struggled, kicking and thrashing about widely, but her attempts were futile against Ireika's iron grip.
Grabbing Ireika's wrists, she tried to pry her hands away from her throat, but she wasn't phased at all. "L-let g-g-go!" She choked out.
"Himeno!" Hayate shouted again. Turning her head as far as she could, she found him fighting against his bonds to reach her. The ribbon around his mouth had indeed come loose.
"Hay-a-te." She gasped.
"I will kill you!" Ireika snarled, leaning on her arms to use her body weight as pressure. "And then I'll kill them." She jerked her head in the direction of the Knights.
"N-no!"
"Himeno! You have to use the Sonic Arrow!" Sasame exclaimed.
"I can't very well breathe let alone shout an attack!" She replied.
"It's the only option we have! Trust me. Just let the power build within you, imagine yourself using the attack and I'll take care of the rest." He reassured.
"O-okay." She murmured. Slowly, she lowered her hands and rested them at her sides. Relaxing, she closed her eyes and tried to even her breathing out as best as possible.
"You've finally given up." Ireika smirked. "Good choice."
"Calm the storm of your mind Himeno." He murmured and Himeno did so. She imagined herself using the arrow. Raising her hand to her lips and blowing hard between. She could see Ireika being blown away.
"SONIC ARROW!" Sasame and Himeno shouted in union. Before Ireika could blink, Himeno had blown her off with the sound attack. Using the violet ribbons as leverage, Ireika stopped her mad flight before she'd traveled more than a few feet.
Scowling at Himeno, she uttered a warning. "That was a bad move Miss Pretear. You've just sealed your fate!" And with an ear-splitting shriek, she directed all of the ribbons towards Himeno. Her arms and legs were pinned, unable to move, to the ground. She willed her limbs to move, but nothing happened.
"Nighty night." She smirked. Clenching her fists at her sides, a dark energy began to glow around them. When the power pulsed throughout her system, she let the energy go and threw it at the ground around Himeno. A circle with a radius of ten feet began to glow a fiery red around her.
A pull so strong emitted from the circle and pulled Himeno down so hard, she felt like her chest would cave in. She tried to call out, but she couldn't even whisper. "I can't m-move!" She cried.
"Himeno!" Hayate shouted again, but she didn't even notice for the ground below her had vanished and she fell into a abyss of multicolored light. She tried to catch herself on the edge of the hole, but it was too late and she fell with her arm outstretched. The pull, however, did let up as she fell. Instead it increased her speed and prevented her from flying out.
Hayate's eyes widened as he watched Himeno vanish from sight. Not a sound was heard from her and that scared him. He struggled against his bindings, his eyes narrowed in concentration. With his arms pinned to his sides and his hands behind his back, it wasn't an easy task.
Frustrated, his summoned his wind power and tore the ribbons into rags. He paused only to summon a wind dragon to free the others, including the Disaster Knights, before making a mad dash towards the place Himeno fell.
He'd taken no more than fifteen steps when his ankles were pinned together and he tumbled face first onto the floor. Looking back, he found another of those cursed ribbons wrapped around his legs. He followed it up and found Ireika holding the other end. She pulled on it gently and it began to drag him across the floor and up so he hung upside down at her mercy.
Before a word was even said, a black arrow tore through the fabric, releasing Hayate from her hold. Spinning in midair, he landed on his feet. Glancing over his shoulder, he found Kao, with the other Knights surrounding him, with a matching black bow in his hands, still raised. Already, another arrow was notched and ready to fire.
"We'll hold her off! You go get Himeno!" Kao called to him.
"Don't have to tell me twice," He muttered, nodding to them and turning on his heel, continuing his mad race towards the tunnel Himeno had fallen into.
"No!" Ireika called, flying after the Leafe Knight, but Go blocked her path.
"Yo, you're battle is with us." He smirked.
"Fine!" She hissed, lashing out at him, but he blocked with his fire shield.
"Uh, uh, uh. You'll have to do better than that." He teased, dodging another attack from her.
"You're right. I will." And she used her ribbons once more. They wrapped around his mid-section and squeezed. However, another one of Kao's arrows set the Fire Knight free.
Hayate was torn between helping his comrades and saving Himeno. Himeno's need was stronger however, so he reached the side in no time and without hesitation, dove right in.
The tug on him was immense and partly painful. He couldn't have flown even if he had wanted to. Using as much of his wind power as the constant pull would allow, he increased his speed to reach Himeno. No sound emitted from her throat and he assumed that she was unable to talk. He opened his own mouth to call for her, but nothing came out.
However, she had spotted him and was reaching out for him, a relieved look taking over her features. He reached for her, tried to grasp her hand, but he was too far. He tried again, and on the third time, his brushed her fingertips. Scowling in determination, he closed in a few inches and tried for the fourth time. He caught her wrist and she caught his.
As soon as their hands met, the pull on them suddenly disappeared. A wave of leafe burst forth from their joined hands and began to grow, pushing against the multi-colored lights of the walls. Hayate pulled Himeno close, looking her directly in the eye.
"Hayate, you came for me. You came for us." Himeno murmured.
"I would never, nor will I ever turn my back on you."
"Thank you."
"Himeno, the force that limited out power is gone. We can fly now."
Hayate brought them to a stop and began to fly up and out, pulling Himeno along with us. "Come, the Knights need us."
Himeno nodded sharply. "Our friends need us." And together, they raced for the entrance to the tunnel to end the battle, once and for all.
-Dark Knight, False Light-
I apologize for taking so long! My computer, in one word, crashed. Couldn't get online, then I couldn't even TYPE! It was a nightmare! We took it in to get fixed, which didn't work and then finally we just got cable which I am psyched for! Then, I had to retype the whole chapter, but it turned out better than the first version, so it's all good. Anywho, thank you so much for your reviews and I hope you can find it in your hearts to forgive me. As for your questions sportiegrl, you'll just have to wait to find out, or I'll answer them when my stories over. Thanks again!