Chapter Text
Nobody knows why it has to be on that day.
The day the sun doesn't shine.
A solar eclipse would fall on the same day of each year. It was a deadly sign. A sign signaling for the vampire's feast.
Every year, a child or a young adult no older than thirty would be brought before the vampire. He would be chosen out of terrible fortune, or more likely out of force. The unlucky chosen ones would all witness the same fate as the sacrifice before them, and the other sacrifices before them, and so on.
They would all die.
Your death will be fast and painless, the vampire's say. Unless I enjoy watching you suffer.
Drinking a human's blood was essential for vampires to continue living. If the vampire doesn't consume blood during the eclipse, it would soon perish. It will slowly turn into a human being. It's fangs will become dull, and his body will grow weak.
Their methods were quite simple. They would stab their fangs into the human's neck, paralyzing him temporarily before draining him dry. The corpse was thrown to the crows.
It didn't matter if the blood tasted disgusting. The vampires yearned to live.
And dying wasn't an option.
***
Hinata flicked his sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand. He was tending to his village's farm, being the only one young enough to do it. His village mostly consisted of the old, too feeble to do any hardship.
"Onii-chan, I'm really tired!" Natsu complained, pulling out rogue weeds that were scattered across the farm. She offered to help her brother, guilt building up in her chest as she watched him working from afar.
"My hands hurt! I think I have blisters," Natsu wailed, her voice desperately asking for her brother's attention.
Hinata's gaze shifted to his younger sibling, a worried look plastered across his face. He was constantly told by others that he spoilt Natsu too much, but he couldn't help it. He loved his sister with all his heart, and resuming his role as Natsu's only brother and older sibling, he had to protect her.
She moved closer to her brother, showing her hands in front of him like a grand display. Hinata examined her red hands thoroughly, shaking his head in disapproval.
"Let's go home. Hopefully you won't get a infection," Hinata said, getting up from his position. He gently took Natsu's wounded hand in his, the male ginger's rough hands making contact with his sister's soft ones. He casted an assuring smile to his little sister, his shadow providing her shade.
"We're done for today. You did a great job," Hinata said, ruffling Natsu's hair with one hand while swinging the other. She giggled, sending a toothless grin to her older brother. Her pain slowly faded away into the strong winds, knowing her brother was there for her.
The sun was setting behind them as they reached their small, wooden and extremely fragile house located in the heart of the tiny village. They were greeted warmly by their grandparents, both of the swaying back and forth on each of their rocking chairs.
Hinata carefully applied ointment to Natsu's hands, his hands trembling slightly while applying bandages to her wounds. He breathed a sigh of relief when he was done nursing Natsu. Treating Natsu was hard, especially when he was afraid that he might hurt her.
"Children," Hinata's grandfather said suddenly, his voice grim. "I need to talk to you for a moment," their grandfather spoke slowly, steadily getting out of his rocking chair and walking to his bedroom. Their grandmother followed soon after, walking to the bedroom without a word.
Hinata shot a puzzled look at his sister, who shrugged and got up from her seat. The ginger got up from his position and walked towards the room, a confused look distorting his face.
Then both sat on the perfectly made bed, a curious look directed towards their solemn grandparents.
"As you both know," Hinata's grandfather spoke briefly, glancing at his wife briefly. "You both are the youngest in the village."
Hinata raised his eyebrow questionably, confused on why his grandparents were so serious by the unimportant matter. "And?" He started, his voice low and quiet but was still hearable by his grandparents.
His grandfather cleared his voice. "The eclipse falls tomorrow," he said, his voice barely louder than a whisper of the wind. The ginger's heard it loud and clear, and Hinata froze in his seat. Natsu started tugging at his shirt, her large brown eyes staring up at her brother.
"As much as it pains me to say it," his grandmother spoke slowly, her voice shaking. "One of you have to go. It's the only way to protect the village," their grandmother sobbed, her husband patting her back continuously.
"You two will need to decide quickly, or else everyone will come for you." The old man heard Hinata scoff under his breath. "Although they're old, they have deadly weapons. You'd better be fast."
Silence covered most of the room as the old fan's creaking echoed through the room.
"I'll go," Hinata volunteered, standing up silently as he looked down at Natsu. His little sister was crying silently, her tears streaming down her pale face. He gave her a reassuring smile and walked out of the room without a word.
He shut the door behind him as a sigh left his lips. He had no right to put Natsu in danger. It wasn't the correct thing to do. No one would do that... Right?
He didn't pack much. After all, he only had one day to live. He started packing a few books to read to pass time in the vampire's mansion. He gently placed a small picture of Natsu and his parents into his small backpack.
He slung the bag over his shoulder as he realized his family was silently watching him. He bid farewell to them, hugging each of them tightly. He whispered a few sentences of reassuring words to Natsu, who was close to bawling her eyes out. He rubbed at her cheeks, erasing the dark streams. He shuffled out of the house silently, the atmosphere around them telling his family everything he wanted to say.
He breathed in the chilly air around him, shivering as the cold air hit his face. He had to be strong for Natsu, as she was for him.
He walked towards the forbidden woods, following a winding dirt road that led towards the mansion. He swore he saw a shadow trailing after him, and maybe a pair of gleaming eyes staring through him, but he kept silent as he walked forward.
Nothing was going to scare him now.
After long hours of walking on the twisted trail, a white marble mansion came into view. Hinata breathed a sigh of relief. He doubted he was going on the right path.
He walked steadily towards the mansion, positioning himself in front of the large wooden doors. He knocked on the doors, his tightly clenched fist making contact with the hard wood. There were no doorbells in sight, and his only choice was the enter the building. After all, he couldn't stand out in the freezing cold.
Hinata twisted the door handle, slowly opening the door as the darkness of the mansion engulfed him.
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