Title: Someday
Author: koyuki-san
Rating: PG
Warnings: Unbeta-ed, some OOC-ness, set in the past, before the incident in Do You Remember the Promise? (17)
Genre: General
Main Character(s): Saya, Haji
Ship(s): SayaxHaji, if you squint hard enough
Summary: Once this is all over, perhaps, they can go back to the places they have been to before. For now, her duty comes first. One shot.
Disclaimer: Blood+ is copyright to Production IG and Aniplex.
Author's Notes: Until their past is revealed more, I'm taking the liberty to flesh out their past myself. Shameless, aren't I? XD
There have been rumours of unknown deaths in the town, of people whose bodies were found and drained of blood.
And the town seems to be celebrating some sort of festival. There men and women bustling about, children running along the streets, their loud voices rising to the air, mingling with their carefree laughs as they all prepare for the festival tonight. In the town center, the men have set up a makeshift stage for the band – a group of the local elder folks – to play their music. A large wide area before the stage has been set as the dance floor.
From her place at the window of the inn they are staying at, she can see the townspeople coming and going. There are a lot of people, she thought absently, and it makes their task of hunting down the beast a bit more difficult. The crowd is a perfect opportunity to hide in but it is also the best chance for it to feed. With so many people, no one will realize what has happened until later or the next day. Cries for help will be gone unheard amidst the noise.
Unheard by normal hearing.
Soft, mellow cello music reaches her ears and she closes her eyes, letting it take over her. She knows the song well, being the one who had taught him the music. He practices it whenever they have the chance to stop for her to rest, playing it over and over until he is able to move the bow fluidly across the strings, his hands are steady and no longer shaky and tentative, and he can play with much more confidence.
When the colours behind her eyelids began to change, turn fiery red and crimson, she opens her eyes again, to see that the sun has set, illuminating everything in one final ochre glow, like setting everything on fire in its path. The music has stopped; he knows it's time for them to move. She hears the click of the locks, the soft thump as he puts the cello away and another familiar sound before the case is closed once more.
She finally turns around to see him standing in between the shadows and light from the fireplace, waiting for her.
"The sun has set," she says, softly, simply. She leaves the window for the last time, making her way past him, feels him fall into step behind her.
After tonight, they will be leaving the town. Like always, she will have no time to take in everything in each village, town or city they are staying. Their stays are brief, like the fleeting summer rain, often for a day or even less before they are to leave again. It is an endless cycle of their journey but she has no complains. Once this is all over, perhaps, they can go back to the places they have been to before. For now, her duty comes first.
It is a dizzying array of sounds and smells. Loud music coming from the stage where the band is playing, a lively jig which has some of the people up and dancing. There are food and drinks all around. Children are playing their own games nearby, under the watchful eye of their mothers who are sitting clustered in a group, chatting and tittering among themselves.
"It will be easy for us to miss it," he tells her, his voice soft but she can still hear him among the noise.
"It will reveal itself," she says, eyes scanning the faces around her, studying each person carefully. "There is a lot of people around. Easy pickings if it's going to feed. No one will notice if someone is missing."
Someone jostles into her, nearly sending her to the ground. A hand grips her elbow, steadying her, and she thanks him silently. Surprisingly, no one seem to take notice of the two strangers among them or the large and rather morbid-looking case slung on his shoulder. It is the human's nature to filter out the things they choose not to see or hear. And in a celebration as this, no one pays any heed to the sudden appearance of a girl and a man.
The scream pierces through the air. A roar is followed.
As she had expected, no one hears anything in the cacophony of music, voices, shrieks and laughs.
She pushes her way through the crowd, going to the direction where the sound had come from. At the edge of the celebration, in between the houses and far enough away from the crowd and lights. The ideal spot for a Chiropteran to prowl and feed on unsuspecting victims.
The girl was already dead when they arrived. Drained off her blood, her skin, a papery-white. Her expression of horror is forever frozen on her face.
The beast sees them coming, drops the body and bellows at them, as if in challenge and defiance. Its yellow, reptilian eyes turn to blood-red. Letting out another bellow, it charges at them.
He intercepts the attack, bringing his cello case around, smashing it into the beast, sending it careening down the alley and out. He follows, a flick of the wrist produces the dagger he uses. The beast had dug its claws into the earth, stopping its travel halfway and springs forward. He meets it with a clash of claws and blade.
She slices her thumb on the blade, charges towards them, as silent as the night itself. He moves out of the way at the last moment, just before the blade could touch his skin. An savage downward stroke split the upper torso from the rest of the body. Blood gushes like a fountain, raining down on them. She flicks her sword, relaxes from the stance, eyes fading back from blood-red to warm brown.
"Are you hurt?" she asks, peering up at him. It had been rather close.
"No," he says, shaking his head slightly.
She is relieved. She touches his hand to let him know that, and he returns the gesture with a warm smile.
They leave the town, heading to their next destination, after cleaning the blood off their bare skin. The bodies are left where they are.
Come morning, someone will find the bodies soon enough. Someone will mourn for the girl, probably her family or husband. As for the other body, it will probably be burned to the ground, and never to be talked about again.
They stand on the hilltop, watching silently at the ongoing celebration.
"Saya?" he says.
"Maybe once this is over, we can actually go to one of those," she says, sounding almost wistful. She feels his hand on her shoulder, how cold it is compared to the warm air around her; yet, she felt nothing but warmth seeping from the touch. "Let's go," she tells him, placing her hand on top of his.
She feels him nod and they both continue their way to their next destination.
In the distance, they can hear the fading merriment.
Owari.