Awakening

Disclaimer: I DO NOT own Blood+. All credit goes to the original creators.

by azerath.metrion

Darkness... Where am I? I can't- Ah, there! A light... She stirred softly, straining her eyes to the faint light at the edge of her vision. Small, pale hands reached in front of her; it was a moment before she realized they were her own. Where am I? Where is he... ? Who... ? She shook her head slowly in confusion; she remembered a man... No, two men. And two girls? Three men... a woman... A beautiful woman, with light brown hair... A strong blonde man... Who are these people? She wondered, her mind swirling in its own thoughts. A huge figure loomed in her mind's eye, just barely out of focus; someone important. Another man came to mind, though much younger... reddish-brown hair, a smiling face full of affection... And two young girls, newborns, smiling at her. One had red eyes, the other blue... Blue eyes... so like my sister's... The words formed without aid in her mind. And still that other person...

She felt more than heard a faint calling, but she ignored it in favor of trying to remember that last person. He felt so important... Who... ?

The call came once more, slightly more urgent, but she pushed it away and closed her eyes, focusing on that fleeting idea of a special someone...

"... -ya..." The girl groaned, pressing her hands against her ears. Why couldn't they leave her alone and let her search for her love... ?

"... Saya..." The name was faint, but struck a bell. The girl opened her eyes once more. There was a figure moving toward her, blocking the light...

"Saya. Wake up." The girl's heart fluttered inexplicably before she closed her eyes once more, taking a deep, relaxing breath. Warm arms wrapped around her oh-so-gently and lifted her into the air. Warm breath swept across her cheeks, and her mind itched at the scent of it.

"Saya..." She smiled at the soft utterance of her name as she was carried into bright sunlight. She turned her head against the light, tucking her eyes against whoever was carrying her so that her eyes could slowly adjust to the bright rays. The arms tightened momentarily, then softened once more.

As Saya was carried away from where she began, she cautiously explored her surroundings through smell, sound, and touch. She listened for the whisper of wind in the trees nearby and the soft roar of waves. She smelled the warmth of summer, which brought to mind once more the reddish-brown-haired man. She felt the hot sunlight and the chill wind simultaneously against her skin. As she curiously ran her fingers over the arm around her back, she felt more than heard a small chuckle.

"Saya..." a sweet voice whispered. "can you open your eyes now, or is the sunlight too bright still?"

"Mmm," she murmured, reveling in the sound of her own voice. Her throat was dry... She needed something to drink...

"Th-th-thir... thirst-t-ty..." she managed to choke out, her voice cracking. Her escort set her down, and she heard a quick shwif! noise before something warm and wet was held against her lips. She hungrily drank it down, and with the warm liquid came vague memories...

The reddish-brown-haired man was her brother Kai, the blonde man was David. David, who had a baby with the beautiful Dr. Julia Silverstein... The two girls were her nieces in two ways; they were the true daughters of her blood sister Diva, whom Saya herself had laid to rest, and they were the adopted daughters of her adopted brother Kai... They were Chiropteran queens, as she was.

But the other... Who is he? I feel as though he sits at the edge of my mind... Saya licked her lips and rubbed her head, sitting up slowly, feeling the pull of her unused muscles. A gentle hand rested cautiously at her back, reminding her of the man... A strong but gentle man, one that protected her and held her close... One who seemed to be distant, but was in truth her best friend... Who? How could I forget something so important... ?

"Saya, please open your eyes," came the voice once more. It compelled her... she slowly opened her red eyes, allowing time for them to adjust to the sun once more.

She found herself staring out across the sparkling blue ocean; a sight she had sorely missed. Seabirds called overhead, scouring the beaches for food. Saya watched a bird fly playfully through the air for a moment before exploring her surroundings some more. She sat at the bottom of a tall flight of stairs leading to a shrine- The place where I began. Hearing movement behind her, she turned to see a man walking away from her, toward the treeline and a beautiful cello.

Saya's breath caught; could it be... ?

"Hagi?" Saya whispered uncertainly. The man stopped and turned slightly to look at her. His pale gray eyes were expressionless, his mid-length black hair neatly pulled back with a few strands hanging gracefully around his face. His right hand was bandaged as it always had been. Saya suddenly remembered her last time with this precious man; they had been in a place of mortal danger, but the world had been right for just one moment... One moment alone, when Hagi had instructed her to live for tomorrow, and assured her of her place in his heart with a sweet I love you. But just as quickly as the memory had come, it faded once again, and Hagi was standing before her as ever he had before.

He turned to face her fully. "Yes, Saya?" He asked smoothly. Saya's heart clenched momentarily; could this be the Hagi that loved her and protected her? What should she do?

"I... thought you were dead..." Saya whispered, her eyes unwillingly welling with tears. "Amshel... the Met... I thought you were..." Saya allowed her tears to fall as she clenched her fists against her knees.

Hagi was instantly at her side. "Saya," he whispered, "Calm down. Amshel has been gone for thirty years, and I'm here... Waiting for you, as I have always done." Saya grabbed onto his lapel and buried her face in his chest; Hagi wrapped his arms around her.

"Hagi, I'm so sorry..." Saya cried softly. "I tried so hard, and I thought it was over, and when he came in I wanted to kill him, but you... And then I couldn't... And... Hagi, how could you forgive me? I hurt you so much, and then I thought I had even killed you... And I just..." Saya was lost to sobs as Hagi held her tightly against him, stroking her hair softly.

"Saya," he breathed, closing his eyes and nuzzling against her. "It was my choice; I had to save you."

Sniffling, Saya murmured, "My Chevalier..."

"No," Hagi said uncertainly. "No, Saya... As the man that loves you above all else." Saya's breath caught; Hagi pulled back to look at her. "Saya," he murmured, "I could never allow anything to happen to you. I may be your Chevalier, but I love you more than that requires. I have loved you since the beginning, since you showed a poor boy that had been bought by a strange man that people can be kind even in the worst of situations." Saya smiled softly.

"Hagi... I-"

"Saya!" A man was making his way over to them now, with two girls peeking out of the window of his car. "Hagi? I knew you'd come back for her."

Hagi greeted the man respectfully. "Kai," he acknowledged.

"Kai?!" Saya exclaimed. The man had mostly-gray hair, with brown hairs randomly mixed in. He wore khaki shorts and a flowered shirt, but Saya could tell by looking into his warm brown eyes that it was indeed her brother.

"Saya, it's been thirty years," Kai said sheepishly. "Cut an old man some slack, eh?" Saya giggled.

Looking into the distance, she replied, "So it really has been thirty years... It's good to be back."

Thank you all for reading! I know it's been a long time since I've uploaded anything at all, and I know I have two WIP, but... What can I say? Inspiration struck! I just watched the entire series (50 episodes) in, like, three days. Between classes and studying hard for exams. And it was AMAZING! :D Well, comment and critique, nee?