When Solomon kidnapped Saya and took her to his place, she awoke in his bed, completely stripped naked and wearing a bandage on her arm. Was Solomon really a gentleman as he claimed he was?
Saya gazed out the window of her room on the second floor of Omoro. She would never show her sadness, for she didn't want anyone to be sad. Five years ago, they had come back from the Met triumphant. Diva was dead and the world was safe again. Dr. Julia, with the help of a few brilliant new scientists, had discovered a serum that reversed the effects of Delta 67.
The children in Vietnam were so grateful that they made drawings and sent them to Dr. Julia and were hung all over the now thriving clinic.
It had been five years since the demise of Diva, Amshel, and Cinq Fleches. Everything was going back to the way it was before that fateful night. She recalled the fear that filled her as she searched the school grounds for her track shoes.
It was so dark and the lack of sound was unnerving. As she came closer to where she and Kaori had been when they ate lunch, she noticed the lone figure standing by a tree. He was wearing what looked to be a dark grey suit and was very tall. Some thing was held by a strap on his shoulder and it looked to be the shape of a small coffin.
She didn't feel she should fear this man, but the fact that he was a complete stranger, it was dark, and they were alone- she knew she might be looking at a rapist. There had been a killer on the loose. It was all over the news. Was this the killer?
He produced a dagger and spoke in a deep, calming voice, "So we finally meet."
That was enough. Now she was terrified. She screamed and took off as fast as she could in the opposite direction, but screamed as she slammed into a warm body. Thankfully it was her teacher and not the rapist.
Present day Saya smiled at the humor in the situation. She knew Hagi was just doing his duty and was actually about to slit his chiropteran palm to feed her, but instead had frightened her.
She shook her head to rid herself of the memory. Her heart couldn't handle the grief of losing him, even now. A tear left her eye and trailed down her face, glittering in the sunlight. The day was going to be very beautiful.
Kai swore Hagi was still alive and that he had been the one that was there when she awoke. There was no other explanation since she remembered everything so quickly. It had to be his blood that awakened her.
But why five years? She was supposed to sleep 30 years and then wake up. Why did she awaken so soon?
She just arrived yesterday at Omoro. Kai said that she was just standing at the door like she had just got home from school. She was wearing her uniform and her hair was hanging in even strands down to jaw line.
Kai insisted that Julia hold off on her tests until Saya met her nieces and got cleaned up. He immediately set to cutting her hair shorter and telling her about the beautiful creatures that graced 10 family photo albums.
The girls were in school at the moment and Kai would have to pick them up in the afternoon. The previous night, they were at Dr. Julia and Mr. David's house, playing with their son Michael. She and Kai got to spend their time catching up on old times.
Mao was traveling with Okamura, the reporter and wrote every now and then to tell everyone what was going on. Okamura had become a free lance investigative reporter. It gave him the freedom to look into whatever story he found interesting. He would sell his findings to whatever paper bid the most for the story.
Mr. David was enjoying retirement and enjoyed displaying a small smile now and then, especially around his son. He wore Hawaiian shirts, sometimes was caught with a straw hat, and usually had a cold drink in his hand- non-alcoholic of course.
Dr. Julia had her clinic. She and David got married shortly after Michael was born. They were now working on child number two, or so David says.
Joel was running the Red Shield, but it was now mainly researching blood born illnesses. In his spare time, he would purchase, repair, and refurbish historical properties in France and give them to their respective cities to use as museums or whatever needs arised. He explained that he always felt sad that the past was getting buried to make room for the future and those old homes were too much a part of history to be demolished.
Lewis had taken Lulu back to the United States. He home schooled the girl in the evenings when he came home from work with the CIA as a technical analyst. Lewis knew he was getting too old and too heavy to be a field agent.
Everyone was happy. Why wasn't she? Her hand came to the pane of glass that separated her from the outside world. Her reflection was superimposed over the scenery outside that stretched on and on and ended at the beach.
She took in a breath and recalled that last moment. He crouched next to her and placed his chiropteran claw on her hand. It felt cold, but his warm, human hand pried her sword free from her hand as he told her that she didn't need to fight anymore. He wanted her to live for today and for tomorrow.
His voice was so calming, so reassuring. She had always doubted they could live side by side with humanity. But he loved her and wanted her to live. It was so much to think about.
Kai reassured her that he could make a comfortable home for them all. Kai said there would always be people that don't accept others, but he would still protect them. So much to think about.
But when she looked into Hagi's eyes, all she could see was love and deep sorrow. Her companion, her guardian and he loved her. Was this enough? Could it hold her to this world? Those questions must have been in his mind, too. A drop of water had fallen from the hole in the roof and landed just below his eye on his cheek, making it look as if he had shed a tear. His face moved toward her as her mind spun with these questions. The warmth of his lips pressed to her forehead seemed to burn through the questions.
His cheek pressed to hers as something brash broke through her thoughts. Images of Kai, Riku, and Dad smiling as they ran down the beach were replaced with images of Kai leading the twins to the water's edge as Hagi played the cello on the steps, waiting for her next awakening.
Another image of Hagi smiling at her back at the Zoo came to her mind. Then she saw him more recently as he held his stoic expression while she cried into his chest. He was warm and caring beyond the hard exterior he put on.
She saw him falling from the cliff, and her world collapsed. She had wanted him to live because, she couldn't do without him. She needed him to be there for her and now she realized he wanted this! He wanted to be there for her and she wanted to be there for him.
As the realization hit, she shed a tear and with a shaky breath confessed, "I want to live." She pulled away from the gesture of friendship and moved into one of love. Her lips pressed to his, realizing that she had been in love with him all this time, too.
Tears fell from her eyes in large, salty drops as the corners of her mouth drooped. She shook with her first sob and she folded her arms on the window sill and pressed her head into them. Her shoulders shook as she sobbed wretchedly for her lost love, her best friend, her Hagi.
No matter what reassurance Kai gave her, it wasn't enough. The dried pink rose with a blue ribbon, the cello missing from her bedroom, the fact that she awoke from her sleep with all her memories- none of it compared to seeing him.
Suddenly, her violent sobs seemed to trigger a gag reflex and Saya clasped her hand over her mouth as she dashed, wide-eyed to the bathroom. Once there, she emptied the contents of her stomach.
Her hand crept across the sink counter as her stomach contracted and she coughed up more of her breakfast. Finally, she found the cup and nudged the tap to fill it with water. She took a deep breath and gargled the water before spitting it.
She changed her clothes and brushed her teeth, being sure to wipe away any memory of her grief and her illness. The chiropteran queen had to put on a happy face. All her friends were happy and she needed to be, too.
As she walked down to the kitchen, she wondered at the violent reaction in her stomach. Perhaps holding her grief in had not been a good idea. As it was, she still didn't feel better. Hagi wasn't there… he was dead. The thought caused tears to sting the back of her eyes. She took a breath to control her emotions and walked into the kitchen.
Her slightly older brother was tossing some vegetables in a pan while the grease popped and splattered in the fryer next to him. Kaori, who helped in the kitchen sometimes, was already plating a mound of rice and watching the tempura as it finished cooking.
"Hey, sleepy head," Kai greeted. "I was wondering when you were gonna come down. It's almost 12:30."
"Hi, Saya," Kaori greeted as she removed the basket from the grease to let it drain.
Saya beamed them a smile, hoping they would be too busy to pry into what was going on with her.
No such luck. Kai turned off the vegetables and came to her side. "You alright, Saya?" he asked as he placed a hand on her forehead.
She put on another fake smile and swiped his hand from her forehead. "I'm fine, Kai," she reassured. "It's because I just woke up from my sleep. I'll be fine."
Kai watched as she hurried toward the front door. "Where you going?" he called after her.
"Dr. Julia wanted to see me, remember?" she answered as she opened the door and headed out.
Once she was gone, Kai returned to the kitchen. Kaori plated the food and went to the counter where the waitress could take it and set it on table four. "Do you think she's okay?" she asked.
He sighed and leaned back against the wall. "No," he answered, "and I know why." At her look of curiosity, the red head explained, "Hagi is alive and she thinks he's dead."
"What makes you think he's alive?" Kaori asked as she turned to look at Kai.
"The red haired man's eyes turned to the floor in front of him as he admitted, "Because I saw him. Just before she came back, I saw him on the beach. He turned to look at me and disappeared."
"You sure it was him?" Kaori asked.
Kai nodded. He remembered the man he saw. Ebony hair fell in waves along his shoulders. He was carrying the cello on his right shoulder with his bandaged hand. Charcoal gray tails hung to his knees over matching slacks. His right hand shone white in the moonlight. Kai realized it was because it too was bandaged.
As the face turned, Kai was surprised. The same emotionless look graced his porcelain face, but there was now a long scar that started somewhere by the right ear and ran across to the corner of his nose. Those same sea-blue eyes looked lonely and sad. Then he was gone.
"I know it was," Kai answered again.
~0~
Julia walked back to the examination room Saya was in. Even having a baby did not make her figure any different. She still had the right curves in the right places. She pressed her glasses onto the bridge of her nose with a look of disbelief on her face.
She had scanned and taken samples and checked all the possibilities. All she could find was that the reason Saya had awakened was…
"You're pregnant," she told Saya with a serious expression.
Saya's jaw dropped and she looked in disbelief. Her open mouth expression then turned to a smile and she clapped her hands over her mouth, sputtering laughter. Her red brown eyes were nearly squinted shut. It was impossible.
"D-Doc-Doctor Ju-lia," she laughed.
"I assure you, Saya," she answered seriously, "I am not joking."
Saya's laughter subsided and her brow furrowed as she tried to recall anything that had happened. The image of the New York skyline lighting up the large window in front of her filled her mind. She recalled how the satin sheets slid over her bare skin and a foreign dampness between her legs.
She curled into the wall by the examination table as her eyes widened and she gasped, "Solomon!"
After she recovered from the initial shock, she asked, "How is this possible? That happened more than 5 years ago."
Dr. Julia responded, "There are animals in the natural world that can store the male's sperm until a more opportune time. In other words, the female can copulate during a crisis situation and her body will stall the pregnancy until times are better."
"Why now?" Saya asked.
Julia pushed her glasses up again and responded, "The last of the chiropterans was given the injection a month ago. Your body probably sensed it and allowed the pregnancy. This was what caused you to awaken from your slumber 25 years early."
Saya's eyes widened as she unconsciously put her hand over her belly. "I'm going to be a mother," she gasped.
Julia was telling her about all the things she was to expect during the pregnancy. Saya wasn't listening as she was still trying to wrap her mind around the idea of carrying her dead sister's dead chevalier's children.
Doctor Julia was explaining that she would have to have a CT scan in order to see the babies as an ultrasound would not penetrate the cocoons when Saya rose to her feet. The dumbfounded chiropteran queen walked out the door of the clinic.
Dr. Julia called Kai and informed him of the situation. After much explaining… and repeating, Kai finally got the message and headed out to find his sister.
~0~
Saya walked with a hand on her still flat belly. No machine was needed for her to feel the beating hearts that were snugly nestled in her womb. She had been pondering how she would be able to go on alone, but now… how was she supposed to do this without Hagi?
She gasped and her hands flew over her mouth as her eyes widened, tears spilling. "Oh god," she murmured through her hands. Hagi- he wouldn't want to be with her now. She was tainted and carrying his rival's children.
Tears continued to fall as she realized she was out in the open on the streets of Koza, acting like a crazy person. She hurriedly made it to the edge of town and then ran to the monument and the steps. Her feet flew over the numerous steps as she let tears fall freely and sobs tear her throat. Her tears glittered behind her in the afternoon sunlight as she made it to the top and dashed into the tomb.
The cool darkness enveloped her. Her red-brown eyes adjusted quickly. She came to the memorial dedicated to her father, Riku, and the entire Myagusuku family. She fell to the ground and then flattened herself to the ground. "Oh, Dad," she cried out, "what am I going to do?"
"You're going to stay with me," a voice answered her. "I don't care about how these babies came to be."
She was surprised, but more, she wished that was Hagi's voice that spoke and not Kai's. Her heart was rent in two as she thought of doing anything without Hagi.
At the same time, she knew she needed support and was grateful that her brother was willing to be there to help her. As she turned, he helped her to her feet and gave her a warm hug. She cried into his embrace as he reassured her, "It's gonna be okay."
Once her tears were spent, she pulled back from Kai. Her eyes turned from him as she said, "You're a great brother, Kai. You're always there for me- even while I'm in my sleep."
He rubbed her head and answered, "I am your big brother. I'm supposed to look after you."
Her eyes caught sight of her cocoon. She moved toward it as she had to see where she had come from.
Kai followed, unsure what had caught Saya's attention.
She came to the massive structure that looked like an oversized cobweb. Her eyes moved along the surface to the hole that she had emerged from.
Kai frowned as his hand pulled a few of the strands that had loosened from her awakening. A great number were cut evenly, causing his curiosity to take over. He gently moved Saya aside to inspect the webs further. His hands grasped them all together as best he could. They had separated at the same spot from top to bottom. "Hagi," he said.
Saya scowled, "What do you mean?" As her eyes moved from him to where his hands held the cocoon together.
He nodded to the straight cut in the webbing and explained, "It was cut in a straight line from top to bottom from the outside in. Someone came and cut if open to get you out."
Her eyes turned from place to place in the tomb, hoping to find a clue. None seemed to be left behind until she saw something on the webbing itself- a long, wavy, ebony hair. She pinched it with her fingers as Kai recognized it. "I told you he was here, Saya."
"I see," she responded. She then turned pleading eyes to Kai and asked, "Why did he leave me?"
A/N If you guys like this, please review. I don't know if I want to continue this one or not so please tell me if you want me to.
