Pretear Fan Fiction ❯ One and Only ❯ Chapter 2

Author's note: Hello, again! Here's another chapter of my story! By the way, HAYATE'S ALL MINE, SO BACK OFF, ALL YOU DROOLING PEOPLE!!! GO ADORE SASAME!!!!!!! Okay, so actually none of them are mine, but I'd like to think that Hayate's belongs to me.

Chapter 2

Hayate stood outside Himeno's room on her balcony, staring into the window at her sleeping figure. It was like they were back to six months ago, where he'd pretend to "guard" her, while actually wanting to be nearer to her. She knew he was out there; the Leafe Knights had assigned him "guard duty" right in front of her. He was just glad she hadn't objected.

His eyes were trained on her, and memories came back to him: memories of her smiling, of her yelling at him, of her crying, of her laughing. He smiled at the images, and felt his heart swell.

If only he had the courage to tell her how he felt. He came close six months ago… but it didn't happen. Maybe this time. Maybe this time he could tell her. Maybe he could show her the way he felt.

Until then, he'd do as he'd been doing: watch her carefully and protect her.

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Himeno laid awake, curled beneath her sheets. She couldn't seem to get to sleep with everything that was going on. From Hayate standing outside her door, to the new danger approaching the Leafe Knights, she was kept awake in her thoughts.

She sat up in her bed, frustrated with everything. She had just got her life back in order. She was on the karate team at school. She was Mawata's best friend. She was accepted at home as an equal. Everything had fallen into place… and now this.

She looked towards her balcony window and saw Hayate's back towards her. She sighed. What did he think of her? Had his feelings changed? Did he still love her? How would she know? She decided to make a move. She had to sooner or later, anyway.

She opened her balcony door and cleared her throat, making him turn around. When his eyes landed on her, she felt herself blush. She wondered what she'd say now that she was there. He made that unimportant.

"Couldn't sleep?" he asked.

"Uh… yeah," she said with a nervous laugh. She looked up at him and her smile faded at his serious expression.

"What's wrong?" he asked, looking intently into her eyes. She sighed and leaned against the balcony rail. "You usually sleep like a rock when you're not thinking of something."

"Yeah, well I've got a lot on my mind," she said softly, looking out over the mansion's grounds. A tear came to her eye in frustration, and a hard lump formed in her throat. Out of the silence she felt something poke her head.

She turned and saw Hayate looking at her, his finger pointed towards her head.

"Don't worry, Tulip Head," he said with a little smile. She blushed, but furrowed her brow and grabbed his finger.

"Don't call me Tulip head!" she said. The tears came to her eyes again and she looked up at him, wondering what he thought when he looked at her. Did he only see her as someone he could tease like this? Did he not even care about her feelings?

Seeing the tears in her eyes, he was taken aback. His smile disappeared. "Himeno…"

"You don't get it, do you?" she cried. "Since I've been Pretear, things have been stressful. I had to worry every day about everyone. I had to sharpen my skills, working hard everyday.

"Through the last six months, my life finally got back in order. I've got a good family, all right grades… I'm happy! Now I'm going to have to go back?"

She turned back to stare out to the distance, calming down, the tears falling down her face. "It's not that I don't want to be Pretear, don't get me wrong. I like being able to protect the ones I love.

"It's just that I've finally been able to put that whole experience behind me. I didn't want to have to think of the pain, the regret, and the torment we all went through, and how close we were to dieing."

When she was through and was met by silence, she wondered if Hayate thought her pathetic and self-centered. Maybe she was. But the thought of that shot pain into her heart and more tears fell.

She suddenly felt the warmth of his body against her back and his arms wrapped around her. She looked over her shoulder in surprise and found him looking into her eyes.

"Himeno," he whispered, holding her tightly. "There has never been a Pretear like you, and there never will be. It's okay to feel stressed about this. It's okay to wonder about things. But don't beat yourself up about it. I of all people should know that it does nothing." He leaned down and planted a small kiss on her forehead. "And remember that you can come to me to talk."

Heat rose to her cheeks as he held her in his arms and she looked into his eyes. "H… Hayate," she whispered, her heart thudding wildly in her chest.

The moment was cut off short, though, when a familiar feeling cut through her body, making her go stiff. She and Hayate looked at each other and said:

"Demon Larvae!"

They snapped away from each other, looking out to the distance. Hayate's brow furrowed as he stated, "It's nearby."

Himeno looked at him and gave a short nod. He extended his hand and gave a smirk. "Just like old times?"

Himeno smiled and took it. "You bet."

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"Biyandios!"

Vines spread in a spherical area around the demon larvae, protecting the outside world.

"Good job, Shin!" Go said, advancing on the enemy with a ball of fire in his hands. Kei was shooting the larvae's tentacles with light beams, while Mannen froze them with his ice. "God, where is Hayate and Himeno? They're usually here by now!"

"Maybe they're a little shaky," Sesame replied, shooting a sound wave at the enemy. "It's been six months!"

"Six months my ass," Go growled, hurling the balls of fire at the writhing creature. "The ultimate Pretear and one of the best knights? Shaky? Give me a break!"

"Stop your bitching; we're here already!" came a voice from behind them.

"Told ya not to worry," Sasame said with a smirk.

As go glanced back to see Himeno already as the wind Pretear, he muttered, "No you didn't."

Himeno and Hayate formed a sword in her hands, slicing a tentacle coming their way.

"Where's the heart, Himeno?" Hayate asked gently. His voice inside her made her warm, and she found she couldn't focus. "Himeno?"

She shook her head and focused on the larvae. She scanned it, and a tingling feeling became strong inside of her, reaching its peak at the larvae's tail. There!"

She flew towards it, her sword ready for the kill. When she reached it, she plunged it into the heart of the creature. It screamed in pain, and then began to disintegrate. Himeno heaved a sigh of relief and smiled, beginning to relax.

"Himeno, watch out!" Hayate shouted quickly. She looked up and saw a chunk of the tail falling straight towards her. It was too late to move out of the way. It was too late to destroy it. All she could do was brace herself for the pain. She closed her eyes and tensed.

But the hit didn't come. The grunt from Hayate inside of her made her heart nearly stop when she remembered the way things went. That meant…

"Hayate!" she cried, wide-eyed and afraid.

"I'm alright, dummy," he forced out, pain in his voice. "Just get out of here."

Her heart dropped to her stomach and she flew towards the ground as Shin retracted the vines. Once she landed, she felt Hayate's power leave her and her clothes changed back to her normal ones. When he formed in front of her, she couldn't look him in the eye. All she could do was stare at the red stain on his shirt that was slowly growing. She felt tears sting her eyes.

"Hayate!" Go exclaimed, seeing the wound on the fellow knight. He waved go away dismissively.

"It's nothing. Just a scratch."

"Looks like a gash to me," Kei said, leaning over to poke at it. Hayate slapped his hand away and backed off, getting irritated.

"Look, it's okay," he ground out. "Just go back to whatever you were doing. I'll take Himeno home and continue my shift, okay?"

"But Hayate…" Sesame protested gently.

"I said it's alright," Hayate bit out, shooting a glare at the other knight. "Come on, Himeno. Let's get you home. It's getting late."

He grabbed her hand and took off towards her mansion, and she felt even guiltier.