Chapter 4: "An Undeniable Truth"
-"Now that I see it, it is hard to say that this is not real; but deep inside of me there is something that refuses to believe it is, after watching how a part of me almost vanished."
The voices that flooded the library moments ago had now silenced, returning the library into a silent and sacred sanctuary a library is supposed to be. And the same way the library was now silent, the research center was deserted, low in activity and filled with a strange air of laziness, almost perfect for a quick and unnoticed runaway. The footsteps of the brother and sister were heard, but there was nobody that could hear those steps, making them almost unnoticed. This filled the red haired man with uncertainty about what he was doing and making him stop to think about it before it was too late to turn back.
"Kai? Is everything ok? Why are we stopping?" said the raven haired queen as she noticed her brother had stopped just a few steps away from the elevator.
"Hmm? It's just that," he said,"I feel that I'm kidnapping you."
His answer had been absolutely sincere, but the response from his sister was an even more sincere and innocent laugh.
"Why are you laughing Saya, I'm serious." Kai said with a grin.
"So am I. I hardly believe David or Joel would lock me or you, so I could not see my own family! " Saya said still laughing as they got into the elevator.
As the door of the elevator closed, Kai took a deep breath and sighed; remembering the days they spent on quarantine, as requested by Collins, while they were looking for Saya.
The elevator slowly advanced to the ground level, and then its doors opened to a "backdoor" of the abandoned warehouse that led to an unattended garden with tall grass and a big tree that made a dreamy picture of a perfect summer day in the city of Koza. It had been almost six years now that Saya had not spent a day in the outside world and had not enjoyed of the pleasure of a summer day at the city she had grown fond of as to call it her hometown. She covered her eyes from the sunlight as she stepped out of the elevator, and waited for Kai to bring his motorcycle as she sat at the shadow of the big tree in the lonely garden.
"After so long, I almost forgot what was like a summer day in Okinawa." Saya said deeply as Kai helped her ride his motorcycle.
"We can make a stop at the beach if you like so, it is still early." Kai proposed and Saya smiled what Kai took as a yes.
They drove from the abandoned warehouse to the beach, Saya looked excitedly at the city of Koza, seeing if in her short hibernating period something had changed, but it was impossible for Kai to tell and for her to notice. They stopped at the beach, for Saya and Kai this brought back a lot of memories from those careless days, before she could remember who and what she really was and before he was even involved in this complicated mesh of the Chiropteran world. She took her shoes out and felt the sand beneath her feet and walked towards the sea to feel the fresh water from the waves that crashed in the shore.
"This feels so good, the water it's still cold." Saya said as she watched her brother sitting in the steps. "Come on Kai!! You were the one of the idea!"
"I pass, these days I come almost every day," he said as he watched Saya enjoying a day at the beach, "with Aki, Aoi and Mao."
"That's right, Mao. You married her didn't you?" Saya asked as Kai blushed lightly.
"Yeah, about four years ago; actually it was a year after she returned from the Middle East with Okamura." Kai answered.
"So I would be expecting to find her at Omoro then?" she asked again.
"I. . . guess it's probable." Kai said as he remembered what Mao had told him about disappearing and not letting her know. "We need to go, Mao will be waiting."
"Ok." Saya answered as she put her shoes back on and rode on Kai's bike.
As they drove through the now busy streets of Koza, and then into the alleys in the suburbs, Kai felt as if the time was fading and was urgent for him to be at Omoro; but for his surprise the street where Omoro was located was empty and deserted, and the restaurant closed and with a piece of folded paper in the door. The motor's rumbling stopped and Kai and Saya stepped down from the bike, as he parked the bike, Saya reached the door and carefully took the piece of folded paper, it was a note, from Mao. Saya handed it to Kai, because she felt it was rather directed to him not to her; and then he read it out loud:
"Dear Kai," he read,"since lately you have been disappearing I diced to close the restaurant for the day and take the day off. I took Aki and Aoi with me; I'm at my parents' I know where you have been this past few days, we'll be back for dinner. Love, Mao."
"Look there is a P.S." Saya said as she took the note from his hands and read: "P.S. I expect the dinner to be ready when we are back."
Kai starred at Saya, doubting that the note actually said that about dinner, he took it from her hands and read it again reassuring what Saya had just said; he found it not surprising after he read it again, after all it had been Mao who wrote the note. Kai unlocked the door and he entered behind Saya. She looked around to see if Kai had bothered in even changing Omoro just a bit, but it was exactly the same as the night before her five year sleep, even the smallest particle of dust over the counter was still there, for her Omoro was home.
"I guess I should start preparing dinner." Kai said as he watched the clock, it was 6 p.m.
"I will help you, if you like." Saya said as she passed her fingers over the dusty counter.
"You know I didn't really meant that back at the library." He said trying to stop her.
"I know, but I do want to help you." She replied with a smile.
The afternoon passed really quickly as they cooked and the room filled with the scents of the food they were preparing and the spices they were using. They really did not notice it was almost 8 p.m., until the door flung open, with the footsteps of two impatient little girls and their hungry aunt.
"We are home!" Mao cheerfully announced.
"Hello Kai!!" Aki said as she ran from the door to the living room.
"Hello Uncle Kai." said an absentminded Aoi, watching the mysterious raven haired lady that was standing in the kitchen preparing the dinner.
"Come on Aoi!! The program is starting!!" Aki yelled to her sister.
"Going!!" she replied as she wondered who was that lady and why she felt so "familiar".
"I wanted…" Kai's words and intentions were interrupted as they left the kitchen.
"It's ok Kai, we have plenty of time to meet," she said as she laughed "you'll introduce us at dinner."
"Otonashi, it is glad to have you back; but this early, I thought you will take longer." Mao said as she leaned over the counter and watched Kai and Saya finish preparing the dinner.
"It's good to see you too Mao." Saya said as she turned to see Mao.
"I see you are expecting, when should we be expecting to see your daughters?" Mao asked.
"Well, I don't really know, but I hope is anytime soon." she replied gently.
The dinner was now ready, so they as a family sat together at the table and ate; Kai and Mao sat in front of each other, so did the twins and Saya sat at the end of the rectangular table.
The twins looked at Saya and then back at each other, they noticed that Saya looked quite familiar to them in many different ways but they only ate and did not asked until Kai, saw it was now the precise moment to introduce Saya to the twins.
He cleared his voice and dropped his chopsticks, suddenly silence filled the Miyagusuku house, and everybody stopped eating and paid attention to Kai.
"Aki, Aoi, as you could see, we," he said as he watched both twins, "have a special guest with us tonight. I want you to meet, your Aunt Saya; she is your mother's sister."
The twins looked at each other and then at Saya, they watched her closely for a moment and realized the reason why, Saya looked familiar to them in many ways.
"Nice to meet you, Aunt Saya." Both girls said in choir.
"You should be Aki. Am I right?" Saya said as she looked to the girl with eyes like hers.
"Yes, we both share the same eyes, auntie Saya!!" Aki replied cheerfully.
"And you," she said as she looked at Aoi, who at the moment was hiding her face to avoid blushing, "are Aoi. You look so much like your mother."
Aoi then looked at Saya, interested in knowing more about her and her family.
"Auntie Saya, what was our mother like?" Aki asked.
A piercing look came from Kai, like telling Saya only to tell the "basics" about Diva and not anything related to the Chiropteran wars she faced for almost a century. Saya looked back at Kai, asking him to relax; she was aware of that, but she also knew that sooner or later they will have to know the truth about their mother.
"Your mother, Diva, looked much like me, only that she had piercing blue eyes like Aoi, and a beautiful opera voice." Saya said as she continued eating.
Both girls looked amazed at Saya's description of her mother, what made them even more interested, even so that made Aoi's shyness disappear for a moment.
"Aunt Saya, do you like pink roses?" Aoi asked shyly.
"Yes I do, but why the question?" Saya replied.
"Because, one time when we visited you; while you were sleeping, we found one with a blue ribbon on the steps of the crypt. And uncle Kai told us it was for you." Aoi answered shyly.
Saya dropped her chopsticks and looked confused and concerned at Kai.
"I need to show it to you." Kai said as they both left Omoro and drove to the Miyagusuku family crypt. The car stopped and they climbed the stairs to the mausoleum, where they saw the pink rose with the blue ribbon resting in the steps lighted by the white opal moon. Saya walked to the stairs and carefully picked the rose.
"Now that I see it," she said taking a deep breath," it is hard to say that this is not real; but deep inside of me there is something that refuses to believe it is, after watching how a part of me almost vanished"
"Saya, he's alive, or how else can you explain the rose?" Kai said softly.
"I can't deny he's alive, it's just hard to accept after that night at the MET." she replied. "But now, I have to find him Kai, and fulfill his promise, but no matter how much I try to remember what he said to me that night, it feels like it vanished."
"A promise?" Kai asked willing to help his sister.
"Yes, but now I cannot remember the promise!" Saya said as she bursted into tears.
"I guess David and the others should be expecting you at the center." Kai said as they walked down the stairs and entered the car. On the way to the center Saya held the rose near her chest as if it was an invaluable treasure.
This aroused a new concern in her. Haji, her companion, her loyal chevalier and her lover, where was he? And why when she tried to remember the promise it all looked blurry?