Pretear Fan Fiction ❯ One and Only ❯ Chapter 11

Chapter 12

 

Author's note: We're here with Sesame behind the scenes of One And Only. Sesame, what's it like, really, to work with these guys?

 

Sesame: It's all right, I guess. They're fun to work with sometimes. ~flashes smile~

 

Me ~tries not to faint~: You're about to kill me with that smile. What would Takako say about this?

 

Sesame: She wouldn't say anything, since she knows I love no one but her.

 

Me ~after moment of silence~: So close. Onto our story, which is based on an anime that isn't mine.

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“Man! When are we gonna get some action around here?” Kim muttered, swirling her straw in her soda. “I mean we finally get the other knights over here and we're all powerful and whatnot, but we have no one to fight.”

“I know!” Mannen agreed, folding his arms over his chest. “At least in Japan we had things to fight!”

“Hold it!” Kim said, snapping her attention to him. “Are you saying America's boring?”

“Duh,” Mannen remarked, rolling his eyes. “This is almost as fun as watching grass grow.”

“Take that back!” Kim snapped. “Maybe there's nothing to fight here, but at least we don't have whiney little brats who think they're older than they are!”

“Sure you do!” Mannen replied with a shrug. “You're one of them.”

“Both of you just knock it off,” Go said after stuffing a fork of spaghetti in his mouth. “We'll get action soon enough. We'll be back in business, and we'll practice our fighting skills. Just stop acting like immature little kids. If you want to act like you're old enough to take on Demon Larvae, then stop bickering.”

“You act just like them, you know,” Ashlee said nonchalantly from beside him, taking a sip of her Coke. He threw a glare at her from the corner of his eyes and harrumphed.

“I do not,” he muttered.

“You do, too.”

“Do not.”

“Do too.”

“Not.”

“Too.”

“You're acting like them right now,” Go shot back.

“I am not.”

“You are, too.”

“Am not.”

“Are too.”

“Not.”

“Too.”

Mannen and Kim's heads went side to side, following the pattern of the argument, which was starting to grow in pace and intensity.

“At least I don't pick fights with them,” Ashlee said, raising an eyebrow at him.

“Yes you do!” Go exclaimed. “You and Kim are always at each other's throats, just like me and Mannen!”

“Ha! See? You just admitted that you're just as guilty as me,” Ashlee pointed out proudly.

“Now you're saying you're guilty?” he shot back.

“Just as guilty as you,” she said with a cocky smile. “If you're not guilty, I'm not. And if I'm guilty, then you are, too.”

“Both of you shut up,” Kei said from a table next to theirs. “It's enough to have to deal with Mannen and Kim, but add you two? Geeze, that's a headache.”

Go and Ashlee stared at him in silence, blinking. Slowly, Ashlee turned her head to Go. She scowled.

“You see?” she said angrily. “Look what you've done!”

“What did I do?” he asked in irritation. “You're the one who started the argument!”

“I did not!”

“You did, too.”

“Did not!”

“Did too.”

“Not.”

“Too.”

 

 

“I'm headed out! I'll be back in a couple of hours!” The front door opened and shut and Himeno looked at Brian from the table as he got a soda from the fridge.

“Where's Bethany going?” she asked. He closed the door to the fridge and leaned against the counter, opening his soda.

“She's going out with her boyfriend,” he said, taking a sip of his Coke.

“She's got a boyfriend?”

“Yeah. His name's Andrew.”

“Well, that's sweet, but I didn't know knights could have girlfriends or boyfriends,” Himeno said with a confused look on her face. “Outside the Pretear and whatnot, I mean.”

“No, it's perfectly fine,” Brian said, shrugging. “He knows all about what we're doing, and even helps us out a bit by reporting any suspicious activity going on. Sometimes he comes over. You should meet him; he's pretty cool.”

Himeno nodded, her train of thought going on a different path. It made her feel incompetent to know that, even though she's done more than Brian in this, he still knew more about what knights could and couldn't do that she did.

He noticed her go quiet and he looked at her from the counter in silence, waiting for her to say something.

“Brian,” she said finally.

“Yeah?”

“Do you have a girlfriend?”

He sighed and she looked up at him. “No.”

She nodded, but wondered what the pained look on his face was for. “Something wrong?”

He hesitated and looked away. “I… I like someone, but I don't think she likes me, too. It's all right and everything, but sometimes it gets kind of hard. I wish I knew…”

After a moment of silence, Himeno offered a smile. “Don't worry. Things will turn out all right. I'm sure you'll get your answer sometime soon.” She thought a little, and he looked back at her. “Do I know this person?”

She watched a hesitant smile come to his face and he looked a little uncomfortable. She grinned.

“Someone… in this house…?”

“You know, this conversation is getting old.”

“You know, I could talk to her for you if you want…”

“If I told you, would you promise not to tell a soul, not even her?” he said, looking at her pointedly.

“Sure,” she said excitedly. “Now who is it?”

“It's Mary,” he answered. He sighed, looking away from her. “Happy now?”

“Mary…?” she said, pondering on it a while.

“Look, if you're going to comment on how strange it is or anything, let me remind you of…”

“No, it's not that!” she interrupted. “It's just that I don't know her that well. Maybe I can get to know her, talk to her, and gradually get to the subject of you two.”

“Please don't…” he begged. “I mean, I don't want to scare her or anything…”

“It's okay,” she said, shaking her head. “I won't tell her or bring it up if you don't want me to.”

“Thanks, Himeno,” he said with a light smile. She smiled back in reply, and then attracted her attention back to her meal in front of her. He stood, looking at her, a question on his mind.

“So… you and Hayate, huh?” he asked. She tried to hide the blush on her face at his question, but failed miserably. She gave a nervous laugh and looked at him.

“Yeah,” she said, scratching the back of her neck.

“Why are you blushing about it?”

She stopped laughing and looked at him in surprise. “Well… I don't know. Maybe…”

She looked at the table, recalling the day he found her and Hayate in the hallway. She hadn't apologized or anything. Now… she felt kind of bad for what happened. They put all of them in uncomfortable positions. They hadn't spoke of it since, and it made her feel kind of guilty for it.

“Brian?” she said timidly.

“'Sup?”

“I… I'm sorry for… well, what happened a few days ago.”

He looked at her, confused. “A few days ago?”

“Yeah,” she said, looking at him. “When you saw me… and Hayate… in the hall…”

After a moment, recognition fell on Brian's face, and his mouth formed a small “oh”. He nodded, looking at the floor. Then he shook his head and looked back at her.

“No, you shouldn't be sorry,” he said with a slight smile. “I was just taken aback is all. I mean yeah, you should be careful about that sort of stuff in the house, but really it's okay.”

“You sure?” she asked, feeling a little relieved.

“'Course,” he replied, offering a friendly smile. She smiled back, and a moment of silence fell between them. As she returned to her food, he cleared his throat. “So, have you guys gone on a date yet?”

She shook her head, taking a bite of her sandwich. “Nah. I don't think he's the dating sort. He's not really… social.”

He nodded, but still thought that it was a tragedy that they wouldn't have an American dating experience while they had the chance. He'd have to think of something to do…

“Hey, Himeno?” he said, getting her attention. “I'm going upstairs. If you need anything, just holler.”

“Alright. Thanks Brain.”

“No problem.”