A/N: I decided to weave Haji's point of view through out the series I've been planning. It strikes me that he is smart to realize that something is amiss in the Zoo, and he suspects Amshel's involvement with the massacre. Haji is shrewd enough to come to this conclusion, considering he was a streetwise gypsy before he was purchased to be Saya's companion. I want Haji to be much more involved in Saya's investigation of the perpetrators rather than just be a mere servant in the anime series. And it would be nice if I could make him act more like a leader, as Saya is still immature and slightly spoiled because of the way she was brought up by Joel.

By the way, have you guys ever wondered why I portray Diva as always singing when expressing herself and never seems to speak in a normal way when she confronted Saya and Haji during the burning at the Zoo (See Chapter 1)? I just thought that after years of being confined in the tower, Diva does not know how to talk normally like other people, as she only had Amshel to take care of her. And Amshel seemed like the type who is talkative, and would rather silently admire Diva. But of course, he would have thought her how to speak, but maybe through the course of taking care of her needs, he finds out that she has an excellent singing voice, and he likes her to sing more rather than talk.

Just my observation ^^

PS: I do not own Blood+ and I do not the song lyrics that I used here.

oOoOoOo

Meet me on the Equinox

Meet me half way

When the sun is perched at it's highest peek

In the middle of the day

oOoOoOo

Chapter 2

Equinox

If only blessed silence would reign when she sleeps. But ever since that fateful night a few days a go, it seems like her body would now never know what rest feels like. She knew she was deeply sleeping, she could hear every breath she takes as she slumbers, deep and steady. Yet her mind seems to be awake, alert. Her senses alive. Her blood electrified. Every fiber of her being was waiting for something to happen. And there were soft voices whispering in her ear. Mumbles, incoherent words. Some were soft and tender, others were urgent. They were all urging her to move forward and take action. But what? How will she ever recover? Joel is not around. What will she do first? Take the lead in rebuilding the estate? Inform Joel's son in Paris? Or was it London where he is staying now? But she had never met Joel's son, not even once.

Or is she supposed to go back to the mansion and find survivors? But, there were no survivors. The look on Haji's face when he said that Marie, her personal maid, was one of the first killed made her ill. Did she die in agony? Have she felt any pain? Marie was still a child. Fourteen years old and yet she had to bear the responsibility of providing food for her family. And Marie was so excited to be assigned to look after Miss Saya. Despite the misgivings from the villagers that she never seemed to age, Miss Saya was like any other normal girl, an older sister that Marie can look up to. She had hoped death had been swift for the young girl.

And the cook? Sweet old Beth who always give her an extra helping of meat pies and cakes. She never smells like the rich old ladies who come to the mansion whenever Joel gives a party. The cloying smell of their perfume makes her nose cringe. They always wreck her sense of smell whenever she sits close by them. But Beth smells the sweetest of them all. She smells like lemon, and earthy herbs, cooked bread and sugar. Will she ever find someone like her who cooks such sumptuous dishes? Everything that she has eaten for the last few days has no taste. And what about Jacques, the head stable man? And his son Jim? Jim always had a habit of following Haji everywhere like a faithful dog, whenever he gets the chance to play hooky from his duties.

Then she remembered what happened to the local baker's youngest son. How his body had looked lying on the ground. Like one of those dolls Amshel always give to her when he goes to Paris with Joel. She carelessly throws them away on the floor of her room, crushing their silk dresses, while they stare up at her with their blank eyes. The dolls are beautiful, yet creepy, their porcelain faces painted with a frozen smile. They always have black hair and blue eyes.

Now that she wonders about it, she has red eyes. A most rare color. Like rubies. Joel had once given her a sparkling ruby necklace.

Ruby necklaces from Joel and creepy dolls with blue eyes from Amshel.

Deep glowing blue eyes. Like the one Diva has. Diva, with a face so much like her own. And a voice that send shivers down her spine. Why was she kept a secret? She had always wanted a sister of her own. And Diva clearly is the sister she never knew she had. She could not believe Joel would be that cruel! Or maybe it was Amshel who was behind it? She had never liked the way Amshel looks at her. Like she was some kind of exotic insect he longed to catch and keep in a glass container.

It was all her fault! She had been forbidden by Joel never to enter his study without permission and touch his things. Including the key. And most especially that key!

What will she do now? And how is she going to stop the roars she is now hearing inside her head?

oOoOoOo

It took some time before Saya had finally settled into a deep sleep. He was glad that at least, she can get a few hours of blissful rest. Or is it really blissful? He stared long and hard at her face, and saw her mouth forming a small frown, and her smooth forehead marred by lines of fatigue. She had lost a considerable amount of weight in just a few days time. Her gaunt features, now sharpened by the moonlight streaming through the windows.

This is the only time of the day that he can think long and hard. A time for him to ponder and analyze the events that had passed.

Vampyre.

It was the only dominant word that is floating inside his mind for the past few days. He had never believed much of the superstitions that his people believed in. Being a nomadic tribe who constantly travels across Europe, gypsies tend to adopt many customs and traditions from each land they visited. One of them was the belief in demons who eat the flesh of humans and drink their victim's blood. But vampyre myths have already existed since the dawn of human civilization. He still could not accept what he had long suspected about his beloved mistress' true nature. But then, how can he explain the creature he had encountered at the Zoo? He had thought of Morgan le Fey when he saw her glowing blue eyes. All those creatures from the bedtime stories that his mother and grandmother used to tell him are coming alive one by one.

Most demons are evil. That sorceress with the blue eyes is an evil demon. He could not forget the way she sang her threats to him. And the air around them had turned electric. As if the dormant spirits within the mansion's region had been summoned to do her biding. He could still remember how his blood had boiled with loathing at that girl who had tried to hurt his mistress. She is a demon alright.

But what about Saya? Even with her self-healing abilities and the fact that she never ages. He had long accepted these peculiarities ever since she had accepted him as her companion. She has the physical qualities of being a demon. But he could not sense any malice in her. She had managed to stop the flow of his time, but she never intended to make him like her.

If Saya is not a demon on his category, how would he classify himself?

Haji took a deep breath and shifted on his seat. He has not slept a wink since he had died and was reborn at the bottom of the cliff. He wished he had managed to save Saya's cello. Music would help him clear his thoughts as he contemplates on what will they do next.

His gut told him that somehow, Amshel Goldschmidt is behind all of what is happening. He is the only suspect he had in mind that precipitated the turn of events.

Contrary to what Amshel Goldschmidt thinks that all gypsies are stupid, dirty and superstitious, there is one person who defies this belief. Haji has always been shrewd and observant. And his instincts have always been sharper than what he lets on. He shows them what they expect them to see in him, and they never once realized his true intelligent nature, except maybe Amshel who probably had a small inkling of his capability. But he never gave the older man a chance to prove his suspicions. He had did not tried to correct the assumptions, as he believes that keeping this capricious man in the dark would be to his advantage.

Although Amshel had never directly caused him trouble during the years he was growing up in the Zoo, whenever he gets involved into one of Saya's daring escapades, he could tell that Amshel is always delighted to be the bearer of news that he must be dealt with accordingly. His cold countenance could not hide the sadistic sparkle in his eyes, whenever his punishment was administered: be it a whipping on his back or starving him for several days.

" An insignificant animal that needs to be taught where his place should be" Amshel would often say.

Upon his first arrival at the Zoo, they only need to see his dirty face and clothes to conclude that he is just a stupid monkey that Joel needs for his eccentric collection. Another one of Joel's acquisitions that he wants to observe and experiment on. Amshel always reminded Haji that he was a mere thing that he had purchased for the price of a bag of gold coins from his parents. And they can do whatever they want to him: treat him like an animal, disembowel him, play sadistic games with him, take him for sexual pleasure. A thing that has no right to decided and live for himself.

True. From other's point of view, it is inhuman to sell your own offspring to a stranger so you can feed your stomach. But his dying grandmother was a great seer in their long line of gypsy blood. And she had once saw his future, at the hands of strangers. She had trembled at what awaits her only grandson. And she refused to speak about it, only giving cryptic advices on what to do about him. The time will soon arrive when fate will come for him. His family initially wanted to avoid the route they were taking, a last attempt to thwart his destiny. But his grandmother refused. It is a sacrifice they must make. It is what Fate has decided, she had said. And she would speak no more.

By the time he turned 12, his destiny came calling. They were selling trinkets and charm bracelets that they had made by their own hands in one of the night bazaars in Deauville, a popular seaside resort for the rich, when Amshel spied him trying to steal from Joel's. He was quickly apprehended and Amshel had wanted to turn him over to the local gendarmerie and leave him to rot in prison. But Joel noted his fine bone structure and his piercing ice blue eyes, and thought them an unusual color for a gypsy. So, he instructed Amshel to buy the boy with whatever price his parents had named. It was a painful farewell to his family, and his grandmother tied a blue silk ribbon on his hair before kissing him goodbye. For luck, she had whispered.

At first, he was angry with his family for betraying him, but he mellowed down, knowing full well that his family will survive a bit more comfortably, and he now accepts his new situation. But he is anxious with his new life, agitated with what is awaiting for him when they reached his new..home. And he has no idea what his new masters will do to him. The old man, Joel, seems kinds but stern. He could not sense any evilness within this being. But the other man, the one with the languid eyes, Amshel. He is wary of him. People with eyes like him are the most dangerous and evil of men. Because they know how to wear a mask perfectly to hide their evil intentions. His years of living in the streets and travelling with his gypsy family made him wise to the ways of the world. He can easily tell when a man is lying and not telling the truth. And no disguise could ever fool him, not with his sharp eyes.

Let me give my love to you

Let me take your hand

As we walk in the dimming light

Oh darling understand

Glancing down at the sleeping girl in front of him, he brushed back a lock of hair from her forehead. It's been a few days since the fire at the Zoo. Saya has been growing weaker each day. Though she tries to eat as much as she can, she clearly has no appetite. She has become withdrawn, sullen and silent. She had cried a few times during the first night. But these past three days, her eyes looked worn out with unshed tears. He knew what element was missing in her diet: the blood that Joel regularly gives her.

The reality that they no longer had a home to go to has not yet completely sunk in. Sooner or later, Saya will no longer be able to bottle up her emotions. How is he going to tell her that the "medicine" she always take after every meal is human blood? He does not know how to extract blood the way Joel does and keep it fresh. When he hunts for his own sustenance, he has to drink the precious liquid fast, while the heart still beats. But as soon as it stops, the blood turns to poison, making him retch. He had learned it yesterday when he tried to drink a few more draughts from the travelling peasant he had killed. The blood tasted dead, and the smell no longer fragrant. Like stumbling upon a decomposing animal.

A hungry and uninformed Saya is not a good combination. He gave a bitter smile. Gone were the days when he only need to preoccupy himself on how best to distract Saya from mischief. He had become her only guard, maid, tutor, family and friend all rolled into one. He swallowed hard at the last one. Friend. Only a friend, nothing more. And he was a planning to confess his feelings that day to her. Knowing Saya, she would soon snap out of her grieving mood and plan for her next step. And he is guessing that she will come after that girl who looked so much like her.

A window

An opened tomb

The sun crawls

Across your bedroom

A halo

A waiting room

Your last breaths

Moving through you

He steeled himself for the coming dawn. As soon as she wakes up, he would have to tell her the truth. She would be extremely angry when she finds out that what she was really drinking. She would never speak to him again when she learns that he has known all along and never said a word to her. But, she must either accept the truth or she won't. Otherwise, she will grow weaker still. If worst comes to worse, he would force her to hunt.

He looked out of the window and saw that the moon was indeed shining brightly. Tomorrow night will be a full moon. A perfect night for hunting. Autumn equinox will be upon them in a few more day's time.

oOoOoOo

Additional notes: Aside from carefully choosing the titles of the chapters, which I based on my musical inspiration, I try to think of the dominant theme I want to emphasize . Requiem (Chapter 1) is all about Saya remembering the dead: the victims of Diva's massacre. This is also the time when Saya's innocence dies (if you get what I mean).It is one of the most important parts of this series, because it cements the reason why Saya must pursue Diva at all costs.

As for this chapter, Equinox means night and day have approximately equal length. I decided to push forward Haji's background, introduce him as Saya's partner in an equal footing. Not just being a servant who only does Saya's demands. Although, eventually Haji may have gradually accepted to just obey whatever his mistress wishes, as long as he can tolerate it. But I just can't stand a Haji character who is always passive. He has gypsy blood running on his veins! He should be a bit more aggressive.

I do not know how my series will turn out. I have already done most of the rough outline, but I am experiencing some writer's block. Helpful suggestions are most appreciated. Sorry if this chapter is still short. Hope you enjoyed reading. I tried to polish this chapter a bit more than the last one..Please review! ^^

Musical inspiration for this chapter: Meet me in the Equinox by Death Cab for the Cutie