It had been nearly an hour since Solomon arrived at the park but he was not worried. The chevalier knew that she would come. He suspected his feelings for her would lead to his demise one day. "Saya," he whispered to himself. It still surprised him how just saying her name brought a smile to his face.
Solomon shivered as the air around him grew cool. "So you decided to come after all." He said aloud, sure she was close enough to hear him. "I had almost given up on you tonight," he lied. Solomon would never give up on her.
Saya approached the park bench where the handsome chevalier sat. She was still a little nervous. Kai and Haji would be furious if they found out she was meeting with him alone and she felt guilty for lying to them. Why do I feel like I'm betraying them by just talking to him? Solomon looked innocent enough tonight; smiling at her with his kind blue eyes. But, didn't Diva have those same eyes? And her sister was far from innocent. Saya wouldn't allow herself to be deceived by appearances, no matter how tempting it was.
"It wasn't easy for me to slip away." Saya met Solomon's eyes and was surprised at what she saw there. What was it? Love? Acceptance? Desire? "But, I thought I owed you that much. You saved me again…and Kai would be dead if you hadn't help me. Arigoto."
Solomon nodded at Saya and studied her for a few moments. She had never looked as beautiful as she did at this moment - strong and yet so vulnerable. The combination of the two traits on such a beautiful creature was intoxicating. You're not at all like your sister, are you Saya? He thought to himself.
Saya looked down trying to understand why her enemy had saved her again. She remembered his words but still couldn't believe them. Her own chevalier had never even said those words. No one had spoken of love to her except family. Her human "father" had been the first to talk about love. And Riku told her he loved her. But that had been different. Riku and her father had been family. The feelings they spoke of were different than this. Besides, they were both gone now. I failed them both, she thought. I couldn't protect either of them. And Kai would be dead too if it had not been for Solomon. She fought back the tears that wanted to come. This isn't the time to fall apart, she told herself. I can't. Not now, not in front of Diva's chevalier. Solomon may look kind and gentle but he was still Diva's and fought on the enemy's side.
Solomon felt her pain and took her hand in his. At first, he was surprised that she allowed it. This was the most intimate touch between the two of them, since…that dance. "Saya, I don't want you to die. I never have. I wish…"
"I know Solomon, but that isn't possible. I may be a Chiropteran but I'm nothing like her or the others. I don't want to hurt humans and I can't allow others to." Saya sighed. She was tired of fighting those that were the same as her. Sometimes she wished everything could be like it was back in Okinawa, when she had been like everyone else: a daughter, a sister, and a friend. Those had been her everyday roles such a short time ago. She pushed the foolish thoughts out of her mind. Impossible, she thought. That time was only a dream. This, fighting Chiropterans and saving those I care about, is my life now.
Saya closed her eyes and concentrated on the sensation of Solomon's cool hands wrapped around her own. It had been so long since anyone besides Haji had touched her. She had forgotten how good it felt. Out of any of the other Chiropterans and humans that she knew, Saya suspected Solomon was the one most like her. "What about you, Solomon? You don't seem at all like Karl. Do you want to kill humans like the others?"
Solomon moved a stray hair from Saya's eyes. He desired so much more but would resist those urges, for now. It was obvious that Saya wanted only to talk. "Karl and I are alike in more ways than anyone realizes. We have the same appetites, Saya. The same hunger that you deny yourself. The difference is that Karl could not control his hunger. It controlled him. He was like a child in many ways. He got hungry, so he fed. I thirsted for blood too but I hated losing control more, so I resisted. However, it is a necessary evil of being a Chiropteran." He lifted her face up to look at him. "You're the same, aren't you? You don't like losing control either. Is that why you skip your feedings so much, Saya?"
Saya's mouth dropped open after hearing her own feelings described so well by the chevalier. She had never discussed how she felt about her hunger for human blood with anyone. Kai and David were human and would never understand how she felt. She loved Haji dearly but he was a man of few words and rarely spoke of his emotions. A smile crept to her face in spite of the circumstances. "Yes, I thought I was the only one. Haji never loses control, even during battles. Things have happened during battles that I.. I don't even want to remember."
Solomon nodded and stroked her soft, dark, hair. "Karl never did get over seeing you in battle, Saya. I think it is what made him fall in love with you." He paused a moment, carefully considering his next word. He did not want to say the wrong thing about her chevalier. "I have seen Haji lose his control a few times."
"When? I-I don't remember." Saya asked.
"Not very often. Haji hides his feelings well. I've seen it happen when you are threatened. I can't blame him,Saya. If I was your chevalier, I'd lose control too, if someone tried harm you. Or take you away."
Saya's breath caught in her throat, as she realized what Solomon was saying. She hoped the blush growing on her face was not too obvious and was suddenly grateful for the dark skies.
Solomon waited a moment for Saya to catch her breath. He said nothing as he brushed his lips against hers in a motion to give her a soft, gentle kiss. Their lips barely touched at first, each enjoying only the sensation of each others skin. He was surprised that it was Saya who slipped her tongue into his mouth first.
She almost stopped the kiss then, afraid of the sensations and feelings rushing through her body. Would a kiss cause her to lose control the way scent of blood sometimes did?
His brothers often said that Solomon had the patience of a Saint but tonight his limits were tested. He did not rush Saya and enjoyed the sensation that the kiss brought. The flesh of her shoulders under his hand, the scent of her blood just beneath her skin. He had never kissed Diva this way although they had been lovers. Solomon dreamed of kissing Saya since their dance, but, never in his wild dreams had he imagined that it would feel this wonderful. It took every bit of self-control to restrain his actions to merely a kiss. He wanted, no needed, to be closer to her, however she was not a a lover he was trying to seduce but a treasure he would fight for one day.
Saya pulled away from the kiss first. It was just too much for her to handle. What was it she felt? Guilt? Desire? Regret? She didn't want to stop and yet she hated herself for enjoying it and for what she wanted to happen. What would Haji think? "I-I'm sorry, Solomon."
He couldn't hide the disappointment in his eyes as he assured her it was all right. "I should be the one apologizing, Saya. Excuse my transgression but I couldn't help myself. Forgive me for losing control. It is not something that happens very often." Solomon caressed her cheeks with his fingers.
The air around them shifted again and both knew what it meant. "Haji," Saya said aloud.
Saya's chevalier walked out of the shadows into plain sight and glared at Solomon. "Saya, David was asking for you."
"Oh, I told him I wanted some time to myself tonight."
"Haji, don't glare at me like that. I am no threat to you or Saya. I want no harm to come to either of you." Solomon looked at the chevalier and wondered if he and Haji would ever be able to share Saya. Or if he and Saya could share Haji. Solomon smiled at the images that created inside his mind. Haji was a beautiful man and the thought of making both he and Saya lose control was tempting.
"What are you smiling like that at me for?" Haji asked, confused by Solomon's behavior and glanced over at Saya. The chevalier backed away not sure how to react.
"No reason, really. I just hope you are better at sharing than Karl." Before either Saya or Haji could react, Solomon transformed and flew away. He regretted that he didn't get the chance to say good bye properly to Saya but it could not be helped. Every second he was in Saya's presence, his willpower grew weaker. If he had stayed there any longer, his desire would have won out over his self-control and he had a feeling that Haji would not have been pleased with his actions at all. If they fought every time they met, there was no hope that he would ever be Saya's lover. It was better to control his desire now so he could obtain what he wanted most of all in this world...Saya.