Saya awoke with tears in her eyes, that dream had returned to torment her. She was walking through a city she was certain was New York. She heard Hagi calling for her and he was getting weaker by the minute. She was in a full on run and even had begun to use her chiropteran powers to speed quickly from building to building. His call began to fade as tears streamed down her face.
She awoke as her mind screamed, "HAAGIIII!" She let more tears fall in the early morning breeze. It was still hot in Okinawa, but fall was soon approaching. Saya could feel it, she was going to be in her hibernation soon. She longed for the familiar silhouette and the deep voice that was never going to return. She pulled the paper out of the nightstand and looked at it as if to read, not that she needed to. She had Kai read it over and over until she had memorized it. She could imagine Hagi reading it, how his deep voice would expressively sound each emotional line he had written.
A sudden knock at the door startled her from her fantasy, she folded the paper and put it back in the drawer before she called out, "Come in."
Lulu came into the room with a glass of milk and handed it to Saya, "I just heard you calling to him and you might be awake soon. Kai won't be up for a while, so I brought you some milk to hold you until he wakes up.
Saya's face fell as she heard Lulu speaking of him. She mumbled, "I don't know why I call him, he won't answer me anyways."
Lulu put a reassuring hand on Saya's shoulder. She wasn't sure how to tell Saya that she had heard Hagi responding to her calls for more than a week now.
Hagi heard her calling to him. It was late evening and Marva and Claudia went to the dining room for a late snack. They had become accustomed to the Stein family and occasionally left him to his thoughts, but only for a short time. Hagi walked to the window rather stiffly. He wasn't used to being laid up for so long.
He had been embarrassed by the thought of Claudia bathing him, but what she had to help him with for the past two and a half weeks was far worse. She and Marva had to help him dress. Thankfully, that only lasted a few days before he could manage to do it himself, but they still had to supervise. Today was the first day he was allowed to shower and dress himself alone, but they still stood outside the door and asked if everything was okay every few minutes.
He opened the window and leaned out he called to Saya, hoping this time grief wouldn't cloud her mind from hearing him. He called to her as he felt Lulu responding. He had recently discovered that she could hear him, or rather, feel his call- yet another surprise gift the young girl had.
Lulu suddenly perked up with her ears twitching, a joyous smile graced her thin lips and a bright twinkle illuminated her green eyes. She smiled as she nudged Saya and informed her, "He hears you Saya. Kai told you not to give up hope."
Saya sobbed as her thoughts went to the explosion and his last words to her, "I will always love you." "He's gone Lulu." Saya's eyes had been a dull brown the last few weeks. Ever since she thought Hagi had died, she was just going through the motions of life and not really living it.
Everyone tried to cheer her up, Kai even told her, "It's like you're surviving life, but not living it. Hagi wouldn't want you to live like this. He'd want you to be happy."
"No he's not," Lulu insisted. "Can't you feel him calling you?"
Saya sat very still and listened. After a time, she heard nothing and sighed, "It's just your imagination, Lulu. There is only the sound of birds and traffic."
"No Saya," she scolded as she placed Saya's hand over her own broken heart, "you're using your ears- use your heart."
Saya sat still, unsure of what Lulu wanted. Suddenly, she felt the deep vibrations of the lowest string of the cello, then, the first note of the song he always played for her. She felt the complex melody vibrating through her body. She swayed to the feeling as Lulu smiled approvingly.
Hagi sensed that she had finally heard him. He smiled as he pulled himself to sit in the windowsill. He said her name softly and drew the syllables out.
"Saaaayyyyyyaaaaa," she heard as a deep vibration rocketed through her body. "Hagi," she whispered as tears of joy fell from her cheeks, "I love you, too. I wish you were here."
He shivered as he heard his name whispered. He answered her, "I wish that I could be there with you, with all my heart, but I am too weak." A tear left his blue-gray eyes.
She cried tears of joy while he shed tears of regret.
Marva entered the room and asked Hagi, "Are you ready to go to Claudia's? The doctor said he'd…" she stopped her own thought as she noticed his tears glistening in the moonlight. She hurried to his side with a tissue. "What's wrong, Hagi?"
"I wish I could be there, Mom. She was afraid she had lost me. She was crying for me. I want to go to her," he announced as he attempted to rise as he dried his tears.
Marva gently blocked his path and looked into his slate blue eyes. She stated, "I would love nothing more than to get you to her and give you both the chance you've been longing for over a century, but you are far too weak right now. You'll never make it to Dallas, much less Japan."
He hung his head as Marva walked him to the bed. He sat up in the bed, raven waves of hair hung down around his face.
Claudia watched from the doorway as a plan formed in her mind.
Marva looked down at Hagi, he was looking down at the floor. Marva joked, "If I didn't know you, I'd say you were sulking."
He didn't move or respond, he heard Saya say his name one last time and what sounded like "I love you."
Claudia walked in and put a hand on her mother's shoulder and said, "Mom, I'll stay up with him tonight, you get some rest." She winked and added, "I think I can cheer him up, too."
"That's fine," she responded and then sighed as she looked down. She murmured, "I think I may have made it worse." She straightened the sheet over his lower body as he continued to look down.
Claudia had a curious smile on her face as she asked, "Is he… is he sulking?"
Marva sighed. She turned and led Claudia to the door before whispering, "He was communicating with Saya and decided to go to her. She thinks he's dead. I'm worried he may become unreasonable about this."
Claudia pet her mother's shoulder reassuringly. "Don't worry, Mom, I'll cheer him up." She gave her a hug and watched as Marva hugged Hagi who did not return the embrace.
He was surprised that he was indeed sulking. It was not like him at all, but when it came to Saya he knew he could be unreasonable and even a bit irrational, but sulking. He didn't feel like smiling or hugging. All he could think was that he had to get to Saya.
Marva left Hagi and Claudia with, "Goodnight."
Claudia waited until she was down the hall and into her own room before she went to her brother's side. She grabbed his claw into her hand. She was startled when she heard him speak. "I am being unreasonable. Mom is only trying to protect me."
Claudia smiled and responded softly, "We understand, Big Brother, she is everything to you. This is the hardest thing for you to deal with because you put your heart out there, she accepted it, and now you'll be separated for another 30-something-odd-years. We know you're hurting, more now than ever before."
He let a tear fall onto his lower arm, where his skin became a scaly chiropteran claw. She expressed how he felt exactly and why as well. It amazed him how well Claudia seemed to know him, him- an immortal being! It was so strange to him, but yet, she had known him as her brother all her life. He was her babysitter, her brother, sometimes her father, her confidante, and her protector. She completely opened herself up to him and he had slowly done the same. Claudia had wormed her way into his heart and blood or not, she was his little sister, and Marva was his mother. "I will apologize in the morning." Allowing curiosity to get the better of him, he asked, "So, how do you plan to cheer me up?"
Claudia rolled her eyes, "Chiropteran hearing. Well, I have to travel somewhere for work- photo shoot. It will be 4 days from now when I leave."
"How is this supposed to cheer me up?"
She leaned in close and sung in his ear, "It will get you close to Saya."
He furrowed his brows, "How close?"
"Okinawa," she whispered.
His eyes shot open wide. It was the biggest response she'd ever seen from him. She giggled as he opened his mouth to respond.
"They're doing a photo shoot on the beach and the photographer demanded that I be there," she grinned at him.
"You would be able to take me?"
"Yes," she laughed, then she became serious, "but you will have to trust me. We'll only be there a week and you will have to take care of yourself most of the time. No overdoing it, got it?"
"Yes," he said evenly disguising his excitement.
"I can't promise you'll get there before she goes to sleep, but at least you will get to see her."
"That is all I ask."
"You will possibly be recognized, but I have a plan and you WILL have to trust me. Do you trust me enough to give me control?"
A reluctant yes.
"Complete control?"
What am I getting myself into? he thought as he slowly nodded.
She reached up and moved a lock of hair from his face, "First we must trim your hair."
"Claudia," he warned.
She grabbed his chin and looked into his eyes, "Trust me."
He sighed as she went to a drawer where she knew the doctor kept the scissors for removing bandages and grabbed a couple of towels. She unfolded a towel and placed it behind him and placed the other over his shoulders and was on her knees behind him on the bed. She loosened his ribbon enough to pull the ponytail lower on his head, just at the hairline. "What are you…"
She leaned over and scolded, "Hagi."
He quietly sat as he got a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. He'd never had short hair. Even as a young boy, he remembered his mother braiding his hair until he was old enough to braid it himself. Suddenly he heard the sound of metal slicing through his hair and felt ill for the first time since he was a boy. Claudia dangled a dark ponytail in front of his face. He didn't trust himself to respond. He was on the verge of either throwing up or killing her. He reached around to the back of his neck where he once had dark waves and now freshly cut hair. Claudia gave him a moment before she pet his shoulder. "It's necessary, Big Brother. I know how pissed you are right now, but I have to find a way to disguise you."
He cleared his throat before he answered, "How long have you known where Saya is?"
"Since your first letter. They faxed a copy to me in Italy and the envelope it was in. There was a postmark on the top that was from Okinawa, no one else caught it. When my boss called and told me where he wanted me to go, I asked immediately if I could bring my brother." She grinned as she trimmed his bangs and evened everything else out.
She led him to the mirror and removed the towel from his shoulders as he gathered the one from the bed and shook them out from the window. He looked in the mirror in disbelief. His bangs were just below his eye level and parted down the middle, the rest was layered just below his jaw line. It was similar to a style he had seen before. Where had he seen it? It was someone important- who told him something he must remember.
"So how do you like it?" She laughed as his he ran a hand though his now short hair. She placed the towels in the hamper in the bathroom and the scissors back in the drawer. She then handed him the locks of hair with the ribbon still attached.
He ran the strands through his fingers and admitted, "I do not care for it at all." He looked at her reflection behind him and told her, "I will grow it back out."
"Oh, Big Brother," she groaned as she sat in a chair near the bed, "you look much better. You just need to get used to it."
"I do not wish to get used to it," he retorted as he returned to his bed, placing the snipped hair on the nightstand. He looked down at his attire. He did not care for it either. He felt like a bum wearing these grey sweat pants and dark blue t-shirt. He was eager to go purchase some clothing for himself, he had some money, but it was not here. It was with Saya in his cello case. He sighed and laid back against the pillow.
"Are you tired?"
He looked at her concerned face. He then looked back to the ceiling and responded, "No, I just wish to at least get some clothing that I would wear."
Claudia snorted in laughter, "Oh, no! Not that drab black suit and boring oxford shoes. Seriously, do you enjoy being mistaken for a mortician?"
"I do not look like a mortician," he responded.
"In that getup you did."
He did not want to lay down, he wanted to go somewhere, but he was stuck here. He knew they all meant well, but he just wasn't used to being still. His muscles ached with lack of use.
"Come on, brother, something's bugging you. What is it?"
"I need to get out. I do not want to lay around anymore."
"I guess you wouldn't like laying around. You're used to being on the go all the time, but guess what?"
He turned to look at her.
She pulled a pair of cards out of her pocket and handed them to him. "I swiped them from Mom when she wasn't paying attention."
He looked at them both. One was an ATM card and the other was his driver's license he'd left with Marva a few years back. "What is this for?"
"I called Ellen just yesterday to make sure that she left your money in your account as well as check the balance. I told her you may need it, she gave me the pin number."
He looked at the ATM card and noticed his name on the bottom. "How do I have any money?"
Claudia smiled, "She didn't tell you?" He shook his head. "The winery has become very profitable. She wanted to give you and Dan the credit you deserve. She makes enough money off the ranch. All she takes from the winery is the taxes for the land and the cost of the supplies it uses, but all the profit for the past 4 years has been split between you and Dan. She also added your wages on the card as well."
"How much do I have?"
She smiled slyly, "About $100,000 US."
He was indeed surprised. It was more money than he knew what to do with. He'd have to remember to show Marva his gratitude for such generosity. "So, what do I do with this?" he asked as he flipped the ATM card over in his claw.
She handed him a rolled up bandage and asked, "Wanna find out?"
He felt strange walking around in public dressed so informally, especially with both arms bandaged. Claudia had found one of those mega stores that was open all night and busied herself forcing him to look at various outfits. She picked out various long sleeve shirts. He just shook his head. He finally made a deal with her, she picked out 4 long sleeve t-shirts, all black or dark blue and he picked out two white button down dress shirts and black slacks. He found some plain black dress socks and Claudia rolled her eyes as she picked up some cargo shorts. He shook his head fervently followed by a, "I refuse to wear short pants, I am not a child."
Claudia picked out 3 pair of cargo shorts, khaki, green camouflage, and black. She laughed out loud as he rolled his eyes. "I've never seen you do that before," she responded.
He moaned as she practically dragged him to the shoes. She immediately picked out some beach sandles and a pair of cheap flip flops. He put the flip flops back and told her no. She frowned as he picked out the black oxfords she was trying to keep him from. He couldn't help but laugh as she tried to wrestle them from him so he opted to holding them over his head. No matter how high she jumped, she'd never get them, he had a good six inches on her. She sighed as she grabbed a pair of black sneakers, playing their game of "let's make a deal".
He looked at all the items in the cart as they headed for the soap and hair care aisle. He was trying to figure out how he could sneak some of these unwanted items out of the cart as she picked out the rose scented shampoo he liked and some hair gel. She picked up a package of blue hair dye and he immediately put it back without a single word. She was asking him if he needed some aftershave or cologne when she noticed the display of condoms. He physically grabbed her shoulders and turned her away from them before she could torture him. She laughed as they headed for the checkouts.
When everything was calculated and bagged, Claudia showed him how to use his ATM card, including the pin number.
They managed to sneak themselves and all the items back into the room without being discovered. Hagi went through the bags and removed the tags from the slacks and dress shirts, folding them neatly and placing them on the bed. He then sighed as he looked at the cargo shorts he really did not care for, especially the camouflage ones. He repeated the process with each shirt and the shorts as Claudia put the toiletries in the bathroom. She came out and smiled at the sight of Hagi passed out on the bed with his new clothes neatly folded beside him. She moved the clothing to a drawer in the dresser and moved his legs onto the bed, removing the shoes. She covered him in a sheet and busied herself putting away the shoes and socks before she passed out on the sofa she had requested to be placed on the far wall next to the window.
Marva came in the with the sunrise to see the black bundle of hair on the nightstand and a very different looking Hagi checking his reflection in the mirror. She covered her mouth as she gasped.
Claudia stretched as she sat up on the couch.
"Claudia, what have you done?" Marva hissed.
