Title: Puppy Love

Author: Verauko

Anime: Blood

Characters: Saya, Haji

Rated: T/M (for later chapters)

Genre: Romance

Disclaimer: Remember the episode where Saya's visit to the Zoo brought back her memories? Memories of her and Haji when they were young? I loved the scene in the barn. Unfortunately I don't remember the dialogue between them (TT) so forgive me if my version doesn't follow the anime ;P.

I'd like to make one thing clear. Haji's 12-13 years old and Saya is 30-something in this story (about the same age as in the anime). But please, don't look at her like at a pedophile, k XD? Everyone knows that physically and mentally she's around 16. So let's pretend that she's 16. As for Haji, he doesn't know her real age. He also thinks she's 16.

One more thing. If this scene by any chance reminds you a scene between Riku and Diva (those who've seen the series up to 32nd ep. should know what I'm talking about ;P), you won a cookie! This story's supposed to be a parallel to the scene in ep. 32. Two situations which are so similar yet so different! 'Cause you know... every time I think about Saya and Haji (when he was 12) I start to think about Diva and Riku... Poor Riku : ... My fav chara TT

Oh! I would forget! I'm not a native speaker so forgive me if you find any mistakes ;P. I'm sure there's also a bunch of minor errors that I made simply out of my inattention. Gomen.

The weather was awful, it couldn't get worse. Heavy drops of dark rain, cloudy sky, and strong wind. Hopefully, Saya and Haji managed to find an old barn, where they could wait for the end of the storm. Their clothes were soaking wet so they took them off to dry, leaving only their underwear on. They sat on a heap of hay and remained silent for a moment. The nervous silence was getting on Saya's nerves. She wasn't used to such long pauses. Haji, on the other hand, wasn't a talkative type so utter silence from time to time wasn't nothing awkward for him. To be honest, he liked those moments when everything around him stayed silent.

Not being able to stand the silence, Saya started a conversation. It hadn't even passed 5 minutes when she started mocking Haji. It was unbelievable how childish she could act sometimes. Haji was 12 (turning 13 in two months) and yet he still felt like an adult around his friend. He couldn't help it, she was so spoiled that even at the age of 60 she wouldn't probably change.

''You're so spoiled. You know that?,'' he lay on his back and observed the girl on his right from the corner of his eye. He waited for some reply from her but he never received one. Instead, Saya took a handful of hay and threw it into his face. Haji tried to take the straws from his eyes, nose, and mouth but it seemed quite a difficult task.

''Why did you do that for?!,'' asked Haji with an irritated tone.

''That's for making fun of me,'' said Saya with a wide smile on her face. She sat next to Haji and watched the boy. It was so funny. He looked so clumsy when he tried to take the remains of hay out of his face. When Haji finally opened his eyes, he noticed that Saya was leaning over him, curiously examining his features. The smile was no longer on her face. The strands of her long hair gently tickled Haji's cheek and collarbone. Now this is awkward, thought Haji. However, he didn't want to spoil the moment so he didn't move. Somehow, he kind of liked it. Their faces were so close that he could feel Saya's breath on his skin. It was the first time in his life that he felt that way. Well, maybe not exactly the first time, but it surely was his first time when the feeling was so intense. He had been observing Saya for quite a long time now. Once he had hit the age of puberty, he had been having these strange feelings towards her every time he looked at her. It didn't matter that she was older than him. Couple of years was not such a big difference. She couldn't be older than 16, could she? She was young, beautiful, and at that moment it looked like she was about to kiss Haji. That was all that counted.

''What?,'' mumbled Haji. ''Is there something on my face?''.

''No,'' she whispered with a gentle smile. Haji didn't even have a chance to ask another question when she bent down and gently kissed the boy on the lips. The kiss was short but it felt like eternity for Haji. He was so shocked that all this time he kept his eyes wide open. The moment Saya broke the kiss she watched the boy, waiting for his reaction. They looked exactly like a moment earlier. They were in the same position, Haji on his back and Saya leaning over him. The surprised boy licked his lips and observed his friend intensely. She stared at him with her lips slightly parted and a bright blush on her cheeks. To his surprise, not a minute later the girl kissed him once again, but this time a little bit longer. Her lips felt so soft and warm. The kiss wasn't forced, it was gentle, just like a feather, yet it still felt intense. Haji closed his eyes and focused on the sensation. He would never think that kissing a girl would feel so good. Saya cocked her head slightly to change the angle of the kiss. The movement of her lips over Haji's felt exceptionally good. It was like tasting something that he had longed for a long time. It looked like the kiss was as much enjoyable for Saya as for him 'cause she placed her right hand on Haji's chest, gently brushing her fingertips over his sensitive skin. As a response, he raised his left hand and put it on Saya's arm giving her a similar pleasure. Soon enough, they parted for air and looked at each other with surprise. They both blushed at the realization of what they just did. Saya quickly stood up, not wanting to look into Haji's eyes. She felt ashamed of what she did to him. How could she do that?! He's only 12 years old! She's older than him. She should perfectly know what's appropriate and what isn't!

''Erm... Um... It stopped raining. I think we should head home,'' it was the only thing that she could say at that moment. Without waiting for Haji's reply she turned around and collected her clothes. They were still wet but she didn't care. She wanted to escape from that barn, from Haji. She couldn't forgive herself for what she did. She had pricks of conscience. It was killing her. He's only a child and she let herself kiss him. What was she thinking?!

''Saya? Would you like me to button up your dress?,'' Haji's shy voice woke her up from her deep thoughts. She turned to face him and noticed that he's already dressed.

''Uh... Oh, yes... please,'' Saya put on her damp dress and turned her back to Haji, who quickly did up all the buttons. They both remained silent, both ashamed to mention the kiss they shared. On their way to the mansion neither Saya nor Haji had the courage to utter a word. It was just too awkward...