{2}Allemande.
She was lying on the cold stone steps, her body twisted in an odd position. Her hair, at her hips now, hung around her, spilling onto the stone. She had crawled laboriously out of the grave. She had forced herself out of the hibernation. Her cocoon had been tampered with and just two weeks of it pulled open as it was, now had her so malnourished she couldn't keep her eyes open. The moments she did open her eyes, she saw she had lost at least forty pounds or more.
And that voice. That voice, that person, the one who had played that beautiful song. She felt like he was so important. She wanted to see him. She wanted him to find her. She wanted him. Tears came into her eyes as she suddenly remembered that he was dead. Whoever that was, he was supposed to be dead for some reason. And that thought made her sob, shoulders heaving, making her hands grip the stone beneath her.
A memory, as quick as if someone had turned on a light switch, erupted in her closed eyes. An opera house. It was collapsing. She felt battered and exhausted. The man was there…Hagi. She felt her lips shape the name. He was in front of her, staring at her. And she blushed, blocking out the next part of the memory - she hadn't expected that.
Then she was being held back by a boy. He was close to her…Kai. Hagi was under an overhang, pinning a horrible creature against the wall. There was an urgency in the scene. The entire building was shaking furiously and Kai kept trying to pull her away from Hagi. He was going to follow. But no, the creature pierced him through the stomach. Hagi was now pinned too. He looked back at her and smiled and said, "I-"
"No!" She wailed, writhing from the memory, falling down a few more steps. Her heart was beating faster than she could handle. After that one memory, everything came flooding to her so fast, she didn't have time to cope with the first one.
And it started to rain. She was completely paralyzed by what flashed through her mind, so she just stayed there, bruising her limbs and back on the stone steps, gripping forcibly on the stone beneath her fingers.
Saya could feel her consciousness slipping, her head aching from all the information feeding back into her mind. It was far too early for her to be awake, let alone remember everything before her sleep. It was taxing on her already weak body and she shivered uncontrollably in the steady sheet of rain.
The only thing she could think to do before she might die on those steps, was call for Hagi. She cried his name into the rain, and screamed it in her mind. Even though he was supposed to be dead, she would continue. Even if when him and Kai visited was all a dream, she would call out to him.
Why, you may ask? Because she loved him.
Something was wrapped around her. She ran her fingers over it and recognized the familiar texture of Hagi's coat. She couldn't open her eyes, but felt her head cradled against someone's chest, though there was no heartbeat, just a steady rise and fall. There were arms around her, keeping her from the stone floor, attempting to keep her warm. She tried to move her body, but the muscles and joints were far too stiff. But she must have made some movement, for there was a voice above her.
"Saya," Was all he said.
And within moments of hearing the voice, she knew without a doubt that it was Hagi and he was just as alive as he had sounded weeks before. Her hands found his shirt and gripped to him with tenacious fingers, shaking unsteadily.
"H-hagi," She whimpered.
"I'm here, Saya," He said softly in her ear.
"D-don't leave m-me," She stuttered, trying to burrow into him. He held her closer.
"Never again," Hagi spoke so softly, it blended with the rain, lulling Saya back to sleep. And it wasn't her deep, hibernating sleep. No, it was a light sleep in comparison, just enough to give her a real dream, unlike the vague sounds and colors she would see in her long sleep.
And in her dream, she was wearing her school uniform. It was midday, the sun warming her skin and the ground beneath her cleats. Kai and Riku were watching her and her friend Kaori was cheering her on. This was what she used to always do, trying to get over the high jump. Her hands tightened into fists. She felt strong, she felt confident, she felt whole.
She flexed her shoulders, feeling the power in them. She flexed her legs, feeling their intensity. She wanted to run. She pushed forward, feeling the rush of adrenaline, the rush of wind, the feel of dirt beneath her feet. She planted her feet into the ground and vaulted upward, the white, horizontal pole leaving her line of sight as she twisted slowly to face the sky.
The sun passed over her face as she floated gracefully over the pole, reaching her hands over her head, twining them together. As she fell over, she arched her body, seeing the corner of the blue mat in her vision. It was waiting to catch her like it always did. And she cleared the pole, flipping in midair so she could land properly.
But the mat never came. She kept falling. But it wasn't a scary, uncomfortable feeling. The wind that passed her was soft and gentle. She couldn't make out her surroundings because it was too dark. Her body flipped and flipped, her arms and legs stretched out, bending against the wind. She eventually stopped flipping and faced the direction she was falling.
Her body arched against the wind resistance and she stretched her arms out like wings, her legs bending back, her body becoming one graceful curve against the rushing air.
"Saya," A woman's soft voice said, the sound echoing around her.
Her eyes snapped open and she fell back into her body with a jolt, her eyes confused by the brightness of her surroundings.
"Saya," The woman said again, from above her.
When she looked up at the voice's owner, she knew the beautiful dream was over. Julia was watching her with worried eyes, looking older now, but still just as pretty. Her hair was no longer held back by a tie. It was shorter and hung just past her shoulders.
"Julia-san," Saya whispered.
"You remember me," She sighed in relief. "We didn't know if you were going to remember anything."
She reached up and readjusted the IV of blood that hung above her. Saya followed the tube with her eyes and found it was connected to her arm, like always. But when she saw her arm, her heart sped up dramatically. The limb was half the size it had once been. The vein could even be seen, wrapping delicately around muscle and bone.
"Where am I?" Saya asked in a quiet voice.
"My office," Julia replied, taking out a clipboard and scribbling a few things down. "Just like old times."
"Where is everyone?" She asked.
Julia froze, staring at Saya with unreadable eyes. She set down the clipboard and then sat down on the side of the bed Saya was lying on. Her hands clasped together and her eyes dropped to her knees. "Saya, a lot of things have happened in the time you were asleep."
"Tell me what happened," Saya demanded, trying to sit up. Julia pressed a hand on her shoulder.
"Lay back down," She said. "Right now is not a good time. You need to rest."
"What's wrong with me?" Saya insisted, trying to get up again, but finding she was too weak.
"You're severely malnourished, Saya," Julia sighed, picking the clipboard back up and standing to check the IV once more. "We've gathered that your cocoon was tampered with, starving you of nutrients required for you to continue your hibernation." She paused. "At least that's what we learned from Hagi. We haven't gone to inspect the cocoon."
"Where's Hagi?" Saya said quickly and suddenly.
"I'm not sure right now," She replied uneasily. "Everything is very…up in the air right now."
"What do you mean?"
"We weren't expecting you for another twenty years, Saya," Julia took off her glasses and wiped them with the hem of her shirt. "We were not prepared; not with the shortage of people."
Before Saya could make anything of what she said, Julia drew the curtains around the bed. Disappearing footsteps told her that Julia had left the room. So she stayed there for a moment, staring at the window above her, like it was just yesterday she would come here for her transfusions. A shortage of people. Someone had died since she had gone to sleep, that was apparent.
And another thing. She felt so very awake. She wasn't tired like when she had pulled herself out of the cocoon, out into the cold night, down the rough, rugged steps. Saya lifted her hands and saw her arms were bruised all over. She imagined the rest of her body looked much the same. And she was so tiny and weak now. She straightened her arms and tried to push herself up into a sitting position.
But her muscles gave way and she fell back to the bed with a loud thump that probably bruised her again. She let out a small cry of pain.
"Saya." Her eyes had been closed when she heard her name being said so softly. Her eyelids fluttered open and she saw Hagi standing above the bed.
"Hagi," She nearly sobbed. She reached out with her now thin, frail hands, trying to reach him. He wrapped his hands around hers as gently as he could and pulled her up as he sat down on the side of the bed. Her fingers found his shirt once again and she pulled herself to him, burying her face against him.
And he held her close, holding tightly enough to show how much he missed her, but gently enough to stop from bruising her. He wasn't as warm as a human, but Saya was used to that. She was used to the coolness of his skin, a temperature that leaked to his clothing, too. And as she held on to him, craving the contact, she wondered if it was supposed to be this way. Was she supposed to fall in love with her Chevalier? Was he supposed to fall in love with her?
"I thought you were dead," She managed to whisper. "I fell asleep thinking I'd never see you again."
"I know," Hagi said softly. "I'm sorry."
"Promise you won't leave me like that again," Saya demanded.
"I promise."
Even when she should've released him, she continued to hold close to him. And it's not like he really minded, or at least he didn't seem to mind. Their proximity was unchanging, the minutes ticking by without movement. She was determined to make up for the time she'd been without him.
Ever since he had said those words that still made her blush, she had sudden gotten a grip on her feelings. With Diva alive, she had never been able to analyze her relationship with Hagi. And now, Diva was gone. And everything was right in front of her. She would tell him one day, she promised herself. She would tell him how she felt the same. But he probably knew anyway.
Then a thought occurred to her. Something that made her heart speed up three-fold. Now that there was nothing left to fight, she no longer required a Chevalier, did she? She didn't really know the rules to all of this, but now Diva was gone. What did she need help with? She was suddenly feeling like a snobby child.
"I'm being selfish, aren't I?" She shook her head and pulled away slightly.
"No, you're not," Hagi said.
"Yes I am, thinking I'll have you all to myself," Saya sighed, letting go of him completely now. "You can leave now. You don't have to stay my Chevalier. There's nothing left for me to fight."
"I won't leave you, Saya."
"Well, you can if you want to," She shrugged, staring at the white blanket over her. "I won't stop you."
His human hand pulled her face up by her chin, forcing her to look in his eyes. "I can't leave you. I wasn't here because you had something to fight." His eyes lightened and he just barely smiled. "I was and am here because I want to be. You are all I have, therefore you are everything."
Saya smiled. His words made her feel almost dizzy. There was a loud tap on the window to her right and when she looked out, she saw that it was a bird, something she hadn't seen for ten years. It was always so amazing to her how each year felt so long in that cocoon. It fluttered it's feathers for a moment, then took off once again, it's wings stuttering through the breeze.
"I've never seen you this thin." When she looked back at Hagi, he looked almost angry. "Do you remember who cut open the cocoon?"
"There were three of them; an older girl, a boy and a little girl," Saya replied her fists tightening at the thought of them. She knew she should be angry with them, but there had been something they had said that got to her. It was just at the tip of her memory…but she couldn't quite grasp it. Whatever the reason, she just couldn't force herself to be angry at them.
"I'll find them," Hagi said.
"No." Saya stopped him, putting a hand over his. "Don't."
"Why not?"
"I…I don't know," She trailed off. "For some reason…I just can't be mad at them. There's something they said that…" She looked back up at Hagi's expectant eyes. "I can't remember right now."
Hagi looked as thought he were about to speak, but there was a loud knock on the door. "Saya?"
It was that first voice; Kai. He really did sound so much older.
"Come in," She said softly.
The door swung open and the breeze it created made the curtain around the bed bend and sway. He came around the opening, an enormous smile on his face. Before Saya could even smile in return, he pulled her into a nearly bone crushing hug. It was painful, but Saya didn't dare make a sound. When he finally let go, he said, "I've missed you so much."
And as he stared at her with smiling eyes, she looked over his appearance now. He really didn't look that much older. His eyes were a little darker and his shoulders were broader. He was just a hair taller and his hands were huge compared to hers, which were lost in his. He dressed like an university kid. She imagined he would probably be out of college by now, if he even attended.
Though, she didn't know what she expected him to do. Even after Diva's defeat, when they went back to Okinawa and reopened Omoru's, she didn't know what he'd do. Go back to school? Just stay at the restaurant and carry on their father's work?
"I missed you too, Kai," She said. "I heard you."
"You heard me?" He asked, suddenly confused.
"When you came to visit me. You brought Hagi and he played," She smiled, remembering that time in her vague memory.
"You really remember that?" He turned to Hagi. "I thought you said she was only aware on an unconscious level."
"I focused on that memory," She explained, not really understanding it herself.
The door suddenly opened without anyone knocking. The breeze disturbed the curtains once again and an annoyed looking Julia appeared. "What is this?" She scowled. "Saya is not ready for this many visitors."
"It's only two of us!" Kai complained as though he were a child again.
"I don't care," She fussed, pulling his arm. "Both of you, out. Leave Saya alone"
Saya nodded when Hagi looked at her, and he left with Kai. Julia let out a long sigh and settled on the edge of the bed. "I don't know why you put up with Kai. He may be older now, but he's just as troublesome."
Saya could only smile in return, remembering the days when it was her, dad, Kai and Riku, all living and working in Omoru's. The memory was so bittersweet, she found her eyes watering. She mumbled something about sleep as her excuse to roll over and hide the tears.
"Goodnight, Saya," Julia whispered, and the weight left the side of the bed.