Chapter 6

Safe

As Saya drifted in and out of consciousness in Solomon's arms, she could not, for the life of her, figure out why she had reacted the way she did to seeing Haji with another girl… a fiancée, at that. Why wouldn't she shake the girl's hand? Why did Haji look so worn down and depressed? Why didn't he want her to be there? She just couldn't figure it out.

As Solomon arrived back at his apartment, it was rather late. He gently set her down so he could open the door with his key card, and then he followed her inside.

Saya walked over to the large glass window overlooking Okinawa and looked up at the stars. Her eyes got heavy all of a sudden, and she felt like she might pass out.

"Saya, you need to drink." Solomon said nonchalantly and loosened his collar, walking up to her and leaning his neck to the side, offering up his blood to her.

"No. I'm never going to drink blood again." Saya recited in an unfeeling tone. She could not take her eyes off of the stars.

Solomon just stood there for a few minutes, hoping she would change her mind. But it was of no use.

"I'm going to go take a shower. Don't come in your room until I tell you to." She said, needing to get away from Solomon for a while and collect herself.

She made her way to "her" room, and grabbed a long blue silk nightgown from a drawer as well as some fresh undergarments and made her way to the bathroom. As she turned on the water, she sighed, realizing that this would be her first time showering since she woke up, and she already had so much stress on her shoulders that she felt she needed to wash away.

She tried desperately to scrub her memories down the drain, but by the time she got out she was trying to stop herself from crying. Saya had only succeeded in making herself feel worse. She threw on her nightgown and opened the bathroom door quickly, planning to rush to her room so that Solomon would not see her cry anymore.

That plan was halted when she opened the bathroom door and there, on Solomon's bed, sat a man whose face she would recognize anywhere. It stopped her dead in her tracks.

"Hey."

Saya's whole body seemed to be frozen in place. She wanted to run but her muscles betrayed her. She gulped audibly and tried to keep the shock from setting in on her face. It was no use.

"K-Kai… Why… are you… here?" She finally managed.

She really didn't care why he was here… all she knew was that she didn't want to see him right now. He was the last person on Earth she wanted to talk to. At least for a little while until the memories had faded. She wanted to be alone.

"I wanted to apologize to you, Saya. I know I did an awful thing, and I feel horrible about it. I don't expect you to forgive me now… but maybe one day you can."

He looked down sheepishly, knowing how desperate he sounded. But after she had left him alone at Omoro, he realized what he'd just done to his sister and the guilt and regret started to consume him. The twins had awoken a little while after the incident, and Kai had been forced to tell them their auntie was awake and she would come visit them very soon. He hoped Saya wouldn't make him a liar, but he would definitely not blame her for not wanting to come back to Omoro for a while.

"Kai… I really need to be alone right now, so…"

Kai finally noticed the tears in the corners of her eyes and he stood, ready to approach her and give her a hug, but he froze right after standing as she flinched back away from him.

"Saya…"

His face turned from concerned to deeply hurt.

"I'm never going to ever do that to you again. I just wanted to make sure you were alright. You are my little sister, and I should be protecting you and helping you through all your problems, not making more for you to deal with. I've failed as your older brother. And I accept that you no longer want to be around me. So I'll go back to Omoro, and wait for you there. When you can forgive me, you can come home. The door is always open to you, and you know that. It is your home, too."

With that, Kai crossed the bedroom quickly and she heard him make his way to the door, hearing it shut behind him. She sighed, relieved. She just wanted to get some rest now. It had been such a long, emotional day. She made her way across the hall to her bedroom, only to find that Solomon had been standing outside his bedroom, listening to her and Kai's conversation.

"Did you hear… all of that?" She asked futilely, already knowing the answer.

"I did." Solomon said, his fist tightening at his side. "I also saw your face, Saya. What… what did he do to you?" He was trying desperately to keep his anger in check. But his voice was giving him away, as it was unsteady and seething.

"Solomon, please… don't." Saya placed a hand over his fist to try and calm his rage. "There is no point in using violence, it will not help the situation. It's not going to erase it, it's just going to make it worse. Please… can we just sit and talk?"

Solomon agreed reluctantly, and he and Saya made their way back into his room where they sat at the foot of the bed and Saya told the story of her brother's assault on her. She watched Solomon's emotions play on his face, from pain, to anger, to hatred, to pity and back to pain again, with a bit of guilt. He shook his head and looked away from her as she finished her story.

"Saya, I'm so sorry. I should have been there for you. I should have stopped it." Solomon's voice grew dangerous as he spoke. "I should have never let him in."

Saya simply smiled sadly at him.

"Solomon, it's alright. It could have been much worse than it was. Don't blame yourself. I got myself out of it just fine. But I just don't want to see him for a while. And I certainly don't want to go home."

Solomon only nodded, looking at her with determination written all over his face.

"I won't let him near you, Saya, if that is what you wish. I will protect you. You can stay with me as long as you want, and I will do my best to provide everything you need."

Saya only continued to smile at him. "Thank you, Solomon."

She yawned and stretched her arms up, sighing softly as she put them back down at her sides.

"I think it's time for bed…" She said, as she got up and smiled at him. "Goodnight."

He nodded to her, forcing a small smile as well. "Sleep well, my queen. If you need anything, please let me know."

Saya made her way across the wood floors in the hallway, the smooth finish feeling nice against her feet. She closed the door behind her after entering her room, and slipped herself into bed, closing the sheer red canopy drapes behind her. She tossed and turned a while, trying to get comfortable. Everything was foreign in this room. Solomon had said it was "for her", but… these sheets felt cold against her skin and the bed didn't quite fit her body like her mattress at Omoro. The canopy drapes made her feel trapped. No matter how she would lay, she wasn't getting anywhere. She felt so vulnerable. Scared, even. She felt like sleep would never come, so she finally got up again.

Knowing Solomon would be awake, she walked back across the hall and knocked on his closed bedroom door. She heard a quick rustle of sheets and he was at the door in an instant. He opened the door about halfway, wearing nothing but a pair of black pajama pants.

"Saya, do you need something? Is everything alright?" He asked, a little panic and worry in his voice.

"I'm fine Solomon, it's just that… well, I can't seem to fall asleep, and I was just wondering if I could… umm… maybe… sleep in your bed…" She blushed as the words fell out of her mouth and she quickly looked down at the floor, red as a tomato.

"Absolutely. Anything you need, Saya. Please, come in." He opened the door all the way, and she stepped in as he closed the door behind her.