The Breaking Point

by: Tyner Twine

Disclaimer :Saiyuki? Nope. Not mine.

Chapter 4: Broken Strings: Part 1: Unfurl and Fly

Suggested music:

Ron Pope - A Drop In the Ocean (Hakkai's moment it this chapter)

Taylor Swift – Safe and Sound (Gojyo's moments in this chapter)

She opened her eyes and saw him sleeping awkwardly in the wooden chair, a quilt wrapped around his shoulders.

Has he been looking after me all night? She thought, pushing the sheets aside and sitting up. Not really wanting to answer the question, Ava slid of the bed and realized, albeit too late, that in the course of her feverish coma, her clothes had been stripped down to her lacy black camisole and matching underwear.

Blushing beet red on her lack of clothing in the presence of a man, she gave the sleeping deputy a glare that could have borne holes to his skull if looks could kill and slid back under the sheets.

"It wasn't me who undressed you." He said suddenly, almost making Ava jump out of her skin. When she turned to the owner of the soft, gentle, voice, she saw him smiling at her making him (even more) handsome despite his bedraggled appearance.

"What time is it?" She asked instead when she finally managed to get her vocal chords to function.

Hajie flipped his wrist and looked at the face of his Rolex then replied:

"It's still early. Please go back to sleep."

"I know it's early." She snapped pointing to the still dark landscape outside the window. "I want to know what time it is now because I have somewhere else to go to."

The deputy sighed in what seemed to be resignation before finally answering her question, "It is 3:45. Please go back to sleep; you are still weak."

"But—"

"I can handcuff you Miss Ava— Yuan-san's orders, and on my own will too— but I know you're smarter to realize that you are still sick and I know that you will never leave this room until you are strong enough." Hajie cut in patiently, as though he were talking to a child.

Ava gauged the firmness of his gaze and the softness of his voice then shook her head then slid back into the warmth of the mattress. He seemed to take this as his signal to move from his seat and sit on her bedside, gently dipping a small towel into a basin of cool water before proceeding to put wipe her face and neck.

"I can do that." She muttered trying to take the towel from him but he moved it out of her reach and shook her head.

"No. Please let me do this and just rest." He replied hoarsely.

"You need rest too. It's affecting your voice and you look so tired." She replied, reaching out to him and touching the dark bags under his eyes caused by sleep deprivation. When she realized what she was doing, she dropped her hand back onto the mattress.

It took everything in him to resist the urge to lean to her touch. He realized then, too late, that his reaction, which was just a slight flinch from when her hand made contact to his face, looked as though her touch was not welcome.

"I'm sorry. You… just remind me of somebody."

He carefully took hers in his and lifted it slightly.

"You are very thoughtful, Miss Ava." He muttered as his thumb caressed the back of her hand with small, smoothing circles.

"Did you look after me the night?" her eyes never leaving his. Hajie gave her a small smile before gently lowering her hand back onto the mattress.

"Yes, I did." He replied softly, that gentle smile still plastered on his face.

"You didn't have to." She answered trying to sit up, only to be guided back to the bed with the deputy's gentle hands.

"Yes, I had to." And he gave her a stern gaze as he picked up the damp towel from the mattress and dipped it into the basin.

"No you didn't." She persisted. "You should have called someone I know and sent me home."

"Yes, I did." He squeezed the water from the towel and gently damped it over her forehead and face. He gave her one stern glance and that was that. Gently but firmly, he won over her stubbornness. "Sending you back with another person is not an option too."

Ava managed to stay quiet for a while as he attended to her, wiping her face her neck, and her arm, checking her temperature before moving to change the water in the basin and get more ice.

"Why?" She suddenly asked, making him look at her.

He said nothing for a moment, sighed and then turned away from her.

"It's logical isn't it?" He responded very softly,

"What is?"

"Once they send you home they'll just put a cool towel on your forehead and head home." Hajie turned and met her surprised gaze. "Nobody is going to make sure you're really alright and take care of you the way I did."

His abrupt aversion of eye contact made Ava feel that it was unexpected. Before she could comment on it, the deputy then gave her a tired smile.

"I'll just go and change the water in the basin. I'll be back in the morning to bring you breakfast and some fever medicine. For now, rest up." He whispered as he lifted his hand and, after a moment's hesitation, patted her head and turned to go.

Before he could successfully escape the temptress on the other side of the bed, Hajie felt her fingers wrapped firmly around his wrist.

"Miss Ava, I need to change the water in the basin." He forced out, averting his glance from her face and her underdressed figure.

"You rest too." She blurted out, not caring if her lacy camisole was exposed before him. It was funny how she could feel so at ease with someone she just met.

And that sense of familiarity…

"I'll retire as soon as I finish this. Now, please let me go." Hajie said sternly.

The brunette released his hand immediately and though he felt the sudden urge to hold it again, he sighed, "please go back to sleep. You really need rest."

Ava watched the as the man closed the door behind him and then looked at the hand she used to stop him from leaving.

Somehow, somewhere deep inside her, that polite and very simple rejection hurt her.

But why would a mere stranger have the capacity to make her hurt this much? She pressed the hand to her chest and took a deep breath, before releasing it and finally surrendering herself to the tempting invitation of sleep.

Deep in her heart, a small, nagging voice trailed through her thoughts and haunted her.

It held whispers of secrets and forgotten memories.

It held a forgotten promise of love.

Of life.

Of death.

Of reincarnation.

Hakkai gently set the metal basin on top of the counter before allowing himself to stare ahead at the nothingness of the white kitchen wall.

"You look flustered," Gojyo commented as he suddenly appeared from the staircase, a stick of West Lights hanging on his lips.

The green-eyed healer sighed exasperatedly and gave him a patient smile. "Gojyo please don't smoke inside the house." He muttered as he took his glasses off and massaged the bridged of his nose with his thumb and index finger. "It might set off the smoke detector."

The Red-head gave him a care-free shrug before pulling the cancer stick from his mouth and striding towards him.

"You go to sleep, 'Kai. I'll look after the girl."

The look his best friend gave him made him hold his hands up. "What? I'm not going to molest her, for Pete's sake! Sick girls don't turn me on—"

"But the ones in black lacy lingerie do." He replied shaking his head wistfully at Gojyo.

"What—" Gojyo sputtered, almost dropping the cancer stick in between his fingers. "Oh, come on! You honestly believe that I'm like that? We'd been buddies for a long time now and I don't know if you noticed, but I don't take girls who aren't willing. I'm still pretty decent, you know."

Hakkai looked up at the red-head and smiled then patted his shoulder and gave him an acknowledging nod. "I know. I was just messing with you."

"Hah." Gojyo could only say. "Seriously, 'Kai. Go crash. You messing up with me like this is creeping me out."

Hakkai chuckled and scratched the back of his head. "I knew you'd say that." This earned him a smirk from the red-headed youkai who, in return, gave him a playful pat on the back. "Go crash. I'll go..er… play nurse for this shift."

The smile he got from Hakkai made him laugh instead. "Just messing, with you, ol' buddy. Now go." He gave his back a gentle push and the healer's body went on auto pilot. After whispering a soft good night to him, he headed up the stairs and into his room.

When Gojyo heard the soft click of Hakkai's door, he looked at the cigarette in his hand and then let out an exasperated sigh as he swiftly scanned the empty kitchen.

"That fool." He muttered crushing the filter in his hand and tossing it into the waste bin beside the counter.

Rick stared at his mobile phone and stared at his phone log.

He had called Ava's phone six times to check on her when his calls to her house phone led him to her voice mail.

Now, even her phone's out of reach.

What the hell is going on? He thought, pressing Ava's speed dial in his phone and switching on its loudspeaker.

**Ring**Ring**

*Click*

"You reached Ava's voice mail, please leave your message after the tone"

Rick stared at the phone, surprised that it was now switched on then said:

"Ava, this is Rick. Where are you now? Are you alright? As soon as you get this message please call me."

**Beep**

Ava stared at her phone then sighed.

"There goes my only chance for a ride home." She whispered.

"I'm guessing that fella's a dude."

Ava turned and smiled at Yujin who sauntered across the room and sat on Hajie's chair. "You didn't answer it." He nodded at her phone. The brunette shook her head and placed the phone on top of the desk.

"It's complicated." she replied, automatically sliding back into the sheets when the red-head set to work on the basin filled with cool water.

"That guy's into you." Yujin commented as he squeezed the excess moisture in the rough piece of cloth and spared the vibrating gadget on the desk a wary glance before pressing the towel on Ava's forehead.

When she didn't answer, he smirked.

"So, it's that complicated, huh?"

"He was my brother's best friend." She replied softly. "Apparently he had feelings for me that I didn't know of ever since then."

"Ever since when?" The red-head asked resting his elbows on his knees and letting his wrists dangle freely.

Ava made a face. "Ever since…ever, I guess." She blinked. "Wait, why am I even talking about him with you?"

He shrugged. "Well, that might be because you felt like you can trust me. Here," He said offering his right hand. When the girl raised a brow at him, he smiled. "Just take it."

Ava gently raised her hand and Yujin met hers halfway, letting her palm rest against his for a moment before closing his long fingers around it.

"There." He muttered raising his red gaze on hers. "Do you feel it?"

She looked at her hand and concentrated on the small feeling of warmth that ebbed from Yujin to her. It was a small swirling warmth at the center of her palm at first but when he grasped her hand, it slowly began to spread to her arm, chest and then to her entire body. "I feel it." she breathed looking back at him again. She sat up and stared at their interconnected hands.

Yujin moved to her bedside and then took her other hand into his.

"This..." he whispered raising their hands. "…is the proof that you can trust me."

"But how?" She asked, her fingers interlacing with his.

"You've felt this with Hajie and that chimp kid didn't you?"

Ava nodded. "Yes. But why?" she shook her head a little. "H-how? This is impossible—"

"Ava, do you believe in reincarnation?"

"What?"

"Reincarnation. Rebirth. Do you believe in it?"

"I can't say I don't." She replied. Yujin nodded and then gently unfurled their joint hands with his palms resting under her own.

"I felt the same feeling of familiarity when I first saw you." He went on, gently smiling at her. "It's strange doesn't it? A silly idea, really—"

"I felt it too," Ava cut in meeting his gaze. "With you, with Hajie-san, with that little kid."

She watched his face and noted that his smile held a gleam of sadness.

"This is strange, Yujin-san. But it's not silly." She commented, not wanting the awkward silence to stretch on. That seemed to snap him out of his reverie because he chuckled and gently removed his hand from hers.

"Of course it is, love." He answered gently pinching her cheeks causing her gasp. He then smoothed the area with his thumbs. "This is strange, too." He said suddenly.

"What do you mean?"

His hands left her face and the wonderful feeling of warmth vanished and finally allowed the coldness to set in.

"You and I, talking like old friends." He smiled at her. "…Touching like old friends."

Ava stared at their linked hands then sighed. "Yes, it's strange." She bit her lip and gave him wry smile.

"So…does this mean we're reincarnated people who are destined to meet?"

He stared at her for a moment, and then tilted his head slightly. "Maybe," he replied grasping her hand. "What do you think? I'd love it if we were. "

Ava gave rewarded him with a slight chuckle then playfully shoved his hand away.

"Hey what was that for?" He asked, chuckling himself and pretending to be hurt.

"You want to know what I think." She asked, rolling her eyes.

"What?"

"I think," Ava muttered tapping the red head's shoulder. "..that you have just been friend-zoned."

"Ouch!" Yujin exclaimed clutching his chest.

They both smiled at each other.

"Thank you, Yujin-san." Ava whispered smiling up at him. "To be honest, I had been feeling very edgy since that accident."

"I noticed." The red head replied and said nothing else. It was always a good way to keep people talking and he was just dying to know more about her.

"I don't really like car accidents." She admitted starring at her hands. "They're way too scary."

Gojyo stared at her for while then finally decided to let the topic drop.

"Why don't you close your eyes and rest a bit?" He offered gently guiding her back onto the mattress. Ava didn't really want to but the sudden sleepiness that washed over her defeated her will.

That didn't stop her from protesting a bit though. Gojyo chuckled and smoothed her unruly bangs then said, "Sleep for now and be good. I promise, tomorrow after breakfast I'll take you where you need to go. For now, it's time for some shut-eye, 'kay?"

She wasn't able to suppress the yawn that bubbled out of her. The red-head half-smirked and half-smiled. "That's my girl. Good night, love."

"Mmm."

She closed her eyes and finally slipped back into the depths of the endless darkness where, in a distance she heard a huge bird flapping its wings and taking flight… fighting the strings that were holding it captive and breaking free with a mighty snap.

In that one endless dream…It felt as though I was flying and I could taste the sweet, sweet nectar of freedom.

Whose strings have finally broken?

Whose wings have finally unfolded?

Whose flight is this that I am dreaming of?

Who really am I?

What really am I?

A/N: FINALLY!

Sorry the hibernation period. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter I'm already writing the next chapter so stay tuned and review of course!

If you have questions, do review and ask them I'd also be happy to know what you think.

Much love!

Tyner Twine

Signing out.