Koishiteru

II: First Morning


"I see you're finally awake." Solomon said, as he stood beside the bed. He had changed out of his suit. Saya looked at him, and then around the room. There was a vase of pink roses on the bedside table. Everything else was white. "How do you feel, Saya?"

She sat up and looked at her palms. There had been blood there before, but now, there wasn't a trace of it anywhere. Distorted fragments of last night's events rushed to her newly conscious mind. Saya frowned. Her companion did not utter a sound, he only watched her. The faces of those men she'd killed. Her conscience gnawed her. Frightened, unseeing, helpless men…

"Saya? What's wrong?" Solomon asked suddenly. He placed his hand on her shaking shoulder. "Saya?" The thick concern in his voice brought her back to the present. She looked at him again and whispered hoarsely, "What have I done?"

Solomon's handsome features softened with concern as he sat down beside her. His azure eyes seemed to tell her that he felt sorry for her. But why? He patted her shoulder and pulled her towards him, but she pushed him away and ran to the adjacent door.

She had apparently run into a closet.

"Saya?" Solomon called from the other side. The closet door wasn't locked, but he didn't enter anyway. "May I come in?"

Saya sat down behind a stack of shoe boxes, and hugged her knees. Solomon knocked on the closet door once more and decided to step away, to give her space. That was pretty nice of him, she thought as her eyes began to water. Why didn't he stop her last night? A tear rolled down her cheek as her eyes wandered around the vast closet. It seemed to her that Solomon had been preparing for her arrival, since the whole closet contained articles for ladies. Or… maybe she was just staying in another woman's room, possibly his wife's?

Why was Solomon being so nice to her?

Why wasn't he terrified of her, after he had witnessed last night?

Why did he look happy when she killed those poor souls?

Her mind was being flooded with whys. She had so many questions, but she didn't know whether she should ask Solomon for the answers.

"Are you okay now?" Solomon asked, after a while. He rapped the closet door again, and opened it a moment later. He turned on the lights and the brightness of it almost blinded Saya. He bent down and tilted her chin up, saying, "Answer me, Saya."

She remained silent for a minute, studying his dazzling features. There was nothing but pure concern etched on every inch of his face. "Why are you being so nice to me?" she finally said. "Last night… how did you find me? Why do you know me?"

With all her questions, she expected him to frown and get mad, but he only gave her a small smile. "Must you really trouble yourself with those questions, my dear?" Solomon sighed and helped her to her feet. Saya closed her eyes and frowned. She wanted answers.

"Answer my questions," she whispered as she threw him a glare. That didn't make him flinch either. What is wrong with this man? Doesn't he know how to be surprised? Is he hiding something?

Solomon took a step closer to her and said, "Alright. I will. Don't be mad, please. Follow me. A closet is not a very appropriate place to discuss matters like this." Offering her his hand, he added, "And I am sure that you are hungry. I've prepared breakfast."

Hungry. Yes, she is hungry for answers.

Saya hesitated, wondering what he meant by that. "You're not going to make me kill people anymore, right?" A mere chuckle escaped Solomon's lips. "Are you still craving for human blood then, my Queen?" She glared at him and shook her head. "No. Lead the way." She did not take his hand. Solomon stole glances at her as they walked out the room. Her reactions to the house's decorations were amusing. "Stop," she said quietly, as she stared at a painting that was placed at the staircase. "Who is this?" she asked.

The painting she was questioning was of her deceased sister, Diva. Solomon swallowed the sudden blockage in his throat and said, "She looks a lot like you, doesn't she?" Saya nodded and looked at him, her eyes burning with curiosity. "That is your sister, Diva. Don't you remember her too?"

The lady shook her head and they continued walking down the stairs. She thought that the woman is his wife. She was, after all, dressed in white.

"Where is my sister?" she asked again once they had reached the last step. Solomon bowed his head and answered, "You shall remember as time passes. Come, follow me."

Saya walked beside him, smelling the faint scent of food. No, he wasn't going to serve her humans again. Her stomach told her to hurry up. She studied the way Solomon walked—lithe and graceful. He's definitely married, she thought. No human female would be able to resist his charm. Solomon's home was like a castle, in size and in style. Gold fixtures were placed everywhere. Everything looked pretty old.

"Do you live here all alone?" she asked.

He looked at her and nodded. "Yes. I prefer my own company most of the time."

"It must get very lonely sometimes," she said, "don't you have companions?"

He placed the tip of his finger on her lips and said, "It's not sad anymore, because you're here." Solomon gave her a smile and opened the double doors. They had arrived at the dining room, and the table was loaded with a lot of food. "Bon a petit, Saya."

Saya sat opposite Solomon, with her plate half-full and eagerness mounting. Neither of them spoke as they ate. But, she noticed that Solomon did not a lot, he only took interest in his drink and in her. When he was going to start talking, Saya did not know. She popped another tasty morsel in her mouth. He chuckled under his breath then said, "I could watch you eat all day, but I believe we have another agenda. Are you satisfied?" Saya nodded and they left the dining room without further a-do.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"Outside. I figured a little sunshine would be good for you. I'm positive you'll like the garden." Solomon answered, with a glimmer of a smile playing in his lips.

Saya looked ahead and said nothing. Silence lingered above their heads and only the staccato sound of Solomon's shoes were heard.

The garden had thick hedges of red and pink roses in full bloom. A gazebo stood at the very center of the landscape. Human-like sculptures served as its pillars and vines with tiny yellow flowers grew around their waists. There also tall trees and a pond. Saya gaped. Solomon closed her open mouth with a single finger, mumbling, "Bees might fly in."

"It's beautiful." Saya told him.

Solomon nodded and led her towards the gazebo. The sculpture-pillars were eerily realistic, Saya thought as they entered. "Sit down," he told her, "and I'll tell you everything."


Author's Note:

Let me leave you here, wondering what he's going to tell her. Will he tell her the whole truth or will her fabricate the past? Stay tuned for Chapter Three!

Have you noticed the cover of Koishiteru? Did it bring you here?

Please leave behind a review telling me that the pace is too slow, haha. Reviews are like cookies, and I'm the cookie monster.

Victoria Chrystallis