Michelle awoke in the middle of the night from a nightmare. Her heavy breathing and frantic movements had woken Hagi up immediately. Instead of talking, he held her close in the moonlight that flooded into her bedroom from her large window. As she began to calm down, he began to whisper.
"It's okay, it was just a nightmare," he said.
Michelle shook her head and flicked the light.
When Hagi saw her face he almost flinched in shock. Her makeup was smearing down her sweat-covered face, her eyes were glowing and wide, her lips were bloody from her having chewed on them in her sleep.
"What is it?" he asked, immediately concerned.
She shook her head and searched desperately for her marker board. When she got it she scribbled so fast, Hagi could hardly read what she wrote.
'Saya's in trouble!'
"Right now?" he asked without questioning her premonition. She occasionally had visions when God needed to tell her something; Hagi had grown accustomed to this part of her personality.
She nodded her head frantically and jumped out of bed.
"No!" Hagi caught her before she could fly to her closet. "You must rest and regain your voice. I'll go check on Saya's tomb. Stay. Here."
Before Michelle could even attempt to talk he was gone.
'Damn it, Hagi!' she wanted to scream. 'It was my vision after all!'
Then in anger she went to her closet, fixed her makeup, pulled on a coat over her nightgown and headed out behind him.
By the time she'd made it across town, not even her comfy nikes could hold her up and she became so tired she could hardly stand up.
'Damn, maybe I should have listened to Hagi,' she thought. 'But I couldn't have let him go alone! Not when the girl he loves is in danger. Although, I probably should have analyzed that vision a bit more before telling him, but who else could it be? His love is Saya, pretty easy to figure that one out.'
Just as she got deeper into the park, she felt a chill up her spine.
"Is anyone th-" She tried to speak, but the voice was hoarse and indescribable. 'Oh, that's right. Still can't speak.'
'Damn, where the hell am I? Maybe I should go back-'
"MdivaC?" a man's voice asked from behind.
She spun around to see a strange looking, not Japanese at all man staring at her.
She shook her head desperately.
'No, no, no,' she mouthed.
The man only got closer and his face more confused.
'Go away!' she mouthed as she spun around to run when she saw another man behind her. This man was was bald, black, overweight and had a beard. Again, not Japanese at ALL.
"Hey calm down, man," he said in a Jamaican accent, putting his hands up defensively.
She backed into the tall blond man in surprise then flinched when he grabbed a hold of her arms.
'NO!' she tried to scream, kicking and punching as hard as she could.
"She can't talk," the Jamacan man said.
'HAGI!' she tried again.
"She... I could've sworn she just mouthed, 'Hagi'."
"Hagi?" the blonde said, spinning her around to face him. "What do you know of Hagi?"
She shook her head angrily.
'They won't get a word from ME!'
"Asking questions isn't going to get us anywhere," the Jamaican one said, "she can't talk. Must've lost her voice."
"Damn, Kai won't say anything either."
'Kai? They know Kai too? Wait a sec...'
Then, without hesitation, Michelle mouthed the word, 'Saya.'
"Saya? Okay, girl, what do you know about them?" the blond asked.
'They know Hagi, Kai and Saya. They must know the whole truth! They must be...'
'Red shield,' she mouthed just as a familiar presence manifested itself behind her.
"Put her down," Hagi said.
Just as Hagi commanded, the man threw Michelle aside.
"Hagi," the man said. "Now where the hell have you been?"
Hagi didn't respond, only looked down.
"Did you abandon Saya on purpose?" the man asked, getting closer.
'He must be talking about the final fight against Diva where Hagi was nearly killed and couldn't get to Saya!' she thought.
Immediately feeling strength in Hagi's defense, Michelle got to her feet and growled in a raspy voice, "Hey! You know nothing! Don't speak to him like he's a traitor, he loves Saya more than you'll ever kno--" her tirade against the blond man was cut off by a million coughs. Hagi rushed to her side just as the man spoke again.
"And who is this? You can't just give away information the Red Shield has been hiding to just any girl!"
"She's not just any girl," Hagi stated.
"No, she's not," the man responded. "she's world-famous, MdivaC!"
Just then by remembering her title, Michelle felt the heavy weight of the world back on her shoulders and fell into Hagi's arms.
"She has the right to know. Saya gave her her blessing," Hagi said.
"Saya?" the Jamaican man asked. "Saya went to sleep about 5 years ago."
"She woke up 4 years ago by mistake and met Michelle herself. You can even ask Kai," Hagi said, picking up the frail girl. "but right now I need to take care of my friend."
And with his final words, he disappeared into the night with his unconscious friend.
'Where... am I?' were Michelle's first thoughts as she woke up in a daze.
She rubbed her eyes and looked around to find Hagi across the room, watching her.
'Hagi,' she breathed.
"Don't try to speak," he said, picking her up and putting her on her bed, then handing her the water.
As she drank the cold liquid her throat nearly began singing thank you's.
She mouthed, 'Thanks,' then handed Hagi the glass. As he refilled the glass she had found her marker board and began writing another message.
When Hagi walked back into the room he put the water on her end table then read her message.
Who were those men? Were they from the Red Shield?
"Yes," he said. "they were from the Red Shield. Their names are Lewis and David. They are the ones Saya and I had come to know through our travels to exterminate Diva."
Michelle began writing another message.
If they're good then why are they such dicks? She wrote bluntly.
Hagi almost chuckled at her already awake attitude before speaking. "I believe David was acting hostile due to surprise of my living. Saya wasn't the only one who thought I was dead."
Michelle wrote another message.
Still doesn't give him the right to be a dick. What was he talking about with me not being fit to know of you and Saya?
"The people entrusted with Saya's history are chosen by the Red Shield to have the right to fight on their side. They don't usually let just anyone know."
Michelle wrote another message.
Am I in trouble?
"No," Hagi said softly, looking into her eyes. "Saya chose for you to know. She, above all others, has the final jurisdiction to Joel's Diary."
Michelle nodded, looking out of the room to Hagi's cello case. Hagi didn't need her to write another note to know where this was going.
For the next week, Hagi had his old Michelle back and Michelle had her beloved Hagi. Her voice was slowly starting to come back but not enough to say more than a few words.
"Hagi," she whispered.
They were on a bus to Omoros after having played their cellos almost all day.
"Yes?" Hagi replied.
"When the babies... Diva's babies... grow up, will they... be like Saya and... sleep for 30 years?"
"We don't know yet," Hagi said solemnly. "they are the 2nd generation of Queens. Any behavior is possible."
"Oh," Michelle said, looking out into the sunset. "Sometimes... I wish I could too... sleep for 30 years... but, that wouldn't... work, right? Because it's that Saya... sleeps for so long... that you hang out... with me in the meantime."
"No," Hagi said strongly, looking into her eyes, nearly translucent in the light. "you are not my second choice of company only because my Queen sleeps. If you were to unexpectedly fall into hibernation I'd wait for you, just as I will for Saya. You explained why after I had checked Saya's tomb that I found nothing wrong that you misunderstood your vision. That your vision had actually been vague and all that you knew was that someone I loved was terrified and possibly in danger. We both know now that it was you. Isn't that proof enough that I care for you as much as I do Saya?"
"I know you care, Hagi," Michelle said in a breath. "but things are... different between us than you and... her. Saya and you... you have history... but me, I just... showed up in your life... and I've been nothing but... a lost puppy... clinging to you... ever since."
"Lost puppy or not," Hagi almost laughed, "you are my friend, and I wouldn't trade you company for anything in the world. We may not have known each other for hundreds of years, but the few we have are just as good, if not better."
Hagi always had a way of making Michelle feel better, but this time he really moved her.
"I love you, Hagi," she said with a grin as she snuggled against his arm.
"I love you too," he said naturally.