6

“Ok, round two,” Himeno thought to herself as she made her way down the stairs for the second time that morning. Now more composed and in dry clothes, this time a flowered dress and blue cardigan (another favorite), she headed out the door. “I’ve got to find Yayoi,” she said to herself.

Himeno managed to make it through the grounds and out the front gate without incident. With a sigh of relief she turned and made her way towards Yayoi’s house. However, she was disappointed to find hat Yayoi had gone out earlier that morning. Mrs. Takato informed her that Yayoi had gone into town to do some shopping. As she wasn’t sure exactly where Yayoi had gone, Himeno would have to look for her. She set out for town hoping luck would turn in her favor and that she would find Yayoi quickly.

Fully aware of her friend’s obsession with romance novels, Himeno’s first stop was the bookstore. The shopkeeper informed her that, “My Lover, My Florist” wasn’t being released until the following day and that he didn’t expect Yayoi until then. Not ready to give up, Himeno checked the park, the ice cream stand, the library, and the arcade. Yayoi was nowhere to be found. Defeated, Himeno resigned herself to the fact that she would have to wait for her friend to return home. She would go back to Yayoi’s house and ask that Mrs. Takato tell Yayoi to phone her as soon as she returned. As Himeno turned to walk in the direction of the Takato residence her stomach grumbled. “Maybe just a quick snack,” she said to herself. She then turned in the opposite direction and headed towards the restaurant where Goh worked.

Dazed with hunger (Himeno usually didn’t go this long without eating) she wandered up to the café. It was a small family owned restaurant that had been in business for quite some time. No matter the time of day there were always people to be found dining, but not too many as to seem crowded. It had an air of comfort and cheer that kept people coming. The cozy outdoor seating area was one of Himeno’s favorite haunts. The familiar white tables and chairs and flower-filled planters welcomed her as she plopped down in the closest empty seat. She rested her head on the table and closed her eyes. Her thoughts swam between Hayate and food. She saw his face, eyes filled with emotion, searching her own for an answer; she wished she had reached out to him. Himeno's stomach let out an angry rumble and Hayate's face vanished momentarily only to be replaced by that of a towering stack of squid ink tacos and a strawberry-bean paste shake. She sighed and wished in vain that just this once she could forget about food. Himeno, unable to withstand her hunger any longer, raised her head to look for Goh. To her astonishment she saw someone she wasn’t at all expecting. Head buried in a book, sitting comfortably at a table in the corner, was Yayoi.

"Yayoi!" Himeno yelled as she shot out of her chair. In her excitement she quite forgot herself and in the process of standing up knocked over her chair and banged her knee on the table. "Ow, ow, ow!" Himeno hopped around as people ogled. Surprised, Yayoi closed her book and made her way over to Himeno. Yayoi bent and picked up the fallen chair. "Himeno are you alright?" she exclaimed. Himeno, embarrassed, laughed, "Ah, yes sorry! I've been looking for you all morning. When I saw you I got over excited and stood up too quickly." “Why have you been looking for me?” Yayoi asked as they sat back down at Himeno’s table. “Yayoi I need to talk to you,” Himeno implored. Yayoi, taken aback at her usually cheerful friend’s sudden urgency became concerned. “What’s wrong Himeno?” she asked anxiously. “It’s about Hayate,” Himeno whispered, afraid Goh might be nearby. Yayoi’s reaction was instantaneous. All traces of apprehension gone, her eyes welled up with tears and she became aglow in an aura of sparkles. “Oh Himeno! Say no more, say no more! Finally, the day has come! You plan to confess your love to him don’t you? You’re going to ask him to run away with you to Budapest where you’ll take a job backstage at a theater. But you’ll be swept off your feet by a handsome opera singer and poor Hayate will have to duel to win you back! And then-"

"Shhhh!," Himeno hissed as she desperately tried to coax Yayoi out of the clouds and back down to earth. Himeno, very accustomed to her friend's wild tangents, would normally have sat back and waited for her to finish. However, this time Yayoi was actually right, at least partially. She was going away with Hayate, although not to Budapest and only for a short time, it was still something she didn't want to broadcast. Realizing they would never be able to have a conversation about her and Hayate without Yayoi going off into multiple wild narrations, Himeno asked Yayoi if they could go somewhere to speak privately. Yayoi, still somewhat dazed and sparkling slightly, agreed. They stood to leave just as Goh walked outside carrying a tray of drinks. "Hey Himeno, what's up?" he called over as he waved at her smiling. "Goh... hi, nothing's up! Yayoi and I were just on our way out." Goh looked at her perplexed, "On your way out? Himeno you haven't ordered anything yet. Is everything alright?" Himeno was growing increasingly weary of another one of Yayoi's outbursts with each passing second. She was determined to leave before Yayoi let something slip about Hayate. She knew if that happened there would be no turning back. Goh had always been protective of her in an older brother sort of way; if he caught wind of something going on between her and Hayate he would want to know more about it. "No nothing's wrong," Himeno assured him, "I've just remembered something I have to do." With that she grabbed Yayoi's hand and dashed out of the restaurant. She turned and waved to Goh who, still holding his tray of drinks, stood and waved back looking utterly confused.

Himeno pulled Yayoi in the direction of the park, refusing to tell her anything more until they were somewhere they couldn't be overheard. When they finally arrived at the park Himeno lead Yayoi down one of the more secluded paths. Himeno spotted an inviting patch of grass underneath a large oak tree and decided that this was as good a spot as any. Out of breath she sat, her back against the tree's large trunk, closed her eyes, and enjoyed the shade for a moment. When she opened her eyes Yayoi was studying her intently. Himeno's almost hysterical insistence on privacy seemed to have caused her to worry again. Before Yayoi could open her mouth to speak Himeno launched into explanation. She told Yayoi everything that had happened that morning, the note, her escapade in the fountain, and the fight between Hayate and Sasame. To Himeno's amazement, Yayoi listened to the entire story without interruption. Apparently, Yayoi could be serious about situations involving romance when she had to. Yayoi sat with her head in her hand and tapped her index finger rhythmically against her cheek as she thoughtfully stared into space. Himeno watched her worriedly; after what seemed like an eternity, Yayoi finally spoke, "Ok, I think I've got it." Himeno's heart leapt and she was filled with a sense of fondness and gratitude towards her friend; she knew she could count on Yayoi.

The girls spent the better part of the afternoon settling on their story. Yayoi would ask to go visit her cousin for a few days and tell her mother that Himeno was going with her. As this was something Yayoi often did when they were on break from school, it wouldn’t seem suspicious. If, however unlikely, Mrs. Takato found out from her relatives that Himeno hadn't come along Yayoi would simply tell her mother that Himeno had a family engagement that came up at the last minute. As the Awayukis were always very busy and rarely saw the Takatos, there was little chance of them being found out. Himeno marveled at the simplicity and effectiveness of Yayoi's plan. It not only allowed her to conceal her plans from her family, but the Leafe Knights also. Knowing how reserved Hayate could be, especially when it came to his feelings for her, she was relatively certain he was planning on keeping their trip a secret from them as well.

After thanking Yayoi a thousand times over, Himeno set off for home. Her mother and father saw no objection to her going with Yayoi to her relatives' and wished her to have a good time. Himeno felt incredibly guilty about having to lie to her parents. However, she knew it was the only way she would be able to go with Hayate. She promised herself that she would make it up to them when she returned. She would sit for her father so that he could sculpt "Himeno Mark IV" and would even refrain from smashing it. For Natsue, she would be on her very best, most lady-like, behavior (for as long as she could stand it) and even wear the overly fussy dress she was given last Christmas. With these resolutions easing her conscience, Himeno enjoyed several generous helpings of dinner (she had after all skipped lunch) and retired to her room to pack.

Meanwhile, in Leafenia, Hayate was also preparing to leave. He told the other Leafe Knights, with the exception of Sasame who had not yet returned, that he planned to check on the progress of one of the further regions of Leafenia. As many of these areas were still fragile and recovering from the damage caused by Fenrir, such a trip did not seem odd. Technically it wasn't untrue either. He did plan to visit such a place; he just happened to leave out the fact that Himeno would be accompanying him. It wasn't that he felt it necessary to hide it from them, he just preferred to not have to deal with the barrage of questions that would surely have followed if he would have been completely honest with them. He also wasn't sure that he would be permitted to go alone with her if either Goh or any of the children found out. He especially could not risk this as everything depended on him being alone with her. After talking with the knights Hayate stepped outside; he still had one more matter to attend to.

The sun was setting in Leafenia. As day gave way to night the sky was filled with mingled streams of pink and purple light. The colors shone in every direction filling the trees and fields with a peaceful sleepy sort of light. Hayate stood still for a moment and breathed in the peace that surrounded him. A cool wind swept through the glade in which he stood. "Sasame," he called in a calm but resolute voice. A moment later, as expected, Hayate turned around to find Sasame standing before him. A cold gust, much more forceful than the previous sailed past and then subsided. The two knights stared fixedly at each other for what seemed to both like an eternity before Hayate finally looked away. "I'm sorry," he said, "I over-reacted." Hayate continued to look away as Sasame approached him and put a hand on his shoulder. "Hayate, if what you thought you walked in on earlier had been true, I wouldn't say that you over reacted. I, of all people, understand how being in love can affect your judgment. However, you have to learn to trust. If not me than Himeno, you must know that she would never willingly do anything that would hurt you." With this, Hayate was finally able to bring himself to look at his friend. "Sasame, I'm going to tell her. I'm taking her with me tonight and I'm going to tell her how I feel… I wanted you to know." Sasame nodded in response and gave Hayate a smile of mixed reassurance and amusement. "Good luck," he said and, in a flash of light, was gone. Hayate remained a while longer gazing at the waning sunset. With a renewed sense of calm and resolution he set off to meet Himeno.

The room is silent… until next time!