Chapter 11

Facing Reality

Sleep wouldn't come easy. Daisuke spent the night brooding. His first pret with Himeno had been a disaster. He was completely humiliated. That woman infuriated him. He threw another glass across the room angrily. Looking around, he'd already done significant damage during his outbursts of rage as he mulled over the incident.

He paced back and forth in the former temporary headquarters. The apartment was vacant now that they were invited to stay at the Awayuki Manor, but he couldn't show his face there now. He punched the wall, thinking about the Wind Knight's threat.

"It's her fault. She wouldn't listen to me!"Daisuke had adamently insisted.

"She shouldn't be hurt! You were supposed to act as her shield! You were supposed to protect her. You stay the hell away from her!"

The murderous look on the Wind Knight's face spoke volumes. First and foremost was his desire to protect the woman he loved. He also saw the need to maintain control. He saw pride and sincerity. Hayate was a man of his word; a man who didn't play games. Hayate was a dangerous man. Daisuke, though strong and intimidating, would have no chance against someone like Hayate. Not when emotion was controlling his actions.

Hayate carried her away, cradling her as though she might shatter. The girl did look very pale then. Someone so innocent shouldn't have to fight. That thought brought about new anger. He raged again, kicking the last kitchen chair. He kicked it so hard it broke into pieces like the other four.

She agreed to be the Pretear. She knew what kind of danger she would be in when she agreed to be a part of their team. She knew what she was getting into. Getting hurt is always a possibility. It was unavoidable.

"You were supposed to act as her shield!"

Hayate was right. It was a Leafe' Knight's job to either act as a shield or a weapon for the Pretear. He failed to be her shield. He had no right to be angry at her. Daisuke slid to the floor, his back against the door to the apartment.

The look of terror on her face before their pret startled him. Initially, he thought her fear would be a good thing. She would just fall in line and follow his lead. He thought their first battle would be a breeze. Instead, her fear prevented a seamless transformation and, though they won the battle, someone got hurt.

He knew, out of all the Leafe' Knights in Leafenia, his power was the most ominous and intimidating. It was extremely overwhelming. Daisuke took death very seriously. Himeno couldn't feel comfortable enough to embrace his power, thus their transformation flopped.

Now as his anger ebbed away, guilt settled in. He'd only known Himeno a short time and in that time, he learned one thing. Himeno was full of life. She always saw the good in others and looked deeper for answers. She always showed her emotions no matter if she was happy, angry or sad.

"Himeno..." he whispered.

He felt nauseous thinking about the damage he caused. This was a mess. He needed to see her. He would confirm for himself that she was alright. No matter how much she annoyed him, he never had any intention of hurting her. He would have to apologize.

He flew discreetly over the city and entered the Awayuki Estate.

Once the boys were tucked into bed, Sasame rejoined the others in the kitchen. Goh, Kei and Hayate were sitting at the table, hot cups of coffee sitting before them...untouched. Hayate looked like he was ready to collapse. Goh and Kei watched him closely. They were worried about their leader.

"They fell asleep quite easily," Sasame said softly, getting his own steaming cup of coffee.

"Good. It's been a long day," Goh nodded.

"Hayate? Are you going to be alright?" Kei asked, laying a hand on the Wind Knight's wrist.

Hayate looked up at them. His eyes were red from holding back tears.

"I'll be fine. I have to be. We all do. Himeno is going to need us when she gets better."

"What are we going to do about Daisuke and his team?" Kei asked.

At the mention of his name, Hayate's eyes narrowed. He slammed a fist on the table, "I am not letting him anywhere near Himeno! I agreed to help his team and I will. I won't let another Princess of Disaster roam free in Awayuki Town."

"How do you intend to keep Daisuke out of it?" Kei pressed his leader.

"I'm going to tell him to stay away. There won't be any argument. He won't have a choice in the matter. He is never to come near her again.!"

The others looked at each other.

"What? Think I'm being too harsh? He could've gotten her killed."

Sasame shook his head, "We are just as concerned about that team as you are. Daisuke's actions are indeed questionable and you are not wrong to be angry."

"Then what?"

"Hayate...what do you think Himeno is going to say about your decision?"

"She is just going to have to accept it this time. I have been very easy on them up until this point. I sat back when she made her points, but this is different. This time she got hurt. I'm putting my foot down."

They looked at each other again. They hoped that Himeno would see it his way too. If not, they were looking at a whole new set of problems.

Daisuke entered the manor through Himeno's balcony window. He didn't want to risk being seen by the family or her team, especially Hayate. He was guaranteed to be beyond irate with him.

He stopped at her bedside. She looked peaceful. Her wounds were healed by the Tree of Light, though she was sure to be mentally scarred. He made a mistake and he knew it. This was all his fault.

Losing their own Pretear, Hikaru, messed him up bad. He wanted revenge on the darkness that took her, but that meant fighting Hikaru. He let his anger get the better of him, and this was the outcome. Hayate and his team had every right to be angry with him.

Daisuke looked at her thoughtfully. He never meant to hurt her. She was sweet and innocent, even if her brazen personality annoyed him sometimes. She awoke things and feelings in his team and in himself that Hikaru never could.

She stirred in her sleep, then opened her eyes slowly. When her tired eyes adjusted, she scrambled back into her headboard at the sight of him. There was fear in them. He put that there. He needed to fix this.

Slowly, he sat on the edge of the bed, thankful she didn't scream.

"Himeno...look...um" He stuttered.

Daisuke wasn't accustomed to apologizing. Not to mention, watching Himeno huddle against the wall in terror stirred a protective chord in him.

"I'm sorry," he said quickly and slightly louder than he intended.

She was so stunned by his apology, she stopped quivering. She looked at him, searching his face for deception. He genuinely looked sorry. He looked ashamed. She wasn't sure what to say. When she didn't respond to him, he continued.

"I have been trying to find someone else, anyone, to blame for what happened. It's very unlike me to be..."

"Unreasonable," she snapped, annoyance returning from early that day, "uncooperative, mean, cynical..."

He held up his hand to show he got the point, "Careless. I am a good Leafe' Knight. I am well known in Leafenia for my leadership, my learning curve and my patience. What happened is very uncharacteristic."

She lifted an eyebrow, disbelieving.

"I know, I haven't shown you anything to be proud of. I guess losing our Pretear shook me harder than I thought."

Himeno's eyes softened. He cared about his Pretear and his team.

"I guess...I don't know, maybe I am being ridiculous, but I feel like I've failed. Maybe that makes matters worse, but that's not an excuse."

They held each other's gaze, "I am truly sorry. I understand if you never want to work with me again, but please, say you'll still help us."

They were still looking at each other, Himeno searching for deception and Daisuke looking for forgiveness, when her door burst open, expelling the Wind Knight.

"I thought I felt something weird. What the hell are you..." Hayate demanded, but then stopped abruptly and stared at the pair.

"Before you go off, he is here to apologize." Himeno said, warding off the explosion of anger.

He only stared. They were too close. Daisuke was sitting on the bed...her bed. He was leaning close and looking into her eyes. The eyes he loved and adored. Himeno was his. Daisuke had no right.

"Hayate?"

Daisuke stood and turned to him. He needed to apologize to her knights too.

"Hayate, I should apologize to you too. I never meant for this to get so out of hand."

"You had to come at night? You couldn't apologize to everyone at once, you had to get her alone?"

"I knew you were too angry to be reasonable. I needed her to hear it."

"Get away from her!" Hayate ordered.

"Look, I just..." Daisuke backed up, holding up his hands to show he had no intentions to cause trouble.

The rest of her team rushed in behind him and stopped when they saw what was going on. Daisuke's team was close behind.

"Daisuke?" Kazuki whispered. He looked between Hayate and his friend. If looks could kill, Daisuke would already be dead.

"I already had a talk with your team. You are never to go near her again. They are no longer allowed to be their own team, they are a part of our team now. You might as well just go back to Leafenia and wait for word that your Princess of Disaster has been defeated." Hayate told him.

Anger swelled, "You can't do that. We earned the right to form our own team!"

"You lost that right yesterday!"

"I won't let you..."

"You don't have a choice in the matter. You could have gotten her killed. I make the rules now."

"Hayate!"

"Don't fight with me, Himeno. I'm putting my foot down. No more. We will still help them, but now we do it my way."

She stood, putting her hands on her hips, "Who do you think you are, passing judgment on anyone. You spent most of your time blaming yourself for hurting Takako. He is doing the same thing, and I don't want him wasting time blaming himself for something that was clearly an accident."

"Himeno, this and that are two totally different things."

Sasame wanted to add his obvious betrayal in order to save Takako, but felt it better than to interrupt. He didn't have to.

"Not only you, but Sasame fought against us to save the same girl you beat yourself up over for hurting and you still accepted him back, didn't you?"

"That is another incident..."

"Stop. It's the same thing. Everyone was doing wrong things for the right reasons. Daisuke made a mistake. We learn from our mistakes. I did. You did. Sasame did. Takako did."

"But...you were afraid...you got hurt!"

"Yes, I was afraid. His anger and combative personality worried me. His dark, death power frightens me. It is very overwhelming and suffocating. I didn't know how to deal with it. We chose the wrong time to pret...we should have taken it slower. We both made mistakes. We'll work through it."

"No! I forbid it!"

She crossed her arms and glared at him, though a grin started to creep onto her face, "You can forbid all you want, you aren't the boss of me, ya big baboon."

He moved closer to argue some more when her insult hit him, "Baboon? I told you not to call me that."

"I told you not to call me Tulip Head, but you never stop, so neither am I."

Her grin spread wider and she stuck out her tongue. It was working.

"Look here, Princess. I am getting a little tired of your Baboon comments. I am not a Baboon!"

She laughed, standing nose to nose with him, "I never liked being called Tulip Head. It's insulting. That's not how you treat a lady."

"What lady?"

Tatsumi leaned toward Goh, "Are they always like this?"

"Pretty much."

Daisuke held up a hand, "I just wanted to..."

"Not now! Training begins at noon. Don't be late." Hayate yelled at him, then his attention returned to his Pretear.

They continued their banter. Himeno flashed a reassuring smile at him before he walked toward the door to join the team.

"She did it."Mannen said, giggling.

"Did what?" Tsukeida asked.

"She just got Hayate to accept Daisuke in the training. After all the fighting he did to keep him away, their banter brought back their normal behavior and he settled down. He knows she's okay now." Kei explained.

Daisuke stared at him, then looked a Himeno. She really was something else.

He looked back at the rest of her team, "I wanted to apologize. I never meant to get her hurt. I guess I have a lot to learn. Thank you for not abandoning us."

They nodded, some with smiles. He couldn't believe it. He was forgiven. Even Hayate let him skate, though, he'd been tricked without his knowledge. Maybe they could still do this.

Training started at noon as promised. They all showed up ready to work hard. They understood now, that they were one team. Hayate was the unofficial leader. Everyone fell in line quick, even Daisuke. The others told him what happened while he was off on his own. He was surprised, but thankful.

They spent an hour doing drills with everyone. When they nearly injured Hajime and Kei with random flying weapons, Hayate changed tactics. He tied them around the waist in groups of three and four. Now they would be forced to work together or risk falling flat on their faces. It took almost another hour before anything productive happened. About an hour and a half later, they managed to complete the drills without hitting anyone, without falling or pulling their teammates in opposite directions.

During the drills, Hayate and Sasame encouraged talking to each other during battle. Shouting out warnings and calling targets. It worked loads better than everyone just doing their own thing.

They took a break then gathered again at five p.m. Hayate thought he would take it to the next level.

"Alright. Himeno needs to get used to your transformations. Ours are seamless. We can't have a repeat of the last time. We have to look out for each other as much as for our Pretear. A seamless transformation is key. If she can pret without any issues, then battle will go that much more smoothly. So, you're going to take turns. She'll pret twice, then we do drills again. Then two more and so on. Sound good?"

They nodded. He turned to look at Daisuke, "You go last for obvious reasons. Yours may take longer."

Daisuke just nodded. He expected that.

"Okay, let's start with the younger ones. Akira, you first."

"No problem. Don't worry, Miss Himeno. Earth is gentle." Akira smiled.

He waited for her, arm outstretched. She took a deep breath, then stepped forward and laid her hand in his. They were barely touching when the pret' began. It was lovely. As promised, it was warm and gentle like a summer breeze. She could feel the presence of life all around her. It was easy to slide into the transformation. Akira was so open and understanding of her anxiety.

When the pale green light ebbed away, the Pretear of Earth was revealed. Himeno donned a brown skirt that hung to her knees. Her top was a sleeveless corset of lush, green ivy and ferns. Vines wrapped around her wrists and hands like gloves , around ankles and feet for sandals. She felt the cold metal around her right ankle. She knew that to be the same band that depicted the Leafenian symbols.

"Beautiful." Many gasped.

Tsukeida handed her his compact mirror. She opened it and was mesmerized by her own appearance. There was a white flower in her hair, which was currently light brown like Akira's and ivy leaves in descending size from the corners of her eyes. It was like they were stenciled on they were so perfect. Green glitter shadow on her lids. Brown lip color painted her lips.

"What do you think?" Tsukeida asked, winking his own approval at her.

"This works. Akira is very easy to transform with. He is open and very gentle." She said, noting that Akira was blushing internally at her words. He was happy he'd done a good job.

Mannen and the other two children were giggling. It turned out she was the same size as Akira and Mannen. That was different. Her overall appearance never changed before, just her clothes. So this was new.

Hayate told her to use her new powers a bit before she separated. She snapped her Vine Whip a few times. She used her Ivy Lasso to snag Kei and Mannen together. Akira then instructed her to stamp her foot on the ground. Doing so, she caused a targeted seismic event beneath Daisuke and Hayate's feet, knocking them both to the ground.

"Good work, Miss Himeno." Akira echoed in her mind.

"Alright, switch to Ryu now."

She separated successfully and turned to Ryu. He jumped and came to her, exhilarated at the prospect of preting with the Legendary Pretear.

"Awesome. You're gonna love my power."

He grabbed her hand excitedly and pulled her to him, grinning. Their transformation began immediately and was quick. She stood before them trying her best to cover herself. She wore a short, white, pleated skirt with pink trim. The top was a tight, pink tank with one strap and the lower right side hung a bit lower than the rest of the shirt. Her mid-rift was exposed. A long, gold chain necklace hung around her neck supporting a heart pendant. Her left leg remained bare, while her right leg was sporting a thigh high pink stocking. White ankle boots with pink trim adorned her feet. While her right arm remained bare, her left arm was covered in a long white glove with pink trim. On her back was a white leather quiver with pink arrows inside. Leafenian armband on right arm.

She was handed the compact mirror once more, Tsukeida grinning at her. Her hair had grown and turned bright red like Ryu's and there were purple highlights running through it. It was pulled back and braided down her back. Gold hoop earrings hung from her lobes. Light pink shadow donned her eye lids, pink lip gloss on her lips and a matching heart tattoo near corner of her left eye. Her headband remained white, but now had pink braided through it.

"Whoa," most of the knights said.

Hayate had the incredible urge to block her from view. There was too much skin showing. Only he had the right to see her that way, but there was nothing he could do.

"Awesome, right?" He echoed.

"Well, I guess. I mean the pret was super easy. Ryu is very open like Akira...but, well..."

"The outfit is awesome though, right? I made it myself. The previous look was so last season."

"Wait, you made it look like this? RYUUUUUUUU!" she whined, pulling the shirt lower with absolutely no success.

"So, Ryu designed that outfit?" Sasame asked her.

Tsukeida answered, "He does that. He sees something and just has to make it his own. Why do you think we don't let him design for us?"

"Stop worrying about it. You look great, Himeno. Ready for some action?"

"I suppose. What sort of powers can I use?"

The other knights gave her a bit more space.

"See that tree?" she nodded, "Blow it a kiss."

She wrinkled her nose at the idea. It was going to be embarrassing. She took her place and wrinkled her nose again before kissing her fingers and blowing it at the tree. Her and her team were surprised to see a pink heart emerge from her hand, hit the tree and cause a pink explosion. The tree was gone.

"Wow."

"Right? Okay, now the arrows in your quiver. Arrows of Affection cause your target to love. They will stop attacking and start loving. In a battle, it basically makes the demon larve give leafe' back to whatever it was stealing it from. Only lasts a minute. Usually a good stalling tactic. Now on people, it works a little differently. They will love the first thing they see. Most of the time it's a good thing, but depending on their inner most personality, it could be bad too. I try to use those only if I absolutely have to."

"Got it. Arrows for demon larve only."

"You comfortable, Himeno?" Hayate asked.

"Not really. This is way too exposed," he gave her a sympathetic look, "Oh, you mean preting. Yeah, Ryu is another easy one. It should be fine."

"Okay, take a break. We'll pick up in fifteen minutes."

After the break, they did more drills. Himeno watched as her knights played offense and the others defense.

"Okay, who wants to go next?" Hayate asked the remaining five knights.

"Oh, it's definitely my turn."

Hayate moved to intervene, but Sasame held him back, "She will make sure he behaves himself. It is just the way he talks."

"Trust me, Kitten, you will feel no fear in our union."

"Kitten?" She said.

"Your hand my dear."

Tsukeida reached for her hand and pulled her to him, then dipped her back as their power merged together. He grinned at the annoyed look on Hayate's face. It was over quickly and Himeno stood covered in a silver and gold armor fuku. It was light weight, but would take some getting used to. She had gold wrist bands, silver knee-high boots and a silver and gold metal face mask that covered from nose to chin, only her eyes were visible. The silver headband on her forehead gleamed. Tsukeida's compact transformed as well, becoming a shield. She turned it around to look at herself. She looked like a badass. She ran her hands through her now long, strawberry blonde hair. It was pretty, though not nearly as beautiful as Tsukeida's perfect blonde hair. Her eyes were smoky and alluring.

"Well, that's different." Kei said.

"Are you okay, Himeno? Can you move?" Hayate asked, concerned that she looked overwhelmed by all the metal.

She nodded, surprised that it was actually a lot easier to move in than she anticipated.

"Your abilities are fairly simple. You carry a Steel Katana. You are a master swordsman. The only magical ability you have is called Blades of Fury. Take a wide swing."Tsukeida instructed.

She swung wide across her front and barbs shot out of the swing, impaling the trees opposite her location. Okay, so always make sure no one is in the way of that attack. She didn't want to accidently skewer anyone.

"Another success. Tsukeida is far too eager to pret for this to be difficult." She admitted.

Hayate cringed. Tsukeida was too fresh for his liking.

"Okay, separate and choose another to transform with."

Mitsuya stepped forward silently and held out a hand. Himeno looked at him. This one she was neither afraid of nor overly excited for. He seemed so mysterious. She took his hand as the others watched anxiously. Her leafe' knights were curious, while the new knights were wondering if she would be more beautiful than their pretear. The Pretear of Spirit was told to be the most beautiful pretear transformation in history.

A silver, white light engulfed the area like a white-out in a snow storm. There was no sound. She could feel herself spinning slowly as the transformation took place. When she stopped spinning she opened her eyes to find everyone staring at her. No one spoke. There were no words to describe what they were seeing. It was like meeting an angel.

Himeno wore a silver, sheath dress that hung to the floor. Thin straps held the thin material to her curves. Detached sleeves, starting at her bicep and flaring long at the wrist covered her arms. She looked down to see crystal heels on her small feet. She felt a silver choker around her neck. She realized after a moment that she had very, very long hair, which turned white like Mitsuya's and had pulled itself into a high ponytail as well, the leafe' band wrapped around the base. There was a crystal crown resting on top of her head. She had large, expansive wings. It was the reason she was hovering off the ground.

"Beautiful," Daisuke whispered, unaware he'd said it out loud.

Hayate and the others whipped around to look at him. Hayate frowned.

"Wow, Himeno. You're so pretty." Mannen said.

She only blushed. She felt beautiful, which she'd never felt like that before. She knew she was attractive, but not stunningly beautiful like she felt now.

"Ghost Glaive is a three bladed disc that you can throw. Staff of Soul is used to trap and contain demon larve' that has yet to take root. Your wings are functional and also can be used as an attack. Spirit Storm releases bladed feathers from the sky to attack your target. The Glaive can be used in close combat or thrown. It disappears when in motion, dodging obstacles until it reaches your intended target, then returns to you."

"Wow. Alright, I'll give it a try."

She summoned the staff first to make sure she could, explained its purpose to the others, then summoned the glaive. She preferred throwing it. All she had to do was think of her target and it disappeared, weaving its way around everyone until it hit the side of the manor and returned to her.

"The glaive is just as dangerous to humans as it is to larve'. If you were to accidently cut an ally, their soul would be trapped in the orb in the center of the glaive as well. Be careful."

That scared her a little. She wasn't perfect, after all. She frowned at the prospect of making such a mistake.

Sasame noticed she was uncomfortable, "Something wrong, Himeno?"

"No, just taking in all the information. Step back a little, guys. I don't want to hurt anyone."

She took a few more practice tosses then separated from Mitsuya. Hayate then insisted she take a break. While the knights skirmished, she ran inside the house and took a shower. She needed the hot water to clear her head. This new team was powerful, but their powers were a lot more dangerous than her own teams. Not that fire couldn't burn, or sound couldn't pierce, but their abilities just seemed so much more destructive than her knight's...so much more final.

Upon her return, she saw they were finishing up. Looked like her team was still on the winning side of things. She watched as the new knights high-fived anyway, swearing they'd get them the next time around. It made her happy. They were finally starting to understand teamwork. Not just being a team of people thrown together, but working in conjunction with each other to get a job done. It was a good step in the right direction.

She only had a few knights left to go. Kazuki, Tatsumi and Daisuke. She shivered. She wasn't looking forward to that last one. It's not that she didn't accept his apology for rushing into that pret, and she understood that he never meant to hurt her, but she couldn't bring herself to like being the pretear of death. It was ominous, overbearing and dark.

"Himeno's back." Goh told the others.

"You ready, Himeno? I'm next."

"Sure, Kazuki. I'm ready."

He flashed her a reassuring smile and reached out, waiting for her to take his hand. She laid her hand in his and the pret began. It seemed to take forever. Kazuki spoke to her as they were transforming.

"I know the feeling. In truth, it takes a year to transform on the time plane, but Earth time is an instant. It weirded me out too the first time I figured that out."

"Wow."

"Wow what, Himeno?" Goh asked, wondering what the big deal was.

"Nothing."

She shook her head. It wasn't pertinent information. She twirled around, liking her outfit. It was sleeveless, which she approved of. Easier to move. It was a Lolita type dress, black and silver,; mostly silver, that hung to her knees, longer in back, shorter in front. There was a black ruffle underneath that peeked out the front. The collar came all the way up to her chin, covering her neck completely. Around her neck, hung a chain with an hourglass pendant on it that continuously spun in place. There were silver armbands on her biceps. She wore black ankle boots with medium thick heels, each with a single crystal stone on the front. She felt a tiara on her forehead, which Kazuki informed her held a moonstone in the center. The Leafenia symbols were etched in the silver of that tiara.

Tsukeida handed her the mirror. Her hair grew to her shoulders, remaining her natural color, but bangs grew to cover her forehead. One of her eyes had changed to Kazuki's baby blue while the other remained the same. Her shadow was smoky like that of Tsukeida's transformation and her lips a wispy silver.

"So, what powers do I have with you, Kazuki?" She asked.

"Mine are fairly simple. Just like with Hayate, you'll pull your arms to summon the Sword of Ages. You are already a master swordsman, so this should be easy for you. A fatal wound by this blade, and only a fatal wound, will stop your targets time, killing it instantly. Simply cutting, slicing or any other superficial wound will merely steal or suck time from your target, aging them rapidly. I would highly suggest caution when sparring for practice."

Another knight with power that exceeded her own team. Why were their powers so dangerous? She got quiet. How was she supposed to get better with them if she was going to be afraid of hurting her team?

"Himeno?"

"It's nothing."

She pulled the Sword of Ages out of thin air in the very same fashion as Hayate's and gave it a few swings. It was heavier than Hayate's Wind Sword, but felt right in her hand just the same. She didn't want to practice with this one, but needed to see what it was capable of. She swung at a tree trunk and her sword got stuck. The tree's leaves turned colors rapidly and the bark seemed to deteriorate in seconds. She removed the blade and the tree stopped ageing. She understood. This was no toy.

She released herself from Kazuki and turned to Tatsumi. He didn't look as anxious to pret as the others had so far. She held her hand out to him, which he simply looked at.

"You don't want to pret?" Himeno asked, surprised.

"I do not want you to be disappointed. I am not usually the one pretted with. I am more commonly used to support the team and reveal the demon larve's core location. I have very few skills, none of which are deadly."

"Oh. I see. Well, that doesn't disappoint me at all."

He smiled small at this, and clasped his hand with hers. Their pret was perfect, though she doubted there was anything he didn't do perfectly. Once it was over and the light subsided, she took the mirror from Tsukeida to look at herself. She definitely liked the colors. Navy, silver and white. Simple. Her eyes were shadowed blue and silver, her hair was jet black, short and styled. She giggled, thinking she looked very much like a sailor scout. Her fuku was navy and with a white trimmed collar and a white and blue pleated skirt. She wore a long white glove on her left arm, but the fingertips of the gloves were missing, revealing her navy blue painted nails. Her right hand glove was only to her wrist and navy blue, also revealing painted nails. On her thumb was the same silver, leafe ring Tatsumi wore daily.

"You are comfortable?"

"Yes, Tatsumi. I am very comfortable. It was an easy transition."

"Good. As I said, my abilities aren't very battle worthy. The small hand held computer you always see me with is used like a camera. You take a photo of the larve and the truth is revealed on the screen. You'll know exactly where the core is so you can destroy it. However, I usually do this for you and you pret with another to defeat your target."

"I see. That should come in handy." She held up the small computer to take a picture of her team.

"Unless you want to know something truthful about them, I wouldn't. It will reveal a truth about your target. If there is something you don't want revealed without their permission, I would stick to battle uses only."

"Oh, I suppose you're right. That would wrong."

"What would be wrong, Himeno?" Hajime asked, tilting his head.

"Turns out we can find the core of a demon larve with this." She said, holding up the small computer.

"That's handy." Kei said.

"It can also be used to devise a battle strategy in difficult battles. My weapons are Throwing Stars of Truth. You toss them at your opponent. The good thing about them is that they never hit anything except evil. Otherwise, they are completely useless. Not enough power in them to do serious damage. I mostly use them to distract the larve while the pretear destroys it."

"You sound like you don't like what you do."

Daisuke stared at her. Tatsumi was unhappy with his role in the team?

"I simply wish I was of more use."

She thought about that as she pressed different buttons on the keyboard. She wondered what that small button in the upper right hand side was for and pressed it. The world around them shifted and they were surrounded by a very techno styled barrier. She shrieked with delight.

"You create a barrier between worlds, Tatsumi. I thought you guys didn't know how to do this."

"We didn't know we could. We weren't even aware we were supposed to." Kazuki said, impressed.

"I thought that was the power button. I never saw any point to turning it off. This makes you happy?"

"It should make you happy. You have a very important job. Separating our world and Leafenia from the battle protects both worlds from being affected by it." She smiled.

"I suppose you're right. That is important."

They separated and smiled at each other. Tatsumi felt more needed and therefore, more content with his place on the team.

Daisuke stepped forward, knowing his turn finally arrived. She looked at him, gave him a small smile then sighed.

"I really need a break. I think we should pick this up tomorrow."

Her team knew she was balking at the idea of preting with Daisuke again, but they couldn't blame her for being afraid.

"Come on, I'll be gentler this time." He said, holding out his hand.

"No seriously, I'm tired. It has nothing to do with you. I just think I've pretted enough today."

"You're not giving me a chance. I know we can do this. We can complete a successful pret."

"I told you, it's not about that. I'm just tired. I need a break. We'll start up again tomorrow."

"Are you kidding me?! No, we're doing this now!"

Hayate and Kazuki stepped between Daisuke and Himeno. He stared at them.

"Dai, let's stop for the day. Give her time to recoup her strength. Tomorrow, we'll pick up where we left off." Kazuki said, giving him a warning look.

"I...fine. I guess."

"Wonderful. Maybe the girls will want to go shopping today." Himeno beamed and walked off toward the manor in search of her sisters.

They watched her as she left, bouncing and skipping toward the manor. Hayate and her team knew there was fear underneath the hyper behavior. A fear she didn't want to share.