"The legend?" Hagi asked.

"It is a legend of love. Love does not exist our kind, Sir Knight, pairings are meant for the purpose of creating the next generation. You and Red Queen Saya are the first to join out of love."

"I have not asked her…"

"I know, she forgets everything when she sleeps," he interrupted, "but you will revive her memories for her. Your presence will bring everything back to her. You were raised with her side by side. Your fate and hers were intertwined and can not be separated. It is why you can call to each other from the other side of the planet and hear each other."

Hagi looked at the ocean and thought, She never has remembered upon awakening. My blood brings some of her memories back, but it comes in waves. They never rush in at once.

"I know it takes an excruciating amount of time for a queen to fully awaken, but with patience, they always do." He turned to face Hagi and added, "You may not believe this, but I envy you." He knew the younger knight would not respond, so he continued, "Despite the distance you maintained from humanity, somehow you belong to a family, as does your queen. That is another example of love that we do not share. A queen will raise her daughters until they reach 15 years of age, then they are considered queens and can choose knights to serve them."

Silence reigns for a few moments before Hagi speaks, "Nathan says that you live as a group- a family."

The older knight scoffs, "It is not a family. It is more like a community. The eldest queen dictates the rules and the younger queens obey and occasionally offer opinions. The only fighting the queens do is with their sibling, to the eventual death of one of them. Knight's exist to defend and do the bidding of their queen, although there is a hierarchy among us that keeps the younger ones in line. Breeding is only done once the victorious queen takes her sister's knight and, afterward the knight dies."

In Hagi's mind images flash of Riku's crystallized body laying on the floor of the sinking ship. He shook off the image and asked, "Why?"

The First Knight smirked, "That's right, you've never laid with her, have you?"

Hagi's eyes narrowed as he regarded the elder knight and thought, That is none of your business.

He chuckled and soothed, "Relax, I can see it in your face, you have the innocent look of a man that has never laid with anyone, much less an immortal queen."

Looking away, Hagi stifled the urge to say something that he'd regret later. It didn't make the elder knight's assumptions any less true. He knew that he could never even see another woman the way he saw Saya. She was goddess that he worshipped, but he could not obtain. Other women could not hold a candle to her. Even in a moment of desperate need, another woman would simply seem like a blasphemy to him. She was his everything- his creator and his destroyer. Even if she killed him, he would never stop loving her, but he had never dared to even kiss her until recently.

The elder knight broke him from his thoughts, "When a queen is victorious against her sister, she chooses one of her sister's knights and he has 30 years to live, as the queen goes into hibernation (just like the Red Queen Saya has done). When she awakens, she will feed from her remaining knights and then lay with the chosen knight where he will feed on her blood and die." The elder knight regarded Hagi glancing toward his sleeping queen. The knight smiles before continuing, "You will find out soon, the first time a knight and queen mate, he cannot resist the urge to feed from her and you know all too well that your queen's sister's blood will kill you."

So that is why Riku died, he thought. He couldn't resist the urge to feed on Diva. "Like a black widow spider," Hagi mused out loud.

"Yes, but our society doesn't mirror the life of a spider, but we were once solitary beings. Our kind lived in groups where there was one queen, her knights, and her two daughters. We only live in a community because it is safer now. Our kind has been hunted by humans far as long as I can remember. They called us demons, sorcerers, dragons, and witches- stigmas that mankind wanted to blot from the face of the earth."

He turns his blue eyes to meet the elder knight's brown ones and asks, "Is that how the Azure Queen Saya died?"

The First Knight regarded Hagi carefully, he thought, He certainly caught on to that quickly, but it is not for me to tell him. Even if I could, I do not know enough of the details. He'll have to wait to hear what happened. He answered, "I do not know any details, but we believe that is true."

They looked at the sea in silence for a time. Hagi's thoughts returned to Saya, he knew he was still too weak to defend her, but if he moved her he'd be followed.

"I know you are still not going to trust me, but I feel I must tell you again, your anxiety for your queen is unfounded," the First Knight commented. "Think about it, if we wanted to harm her, we would have done so by now. We only wish to watch over her. There are already two knights that guard her. They will alert us immediately if the Red Shield attempts to awaken her or there is any other danger." He looked at the place she slept, "You are weak still and need to return to your family. Nathan explained the situation that almost took your life. We will watch the Red Queen Saya until you are able to watch her yourself."

Hagi considered this. I can feel that I am stronger now, than I have been, but I am not yet healed, not completely. They would have attacked by now if they wanted to do harm to either of us. I have no choice but to trust them and Lulu. He suddenly realized and turned to the elder knight saying, "There is a young girl, a man-made chiropteran, named Lulu. She has been caring for Saya in my absence."

"We already know of her presence, she is unaware of ours."

Hagi nodded and then asked, "How do you mask your presence? I did not sense you at all until you allowed me."

The older knight chuckled, "You are finally curious enough to ask me something. That is a skill that no knight under 300 years can master. It is why you could sense the Knight of Queen Samiyah, he is not yet experienced enough to mask his strength."

Not willing to simply give in, Hagi asked, "How is it done?"

The elder knight continued to smile with a gleam in his eye, knowing full well that the knight that stood before him would never be able to master the skill for another 200 years. He gave Hagi a serious look and answered, "You must concentrate on your surroundings. You must be able to become one with the world around you."

Being able to blend in with his surroundings was how Hagi survived, but the idea of becoming one with his surroundings was an entirely different concept. This would require much practice, but he was a patient man. This could be done.

The sound of the waves crashing against the shoreline was all that was heard the next few moments between the two knights. Regarding the younger knight, the First Knight finally commented, "You still have so few questions, Sir Knight. If I were in your place, I would have been wringing out all the information that I could."

Continuing to stare at the ocean that stretched before him, Hagi remained silent. His stoic face, as usual, belied his thoughts. Torrents of different questions tumbled through his mind. He wondered if he should ask or bide his time, the older knight seemed to enjoy speaking with him. Finally, the one question that was burning holes in his self resolve came to the surface. Hagi began, "You said that rules had to be bent or broken because of Saya and me. Could you explain why you said that?"

Running a hand through his dark, curly hair, the elder knight answered, "Saya and Diva were born in a place that did not know the laws in which we immortals govern ourselves, it would be unfair of us to hold them to laws that they were unaware of. Allowing humans to experiment on us is never allowed, but even today, the Red Shield is testing Saya's blood as well as some samples of Diva's from the Cinque Fleche company." He cleared his throat as he continued, "The next rule was how she turned you. A queen chooses her knights based on her sister queen's preferences, not her own, as it will be her sister queen that will mate with one of them. A man is told of the requirements of a knight and given an option before he receives a queen's blood. After that, he loses all names and titles of his human self and takes on the role and title of being his queen's knight. You were given no choice. Had your options been explained, you likely would have chosen to be Queen Diva's Knight instead."

"I have no regrets about the past. Saya gave me her blood to save me from death," Hagi stated plainly, "I would never have joined Diva's side, even if it meant death."

A knowing smile flashed across the First Knight's face, "You were turned because of love and you stay by her for the same reason. It is yet another rule that was broken, but we know why you desire your queen and not her sister. It is because you were in love with her long before you were turned."

The warm sea breeze brushed his dark waved hair away from his face as he nodded, the only response his somber face gave.

"Are you certain you want to continue?" the older knight asked, noting the sadness in his face.

Feeling the flow of memories of the beginnings of his love for her, Hagi nodded again as the breeze let up, allowing his hair to surround his down turned face once again. The heart in his chest ached with a desire to see Saya once again, like he had that day before he fell from the cliffs. Back to the time when she was innocent and full of mischievous laughter. Oh, how that smile made him melt! He had gladly endured many punishments just because of that smile.

The First Knight explained, "Also, the fact that you never have been trained as a knight, but yet thrown into the longest war ever endured by any immortal before you. It served as your training- trial by fire, so to speak. It was unfair to you, but yet you handled it honorably. But there are still many things that you seem to be unable to do, or unwilling. You have not allowed your inner strength to be released, why?"

The image of Saya's tear stained face as hands covered her open mouth in horror flashed in front of his eyes. All that had occurred when he just revealed a portion of the beast within him. He did not want to imagine the horror that she would surely feel if he actually let himself lose control. He answered plainly, "I have never needed to."

Nodding, the elder knight considered the response and commented, "True, you never have, but you are not curious to see how much stronger you are when you completely transform."

Holding the same stoic expression he answered, "I see no reason to."

"You mean that you see no reason to frighten your queen," he smirked and then continued as Hagi suppressed his surprise. He chuckled, "We have been watching you since the first Joel Goldschmidt died." Going back to the earlier subject, he stated, "You already know why knights cannot mate with their queen and that an exception has been made for this situation. Queens, when they reach 50 years, will fight to the death, but we understand that Queen Diva's knights kept shielding her from this. It is why the war went on for so long, they kept stalling for time, knowing that Queen Diva was certain to lose against a seasoned warrior queen like the Red Queen Saya." He chuckled, "It is truly amusing that they never understood that the more they drew this out, the stronger the Red Queen Saya became, as well as you."

Suddenly, a slight ripple shuddered through the night air, a call Hagi did not recognize. The First Knight's face became stern as he stated, "I will speak to you again once you are fully recovered, First Knight of the Red Queen Saya, but Queen Aksaya is calling me to return. Rest assured, we will keep watch over the Red Queen Saya while you recover." He faced Hagi and crossed a right arm over his chest and bowed. Hagi returned the gesture and watched as the knight disappeared in a blue streak toward the sea.

His eyes turned to the tomb where she had just begun her long hibernation. It was going to be the longest hibernation he'd ever endured. Now that his secret feelings for her had been revealed, and knowing she reciprocated those feelings, he was not looking forward to the agony of the next 30 years. "I will continue with life, Saya, for you and for us." He leapt into the night, heading for Omoro.

Kai could not sleep, unlike Kaori who had passed out on the sofa while watching the tv. He headed to the room he and Riku had shared which now only he occupied. Riku's 2 suitcases were still piled in the corner of the room, where Kai had left them when everyone had returned. He began sifting through the clothes and shoes that his little brother would never wear again, he folded them and debated on whether he should donate the clothes to charity or hold on to them. Diva's girls would not be wearing boy's clothes, but maybe Julia and David would have a son. He placed them back in the bag and turned to the next bag of clothes.

Everything was neatly folded and he noticed a smaller bag next to the clothes. He pulled it out and opened it. The bags contents consisted of various toiletries and a small disposable camera. Riku, he thought, I wonder what you took pictures of? Kai's vision became blurry as tears threatened, he had found the picture strip that was taken in the photo booth in Paris. Kai noted his angry expression, Saya's good natured smile, and Riku, in front, with a genuinely wide grin. The picture was taken just before Riku died.

It was just Saya and him now, but she was asleep. Kai hoped for Hagi to return soon, he wanted to know that the chevalier would be here for his sister, when she woke up.

Hagi had noticed Kai going through some things in his room, so he moved quietly past Saya's young friend Kaori who was asleep on the couch. He went to the pair of bassinets in George's old room. Habiki opened her blue eyes and began a happy coo as the chevalier picked her up and cradled her in his bandaged arms. It brought back memories of Claudia. Secretly, he truly loved the feeling of cradling the small infant in his arms. Surely, one would think a battle hardened warrior like himself would have no interest in small children, but to him, it gave him a reason to continue to fight. To protect the innocent like these babies, he was glad Saya had spared her nieces' lives.

Kanade awoke and began to whimper as she noticed her sister being cradled and she desired the same warmth and attention. Hagi easily reached down and lifted the brown eyed sister in his free arm. He rocked them in his arms, humming a tune that he remembered from long ago, when he was still very young. But this was no place for those sad, lonely memories. These children are loved and wanted and Hagi let them know this as he gave them one of his rare smiles.

Kai placed the disposable camera on the dresser, he would take it to get the photos developed as he ran errands tomorrow. He went into the living room to check on Kaori and then the twins in the bedroom.

Hagi heard Kai moving around the living room and placed the girls gently in their bassinets as he promised to come again once he was well. He took one last glance at the giggly pair before he leapt from the window in a blue streak.

Kai entered the room, scratching the back of his neck. Observing the open window, Kai was certain he had closed it earlier, he caught a strong scent of roses and something… something familiar. He was sure it smelled like the jacket Saya had been desperately clinging to. Kai thought out loud, "Was he just here?"

As if to answer, the babies began to giggle and reach toward Kai.

Claudia was asleep on her side when Hagi returned. He put a bandaged hand on her temple and whispered, "I will be returning to New York with you, Sister. I suppose we will just have to put with each other for a while longer."

She caught his bandaged hand with hers as she feigned sleep and answered, "I look forward to it, Big Brother."

"I will take a shower. Get some rest, Sister, we have an early flight."

He let the heat of the water beat against his back and shoulders as it streamed down his legs, relaxing his tired muscles. He was healing quickly, the scars on his chest were a distant memory. He leaned his head back, letting the shower beat water against his scalp, washing the grit of sand from his hair. He scrubbed some rose scented shampoo in his hair, remembering how Claudia teased him of having such girly tastes. Loving memories of watching Saya admiring his locks of hair and commenting on how she loved the smell of roses that seemed to come from him.

There were other scents as well, the most prominent ones were from the cello he played- rosin and wax. But there were scents that seemed to come from deep within, no amount of scrubbing could wash away. The smell of an exotic incense and pine resin, the smell of the gypsy wagon where he had been born and raised. His past was a touchy subject that, thankfully, was rarely brought up. As a young child, the caravan made money by dancing, singing, and thieving. He learned to be proficient at this life. The brown eyed, burly man he called his father was suspicious about his son as soon as the boy was around 5 years old. Hagi did not look like him at all and the man knew his woman was not in the least a faithful woman. It was true that when the boy was born, she had amended her ways to try to become a family, but then the boy began to look more like one of her clients than her companion. She fell into her old ways and made money from it.

They never tried to protect their son from the truth. It was plainly obvious to the boy what his mother was as he watched her leave in her brazen outfits and his father would nurse a bottle until he lost all feeling. Their relief was palpable when the richly dressed Amshel came to take the boy from them in exchange for a loaf of bread.

I am grateful to Amshel and Joel for buying me and bringing me to the Zoo to be Saya's companion, he thought. I know they did not have pure intentions, but that is in the past. As soon as Saya regains her memory, I will ask her.

The air was salty and fresh as Hagi bid farewell to Saya. He kissed the bandaged hand and pressed it to the chrysalis. He turned to the place where George Myagusku rested and silently honored him, Riku, and Diva before he disappeared from the tomb. He hurried to the hotel to wake Claudia.

She was already waiting for him as she placed a light yellow scarf over a bright blue dress with a large orange floral print. Light yellow purse already on her shoulder as she slipped into her yellow wedge heels. Her bags were being loaded with Hagi's by the driver that her company had sent to get them- courtesy of the great Roberto. Claudia asked, "Have you said your goodbyes, Big Brother?"

Hagi answered from the door, "Yes."

She placed an expensive pair of sunglasses on her face and asked, "Who was watching us yesterday? Did you move Saya?"

Hagi answered, "I will explain on the plane."

She placed a manicured hand on his shoulder and said, "C'mon, Hagi, let's go home."

A/N Well, we have come to the end of Part 2 of my story. I will be working very hard to post at least the first chapter of Life, Love, and Family Part 3 very soon as I know you are all anxious to see where I'm taking this story. Rest assured I am NOT going to abandon this work. I'm enjoying myself too much just writing it. By the way- reviews make my day!