A/N: I've been itching to write my own version of the background history of Blood+ after the destruction of the Zoo. Although the animated series tried to explain many things about Saya and Diva's history, there are still some loopholes that I wanted to explore. I will try to discuss several questions I have and theories that I give regarding the characters of Blood+.

PS: I do not own Blood+. There are some plot spoilers that I have incorporated here, so for those who have not yet read or watched the complete series, you have been warned.

Enjoy reading everyone.

Blame it on me,

Set your guilt free.

Nothing can hold you back now.

Now that you're gone,

I feel like myself again.

Grieving the things I can't repair and willing...

Chapter 1

Requiem

She could hear screaming. It was such an inhuman sound. Filled with terror. The music of people being tortured. She wanted to run away from the direction of the screaming, but her legs will not obey her. For the moment, she became rooted on the spot, while bright red and orange light dance in the distance, just beyond the cluster of large trees in front of her.

She felt the heaviness of her pink gown, now torn and frayed in several places. She had chosen this dress specifically for Joel's birthday, the newest creation he had specially ordered for her from Paris. It soft pink flowing material falling gracefully down to her ankles, the silk roses scattered at the waist. She looked down and saw her bloodied hands trembling, her nails jagged and broken from her descend to the cliff. She had left Haji at the bottom, when she saw him convulsing with horrible pain after she gave him her blood. He could not stop thrashing around, blood foaming on his mouth. His eyes rolling upward like a possessed man. He made guttural sounds, as if being choked by her blood. She had immediately run towards the direction of her home. Joel will know what to do with Haji. She refused to accept that Haji will not be alright. Haji is the same as her, wasn't he? Oh, why did she insist on picking that particular flower that caught her fancy? The estate was filled with other more exotic flowers.

And now, hearing that screaming sound, she was not so sure if Joel can help Haji. What has happened? Will she go ahead or run in the other direction? But Joel might need her. The mansion is in trouble. Everyone must be panicking because of the fire.

Before she could make up her mind, her legs started to walk to the screaming sounds. Not minding the thick underbrush, she walked forward, albeit her legs were also trembling like her hands. As soon as she had walked past the trees blocking her view, a horrible sight met her eyes: the mansion she had called home for so long was on fire. The roof was crumbling down with the collapsed of the building walls. She could see the broken window panes, with the purple velvet curtains inside, being swallowed by the flames. The bright light given off made the night time seem like daytime.

Going forward a few more hundred feet, she could feel the intense heat. Black soot and ashes, with the bright orange specks of the flame still lingering on them, floated in the air all around her. They remind her of the fireflies she always see by the stream during the summer. And the smell of blood mingled with the acrid burning smell of wood. It hurt her throat just smelling them. She tried to shield her eyes from the specks of ashes, which clung to her lashes.

What had happened here? The long tables which were covered with linens and fresh flowers earlier were now overturned. The silver platters filled with food and cakes were tossed on the cobblestone floor. The smaller tables and chairs smashed to bits. The roses decorating the pillars were torn and scattered all around. And she could see bodies ahead. The village people in their best finery. All dead. Men, women and even children. Their lifeless eyes staring into the dark night. Their terror and horror forever etched on their faces.

She recognized the baker's youngest son, lying beside his mother, blood gushing from his forehead and open wounds on the neck. He was still clutching the strings of his toy cart. The rest of his body, mangled like some twisted doll. His mother obviously tried to protect him, seeing the arms she had wrapped around her son's body. And she could see the vicious bites on her neck, the bones almost sticking out, her head twisted in the wrong direction. Her mouth gaping open in a silent scream.

She felt her insides turning over, tasting the bile at the back of her throat.

At the center of the destruction and dead bodies, glorifying at the nightmare she had caused, there she stood wearing a pure white frock and silver ribbons. A young woman of such breathtaking beauty, her long dark hair flowing in the wind, her skin like white alabaster. The flames behind her went higher and higher, fanned by the soft, cold autumn wind. Her eyes glowing bright blue against the darkness and fire.

And the singing began. The familiar singing she often hears from the locked room at the topmost of the tower. A song of lament and triumph. A song that will haunt her for the rest of her life.

Come to me,

my beautiful princess

Release your doubts; fear

Look at me

We are the same

Because you belong to me

And me alone

And Saya could do nothing but stare at her and scream.

She woke up gasping, sweaty palms gripping the cotton bedsheets. Her heart was pounding rapidly, her pulse racing. The late afternoon sunlight streaming on the open windows did nothing to calm her nerves. It took a while before she noticed where she was.

The room was unfamiliar to her. The small bed with its white covers, and the matching curtains on the casement windows. The walls were papered with faint pink flowers, with some of the edges starting to show signs of age with its yellowing color. She could smell apple wood burning, and she saw that the fireplace was kindled to give the room warmth. Even with the late afternoon sun, it was bound to be chilly outside. It was still the beginning of autumn, after all. She pushed the cover off her, and noticed that she was wearing a soft nightgown, a little bit too short for her and tight on the waist and chest. Who had dressed her?

Turning on her right side, she let her feet touch the polished wooden floors and stood up. Her vision became clouded for a second, before the throbbing on her head began. She took a step, feeling the floors creaking with every movement. She slowly walked towards the open window and peered outside. She was safe here inside the room, on the second floor of the house. It looked like she was inside one of the charming houses that belong to a local village merchant. She had often passed by this house whenever she makes a trip to the town square. She looked down at the neat rows of hedges and trimmed bushes. There was no one below the garden.

She unlatched the locks of the window and with great difficulty, pushed the panels open, feeling the sudden gush of cold air, lifting her long hair and cooling the back of her neck. It was strangely silent outside with no birds chirping, and no familiar clop-clop sounds of the farmer's horses pulling the carts with tools and produce. In fact, the surrounding environment of the house feels eerily silent. It is a strange feeling and extremely disquieting, despite the soft warmth of the sunlight upon her face.

And then she caught the smell of the same burning wood that she had smelled in her dream. No! Please don't tell me it was all true!

She gave a gasp as she realized that the room has a direct view of Joel's mansion. Amidst the scattered trees with orange, red and yellow foliage, and beyond the gently rolling hills stood her home. It was several miles away from where she was, but she could clearly see the topmost outline of the red tiled roofs. Some parts of it missing from its usual location. The outline gave the appearance of a badly constructed building. The mansion was still emitting smoke from the fire that it has suffered last night.

Stifling a cry, she placed her hands to cover her mouth as she took a step backward. It cannot be! She must still be dreaming! She could feel her eyes starting to water, her throat tightening. Had no one survived? Why was she here? Someone must look for other survivors. She turned to go and bumped into something hard. She lost her balance, and strong steady hands caught her. She looked up, her eyes widening.

"H-haji?" she dropped her hands and stared at him, her eyes filled with surprise, disbelief and confusion. He's alive! But how? She had left him almost dead at the foot of the cliff. Maybe that part was not a nightmare after all. She felt a tide of relief. Haji is okay! She clung to him, not knowing whether to hug him tight or laugh crazily, but she was still worried about Joel. " Haji! Thank goodness! You are alright! I knew you would be okay!"

Haji looked down at her, took a deep breath and closed his eyes before opening them again and nodding. He must take care not to frighten her away.

It was quite sometime before the bruising he felt all over his body, had subsided, after taking the tumble from the cliff. Everything had happened so fast that it became too blurry for him to remember. But he knew Saya fed him with her blood. As soon as the salty, metallic-tasting, thick liquid had landed on his tongue, his senses became ever more alive. Electrical sparks ran from his tongue, up to his head, to the roots of his hair and down to his throat, arms and abdomen. As soon as the feeling reached his feet, the pain began to start. It was such an excruciating pain, like thousands of hot needles poking his bare flesh, that he could barely contain his screams of agony. It felt like an eternity before it had finally stopped.

When he woke up, he could feel the broken flesh and bones on his body mending and his skin was drenched with sweat. The scrapes on his arms and knees suddenly closing. The broken bones on his toes and fingers, wriggling within the flesh. And he was feeling incredibly thirsty. His throat felt hot and burning, like he had not tasted water for several days. He had sat up from the ground trying to get his bearings on where he could find a nearby source of water, when a sudden movement in the bushes made him turn. He could hear every noise around him suddenly magnified: twigs snapping, leaves rustling, the sigh of the wind, the smell of something burning.

A doe suddenly appeared and jumped out of the bushes. To his surprise, he instinctively snatch the animal with his bare hands and subdued it easily. He felt his canine teeth grow, throbbing painfully. And he immediately bit into the doe's neck. The struggles that the animal made were futile, crushing its bones like chalk, crumpling its glossy, soft coat. After he took a long, deep drink, the heart stopped. The drink had refreshed him immensely, yet only enhanced the thirst. He could feel the fresh blood that he had drunk coursing through his veins, making his skin tingle. And he was suddenly struck with the overwhelmingly intense sensation that Saya is in trouble.

It pains him to remember the terrified look she gave him, when he showed up in front of her with skeletal-looking wings sprouting from his broken, but healing back. He could still feel his bones realigning when he had landed so suddenly in front of her, his wings making gentle flapping sounds. She had looked at him like she had seen a monster before finally recognizing him. But underneath the recognition was horror and denial. And when he had tried to speak, she had fainted as soon as he took a step towards her. He caught her before she can hit the ground.

He felt tears on his eyes as he had picked her up gently, wondering where it had gone wrong. He had become a despicable monster. An abomination. Curse these wings! But it helped him to get to her in time before something happened to her. He was determined to get at the bottom of this mess. Saya, I am sorry for looking like this!

There would be a time to search for answers, a time to find explanation for what has happened. For now, he must attend to his mistress first and ensure her safety. It was highly unlikely that anybody had survived the massacre.

Behind him, he could hear a tinkling laugh. Her laugh had an undertone of menace on it, resonating on his bones, and he shivered slightly with fear. He could not believe his eyes when he turned and saw up close that she was the mirror image of the cherished girl he was holding in his arms. Two Sayas!

She had stared at him with her glowing blue eyes. That unmistakable hatred reflected on her irises. Do eyes really glow like that? He was both repulsed and fascinated. And he caught his breath, when she suddenly opened her mouth.

Release her, you devil!

Get away from our sight!

Or I will crush you with my hands

Til you know what is right!

Her lips were barely moving as she sang her threats to him. Her beautiful voice, making him tremble to the core. Such combination of beauty and evil! And he thought the evil sorceress of the Arthurian legends, his mother used to tell him when he was a child, is a myth. Here is Morgan le Fay in the flesh, casting her spells.

He gave her a sad nod, still not losing eye contact with her. Then, unfurling his strange new wings, he let the gentle wind ease him up higher. Strange that Saya now weight like nothing compared to the last time he had carried her. When at last he was a several feet above ground, he saw the young woman still looking up at him, her fangs bared, her blue eyes still glowing eerily, and she vanished before his eyes, leaving behind a cloud of glowing ashes and floating blue rose petals .

Until we meet again, Saya

Remember the lullabies

That I sang for you

He snapped back to attention when he noticed that Saya was staring at him, concern written all over her face. She was still wearing the borrowed nightgown that he had stolen for her. She looked like a lost child with her loose hair, the heavy locks framing her beautiful, pale face. He could not bear to see the light pink dress she was wearing last night. It marked the day when he almost died and lost her.

"Saya" he gently maneuvered her so she could sit on the bed. "There is nothing more left behind at Joel's mansion."

I hope you have enjoyed reading the first chapter. I have outlined a minimum 15 chapters for this one. I know this is short, I have been trying to divide my story outlines according to the titles that I have prepared, the next few chapters will be long ( I hope). And I may still do some adjustments with this first chapter ( So I will probably update this one if needed), and I wish I have more time and energy to keep up with the flow of words. I wanted to finish this immediately before. But for now, I would like to know what you guys think. Please review, and let me know what you think. ^^

Should I continue?

Musical Inspiration for this chapter: Lacrimosa by Evanescence