UPDATE :: March 8th, 2011
Hey guys! This is a really old fic... and it kind of sucks. This was my very first thing I ever posted, so I was still a little younger and a lot less improved on my writing skills. Hence, WHY it sucks. ^-^
Now, why I'm posting this update is to tell YOU good people who come on here in hopes of finding some good fiction to read is that I really, super-strongly recommend you to either press the back button OR, if I have rewritten the fic yet, to go to the next chapter and spare yourselves from having to read this under-edited writing. Read it if you want, but it's a little too freakin' cheesy for me. So... OK! Have fun ^W^

It was your typical afternoon- David was alone; brooding about something or other to do with the red cross, Julia was typing away on her computer;

Kai was away from everyone else (probably mourning Reikou, although he didn't like to admit it.); and Haji and Saya were left to sit in the

kitchen; alone. Everyone was taking a little break before they planned to make their next move on Diva, and the pretty much the whole place

was in a dangerously depressing mood… especially Saya. Things that had happened since her life had been turned upside down were all

nagging unbearably at the back of her mind- and they were really starting to pile up. Things were bothering Haji, too… things of a different

nature than Saya's worries. Things he didn't think he could keep bottled up much longer. It became really awkward when David entered the

kitchen to get a glass of milk. He wasn't long, thankfully. Saya's head was reeling- she needed to do something, to get outside, to GO

somewhere. She needed to find a way to relax a little before she lost her mind from stress and depression. "Saya…" She looked up, surprised

to find that Haji was the first one of them to speak- he was normally so quiet and straightforward. It was very unusual for him not to get to the

point in his first sentence, too. "What is it, Haji?" He looked away for a few moments before saying, simply: "Come with me." He stood up

abruptly, swinging the cello case onto his back as he did so. "Where?" Saya was suddenly very curious. "You will see, if you wish to follow me."

Saya glanced out the tiny window and saw that noon was ending- It would be dark very soon. "Are you sure? There's barely any light left." "Only

if you wish to come shall I take you with me. It's fine if wish to remain here, Saya-" "No! Please, take me with you!" She said, smiling. What was

a little darkness? "Let's go." He said, walking out the door into the red-orange glow of the sunset. Saya followed after him.

"How much longer 'till we get to this 'place' ? " Saya asked. They'd been walking though a rather unused path for about fifteen minutes, and

there were plenty of bugs and rather nasty things crawling beneath the carpet of leaves on the path. She couldn't wait to get to the end. "We're

here, Saya." Haji did not turn around as he spoke to her. "Oh!" She said stupidly as she saw a clearing in the thick branches ahead. Haji was

already out. She gasped as she cleared the final trees- it was a smoothe cliff, with a flat rock perfect for watching the sunrise standing near the

edge. The view of the ocean, miles below, was amazing. "Wow, Haji!.. Where are we?" He seemed to come out of nowhere, suddenly appearing

near some large rock at the back. "We are at a place called Iara's View." Saya walked up to the rock at the front and stood on it. "It's beautiful…"

Haji looked at her, with her dress blowing in the soft breeze. "Yes, you are." He said under his breath, gazing at her. The moon was big and full,

and it's reflection rippled on the ocean in a million pieces, shining across the water to their lookoff. Saya suddenly had a question pop into her

head. "Why are we here, Haji?" She looked at him, and he still avoided her eyes. "I thought you would like to get away from everything. I

come to this place when I feel the need to be alone." Why did he ask me to come with him, then? Saya thought to herself, tempted to say it aloud.

"Yeah, it's all been rather hard lately... First dad… then… Reikou… and… everyone expects me to fight! And it seems like so many people have to

die, even if they weren't involved in the first place!" Haji stood up and walked over to her. "It is impossible to complete our mission without the

cost of life, Saya." She hung her head. "I know- people have told me that so many times. I just don't understand… it's so… unnecessary." Saya

could feel her eyes tearing up, the breeze pushing droplets out of her eyes. "I took you here to take you mind off of these topics, Saya." He said

in a kindly reprimanding tone. He lifted his human hand to her face and pressed it very gently against her cheek, wiping away her tears with his

thumb. "I know, and it's very, very beautiful here- wonderful. But it just doesn't work, I've tried everything. Everything under the sun, Haji." It was

then that she realized his hand was on her face. I was strange- he never came close to her, unless he was helping her out of a fight or jumping

over gorges with her- helping her do something she couldn't. But it felt… nice… to touch him unnecessarily. Wonderful, in fact. "Everything?" He

said. "Yes, Haji- nothing works, nothing at all. I just can't get away from it…" Haji leaned closer. "Have you tried this?" His hand slid from her

cheek, and gently held her chin. And suddenly, without warning, he swiftly pressed his lips to hers. The moment their lips connected, it was like

an electric shock ran through Saya's body- she was frozen. They pulled apart for a moment, truly looking into each other's eyes for the first time.

She saw a world of pain in his grey eyes… but there was warmth, there, too. Warmth… for her. She wrapped her arms around him and pressed

their lips together once more, feeling that wonderful electric sensation again. When Saya wrapped her arms around him, coming back to him, it was

the happiest he'd felt in centuries. Haji put his arms around her tightly, protectively, never wanting to let go. He didn't want to stop- but it wouldn't be proper to stand here all night, kissing Saya. Inviting,

but improper. He pulled away from her, smiling a little. He had Saya- that officially made him the happiest man on earth. He bent down and

scooped her up, wedding-style. Saya was utterly caught off guard when he stopped kissing her and randomly picked her up. Then she realized…

It had worked. That kiss… had wiped her mind blank like a chalkboard. At that point in time, she had felt as though nothing in the world mattered

but her and Haji. That feeling had stuck with her. Haji was a distraction from the rest of the world- a wonderful distraction. She noticed that he

held her much tighter than usual- and that their heads were much closer together than usual. All she had to do was lean in a few inches, and…

She pressed her head into his shoulder, and felt him sitting down on the big rock where she'd stood; not leaving with her as she had expected

him to do. He opened his arms, and she stepped out of his embrace, sitting beside him. He was looking up at the stars, and she looked where he

looked. She saw nothing out of the ordinary- just a cluster of brilliant lights in the night sky. But what Haji saw was very different. He saw the

north star in the sky, shining almost twice as brightly as the rest- and it reminded him of Saya, greatly. There were many beautiful women in the

world- but to him, Saya was the most beautiful of any of them. He suddenly felt the need to show Saya the north star, to tell her what it meant

to him. "Saya, do you see that star, there?" Saya looked harder, and saw it. "Do you mean that bright one, over there?" "Yes, the north star,

Saya. It reminds me of you." Saya's eyes widened. "Why?" "It is beautiful, unique, and strong. As are you." There was a silence before Saya leaned closer, and he noticed.

He turned his head towards her and leaned in as well, pausing half an inch from her face. The attraction in the moment was strong, and for 3

seconds, they just stopped and he watched her. But she suddenly drew back, turning her face away from his. She was blushing uncontrollably.

"Haji, what brought this on?" He drew back as well, but much slower- regretfully. "What are you talking about, Saya?" She continued to hide her

face as she said: "What brought on this... sudden... rush of passion- for me?" Haji put his hand on her face again and turned it toward his.

"Saya... I have always felt a passion for you." Her eyes grew wide. "Well then, why didn't you tell me sooner?" Haji's face turned down,

just a bit. "Saya, had I told you any sooner than this, would you have thought about it the same way you do now?" She thought about it, and he

was right. She would have ran away from him as fast as her legs would allow. But somehow, it was different, now. Maybe it was just because she

knew she needed him- this whole thing, her whole life, now, was pushing her towards the edge. And maybe she couldn't get away from it, but at

least she knew she could forget about it now, if only for moments. "You're right." Haji seemed to suddenly have a very keen interest in the moon,

and looked away again. Saya leaned against him, and gazed at the moon too, realizing for the first time just how beautiful it truly

was. "Thank you, Haji." He turned his head downwards to look at her. "For what, Saya?" She closed her eyes. "For the most wonderful night of

my life."