A/N Hey all! As I was writing this chapter, it kinda seemed funny how much Saya acts like Diva in it, but I figured that when she wakes up from her long sleep, she'd be a bit childish. Kai had said in the anime that after she came to live with them, she acted like a little kid and destroyed Riku's book. Funny how I never thought about how much like Diva that behavior is.

Chapter 30- Wicked Games

Kai smiled as he heard the thundering footsteps of three women running and acting like children. All three raced into the living room and plopped on the sofa. Kai wasn't one for mats and cushions. He liked the idea of keeping things more modern. George had built the pub and designed it to look similar to an American diner, even if the food and drink was Japanese.

He grew up with the sofa in the living room and television for when they decided to have an evening of movies with the family. They even had western style beds in their rooms.

The girls were watching some program on the television and were giggling and bouncing on the sofa. He gave a proud smile as he watched Hibiki and Kanade interact with the troubled girl that looked so much like her father it was unnerving. It was so odd to see that face react with all varieties of emotion.

At the moment she was laughing joyfully at a joke that was clearly at Kanade's expense. His brown-eyed daughter gave a slight pout, looking just like Saya before she retorted with some comment about Mary Frances and the raucous laughter was back. Mary Frances was surprisingly good natured when the joke was on her. She laughed along with them as a slight redness came to her high cheekbones.

She seemed to be opening up to the girls so well. They all then huddled together and Kai decided he was not going to involve himself in the estrogen party that was going on in the living room. He decided to go into the kitchen to prepare for dinner service.

Once he was clearly out of the room and in the kitchen with the door shut, Mary Frances whispered to the two, "So after dinner service ends, we help clean up and then I'll go to my room and get ready. I know Kai likes to go in and check on you about midnight, so get ready and then get completely under the covers. I'll come for you 5 minutes after he leaves."

"Mary Frances," Kanade reasoned lowly, "you have been here going on three days. Don't you think it's a little early to get in trouble like this?"

Mary Frances smirked and answered, "We're only in trouble if we get caught."

Hibiki looked at Kanade and said, "You always want to back out of a little fun. This time, I have an accomplice to make you follow through."

Kanade whacked her sister in the back of the head and retorted, "No I don't back out all the time. It's just… what if Hagi comes back?"

Mary Frances rolled her eyes and responded, "Duh! He's taking Saya to France as we speak. He's not coming back here for at least a week. We can have some fun at his place tonight and I'll have a week to clean it all up- to his perfectionist standards." The last part was nearly growled as she rolled her eyes.

"So, what happens if we bring back guys?" Hibiki asked, causing her sister's eyes to widen to the size of dinner plates.

"You can take my room, Hibiki," Mary Frances delegated, "Kanade, you can have his, and I'm up for anything anywhere, so I'll take whatever."

Now both sisters' eyes widened. "Anything? Anywhere?" they both gasped at the same time.

She smirked and responded, "Is there a problem with that?"

They both looked at each other and shared a shocked expression before reluctantly responding, "Umm, no?"

"Good," she answered and then added, "you scared me there for a minute. I thought you both were virgins with that look plastered on your faces."

Hibiki immediately responded, "No." The defensiveness in her tone made her sound as if she was truly out of her depth. Realizing this, she wiped the defensive look off her face and quirked an eyebrow, "You're just so much more… wild than anyone I've met."

At that, Kanade and Mary Frances erupted in laughter. It took a moment for Hibiki to join them.

~0~

Never before had Hagi felt so completely out of his depth. She had only been awake a week. Her appearance had finally become considered normal. Her eyes were wide and their usual shiny maroon and her skin was no longer translucent. Unfortunately, her mind was still that of a child.

It was almost as if Saya decided to prove that point in repeating occurrences while they made their way through the airport.

While they were checking their luggage, Saya kept unzipping the bags and then squealing with glee when Hagi had to bend down and zip them back up. While doing this for the third time, she found one of her favorite shirts and began whining when Hagi pulled it from her hands and returned it to the suitcase.

Her vocal skills were still very crude, so when she was asked for a passport, she cocked her head to one side and gave a blank, wide-eyed stare to the employee. When Hagi produced the papers, she then wanted to see them herself. She was whining and reaching, causing him to nearly roll his eyes as he allowed her to inspect them. It also caused the employee to look a bit put off as well.

Finally they were free to make their way to the gates. Of course, they had to pass through the metal detectors. Hagi had already anticipated this and all of his daggers, Saya's sword, and all other weaponry was safely stowed inside the case. A special lining covered the inside of the case, courtesy of Joel IV and scientists of the Red Shield. It caused the detectors to malfunction. When the security guards opened the case to examine the contents, all they found was an extraordinarily old and very well-cared-for cello. Only Hagi and a few others knew how to access the secret compartments.

The whole ordeal had Saya fascinated, but that only went so far and she was soon skipping merrily around the large gates of the metal detectors imagining they were boughs of flowers. She was dancing through them and humming some familiar melody known only to herself and her companion.

Finally, his cello was returned to him and they were on their way. Unfortunately, there was no shortage of interesting things to draw Saya's attention. The flashing lights on a sign in the gift shop caught her attention. Hagi jerked his head sideways when he realized she was missing and had to double back to find her. She then began to point and whine again as he attempted to gently guide her away.

This was exactly why he hated to take her anywhere until she fully awakened. She was still not in control of all her faculties and had no idea she was doing anything improper. He could not demand her do something she didn't want to do, but she needed to be controlled if they would be in a public place like this. She needed discipline, but that was beyond his limits as he chevalier.

Thankfully, someone inside decided to turn off that particular sign at that moment, causing Saya to groan out a wordless complaint. He then led her back toward the gate and to the jet Joel VI provided for them.

The chevalier was truly grateful for Joel's generosity. The idea of flying on a passenger jet into Paris with at least 100 more people and a very curious Saya was just not a great mix. On a private jet, she could be curious and not harm anyone- at least he hoped that was true.

With her hand safely tucked in the crook of his arm, he knew she would now be a little more controlled. He began to think as they walked to the gate, reminding himself of why he was doing this. It was true that they needed to be alone together for at least a week and he had to make certain that she only fed from him. As Joel had suggested, it was best that she go back to her first home to regain her memories. It was the longest time she had ever spent in any one location and it was where she grew up.

"Uruh!" The whine drew his attention down to her, but all he saw was the back and top of her black hair. She then turned her heart-shaped face back to him. Her red-brown eyes were dancing with delight as a small smile graced her features. She was pointing to the moving sidewalk a short distance away.

After dealing with Mary Frances for the past month, Hagi's seemingly unlimited patience was wearing thin. Instead of allowing her to go to the sidewalk and succeed in her endeavor to waste precious time, he gently led her away from the sidewalk. For a moment, she began to protest slightly louder and pull a bit roughly as he tried to ignore her pleas.

As they made it to the gate, Hagi let out a breath of air he had no idea he was holding back. When he turned his gaze to meet Saya's, he was surprised to see her rounded red-brown eyes looking up at his with a crease of concern etched between her eyebrows. The look was enough reprimand for him. A bandaged hand came up to her cheek and caressed it lightly, causing her to close her eyes while the etch of concern remained. "I am sorry," he said just above a whisper.

It was such an unusual feeling that welled up inside the newly reborn chiropteran queen. She knew that she had known this man for a long time- how she knew him, she could not tell. At that moment, she felt as if her heart was shattering. Deep inside, she knew this was not something he normally did and the feeling was only amplified by this enormous feeling of loss. It felt as if a massive hole had been ripped in her heart. Who is this man to her?

As they boarded the plane, she seemed to calm down for the moment. He led her to her seat and fastened her seatbelt, giving her a feeling of comfort just by is presence. As he pulled back, for the briefest of moments, their eyes met. A shiver seemed to run down her spine as a jolt of electricity shot through her belly. For some strange reason, her eyes widened and she began to stare at his lips.

A flash of light filled her vision and she could feel his lips against her as rain was falling all around her, damping her skin and hair. The feeling coursed through her body. She felt warm and cold, fear and love, excitement and calm all at the same time. Tears were drying on her face as she savored the warm feeling of his lips pressed to hers in a chaste, but loving kiss. "Our first and last kiss."

The thought was so clear and precise. She had never recalled anything with such vivid clarity thus far and it frightened her. Her wide-eyed gaze caused the chevalier to look at her with a bit of concern. Another jolt of electricity shot through her arms and down through her fingertips as he placed his bandaged hands on her shoulders and asked, "Is everything alright, Saya?"

She blinked.

He must have taken that reaction as her answer. Her eyes followed as he moved sit in the seat across the aisle from her, giving her a bit of space. She watched intently as he buckled his seat belt, too. She could hear a powerful whining sound coming from outside of the plane as they began to move. Her eyes shot to the man that had brought her here and his stoic gaze turned to her.

Muscles that were tense the breadth of a moment ago now relaxed and the pounding of her heart now settled into a gentle rhythm. His gaze was not the warmest, but for some reason, she felt completely at ease. It wasn't long before her eyelids fluttered and her long lashes finally rested against her cheeks.

Hagi looked over to the woman that had his heart in the palm of her hand. It brought him joy to see her once again, but he knew that joy would be fleeting. His heart clenched in pain at the thought of what a mess she was waking up too.

Argiano and Smith were hiding out somewhere in Germany. The massive presence of several, very strong chiropterans seemed to be emerging from somewhere in East Germany. Sightings extended as far as Hannover, Nurmberg, and Praha. The Red Shield claimed that some of the chiropterans were indeed brown with blue and red eyes, but some were red and black-scaled with blue eyes.

Hagi pressed his head into the head rest and let out a breath. It was no surprise that these new chiropterans were even more difficult to handle. It could only mean that somehow Smith had been able to obtain a sample of Kanade's blood. If he did not get Saya to recall her memories soon, they would all be doomed. The only thing they could hope for was that the sample had been small and Argiano and Smith would not be able to produce many of these new chiropterans.

On top of it, he would have to drop the worst news of all on the queen. His biological daughter was here in Okinawa, living in his apartment. How would she process the information? It was a certainty that she would most likely kill him. It wouldn't take long for her to find out that Mary Frances was conceived and birthed during her long sleep. It looked like he betrayed her.

Steel-blue eyes cut to the sleeping queen once again. She was blissfully unaware of the hell that was to come. Slender arms came up under her jaw as she snuggled on her side and released a breath of air. Her small form then went completely lax as she fell deeper into a slumber. At the sight of the sleeping queen, he resolved, "I will not let her feel sorrow or pain while she is at the Zoo." Her cheek nuzzled the fabric of the seat. "She needs a break from all this fighting."

~0~

Joel was uncharacteristically stressed. He ran a hand through his brown hair that was now peppered with small lines of silver. The worry lines were etching deeper in his features with each passing day. The map in front of him was covered in small red marks, indicating sightings of chiropterans. Black marks overshadowed them and were beginning to take over the red. They indicated deaths from chiropterans.

David had recently been in the board room with the generals and explained to them what the current situation was. If things continued to worsen, they would have no choice but to bring in Hibiki and Kanade.

He could already hear the angry voice of their adopted father, Kai. Those girls were everything to him and he would rather take a bullet himself than let them get involved in this war.

Honestly, he'd rather not involve the twins either, but things were getting out of control. David was already locating the point of origin and they had only one chance to strike, but they needed to pinpoint an exact location. It would cause too much commotion and waste too much time to just walk around, looking for a facility that was creating chiropterans. He had to bring in an entire army to face these beasts.

His head came up as he heard the closing of the door. David stood before him with a grim face. Once blonde hair was now nearly completely grey, more lines etched his features with each passing day. Joel knew that not all of that was his age- it came with the territory of being involved with this war.

The leader of the Red Shield also knew that his once youthful face also suffered the ravages of time. He was now 53 and looked at least a decade older from the stress this war had brought. They had thought it was over only to find the whole thing starting again. The pieces were all in place, but it was a new set of opponents with the same old weapon- chiropteran blood… and this time, it was Kanade's.

David's voice brought Joel from his gloomy thoughts. "Hagi and Saya have boarded the jet and are due to arrive in Bordeaux tonight. Hagi has informed us that Saya is still not ready to fight and will likely be unable to for at least a week," his expression was as no-nonsense as ever.

"Have we located the epicenter of the sightings?" Joel asked as he turned his wheel chair around behind the massive oak desk and gazed out of the bay window.

"Yes," David informed, "it's a small community of farm lands outside of Halle, Germany. We are still trying to prove that it's Argiano and Smith. The facility is an old farm house and barn. What caught our suspicion was the lack of farming equipment and the massive propane tanks that are ordered on a daily basis."

Joel nodded distractedly. "Saya is still unable to fight," he reiterated as he came around his desk using a button on his chair to wheel him around. His head came down dejectedly as he realized he was out of options. He released a breath and ordered, "Go to Koza and retrieve Hibiki and Kanade. I will call Kai to inform him of the situation."

David gave a curt nod and turned on his heel. His serious exterior finally fell into a frown of concern as he looked over his shoulder to Joel, sending him an apologetic look. They both knew this would not go well, but they also knew that their only true weapon in this fight would be Hibiki.

As Joel moved around the office his eyes wondered over all the things that were collected over the years. His predecessors left many objects of fancy: some antique, some modern. His aging hand moved over the chess set, caressing the pieces of carved stone. He recalled, as a young boy, he would come to his father's study and play him using this very set. The black pieces were carved from obsidian and the white from marble.

His cornflower blue eyes turned down to the game under his hand as the situation tumbled through his mind.

His fingers grazed delicately over the obsidian queen. "Saya," his mind said. "The queen has all the power- in chess and in this war."

The manicured hand then grazed the king. "But in the previous war, it was Amshel that was pulling all the strings. In this war, it is Argiano and I that are facing off." His blue eyes moved over to the other side of the board, seeing the white in formation and ready for the battle to begin.

"The knight." His fingers traced the contours of the black chess piece as he thought of Hagi. "He has been fighting the longest of all in this war, and without rest or complaint. He continues on because it is his duty?" Joel smirked, "No. Anyone with eyes can see the true reason why he is so selfless."

As he looked upon each piece, he could find someone to correspond with it. The thought was short-lived as he drew his eyes to the pawns. Eight on each side, stretched out in a row- all ready to defend and offer their lives for the king.

"In the end," Joel said aloud, "they are all pawns." He lifted the shiny, black pawn to his face and looked over every contour of the object. "Their loyalty is so blind- they simply do as they are told and sacrifice willingly- even their very lives."

In his mind, he could see the two young queens smiling and laughing. Their laughter will be ripped from them soon. Soon they will face the enemy for him while he sits in this office. It was the thing that always troubled him about his father and every Joel before- they refused to get their hands dirty and simply had someone else do the job.

Well not this Joel. He may not be able to walk, but he still knew how to get out there and help where he could. The first start would be to call Kai and then Lulu. The Schiff would be the only way to train Hibiki well enough to fight. They could do nothing else- Hagi and Saya were not there to help.

He lifted the phone and dialed the number. After the fifth ring, a gruff male voice announced, "Omomo."

"Kai." He could hear the red-head frowning over the phone and decided it was now or never. "The situation is out of control. Our only hope at the moment is Hibiki."