Mawata woke to the sounds of yelling and objects being thrown outside. Startled, she leapt to her feet, searching for her gun—her only line of defense. It was nowhere to be found. Worse, asleep in a chair next to her was the last person she wanted to see—the white-haired demon Sasame.
"You're awake," Go said, sticking his head into the living room.
"What's going on?" she demanded, both about the activities outside and for the reason why she was in their home of all places.
"Rioting. It's a good thing I brought you here last night. Being on the streets now is dangerous," Go replied.
"Yes, but why am I here?" she asked, simultaneously looking for her gun.
"Well, you demanded to see Himeno at gunpoint, and I didn't feel like getting shot yesterday, so I knocked you out and brought you back here," Go said, crossing him arms. Sasame began to stir.
"Mawata, how are you?" he asked, as a wave of pain flashed across his face. Her sharp glare and unrelenting gaze hit him all the way to his core. Turning away, he switched his attention to the sounds of the chaos outside.
"Well, it looks like we'll need to move again, huh?" Sasame asked Go. Go nodded.
"Kei's planning with Hayate when and where to move. We have food for the moment, so that's not going to be a sticking point at least," Go explained.
"Where is my sister?" Mawata interrupted.
"Selfish as always," Hayate snapped as he walked into the room, holding Mawata's gun in his hand.
"Hayate," she hissed, her eyes narrowing. He ignored her and turned to Go instead.
"Go, you and I will provide the defense while Kei and Sasame usher the kids and the girls with them," Hayate said.
"We're all packed to go?" Go asked. Despite his argument with Hayate last night, Go knew that this was no time for fighting amongst themselves. Moves were always complicated and an unavoidable risk. With the sounds of the riot coming closer, he knew they had little time to lose.
"Yes. I'll go wake the girl. Sasame, you're in charge of her," Hayate said, leaving the room.
"Who put him in charge?" Mawata muttered. She reached into her vest and pulled out another gun.
"Since I'm here anyway, I'll help with the move," she said, throwing the gun to Go.
"I know you're Leafe knights, but it doesn't hurt for you to have a gun each," she said, pulling another series of guns.
"How many guns do you have anyway?" Go asked, turning away in embarrassment as she pulled a gun out of her cleavage.
"The better question is how she obtained all of them." Sasame said while preparing the gun she had passed to him. He grabbed the backpack next to him and slinging it over his shoulder, picked up his peacefully sleeping brother Shin from the couch. Wrapping him in blankets, he made a sling for him, shielding from view.
Mawata left the common room. She was here for her sister, and she would find her, no matter the circumstance. She opened door after door, only to find the rooms empty, until she reached a room at the far end of the corridor. When she opened the door, she was horrified to find Hayate's lips on her sister's.
"What do you think you're doing?" she said in a low voice. She watched in amazement as her sister blinked awake.
"Himeno," she cried out, smiling for the first time in a long while. As she raced towards her sister, she turned at Mawata and stared at her blankly.
"Hi-me-no," she said uncertainly to Hayate, and then turned to Mawata once more and asked, "Who are you?"
Mawata stopped in mid-step. What Go had said to her rang in her mind: 'She doesn't remember anything about herself…'
"My name is…" she began, when Hayate's large hand covered her delicate mouth.
"A friend of ours," Hayate said, "Now, we can save introductions for later. We're moving."
"Moving?" the girl asked.
"Yeah. This place has gotten a little dangerous, so we're going to go somewhere safer," Hayate said, still holding the struggling Mawata.
"Okay," the girl replied. As the girl turned around, Hayate released Mawata—receiving dagger sharp glares from her.
He raised his hands in defeat and slowly backed out of the room. He knew better than to mess with her; he had experienced her power first hand when she was at the height of her fury.
"Okay, we're leaving," Kei announced, with a sleepy Hajime and an alert Mannen following after him. Sasame, with Shin and the food sack, trailed behind them. Sasame motioned for the girl to follow him, and she nodded, following them without question. Mawata joined Go and Hayate, determined to be serving as part of the guard rather than be shepherded along.
"Don't get in my way," Hayate said sharply while Go said in a low voice, "Be careful."
They burst out the back door, the sounds of the riot getting closer. As they made their way through the back alleys, Kei leading the way, they were stopped by a small group of what appeared to be drunken teens with clubs in their hands.
"Where do ya think you're goin'?" one of them drawled. Hayate had no patience for them. He cocked the gun in his hand while simultaneously summoning a stream of wind as a barrier.
"A magic user, the bastard," another said, starting to move backwards in fear. Go followed Hayate's lead, summoning a ring of fire around his body. If the thugs had wanted to attack before, they had no intention of doing so anymore.
The seven guys and Mawata began moving forward, while the girl remained rooted to the spot.
"Himeno?" Go cried out to her, and then realizing his mistake, shut his mouth before continuing.
"Why?" she asked, turning to them with tears in her eyes, "Why is it like this?"
Hayate looked from her to the group of rioters headed in their direction.
"We don't have time to stand around, idiot!" he yelled, grabbing her hand. As their hands connected, a burst of bright light spewed forth, enveloping the two of them in its warmth.
"The pretear…" Hayate breathed in shock as he felt his being become one with the girl's…