AN: It was just after I'd finished watching the Pretear series that I listened to this song, having had it lying around on my hard drive for ages. And the minute I heard the lyrics, the honest-to-God first thing that popped into my head was Sasame, I kid you not. Bask in the glow of my nerdness.

Oh yeah, I should probably tack on a nice SPOILER ALERT! You have been warned.

Anyhoo, I hope you like it, though it is relatively short by the standards of many of my other songfics. I don't own the song "What I Did for Love," from the musical A Chorus Line, and I don't own Pretear, either…although if they're selling Hayate or Sasame, I wouldn't say no… biiiiiiiiig smile

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What I Did for Love

Up until that moment, he had never experienced that level of pain—well, physically, at least.

He saw the Tree's anger, at being deprived of its Leafe. And he saw it preparing to attack the one who dared steal its power. But Takako didn't see it…

Sasame acted solely on instinct. He was barely even aware that he was moving forward. One hand reached out towards Takako. He might have shouted, cried out to her to move or run, but he truthfully didn't know if words left his lips. He seemed to be moving in slow motion, while everything else was going at double speed. He would never make it…he would never make it…

He made it. By the grace of some unknown god, he beat it.

The vines pierced him, went straight through him, suspending him in midair.

Time stood still. For a moment, nothing happened. Then, in an eruption of light, his Leafe began to leave him. It was stained bright red by his death wound. He felt his Leafe and his life already slipping away from him.

It hurt. It hurt like nothing had ever hurt before. Yet he smiled.

He smiled.

He was dying, in excruciating pain, and yet he was happy. She was safe.

Takako had turned around and seen him. Her emerald eyes were wide with horror.

He spoke, a ragged whisper. "I am a Knight just for you." The vines withdrew back to the tree then, and he was sent stumbling to the ground. Some part of him that was disconnected from everything else saw Hayate and Himeno, both watching in shock. Would they mourn him, he wondered?

The darkness lifted, and he because aware somehow that he was back in the clothing of the Leafe Knight of Sound—white and lavender, now stained a bright crimson. Takako was back to normal as well.

His beloved was beside him, sobbing. And he spoke to her, what he had always wanted to say, begging her to abandon her hatred and release them all. And Himeno was there; he apologized for what he had done to Mawata. He was truly sorry for that.

"Smile for me?" he asked her, and she did.

Now he could go happily.

And he felt the last breath of life leave him. His Leafe was gone.

Goodbye, Takako, he thought, hoping desperately that somehow, she would hear him. Please live.

With a last, shuddering gasp of air, Sasame let his eyes fall closed…and he knew no more.

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Where am I?

Sasame had the distinct sensation of falling. How could he feel? Hadn't he…

His eyes struggled open, and saw blue skies overhead. He felt strange, and he was tired. But he was alive. Alive! How could this be?

Before he could contemplate it much anymore, the ground painfully introduced itself to his back, momentarily knocking the air out of him. When he finally regained his ability to breathe, he climbed to his feet and looked around. They were back on the Awayuki estate, but all of the demon larvae were gone.

And there was Hayate, sprawled unceremoniously on the ground. Even as far away as Sasame was, he could see that his fellow Knight was severely injured. But not for long: the Leafe falling around them landed on him, and as Sasame approached, he could actually see those injuries disappearing.

Hayate's eyes opened, and he looked up. "Himeno?"

Sorry to disappoint you, Sasame didn't know why such a wry thought jumped into his head at that moment, but it was the truth. As Hayate's eyes focused in on him, and realization dawned, he said nothing. He simply waited to hear what his old friend would have to say.

"Sasame? How…?" Hayate wasn't normally wasn't one to stammer.

"Himeno." Two pairs of eyes moved to Takako. "Himeno resurrected him." She was crying, and Sasame looked over Hayate's head to see why. And he suddenly found he couldn't breathe.

Himeno…dead?

It took a moment longer for Hayate to understand. But as comprehension dawned, he saw something in his friend that he knew all too well. He knew that pain. The tearing loss of heartbreak. He'd felt that quite some time ago, when he'd been forced to help seal away his own beloved.

"Himeno…arigatou…" he murmured. He then watched something extraordinary happen.

Hayate admitting that he loved her, though she couldn't hear him. Hayate kissing her.

And Himeno's eyes opening.

What was it about that girl that made her able to control miracles? She had become the White Pretear by herself, singlehandedly stopped the Tree of Fenrir, and revived after dying. And amidst all that, she had managed to save the Princess of Disaster, Takako, from herself.

Lavender eyes shifted sideways to look at the young woman beside him.

If there is a miracle called love…

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"Sasame."

The Sound Knight froze. For a split second, he hesitated. Then slowly, he turned. He couldn't just walk away—what was he going to do? Pretend he hadn't heard them?

Six pairs of eyes stared right back at him. Wary, untrusting eyes, some smoldering with suppressed anger, and some bright with question and confusion.

It was Kei who had barked his name, and it was Kei who spoke to him now. "Well?"

Sasame truthfully wasn't sure what the question was. "Well what?"

The Knight of Light stared at him as if he couldn't believe what he had just heard. "You have nothing to say for yourself? After all that's happened, you can't think of a single thing to say?"

Slowly, Sasame shook his head. "I don't think there's really anything to say."

Goh stepped in, slightly calmer. "You're not sorry at all, are you?"

Sasame smiled softly. "That's not quite true. I'm sorry for what I did to Mawata. But everything else…no, I'm not. I'm not going to lie about it." He studied their reactions. The three children looked up at him apprehensively—well, Mannen and Hajime did. Shin just looked confused.

"I don't blame you."

Everyone's gaze shifted to the woman of the hour herself—Himeno. She was still a little pale, but she otherwise looked whole. Hayate was standing protectively at her shoulder, ready to defend her from anything, be it man or demon.

"I've been thinking about it, Sasame," she went on; her eyes still had that strange glow to them, just as when she had awakened. It was almost otherworldly, like she knew something that no one else did. "And I don't blame you. At all."

"Himeno…" he started to ask, but he answered the question first.

"I won't say I'm not upset," she raised a hand. "And what you did to Mawata…I hope she punches you right in the nose. But…people do crazy things for love, don't they? And—and I just don't think that's really something to be ashamed of."

Sasame waited, and realized that she meant it.

And he nodded.

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AN: Whew. I think that came out pretty well eyes fic I love songfics, don't ya know! I like Sasame, and I actually like him even more for what he did. I mean, it took a lot of guts to do what he did…I analyze anime characters for fun. Leave me in my shame. readers all sweatdrop

Anyway, if you want to tell me what you think, I'd love to hear it! See that little button down there? It's calling to you! It's saying, "Click on me! Then type something nice and moderately encouraging in the box that pops up, pretty please!" Ja ne, everybody!