Work Text:
The Story of the First Night
The forest lay interminably around him like a towering tree maze, thick and shadowy, insatiable in its swallowing of the sky. They leaned so closely together that the creaking, ancient trunks made their branches across the canopy so tightly that only the smallest threads of moonlight filtered down through. Young Reo Mikage stumbles over the uneven ground before him, framing clothing, torn, stained with mud and leaves. Shoes, hollow and shining—on which he was meant to stroll through sun-dappled gardens, and now worn, sodden, and sinking into damp earth.
What had begun as a simple evening walk had quickly devolved into chaos by a single miscalculated step, going down a steep hill and tumbling into the wild.
Hours dragged on in what seemed an endless span; the boy's steps faltered as fear took hold of him. He had never been alone before. His knees buckled, and he sank to the earth, cold as it was, wrapping his arms around himself against the grasping chill that took hold of him.
"I can't cry," he said, his voice trembling even as he was trying to steel it. "I'm a Mikage. I'm supposed to be strong."
That, though, was hardly the case. As the night continued, it pressed on him more and more with every minute, and every crack it deepened inside him. His knees buckled, and he sank down to the cold ground. Tears filled his eyes despite his whispered vows.
Above, the dense canopy stirred as if the forest had finally exhaled. The clouds drifted apart across the night sky, peeling back like a curtain as the darkness revealed something terrible and beautiful to behold, it's the Blood Red Moon. Its glow poured down in a crimson flood, wrapping around the woods in eerie light.
Then silence was broken by a rustling.
Reo froze, every muscle in his body locking in place. His heart was pounding so hard he thought it would echo. The sound got closer, brushing through the undergrowth, and he was sure some wild creature would burst through and claim him.
A girl stepped through instead. From behind a tree, as if she had been there all along, she emerged.
Her voice, calm and steady, without even a trace of fear, asked, "Are you okay?"
Reo jumped, startled, partly by her sudden appearance and partly because she belonged in this bloodlit forest in a way that he never could. About his age, she was wild in an untamed way. Her white hair hung in straggly strings around her face; her gray eyes were sharp and unblinking and almost animalistic. The rest of her clothes were plain, worn, and dirt-stained, and everything that contrasted with the expensive finery he had grown up with.
"I..I am fine," he stuttered, though his shaking voice betrayed him. "I am just....lost."
She tilted her head slightly, looking at him with a predator's patience. Then, quite suddenly, she asked, "Did you eat?"
Reo blinked, confused. "Eat? No… I didn't even realize I was hungry."
Her nose twitched, and she leaned forward slightly, sniffing around him as if she could read the truth from his scent. "You should follow me," she said matter-of-factly before turning on her heel and walking away as if no refusal were expected.
Reo followed her reluctantly but had no choice. There was something about her presence, strange and disconcerting as it was, that eased the weight of his fear.
They walked until the trees opened into a small clearing. The girl crouched, her gaze sharp and intent on something unseen. In a blur of movement, she leapt forward. Reo's eyes widened as she caught a small boar with effortless precision, snapping its neck before he had even time to gasp.
She dragged the carcass toward him and pushed it in his direction. "Here. Drink."
Reo stared, horrified and bewildered. "But… how do you know I'm a vampire?"
She gave no answer, only watching with those unblinking gray eyes. His stomach growled, and his fangs ached in his mouth. For all his aristocratic upbringing, the need was too strong to ignore. Slowly, he knelt and sank his teeth into the boar's flesh. The blood was warm, metallic, coarse, and nothing like the refined feedings his family provided. But it filled him, and it steadied him.
She took the animal back when he finished and tore into it herself, eating raw meat with the same ease she had caught it. Reo could only watch in a mix of awe, disgust, and fascination.
"How much of a pain eating is," she muttered around bites, "but at least company makes it better."
Reo's lips twitched, barely a smile. "I'm Reo Mikage," he said, sounding as formal as he could. "What about you?"
Wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, she caught his gaze. "Nagi."
Reo frowned. "Just…Nagi?"
"Yeah." Her voice was flat, final.
He found it odd but didn't pry.
When she was finished, the girl just dropped to the ground, a huff escaping her. Curling on her side, as though she decided there was no better place to sleep, startled Reo as he blinked at this sudden decision of hers.
"So…you're just going to sleep here?" Out in the open? Exposed? What if something dangerous comes by? We should look for shelter." Nagi's eyes were already half-closed, her voice muffled with drowsiness. "I'm sleepy."
Reo frowned, torn between exasperation and concern. Then, with a small sigh, he crouched down beside her. "Fine. Then let me carry you. You can sleep on my back. Just… tell me where to go."
For the first time, she opened her eyes a little wider, regarding him curiously. After a moment of silence, she let out a soft huff and relented, climbing onto his back. She was light - her small arms resting loosely around his shoulders as she leaned against him.
"Go that way," she murmured, her voice trailing off.
Following her quiet directions, Reo carried her through the trees until they reached a den nestled between roots and stone. It was bare, little more than a hollow scraped from the earth, with a pile of rough furs serving as both bed and blanket.
Reo stared, not believing. Even for a werewolf, he thought this… barren. "This is where you live?"
Nagi shrugged sleepily as she slid off his back and flopped into the furs. "It's fine."
Reo hesitated at the entrance, uncomfortable with the starkness of it all. The cold seeped through his thin clothes, and he shivered. Nagi noticed, and without a word, she beckoned him to come closer.
"Here. Let's huddle," she said, blunt yet oddly inviting. "Warm."
He was reluctant at first but eventually relented and lay beside her. The furs smelled of earth and wild grass, rough against his skin, but when Nagi leaned against him, her warmth chased away the chill.
They talked about nothing and everything. Small, strange conversations about the forest, food, and the moon overhead. With each word, the tension in Reo lost out to a quiet comfort he never expected to feel. Mostly him talking, with Nagi nodding along. Before long, they had drifted off to sleep, huddled close as the night held them in.
Morning came too soon. Sunlight pierced through the leaves, waking Reo. He turned to see Nagi was already awake, staring at the sky, as if it held secret messages only she could understand.
"I still don't know how to get back to my family," he said, the worry returning.
Nagi looked at him, then asked, "Do you have something from them? Something that smells like them?"
Reo shook his head. "No."
Nagi sniffed around him, her eyes narrowing in concentration. "Well, maybe they smell like you, since they're your parents," she said matter-of-factly.
Reo's eyes lit up. "You could try?"
She nodded, then circled him with surprising seriousness, sniffing until she found what she needed. "I got something. Follow me."
She led the way effortlessly through the woods, her sharp instincts guiding them. They spoke of everything and nothing; there didn't seem to be any strain in the conversation. Hours passed, but for Reo, it did not seem like very much. He felt happy for the first time since he had been lost.
Just as they were nearing the edge of the woods, Nagi suddenly glanced back at him. "My first name is Seishiro," she said almost nonchalantly, "But no one calls me that. You can, though."
Reo's eyes momentarily went wide with surprise, and then a smile broke across his face. "Seishiro, huh? That sounds nice. I will treasure it."
Nagi smiled, too. It's just a tiny, fleeting thing, but enough to lift the weight on Reo's heart. Then she broke into a run, her quiet laughter ringing out, and Reo chased after her, giggling like a child. He wasn't that fast, but somehow, he managed to catch up with her. When he did, he realized they had stumbled into a clearing leading to the villa where his family was staying.
Reo's heart sank a little. He knew what this meant.
"I guess... this is goodbye," he said softly, looking at Nagi. He pulled her into his arms and hugged her tightly. "I hope to see you again."
For a moment, she froze, and slowly, her arms went around him, too. "Me too."
Stepping back, she went toward the trees. He did not have time to call her name; she was gone as to be swallowed by the forest.
Moments later, his parents were upon him, scolding with sharp voices, looking stern and worried. But Reo heard little of it. The white-haired girl filled his mind.
His parents began leading him back toward the villa when he glanced over his shoulder one last time. The forest stood silent, keeping its secrets. But he had known she was real. He knew it wasn't the end.
He promised himself that one day, he would find her