Welcome to Gaia! ::

Comeing soon the Summer of all the charictors from the Pretear RP that will be coming to the guild heart

Profiles of active characters

Avi Name: Jezbel
Char Name: Faia
Role: Leafe Knight of fire
Appearance: his hair isn't the right color in this pic.

And this is him WITH red hair (how its supposed to be) IGNORE THE GIRL!!!

Other: a major flirt, Faia can sometimes be a bit child-like in his behavior. For awhile he was the youngest knight. In his youth, he was impulsive and felt he couldn’t take the training to be a Leafe Knight any longer. So he ran away. He was taken in by a woman who later died at the hand of a Fenril. To this day, he blames himself for her death.

Avi Name: Amai Sakura-chan
Char Name: Pria
Role: Pretear
Appearance:
Other: A rather absent minded teen, she lives her life through tv-shows and takes long walks that tend to take her to unknown places. She walks to think or just to kill time. With few skills to help around the house, she sometimes seems like a burden to her older sister but she loves her sister dearly.

Avi Name: Momo K.
Char Name: Kamomoe
Role: Pria’s sister
Appearance: (unknown)
Other: As Pria’s only family, their parents having abandoned them, she works hard to allow them to have the lifestyle they have. Because of all the hard work she does, she tends to be rather cranky and has little time for herself.

Avi name: Crush or Crushed
Name: Clive/Ethreal
Age: does not matter
Role: Leafe Knight of Water
Appearance:
Clive
Ethreal
History: Will slowly unfold, unless you know the history between Riku and Clive, besides something similar to the last storyline, he has another secret up his sleeve... Ethreal has thousands of tales to be told... and no time nor the patience to tell Anyone.
Personality: Mainly reserved, quiet and kind hearted, That's Clive for ya. Ethreal however is a cold hearted *curse* yeah, you get the point. He's a monsterous soul who seeks nothing but revenge... or does he

Another day and another day without finding the Pretear.

Kaori sat outside of the local coffee shop sipping, that’s right, coffee. Today was not a good day for the twenty-four year old man. His bleached hair hung in his strange blue eyes. He often got quite a few looks from people; after all it was very rare to see a blue eyed Japanese man.

Kaori definitely seemed out of place, for he dressed in elegant gothic Lolita attire. He wore a big top hat that did not shade his eyes, since it was worn farther back on his head. A pinstriped coat, torn matching pinstriped pants with white cloth sticking out of each gaping hole, a red vest with a white dress shirt underneath, and black sneakers with three inch tall platform completed the strange outfit.

Faia walked down the street toward the coffee shop. “Damn, how will we ever find her?” he muttered to himself. Faia was a relatively tall nineteen year old, and would have blended into the crowd if not for his bright red hair that seemed to hang down his back, and yet defy gravity at the same time. Oddly enough, or not, he dressed mainly in red at the moment. Black shorts and a red workout shirt made up his outfit. Seeing his fellow Leafe Knight, he made his way over to Kaori.

“Any leads yet, ‘cause I’m stumped!” he said upon reaching the other Knight.

“No, sorry, no leads,” he answered, setting his coffee mug on the table and standing. “I even took the embarrassing task by standing around different schools. I feel so awkward when girls who pass by giggle and whisper about me.” He rubbed his arm. This had been a very hard day, not to mention the fact he still needed to find a job. He sat back down.

“Awww! Why didn’t I get that position?” Faia sighed, “I had to deal with the mall and a bunch of giggly pre-teens who kept asking if I worked there!”

“Trust me, Faia, you can have it. You can have it,” Kaori said. He closed his eyes as he took another sip of his coffee.

Faia sat down and looked around. “There are too many girls in this town! Something I’d never thought I’d say!”

Kaori spat out the sip of coffee he had just taken. “You got to be kidding me! You? Thinking there’s too many girls? Wow.”

Faia ignored this, instead glancing at Kaori’s coffee, and asking, “How can you drink that stuff? It’s disgusting!”

Kaori didn’t reply, simply drained the last of the contents in his cup.

“Hmm… oh! I know, we could go check the nursery school down the street. I’m sure there must be some girls there!” Faia rolled his eyes as he uttered the sarcastic comment. “Face it, she’s not here, she never was, and never will be. We should leave this town and try another, ‘cause I for one am SICK of this place and trying to charm girls, because then they get clingy. I Hate Clingy! Plus now they all know me and I can’t get any dates. Do you know what that does to my social life? Oh, wait. I don’t have one, I’m too busy trying to find a girl THAT DOESN’T EXIST!” Faia slammed his fist on the table as he yelled that last statement before standing.

Kaori laughed nervously. “Oh, Faia, you don’t have to be that loud you know!” he laughed again and mumbled, “They must think we’re crazy.” Kaori reluctantly watched as Faia started to leave, but something caught his eye. What the heck? He wondered, looking more closely. A girl was in the middle of the road, picking up shinais. Something else caught his eye.

“What the heck does she think she’s doing?” he asked aloud, getting up quickly. He didn’t hear the waitress that called after him about not paying. He was already running into the street after her. Except, Faia had already seen her, and the car that was racing toward her

Oh crap, was Faia’s only though as he rushed forward and rolled her out of the way, just as the car passed. Kaori stopped, seeing that Faia had already saved the day. He had to dodge a car before he ran over to the two.

“Hey, are you okay or do you always drop in the middle of busy streets?” Faia asked with a grin, looking down at the girl.

Tae stared wide-eyed at the man on top of her, and said the only thing that came to mind, “Can you please get off of me?” Oh why did she choose this day to wear a skirt? Stick to pants next time, Tae, stick to pants! She lectured herself silently. “And no… wait… the shinai!” she practically shoved him off of her as she rushed to stare at the now wet and mostly broken Shinai. “The master is going to kill me,” she moaned.

Faia gaped at the girl. “She shoved me off?” he muttered, hoping no one heard that. He looked at the mess in the street. “Well, better those things than you, right?” he stated sheepishly.

“Faia, did I just see what I thought I saw?” Kaori chuckled, reaching the two. It was definitely not Faia’s day. Kaori moved over toward Tae, saying “Here, let me help you.” He knelt down to help pick up the wet and broken shinais. “So, this also must not be your day, eh?” What was it? Bad Luck Day or something?

Faia sighed and blushed. Of course Kaori would see and hear that, he couldn’t’ catch a break today. He walked over to Koari and the girl, saying, “Sorry about your… stuff… ummm, do you need any, you know, help… maybe… with anything so I can make it up to you?” He signed again. He wasn’t good at helping, but the girl looked so crestfallen, he HAD to do something!

Tae grabbed what was left of the shinai from Kaori. She had already wrapped the still whole ones back in the paper package. “No, I guess it’s not my day. And I would prefer to be back on the street than face Master with this,” she said in reply to what the oddly dressed man had said. She turned to face the red-haired man, bowing deeply. “And thank you, for saving my life. I can not repay you for what you have done,” she said. As she bowed, shinai fell out of the package again and clattered at her feet. She groaned.

“No repayment is necessary,” Faia said. “But I would still like to help you out… maybe get you new… thingies,” he finished with a shrug.

“They are called shinai, and I doubt you have enough money to get replacements. These were a gift from a neighboring dojo.”

“Hmmm, well, I do have money. How much do… shinai usually go for? Maybe we can find another dojo to donate,” he grinned, already forming a plan, one which would most likely cause more trouble. “I’ve met A LOT of people here. I’m sure someone must have those shinai things!”

Kaori smiled. “No problem. Um, uh, what’s your name?” he asked, tipping his hat before his expression turned serious. “But shouldn’t you be taking it easy? I mean, you almost got hit by a car,” Kaori crossed his arms, “but the way your master sounds, I bet it would have been better.” He laughed nervously. Horrible joke, Kaori! “Shinai, huh? Wow, I’m seriously sorry, if there is any way I could help, please allow me to do so.”

As Kaori was talking, Faia was planning and listening. Hmm, does Kaori have a little crush? Faia thought, aww! I can teas him later, but first I should work this into my plan, now named Project Get Kaori a Date! He turned his attention back to the two. “Always the gentleman, aren’t’ you Kaori? Maybe you should escort… hey, what IS your name anyway? To her dojo,” Faia said, grinning and winking at Kaori as he spoke.

Kaori groaned as he looked at Faia. “Don’t get any ideas,” he whispered to the younger knight before turning to face the girl and saying to both of them, “Well, I guess I am the gentleman, it’s not my code to leave a woman alone who looks like she needs a hand. You do need a hand, right?”

Tae looked back and forth between the two men as she stood back up from gathering the shinai she had dropped. “Shinai cost about 35 to 50 dollars, depending on how well they are made,” she bowed again, “My name is Tae Saitoh from the Isshin-Ryu and Sword dojo. And watch your mouth, Master Fujita is one of the greatest swordsmen in Japan. I am honored that he took me in his dojo.” She glared at the blonde man, adding, “I can walk myself, thank you very much.”

Turning back to Faia, Tae continued, “And thank you for saving me. You may stop by for some tea whenever you have time.”

Faia grinned at Kaori with a look that screamed “Too Late!” as he said, “Oops, look at the time. Kaori, I trust you can get this fine young woman home,” he turned to Tae, adding, “Oh, let him escort you. He’ll mope all day worrying if he doesn’t. And again, sorry about your shinai’s. I’ll look into getting new ones. Bye!” Faia ran off to find a suitable place that would keep him safely hidden, yet allow him to spy on them at the same time.

“Hey! Get back here!” Kaori yelled. He was too late, Faia was already gone. Kaori was not looking for a relationship, and he did not appreciate Faia’s attempts to shove him into one, however… “Ah well,” he laughed slightly, “Don’t you just hate it when he does that?” he laughed nervously again. “By the way, I won’t mope if you still don’t want me to escort you.”

Tae tossed her braid behind her shoulder, wiped her bangs out of her face and started walking. “As I said, I don’t need your help,” she pointed out once again. However, it wasn’t long before she tripped over a crack in the sidewalk. She caught her self and hardened her glare as she continued as though nothing happened.

“First day with the new feet?” Kaori joked as he caught up with her.

Following the two, Faia slapped his head and nearly groaned when he heard Kaori’s joke. “Not to self,” he thought, “get Kaori some joke books and good pick up lines.”

Tae stopped in her tracks before turning to Kaori. “You never gave me your name,” she said with a sweet smile. “Well, too late now, I suppose.” She grinned as she punched him directly in the mouth. “Hopefully that will teach you when to keep your mouth shut, golden boy,” she said, smugly.

Faia’s eyes nearly popped out of his skull when he saw the girl punch his fellow knight. “Geez, and I thought I got shot down hard. That’s got to hurt…literally,” he thought with a snicker, “Wait, Kaori will probably blame me for this for leaving him. Uh oh!” Faia turned and started to run down the street, trying to get as far from Kaori as he could.

Kaori fell back onto the ground. He laid there for a second before getting up, cursing aloud. He was mainly upset about the pain he was, and at Tae. He made a quick mental note never to go near this girl again as he moved his hand away from his mouth. He was in a great deal of pain, bleeding heavily, and had just been humiliated in public… No, he was not a happy camper.

Tae couldn’t help but laugh at the look on his face. “Oh well, at least I feel better now,” she sighed, “Better come with me, you’re going to need ice.” She shifted the package to one arm and grabbed Kaori’s arm to lead him toward her dojo. The building was just outside of Main Street in a small forest type park.

Though Kaori didn’t have a chance to stop her from dragging him along behind her, he froze when he sensed something. He twisted around, trying desperately to grasped the feeling again, to identify it, but they were too far away. He looked to Tae. Why was he still with her? And what about ice? Ice, he doesn’t need ice! He could fix himself on his own. One of the advantages of being a Leafe Knight was the quick healing.

“I, uh, thank you for wanting to help me, but I think I have to go,” Kaori said as he looked behind him. Not wanting to repeat history, especially not the part where he got punched, he tried to be as polite as he could.

Tae’s face darkened as she narrowed her eyes slightly, but just as quickly as the odd expression came, it left. “Very well, suit yourself golden boy.” She turned quickly and almost crashed into a signpost. Sighing, she went around it and finally disappeared around the corner.

Kaori quickly headed to where he sensed Faia, hoping the Leafe Knight of Fire had felt it as well, and it wasn’t just his imagination…

To Be Continued....

Faia sighed as he walked down the street.

“Maybe I shouldn’t have snapped like that,” he thought to himself, “But… she looked too young to be involved in this.” He shook his head. “It HAD to be a msikae! Maybe I should apologize anyway… besides, Kaori will kill me if I don’t help train her.”

Having come to that conclusion, he turned and walked back to where he had left two people to find one oddly dressed, distressed, and spinning girl. “Ah, I see you preted already. Rushing things a bit, aren’t you Kaori?” Faia asked before asking Pria, “So how does it feel? Oh, yeah, and sorry for my attitude before. I’m sure you’ll get used to it,” he finished with a grin.

“GET USED TO IT?” Pria all but shrieked. “I’m probably never going to see you again! What’s going? Where did he go? Why can I hear him but I can’t see him? I just want to know what’s going on here!” She was terribly near tears.

Faia sighed. He’d have to try explaining again. “He didn’t go anywhere,” Faia began, “he’s now a part of you. You’ve bonded together in a process called preting. It’s not permanent or anything, so you’re not stuck with him forever. He’s with you because he’s your knight, as I am. So sorry, but you’re gonna be seeing a lot of me, please hold your joy. We… uh… need you to help us save the leafe. Look, you’re the only one that can do this. If you don’t help us everything is doomed!” Great, Faia thought, now I sound like one of those corny speakers that are always overdramatic, and she doesn’t look like she believes me… great.

“Kn…Knights? Li…like the Knights of the round table?” Pria asked uncertainly.

“Ummm, not exactly. We are Leafe Knights. I’m the Knight of Fire and Kaori is the Knight of Light. There are seven knights in total, all who have special abilities and expertise, that when preted with the Pretear can be used against those who wish to harm the leafe. It’s our job to protect the leafe. Leafe is energy in simple terms. All living things have leafe. Without it, there is no life. You are the Pretear… YOU, above anyone else, can protect the leafe and save it! But if the Knights of the round table will help you, then YOU are King Arthur… we are your knights and we join together, literally, to defeat our enemies, who want to harm Camelot, the leafe.” Faia shrugged and grinned at his example. Maybe he could explain this after all… though it would help if Kaori piped up every once in awhile. He must still be mad about Faia leaving him with Tae. Faia snickered silently.

Kaori chuckled. “Ah, it’s great to know you sound more like those crazy, girly cartoon characters than I do,” he said before depreting with a much less spectacular flash of light. He walked over to Faia and patted the younger knight on the shoulder. Oddly enough, he was not wearing the same clothes he had been before disappearing. Instead his outfit was made of golden cloth, strongly resembling a dress with a cape. A large sun was printed on his chest. “King Arthur? Camelot? I got to make a mental note of that,” he laughed.

“Wait, wait,” Pria said, not yet noticing she was no longer joined with Kaori. “Long analogy, need pen and paper… look… what do you mean… join? I’m not Guinevere!” Then she saw Kaori in his bizarre outfit and stared. “Where did you come from? And why did you change your clothes?”

Faia glared at Kaori. “Hey, it was a good analogy! And nice of you to finally show up and help!” he turned to Pria, adding, “I NEVER said you were Guinevere. You’re ARTHUR! There will be no pathetic love trangles! THERE IS NO GUEINEVERE!”

Pria sniffed a bit. “There better not be. And if I’m Arthur… I’m one of these knight thingies too?”

“Faia, you don’t need to yell, she’s just… confused,” Kaori chided. He turned to look at Pria. “A knight? Well, not exactly. I guess you could say your head knight without all your armor, the only armor is our Leafe protecting you from harm.” He smiled, hoping this also explained more. Then he looked down at the golden “costume.” “This? This is my true attire.”

“I guess I should change into my ‘uniform,’” Faia sighed as he looked at the darkening skies. “Uh oh… I think the first lesson is starting…”

A black cloud was floating through the streets, everything it touched fell to the ground… cats, birds, trees, and people alike. It was like a plague silently killing and absorbing the leafe of everyone and everything. The ground shuddered and cracked. A large gray, slimy tentacle reached up into the sky. The cloud floated toward it, giving it the leafe that it absorbed. Yet Faia seemed to be the only one to notice.

“You better not follow me to the bathroom… wait a second,” Pria trailed off, turning to face the Knight of Light. “Your true attire is… a dress?”

Kaori looked down, his face beat red. “Er, yes. Not by my choice. It was the first Light Leafe Knight chose.” Kaori looked at the sky, catching onto what Faia was pointing out. “Uh, yeah, I guess you’re right. Do you want to prêt with her this time?” he asked, crossing his arms. “I’ve done enough today, high schools and all, y’know.”

“The first? Like… that’s some king of uniform or something?” Pria asked.

“Yeah, it’s a uniform. Y’know, like what the girls wear at the middle and high schools.” Memories of earlier that day popped into his head and he couldn’t help but shudder. He wasn’t too fond of younger girls.

“I wouldn’t know. I haven’t gone to school sin—” Pria clapped her hands over her mouth quickly, realizing what she was saying. “Gotta go! Bye!” For the second time that day, she turned and ran…



To Be Continued...

(on that lastg one whats with all the ?s? made it hard to read..... heart

exactly! thank you Ran. try refreshing the page next time and hopefully it'll go back to normal. if not then try coming back to it later

Tomo sighed, ignoring the whispers he heard around him. He was an unusual-looking gentleman, mysterious, tall, and always with a kind expression. His white and blue trench coat didn’t help, compared with the normal clothes of the Japanese. He heard a cry and noticed a small child’s balloon get taken away by the hefty wind. The child reached for it but it rose high above… not for long.

Tomo shifted the wind and the balloon gently sored back down to the child and into his arms, where he laughed in happiness. The mother blinked and shrugged, obviously confused by the “sudden change in weather patterns.” Tomo smiled warmly, sitting down on a bench and laying his arms outward on either side on the back of the bench, leaning back to stare up into the sky. The wind shifted his bangs and hair, and rustled the dried leaves around him.

“What a strange day,” he thought, closing his eyes. He didn’t feel like going back to his apartment yet…

Tae had left the house, taking the fliers with her. It was too heavy of an atmosphere in there and she was tired… oh so very tired. She glanced up at the newcomer, Tomo they had called him, sitting in the park. Smirking, she glided up behind him and watched the balloon drift back to the child.

“Interesting weather we are having… Tomo, right?” she asked, her smirk changed to a smile.

Tomo opened his eyes, slightly surprised at the young woman’s sudden appearance. He looked up at her with a smile, his head having already been leaning on the back of the bench. “Very peculiar, indeed,” he answered, a gentle look caressing his face. “Tomo is right.”

Tae’s smile got broader. “Mind if I join you?” she asked, already starting to sit next to him. She pulled her outfit so the loose clothing didn’t get bunched up whiles she sat, and pulled her knees to her chest. “You seem very deep in thought. May I ask what about?”

Tomo shifted his arms so they rested against his sides, hands placed in his trench coat pockets. He wondered what had changed the woman’s attitude, as he thought back to the nasty glare she had given him earlier.

“Nothing too important,” he replied softly, fixing so a gentle wind blew past them. He didn’t want to pester her with his petty thoughts, anyway. “How are you feeling? You look a little flushed,” he said suddenly, glancing at her with concerned eyes.

Tae shook her bangs out of her eyes again. Master did say she needed to cut them, perhaps she should. “Ah, I’m fine,” she said reassuringly. “It was just so… heated in there with everyone yelling. I guess I got caught up in the moment. It’s much better to be outside.” She lifted her arms and grinned, “Ahh, feel that wind! It’s so cool yet warm at the same time.” Looking over at him, she asked, “So, how did you appear out of thin air anyway?”

Tomo let out a small laugh. “I’m glad to hear you’re feeling better.” His eyes traced to the small fountain before them. “Appearing like that is part of my power of the wind. The wind tends to appear out of nowhere also,” he said. He watched the water cascade down the smaller rocks that developed into an authentic pond. “I traced the other Knights’ Leafe and located them from where I was,” he added. A small slience rang between the two before he turned to her with a smile. “I never found out your name,” he said quietly. His light-hazelnut eyes were full of warmth.

Tae looked back at him through half closed eyes, and answered, “My name is Tae Saitoh. I am the assistant master at the Isshin-ryu and sword dojo around here.” She smiled and raised an eyebrow before asking, “So, Leafe Knights? Is that some kind of cult? And you probably just came through the window, making it look like you came out of thin air. I’ve seen magic shows and know how they work.” She laughed. “Cults and giant spiders, my day is complete.”

Tomo sighed suddenly and scratched his head. “You caught me,” he said. “I guess you could call me a magician.”

He knew he knew he had gotten caught up in the moment, not realizing what he had actually let this young woman know. “Giant spider, you say?” he asked. He hadn’t heard about that one. But that did explain the injuries of Faia, and possibly the unconscious Kaori. “What a strange occurrence.” Again, he was shrouded in mystery.

Tae smiled. “You are an odd one, Tomo. Sometimes you seem so… adult, and other times like a small innocent child. It’s cute,” she chuckled. “It’s getting dark. Where do you stay?”

Tomo didn’t know whether to take her comment kindly, or as an insult. Either way, it hadn’t bothered him at all. He knew he could act childish at times, countered by his mature attitude and wise advice. “Well, I stay at an apartment toward the inner city,” he answered as the sky started to turn a deep shade of pink.

“Looks like the sun is about to set,” he said, glancing to the violet clouds. “Want to catch it?” He smirked, turning his eyes to Tae.

Tae merely smirked back. “That’s silly. You can’t catch the sun, it always escapes you,” she added softly before straightening up and glancing back at Tomo. He really was cute… really cute. Oh well, she couldn’t afford to look at him like that anyway. “And when you have time, you should stop by my dojo. We are having a sakura festival and I would be happy to offer you some tea.”

He chuckled and looked up at her. “I hope you’ve cheered up,” he said, still seated on the bench. Now that the sun was gone, his face was shrouded in shadows. “I’ll be looking forward to seeing you again, Tae. Thank you for keeping me company.” He gave her a warm smile, adding, “I will attend your dojo’s festival, if you do not mind having me there.”

Tae nodded. “Yes, I have actually, a lot.” She returned his smile. “I’ve enjoyed your company, and no. I did invite you after all. I won’t go back on that. Why don’t you invite your other cult friends? I am sure it will be fun.” Standing up, she continued, “I really should get going. Master is so strict,” she finished with a sigh.

Tomo stood as well, stretching his arms high into the air. He almost dropped when she described the other Leafe Knights as part of a “cult.”

“I’m sure they would fancy in coming also,” he said, rubbing the back of his head. He felt a bit gloomy that she had to leave. He hadn’t had a normal conversation with someone in a very long time. “Would you like me to walk you home?” he offered, feeling it was dangerous for her to be alone since the night had already sprung.

Tae smiled at him. “I am the Assistant Master, so you don’t need to worry about trouble but… I would enjoy the company. Plus, you can see where the festival is.” She shook her bangs out of her eyes and started walking. He looked so forlorn when she said she had to leave, how could she say no?

Putting his hands back into his pockets, Tomo caught up to her and walked beside her. “That would be great. Although I’ve been in this city for almost two years, I barely know where many places are.

He looked to the ground as he walked, enjoying the company. A warm gust of wind blew in between the two and raced up into the trees. Something made him stop in his tracks and look back. Something was wrong, but what was it? Tomo’s eyes narrowed for the first time and he grew a little troubled. However, as quickly as it came, the feeling was gone. Strange… He turned back to Tae, giving her a satisfying smile and continued walking, although something tugged in the back of his mind.

Tae’s eyes went distant as they walked in silence. The wind blew red strands of hair back and she closed her eyes for a minute. She glanced over at Tomo when he turned to her and returned his smile. There was nothing to be worried about… nothing at all.

Tomo felt himself relax, now that the strange feeling had disappeared. Did one of the Leafe knights feel it too? Once he ensured that Tae was safely back at her dojo, he would check things out.

“So, have you been in the dojo all your life?” he asked suddenly, his voice soft.

Tae shook her head. “I was born in Japan, but I left and spent three years in America. Then I came back and Master Fujita accepted me as assistant master. He was very kind.” She smiled at the thought. Ever since then, it’s been doing what she could, here and there. Teaching mostly. The pay was horrible, but she did get lodging and food. “What about you, Tomo?”

Tomo’s eyes grew quiet depressed as he ran a hand through his blackish-silver hair. “There’s not much to tell,” he said. “I can only remember the past two years of my life, which consisted of work. I have no memory.” Another wind, colder than before, ran in between the two. “It’s very kind that your Master took you in like that,” he smiled, “not many people are kind-hearted as he may be.”

Tae frowned. “I am sorry to hear that, Tomo,” she said, but her eyes hardened greatly. “Yes, there aren’t many people like him,” she continued, her voice low and steady. But her face changed once again as she smiled. “Oh, almost there. Would you like to come in for some tea?”

Tomo smiled. This girl had many emotions, he easily observed. “I’m going to pass on tea,” he answered, the smile never fading. “I have to check up on a couple of things at work before I forget.”

He walked her the rest of the way, until the dojo was in full view. It was a pretty nice seeming place, a very oriented and different view from the regular, towering business buildings of Tokyo city. “Do take care, Tae,” he said in a soft, warm voice. “I will be looking forward to the festival.” He stood up straight, putting both his arms behind his head. “Good night and farewell,” he finished with a bow. He turned heel, quickly disappearing into thin air again; just like the magician he was.

Tae smiled as she watched him disappear into thin air. “Very well then, I shall see the festival, Tomo… Magician indeed,” she murmured before retiring to her room to read before sleep…

To Be Continued...

Pria stared at Clive. The tears on her face became visible as she lowered her hands. She turned to flee but her body betrayed her and she fell to the cement. Unable to do much else, she shoved her hands over her face again.

Clive’s eyes widened as he saw her fall. He ran over to her and knelt down beside her, asking, “Miss, are you alright?” His eyes were full of concern as he tried to assess the situation.

Pria gave a small meek nod. She couldn’t speak without sobbing, and didn’t dare show her face. She still didn’t want them to see her cry.

“Please tell me why you are crying,” Clive begged softly, touching her shoulder. He wanted to know what had upset her so much. “I wish to help you!” But Pria only shook her head a bit, still hiding in her hands.

“A…are you hurt? Should I get help?” Clive asked, looking around for someone, just in case she was hurt. He was trying so hard to help her, but she wouldn’t talk to him.

“I… I… I hate crying!” Pria finally cried out in frustration.

A smile crossed his lips and he laughed, finding that exclamation funny. “Then, why do you cry?” he asked, smiling. “You don’t have to cry. It’s best to tell people how you are feeling, that way you don’t have to cry.”

“Never works,” Pria sniffed, gulping air. “Told that Gwain guy what to do and he didn’t even shut up for a second! I still don’t know what’s going on… and… and now you’re laughing at me!”

Clive blinked and said, “Gwain… I’m afraid I do not know this… Gwain you speak of. Perhaps I could help you in some way, do you think?” He watched her closely. There was something different about this girl.

“Like how? In one day, I get stalked by two odd guys, one of whom wears a dress, get attacked by some hug-o spider, allow people into my room, get my stuff bled all over, and I still don’t know what he meant by INSIDE!”

Clive’s eyes narrowed and he muttered, “Stupid people,” knowing that the other knights must have messed this up somehow. “Why don’t we forget about it? Would you some ice cream or something?” he asked with a semi-warm smile fixed upon his lips.

Pria looked up, almost hopefully. “Ka…kakigori?” she asked. Just the thought of shaved ice with flavor perked her from all but the deepest of blue funks.

He smiled. “Sure, why not? Come on, first we have to get you off the ground.” He reached out his hand. “I’m Clive, what’s your name?” He asked as he waited for her to take his hand.

Pria reached up to take his hand and… light engulfed them. She knew by now what this meant. They had just preted! When the light faded, she was wearing a blue dress.

“Gack!” Clive yelped, too slow to pull away. “You’re… the… the… the Pretear?!” He muttered in a panicked voice. He hadn’t preted in a long time. It was strange. “No! This isn’t happening to me!”

Pria gasped and spun. “What? Where? No… not again!” she groaned and whimpered a bit. “Not again…”

“Oh no, I’m… so sorry… please forgive me… I didn’t know,” Clive said. If he had his own body, his face would have been flushed red, and his hands would have been over it. “Please… don’t hate me. We’ll just… unpret, okay?”

“I don’t know how,” Pria whimpered.

“Alright then, first of all, I just want you to relax. You are so tense!” He laughed quietly then said, “Second of all, just let me lead you through this or you’ll never get rid of me.” He paused before continuing, “Okay, here we go. Just relax an dpromise me you aren’t gonna cry. Then we can go get some Kakigori! Okay?”

“I’m not a cry baby!” Pria said, meaning to sound strong but actually sounding pathetic. She had had a long day.

“Okay then,” Clive said. He focused his energy for a moment, then there was a quick snap of light and he was standing next to her in his Leafe Knight uniform. “I, uh… sorry… about that…” he smiled nervously. “If you want, we can get some Kakigori!” He looked down at his Leafe Knight outfit and laughed nervously. There was a snap of light and he was completely and utterly back to normal.

It was all too much for Pria, the preting, having her world turned upside down, seeing Clive change his clothes in a flash of light. It was just too much. Exhaustion took over her and she fainted into Clive’s arms. Startled, the Knight caught her. With a small sigh, he took her back into her house and placed her on her sofa. He left her to rest…

To Be Continued...