A/N So very excited! In honor of getting 99 reviews to this story, I have decided to make this chapter a bit longer than usual. It is also a pivotal moment in the tale. It's a bit emo, so be warned.

Broken

They returned to his apartment with the laptop and hard drives. The girl immediately set them on the table and dashed to her room for a power cord. He stood there in his stained and bloodied suit with his hair hanging loose on his shoulders.

She noticed he had been even more quiet than usual on the way back and he didn't quite look right, either. Sure they had been in a battle, but he usually seemed to straighten his hair out or find a way to remove some of the blood from himself, but he had done neither. She furrowed her brow and asked, "You okay?"

He did not respond and she asked another question as she waited for the laptop to charge enough to turn on, "You sure he didn't tell you anything else?"

He placed the cello in the corner where he always left it and seemed to stare at it before he shook his head slowly.

"Hey look," she reassured, "don't get so down about it. We'll find the answers. They're probably on this laptop- or the hard drives."

He passed by her and placed a hand on the door knob. "I am going for a walk," he announced as he opened the door. For a moment, he recalled Argiano's smug smile as he said, "You are her father, you came here to find out what you already know."

She glanced at the cello sitting in the corner and then at his back as he left. It was odd to say the least. He always took that cello… everywhere. Noticing the slumped shoulders and the blankness in his eyes as he shut the door, she responded just above a whisper, "Yeah, sure."

~0~

She went through the files on the laptop and the hard drives with no success. All the files were about the princesses and the results of their DNA analysis, the abilities of their blood, all their personal information, and some things about how they created chiropterans from a princess's blood but nothing on how to create one from a chevalier.

By the time she had gone through all the files it was 3am. She was bleary eyed as she called Dr. Julia and informed her, "We got nothing, Dr. J. I have gone through every file and there's nothing about how I came to be."

"Unfortunately I am not surprised," Julia responded sleepily. "I have explained to him that a chevalier's blood does not have the same power as a queen's. They only can reproduce sexually." She then added, "Bring the laptop to my office in the evening tomorrow, just before we close. I'll send it off to Lewis so he can check it out, too."

Mary Frances huffed a breath and responded, "Dr. J, there's got to be another explanation. It's on here somewhere- it has to be."

Julia was surprised at this. Mary Frances never seemed to believe that her father was telling the truth, but now… "So you believe him?" she asked.

Mary Frances pinched the bridge of her nose and rubbed, trying to keep herself awake. "Yeah, I'd never have thought I'd ever believe him, but I do. Guess I'm getting soft."

"You sound weak," Dr. Julia noticed. "You and Hagi need to feed and then you need some rest."

"Yes, Dr. J, I'll finish up here and put the laptop and hard drives in a box. I'll take it by the clinic in the morning," she responded as she opened another file on the laptop and found information on Argiano. She hung up the phone as she read his autobiography. It was nothing she hadn't seen before. Just some pompous ass that thought too much of himself, but the boring, self-promoting language lulled her to sleep.

~0~

The sun had gone down and the stars were out, but the stoic figure noticed nothing. The waves were crashing roughly in front of him as distant storm clouds moved toward Okinawa, but he didn't seem to care.

His thoughts tumbled over it again and again. Every moment he came in contact with a woman, every instant when he caught the scent of someone's perfume. He tried to envision someone removing her clothing or the taste of salt on his tongue.

His thoughts always returned to Saya. All those fantasies he kept hidden in the dark recesses of his mind had her face. Did he fantasize about Saya while he rutted some woman in frustration? Was Julia right? Did he block out the traumatic memory of sharing his body with a woman he did not know?

Outside, he was usually the picture of calm and collected, but now his hair flew madly about him, matted from blood; his clothing was in disarray and stained. Something inside was giving way. He screamed in pain internally as outside, his face remained passive. The memory of Saya's angry face shouted at him, "How could you? After you say you love me, you go and give yourself to another woman?"

Internally, blow after blow struck the chevalier as he stood, motionless in front of the stormy sea. The wind was picking up as the storm blew in. Waves from the storm surge were crashing in front of him, bringing three inches of water around his feet for a moment, before it was dragged back out to sea.

Saya shouting at him that she did not want him anymore flashed in his mind as lightening flashed in the sky, briefly outlining his hair flying wildly around his alabaster face. His ocean blue eyes remained the same, but they looked lifeless and empty.

"I don't want you anymore!" It was like he was being stabbed over and over again- impaled straight through the chest. He was crushed and broken. He fell to his knees and cried out in the depths of despair, but still remained standing there as the storm pelted him with rain and the wind tangled his ebony hair.

~0~

The morning sunrise peeked through the window of the living room and landed on the sleeping girl's face in the dining room. Her face now marred with the keys from the laptop she had slept on instead of a pillow. Mary Frances grunted as she turned her head from the light and moved to sit up and rub her back with one hand while scrubbing the sleep from her eyes with the other.

Stumbling to the fridge, she opened it and pulled out a couple of blood packs, not bothering to warm them as she knew the reason she had slept like a human was because of all the exertion and no feeding.

The shower felt good after she removed her contacts and let them soak in solution. Warm water was slowly waking the girl up as it removed all traces of yesterday from her body. Still not remembering that Hagi had left last night, the nude girl dashed to her room, hoping he wouldn't see her.

Opting for a pair of flannel pajama pants and a black cami top, she came into the living room. Doing a double take as she saw the cello case still in the corner, forgetting he had left it there last night, she nearly fell into the sofa.

"Crap," she muttered as she righted herself. He must have come back in the night and was probably in his room. "Geez, Hagi, you could've woke me up and told me to go to bed when you came in!" she shouted.

Her eyes caught the scene outside the living room. The curtains on the glass doors were open just enough to show that the chairs on the porch were in disarray.

The not yet quite with it princess grumbled as she opened the doors and stepped into the blinding sun. "Fuck, how long did I fucking sleep?" she muttered to herself as she righted the chairs, noticing they were wet.

Confusion sparked in her eyes causing her brows to furrow. "How did I sleep through a thunderstorm?" she wondered aloud.

A movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. The contrast of black against the white sand and blue water was striking as coat tails moved in the wind that remained from the storm. She felt a cold shiver creep up her spine as she turned to see what was there. "Oh shit!" she breathed as she realized what she saw.

In one movement, she leapt from the second floor balcony to the sand below and took off with a blinding speed down the beach to the figure, kicking up torrents of sand in her wake. His hair was matted by the rough wind and salt water. The water from the storm surge still surrounded his feet. Small crustaceans and sand still clung to the cuff of his pants about 4 inches up. "Were you out here all night?" she asked the stoic face, but he didn't turn.

She moved a hand in front of his face, but he still didn't respond. "Hagi?" she asked. She knew he wouldn't stand in the water while it rushed in, he was too much of a perfectionist for that.

No response.

"Hagi!" she shouted as she reached up and poked his shoulder, noticing it was cold and very wet. He wasn't moving as she grabbed his hand and dropped it quickly. It was like ice.

"Oh SHIT!" she gasped. "What the hell are you thinking?" How was she going to get him inside the apartment? When she pulled his arm, she noticed he followed. She breathed a sigh of relief, knowing how weird it would look if she carried him up the stairs to the apartment.

When they came to the door, she removed his boots and soaked socks. Tilting the boot over, she released a deluge of sea water from each before pulling him inside. "I know you're a neat freak, but you can't get too upset about the floor getting wet since you're the one that got it wet in the first place."

She recalled that in cases of hypothermia, it was best to get the patient gradually warmer and not shock them by putting them directly in something very warm, but first he had to get out of these wet clothes.

Her eyes opened wide as she realized what she had to do. "Oh god, no," she muttered as she stood in the living room with a dripping chevalier. Taking a deep breath, she swallowed her pride and gathered her courage before she led him to the bathroom.

Eyes averted, the princess stripped the chevalier of his soaked jacket and button down shirt, laying them over the towel rack. Taking another deep breath, she now was faced with his pants. Giving herself a pep talk, she unbuckled the belt and reassured him, "It's not like it's something I haven't seen before, but if you feel embarrassed at any time, just… close your eyes."

His soaked and dirty pants were in a pool around his ankles as she tugged the boxers off while looking away. Once they met his slacks, she lifted his right foot while balancing him and then the left. Not an easy task with such a tall man, but she managed. Once he was naked, she turned on the water to lukewarm and pushed him to stand in the spray as she took the clothes to the washroom.

As his skin slowly got warmer, she gradually increased the water temperature and then scrubbed his hair with some shampoo and muttered, "I'm not washing you below the belt, other than your legs." Making mental notes of what needed to be done, she realized he needed to be clothed in something comfortable and warm.

Once he was clean, she brought the temperature of the water up one last time and dashed for his bedroom. The drawers of his high boy contained nothing but weapons, a few notes in French, and some cash. The lowest drawer had dress socks and boxers, but no pajamas. Rolling her eyes and groaning, she wondered if he even knew how to get comfortable. She grabbed a pair of boxers and socks and headed to the closet.

What the young woman discovered there caused her to groan in frustration. Row after row of the exact same suit hung there- all the same color. "Really, Lurch?" she shouted as she banged her forehead against the wall. After a few minutes of grumbling and complaining about her patient, the girl skulked to her room. They were about the same height and build.

Once there she noticed how his room was drab and colorless, but neat. Her room was colorful, bright, and a disaster area. She rummaged through a drawer and found a pair of navy blue plaid pajama bottoms, but not the top. Then she noticed her Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moon long-sleeve on the bed. A growl echoed through the hall as she grabbed it and her thick red blanket.

Upon entering the bathroom, she noticed her contacts on the counter and put them back in. After that task was completed, she turned off the shower and began to dry the chevalier with a fluffy towel, squeezing as much water as she could from the strands of ebony hair. As Mary Frances dressed the man, she paused as she grabbed the shirt.

The princess held it up in front of the catatonic man and warned fruitlessly, "This is my favorite shirt. I will kill you where you stand if you do anything to my shirt, asshole."

He was now dressed and she had lain him down on the couch in the living room under a thick red blanket. Recalling his curiosity about her favorite tea, she went and made some, hoping to bring him out of this trance. He was still lying on the couch, staring blankly at the ceiling.

With her cell phone in her hand, she put kettle to boil and informed Dr. Julia of what had happened. The doctor could hear the concern concerning the you woman's voice as she relayed what had happened.

"He's a chevalier, Mary Frances," Julia reasoned. "He does not get sick and his body can handle a lot more than any human could. I will check on him in an hour or so. Right now there has been a crisis in the lab and I can't leave. He just needs some blood."

Mary Frances nodded slightly and then said in just above a whisper, "Yeah, okay, Dr. J." She hung up just as the kettle whistled.

Returning to the living room with two steaming mugs, the princess looked into unblinking eyes and muttered, "Just needs to feed, huh? You wouldn't say that if you saw him, Dr. J."

His eyes looked completely blank. He was normally emotionless on the outside, but now even his eyes seemed to have lost their spark. She had seen this in drug addicts and prostitutes- his spirit was broken along with his heart.

Hooking the chevalier to an IV was next on the agenda. "I've never done this before and I hope I don't do it wrong," she informed him as she found the thickest blue vein in the crook of his arm and carefully inserted the needle with bated breath. When she noticed she had gotten the vein, she let out her breath and attached the unit of blood.

For a short time, they remained there- her hoping he would just snap out of it, but he only stared at the ceiling. Absently, long fingers began working began through his hair, removing the tangles from the strands as gently as they could. "For a guy, you really do have nice hair," she complimented as she continued to work the knots out. "And you really are a nice person, once you let down that damn stoic exterior…"

Glints of dust filtered through the light coming in through the French doors of the living room. The only disturbance to the quiet scene was a heavy sigh. Letting out a frustrated breath, Mary Frances cursed, "Damn." Her eyes turned to his and she said, "I don't know what happened to you, Hagi, but you gotta come out of it. I know we turned up another dead end, but the answer is still out there."

Deciding to find another distraction, the young woman retrieved her brush from the bathroom and carefully made herself some room at the chevalier's head, pushing him to sit upright, minding the IV tube.

Pulling the brush through his hair, she removed the knots in the back. Once that task was completed, she sat in front of him on the edge of the couch next to his long legs that were covered by the red blanket. He was now staring into the wall behind her.

"You really gotta snap out of this," she said again. Rubbing a hand through her short hair, she added, "I get it, Saya doesn't believe you… hell nobody seems to believe you… but I do." A bitter laugh echoed in the room and she added, "No man would go through this much trouble to get away with a lie. You have to be telling the truth- as impossible as it is to believe."

For a while the corners of her mouth twitched as thoughts the princess refused to entertain banged at the door of her mind. No more excuses. No more hiding. Reluctant to bare her soul, the princess fought with her heart- but one more glance at what her mere presence - her existence had done to this man was her breaking point.

She looked back up at him and then turned her gaze to the floor with another bitter smile that twitched at the corners. "Shit," she muttered as the smile fell into a pain filled frown, "I can't do this alone. Daddy Green was right. I'm just a scared kid."

Her fist came down on the sofa between them as she groaned through gritted teeth, "Damn, why can't I be stronger? Why can't I be… like you?" The last part was a whisper.

Very reluctantly, she pressed her tear streaked cheek to his firm chest. Her arms came up around his neck, flinched in protest of the unfamiliar close contact, and then settled in a hug and a sob.

She cried, "You can't do this to me! I finally have someone in my life to look after me and he goes crazy? Please… you can't… I need you… Dad."

Letting the tears fall, she clung to him as she felt his shoulders shudder in a shiver. With tears still falling, she carefully pulled the blanket over his shoulders as she felt warm water on her shoulder. Mary Frances figured it was from his hair as it was still damp, but wouldn't the water from his hair be cold?

She had admitted it! She had opened up, but it felt hollow to her- even as the burden was lifted from her shoulders, it felt hollow. It didn't matter one bit that she had let go if he wasn't there to catch her. This was her dad- her real dad and she was ready to be his daughter.

A pair of strong arms surrounded her and pulled her close. She felt so safe and warm here. Her body relaxed as she breathed in deeply the scent that came from this man- the heady scent of rosin, light scents of roses, and pine- her father. He was holding her.

Someone believed him. He felt her embrace and heard her words. They had brought his mind back from the abyss. She needed him! Dad- she called him DAD! Kai had been right all along. Saya was his heart and his love- his reason for being, but that was all changed now. His child- the girl in his arms, she was his reason for being now.

The two just stayed this way for a time, clinging to each other. When she pulled back from him, she was surprised that he seemed to hold on a bit longer. She looked at him with worry at first, but seeing the slight wetness under his eyes, she understood.

He spoke in a soft, even voice, "No one believes me. Lulu said that she does, but she is not here." He then turned his gaze to the floor, "Saya does not believe me- she does not want me."

"Hey, look," she reassured as she touched his shoulder, "we're gonna find the answers,"but you have to keep trying. Don't give up now, Dad."

He turned to her and gave her a small smile. "Thank you," he responded.

She gasped and then gingerly touched his face. "I- I didn't think you could smile," she breathed. When the smile began to fade, she said, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you."

He shook his head and looked at the IV and then at his new clothing. "You took care of me?" he asked with a hint of disbelief in his expression.

She shrugged, "Someone had to and Dr. J is busy at the clinic."

He visibly gulped and asked carefully, "Y-you cleaned me up?"

His discomfort made her laugh, causing a very slight color to rise to his cheeks which made her laugh even harder. "I told you that if you felt embarrassed you could close your eyes," she laughed.

"I-it is not ap-appropriate," he sputtered, causing her to grasp her sides as she rolled off the couch and onto the floor.

"Go-gosh, Dad! Y-you th-think it's so-something I haven't s-s-seen before?" she laughed. She was in tears at his reaction to the question.

After a time, she composed herself and noticed he was examining her clothing that he was wearing. He looked down at the image of white light going through a triangular prism and a rainbow emerging from the other side. The name Pink Floyd was written in white, block letters over the top. "What is this 'Pink Floyd'?" he asked as he pinched the cloth and pulled it away from his chest as if it were something that should not be on his person.

"Pink Floyd is a rock group from the 70s," she informed. "They have really awesome music."

"Why are they pink?" he asked, causing her to break out in hysterical laughter once again. She didn't notice the small smirk on his face.

She stumbled to her room and returned with her ipod and idock. She plugged it into the living room and placed the ipod in it. The device began to play the song "Breathe". She smiled as she returned to him and sat down.

His face remained expressionless, but she was relieved to see a spark in his eyes again. Noticing his IV was empty, she went to the fridge and returned with another bag of blood. She began to change it out when he lifted it from her hands and said, "Arigato." He made quick work of the blood as he drank it from the bag. He then explained, "Flying takes a lot out of your body."

She nodded, "I'll say. I had one bag when I called Dr. J last night and two this morning. It tastes like shit when it's cold, though." She then handed him a cup of tea and informed him, "I made it with a bit of milk, it's better…"

"It's better with milk," he finished the sentence with her. "You've said that before." He smiled at the memory of how much they hated each other then. How different things are now. He took a sip of the tea and nodded, "It is better with milk."

She nudged him and responded, "I told you." When he smiled again, she asked, "Why don't you smile more? I never saw you smile. Heck, I just now saw you cry- sorta."

His smile fell and he answered, "I have learned that putting your trust in someone is a dangerous thing. I do not want to show my feelings because it can be cause problems. They can see what you are thinking and take advantage."

She nodded as she looked at her tea, "They saw that you missed Saya and told you there was a way to wake her. You refused, so they told you that Diva was awake. You chose to wake her," she then turned to him, "but it wasn't your fault. They took advantage of your desire to see the war end."

"It was my weakness, no less," he demanded as he rose and moved to the ipod, clicking through the next couple of tracks to the song "Us and Them".

She kept her eyes on him as he stared at the device. "Appropriate song, Dad." She then added, "You have to trust them because your queen trusts them." She then turned to the scene outside. "We have to find these answers," she muttered.

After the song came to an end, he asked, "Do you have The Wall?"

Her eyes snapped open wide and she turned to him. He was still staring at the device. She rose from the sofa and met him at the idock. Her fingers moved quickly over the screen as she went through her files and found the album. "Which song?" she asked.

"'Comfortably Numb'," he responded without looking at her.

"Like you?" she wondered as she gave him a sly smirk. The song began to play through the speakers and she saw him visibly relax. "You knew who Pink Floyd was all along," she accused.

He responded, "Yes, but it was more amusing to make you think I didn't." He was now smiling as she playfully thumped his shoulder.

"I never thought you would listen to this kind of music," she commented.

"I do not like loud, screaming music," he responded. "I am as surprised as you." At her expression of surprise, he elaborated, "I thought you only listened to loud, screaming music."

She laughed and added, "Yeah, and I only thought you listened to boring classical music."

They both went on for a while, listening to other songs from many different bands. Some of it he liked, some he didn't. When Julia came, she was shocked to find father and daughter sitting on the couch talking about something called a laser show and a music group called U-2. She smiled happily as she left them, taking the box containing the laptop with her. Hagi was alright and he was now relaxed more than she had ever seen, especially with the odd clothing he was wearing.