"No," Hagi responded flatly.
"I want you to kill him," Claudia demanded. She was suddenly in control and angry.
Hagi looked down at her tear streaked face. "Claudia, you do not know what you are saying."
"Yes, I do!" she shouted through her tears as she grabbed one of Hagi's daggers and lunged at the unconscious body.
Hagi caught her by the wrist with his chiropteran claw. "No, Claudia, it will only make things worse." As much as he wanted to let Claudia have her way, he knew that she would live to regret it. The guilt of a man's death was hard to bear- he knew, he had an uncountable number on his conscience. He also knew the boy was young and maybe- just maybe had learned a lesson tonight.
Claudia's head snapped back to look into his eyes. They had cooled back to steel-blue again. He watched her tremble with rage. "HE RAPED ME! I don't think it could get any worse," she shouted. "Damn it, Hagi, you don't care, do you?"
"On the contrary, Sister, I do care. I do not want you to end up living those 60 or 70 years with the regret of killing someone," his face was expressionless and it made her think he really didn't care at all. He began to wind the bandage around his claw as Claudia glared at him. He returned the glare, but expressed sorrow in his eyes. Whether she was responding to his sadness or breaking down from the incident, he was not sure.
He caught her as she fainted, jumped from the window, and disappeared into the night.
When they arrived home, Marva was waiting. Hagi nodded to her as Claudia ran off to her room. Marva reluctantly followed her. She could see the anger and sadness in her son's eyes.
Jim came up behind him, "What's all the commotion, Pretty Boy?"
"Claudia snuck off to a party with some of the girls. They came back without her. I caught a boy raping her," Hagi explained with anger smoldering in his eyes.
"Christ!" Jim cursed, "Damn that piece of…" Then he asked, "What did you do?"
"I knocked him off her and choked him unconscious," Hagi explained.
"Is he dead?" Jim asked.
"No," Hagi responded, "but Claudia wants him dead." He felt an overwhelming urge to hit something, but instead decided to clench his fists. He'd leave soon and find something to hunt down.
"I'll bet you do, too."
"That will not change what happened," Hagi explained, keeping his head down.
"Nope, but there'll be one less piece of scum in this world," Jim commented as he kicked the dirt.
When he was certain everyone was asleep, he disappeared in a blue streak.
The next year was difficult. Hagi visited Saya and played for her more often. He poured his heart out about his beloved sister and how she was changing before his eyes. She'd gone from happy and teasing, to brooding and angry. If Hagi came to check on her, he'd get an object, not a soft one, thrown at him followed by a shrill,"GET OUT!"
She went out at times, but was adamant that Hagi not follow her. She would opt for driving to meet the boys she dated over bringing them to the ranch. Most of the time, if any of them came to the ranch, Claudia would warn Marva to keep her 'other child' away from her new boyfriend.
She came to him about 3 months ago and asked him to teach her to fight like him, just in case someone tried to hurt her again. Her eyes never met his and he could tell she was chewing in the inside of her cheek as she waited for his response. She learned quickly, but their conversations never became friendly again. She was aggressive and never said more than two words the whole time. He wondered how he would ever reach her again.
She cut her hair very short and let it curl against her head. Her clothing was darker and less cheerful. She was often found listening to very dark music in her room. Sometimes the music was so loud, he could hear the lyrics. When he did, they were so disturbing he would feel obligated to tell Marva. She would just shake her head and say, "You'll only make things worse. Just let her work her way through this."
Thankfully, she still liked to design clothes. What she would create now was usually dark and edgy. Gone were the sunny oranges, pinks, and yellows. They were replaced with drab greys, deep purples and blues, and always the pitch black. It really was sad that she was starting to look more like him every day.
Marva had commented that Claudia was just working through her emotions. Hagi groaned sadly that he wished he could do more to pull her out of this than to just wait for her to "come out of it."
Hagi sat on the porch, Spring 2002, he thought, three more years until Saya awakens.
Marva put a hand on his shoulder. He reached up with his left hand petted her hand as he sighed. "Give her time. She'll forgive you."
"Why should I need forgiveness?" he asked. "I have done nothing wrong."
"Yes, you have," Marva said. "You didn't rescue her before she was hurt."
Hagi snapped his head back to look at Marva. He had thought the same thing the moment it happened. How could he have messed up so badly. He should have known that nothing good could have come out of 4 16-year-old girls sneaking out and going to a party at midnight.
"She knows that you saw them leave that night, but you didn't stop them. Why?" Marva asked. She wasn't angry for what had happened. She knew that teenagers do things like this from time to time, but she wished that her daughter wouldn't have had to learn the lesson the hard way. Unfortunately, Hagi had learned one, too. For him, the lesson was more painful because he had to, for the first time, play the role of a father to an angry teenage girl. It was tearing him up inside, but she knew Claudia couldn't stay mad forever.
Hagi looked back down, "I really did not think anything would happen. I thought that they would be back shortly and I would just scold them- give them a fright, but when I realized Claudia was no longer with them…" He trailed off, not wanting to relive that memory now or ever again.
"Yes, I know," Marva reassured, "that's the trouble with being a parent. It's hard, sometimes, to distinguish innocent fun from dangerous behavior. I don't blame you, Hagi, but I think Claudia does. She sees you as her protector. Her guardian angel, but you weren't there when she needed you."
Hagi looked back at Marva again, this time with a pleading look, an apology.
"Well, that's the first time in a long time that I've seen you show any real emotion in your face," she grinned as she sat next to him and gave a reassuring hug. She rubbed his back. "Give her time."
"I miss hearing her calling me Big Brother," he admitted as he allowed Marva to comfort him the way a mother would comfort her son. He was shocked, at first, that he was being treated like a member of the family. Now he was accustomed to it. Marva was really like a mother to him. He hoped Claudia would remain his sister. He hoped Marva was right.
Jim, Bubba, and Ray drove up in the jeep. "Hey, Marva, can we borrow your boy for a few hours?"
Marva grinned, as this was her idea. She asked innocently, "Why, Jim, what's up?"
"Just a guy's night out," he shrugged.
She gave Hagi a light push between the shoulder blades, "Go on, Hagi. You need to unwind."
He gave Marva a hug and whispered in her ear, "I know this is your doing."
She gave him an innocent look as he climbed into the jeep. "Don't wait up!" Ray laughed as they drove off into the night.
The bar they went to was very lively. The band was playing one of those drinking songs country music is so famous for as the men went to the bar. Jim ordered shots of something Hagi never heard of. Bubba and Ray sprinkled some salt on their hands, licked it off, and then gulped down the liquid in the glass.
Bubba nudged Hagi, "Go on."
Hagi had drunk many different alcoholic beverages before, but he'd never heard of this drink that they were having. It came in a small shot glass the way he had seen people drink Vodka when he was in Russia. The alcohol in the glass had more color to it than Vodka. He was a bit leery, but decided he may as well "unwind" as Marva suggested. He followed suit and sprinkled some salt on his hand and swallowed the liquid. It tasted terrible and it burned his throat. "What the hell is that?" Hagi asked with disgust.
The group howled with laughter. "I-It's t-te-te-quila," Bubba laughed.
"That's right, he's French," Jim remembered. "Pretty Boy just got his first taste of tequila." He slapped Hagi between the shoulder blades as Hagi licked the salt from his hand to kill the taste.
Hagi didn't find it funny. He just wanted to get the taste out of his mouth.
"Get this boy a rum and coke," Ray laughed and he gulped down his second shot.
The drink Ray ordered for him tasted much better, but it was still pretty strong and a little sweet. But it was better than the tequila to him. "Who is driving home?" Hagi asked. He took another drink of the rum and coke.
Jim raised a hand, "That would be me. I can't drink- turns my stomach, but you go and enjoy yourself."
Hagi sat at the bar, not certain of what they expected him to do. At first he watched the bartender mixing drinks and serving shots. When another shot of tequila was ordered, Hagi caught a glimpse of something that almost turned his stomach. There was something in the bottle! He commented to the bartender who just responded that it was the worm. It usually dissolves in the bottle, but sometimes it doesn't. Hagi shook his head, No wonder it tastes so terrible. He couldn't imagine what possessed someone to come up with an idea to put a worm in alcohol. He inwardly shivered at the idea that he had drank something like that.
Couples were gathering on the dance floor and dancing. He didn't recognize the steps, but he'd learned from living here that people danced the two-step. He concentrated on the steps, feeling he may be asked to dance. Bubba had taken a lithe, auburn haired lady by the hand and they joined the others on the dance floor.
Ray was talking to a dark- haired girl wearing a black hat and a way to short denim skirt.
Hagi noticed a young girl on the stage. She and the dj were discussing something as the song ended and then she stepped up to the mic. She was one of Claudia's friends that hadn't snuck out that night. She had very short, wavy strawberry blonde hair that ended at her jaw line and her face was round and tanned from spending a lot of time in the sun. She smiled as some friends gave a cheer. The dj announced her name, Angie. She began to sing something that had a jazzy beat. She sang the song perfectly, note for note. He didn't recognize the song, but he appreciated her voice, and her confidence.
Everyone applauded as she took a bow and exited the stage. Hagi stepped up to her, "You have a beautiful voice," he complimented.
Her eyes snapped open wide with recognition. "You're Claudia's brother, aren't you?" She asked. "Um, Hagi, right?"
"Yes, I am," he answered.
She motioned him to sit with the group of friends. She made introductions and then explained who he was to the group. One of the boys said, "Sorry about your sister, man. We told her not to invite those girls to her party, they're nothing but trouble." Everyone nodded in agreement.
"My mother made certain they will not be invited to our home again," he informed the group.
"Claudia came to her senses, too. She doesn't even talk to those girls anymore," one of the girls stated. "I'm glad for that. She's such a nice person."
"Did you hear what those idiots said happened that night?" the other boy asked Hagi.
Hagi shook his head and looked at him, awaiting his answer.
The boy laughed heartily before he answered, "They were so drunk, they said they saw you jump up the staircase and fly off with Claudia in your arms like some kind of angel."
Hagi faked a laugh, "They were very drunk that night."
"I heard that some of them were doing drugs that night, too," one of the girls added. Hagi stopped smiling and looked at each of them.
"They were," he sighed.
The table fell silent. Finally, one of the girls spoke up, "I thought so. I hope Claudia didn't get into that."
Hagi didn't respond.
The group took his quietness as sadness. "Hey, we didn't mean to upset you, Hagi," Angie shared as she placed a hand on his shoulder.
"No," he admitted, "I was just thinking about her. She is still angry at me."
"Why?" Angie asked. "You came to her rescue."
"I saw them leave that night and I did not stop them. I should have," he revealed. He normally wouldn't have been so open with people he did not know, but he hoped that they would catch the lesson behind what he was going through.
Angie leaned back in her chair and gathered her thoughts. "She'll forgive you."
He looked at her.
"After all, you are her brother."
An old song Hagi recognized began to play. He stood and extended a hand to Angie as the other girls collectively gasped. She took his hand and stood and he led her to the dance floor. He wanted to try out the two-step he'd been observing most of the night. The girl in his arms blushed every time she looked up. As the dance came to an end, she asked, "Do you have a girlfriend?"
He sighed. "No," he answered truthfully, "but my heart does belong to someone."
"Oh, that's right," she covered her mouth with the realization. "Claudia explained it before. You're in love with a girl from Paris."
Hagi held his same expression, but his eyes conveyed the sorrow in the depths of his soul, even though she could not tell.
"You must really miss her," Angie commented thinking about how long it must have been since he'd seen her.
He snapped back from his thoughts. "Yes, I do."
They returned to the table and he listened to the lively conversation absently. His mind was on Saya. He could feel her sleeping in her cocoon, yet. It wouldn't be long until she awoke. He was eager, but concerned. Will she remember what happened? Will she go out of control again? Will she remember herself? Will she remember- me?
The rest of the night was a blur of happiness. He danced with the other girls and joined in a lively conversation. Toward the end of the night out, a drunken Bubba climbed on the stage and tried to sing "I Fall to Pieces", bringing on a roar of laughter from everyone, including Hagi.
The next morning, Hagi was standing by his window when Marva walked in. "What is wrong, Marva?" he asked as he saw the concern in her expression.
"Hagi, the boy that raped Claudia was murdered last night," she answered as she sat on his bed. She motioned for him to sit with her, looked into his eyes, and told him the story. "One of Claudia's classmates works until 10pm at a local grocery store. As she was leaving, the boy grabbed her and took her behind a dumpster, but didn't know that she carried a box cutter with her for her job. She stabbed him with it, but then she…" Marva sobbed as Hagi rubbed the back her shoulder, comforting her. "She cut his throat open."
Hagi's hands dropped to the bed and he looked at the floor. "I was hoping I scared him enough when I threw him against the wall." It was a shock, but he was still unsure if Claudia would be happy or sad to hear the news.
Marva continued, "She is facing murder charges. I haven't told Claudia, yet. I know she wanted him dead, but…"
"She may change her mind now," he reassured, hoping he was right.
"She will. No one deserves this."
The sun was setting as Hagi was at the stables, brushing Fury's coat out after a thorough workout. He was finishing up his day, a very eventful day, as Claudia came in the stable door.
She knew where to find him. Her steps were heavy with sorrow as she wondered over to Fury's stall. Hagi was just leaving with his grooming tools as he bumped into her. Her eyes were full of tears.
He quickly put the tools up on a nearby shelf and took her in his arms. "Claudia," he murmured as she sobbed in his arms. He wished it didn't have to be this way. He had wanted her to be close to him again, like they were before. This was not the way he would have planned it, but at least he could comfort her.
When her sobs subsided she began to speak, "Hagi, I was so angry at first. S-so very angry. I wanted him to die! When I heard that he was killed, I was so happy. I went down to the store- I-I don't know why. I saw his mom and dad. Th-th-they were c-c-crying! They were crying and he's dead. I didn't realize he had a family- a life."
"Claudia," Hagi soothed, "I am sorry. I should have gone after you that night."
She looked at him. Her eyes were puffy and full of sorrow. They suddenly opened wide as if she'd discovered him for the first time. "Oh, Hagi!" she cried. "I blamed you for not killing him. I've treated you very badly. I am so sorry!"
"I am alright, Claudia," he whispered. He was so relieved to hear that she understood what he did- or did not do, but he was sad that it had to go to this extent for Claudia to see that he had been right.
"Big Brother," she said as he held her to his chest. Inwardly, he smiled. Oh, how he missed those two words! His future may have looked bleak. He felt that in another 5 or 6 years, he would have to kill Saya with her own sword and then, himself. At least he had this; he had a family to remember him. He would gladly join Saya in death- if that's the only way he could have her. For now, he could live for today.