Title: Reflections
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Unbeta-ed, some occ-ness, spoilers Okinawa Arc, Vietnam Arc, Russian Arc up to Episode 17.
Genre: Drama, angst, slight romance
Main Character(s): Haji, Saya
Ship(s): HajixSaya
Summary: From the day Haji had came to Koza until the time in Russia. One shot.
Disclaimer: Blood+ is copyright to Production IG and Aniplex.
Author's Notes: I was supposed to write on the time Haji came to Koza to the time he found Saya and the first kiss. You can see that didn't happen and I ended up writing up until the Russian Arc (17) instead. If Haji is totally ooc in here, sorry. He's such a hard person to write since his expressions are limited to deadpan and blank only. I love Haji and Saya's moments together, it's just tender and gentle and a real pleasure to write.
His search for her lead him here. To the island of Okinawa. It was on his first night here that he sensed the presence of his own kind and the feeling of bloodlust that was in the air. He tracked it down but by the time he arrived, he'd been too late.The body of the young woman lay on the dirty ground, partially hidden behind the dumpster. Blood oozed from the punctured wounds on her neck, and she was shrivelled up, as if something huge had sucked dry of her life fluids. Her eyes were glazed and opened with frozen horror. He didn't bother examining the body, already knowing the culprit.
He decided to hunt down the Chiropteran the following night, but it was no longer in Nago. He followed the trail all the way to Koza. A sleepy town where the residents go about in their daily business leisurely, seeming free of troubles and worries. He spent the day playing his song to an appreciative audience and the night searching for that Chiropteran.
The beast seemed to know it was hunted for it hid its presence from him well enough.
It was his third day in Koza that he finally found her. Or rather, she had sort of found him. She landed into the boxed shrubbery a little across from him, garnering the crowd's attention on her. Peering around the bodies, he saw her, blinking her eyes in surprise at her reaction and then, flush red in embarrassment. She hastily got up and hurried away; she didn't see him but he had seen her. And he felt as if the sun had shine for him once more.
She had forgotten him. She had a family as well. A younger brother and a man whom she affectionately called Father. He had trailed after her, silently, like the shadow, watching from across the road, the interaction she had with these people. He felt a slight pang in his chest as he saw the carefree smile on her face. He wondered if he was being fair to her and doing the right thing by dragging her down that path once more.
The Chiropteran turned up at the school; it needed to feed and can no longer hide away. He felt sorry for the teacher that had became its victim but there was nothing he can do about it, as he watched the beast pursue her into the building. She had forgotten she killed such creatures before as well because she was giving off the sense of fear and terror as she tried pathetically to escape from it.
He rescued her. Like before. Like always. The beast had flailed its arm about when he stabbed it in the eye, knocking her into the window. He carried her up several floors, buying them time away from the Chiropteran.
The revulsion and fear on her face when he offered her his blood broke him inside. She wasn't her anymore. She was another person altogether; someone with a family, a carefree life and the biggest worry for her was whether she did well in her tests. He almost regretted it, forcing her to recollect her memories, her past life and her duty but it had to be done. Kill or be killed.
He kissed her, arms circling around her, holding her tightly. He felt her shock, her weak attempts at trying to stop him but he only held on tighter. She stopped her struggles, and he sensed it as something changed in her, ever so subtly. Wiping away the trail of blood tenderly, he told her to fight, watching as her eyes grew wide, the irises turning blood-red. Her hand unconsciously came to grasp his arm, stroking it through the fabric of his tunic.
She was not fully awakened. Not yet. She still has no recollection of her memories of the past and him. He took an instant dislike to the brash boy who came to her defence, even when she was truly capable to actually beating him in a fight. He tossed the boy onto the sand, watching her from the corner of his eye, as if challenging her on what to do. She threw herself over the boy, pleading him to stop. He had obeyed.
While she went about in her daily activities, he watched from a distant. He knew it was cruel of him not to help her father and disallowing her to help the man but he felt that she needed to learn. To understand and know that she was the only person who can fight these creatures, and no one else. It was most cruelest thing he'd ever done to her, and the last.
Their journey took them from Okinawa to Vietnam. Her siblings were left to their devices in the city of Hanoi while she was enrolled in a prestigious all-girls school. He wrangled his way into becoming the gardener at the school, so he can watch out for her. He saw the pleased surprise on her face when she saw him that morning. The other girl next to her had been so excited, chattering about something to her. He remembered she loved blood-red roses as he brought one up to his nose, inhaling in the sweet fragrant.
The groundskeeper told him not to cut the roses in a scolding tone. He made no reply.
The Phantom of the school was a Chevalier, much to her surprise and his as well, although he didn't show it. He came to her help in the alleyway, protecting her fiercely, telling her to fight but she seemed to be caught in confusion. He called her name again but it wasn't until he was thrown through the wall that she had snapped out of her doubts.
She was overcome by her bloodlust once. He had been fearful, not just for everyone but for her as well. She had attacked David, would have killed the man if he hadn't come in between them. She didn't came out of that red haze; she bit him. Violently. He found out that he hadn't mind it so much. He could never oppose her wishes and wants.
When she was comforted by her siblings, Kai asserting that they are family once more to her, he felt a sudden emptiness inside. There had been a time when it had just been them only. They had each other and she had been the only family he had. Their relationship was hard to explain. They were closer than family and almost lovers and yet, they were not quite. He missed those days when it had been the two of them only. He didn't resent her brothers.
He still watched over her when they were back once more in Okinawa, even though there wasn't much threat to her or anything. Koza remained unchanged, just like the first time he'd arrived here. Still, the peaceful idyllic town. The incident with the school teacher had been long forgotten during their time away from the place. Life had gone on as before. He trailed after them when they went to the family mausoleum but kept his distance as they entered the place. He had tuned into their conversation, letting their voices wash over him as he stood watch. He joined them later on the beach, by the very place that was her most favourite spot in the world. Riku had been the first to try to enfold him into their family. He was inwardly amused, though, when the meat she ate turned out to be still raw. He played something he had learned from long time ago for them as they played with the fireworks.
He loved the warm smile on her face when she looked on with pride at Riku helping the old woman onto the train. She had asked him whether he had ever ridden on a train earlier, and he wished that he had replied to her inquiry instead of keeping silent. She seemed to enjoy her first time on board a train, looking out the window at the snow outside. Sometime after they had settled down, he found himself in the same cabin as Kai. He had heard every word that went on in David's cabin. He'd done the most annoying thing he could to the boy; he played his cello every single moment, during the day and during the night. He wasn't spiteful by nature but he felt the need to retaliate in some way.
She'd grown comfortable with him, no longer feeling awkward around him anymore. He charged in between the beasts and her, smashing his own clawed hand into one of them, throwing it back. David ordered them all to move to the last carriage. He took to the roof, leading one of the beasts away from them. It stabbed him right in the belly with its clawed foot, inciting a pained grunt from him as he was lifted up and thrown few metres away; he recovered quickly. It bellowed at him, as if challenging him and he respond by lifting up his clawed hand, letting it know that he won't miss the next time.
Her voice calling his name in his head startled him but the command had been clear. He drew back, barely missing the snapping jaws and the sword that punctured through the roof. The beast crystallized almost at once and through the hole, he could see her falling back to the ground. She no longer stumbled or was afraid. They met up at the last carriage in time for the second one to come bursting out the door. Despite being riddled with bullets and already missing its lower body, it managed to make its way up the side and hauled Riku off. He had leapt after Riku, after she had cut off the Chiropteran's arm. Even without her order, he would still go after Riku. He felt her jumping after them both.
When she woke up after his second time calling her name, she had seemed bewildered, almost as if unsure of what had happened or where she is. He was relieved to see that she wasn't hurt. He still held her in his arms, though. A part of her memory had returned to her. She had remembered, although she couldn't remember the promise they had made together. He assured her that she will remember in time. She told him that he had smiled in her dream, and he was brought back to the days when he had used to smile. When she lifted up her hand to his face, he nearly shied back. She brushed his hair, and the palm of her hand came to rest on his cheek. Her hand was warm, and suddenly it was as if they were back in time once more, where it had been the two of them. He leaned into her touch ever so slightly, almost closing his eyes. He missed it. Missed her.
She wasn't the Saya he knew from their past but she was still Saya. He could see some of that personality emerging slowly as time goes on. Even if she wasn't the same person from before, he found that he had grown to love this Saya as well.
Owari.