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-Chapter 2: Changes-

"We did not change as we grew older; we just became more clearly ourselves."

Lynn Hall

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Saya came out of the tomb and was greeted by a star-speckled sky. It was so wonderful to be able to see the real world once more, feel the cold ground under her feet, feel the wind blowing softly, smell the clear air, and hear every noise made by nocturnal animals.

It was then that she noticed she was wearing something black other than her black hair, and upon inspection, found it to be Haji's coat. He must have given it to her to protect her from the cold. The thought made her smile. She turned and flashed him a grin. Haji just nodded in response.

Saya spun around in circles, glad to be able to move once more. She ran towards one end of the tomb's plaza and admired the city lights. In front of her, however, was the beautifully moonlit ocean, a sight that she could not help but gasp at. She had always loved the ocean; under the moonlight it looked magnificent.

Her hair blew into her face and when she passed her fingers through it, trying to put it back into place, a single pink rose with a blue ribbon was discovered at the top of her right ear.

She spun around, giving a smile to Haji while running back to him. Once there, she threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly. Haji was afraid he would be left with a damaged lung. Tilting her head up, Saya gave him a kiss on the cheek, and let go

"What's going to happen now, Haji?" She had not thought she was going to survive, but now that she was living, her purpose was unclear.

"You can always live for what you couldn't before," Haji said.

Saya just stared at the ground between their legs. On one hand, she wanted to explore the world, admire its beauty; she wanted to eat foreign foods, and she wanted to live with Kai, the twins and all the others. But she wanted Haji to be there as well.

"Would you… stay by my side in this new life…Haji?" She asked.

Haji got on one knee, took her hand in his, and kissed it. "I promised before to always stay by your side. No matter what you become, what path you take in life, I will not leave you." When Haji finished, he saw drops falling to the ground in front of him. When he raised his head to meet her eyes, Saya was crying. He stood and put a hand on the side of her face. Looking into her watery eyes, he wiped the tears away.

Saya just smiled. Kissing his cheek once more, she lingered there a bit. Backing up, she looked into his piercing blue eyes. Her forehead rested firmly against his, and she sighed.

Haji cupped her face with his left hand, and traced her lips with his thumb. Saya just stared at him, knowing what this meant, and not wanting it to stop. Haji saw this as acceptance, moved his bandaged left hand to the back of her head, and kissed her.

Saya returned the kiss, and, when she let out a moan, Haji took the opportunity and deepened it.

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Kai had just parked outside the stairs when he and the twins heard a cello being played; the nostalgic and sad melody spoke of an ancient past. He saw the twins hypnotized by the tune. They were standing there, engrossed and looking at the top of the stairs.

Kai clenched his fist, and starting to run up to the crypt. Even in his advanced age, he still had the energy to run like there was no tomorrow. As a healthy 47-year-old male, who engaged in exercises with the treasures every morning before opening the shop, it was no surprise that he reached the top in a mere twenty-three seconds.

The twins snapped out of their trance and ran after him. When they saw Kai simply standing there in shock, they followed his gaze and gasped.

Sitting there was one of the most attractive men they had ever seen, playing a cello rather skillfully. Resting next him, in total bliss, was a young-looking woman that looked incredibly like them. Irene ran past Kai and when she reached the enraptured woman dressed in weird black clothes, she became shy. She didn't want to disturb her, but her desire to meet her aunt was almost overwhelming.

Mui had just recently joined her side, and was also inspecting the joyful woman.

Kai stood still. He knew the day would come when he would see Saya again, but not like this.

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Saya did not heard the cello anymore, so when she was about to ask Haji if something was the matter, she was greeted by two smiling faces. It was so unexpected, she gasped. The faces smiling on top of her looked identical, as if her face was multiplied times 2.

"I'm Irene!" Said the twin on the right, her blue eyes shining with excitement. Her long hair reached the middle of her back, and she was wore a green sundress.

"I'm Mui," said the one on the left, her brown eyes full of curiosity. Her hair reached her shoulders, and she had bangs framing her heart-shaped face. She was wearing a yellow sundress.

"Nice to meet you, Auntie!" They both claimed at the same time.

To say Saya was surprised would the biggest understatement of the year.

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Now in Kai's car, all of them were equally tired, all with their own thoughts. Kai was truly happy to see Saya, but he had wanted to be the first. He would never tell her, of course, that he had come to love her as more than a sister.

During the fight with Diva she needed a family, not a lover. So, he was content with being her brother. He knew he was going to grow old and die eventually, but before that, he wanted Saya to have the family she needed, and a home to come back to.

The twins were equally excited about meeting their aunt. They had sat in the back seat with Saya, who was in the middle. They asked her all sorts of things: places she had been to, the people she had met, and even about boyfriends she had. All Saya could provide were basic responses, since Irene and Mui changed topics quickly.

Next to Kai, in the passenger's seat, was Haji. His cello case was in the trunk. He looked strangely empty without it, as if only half of him were actually there. He had the same expression as always, but somewhat more relaxed. He looked in the rear view mirror from time to time, staring intently at Saya's smiling face, before he turned and looked ahead, or at the scenery to his right. And sometimes he caught Saya looking at him, in which case she blushed and became part of the twin's conversation once more. In those cases, Haji's face would get softer than ever.

Kai sighed. All of this commotion was only going to give him more gray hairs. With the twins, it was a guarantee that he would be bald by the end of the year.

When they reached home, the twins dragged Saya away from the rest, intending to monopolize her time. Haji just followed silently, taking the cello case from the trunk. Kai was left alone in the car, and decided to put the camping things he had brought away. After doing so he called David and Julia to tell them about what happened. They promised to come the next day and check up on Saya, and see how she was doing.

He also called Kaori, telling her the news. She was so exited; she would have come then had he not told her no, that he wanted all who knew her to give her a big surprise the next day. He called Joel, and invited his family over; he called David's and Julia's son and daughter, David Jr. and Maria. He called even Mao and the reporter guy, who were in Kyoto doing a scoop on a politician. He called everyone, and everyone promised to come by.

And with nothing better to do, and because he knew she was going to need it soon, he made dinner for ten people. Saya, he was sure, was going to get hungry sooner or later.

Mui and Irene had dragged Saya to the bathroom, where they intended to dress her in more appropriate clothes. They also had told Saya about giving her a haircut, which she gladly accepted. Mui then shoved Haji out, and promptly closed the door in his face.

"Your room is the one down the hall, so go and get comfy," came her muffled voice from behind the door. "We'll clean this thing up and give it back to you later, so don't think about peeking!" This time it was Irene.

Haji, also having nothing better to do, went to the room assigned for him and started to play his cello.

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"Well, what kind of haircut should we give you, dear auntie," asked Irene; more to herself than to Saya.

"How about the really short one she always has in the photos," proposed Mui, staring intently into Saya's face.

"Make it a little bit longer than that," replied Saya. The twins nodded and Irene took some scissors out and asked, "Would you like to donate your hair, before I begin?"

Saya just stared at her, confusion evident in her eyes.

"Huh?"

"Well, now a days, there are diseases that require a treatment called chemotherapy; cancer, for example. This treatment makes them lose their hair. By donating your hair, a wig can be made for them," she said.

"Irene's a professional hair dresser," explained Mui when she saw Saya's surprised look.

"I would like that."

Author's note 06/12/07

Thanks to IAmAurora for proof reading. A million of them. And a life too. I'll try to get better, so you don't have to make so many corrections.

To the reviewers, thank you. I also offer a million of those. But not the life. I need it to write more.

I'll try to make the chapters longer each time. Have a niece day.

And Happy Haji dreams. ::wink::