The musty, dank smell of the tomb was overpowered by that of the pungent amniotic fluid pooled on the floor beneath the cocoon. Any human would have called it putrid, but to a Chevalier, this was the sweet fragrance of reunion.
There she was, still wrapped in the fibers that had been her cradle for the past decades. For a moment, he wondered if his instincts had been mistaken, if perhaps it was not yet time.
But he could hear it. Fingers clawing from the inside like an unborn chick struggling to hatch. Haji's instincts were not only correct, they had gotten sharper, so attuned that he could apparently tell she was going to awaken, even before it happened.
She had emerged four times in the past, and he had been present at all but one.
The first time had been at the Goldscmidt family crypt. Thirty years prior, he had watched her slowly fade away, spending more and more time asleep, until it was heartbreakingly clear that she would soon lose consciousness altogether. But the despair was mitigated by a tacit understanding between them, knowledge based on intimacy and instinct that told them both that this would not be a permanent separation. The years following her first interment were the hardest of his life, next to those following the Vietnam massacre, a constant struggle to keep faith, a struggle that often resulted in visits to the crypt, so that his doubts might be lulled by her heart-warming heartbeat.
It was during just such a visit that he had received the happiest shock of his life, when he discovered his beloved friend in a weak, but conscious heap in the churchyard, his initial tearfully ecstatic embrace returned by a prompt bite to his neck.
He was so elated to see her alive that he wasn't even particularly phased by her having no idea who he, or she herself was. However, it was only a few weeks until it all came flooding back, during a battle in which Amshel Goldsmith had tried to capture her, no doubt with the aim of acquiring her as a test subject. Haji supposed that fighting Amshel had reminded her of when the evil Chevalier had stood between her and immediate vengeance on Diva, just after the Zoo massacre.
Her next period of sleep was easier to endure despite it's being abnormally long, but her awakening in 1961 was fairly similar, only this time, he knew what to expect, and thus, rousing her took on a distinct, ceremonial quality. Not long after, like in 2005, she was coerced into fighting long before she understood why, her memories were particularly slow in returning, locked away for almost a year. They were finally awakened during a dramatic battle aboard an airborne plane, which had ended with Haji pinned beneath a pair of slavering chiropterans on the floor of the aircraft, and he had escaped from the checkmate position by launching some nearby debris into the control panel for the bomb bay doors. He supposed that watching him plummet down into the night air had evoked the memory of watching him fall to his death in 1883.
The third awakening – the forced awakening - if he could have wished that memory erased from his mind, he would have. When the Red Shield proposed that she be forced awake in order to deal with a recent rash of chiropteran attacks in Southeast Asia, he had willingly provided them with his blood despite a looming feeling of impending calamity.
What followed would be the worst night of his life.
He had spent countless hours dwelling on why he had done it, why he had given them his blood, and concluded that it wasn't out of devotion to the cause. It was out of the same emotion that always seemed to be the root cause of reckless actions in a Chevalier.
Loneliness had been the downfall of several of his chiropteran brethren, and was very nearly his own, having nearly been killed by his friend, and then nearly dying from sheer lack of will to live.
The months immediately following were dominated by a soul-withering combination of guilt and loss, and occasional grasping attempts at escape, leading to further self-hatred. He believed that Saya was lost to him forever, and the small hopeful notion that this wasn't so was always accompanied by the conviction that he didn't deserve to be in her presence, blaming himself for what had happened.
In the end, it was one realization that brought him back to a rational existence. Feeling responsible for harming a loved one out of thoughtless impulse, and for causing an untold number of innocent deaths… he finally knew how Saya had felt ever since that Sunday in 1883.
Somehow, it was easier for him to carry on, knowing that she had borne such feelings for so long, that just as she continued to do her duty, so too must he.
But by then, the trail to Saya's resting-place had gone cold, until he received a tip that Saya was in Japan. He knew, logically, she had been entrusted to someone in the American military. American military… in Japan… he headed for Okinawa.
Unfortunately, the leads stopped there, and in terms of her most recent awakening, he had seen her emerge from a planter-box of pink new-guinea impatiens instead of her cocoon, a mortified blush on her face instead of an innocent smile.
A quartet of long-nailed fingers sprouted from the surface of the cocoon, soon joined by a thumb, and without thinking, he approached as the digits struggled to free their master. It was only a few seconds before he gave into the irresistible compulsion to touch them, his slender, cool palm brushing tentatively against her fingertips, only to immediately find his hand in a vice like grasp, reminiscent of an infant's grip.
Her fingers climbed their way up to his wrist, clinching tightly around it as if she were dangling off the edge of a cliff, and instinctively, he heaved the limb toward him as if rescuing her from the precipice.
Her other hand soon emerged beside it's twin, slowly stretching the breach in her silken prison until it found his other arm.
He braced his knee against the cocoon, pulling at the two exposed arms that held so desperately to his until the small slit gave way to an enormous tear, the sudden loss of tension causing them both to fall backwards. Haji found himself lying on his back on the damp floor, Saya sitting in his lap, wearing nothing more than five feet of dripping black hair, breasts dangling precariously close to his face, her lips formed into a smile that was even more beguiling.
He was inundated with conflicting instincts, either to scramble away as his lingering Victorian morality demanded, or to let loose the amorous impulses he had been stifling for over a century... But he was aware that neither course of action was appropriate at that time, and gently pushed her to a safer distance before standing, producing a red-jeweled dagger and closing his claw around the silver blade.
Haji had spent just under thirty years debating as to whether or not he should do this, if it would be better to deny her his blood and her tragic past along with it. Wouldn't she be better off without the trauma of decades of guilt, loss and bloodshed? She could be free of all that had passed before, free to spend the whole span of her conscious phase as she had spent her first year in Okinawa, knowing nothing save her happy life with the Miyagusuku family.
But he had come to the conclusion that it was not his place to erase her past. He might have asked her if it was what she wanted before she slept, but he had been indisposed during the brief period between her being hell-bent on suicide and resigning herself to an impermanent sleep instead.
It was barely a second before she eagerly seized the bleeding hand, eyes alight as her lips met his palm, sipping at the blood that pooled there. He took in an awkward gulp of air as the hot, slick tongue began to lap at the wound. He knew that this was nothing more than an instinctual attempt at keeping the cut from closing, but as she continued for several seconds after it had healed over, he found it decidedly difficult to detach himself from the subtle sensuality.
He lightly cupped her cheek with his claw and placed a tender kiss on her forehead.
"I've missed you."
"I've missed you," she mimicked.
He smiled, this strange post-awakening habit never failed to amuse him, he supposed it must have had something to do with reacquisition of language. At the same time, it was always extremely tempting to say a different three words to her, knowing she would definitely say them back, and probably not remember it. But, the idea of taking advantage of her, even in such a harmless way, was too distasteful.
He knew from experience that she would be disoriented for the next few days, but when her memories returned was anyone's guess. He surmised that, if she remained with the Miyagusuku's as planned, while she had ingested his blood, it could still be quite a while before that peaceful environment brought an end to her amnesia.
He walked across the tomb to his cello case, and pulled out a plastic shopping bag concealed inside it. Saya watched curiously as he unfurled a pale-pink silk robe, and stood as still and pliant as a well-behaved toddler while he dressed her.
Solomon paced outside the tomb door like a father outside of a delivery room until Haji finally emerged, carrying their beloved queen bridal style, and then proceeded to walk past the two spectators without a pause or backward glance.
Just as Solomon was about to protest to his being so intentionally left out, a pair of burgundy brown eyes met his from over Haji's shoulder.
Smiling lips cooed a greeting and he was compelled to follow.
Haji placed his lady on the ground shortly after reaching the bottom of the stairs, and after a few seconds of infantile wobbling, she found her balance.
Kai and Mao stood beside the car; neither seemed surprised to see Solomon descending the stairs just behind them.
"Uggguch!" Mao groaned through the hand that she had just placed over her nose and mouth. "She smells like a gym hamper full of week-old road kill."
Saya appeared to be impervious to the comment on her odor, staring downwards as she repeatedly curled her toes in the sand.
"Um, no seriously, is she supposed to smell like that?" Kai added.
Haji gave a slight nod.
Saya's attention shifted away from her feet, and her gaze pointed toward her self-anointed Chevalier, eyes slowly rambling up and down his form.
For most of his life, Solomon was almost universally considered to be exceptionally handsome, so he knew that look all to well. Ordinarily, he found such blatant ogling insufferable, but in this case, he allowed her stares to soak straight into his heart – and ego.
"So, if I remember straight, she's gonna be kinda out of it for a while, like a little kid," said Kai.
Barely attending, Haji nodded, as Saya's unmistakably flirtatious glances toward his rival had seized his attention like a scene of flaming roadside carnage.
His stoicism began to wane as Saya slowly made her way over to Solomon, until standing toe to toe with him, a heart-piercingly seductive stare fixed directly on his, her face still retaining a smile, though far less innocent.
She placed her hand on the center of his chest, just beside his heart. Of course, Solomon did absolutely nothing to discourage her attentions. On the contrary, he seemed positively enchanted.
It was fairly clear that this Saya had no concept of self-control, and that of both Haji and Solomon began to wear dangerously thin as her fingers slowly traced down the center of Solomon's tie.
Even Solomon started to look a little uncomfortable when she reached the bottom button on his jacket, her hand still slowly advancing downward.
Nathan stood nearby and seemed quite enthralled by the scene that appeared to be progressing so rapidly to some sort of climactic outburst.
Fortunately, someone had the good sense to avert disaster.
"Yeah, yeah, we know you want some pants," Mao interjected, "but those belong to Solomon." She grabbed Saya's arm and pulled her toward the car. "Let's get you home, and we'll find you a pair of your very own – after a bath. Or three."
Saya let out a disappointed whimper and grasped at her self-anointed Chevalier, grabbing hold of his tie, causing him to let out a startled gag.
Nathan was thoroughly amused by this turn of events, in great contrast with Haji, his beloved having apparently forgotten him in more ways than one, leaving him not only mired in jealousy, but also embarrassed on behalf of his friend.
Saya seemed to suddenly realize her own superior strength, broke away from Mao's grasp and clung to Solomon like a heroine on the cover of a romance novel, until her attention was caught by something else.
"Hey Saya, you hungry? Look what I got," Kai hollered, shaking a large lunch box as if it were a bag of kibble.
His trick seemed to have the desired effect, catching Saya's attention.
He opened the bento and held it out to her. "Mmm, smells good. Yummy boiled eggs."
Saya's nostrils flared slightly and her lips parted in an excited smile. "Yummy boiled eggs," she murmured.
Just as she eagerly reached for the food, Kai snatched it away and the lunchbox was promptly placed on the back seat of the car, soon followed by Saya.
"Well, some things never change," Kai chuckled, his smile fading as he turned to Haji, knowing that his general expression of bemusement must have been hiding stronger feelings than most gave him credit for.
"Hey bro…" Kai couldn't think of anything else to say. "We'll keep you posted."
"Thank you," Haji managed in response.
Mao shut the door beside the feasting Queen.
Hurt though he was, Haji couldn't help but flash a smile when she glanced out the window toward him, a rice ball concealed in each cheek, actually looking at him for a few seconds, until her attention returned to his rival. Haji's smile faded.
Saya's hands pressed against the car window, clawing lightly at the glass separating her from her Chevaliers, and turning to gaze out the rear window as they drove off.
Solomon turned to his two remaining companions, making no attempt to hide his contentment. "Well then, I suppose I should be off."
Haji fought a rather compelling urge to rip that smile right off Solomon's face.
"Good to see you, Nathan, take it easy, Haji," he said cheerfully as he vanished into a very satisfied and optimistic blue streak.
Nathan turned to Haji.
"Don't take it too personally, on some level, she really can't help it. You know, probably even better than I, that a Queen's awakening always begins in a state of instinct. If she wakes of her own accord, it'll be with childlike hedonism and curiosity, if roused unnaturally, it'll be in a state of animalistic panic, as you were so unfortunate as to discover, but in either case, they don't have much in the way of self-restraint."
Haji made no response. That is exactly what makes it so upsetting, he thought, that when freed from her sense of propriety and obligation, what she really wants is...
"Though, I do have to ask, after waiting all this time Haji, why are you just handing her off to the Miyagusukus?"
"She was happy with them. Happier than she was with me."
A real note of despondence managed to resonate over the wall of his characteristic flat affect.
Nathan grinned and placed a hand comfortingly on Haji's shoulder
"There, there. You're welcome to practice your pleasure-giving skills on me."
Haji jerked his shoulder out from under Nathan's hand.
"Oh, I just love it when they play hard to get!" Nathan declared flirtatiously.
Haji made his way toward the steps and Nathan called out to him again, though now with a far more serious air.
"You're blowing it, you know."
Haji stopped, wondering if that earnest tone could possibly indicate Nathan's having something helpful to say.
"Haji, it seems to me that you treat your feelings for her just like that claw of yours. You keep them wrapped up and hidden every minute of the day, but it's only in battle that you let the truth be apparent. I do realize that, in addition to your fundamental reserve, you grew up with Victorian cultural values, but the same goes for her, so it's unreasonable for you to assume that she'll take charge of a romantic relationship the same way she would a battle."
Haji said nothing.
"And after that scandalous display, I'm sure I don't need to tell you of a Queen's inborn tendency to be attracted to her sister's Chevalier and vice versa." Nathan gave a brief giggle. "Can you honestly say that banging Diva never crossed your mind?"
Haji wasn't the sort to dignify impertinent comments with a response, but that was just too offensive to go uncontested.
"It absolutely did not," he muttered vehemently.
Nathan laughed. "For some reason, I believe you, but keep in mind, that we're not all as in control of our instincts as you are."
Haji glared as Nathan continued. "Now then, lucky for you, Haji, Saya's knight in Armani armor at least fancies himself a man of his word, so I'd imagine he will keep away for now. So, I strongly recommend that you make good use of this temporary restraining order, because I can say with absolute certainty that once he is free to do so, my brother is going to pull out all the stops when it comes to Saya, it'll be open season - regardless of your true feelings, you have no romantic claim on her at present, thus she's fair game. And remember, Solomon does have some serious advantages here, he's quite a smoothie when he wants to be, and considering her obvious self-loathing, I'd imagine that she'd be quite vulnerable to his sweet talk, plus, he has more money than God, and considering her upbringing, that could have more sway you'd like to think. But most important of all, there is one thing that only he can give her, something that you have absolutely no chance in hell at giving her yourself – judging by the current state of our species, if she ever gets pregnant, you can be absolutely sure that Solomon is the real father."
Haji's fingers tightened into a fist.
"Mind you, you do still have several advantages over Solomon, thanks to his run-in with Saya's blood, you're now the better looking of the two of you, your history is far less dubious, and above all, you know her better… But that won't do you much good if you don't take some bloody initiative! Busting out of the friend zone takes effort!"
Haji began down the stairs.
"Think about it, Haji. What do soldiers do when they return home, victorious?"
Haji still didn't answer.
"And that applies to you as well, you know. Settle down with her, or mark my words, she'll do it without you."
Nathan paused, and resumed in an unusually subdued tone as he followed. "Strangely enough, I can relate to your situation, so, here's a little insider info for you – the other player has an ace and when he puts it in the hole, Mr. Asexual BFF isn't going to stand much of a chance. You're going to need a stronger hold on her if you want to keep her through what's coming."
Nathan appeared by Haji's side and leaned to whisper in his ear. "But, confidentially," Nathan paused, "I'm rooting for you."
Nathan seemed to disappear into thin air, but his voice still echoed in Haji's ears.
"Saya has spent a long time married to her cause, but that's pretty much over now, so if I were you, I'd get off my ass if you don't want to watch your nemesis snag her on the rebound."
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