Title: Sometimes

Author: Wearable Bishounen

Rating: R

Summary: Sometimes it's hard to leave the ones you love. Sometimes you find a new love at the most unexpected times and in unusual places. Sometimes the Pretear can be a male.

Disclaimer: We—authors Lennith and Cheza-chan—do not own Pretear in any way. If we did… well, some of you might not be able to watch the show.

A/N: Cheza desu. Wow… it's been a while, hasn't it? I've never once forgotten about this fic, and I wondered if people were still waiting for an update. A good friend of mine used to always tell me to post a notice saying the fic would no longer be updated, but I knew this file was out here somewhere. GreatestJournal shut down, but I managed to save everything for this fic. Some things… I forgot to get, but the chapter today will be the final chapter. Nothing for Sometimes was lost, but… we stopped writing it at this point, as I am no longer in contact with Lennith. I read it over and it seemed things would have gotten interesting. My apologies. For those of you that do find this chapter and read it, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did (bows)

Chapter Sixteen – Practice Usually Makes Perfect

"Mannen, will you just go to bed already? You're keeping me awake like that," Izumi whined.

The Ice Knight started from his stillness at the window at first at the sudden noise in the silence. Snow was falling quietly outside the inn's window, causing the hot springs to steam eerily. "Ah, gomen," Mannen apologized quickly. He moved hesitantly away from the window and plodded to his futon. "I was just watching the snow." With a slight huff, he let himself drop to the thick blankets. He had also been pointedly trying to avoid getting into bed with Izumi sprawled out next to him. His heart gave a firm thud as the Pretear stretched and shifted. Trying to ignore it, Mannen squeezed his eyes shut and tried to will his blood temperature to drop.

"Yeah, but it's late," Izumi said curtly. "The snow will be there tomorrow."

"Hah, you're right. Oyasumi, Izumi-kun." His shoulder twitched as he felt Izumi's weight shift closer.

"Aho, aren't you going to give me a goodnight kiss?"

Mannen's eyes flew open. A "goodnight kiss"? Had Izumi gone mad? He was startled again to see the dark-framed face so close to his when his thinking cleared enough to register his vision. The Ice Knight gave an undignified squeak in surprise at his body's instantaneous reaction. Maybe Izumi HAD gone mad, to be so close to him with his face flushed like that. But then, if he got a kiss out of the deal, who was he to argue, right? "O-of course! I didn't think you'd want one," he said stupidly.

Before he could say anything else dumb, or let Izumi change his mind, he leaned forward and pressed his lips against his Pretear's offered mouth. He'd intended it to be just a light peck; closed mouth. The teen was so easy to scare off.

Mannen certainly didn't expect Izumi to lean into the kiss, but he had to give another squeak when he felt the boy's tongue slip into his mouth. He pulled away sharply in shock. "I-Izumi-kun?!"

Izumi only wriggled closer, bringing their bodies into contact. "Man..nen.." he whispered, nipping at the Knight's ear. "I want you... now." With an urgent gesture, he pulled at the neck of Mannen's sleeping robe, exposing his toned chest.

Mannen gave a choked gasp, his heart skipping a beat and plunging into a quicker rhythm. "Are you... sure about this? Izumi, I can wait for you."

"I can't," Izumi replied softly but firmly, his hands loosening his own robe. "Please, Mannen?"

He couldn't answer that though, because the Pretear's lips locked him away again. Mannen opened his mouth to give way to his prying tongue, drawing it into his mouth and tasting it with his own. He let his fingers entwine in Izumi's dark tresses, cupping the slender neck protectively as he rolled to cover his soon-to-be lover. Izumi's breathing hitched, already coming in labored pants. He murmured the other's name again, arching into each touch.

Mannen gave a low chuckle, letting his hands slip under the cotton of Izumi's robe and brush over the younger boy's soft skin. "Eager, aren't we?" He smiled, feeling his partner's nipple contract and harden under his palm. Not that he was any less eager, not with Izumi's heated body pressing against his so urgently, the boy's face flushed and eyes half-lidded with need.

"Yes. See for yourself." Izumi parted his legs a bit, guiding Mannen's hand to show him just how eager he really was.

The elder had to grit his teeth in self-control, exposing his partner's taut member jutting hard and slick in contrast to his softly heaving stomach. "Neither of us are going to last long," he said, abandoning reason and surrendering to their shared need. They explored one another roughly and with abandon, as if starved for too long from one another.

Izumi cried out when Mannen got the courage to grasp his erection, but begged his lover to touch him more. They clutched close to one another, their disheveled garments entangling as their hips ground together. The sheets quickly dampened with their sweat as they spiraled closer to climax, each calling the other's name with only the falling snow as witness to their uninhibited passion.

Snow. Snow? Wasn't it still summer?

+ + +

Mannen awoke from his dream with a sharp inhalation. His purple eyes focused on the sunlit ceiling. They were still at the hot springs resort. It was still summer. He let out his breath gingerly, acutely aware of the throbbing between his legs. 'Dammit, now is not the time for a wet dream, Mannen!' he admonished himself. 'Izumi would freak out if he knew you were dreaming something like that!' With a grimace he let his head loll to the side... and stopped breathing when he found himself staring directly into Izumi's face. 'Shit! He's going to kill me!' he thought in a panic, awaiting the first blow for a moment before he realized the teenager was asleep.

Izumi had somehow worked his way over to Mannen's futon and was now nestled against the elder's side. Mannen's heart eventually slowed. He was lucky, incredibly lucky, that Izumi was asleep. His proximity wasn't helping his problem though. Neither was the fact that his face was serene and beautiful when he slept. With a gentle smile, Mannen gently traced the boy's jaw with a finger, sweeping a few stray strands of dark chocolate colored hair out of his face. He wanted the peaceful moment to linger, but he could feel his body's sure reaction only getting increasingly worse. "Izumi-kun," he said softly.

There was no response, so he repeated himself with an accompanied shake. Mannen's brow wrinkled, both in puzzlement and in building frustration. Izumi was sleeping solidly as a rock, apparently. 'Oh, he was pretty drunk last night... That's probably it.' The Ice Knight grimaced again. He wished he hadn't had that dream. If he wasn't already so tight he'd be enjoying this unexpected snuggle-time immensely and would have used it to his advantage. Advantage?

A mischievous smirk replaced the worried frown on his handsome face. "Well... if he's so dead asleep... I suppose he wouldn't notice if I touched him a little, ne, Izumi-kun?" He giggled into the void of response. Carefully, he pulled himself up to one elbow and leaned over so he could get a better view. He traced over the Pretear's lips with his thumb, admiring their shape and softness. "You're beautiful when you're like this," he whispered.

His pale face darkened, an unbidden memory of how that same face had looked in the throes of lovemaking surfacing in his mind. He pinched his nose in an effort to staunch back a nosebleed. When he felt he had a bit more self-control again, he curiously tousled the sleeper's mussed hair, taking a moment to appreciate its light scent. Izumi seemed to be completely dead to the world; he had yet to show any response at all to any of Mannen's gentle prodding.

After a moment of deliberation, he worked up the nerve to slip his hand into the neck of Izumi's loosened yukata. The skin was so fine and smooth, like warm china. Mannen stiffened when he felt the boy's nipple harden beneath his palm, just as it had in his dream.

"Mann..." Izumi stirred a little, nestling into Mannen's body and touch. 'Shit!' Both out of fear of the Pretear waking and his now urgent need to relieve himself Mannen jumped to his feet and ran to the bathroom.

+ + +

"Izumi..." he sighed as he finally released his seed and ended his misery. He grimaced as the shower quickly washed away the sticky mess. It had seemed both cheap and unsatisfying after the dream and the impromptu grope session. With another sigh he turned off the water and draped a towel around his waist. "Izumi... damn that Izumi."

"Why are you damning me so early in the day, Mannen?"

The Knight nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw Izumi standing in the entrance of the bathroom. He certainly looked a lot less agreeable than he had last Mannen had seen him. He hadn't been there long... had he? He didn't know what happened, right? Mannen felt his cheeks redden with guilt. Izumi looked even less amused. "Er, I was just... wondering how late you were going to sleep," Mannen laughed, hoping it sounded more teasing than nervous. "After all, what am I to do without your marvelous company?"

Izumi's mouth set in a hard line. "I'm sure you'd find something," he said tartly, bringing a hand to his temple.

"Hangover?" Mannen asked with a little smile.

"Yeah... It feels like my head's in a vice... and that everything has just been blasted," he admitted. His brow smoothened slightly. "Sorry."

Mannen pouted playfully. "I was worried, you know. We seemed to be doing so well last night and this morning and all, so I'd have been hurt if you were suddenly mad at me for no reason."

"This morning?" The Pretear's head perked.

"You're apparently a snuggler, Izumi-kun!" Mannen's smile grew tenfold when he saw Izumi's jaw drop, then click shut as his face turned beet red.

"Kn-Knock it off!" The Pretear pushed by him roughly to get to the sink. He shakily applied toothpaste to his brush and shoved it in his mouth. "It wasn't on purpose, so don't get all bigheaded on me. And you better not have done anything perverted!"

Mannen raised a brow. "And coming into the bathroom before I finish showering isn't, Izumi-kun? If you'd been one second earlier, you would have had a full frontal."

Izumi managed to turn so dark he was nearly purple. "Oh, go put some clothes on already!" he snapped.

"Hai, hai." Mannen smirked. He hadn't denied it, had he? "Oi, hurry up! I want to eat breakfast with the others."

Securing the toothbrush between his teeth, Izumi turned away from the sink and hurriedly pushed the white-haired Knight out of the bathroom, slamming the door in his face. Mannen chuckled softly and ran a hand through his damp hair. Izumi muttered angrily as he finished brushing his teeth.

"Hurry up," Mannen sighed from the other side of the closed door, rapping his knuckles idly against its wooden surface.

Izumi ignored him as he stripped out of his yukata and stepped under the hot spray of the shower. He closed off all other senses save for touch, which allowed him to indulge in the soothing, heated waters that cascaded down his body. The past few days of his supposed "vacation" had been a living hell; there were about four more days left. Stepping out of the bathroom several wonderful minutes later, Izumi counted another day down the drain.

Mannen had patiently waited and was now rewarded with seeing his Pretear in all his glory.

Hajime and Shin were unexpectedly stopped as they headed down to breakfast by the body crashing through the shoji door. The orange-haired Knight pulled his companion away from the crumpled figure. Mannen shot up suddenly and scrambled frantically out of the way. Shin gasped, staring at the ice spears embedded in the wall.

"Pretend you don't see," Hajime whispered, squeezing the blonde's shoulder. He didn't heed his own advice, though, and glanced into the broken room as they passed. "Ohayou, Izumi-kun."

The brunet glanced out at them and his response died on his lips. Shin still glowered heatedly at him. "Ohayou," he quickly mumbled, turning away. Thirty minutes later, Izumi joined his party. To his dismay, the only seat available was beside Mannen.

"'Morning, Izumi-chan," Goh chirped from where he sat three heads away.

'Izumi… chan…' The Pretear's fists clenched tightly atop his thighs as he struggled to remain calm. "'Morning," he mumbled, bowing his head to avoid looking at the younger blonde on the other side of the table.

Hayate opened his deep blue eyes after silence had fallen and fixed them on the boy directly across from him. "You're paying for what you destroyed."

"I didn't destroy anything," Izumi sighed loudly. A faint smirk tugged at his lips and he fixed the man with a smug gaze. "Mannen was the one who destroyed the door and the wall."

The Wind Knight leaned his head atop his upraised hand. "So he flew through them by himself?"

"He's stupid like that."

Sasame placed a hand atop the Ice Knight's, quieting the boy's comments. All eyes were now on the obstinate duo and their argument.

"You're paying whatever it costs," the Wind Knight said in a voice that left little room for argument.

Izumi squeezed himself into that proverbial 'little room'. "I didn't ask to be here," he snapped, eyes blazing. "I know my father consented to this trip but I can place a call that puts an end to the thing."

Hayate smirked, tilting his head slightly. "Call him. When you do, I'd like to speak with him. Or better still, Sasame could do it. People tend to believe him no matter what he says."

Izumi glanced at Sasame, who smiled innocently, then quickly looked away. "I'll pay whatever…" Shortly after his consent, the door slid open and several kimono-clad you women streamed in with their food. The various trays and bowls were laid out before the group of eight and each maiden waited until they could all bow together in unison. As they left and the last young girl was closing the door, Izumi caught her gaze and took note of the playful gleam in her green eyes. He scoffed and snapped open his chopsticks.

Reaching for the platter contained the fried egg, the young boy scowled as his utensils clicked with another's. Narrowed eyes glared at the culprit—Hayate—and he untangled their chopsticks to snag the piece the older man had been waiting for. "Brat," the Wind Knight hissed.

Izumi ignored him and continued chewing on his prized food. He began filling his plate with more egg and also a few pieces of salmon. Sasame placed a bowl of rice beside his Pretear's right hand with a smile. Izumi didn't seem to notice. He'd been reaching blindly for a cup to pour himself tea when a second set of fingers intertwined with his. He swallowed hard, staring at the silver Leafeania bangle before allowing his eyes to travel up to the genuinely surprised expression of the Ice Knight.

"Gomen," the white-haired young man apologized, pushing the cup in the brunet's direction.

Shin bowed his head, his golden brown hair falling forward and ghosting along the top of the table. "Careful," Hajime said softly, reaching across the table to tuck the silken strands behind the younger boy's ear. He smiled as he sat back down, but inside, he was just as torn as Shin was. Seeing Mannen and Izumi together still caused the Plant Knight pain. 'Shin, look at me.'

At the moment, Shin giggled softly and allowed Sasame to loosely braid his hair to keep it out of the way. Hajime blinked at the hand landing atop his head and turned to stare up at a grinning Goh. His cheeks colored slightly and he shook his head, accepting the unspoken advice.

Immediately after the table was cleared and the maidens left, Izumi tried to follow.

"Wait a minute, Izumi-kun."

He froze and felt his cheeks heat instantly at Sasame's voice calling him. He glared over his shoulder and took note of how Hayate's arm barred the other Knight from going anywhere. "What is it?"

Sasame hesitated a moment, taking the time to gather his thoughts; Hayate's thumb idly caressed the inside of his palm. He drew his hand away discreetly. "I think we should take your remaining days here and use them to practice your Pretear abilities."

The chance to salvage the trip had just been shot to hell. Izumi slumped against the wall, covering his face.

The flaxen-haired man continued, "Right now, you have an unknown Leafe that you draw from. That Leafe must work in accordance with our own. As something like this has never happened before, we're unsure of the outcome if you get too overemotional in battle and I would hate for you to be even more at risk than your are since you've become Pretear."

"Practice, huh…" Izumi's expression became guarded as he slowly nodded. "All right."

"What the hell did you get me into?" Jun stopped pacing long enough to push his auburn hair out of his narrowed eyes but only succeeded in making himself even more agitated as the flopped down once again to hinder his sight. True to his word, Mannen had indeed tossed the boy into the women's hot springs, leading to him now congregating outside with the mysterious man that continued to offer him "jobs". Jun turned and glared at the figure leaning casually against one of the many boulders surrounding the resort.

The man felt the heated stare and turned to grace the boy with a bright smile. "You chose to play along, boy."

"Boy?" Jun seethed through clenched teeth. "Who the hell are you to talk to me like that?" he yelled, storming over to grab the man by the front of his jacket.

A chuckle escaped him that left the boy trembling and he deftly pried the fingers away from the clean material. The visible silver eye shone with something Jun was unable to place, unable to recognize. "Who I am, boy, is of no concern to you. But I'll tell you anyway, because I like your attitude." He dipped his head and took the soft lobe of the brunet's ear gently between his teeth. "My name is… Muraki."

Jun regained enough sense to weakly push himself away; his arm was drawn across his face to hide the deep blush. Muraki chuckled once again and drew out a cigarette from the inner breast pocket of his jacket. He placed it between his lips. "What do you hate so much, boy?"

"Everything," Jun panted, trying desperately to calm his breathing. The silver gaze gave him a quick once-over that left him feeling naked and vulnerable.

Muraki inhaled deeply and watched the smoke drift then vanish. The boy wasn't bad-looking—dark eyes that had long since learned the secret of locking away one's soul and short auburn hair that complemented sun-tanned skin—but there was something about the Kurosaki bloodline that produced young boys who were too damn gorgeous for their own good. Muraki took another long drag of his cigarette and spoke as he released it, "Someone other than myself seeks to use you, boy. My, the world has become an interesting place."

"What the hell are you babbling about, old man?" Once again in control of his emotions, Jun scoffed and adjusted himself into a more casual stance. "I accepted your offer to play with Izumi-chan."

"And 'play' you shall, dear boy, but only I get the true pleasure of breaking him." Muraki glanced in the boy's direction, his amusement drawn from the outline of a dark figure standing with its arms wrapped around the scowling Jun. 'What do you hate so much?' He returned his attention to where his newest conquest lay.

Izumi tapped his boot-covered foot impatiently, his cheeks a bright crimson color. Goh was chewing on his fist hard enough to draw blood but he dared not laugh if he wanted to remain alive. It was an amazing thing to see Leafe reconfigure itself to accommodate a man's body. Kei had turned away, his shoulders shaking violently.

Oi—

"Shut up!" Izumi yelled, the red in his face deepening. He uncrossed his arms and dropped them to his sides, curling his fingers into the palms of the white, wrist-length gloves on his hands. Unlike being in Prét with Kei, the blue pants he wore were fairly loose and came down to cover the tops of the calf-high boots. Izumi's original intention for keeping his arms crossed was to cover himself. The white top remained sleeveless and form fitting, exposing more than the boy would have appreciated.

Sasame gave a slight nod of his head, which Goh caught. The brunet lightly touched the blonde's shoulder and they both disappeared.

'Izumi… pay attention.' Mannen's brow furrowed deeply. 'Izumi!'

The Pretear's grays eyes widened and he spun to stare at the Ice Knight.

Where are you looking, idiot? Behind you!

Izumi glanced over his shoulder to see Goh stand there with a smile and tossing a ball of fire from one hand to the other.

You're dead now. We both are.

"Shut up," Izumi hissed, clenching his fists tighter. He heard Hayate take a deep breath and idly wondered what would be screamed at him next.

Relax, the integrated Knight said in a voice so surprisingly calm the boy had no choice but to do so. That action made him more aware of his surroundings than he'd ever been before and he found himself leaving the ground, escaping Kei's attack. Not too high, Hayate warned.

"Aa… But, Hayate—"

They're both coming. Take the offensive.

"Hai!"

Sasame smiled as he watched the mock, mid-air battle. Izumi was no longer yelling, which meant Hayate was doing something right. Mannen found himself smirking at the chill in the air as Hayate's element Leafe stirred things up. 'Protest all you want, you've already accepted me, Izumi. Dare I think it…?' The young man grinned foolishly as his mind strayed down that perverted path.

Izumi slowly landed. The Prét came undone once his feet touched the ground and Hayate turned away quickly so no one could see his pleased expression. Their congratulatory moment was short-lived, though. Izumi covered his ears, trying to stave off the sickening feeling crashing over him. "Mayou… chuu…"

The surrounding shrubs rustled and everyone fell into a protective stance around the boy—a ruse by a puppet. Izumi screamed, reaching out for the nearest person, as he was lifted into the air from the leafy tendrils wrapped tightly around him.

"Izumi!"

"Izumi-kun!"

There was another scream followed by Hajime yelling the Plant Knight's name. The sounds of struggles below him increased tenfold as Izumi shut his eyes. He could feel the Leafe he possessed slowly being drained away, leaving him light-headed.

"Izumi, hang on!"

The young boy pictured himself raising his right hand and his eyes flew wide in surprise as another's closed around it. Izumi found himself staring up at the grinning Goh before the area surrounding him filled with a blinding light.

+ + +

With a little help from Kei and Hajime, Shin was able to grow the shrubbery surround the resort to give them their privacy. Once finished, the youngest Knight resumed his place beside Mannen, Hajime moving up to his free side. Kei stood with Goh, who held the scowling Pretear capture. Sasame looked around at the other Knights then stopped forward. Izumi's body relaxed in Goh's grip and his eyes widened. "Handing you off to Hayate wouldn't be safe," the flaxen-haired man said in a smooth voice. He held out his right hand.

"But Hayate… He's the best choice." Izumi jerked away from Goh and rushed to the silent Wind Knight. He thrust his right hand into Hayate's and inhaled sharply. Izumi swore he heard the man address him as "idiot" as the transformation took place. Sasame chuckled softly, realizing that Izumi was running from joining with him in a Prét.

Mannen scowled as he stared at the boy and the expression on his face as he accepted the older Knight's spirit into his being. He wanted to be the one to make Izumi look like that—vulnerable and shy, yet willing. He groaned inwardly, closing his eyes. Shin glanced at him for a brief moment then turned back to the scene unfolding.

Izumi tugged at the flowing satin-like cloths attached to the front of the shirt and frowned. The Wind Pretear uniform helped take his mind off of the fact that Sasame's light brown eyes still bore into him; he ran his fingers over his neck and his eyes widened. 'What the hell? Is this a choker?' "What now?" he mumbled, crossing his arms.

"Now—" Sasame nodded at Kei and Goh and the couple disappeared. "Now, you practice."

At the moment, Goh and Kei will be your enemies, Hayate spoke from within the boy. Izumi smirked, slowly raising his head. Practice had now become more interesting.

Unfortunately, after several minutes of near misses and continues evasive movements, he no longer thought so.

You suck, Hayate spat.

"Shut up!" the Kurosaki child yelled, successfully freezing the stream of fire from Goh.

You're using ice. Right now, you're the Wind Pretear, Hayate continued.

Sasame shifted his attention to the older blond hovering behind the boy—a glowing yellow sphere grew within Kei's hand—then back at Izumi. "Focus," his voice cut through the integrated pair's conversation and Izumi's gray eyes widened; he sensed the Light Knight now, but was it too late?

Kei flew backwards, a hand pressed against his faintly bleeding cheek. Goh quickly joined him to inspect the wound. An icy wind surrounded the Pretear as he held his arms crossed before him in a defensive manner. Izumi slowly opened his eyes and the roaring wind died then vanished. He glanced around at the group until his gaze landed on Mannen. The smirking figure disappeared briefly as the boy closed his eyes. The Prét came undone.

A/N: Some of you are probably thinking "why post this when it just ends right there?" Because I felt you guys deserved to read the last of what we had. There's the option of me continuing it by myself, but… not sure if I can. Again, much apologies.