Chapter 2
Catching Up
The house fell silent as everyone heard Kai's bike pulling into the driveway. Even Ravyn remained quiet. Anticipation and tension thick enough to choke on filled the room. Mao looked at the twins, then at Ryan, and Emily. One by one, everyone in the room looked at each other, then stared expectantly at the door. Mao looked out the window to see Kai carrying Saya towards the door. Turning back to the room, she gave a nod, asked Emily to go to her room, and opened the door. Kai walked through it carrying Saya, and Mao shut it behind him.
"Well she was awake," Kai let out an attempt at laughter, but it seemed to fall short among the listeners. Ravyn and Trista were absolutely speechless, Ryan seemed unsure what to do or say, Emily was happily playing with toys in her bedroom, and Mao looked concerned.
"Is she alright? Get her into bed, I'll bring her up a change of clothes. Ryan, could you handle setting up an extra plate for Saya tonight? If she wakes up, she'll be hungry." Mao cast a worried glance towards Trista and Ravyn once Ryan had set to work in making dinner. Kai disappeared up the stairs with Saya, Mao grabbed a dress from atop one of the many laundry baskets in the room and followed him.
"Could you get her changed while I call Julia and David? We'll all have to talk about this. Its strange enough that Trista and Ravyn haven't...slept like Saya has. But waking up ten years early? I don't know, we'll need Julia's help with this." Kai said as Mao entered the room. Mao nodded and set about changing Saya from her old clothes. Kai turned his back to them and pulled out his phone, one ring...two...three...four...
"David, its me Kai....yeah, Saya's awake" Kai paused and nodded to himself. "Well she's asleep now, but she's still...awake. I'll catch you up on everything once you get here." Another short pause as he listened. "Alright sounds good, see you in a few." Kai hung up his phone and slipped it back in his pocket.
"Are they on their way?" Mao asked, glancing up at Kai as he turned around.
"Yeah, they're bringing Kate too. I'll go tell Ry we'll need three more extra plates for dinner." Kai started to walk off towards the door.
"Kai wait, tell me what happened."
"She's really upset about Haji, so I don't know what to expect when she wakes up Mao, I really don't."
"Ryan wants to know about her...he asked me earlier after he read your note."
"Yeah, I figure I have some explaining to do..." Kai stuffed his hands in his pockets and stared at his feet. "Thank you Mao...for staying with me through all of this."
"Oh shut up, you know I'll never leave you Kai. I haven't left yet and I have no plans to." She stood and winked at him when he glanced up at her.
Saya rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand as she woke. She felt the familiar bite of an IV in her arm, pumping blood into her veins. She felt much calmer, at least for the moment. Looking at the bag of blood beside her, there wasn't much more waiting to do. She brushed the hair away from her face and took in her surroundings. The room was dimly lit by the bedside lamp. Hardwood floors and the standard white walls, with simple furniture and decorations. She wasn't sure if she was in a hotel or a spare bedroom. There was a light knock on the door, then Julia came in. She looked much the same, aside from the crows feet around her eyes and slightly softer features. Age had certainly treated everyone well as far as she had seen.
"Oh Saya, you're awake. I just came in to check on you. How are you feeling?" Julia came at sat on a stool beside the bed, she went to work pulling the empty IV from Saya's arm.
"I'm feeling a little better, after the blood. Thank you Julia, and how are you? How's your baby? He or she is all grown up now...so much time has passed." Saya sat up, once more brushing the hair from her face.
"You're welcome Saya, its no trouble. After all, you're family to me. And yes, she is all grown up now, her name is Kate. She's here with us tonight. You'll get to meet her once you're ready to. She knows everything, so there's no need to worry about that." Julia smiled and placed a hand over Saya's.
"Julia? I didn't get to ask much when Kai came to pick me up...I.. I don't know much of what has happened with the twins..I mean, Trista and Ravyn." She sighed and let out a small laugh. "Do you think you could catch me up a bit on everything?" She looked up hopefully into Julia's eyes. Julia nodded.
"Of course Saya. Oh, where should I begin? David and I got married shortly after you fell asleep. I had hoped you might still be awake so you could be a part of it. After I had Kate, that took up a lot of my time, but David and I came by here every day to check on the twins. They grew up, much like you and Diva did, its hard to tell just yet if they've stopped aging. But neither of them has slept as you have yet Saya." She shook her head, "Its a bit of a mystery, though I do have a theory and so far it seems to hold true, but only time will tell. Speaking of mysteries, their eyes, yours turn red when you fight, Diva's turned blue. After a few years, their eyes turned lavender. They haven't fought, though I'm sure instinctively they know how. About fifteen years ago, Mao and Kai got married, and seven years ago they adopted two children, Ryan and Emily."
"What about...what about Haji, Julia? Have you seen him, or heard from him?" Saya let her hair fall around her face to shield her eyes. Julia gently squeezed her hand.
"I'm sorry Saya but as far as I'm aware no one has heard from Haji in all this time. I heard he left you a rose though, so he should turn up anytime, shouldn't he?"
"I don't think so, I remember when Moses and Karmen helped us from beyond the grave...I...I think that's what Haji is doing... I've dreamed for the past twenty years that I've been asleep. It started out as a wonderful dream... Me and Haji, Kai, Mao, the twins, you, David and your baby..Lewis, everybody...even Riku, and...Diva...then I realized, somewhere in my mind that these were memories and hopes, then it turned to nightmares. I relived the horrors of my past again and again. I flashed through my entire life, and in the remaining time that I slept...I relived watching Haji die. I just can't accept that he's truly gone...but I'm also afraid of getting my hopes up Julia."
"Do you love him, as he loves you?" Julia brushed some of the hair away from Saya's eyes, offering her a warm and kind smile.
"Yes, I do. And now I don't know what to do. He asked me to live on...to live for today...live for tomorrow..."
How will I carry on, if he's the one I want to live for...? Saya thought to herself.
"Love will always live on Saya, he'll remain alive in your heart no matter what. I can't say for certain whether he's dead or alive. But I'll hold onto hope, if you will Saya. For now, we should go down and eat. I'll bet you're hungry." Saya's stomach growled loudly in response, they both laughed and headed down to the backyard to eat. When Saya went through the door into the backyard, all eyes were suddenly on her. Julia put a comforting hand on her shoulder as Saya made eye contact with everyone one by one. Mao broke the silence.
"Its so good to see you Saya, please, come sit. You must be hungry." Mao said, gesturing for Saya to come join her at the table. Saya smiled and sat down in the chair Mao had pulled out for her. "I guess I'll go through the introductions. You already know Kai, David, Julia and myself. This is Ryan" Mao gestured to a tall young man with messy black hair and soft hazel eyes. He waved and muttered his hellos, he reminded her of...Riku. "And this is my little Emily," Mao picked up a little girl with strawberry blonde hair in a mass of waves around her face, her blue eyes shone through the mess of hair. She smiled and waved shyly. Mao set the girl down on her feet and she ran off once more. "Oh, and this is Kate, Julia and David's daughter. She's been helping out a lot in carrying on Julia's research." Mao took a deep breath and heaved a sigh. "Trista and Ravyn should be back soon, they left to go get some drinks for everyone." Mao stalked off for something or another, and Kate offered her hand to Saya.
"Its so weird that you've been...asleep the entire time I've been alive yet we look the same age Saya. Oh, don't get me wrong though, its a pleasure to finally meet you, its just...incredible." Kate laughed, dropping her hand back to her side once the handshake was through. She looked almost identical to her mother, the only different being her hair color. Blonde and bright as David's once was. Now, David's hair was still blonde, but he had a bit of gray in there as well. Age had treated him well, but he had certainly aged.
"I'm so glad to meet you, Kate." Saya let out a soft laugh. "I'm sorry, I'm just a little overwhelmed I guess. I don't really know what to say." Kate sat beside her and offered a warm smile, much like her mother's.
"Oh don't worry, I completely understand. Honestly I'd be more surprised if you weren't overwhelmed Saya. We'll get used to each other in time, I hope we can become good friends once you're ready." Kate offered another smile.
"Oh sure, I'd like that. Thank you." Before Saya could say anything more, David placed a hand on her shoulder, and the other on Kate's.
"Its good to see you Saya, we won't make the same mistakes as last time by keeping you in the dark I promise you that. Though Julia tells me you remember everything. Its good to see you and Kate together, all of us together again." David said.
"What about Lewis, David? Where is he? And...Lulu...is she still, alive?" Saya asked, casting David a glance, worry evident in her eyes.
"Oh Lewis, well the Red Shield will never truly die, but since we are no longer on active duty, he went back to working with the CIA. In that line of work you travel a lot, so it seems to be a hit and miss getting a hold of him. But once he hears that you're here, I know he'll come by to see you. And as for Lulu...Julia's figured out a way to keep her alive using Trista and Ravyn's blood. She travels with Lewis though, so she's also difficult to get a hold of sometimes. Julia will explain it all once dinner is over with, and Ryan and Emily head to bed." David gently squeezed her shoulder. "So try and relax a little until then, okay Saya?" Saya nodded, and he walked away.
"Oh Saya, look! Trista and Ravyn are back." Kate pointed towards the backdoor, where two young girls had just stepped through. Saya wasn't sure which was which, the girls both offered her beautiful smiles. Mao was heard in the kitchen calling Ravyn in for help bringing out the food. The remaining young girl, who must have been Trista walked over to her. She wore a pair of casual and sensible black slacks, with a button down silk top, fitting just a little loose. She had waist length hair in layers with half of it pulled back into a ponytail and her bangs covering part of her lavender eyes.
"You must be my Aunt Saya, its a pleasure to meet you. I'm Trista." Trista smiled and bent down to hug Saya around the neck. "I've waited so long...I'm starting to see why everyone says we look alike." Saya looked down at her long black hair and realized how true it was. When she looked back into Trista's face, it felt like looking into a mirror, aside from the eyes.
"I've waited a long time to meet you too Trista, Kai picked out a beautiful name for you, and for Ravyn too. I'm so glad. I just wish...that I had been around to help raise you two, and that Haji was here to meet you both." Saya smiled, and wiped away the tears that welled in her eyes at the thought of Haji.
"I will always love you, Saya..." She would cherish those words until the day she finally died.
"Oh oh, please Saya don't cry. I know its got to be hard. I heard a lot about him from Kai and the others... I heard he was a wonderful man, and that he helped save our lives." Trista took Saya's hands in hers. "But we're a family Saya, we'll help you get through this. No matter what happens, we'll always be here for you. Nankurunaisa!" Trista squeezed her hands and offered a warm and friendly smile, her own eyes filling with unshed tears. Saya nodded, and before she could say much more, Ravyn placed a plate of food before her. Trista and Ravyn took the seats on either side of her.
"So you're Auntie Saya huh?" Ravyn asked, patting her on the shoulder. "I'm kidding, I know who you are, just not really sure what else to say to break the ice." Saya nodded in agreement, brushing aside her hurtful memories of Haji so she could get through the rest of the night. She took in Ravyn's appearance as they continued their small talk with everyone at the table. Her hair was in a very similar style to what hers had looked like before Kai cut it twenty years ago. The only difference was the bright purple highlights that nearly matched her lavender eyes. Ravyn wore a pair of skinny jeans, a leather studded belt and a black and red striped tank top. When she got a good look at her face, she realized how little makeup Trista had been wearing. Ravyn's eyes were shadowed with purple and gray, lined in black. Her lips were glossed in a darker shade of pink. It really wasn't much makeup, but compared to Trista's bare face, it seemed like a lot. Saya pushed the hair away from her face as she began to eat. Mao must have ordered take out... Saya thought to herself.
Once dinner was finished, Kai and Ryan took a very sleepy Emily upstairs to her room. As she settled down to sleep in her bed, Ryan stalked off into his own room. Kai followed him, knowing this was probably his best opportunity to talk to him a bit about Saya.
"Hey, Ry...I think its time we talked a little about Saya." Kai said as he entered the room, he scratched the top of his head, then shoved his hands in his pockets. Clearly unsure what to do with them. "I don't really know where to even begin." Ryan sat on the edge of his bed and motioned for Kai to sit in the chair by the desk. Kai sat down, folding his arms across his chest.
"Who...and what is she?" Ryan asked, staring intently at his feet and avoiding eye contact with Kai.
"She's my sister, and she's a Chiropteran." Kai told the flat out truth. Ryan looked up at him in shock.
"She's your sister? But she looks the same age as Trista and Ravyn...and..what the heck is a Chiropteran..?"
"My father was put in charge of taking care of Saya, and he adopted me and my brother Riku, which made Saya our sister. A Chiropteran is a creature that lives off the blood of humans...."
"Whoa, wait what?! You mean, like a vampire? Dad things like that don't exist, do they? You've got to be joking." Ryan interrupted before Kai could continue. Kai shook his head.
"I'm not. I thought it was a joke until I saw it for my own eyes too. But its real, trust me."
"Okay..okay, so I have a vampire for an Aunt? Why didn't you tell me this? Where has she been all this time?"
"She's a Chiropteran, and yes, she is your Aunt, but not by blood. She's family, but her blood is different from ours. It has the ability to kill other Chiropterans, ones created by Trista and Ravyn's mother, Diva."
"Okay, Trista and Ravyn are vamp..Chiropterans too? I'm lost Dad, take it from the top...." And so Kai began the long journey of telling his son the truth, the history of their family. The history of Saya. He told him about Diva and Riku, Haji, Lulu, Trista and Ravyn...he told him everything in vivid detailing. He remembered it all as if it were yesterday. And once the story was told, he felt much closer with his son, and much...much older for having told it.
Saya waited impatiently for Kai to get back so the meeting could start. She'd held small talk with everyone for the past hour or so since he'd gone to put Emily to bed. She was getting tired, and she wanted to be alone. She just couldn't get her mind off of Haji. Finally, Kai emerged from the house and took his place at the oversized table in the yard.
"Sorry everyone, I explained everything to Ryan...he's old enough to know the truth now." Mao offered him a satisfied smile, and the rest of the chit chat at the table died out. Once everyone fell silent, David took his usual place as leader of the pack and spoke first.
"So we all know why we're here, I don't have much to say, what you all need to hear will be coming from Julia as she's the one whose done the extensive research on the subjects at hand. So please, Julia the floor is all yours, tell us your theories." Everyone at the table remained quiet and hushed. The tension began to grow once more. Julia stood and shuffled through her briefcase, gathering a stack of folders she then passed out to everyone sitting at the table. Everyone glanced through the folders, which contained her theories on paper, as well as evidence and pictures to support them. Julia took her place at the head of the table and at long last began to speak.
"The contents of the folders are merely for your reference and later viewing purposes. Though I do have to stress how important it is these stay safe. As we're all well aware, none of this can become public knowledge, no matter how extraordinary. Now where to begin...Ah yes, blood. Saya and Diva were sisters by blood, just as Trista and Ravyn are. After extensive testing I've come to discover that Trista and Ravyn's blood share the same traits as Saya and Diva, they're most definitely fatal to one another. Just as Saya and Diva's blood. However there are a few differences. For one, the eyes. Trista and Ravyn were both born with natural shades, after a few years, their eyes turned lavender. Whenever Diva went into battle, her eyes turned a bright blue, Saya's, turned a bright red. A sign of the true Chiropteran in them. Now if you've noticed...Saya's eyes, they've remained red as far as I'm aware since she's awakened..." Suddenly all eyes were on Saya, in truth she hadn't even noticed her eyes remained red. She hadn't really spent anytime in front of a mirror at all. "And I think...that her eyes have remained red because she no longer has Diva as an opponent. There is no longer a threat to her as the Chiropteran Queen, so to speak. As for Trista and Ravyn, they've grown up together, they don't pose an active threat to one another. They don't have conflict as Diva and Saya did. So their eyes...have retained true Chiropteran form. I can't say any of this for certain, but that is the theory. Moving on to sleep, while Saya slept for thirty years at a time and generally had an active period of about three years, Diva slept much longer at times, and was active for the same amount or less. I believe this is because of the number of chevaliers each had. Saya had Haji as her one and only chevalier, until she turned Riku to save his life. Up until then, she only had one chevalier to support with her life. Diva, had several chevaliers, I believe that a chevalier exists off the energy of the one who turned them. Which saps the strength from the maker, causing the need to sleep. It would explain why Diva slept for a longer amount of time. As well as why Trista and Ravyn haven't slept yet. Neither of them have a chevalier, and they have been awake longer than expected before the first sleep. Adding into that theory, as they don't oppose each other, they're isn't a battle to 'rest up' for. In truth, I don't think Trista and Ravyn will experience the sleeping periods unless they someday become enemies, or they create a chevalier. As for the aging process...after thorough research, I've been able to keep Lulu alive with Trista and Ravyn's blood. A concoction of their blood and the blood of the living, keeps her alive, and saves her from the thorn, which was expected to consume her years ago. Their blood differs from Saya's and Diva's enough that it hasn't killed her. Their blood is prolonging life, I don't think they will age. The blood of a Chiropteran seems to be a fountain of youth so to speak. Once the body reaches its best physical peak, the body's aging process comes to a halt." Julia took a deep breath, everyone had remained respectfully silent throughout her speech, glancing down at the notes or pictures for reference on occasion. "Are there any questions?" Saya raised a hand and began to speak.
"Will I ever fall into a sleep again then? I mean...that is if Haji truly is...gone." Saya looked down at the folder, avoiding the eyes of everyone at the table.
"Honestly Saya, I don't think you will have a thirty year sleep again. Not until you have an opponent. Haji would use your energy in order to protect you, or to assist you in battle. As of right now, you don't have anyone to battle. So you aren't stealing each others strength. Unfortunately I can't say for certain because we don't know if Haji is alive or not, or even if he is gone, if he has some connection to you from beyond this realm. I think, that the sleep period is for recovery and preperation. It all has to do with battle. Sleep is when the body recovers. So you sleep to recover from battle, but you also prepare yourself as well. The way everything happened with you and Diva, sleep was essential in recovery and preperation. You no longer have your blood sister as an opponent, your body no longer senses the impending battle because you've won the war."
"I see...is that why I only slept for twenty years? So I could recover?"
"I believe so Saya. During your last active period you used a lot of your energy. As a Chiropteran, your body can take much more damage than a human body, but it also uses a lot more energy, which would explain your healthy appetite. When you take that amount of damage, the deep healing process seems to take a much longer amount of time. Your body could heal cuts and scrapes in a few moments, but the internal damage would take longer to heal. The sleep helped with that."
"I don't plan on watching you get run through with another sword Saya, so I'll have to agree with Julia on this one, I don't think you'll sleep for that long anymore if at all. Julia's really smart, and she's done her research. I know I know, only time will tell, but I do think its all true." Kai added. Saya nodded.
"Thanks Julia, things make a little more sense now. I'm glad I got to catch up with everyone tonight." The small talk began and laughter filled the air. Unfortunately, it did little to help lift Saya's gloomy mood.
Since I killed Diva...I'll never sleep again? What if I have a different enemy to face? What if Haji really is alive? If I do sleep, how long will I be out? Will any of my friends and family be alive the next time I wake up...? Well as Julia said...only time will tell.
(Author's Note: Finished the second chapter much sooner than expected! I guess those two days off of work went to good use. Hope you enjoyed the read. I'd appreciate any and all reviews to let me know how you like everything so far. Thanks for taking the time to read! Chapter three coming soon as I can get it finished. )