Hey guys! I'm so sorry this took so long! But I had a project to do that I thought was due the day I get back to school, then my friends told me that it wasn't due that day, so I screamed. And I also had the band trip (which was so much fun! We got Grand Champions again, meaning that in the festival we competed in, our school got first place overall in the middle school division! We continued the tradition! .) Anyways, sorry for the long wait!

And some people got the reference to Inuyasha in the last chapter! I put the Celestial Robe from the Second Inu movie in there. Surprisingly, Sakimi didn't get it, and she's the Inu-obsessed person of our group…Also I sorta copied Kaguya from that movie and put her in here, but things are a little different.

Thank you everyone who reviewed! .

Last time on The American Pretears:

Hayate's eyes widened in terror. Akane, don't touch it!

Her hand paused, hovering centimeters above the sword's hilt. The strange aura surrounding the blade sparked around her hand, calling it. Akane shook her head to rid herself of the trance-like feeling and backed away slightly.

"Well, well, it seems you have found it, the Celestial Blade," a voice cackled from the shadows. Akane froze. One by one, the tourists sank to the floor, collapsing as their Leafe was sucked almost dry.

Chapter 14

"Well, this certainly is a pleasure," Kaguya began, "that the Celestial Blade would reveal itself to you."

A tall figure stepped from the shadows. A woman with long, flowing, raven black hair slowly appeared. The shadows on her features deepened in the dim light, enhancing her venomous appearance. She bore a long, crimson cloak lined with silver on her back. A golden band held back her bangs, allowing deep silver eyes to penetrate the darkness around her. Had it not been for the dark situation, Akane could have easily mistaken her for royalty.

Akane was visibly shaking, no matter how hard she tried to resist. Her throat had gone dry, and she could hear her heart pounding in her ears. "What do you mean, 'reveal itself to me?'"

Kaguya advanced slowly with an air of elegance that Akane did not expect from her. Her cloak billowed behind her in a non-existent breeze.

"That particular sword is one that chooses its beholder, only allowing those with a pure heart and strong spirit to see its aura, and thus hold it," Kaguya explained. "So, in order to find it, someone who fit that description had to be near. Otherwise, the sword would appear as an old, battered blade to all others. But I must say, things are going rather smoother than I had anticipated."

"Wait, so you were here this whole time? Then who was…"

"It is impossible for someone to be in two places at once, you silly girl," Kaguya scolded. "I followed you here."

"How? How come I didn't sense you? And what made you think I was coming here, anyway?"

"You certainly are an annoyingly inquisitive little girl, aren't you?" She smirked. "You'd be amazed at the trail of Leafe a Knight and a Pretear leave behind. It was such a great invitation and the urge was tempting," Kaguya smiled wickedly.

When she saw Akane's shocked and fearful expression, her smirked widened even more. "Even though I may not be able to see the Blade, I can still hear its call. I knew exactly where you were headed and why.

"Now, with you here, the Celestial blade will have no choice but to submit to my powers, and, Leafe Knights, with the power of this one sword, your little Pretears are no match for me!" Kaguya walked forward. As she brushed by Akane, she sent shivers up the Pretear's spine, leaving her frozen stiff.

As the Princess reached out to grasp the hilt, a wave of light just breezed by her fingers. She craned her neck around to glance at the Knight of Light. His hands were held in front of him, prepared for another attack.

"Don't you dare touch that sword, Kaguya!" Kei threatened.

Kaguya smirked and straighten up. "Do you think a lone Knight like you can stop me? Even with a pathetic Pretear and that other brat, you power is nothing in comparison to mine!"

"I won't let you touch that sword, Kaguya," Kei growled dangerously. "If you want it that badly, you'll have to go through me first."

For once in her life, Akane was frightened of Kei. He didn't seem like the egotistical, calm knight that he usually was.

"Well, then, it seems I have no other choice than to humor your foolish desires." Kaguya advanced on the Knight of Light with slow steps. Kei didn't sway in the slightest, but instead prepared to fire an attack at the woman.

"Take this!" Kei cried and fired a wave of light Leafe at the Princess. Kaguya held her hand out and stopped the attack effortlessly, the sparkling light dancing before her. With a small flick of her wrist, she threw the energy behind her, destroying some of the glass cases, showering them in glass.

"What?" Kei muttered. "She deflected my attack so easily…"

"Now do you see my power is far superior to yours?" Kaguya stepped from the debris. Kei stood protectively in front of Akane and Mannen.

"Both of you run and get the others!" Kei ordered, not removing his sight from Kaguya.

"Are you nuts? We aren't just going to leave you here!" Both Knight and Pretear chorused.

"You will not stand in my way!" Kaguya raised the sword and brought it across on Kei's side, flinging him against the wall. The Knight of Light groaned in pain and fell unconscious as he slid down the wall, glass surrounding him.

Mannen watched in horror, gazing back and forth between Akane, Kei, and Kaguya. When Kaguya began to advance, the Knight of Freezing yelped and hid behind a wall next to Kei.

Kaguya smirked and continued advancing. The blade began to glow a faint gold as it had before.

Akane's breathing went ragged. She was the only one left standing. Visibly she was shaking from head to toe. But she knew she couldn't just stand there. She had to find a way to get Mannen and Kei out of there.

"If you think you can escape from here, you shall be in for a rather rude awakening, my dear," Kaguya smirked.

Akane gazed the blade. Its glow was growing stronger as Kaguya neared; the need to take the blade from her was growing ever stronger. The only thing keeping her from doing so was Hayate's warning. It took al her self-control to fight that urge.

"Back when this world was young, the first Pretear had used this same sword to seal me away deep within the realm of Leafeania." Kaguya paused barely two feet from Akane. The Pretear's heart was beating so rapidly, she was positive that the Princess of Disaster could hear.

"By now, the other Pretear and remaining Knights must have realized that their enemy is nothing more than an empty shell now. But it will be too late by the time they realize where you are."

Akane's eyes widened. "Sakana…" At least she knew Sakana was safe for now; but if she came here, then she would be in danger.

"Now you will experience the great pain I felt being locked up for all those millennia!" Kaguya brought the blade down.

"SAKANA!" Akane shouted. So this was how it was going to end? That she couldn't even cut it as a Pretear and hold her own against the Princess of Disaster? She had let the Leafe Knights down, and now she was going to pay for it. She shut her eyes tightly, prepared for the end.

"Akane!" Mannen cried.

Aagh! Hayate cry echoed loudly in her mind.

Akane opened an eye and blinked. She was surrounded by the familiar pale blue barrier. Kaguya's sword attempted to slice through it, their powers crackling.

"Hayate, stop! Let down the barrier!" Akane ordered.

Hell…no…

Kaguya applied more force to the blade, determined to break through.

"Hayate, you'll die!" Akane shouted. Still the Wind Knight did not budge, but instead attempted to strengthen the protective wall. Kaguya, in turn, applied more force to the blade.

The tip of the sword poked through the barrier and Hayate let out an ear-piercing scream. Kaguya took advantage of his moment of weakness and plunged the sword father inward with all her might. She slashed at it and it shattered. Akane felt searing hot fire rip across her stomach as she crashed into the wall behind her.

Akane began to glow a magnificent white. Just as quickly as it had begun, the light dissipated, and Akane was back in her old clothes once again, though they were now tattered and bloody. Hayate lay next to her, looking more gruesome than her, struggling to stay conscious.

"Akane! Hayate!" The young Knight of Freezing shouted. He rushed to their side. "Guys, are you alright?"

"Move out of the way, little boy," Kaguya ordered in a dangerous voice.

Mannen, though shaking slightly, stood protectively in front of the fallen Pretear and Knight.

"No," he answered defiantly.

"Mannen…run…" Hayate muttered.

"What!" Mannen asked, surprised.

"You're…no match…for her…"

Mannen turned away. "No way, Hayate. You guys have saved my butt more times than I can count. I'm not going to run away!"

Kaguya frowned at him. "It seems you do not know your place. Even if you are a Leafe Knight, your power is nothing compared to mine!" Kaguya whacked the young boy on his side, sending him flying across the room. He crashed into the wall, bringing some of it down with him. He groaned in pain as he lay there, unconscious next to Kei.

Kaguya smirked. There was nothing more to stand in her way of destroying the Pretear and Hayate, the Leafe Knight of the Wind. She mustered as much dark energy as she could and transferred it to the blade in her hands. Its power radiated an ominous indigo light.

Akane tried to move, but her body was too exhausted to even crank her head upwards more. She had used up too much energy flying here and trying to resist the sword, not to mention her injuries. She glanced over at Hayate. He was in much worse shape than she was. She could tell it took all of his strength just to stay awake.

I'm sorry…Hayate…I couldn't do it, Akane thought, not having the energy to speak.

"A…ka…ne…" Hayate muttered through clenched teeth. Clutching his side, he attempted to scoot over to her. Blood sifted through his fingers, dripping on the museum floor. He carefully positioned himself over her body, ignoring his own pain. She was almost completely hidden under him save for her hands and hair.

"Well, if you both want to die, you are just making this easier for me," Kaguya said.

"Hayate?" Akane whispered. Hayate had already fallen unconscious. She was trapped now under his weight. She wouldn't be able to move them in time to escape Kaguya's attack.

"Die," Kaguya growled in a sinister voice and swung her sword…

…but it never made contact.

Kaguya's sword halted inches from Hayate's back. Her aura was now fighting the sword in a brilliant show of black and gold. The pureness of the blade's power seemed to be overpowering Kaguya as the smell of burning flesh filled Akane's nostrils.

"What is this? The sword is reacting to another soul? But…this is strange…the souls are separate, yet they seem somehow connected…" Kaguya mused aloud. "It must be that second Pretear." Kaguya turned sharply towards Akane, glaring down at her. "You are lucky to escape with your life this time, little Pretear; you will not be so lucky the next time we meet."

Kaguya disappeared in a flash of deep violet miasma.

Akane, relieved that everyone was safe, finally succumbed to her body's will and fainted into unconsciousness; Hayate still sprawled on top of her.

A/N: O.O OMG…I got this finished! . Well, just to let you guys know, I've been doing a lot of foreshadowing throughout this story. I made it as clear as I could in this chapter without giving it away. No one knows what's gonna happen except for me, not even E! .

I'm going to finish this story first since I have a feeling it is going to be done soon…maybe somewhere in the 20's (chapter-wise). So, give me reviews! Pweese? I promise things won't be so gloomy for a little while…hopefully…

Next chapter will be called "Reunion with a Dark Past".