Time of Dying
A Hagi story based off the song "Time of Dying" by Three Days Grace
Aldedron: I STILL do not own Blood+. Or Vampire Knight, since I mentioned it last chapter…
Lulu: WHO THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING TO!!!!!?
Aldedron: I already TOLD you, Lulu!! The READERS!!!! Jesus! Can't you just LISTEN for once?? I'm having to repeat myself fifty times just to get a point across!
Serin: As far as I can tell, you're a little like Neles. You use what I like to call "selective listening"
Aldedron: *excitedly* Oh! I use that, too!
Serin: *sigh* That's not a GOOD thing, you know…
Lulu: *obviously not listening* Yeah, yeah. You do that then. You know that last chapter?? Our CONVERSATION was longer than the actual story. You should fix that…
Aldedron: Well maybe if you'd stop TALKING, I could!
Neles: *business-like manner and voice* Talking it out is the most productive way to solve a conflict
Aldedron: Oh crap… She's gone work-mode…
Serin: Run away…
"So you're similar to Saya now?" David asked me curiously.
"I believe so, yes." I handed him the book. "I managed to save this from the fire. I think your father would've wanted you to have it."
He took the book, his eyes widening. "My father's diary?" he gasped. "No, I couldn't—"
"Please. That and the cello are all that were saved. That diary can belong only with you."
David sighed with defeat. We both looked to the side. Saya was curled up in a nightgown, fast asleep in her chair. She'd wanted to stay up to give David his father's journal, but hadn't even lasted five minutes into the conversation. She looked so beautiful asleep. She looked at peace, untainted by the horror she had witnessed only yesterday. Her flowing hair wrapped around her like a blanket. She looked like a black angel with her raven-black locks that shone bright in the firelight.
But her restful sleep also concerned me. Ever since that night, she had been sleeping more. It had only been a day, but she had slept almost the entire day and had only been awake for an hour or two. I understood that she could be emotionally exhausted, but this was just extreme. Her body temperature had lowered dramatically as well. Her health seemed to be falling… And yet she was still determined to kill that girl called "Diva". I knew her sword skills were amazing, but in this condition… All I could do was fear for her life.
David turned back to me. "I'm changing my name to "Joel". In honor of my father. I want to support Saya in her fight against Diva like my father supported her."
"Well Joel did a lot of research on Chiropterans and it's all recorded in there. That should help. You should hire some scientists to help you, though. It's pretty complicated and Amshel knows just as much as Joel did, if not more, so we'll need to advance beyond his knowledge to gain hope in killing Diva."
"Yes, that's true," he sighed. He stood, stretching. "Well, I'm off to bed." He set the book on the table. "Have a good sleep." I nodded absently as he exited the room.
I turned back to Saya. Still fast asleep. This wasn't a good place to sleep, though… I picked her up bridal style and carried my sleeping Queen to her room, tucking her under the covers. She looked cold. I lit a fire in the fireplace to warm the room more and pulled a chair up to her bedside. I was still worried about her. She seemed very frail. I was afraid that she wouldn't wake up again. I'd stay up all night if that was what it took so that she would wake up tomorrow.
To my pleasant surprise, I didn't nod off even once during the night. I stayed wide awake, watching over her. She was so beautiful as she slept. Her bangs kept falling over her eyes, but I'd brush them away. Then they'd fall again and we'd repeat the whole process over again. But I didn't tire of it. I was content with simply watching her sleep and feeling her silky, black hair beneath my fingers. I was especially grateful that the transformation had finally ended. After I focused on envisioning myself without the hands and wings, they simply melted away. Now I could brush my finger across her cheek without fear of slicing her soft skin.
The first rays of sunlight broke through the gap between the curtains. The fire had long since gone out, darkening the room. Now, this golden light stood out in the darkness. Light and dark… Saya and Diva…
Slowly, her eyes opened. She didn't appear aware of my presence. She looked up at the canopy over the bed with a hint of confusion. She then sat up slowly, holding an arm to her forehead. "Where am I…?" she muttered.
"David's summer home," I answered for her.
She turned with surprise. Her shoulders relaxed when she realized it was only me. I guessed she'd feared me to be someone else like Amshel… or Diva… I hated having her worry. I didn't want her to have any reason to feel fear. But I had contributed to her fear only recently. I had no right to wish such a thing. All I could do was help her have a few less reasons to worry…
"Oh… Now I remember."
"Are you hungry?"
"Betsuni." Her stomach growled loudly and her faced flushed a beautiful red.
I smiled at that. "I'll go get some breakfast for you."
I rose and exited the room, closing the door softly behind me. Food. It was only then that it hit me. Her medicine! I remembered when she'd refused to take her medicine for three days straight. I'd ended up having to bust through her window and hand it to her and she got better right away. No one had been in the room with her for those three days, so I didn't know what the exact symptoms were for not taking her medicine, but she had seemed very tired when I broke in. As soon as she drank the tonic, though, she was as good as new. As far as I knew, Saya didn't know what the remedy really was, either. She didn't know it was actually blood. But where could I possibly get fresh blood? All the servants were dead—No, I was still alive and well. I could give her mine. Back then, Joel had said she might actually die if she didn't drink any for too long. If blood was something she needed to survive, then I would give her mine if that was what it took.
I entered the kitchen. Strange… it was empty. It looked like the chefs hadn't been the in the room even once this morning. Servants woke at five. It was about six thirty, so this place should've been brimming with activity, but it was silent and empty. Something was seriously wrong here…
I then remembered David informing me of something when I had arrived with Saya. "Looks like I'll have to hire some new staff, again," he had sighed. Now it made sense. He still hadn't replaced the staff he'd laid off only yesterday. Okay. Everything was okay. I sighed with relief. The staff hadn't been massacred by Chiropterans. Neither Diva nor Amshel was here to kill Saya. Everything was still okay.
Well, I could make her some food. It wouldn't be as good as a chef's work, but it'd be edible and Saya ate pretty much anything you put on her plate. I quietly closed the door and started opening cabinets, seeing what this deserted kitchen had to offer. It had been a while since I'd cooked anything myself, but I'd watched my mother make the family breakfast thousands of times. The kitchen was stocked with all the food and supplies I needed to recreate the meal we used to eat, only with fresh meat and larger portions.
I lit a fire in the cooking fireplace and hung a pot of water over it. While waiting for that to boil, I starting cutting up the ham and bacon. I lit a second fire and slid the tray of raw meat over the flame to cook. The water still wasn't boiling. I grabbed a loaf of French bread and sliced it into four quarters, covering it in butter and placing it on the tray of meat to toast. The bread would toast very quickly, so I had to keep an eye on it especially. Finally, the water was boiling. First, I poured some into a teapot, sprinkled in the tea leaves. Then I replaced the pot over the fire and dropped several eggs in the bubbling water. I pulled the bread off the metal tray and set it on a porcelain plate, smearing on more butter. I hope I'm doing this right, I thought tentatively. I'd only ever watched her make breakfast. I'd never actually joined in… Finally, the meal was finished and I set the plates on a tray. All that was left was her "medicine".
I took a deep breath. All I really knew about the "medicine" was that Joel used to take blood from the servants and it would end up in a glass from which Saya drank. I didn't know if he added anything to it or if there was some special way to pour it in or even if only certain people could give the blood. It didn't matter, though. I'd give her my blood and hope for the best. I stared at the crystal goblet for a long moment. Should I really be doing this?? I sighed and dripped the edges of the counter tightly – but not with so much strength I'd break the stone. I'd already learned my lesson considering this phenomenal new strength… Taking a deep breath, I grabbed a steak knife and held it over my left wrist. I'd just slit my wrist and pour the blood into the cup. Worry about bleeding to death later, I thought with a smile. I ran the blade across my skin, wincing. Immediately, the blood flowed and dripped into the cup in a steady stream. Just as the red liquid started to reach the top, it stopped flowing. I stared at my hand with surprise. The wound had healed completely. There wasn't even a scratch anymore. Well… that made sense. I was like Saya now. This wasn't something new. Once, Saya accidentally broke a string on the cello and it cut her hand, but the wound healed right before my eyes. I exhaled deeply. What a relief.
Placing the blood-filled goblet on the tray, I hurried back to Saya's room. She was probably starving to death by now. I knocked first, waiting for her to say I could come in. Silence. Cautiously, I opened the door a crack. "I'm coming in," I announced quietly, in case she was sleeping. I peeked my head through. Yes, she was sleeping. I sighed, smiling. Silly girl.
Aldedron: *sigh of relief* Okay. It's alright. Neles is back to Neles-mode
Neles: *giggle* I'm a lemur!!! *swings on curtains like a monkey*
Serin: *sigh* Yes… Be a lemur then. Where the heaven did Seras go, though?? If he was here, she'd at least BEHAVE
Saya: Yes. I wanna meet this mysterious "Seras". I wanna know just how much like Hagi he is
Hagi: …
Saya: See?? Hagi wants to meet him, too!!
Amshel: Baka apprentice
Aldedron: Will you shut up! You've already done that joke!!
Amshel: *mumbling angrily* *walks off, disappearing into the darkest corners of my mind…*
Saya: You're so sweet, Hagi… Making breakfast for me and everything *squeal of delight*
Hagi: If that is your wish
Neles: Oh!! He's just like onii-chan!!
Saya: *blanch* ONII-CHAN!!!?