Blood+ Fan Fiction ❯ ...Eh?! ❯ Chapter 1

It had been such a normal day. On their way across some state in search of information, the crew had gotten stuck in traffic and decided to take the scenic route through the middle of town. The traffic, unfortunately, only got worse. To top that off, the air conditioner quit because the old van did not take kindly to being idle in the 98-degree heat. Finally, deciding that life wasn't worth it, the engine coughed, choked, and finally died just as they had pulled off into a parking lot to look at the map.

David opened the door and hopped out. He opened the hood. He kicked the tires.

“What's the matter?” asked Julie. She leaned out headlong to peer around the hood. David was standing there scratching his head at the smoke curling out of the engine. “You didn't crack an engine block, did you?”

“How should I know? I'm not a mechanic.” He came over to the window. “Hand me a wrench.”

Julie opened the glove compartment. “Crescent? Adjustable? What?”

“Whichever one I used to wallop that guy last week. I think that's about the right size.” he paused. “Since when do you know so much about this?”

“My family used to have one of these old vans. They always fixed it themselves, so…I picked some stuff up.” She handed him the wrench. “Careful with that. Don't touch the battery connections.”

“Oh, please.” David walked back around to the front. Tired of the heat inside a closed vehicle, Saya, Riku, Kai, and Haji climbed out and stood next to him, watching intently.

“Keep back, kids.” Jenny came around to join them. “David? Why don't I look at that?”

“I can do this myself,” he replied, and stuck the wrench into the engine. “I think I just need to loosen this…” he leaned in. “Okay, I need somebody to start the engine for me.”

“I'll do it!” Saya took the keys from Julie and climbed into the front seat. It was then that she realized she had no idea what she was looking at. But wait…didn't this van have that push-button ignition feature? Saya glanced around for a likely button. A little one stood out on the remote control dangling from the keychain. It was red. She reached over, pushed the button and…

HONK! HONK! HONK! HONK!

She pushed the button again, stopping the noise. Leaning around the hood, she saw David sitting on the ground rubbing his head. Everyone else was laughing.

“That was the car alarm, Saya.”

“I'm sorry.”

“The ignition is the big yellow button to your left.”

“Okay…” David got up and leaned over the engine. “Start'er up.” Saya pushed the button.

spluuurghhsstrt.

“I have not failed,” stated David. He was standing back from the engine, his face completely black. “I have just made an amazing discovery…I have found the smoke valve!”

“You sure you're okay?” asked Kai. “I know something about cars. You oughta let me look at—”

“I can handle it.”

“Sure you can,” replied Julie. “Just be careful.” He'd leaned back into the engine. “You'd better move; that brace looks like it's about to—” CRASH “—snap.”

David extricated himself from the hood. Jenny covered her mouth to hide a chuckle. “Haji? Could you…?”

“Of course.” Haji grabbed the hood and held it up, glancing at David. “You know, I think there's a garage down the street…” David looked up at him.

“Not you, too.” Haji shrugged and lifted the hood the rest of the way. “Besides, I think I've found the problem. These wires, you see, I think they're—”

“Sir, don't! That's the—”

“I've had enough of you and your babble, Julie! Leave me alone!” He unclipped the wires. “Now then, to check the current.” He clipped one to his fingertip, and…

Went flying into the air in a shower of sparks, only to land, twitching, on the blacktop. Julie picked up her semi-conscious boss and dragged him into the shade.

“Why don't you kids go have fun? The radio says there's an anime convention in town. Haji? Could you call a wrecker, please?”

“Yes.”

“Good. Thank you. I'll stay here and look after David.” she frowned at the unconscious man at her feet. His hair was standing straight out from his head. She snapped a picture with her cell phone as the kids crossed the street to the convention center.

}{

When they got there, everyone split up. Riku wanted to look at the games out for his favorite shows; Kai had decided to check out the dealers as well. Saya was just wandering around. She enjoyed seeing the lengths people went to for the sake of cosplay. It was a bit creepy sometimes, and every once and a while, she could swear she saw…but never mind. Saya had been under a lot of stress lately. She'd try to forget it. Boy, that was a weird ceiling. She wasn't looking where she was going…

“Oh wow! What a great costume! Blood+ is my favorite show too!” Saya whipped her head around to see, of all things, a chiropteran. It ran up to her and lifted her off the floor in an enormous bear hug. “You have such a great costume!” the monster said, totally unaware of the situation. It set her down. Maybe the thing was confused…or could it be rabid? She shuddered at the thought of a rabid chiropteran. Was that even possible?

“Hey, you!”

Saya just stood there for a second, watching, as what seemed to be clones of her, Haji, and Karl appeared behind the chiropteran.

“I told you, no hugging!” her clone fumed, whacking the chiropteran's side with what seemed to be her sword.

“Eh?!”

“We're so sorry,” said Karl.

“Eh?!”

The chiropteran took off its head and chest, revealing a twelve-year-old girl on what appeared to be stilts.

“I'm very sorry, ma'am. Your cosplay is just so amazing; you really look like her.”

“Eh?!”

“How about we take you for some crappy snow cones to atone for it, hmm?” Haji's clone gestured to a stand behind them.

“I like the way you think,” added Karl. Her supersensitive hearing caught him whispering, “She's hot, man!”

She ran off, screaming, and promptly showed up back at the parking lot, telling Julie all about the “conspiracy”.

“You sure the heat's not getting to you, Saya?” Haji came over to the girl, glancing at Saya inquisitively. “Maybe we should get some snow cones?” He was about to ask Julie what flavor she wanted when, unexpectedly, Saya fainted dead away.

-end