I'm so sorry it's been a while… I've been sick and really busy at work. Up until now I've been a few chapters ahead, so I've been able to post more regularly. I'm going to do my best to go back to posting more often, but I can't make promises. Thanks for reading! Please review if you have time! – Ame

Chapter 20

Trouble

Corynne smirked and walked over to him, grabbing him by his collar threateningly.

"If you think I'm going to let you kill him, you've got another thing coming. He's mine, you get it? I'll be the one to stop his pathetic human heart once and for all, and I'll spare the girl so you can do whatever you want with her. That's our agreement, and you're damn well going to stick to it!"

She let go of him and he didn't say a word. He began promptly fixing his collar, still glaring at her.

'Maybe this whole thing was just a bad idea to begin with…' He found himself thinking as he walked past her, down the hall to his room and locked the door behind him.

As Saya and Haji made all their pit-stops, Haji was trying to figure out why he had felt so strangely while they were with Solomon. He could swear he felt a familiar presence, but he couldn't remember well enough to place it.

First, they went to Omoro and Saya packed a suitcase full of clothes. She also saw the twins for a bit, and they seemed to be back to normal. Saya was glad to see how resilient her little nieces were. While they were at Omoro, Saya looked through a few newspapers and found some job ads and apartments for rent. She found four local shops that were hiring and three apartments to go see, and then they were on their way.

They had no luck with the apartments, but the last shop they visited said they would hire Saya the next week. They were in desperate need of help, and even though she had no experience, they were more than willing to train her. She thanked them and was excited to start her new job as they made their way back to Kaori's.

Saya pulled out the spare key Kaori had left for her that morning, and opened the door. Kaori was sitting in the living room, watching TV.

"Hey Kaori, how are you feeling?" Saya asked, plopping down next to her friend on the love seat. Haji took a seat on the other side of the room on the sofa.

"Much better today, thanks for asking. I think I'll be alright as long as I have you guys around for a little while… how did the apartment hunt go, anyway?"

"Eh… it was unsuccessful. But I did manage to find a job."

"Really!? That's great! Where?"

"This little food shop a few blocks away called Aki's. Mrs. Aki, the owner, is so nice!"

"That's great, Saya! Let's go out to dinner to celebrate!" Kaori said, getting up from her seat on the couch and smiled at the pair of them. "My treat!"

Saya's stomach grumbled at the thought of food, and she blushed slightly.

"Seems like your stomach agrees, Saya." Kaori said in response, while Haji rose from the couch and gave her his hand.

"Oh, and before we leave… I have something for you two!"

Kaori rushed into her bedroom and emerged with her purse as well as two small silver flip phones.

"It's not much for now, but I added you guys onto my cell phone plan. Once you can afford better phones, you can either get your own plan or upgrade these, but at least you'll have something for now!"

Saya smiled brightly and looked at Haji. They both thanked her, and Saya suggested they all trade numbers right then and there so that they would have them. Saya called Solomon as they were leaving, and, though Haji objected rather strongly, Saya gave him all three numbers as well.

As the trio walked to the barbeque place a few blocks from the apartment, Saya's mouth was watering. Kaori told her what she was going to get, and she just couldn't help herself. Just as Kaori was about to ask Haji what he was going to eat, Haji stopped short, and his eyes went wide.

"Haji? What is it?" Saya asked as she followed his line of sight to a beautiful woman in the crowd who was slowly approaching them.

Saya's possessiveness came out even though she tried hard to suppress it.

"Who the hell is THAT?" She said, her words dripping with hate already.

"That's… that… her name is Reiya. She's… my sister."

Saya stood and gawked at the woman for a few minutes before she started to notice the similarity in her and Haji's features. She had long, wavy black hair that blew lightly in the wind, and piercing blue-grey eyes, the same shape as Haji's. Saya looked back at Haji, who looked as if he'd been hit by a bus.

"Haji… what's the matter?" Saya asked him, grabbing his arm and shaking him a bit when he didn't respond.

"Haji… Haji! Earth to Haji!" Saya waved her hand in front of him and shook him yet again.

Haji finally snapped out of it, and looked down at Saya. "We need to leave here. You, me and Kaori need to go home right now and pack again. It's not safe here anymore."

Haji scooped Saya up in his arms and gave Kaori a meaningful look. Kaori was beyond asking questions at this point, and soundlessly followed Haji's lead.

"Don't you want to see your sister, Haji? I want to meet her!" Saya said as she resisted his hold.

"Saya." Haji gave her one look that shut her up instantly.

"Haji…"

"Just let me get you two home safe without us being followed… I'll explain everything once we get there. Please, just trust me this time." Haji cut her off, trying to stop her resistance.

"Alright… but I'm hungry!" Saya pouted.

"Don't worry Saya, how about we just order some takeout?" Kaori asked, trying to make Haji's life a little easier, since she could see something was clearly bothering him.

Saya just huffed and nodded her response, currently angry at Haji for first not allowing her to meet his sister, and then basically starving her.

When they finally arrived back at Kaori's apartment, Haji took one more look around before he was convinced they hadn't been tailed home. When they finally entered the apartment, Haji grabbed both girls by the arm and sat them on the sofa together.

"Haji, do you hate your sister? Is that why you didn't want us to meet her?" Kaori asked, trying to start a conversation while Haji massaged his temples to relieve a bit of the stress he was feeling.

"No, it's not as simple as that…" He began as he took a seat on the love seat across from them.

"When I was brainwashed by Corynne… Kaori, do you know about Corynne?" Haji asked, suddenly remembering that Kaori might not have heard from Saya.

"No… I thought your sister's name was Reiya?" Kaori asked, confused.

Haji sighed deeply, as he now realized he had to start from the beginning. He proceeded to tell Kaori the details of his fight with Solomon, Corynne's spell, and how Saya had broken the spell.

"Oh my gosh… that's totally romantic!" Kaori said beaming at Saya.

"Kaori… I really don't think you understand…" Saya said as she held her face in her palm, embarrassed for her friend.

"No, no, I totally get it! It's still romantic though! In a dangerous and creepy sorta way! Anyway, so what happened when you were under her spell, Haji?"

Haji shook his head and turned his face down to the carpet.

"Corynne and my sister were best friends growing up. There weren't a lot of kids in our little camp, and the two of them were the only girls around the same age. My sister was only about two years older than us."

"Why weren't there many kids?" Kaori asked, curiosity getting the better of her.

"Kaori, let him get to the point!" Saya scolded.

"Right… sorry…"

"They were all sold as slaves to the highest bidder, Kaori. That is how those people lived. They kept what they needed, and sold what they didn't." He answered her in a cold, unfeeling tone more like the Haji of the past than the one they were currently accustomed to.

Saya cringed as she realized how bitter it must have made him when he was sold. Was he deemed unnecessary by his own family? She wanted to give him a hug, but she knew now wasn't the time.

"So they were always together, and when me and Corynne promised to get married one day, Reiya was so excited that she was going to have a sister. They were still close when I left the camp, after I was sold to Joel. "

Haji paused for a breath, and then continued.

"When Corynne approached me in France, I soon learned that my sister was also there with her. They had studied and perfected black magic spells together, and lived in the same apartment building."

Saya gasped, suddenly beginning to understand where this was going.

"Haji… did your sister help Corynne put that spell on you?"

Haji nodded and looked up at the pair opposite him.

"They wanted to be sisters. And Reiya agreed to help her best friend get hitched to me, no matter what the means. So they worked together to curse me. At least that's what I've come to realize. She was always coming over to the apartment, or we would go out with her somewhere… I didn't mind at all, probably because I wasn't in control of my mind for quite some time. But once you broke my trance, Saya… I realized everything. And when I saw her in the crowd, I realized that she was very likely a part of it. She would have been dead long ago if she hadn't sold her soul."

Kaori was in shock. "So, what do you think she was doing here, then?" She asked, a hint of fear in her voice.

Haji stood up and walked around the room, as if searching for the right answer.

"She probably came here with Corynne, since I've never known them to be too far from each other at any given time… They are probably going to go after Saya."

Saya's eyes widened. "They want… to kill me… just so they can put a hex on you and become sisters!? That's crazy!"

"They're not rational people, Saya, that much is clear." Haji said as he walked over to the window and pulled the curtain back slightly to glance outside. It still looked like they hadn't been spotted.

"We have to go now, though. They will use any means they can to get us to do what they want. We'll have to take the twins and Kai with us. Who knows what'll happen to them if they stay."

"And Solomon! He's my Chevalier, so they could go after him as well…"

"Saya." Haji said her name sharply and glared at her as if to say now was not the time to bring that man into the conversation.

"Haji, you're not going to just abandon him out of jealousy, are you? You can't be that threatened by him!"

Haji walked over to her and looked down into her eyes.

"Saya, I don't trust him. I don't care what you say, there is nothing he has done that defines him as friend over foe. He is on that line, and until he proves which side he stands on, he will be out of the loop. We need people we can trust around us."

"So you must really trust Kai, then." Saya said sarcastically.

Haji turned away from her and clenched his fists.

"Saya, now is not the time to provoke my anger." He paused for a breath before he continued, not wanting to yell at Saya.

"Of course I don't trust the man who may very well have raped my girlfriend. But he's just a scumbag, not a traitor. Solomon may well be the opposite."

Saya backed away from Haji at his tone. She'd never seen him this frustrated before. Was he… really scared? Haji? She couldn't wrap her mind around her strong, infallible chevalier being afraid of anything.

"I… I'm sorry, Haji…"

"Nevermind that, we don't have time. You need to help Kaori pack. And Saya… give me Kai's phone number. We need to move tonight."

Saya's stomach grumbled, but she had already given up on the prospect of eating. This was more serious than she'd realized.

"Where are we going, Haji?" Kaori asked as she looked around the room, beginning to gather her most important items in order to pack them. She was still a little confused, but she knew they were all in danger, and she needed to do as she was told.

"I have no idea. Maybe Kai will know someplace. I can't pick any of the places I would usually go… my sister is likely to figure them out."

Saya nodded, and wrote down the phone number for Omoro on a pad Kaori had out on the table.

"Call him. We'll be ready in twenty minutes or less." Saya promised, grabbing Kaori by the wrist and leading her to her room.

Suddenly, Kaori's phone began to ring.

"It's Dr. Julia…" Kaori said nervously.

"Answer it, but definitely don't let her know anything's wrong. Can you handle it, Kaori?" Haji said, looking from her to Saya.

"A-alright… I can do it…"

Kaori answered in her normal cheerful tone, and after a few moments of idle chatter, Kaori's eyes went wide.

"Y-yes, she's here. Her and Haji have actually moved in with me. I'll hand the phone to her right now."

Kaori covered the mouth piece and looked tentatively at Saya.

"She wants to speak to you… she says the results of your tests are back."