I

Am

BACK!

I believe I have 4 Chapters to post :)

My laptop is still a little...iffy but we got rid of some pretty nasty viruses

(which I think were the reason I couldn't update)

OKAY! Are you ready? I am xD

-Anii

Chapter 37: Haji

Haji brushed aside a stray strand of ebony hair from his eyes as a bead of sweat trickled down the side of his face. His fingers were red and raw from pulling out weeds and bushes all day by hand. The hot sun beat down on him as he squatted down to yank out a particularly annoying bush.

His hypersensitive ears picked up the soft sound of footfalls and he glanced over his shoulder to see Saya standing behind him. He immediately picked up on the curiosity in her reddish brown eyes and he felt his heart leap in his chest.

He placed his hands on his knees, moving to straighten his lithe body, however, she immediately backed away and snapped her head to the side. Saya took off running down the cobblestone pathway without so much as uttering a single word.

Haji placed a hand on the back of his head, watching her run away from him as quickly as she could. A cord struck in his chest and he had to restrain himself from touching his aching torso. He glanced down at his muddied boots as the pain dulled his senses.

It'd been three days since he'd returned but Saya hadn't once spoken to him. He caught her looking at him multiple times in a day with the same look of apology in her eyes every time. So many years together had taught him a few things about Saya but she still remained a huge mystery to him.

"Haji!"

Haji turned to greet the ever-friendly Kai, who wore his usual kitchen attire and large grin.

Kai ran his fingers through his hair, his grin faltering momentarily as his fatigue shown through. "She still hasn't talked to you, huh?"

Haji shook his head, hiding his forlorn look by bending back down to rip out the bush by its roots.

A hand dropped down on Haji's shoulder and Kai let out a weak laugh. "Give it time, Haj." (Anii Note: Not misspelled lol. Kind of a nickname for Haji even though his name is so short already xD but hey, Kai would do it.)

Kai's hand left Haji's shoulder and the stoic man stared at his pale hand as the fresh slices in his skin healed almost instantly. Saya was probably living off of bagged blood now, a fact that infuriated him and rubbed his sense of duty the wrong way.

Haji stared down at his now fully healed hand, remembering Kai's advice about being more forceful. It would never work. Haji lived and breathed for his Queen. Defying her wishes went against every fiber of his being, both literally and metaphorically.

Kai was infuriated by Haji's "disgusting loyalty." They were two different people, he and Kai. Kai grew up with such a fiery spirit and his burning passion drove him to act rashly but valiantly. That was one quality that Haji admired. It was a quality that he himself could never obtain.

Haji's pale eyelids slipped over his steel blue eyes as he thought of someone else for a change. How had Solomon done it? That bold Chevalier had stood up against everything he knew, casting away the only family he had known, and brazenly told his Queen―Diva―how he felt towards Saya, his sworn enemy. Solomon was a bastard who had nearly swiped Saya away from Haji but there was a part of Haji that respected Solomon for the backbone he'd shown.

Haji's eyes opened slowly as his head tilted to the side. Was Solomon even alive? He hadn't seen the love-struck Chevalier for years, not even when Saya had slept peacefully in the family crypt with Diva.

Solomon had promised Saya that all she had to do was cry out his name and that he would come running. Someone so dedicated…it was strange that he hadn't come around even for a moment to look at Saya from a distance.

Haji wiped the dried blood as best he could on his dirtied pants as he rose to his full height. The blond-haired gentlemen was most likely dead―a thought that strangely disappointed Haji.

He shook his head from side to side, his brows furrowing slightly. Haji immediately set aside his inner quarrel and got back to work.

••••••••

Water danced over Haji's ridiculously pale skin and aching muscles. He tilted back his head and ran his hand through his hair, sighing softly as the hot water cascaded down his neck and bare chest.

Saya's blood made his body stronger, faster, and more durable than normal humans but he still fell victim to muscle fatigue like everyone else. Especially when he hadn't had blood in over a week. His fingers timidly unwrapped the bandage hiding his Chiropteran hand from the world.

The dirtied wrapping came free easily and Haji tossed it outside of the shower. He flexed his hand, the sharp claws on each finger shining with a deadly gleam in the bright light. His human fingers ran over the coarse, maroon skin of his transformed hand absently.

Without intending to, Haji's mind carried him back to the terrifying night he had lost his arm. His skin burned as if Saya's sword were slicing through his muscles all over again. He could remember Saya's face, covered in still-warm blood, anger pooling in her blood-red eyes like a caged animal. Her simple dress was marred by browning stains, the smell of blood wafting off of her and clogging Haji's nostrils with each breath he drew.

Haji's head jerked as a sound pierced through the horrid memory. Vibrantnotes reverberated in the bathroom, lighting Haji's skin on fire. He thrust back the shower curtain, forgetting to turn off the shower or even cover himself.

Diva sat with her back to the bathroom wall, her knees tucked against her chest and her eyes closed. Her beautiful voice sang every note as if it came straight from her heart. She had a tight rein on her vocal skills but each note that rose out of her throat sounded carefree and teasing.

Haji shook his head from side to side, brushing off the affect Diva's song had over him. He yanked a towel off of the rack and wrapped it tightly around his waist, cutting her off with a casual greeting.

Diva snapped her jaw shut as her eyes slowly flicked open, her blue eyes shining brightly. "Do you know who wrote that peace?"

"I don't believe I was alive when it was written." He answered easily, opening the bathroom door and stepping into the hallway.

"You weren't." Diva agreed simply, bobbing her head as he brushed past her. "I made it."

"That's always been your natural talent." Haji opened his bedroom door as she rose to her feet. "Did you need me for something?"

"Headmaster made an announcement." Diva stated, flicking off the lights in the bathroom.

Haji stepped into his bedroom, leaving the door ajar slightly out of courtesy. Not that Diva would notice much even if he had slammed the door in her face. The girl's voice was stiff and her powerful blue eyes were incredibly distant, as if her mind were a million miles away. Haji decided not to pry and rummaged around in his draws and closet for clean clothing.

"What was the announcement?" He prodded as he pulled a simple t-shirt over his head.

"There's going to be a party." She replied.

Haji paused in dressing himself, his mind tripping over itself to come up with an explanation. Finally, he asked, "What for?"

"Many things." At first, Haji didn't think Diva would elaborate but after several silent seconds ticked by, she said, "The anniversary of the Academy and the return of two important people."

Diva's voice was as low and distant as it had been the entire conversation but her words caused an icy ball to form in Haji's stomach. He noted the strange reaction but chased it into the farthest corners of his mind. He opened his door, fully dressed. "Is it for the entire school?"

Diva nodded. "Staff, Day Class students, and Night Class students."

Haji bowed stiffly, murmuring his thanks. Diva bobbed her head in response and moved to leave his residence. However, she stopped dead in her tracks and glanced over her shoulder. "I assume the others have given you advice and so I'm obligated to as well."

Haji opened his mouth to refute her statement and say that he was fine but she cut him off. "Saya likes you the way you are but I don't think she'd mind you standing up to her."

"How can I stand up to her?" Haji sucked in a sharp intake of breath as his own voice reached his ears. He hadn't meant to speak.

Diva moved her head forward but not before Haji caught a ghost of a smile on her lips. "You think she's upset with you because you argued with her." She noted correctly. "But she's not. Someone told me that I shouldn't assume things automatically. You might want to do the same."

With those final words, she slipped easily through his front door, leaving Haji dumbstruck.

••••••••

Moonlight fell on Haji's pale skin, nearly making him glow in the dark forest. His fingers curled tighter around the strap of his cello case as his ears picked up on the softest sound of movement.

He spun around, using the heavy case to block the razor sharp claws of the Chiropteran who burst out of the shadowed bushes behind him. The beast roared angrily, its long tongue slipping past its jagged teeth.

Haji grunted slightly as the Chiropteran swung its arm, striking the cello case with all its might. No matter how stupid the beasts seemed, they were, without a doubt, very powerful.

"Get down!"

Haji dropped quickly at the sound of Kai's voice just as several bullets whizzed above his head, catching the Chiropteran directly in the chest. Blood spurted out of the bullet holes, making the injured monster cry out in pain.

Kai unleashed more bullets, the echoing booms exploding loudly into the night sky. Haji's bandage flew off quickly as the beast thrashed around, moaning in pain. In his blind anger, the Chiropteran wandered close to Kai, who was busy filling his gun with more bullets. Haji launched himself into the air, his sharp claws gleaming in the moonlight as they easily sliced through the thick muscles in the Chiropterans neck.

Blood shot high into the air before raining down on Kai and Haji. The decapitated body crashed down to the ground, sending up a cloud of dust from the force.

Kai tried to wipe the blood from his face with his sleeve but he just left behind several crimson smears. "Nice going, Haj." Kai smiled and gave Haji a childish thumbs up.

Haji simply nodded. Killing shouldn't be something celebrated but he wasn't going to be a rain cloud on Kai's parade. The Chiropteran's head landed in the dirt and rolled until it bumped into Haji's shoes. A large, thick cloud moved over the moon, blocking out the moon's light and sending a chill up Haji's spine.

He glanced down at the monster's head, his face revealing nothing. "We have to burn the bodies."

Kai rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah. This is the part that always sucks."

Haji bent down to drop his cello case flat on the ground when something caught his attention. He jerked his body backwards, narrowly avoiding the thin dagger that flew through the air.

A body slammed into him, small hands pinning him to the ground. The darkness hid the person well―he could barely see the outline of their form. "You're pretty good."

Long, strong fingers grabbed Haji's face, moving his head from side to side slowly. Piercing red eyes examined him, sending chills straight down his spine. "You have a bit of my blood in you." The woman―her voice gave away her sex―gasped softly before letting out a throaty chuckle. "Oh, I see. You must belong to one of them."

Her accent was heavy. Haji, with great difficulty, recognized it as Hungarian. However, This type of Hungarian hadn't been used for centuries.

Something dark rippled under the bright red irises that stared down at him and Haji felt his heart freeze in his chest.

Click.

"I suggest you get off of him." Kai growled as he aimed his gun at the back of the woman's head.

The woman laughed, the sound brimming with insanity. "Oh?"

Haji felt the weight leave his body and immediately shot up. "Kai!"

The cloud passed, sending shining moonlight down on the Academy. Haji's eyes widened as he took in the thin, pale arms snaked around Kai's neck. The woman had positioned herself directly behind Kai, blocking her from all eyes. Her fingers tangled themselves in Kai's wild hair as she cooed, "What are you going to do, pretty boy?"

The muscle in Kai's jaw tightened, sending a terrible feeling into Haji's gut. Things never went right when Kai got angry.

"Mistress." Haji's focus shattered as he heard the masculine voice calling out from the shadows. "It's time to leave."

A remorseful sigh trickled out from the woman's throat as her grip on Kai loosened. "You never let me play anymore."

Almost as if she were a figment of Haji's imagination, the woman vanished. Haji's sharp senses couldn't detect any sign that either the woman or man were near them. How the hell had they moved so quickly? Haji's mind raced with questions but the icy dread never left his stomach. Even as he watched Kai drop to his knees, completely unharmed, Haji felt sick to his stomach.

I'm so glad to be able to post again, you have no idea xD My laptop might fail me again soon but I'll just have to find a way to post because these last few weeks have been torture ;_; -Anii