warmth - part 20
Title: Warmth
Pairings: Junsu/Yoochun, Changmin/Jaejoong/Yunho
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: Somewhat vulgar language, weak graphic images
Genre: Romance, angst, science-fiction-ish
A/N: When I was writing the last bit of this chapter, I thought it sounded very cheesy. Oh well, I luv you my readers. I hope this chapter does not confuzzle you~
Summary: One trip to the Old Forest sends Junsu and Changmin into another world full of mistakened myths and new realizations. A vampire's goal in life is to live for eternity and feed from the warmth of a human. If that is so, what is a werewolf's goal?
Previous: Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 / Part 5 / Part 6 / Part 7 / Part 8 / Part 9 / Part 10 / Part 11 / Part 12 / Part 13 / Part 14 / Part 15 / Part 16 / Part 17 / Part 18 / Part 19
. : : . : : . : : .
The moment Changmin opened his eyes he knew two of three things. One: he had a massive, painful headache the size of Mount Everest, and two: he was shivering as if he was lying on the frozen snow of the Antartic in the dead set of winter, right around the time Christmas would be rolling around.
The third thing was that he had no idea what the hell had happened or where he was.
And suddenly, that knowledge made him very scared.
“Well, well,” came a high, purring voice out of the piercing darkness of the place he was in, “You sure come around quickly.”
Changmin shivered both from the cold and from the familiar fear. He knew that voice.
It came closer. “Happy to hear from me again, little one?”
Changmin could practically picture the vampire’s face. The long hair, the pale skin, the unrighteous beauty that made him beyond terrified. He instantly recalled that November night at the record shop. Death in the form of a woman sauntering her way towards him.
His mind was screaming in alarm and panic.
“Are you not happy?” she inquired all too innocently. Changmin could practically feel her presence right beside him. His instincts flared as he tried to move away from the dangerous creature, but his eyes widened within the darkness when he realized something cold and solid holding his wrists and ankles in place. He couldn’t move. He was chained to something.
‘SHIT!’ his mind screamed. Fear flared throughout his body like a raging fire.
Fire.
Chains.
Darkness.
Fear.
Something triggered within Changmin’s mind, something dangerously familiar which did nothing but him terrify him further.
He felt his body dip down-was lying on a mattress?-to accommodate the weight of the vampire beside him. An attempt to move away proved to be useless.
Cold fingers stroked his shivering skin. Changmin whimpered in the fear that encompassed him without mercy.
“Now now, little one,” purred the vampire as she stroked his cheek delicately. “No need to be afraid. I have a story to tell you; it will make you feel better.”
Changmin couldn’t pull away from her. He couldn’t move. He was frozen in the cold depths of the dark room; his prison.
“Relax,” she whispered, her tone low and alluring. “Let me tell you the story of my two cousins and the tragedy that occurred because of them.”
Specks of light began to flicker away from where Changmin lay. They began surrounding the room, dimly lighting the structure of a familiar, rotting place.
Changmin’s fear swallowed his heart.
“Let me tell you the story of Yunho and Jaejoong, and their new, little baby called Changmin…”
A single, burning candle illuminated her face as the lips above him told the tale of a lifetime.
. : : . : : . : : .
No creature on this planet liked hospitals. Before anyone would walk through any front, sliding door, they could list over ten reasons why hospitals were the last place on Earth anyone would like to visit. Jaejoong will always be on of those ‘anyone’s.’
He hated, no, despised the smell of pristine cleanliness, sterile drugs, and decaying flesh. Though Jaejoong was a kind-hearted creature, this will always be what he thought of hospitals.
Blood in one place could never be so tempting either, but he didn’t care about that at the moment.
He had to find Junsu. Ignoring the baffled stares of both female and male nurses, doctors, whatever, the angelic vampire made his way to the front desk, waited in line for less than five minutes-shocking really-and asked for information about Kim Junsu.
The receptionist couldn’t help but ask for Jaejoong to repeat his question; the vampire did so, perfectly but in a rush. He needed Junsu’s room number and he needed to know it now!
“Are you his family?” the lady asked before she started the search.
Despite the worry and fear boiling in his body, Jaejoong couldn’t help but grin at the irony of that question. He pulled his I.D card from his wallet and handed it to the young woman. “My name is Kim Jaejoong,” he replied smoothly. “SuSu is my younger brother.”
“Su…Su?” she repeated. Obviously Jaejoong’s nickname for his friend did the trick because within seconds the receptionist pulled up Junsu’s information on her monitor. “Your brother is currently in surgery, so he has yet to receive a room. The surgery room is located on the seventh floor though.”
Jaejoong swiftly took back his I.D card from the lady’s hand, gave her a smile and a quick thank you before turning and heading for the elevators. When he had reached the seventh floor, he rushed to a smaller receptionists’ desk and asked a familiar set of questions. He learned that Junsu was just getting out of surgery.
“He is in room 704,” said a man draped in a long white coat. Jaejoong turned to face the man and shook the hand reached out for him. “My name is Dr. Kwon. I am Mr. Kim’s doctor.”
“Kim Jaejoong,” said the angel perfectly. “I’m Junsu’s older brother. How is he?”
“Well,” Dr. Kwon began shortly, “I just finished performing surgery on your brother’s middle ribs. He had cracked three during his fall from a tree.”
Jaejoong’s eyebrow rose instantly. “He fell from a tree?”
Dr. Kwon appeared to be puzzled. “Did you not hear that from Mr. Park? He said he would be informing the others as to what had happened to Mr. Kim.”
“Oh, well…he just told me that SuSu was in the hospital and that I should get here quickly. He never told me what had happened or why he was here in the first place.”
The doctor lifted his clipboard and flipped through a few pieces of paper. “From what Mr. Park told me,” he began. “Mr. Kim was climbing a very tall tree when he slipped and fell, colliding with a large branch before he hit the ground.” The doctor looked up to watch for Jaejoong’s reaction. “Does your younger brother usually climb tall trees?”
Jaejoong’s wavering smile did not suit his features, but he definitely fooled the doctor when he replied, “Yes, he tends to do that a lot. I don’t know why, but he’s been climbing trees since we were kids.”
Dr. Kwon nodded, but he didn’t appear pleased to hear that. “Is he going to be okay though?” Jaejoong asked softly, worry laced with his delicate voice.
“Yes, he is fine now. Recovery will be stressful and painful, but everyone can get through it. I’m sure a spirited person like your brother will also be able too.”
Jaejoong let out a relieved breath, but then asked, “What kind of recovery?”
Dr. Kwon then explained that Junsu would be on pain reducing medications to allow him to breath without trouble. The bandages covering his chest were only there to help in healing the surgical mark and to prevent infection. Of course he needed good nutrition, lots of rest, and no strenuous activities. The ribs should be healed within two months if all goes well.
“In my professional opinion,” said the doctor before he left. “I would prefer no more tree climbing in the future.”
Jaejoong smiled softly and bowed low. “Thank you for everything, Dr. Kwon.”
The doctor patted Jaejoong’s shoulder before leaving. The angel entered room 704 with a heavy heart, sad eyes, yet hopeful expression. A nurse informed him that Junsu was sleeping before she had left the room.
Jaejoong looked over his friend’s slumbering body wrapped comfortably in hospital blankets and against soft, clean pillows. He couldn’t see the chest bandage, but he could definitely smell the ointments surrounding the scar Junsu was sure to get. The vampire pulled up the chair near the window so he could sit beside the redhead’s bed.
“Oh SuSu,” Jaejoong murmured as he gently covered Junsu’s hand with his own. “Fell from a tree? Is that what Yoochunnie calls getting attacked nowadays?” His sarcasm was dry and filled with nothing but guilt and remorse. Jaejoong reached out and stroked the warm cheek with his cold, pale fingers. “I’m happy to know that you survived the fall, and I am sure the others will be too.” He pulled back and let his dark eyes stare sadly at their hands. “Especially Yoochunnie…”
There was no response as Jaejoong expected. Drugs really can knock a person out.
Deep down, Jaejoong was thankful his friend couldn’t hear the guilt laced in his voice.
Something familiar tugged at the angel’s heart: worry. Jaejoong looked up, tears fresh in his dark eyes and lips quivering as he spoke quietly, “I have to go Su…Min and the others in danger.”
All he could hear was the steady beep of Junsu’s heart and the gentle breaths escaping from those lips. Jaejoong stood up before carefully leaning over to place a delicate kiss upon his friend’s forehead. He pulled away slightly and stared down at the redhead, his tear-filled eyes caring and determined. “We are a family now SuSu, and everyone in a family helps each other. Your part is to recover and love Yoochunnie, okay? My part is to go save Minnie so all of us can be happy.”
Jaejoong smiled for his friend as he pulled away completely. “Love you,” he cooed warmly.
The redhead’s friend stepped out of room 704 with a flash of fierce jade in his eyes.
It vanished the moment he headed for the elevator.
. : : . : : . : : .
“It all began two-hundred years ago, during the time when werewolves arrived to the human village to save them from the threatening vampire race. Our numbers were in the hundreds while those puppies merely had fifty. They began to hunt us down, slaughtering us without mercy. Our strength was measly against theirs; we were cut down even before we took one step. We had no chance.”
Changmin could feel his mind diving in on itself. Memories were brought to the surface, familiar images, smells, and urges nicked at his senses. The freezing cold of the cabin and the burning candles of light brought such buried memories to life.
Whether this was a trick by her or him alone, Changmin was remembering.
He was remembering his past life.
Snarls filled the air while the scent of blood filled his nose. There were pale, decapitated bodies littering the forest floor with dark huge beasts trampling across them. Human heartbeats reached his ears, the sound tempting yet dangerous with every second that passed by. But he couldn’t kill them, he wouldn’t kill them. That was not what he wanted.
He was taught to be an immortal with a kind heart and loving nature. He was taught not to be a killer.
“Our children were bled dry before they had reached maturity. Humans cut down the weak while their pet guardians protected them. Our homes were burned and we were heading toward the point of extinction. It was a massacre.”
Changmin recalled voices both familiar then and familiar now. He remembered the forest holding such bloodshed within it’s borders. The horrors underneath the trees.
He remembered the place in which he had lived.
“I don’t want you going near the village Changmin, do you hear me? It is dangerous.”
Stubbornness and anger. “Why won’t we fight for our existence and help out cousins in this battle? Why do we let these monsters kill our kind without mercy? We are weak to stay here and do nothing!”
“All of us will die if we were to fight, Changmin.”
“You don’t know that Yunho!”
Rage and wisdom. “I do know this as do you! Our cousins were slaughtered before our eyes by a power far greater than our own, and you tell me I know nothing of it? Come to you senses Changmin.”
Guilt and helplessness. “But we cannot do nothing…”
“That is exactly what we’ll do. We will do nothing and flee.”
“Your precious Yunho and Jaejoong were not spared. They were one of the last vampires within the area to be hunted. Their call for peace was ignored, and the wolves proved that by killing their darling newborn, you.”
And they did exactly that.
Changmin remembered his death.
A burning pain filled his body as he felt himself grow weak. Human shouts for his death and dangerous growls from wolves were enveloping him.
“Kill him!”
“Cut off his head!”
“Burn him!”
He felt the wolf’s fangs pierce his throat, he felt his body being dragged across the blood-soaked earth. In his mind, he knew he brought this unto himself. He had left his lovers to fight for their existence.
He should have never left. He should have listened.
It was a mistake.
The chains were nailed to his wrists and ankles by humans carrying burning sticks. The pain echoed through the air in the form of his cry. His watering eyes fell onto the wooden walls of his own home.
“Jaejoong…” he whimpered as the humans’ weak kicks hurt more than it should have. “Yunho…”
They couldn’t hear him. He had left them days ago.
“No vampire shall ever live here again!” cried the humans. Victorious howls from wolves filled the outside air.
Changmin smelt the burning wood before he saw it.
The fire licking his skin was the last reminder of his mistake.
“Yunho and Jaejoong couldn’t even return to the forest to find you. They were hunted by the werewolves for years afterward.”
Nothing could describe the hollow feeling in Changmin’s heart. The cold, the candles, even a vampire’s presence could not stop him from drowning in his own memories. He had betrayed the two creatures who had given him life. He had betrayed their love and ignored their warnings. How much did his death, his mistake, hurt them?
No matter how much he wished for it to be a lie, Changmin knew it was all real.
Yunho and Jaejoong, his memories…were proof of that.
Yee Jung looked down upon Changmin with a sickeningly fond look. Her fingers stroked the brunette’s skin gently as if in her own silent apology. “Tragic, isn’t it?” she murmured almost gleefully. “Your death practically ruined Yunho and Jaejoong. They lived for nearly two-hundred years in misery and loss. It was more pathetic than sad really.”
Changmin didn’t realize his face being tilted towards Yee Jung until his eyes landed on her deep red ones. There were as red as blood.
The vampire appeared thoughtful as she continued to tilt Changmin’s head closer and closer to the mattress below. That familiar fear began to tickle the human’s senses as she purred close to his ear, “I can’t help but wonder what your death would do to them a second time…”
Changmin could barely cry out the moment her fangs sank into his neck. He felt his body convulse before it sank back into the mattress with Yee Jung upon him. As the warmth left his body, flashes of that night with Yunho crossed his mind-the night Yunho drank from him. The ugly feeling of death filled him as he body grew colder and colder…
“Yun…” he choked out in a breathless gasp. “…Jae…”
Yee Jung merely chuckled against his skin before pulling back and licking her lips of Changmin’s blood. “Poor baby,” she cooed. “I guess they are too late. Too bad they couldn’t get a taste of you; you are delicious.”
“And you are a dumb bitch,” snarled a voice right beside her. It wasn’t but half a second later that she was sailing through the air away from Changmin, her body smashing right through the rotting wall of the cabin and across the ground outside. She snarled at she jumped to her feet, her keen eyes locking onto the figure standing right where she was seconds ago.
Yoochun was crouched low with all wounds bleeding freely and lungs engulfing much-needed air. Candles which had rested on shelves near the now-ruined wall littered the wooden floor, darkening the half-wolf’s eyes to an even dangerous level. His own claws and fangs glistened against the orange glow of the tiny flames now licking at the rotten wood. Yee Jung hissed at him.
Changmin lay drained and weak to the world around him.
“So it is the halfing to the rescue now is it?” Yee Jung looked amused as she leapt back into the cabin. Yoochun’s eyes never left her as she continued to speak. “I hope you can put up a decent fight. I’ve been craving some action for a few years now.”
Yoochun growled low in his throat as the vampire’s fangs and claws stretched to their full length. Yee Jung’s red eyes were a crimson color against the flames which slowly began to kiss the floor.
The moment she stepped forward, Yoochun launched himself toward her with claws outstretched and his own fangs ready to bite. Her arms came up just in time to shield the half-wolf from her neck, but the force of Yoochun’s attack sent them tumbling across the ground outside. Yee Jung screeched from the claws which pierced her arms. She kicked Yoochun away from her and jumped back to her feet.
Yoochun steadied himself a careful distance away from her; he wouldn’t break his gaze from her body.
“Ass hole,” she snarled before sprinting towards him. Yoochun easily blocked her kicks and slashes at first, but his wounds had weakened him already. Yee Jung realized this the moment she kicked her opponent through a tree. She leapt and slammed her foot into his chest, pushing him into the dirt and leaves below, possibly snapping a few ribs in the process. “Pathetic halfling,” she hissed at him. Yoochun’s eyes flared dangerously. “You’re not even worth fighting.”
The half-wolf snarled before sending his claw right through the vampire’s leg. Yee Jung screeched loudly as Yoochun tore the limb completely from her body and kicked her into the air. He tossed the leg into the forest and slowly got back to his feet. He winced from the burning pain in his chest, leaning against the nearest tree for support.
He could smell the vampire’s blood; he could sense her anger and pain. Yoochun was glad she was with it-that was what she deserves.
A familiar scent reached his nose though. Yoochun’s eyes widened as he looked towards the cabin; smoke was escaping from the huge gap in the wall and dangerously bright flames were beginning to consume the rotten structure. “Changmin,” he whispered before running forward, retracting his claws and fangs in an instant. The movement was insanely painful-his broken ribs and injured body clearly protested that-but he leapt back into the burning cabin and moved right to Changmin. The brunette’s eyes were closed and his skin was deadly pale. Even against the orange and yellow flames now growing in measure, the human looked practically dead, but Yoochun sensed that Changmin was alive. The best friend of Junsu’s was not weak, definitely not if he had two vampires as lovers for what might be eternity.
He was dying though, hanging on by a loose thread.
Yoochun had to get him to Yunho or Jaejoong or a fucking hospital, and he had to do that now. With painful ease, he snapped the chains locking Changmin to the old, beaten mattress and lifted the human into his arms. Changmin was freezing! Yoochun felt a worry that could rival that of Junsu’s pool in his stomach. The half-wolf carefully positioned the brunette onto his back and ran for the opening in the dying cabin, ignoring the burning flames which were now consuming the structure’s life.
Yoochun landed heavily on the ground. Pain flared up his leg and chest, causing him to fall to his knee. He re-accommodated Changmin’s weight onto his back and stood up, stumbling slightly as he did so.
His eyes widened in shock when Yee Jung’s figure came alarmingly close and her claw pierced the side of his neck; he couldn’t dodge it in time. He knew as he fell to the ground-Changmin rolling off his back onto the earth beside him-that she had succeeded with her fatal attack. His blood was now pooling out from the jugular vein in his neck, draining him of his strength and life.
The only way to kill a werewolf or one like it.
Bleed it dry.
Yoochun choked and gasped as he lifted his hand to press against his bleeding wound. There was no way his werewolf blood could help him heal this; it was impossible.
His eyes found Yee Jung as the vampire crawled her way toward him. Despite the pain, the wounds, and every hurt she cause on his loved ones, he felt a sense of accomplishment from seeing her in such a state. His vision was fading fast though; he could barely see her as she stopped beside him so she could glare down at his injured body.
“You will die a painful death for what you’ve done to me,” she hissed as she raked her long claws down the side of his face. Yoochun didn’t even wince; he would not give her that satisfaction. “I will kill every one of your friends, starting with that dying piece of flesh behind you-”
She sensed him right before Yoochun did but still had no chance to stop what came next. Her piercing screech filled the choking air as her own head was ripped from her body and thrown into the fires which raged behind them. Yoochun watched weakly as Yunho lifted the dead vampire’s corpse and threw that into the cabin too, letting the flames destroy every last inch of their enemy’s existence. The handsome vampire wasted no time though as he kneeled before Yoochun, slashed his own wrist, and pressed it to the other’s quivering lips. The half-wolf, with whatever strength he had left, protested and weakly turned away. “Drink it you fool,” Yunho growled as he pressed his bleeding wrist toward Yoochun again. “You need blood whether it is werewolf’s, vampire’s or a fucking rabbit’s so drink before you die!”
The fatal wound to his neck was a reminder that he indeed was dying, and despite everything-hatred, rivalry, and past battles-Yunho was right.
Fuck, Yunho was right.
But Yunho already knew that, so the vampire lifted Yoochun’s head and pressed his bleeding wrist to the brunette once more, practically ordering him to drink or never see Junsu again.
And Yoochun drank. It was painful to do so and most of Yunho’s blood trailed down his chin, but he still drank. Barely a minute later and Yoochun was sitting up with his hand still pressed to the wound on his neck. His jugular vein had healed itself to his utter relief and Yunho was now tending to Changmin.
The brunette was not so lucky, Yoochun could see it. He followed Yunho clumsily into the depths of the forest as the vampire carried his pale lover in his arms and led them away from the burning cabin. Yoochun could hear the old structure collapsing into shambles despite the farther they moved away.
They stopped in the clearing. If Changmin’s eyes were open he would recognize that he was near the fairgrounds, near the place which had led to him to a whole new life. But his eyes weren’t open and his body was limp. Yoochun could barely see the other breathing.
Yunho cradled his younger lover against his chest as he slowly knelt upon the grass. Yoochun knelt carefully beside the vampire, his eyes glancing from Yunho to the dying human in his arms. Pain, a deeper, heart-felt pain began to claw at his heart, reminding Yoochun of his own lover lying on a hospital bed.
Junsu was almost killed.
And now Changmin looked dead.
“What are you going to do?” the half-wolf asked Yunho; his voice was weak and shaky.
Yunho brought a trembling, a trembling, hand up to cup Changmin’s pale cheek. “I have to save him…” he murmured, and it was nothing like the voice the half-wolf has come to hate and loathe. Yoochun watched the mixed emotions flash across the vampire’s dark eyes. He could see the pain and torment on his own face, the worry, loss, and love for Changmin within the palm of the other’s hand. He was debating. He was debating whether he should turn Changmin now or let him die.
“Save him,” Yoochun choked out the words that became clearer with every breath. “What are you waiting for?”
“I need his consent,” Yunho all but hissed, his dark eyes flashing crimson the moment he glared at Yoochun. “I cannot turn him unless I have his consent.”
“He already gave it to you,” said Yoochun in anger and frustration. “Isn’t his love for you and Jaejoong consent enough?”
The crimson color faded slowly. Yoochun hoped the vampire saw sense in his words, in his own love for Changmin because the human was dying and Yunho had no time to debate about this decision.
Yunho’s expression filtered into a look of complete loss. “What’s wrong?” Yoochun demanded. “Changmin will die unless you turn him!”
“I…” the vampire lowered his head, his voice low and quiet. “I need Jaejoong.”
“Jaejoong will understand anything you do and decide,” Yoochun sympathized. “Please Yunho, you have to hurry!”
The vampire looked up at Yoochun with a mixture of puzzlement and amazement. It was then that the half-wolf realized he had decided. Just for encouragement or whatever the hell that urged him, Yoochun nodded towards Yunho, watching as the vampire’s fangs lengthened and gently, slowly, delicately…pierced the skin of Changmin’s neck. The bite was in the exact place where Yee Jung had bitten him.
Rid Changmin of her existence as well.
Yoochun smelt the venom as Yunho released it into his lover’s blood. As the handsome vampire pulled away, he and the half-wolf watched as the shreds of humanity were stripped from Changmin completely. The brunette’s body arched upward as his brown eyes shot open. A wordless cry left his lips, but it was soon swallowed by Yunho when the vampire covered his lover’s mouth with his own. “It’s alright Changmin,” Yunho breathed as he held the turning human in his strong, gentle arms. He kissed the corner of Changmin’s mouth softly. “Nothing will hurt you, I promise.”
There was a light breeze in the air when Yoochun caught his scent. “Yunho,” he alarmed softly the other quietly. The vampire’s dark eyes left Changmin carefully and followed the half-wolf’s line of sight. He sniffed the air once and his eyes widened. “Jaejoong,” he breathed out in relief.
Just like he had said, Jaejoong came into view near the other entrance to the clearing. The angelic vampire was sprinting towards their small group, eyes a brilliant jade color and skin glowing like the moonlight. Yoochun was glad to have his senses back to this extent. He could see Jaejoong almost perfectly; Yunho’s vampire blood had helped.
Another breeze ticked Yoochun’s nose, and the half-wolf caught it. His chocolate brown eyes turned a luminescent yellow as he shouted, “Jaejoong, watch out!”
The angel had almost reached them when he caught on. By the look of alarm on Yunho’s face, he sensed it as well. “Jae, stop!” he ordered as his body tensed and his hold on Changmin tightened.
The delicate vampire came to a complete halt and went insanely still as a pack of werewolves stepped up from their crouched positions in the grass and tightened their circle around him. Their golden eyes were locked onto his form as if he were prey.
In the situation he was in now, Jaejoong would surely agree that he was their prey.
It was during these few moments that Changmin took in his last breath and his heart stopped completely.
next: part 21(final)
……………………………………….……..comments are like valuable hockey pucks!
Pairings: Junsu/Yoochun, Changmin/Jaejoong/Yunho
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: Somewhat vulgar language, weak graphic images
Genre: Romance, angst, science-fiction-ish
A/N: When I was writing the last bit of this chapter, I thought it sounded very cheesy. Oh well, I luv you my readers. I hope this chapter does not confuzzle you~
Summary: One trip to the Old Forest sends Junsu and Changmin into another world full of mistakened myths and new realizations. A vampire's goal in life is to live for eternity and feed from the warmth of a human. If that is so, what is a werewolf's goal?
Previous: Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 / Part 5 / Part 6 / Part 7 / Part 8 / Part 9 / Part 10 / Part 11 / Part 12 / Part 13 / Part 14 / Part 15 / Part 16 / Part 17 / Part 18 / Part 19
. : : . : : . : : .
The moment Changmin opened his eyes he knew two of three things. One: he had a massive, painful headache the size of Mount Everest, and two: he was shivering as if he was lying on the frozen snow of the Antartic in the dead set of winter, right around the time Christmas would be rolling around.
The third thing was that he had no idea what the hell had happened or where he was.
And suddenly, that knowledge made him very scared.
“Well, well,” came a high, purring voice out of the piercing darkness of the place he was in, “You sure come around quickly.”
Changmin shivered both from the cold and from the familiar fear. He knew that voice.
It came closer. “Happy to hear from me again, little one?”
Changmin could practically picture the vampire’s face. The long hair, the pale skin, the unrighteous beauty that made him beyond terrified. He instantly recalled that November night at the record shop. Death in the form of a woman sauntering her way towards him.
His mind was screaming in alarm and panic.
“Are you not happy?” she inquired all too innocently. Changmin could practically feel her presence right beside him. His instincts flared as he tried to move away from the dangerous creature, but his eyes widened within the darkness when he realized something cold and solid holding his wrists and ankles in place. He couldn’t move. He was chained to something.
‘SHIT!’ his mind screamed. Fear flared throughout his body like a raging fire.
Fire.
Chains.
Darkness.
Fear.
Something triggered within Changmin’s mind, something dangerously familiar which did nothing but him terrify him further.
He felt his body dip down-was lying on a mattress?-to accommodate the weight of the vampire beside him. An attempt to move away proved to be useless.
Cold fingers stroked his shivering skin. Changmin whimpered in the fear that encompassed him without mercy.
“Now now, little one,” purred the vampire as she stroked his cheek delicately. “No need to be afraid. I have a story to tell you; it will make you feel better.”
Changmin couldn’t pull away from her. He couldn’t move. He was frozen in the cold depths of the dark room; his prison.
“Relax,” she whispered, her tone low and alluring. “Let me tell you the story of my two cousins and the tragedy that occurred because of them.”
Specks of light began to flicker away from where Changmin lay. They began surrounding the room, dimly lighting the structure of a familiar, rotting place.
Changmin’s fear swallowed his heart.
“Let me tell you the story of Yunho and Jaejoong, and their new, little baby called Changmin…”
A single, burning candle illuminated her face as the lips above him told the tale of a lifetime.
. : : . : : . : : .
No creature on this planet liked hospitals. Before anyone would walk through any front, sliding door, they could list over ten reasons why hospitals were the last place on Earth anyone would like to visit. Jaejoong will always be on of those ‘anyone’s.’
He hated, no, despised the smell of pristine cleanliness, sterile drugs, and decaying flesh. Though Jaejoong was a kind-hearted creature, this will always be what he thought of hospitals.
Blood in one place could never be so tempting either, but he didn’t care about that at the moment.
He had to find Junsu. Ignoring the baffled stares of both female and male nurses, doctors, whatever, the angelic vampire made his way to the front desk, waited in line for less than five minutes-shocking really-and asked for information about Kim Junsu.
The receptionist couldn’t help but ask for Jaejoong to repeat his question; the vampire did so, perfectly but in a rush. He needed Junsu’s room number and he needed to know it now!
“Are you his family?” the lady asked before she started the search.
Despite the worry and fear boiling in his body, Jaejoong couldn’t help but grin at the irony of that question. He pulled his I.D card from his wallet and handed it to the young woman. “My name is Kim Jaejoong,” he replied smoothly. “SuSu is my younger brother.”
“Su…Su?” she repeated. Obviously Jaejoong’s nickname for his friend did the trick because within seconds the receptionist pulled up Junsu’s information on her monitor. “Your brother is currently in surgery, so he has yet to receive a room. The surgery room is located on the seventh floor though.”
Jaejoong swiftly took back his I.D card from the lady’s hand, gave her a smile and a quick thank you before turning and heading for the elevators. When he had reached the seventh floor, he rushed to a smaller receptionists’ desk and asked a familiar set of questions. He learned that Junsu was just getting out of surgery.
“He is in room 704,” said a man draped in a long white coat. Jaejoong turned to face the man and shook the hand reached out for him. “My name is Dr. Kwon. I am Mr. Kim’s doctor.”
“Kim Jaejoong,” said the angel perfectly. “I’m Junsu’s older brother. How is he?”
“Well,” Dr. Kwon began shortly, “I just finished performing surgery on your brother’s middle ribs. He had cracked three during his fall from a tree.”
Jaejoong’s eyebrow rose instantly. “He fell from a tree?”
Dr. Kwon appeared to be puzzled. “Did you not hear that from Mr. Park? He said he would be informing the others as to what had happened to Mr. Kim.”
“Oh, well…he just told me that SuSu was in the hospital and that I should get here quickly. He never told me what had happened or why he was here in the first place.”
The doctor lifted his clipboard and flipped through a few pieces of paper. “From what Mr. Park told me,” he began. “Mr. Kim was climbing a very tall tree when he slipped and fell, colliding with a large branch before he hit the ground.” The doctor looked up to watch for Jaejoong’s reaction. “Does your younger brother usually climb tall trees?”
Jaejoong’s wavering smile did not suit his features, but he definitely fooled the doctor when he replied, “Yes, he tends to do that a lot. I don’t know why, but he’s been climbing trees since we were kids.”
Dr. Kwon nodded, but he didn’t appear pleased to hear that. “Is he going to be okay though?” Jaejoong asked softly, worry laced with his delicate voice.
“Yes, he is fine now. Recovery will be stressful and painful, but everyone can get through it. I’m sure a spirited person like your brother will also be able too.”
Jaejoong let out a relieved breath, but then asked, “What kind of recovery?”
Dr. Kwon then explained that Junsu would be on pain reducing medications to allow him to breath without trouble. The bandages covering his chest were only there to help in healing the surgical mark and to prevent infection. Of course he needed good nutrition, lots of rest, and no strenuous activities. The ribs should be healed within two months if all goes well.
“In my professional opinion,” said the doctor before he left. “I would prefer no more tree climbing in the future.”
Jaejoong smiled softly and bowed low. “Thank you for everything, Dr. Kwon.”
The doctor patted Jaejoong’s shoulder before leaving. The angel entered room 704 with a heavy heart, sad eyes, yet hopeful expression. A nurse informed him that Junsu was sleeping before she had left the room.
Jaejoong looked over his friend’s slumbering body wrapped comfortably in hospital blankets and against soft, clean pillows. He couldn’t see the chest bandage, but he could definitely smell the ointments surrounding the scar Junsu was sure to get. The vampire pulled up the chair near the window so he could sit beside the redhead’s bed.
“Oh SuSu,” Jaejoong murmured as he gently covered Junsu’s hand with his own. “Fell from a tree? Is that what Yoochunnie calls getting attacked nowadays?” His sarcasm was dry and filled with nothing but guilt and remorse. Jaejoong reached out and stroked the warm cheek with his cold, pale fingers. “I’m happy to know that you survived the fall, and I am sure the others will be too.” He pulled back and let his dark eyes stare sadly at their hands. “Especially Yoochunnie…”
There was no response as Jaejoong expected. Drugs really can knock a person out.
Deep down, Jaejoong was thankful his friend couldn’t hear the guilt laced in his voice.
Something familiar tugged at the angel’s heart: worry. Jaejoong looked up, tears fresh in his dark eyes and lips quivering as he spoke quietly, “I have to go Su…Min and the others in danger.”
All he could hear was the steady beep of Junsu’s heart and the gentle breaths escaping from those lips. Jaejoong stood up before carefully leaning over to place a delicate kiss upon his friend’s forehead. He pulled away slightly and stared down at the redhead, his tear-filled eyes caring and determined. “We are a family now SuSu, and everyone in a family helps each other. Your part is to recover and love Yoochunnie, okay? My part is to go save Minnie so all of us can be happy.”
Jaejoong smiled for his friend as he pulled away completely. “Love you,” he cooed warmly.
The redhead’s friend stepped out of room 704 with a flash of fierce jade in his eyes.
It vanished the moment he headed for the elevator.
. : : . : : . : : .
“It all began two-hundred years ago, during the time when werewolves arrived to the human village to save them from the threatening vampire race. Our numbers were in the hundreds while those puppies merely had fifty. They began to hunt us down, slaughtering us without mercy. Our strength was measly against theirs; we were cut down even before we took one step. We had no chance.”
Changmin could feel his mind diving in on itself. Memories were brought to the surface, familiar images, smells, and urges nicked at his senses. The freezing cold of the cabin and the burning candles of light brought such buried memories to life.
Whether this was a trick by her or him alone, Changmin was remembering.
He was remembering his past life.
Snarls filled the air while the scent of blood filled his nose. There were pale, decapitated bodies littering the forest floor with dark huge beasts trampling across them. Human heartbeats reached his ears, the sound tempting yet dangerous with every second that passed by. But he couldn’t kill them, he wouldn’t kill them. That was not what he wanted.
He was taught to be an immortal with a kind heart and loving nature. He was taught not to be a killer.
“Our children were bled dry before they had reached maturity. Humans cut down the weak while their pet guardians protected them. Our homes were burned and we were heading toward the point of extinction. It was a massacre.”
Changmin recalled voices both familiar then and familiar now. He remembered the forest holding such bloodshed within it’s borders. The horrors underneath the trees.
He remembered the place in which he had lived.
“I don’t want you going near the village Changmin, do you hear me? It is dangerous.”
Stubbornness and anger. “Why won’t we fight for our existence and help out cousins in this battle? Why do we let these monsters kill our kind without mercy? We are weak to stay here and do nothing!”
“All of us will die if we were to fight, Changmin.”
“You don’t know that Yunho!”
Rage and wisdom. “I do know this as do you! Our cousins were slaughtered before our eyes by a power far greater than our own, and you tell me I know nothing of it? Come to you senses Changmin.”
Guilt and helplessness. “But we cannot do nothing…”
“That is exactly what we’ll do. We will do nothing and flee.”
“Your precious Yunho and Jaejoong were not spared. They were one of the last vampires within the area to be hunted. Their call for peace was ignored, and the wolves proved that by killing their darling newborn, you.”
And they did exactly that.
Changmin remembered his death.
A burning pain filled his body as he felt himself grow weak. Human shouts for his death and dangerous growls from wolves were enveloping him.
“Kill him!”
“Cut off his head!”
“Burn him!”
He felt the wolf’s fangs pierce his throat, he felt his body being dragged across the blood-soaked earth. In his mind, he knew he brought this unto himself. He had left his lovers to fight for their existence.
He should have never left. He should have listened.
It was a mistake.
The chains were nailed to his wrists and ankles by humans carrying burning sticks. The pain echoed through the air in the form of his cry. His watering eyes fell onto the wooden walls of his own home.
“Jaejoong…” he whimpered as the humans’ weak kicks hurt more than it should have. “Yunho…”
They couldn’t hear him. He had left them days ago.
“No vampire shall ever live here again!” cried the humans. Victorious howls from wolves filled the outside air.
Changmin smelt the burning wood before he saw it.
The fire licking his skin was the last reminder of his mistake.
“Yunho and Jaejoong couldn’t even return to the forest to find you. They were hunted by the werewolves for years afterward.”
Nothing could describe the hollow feeling in Changmin’s heart. The cold, the candles, even a vampire’s presence could not stop him from drowning in his own memories. He had betrayed the two creatures who had given him life. He had betrayed their love and ignored their warnings. How much did his death, his mistake, hurt them?
No matter how much he wished for it to be a lie, Changmin knew it was all real.
Yunho and Jaejoong, his memories…were proof of that.
Yee Jung looked down upon Changmin with a sickeningly fond look. Her fingers stroked the brunette’s skin gently as if in her own silent apology. “Tragic, isn’t it?” she murmured almost gleefully. “Your death practically ruined Yunho and Jaejoong. They lived for nearly two-hundred years in misery and loss. It was more pathetic than sad really.”
Changmin didn’t realize his face being tilted towards Yee Jung until his eyes landed on her deep red ones. There were as red as blood.
The vampire appeared thoughtful as she continued to tilt Changmin’s head closer and closer to the mattress below. That familiar fear began to tickle the human’s senses as she purred close to his ear, “I can’t help but wonder what your death would do to them a second time…”
Changmin could barely cry out the moment her fangs sank into his neck. He felt his body convulse before it sank back into the mattress with Yee Jung upon him. As the warmth left his body, flashes of that night with Yunho crossed his mind-the night Yunho drank from him. The ugly feeling of death filled him as he body grew colder and colder…
“Yun…” he choked out in a breathless gasp. “…Jae…”
Yee Jung merely chuckled against his skin before pulling back and licking her lips of Changmin’s blood. “Poor baby,” she cooed. “I guess they are too late. Too bad they couldn’t get a taste of you; you are delicious.”
“And you are a dumb bitch,” snarled a voice right beside her. It wasn’t but half a second later that she was sailing through the air away from Changmin, her body smashing right through the rotting wall of the cabin and across the ground outside. She snarled at she jumped to her feet, her keen eyes locking onto the figure standing right where she was seconds ago.
Yoochun was crouched low with all wounds bleeding freely and lungs engulfing much-needed air. Candles which had rested on shelves near the now-ruined wall littered the wooden floor, darkening the half-wolf’s eyes to an even dangerous level. His own claws and fangs glistened against the orange glow of the tiny flames now licking at the rotten wood. Yee Jung hissed at him.
Changmin lay drained and weak to the world around him.
“So it is the halfing to the rescue now is it?” Yee Jung looked amused as she leapt back into the cabin. Yoochun’s eyes never left her as she continued to speak. “I hope you can put up a decent fight. I’ve been craving some action for a few years now.”
Yoochun growled low in his throat as the vampire’s fangs and claws stretched to their full length. Yee Jung’s red eyes were a crimson color against the flames which slowly began to kiss the floor.
The moment she stepped forward, Yoochun launched himself toward her with claws outstretched and his own fangs ready to bite. Her arms came up just in time to shield the half-wolf from her neck, but the force of Yoochun’s attack sent them tumbling across the ground outside. Yee Jung screeched from the claws which pierced her arms. She kicked Yoochun away from her and jumped back to her feet.
Yoochun steadied himself a careful distance away from her; he wouldn’t break his gaze from her body.
“Ass hole,” she snarled before sprinting towards him. Yoochun easily blocked her kicks and slashes at first, but his wounds had weakened him already. Yee Jung realized this the moment she kicked her opponent through a tree. She leapt and slammed her foot into his chest, pushing him into the dirt and leaves below, possibly snapping a few ribs in the process. “Pathetic halfling,” she hissed at him. Yoochun’s eyes flared dangerously. “You’re not even worth fighting.”
The half-wolf snarled before sending his claw right through the vampire’s leg. Yee Jung screeched loudly as Yoochun tore the limb completely from her body and kicked her into the air. He tossed the leg into the forest and slowly got back to his feet. He winced from the burning pain in his chest, leaning against the nearest tree for support.
He could smell the vampire’s blood; he could sense her anger and pain. Yoochun was glad she was with it-that was what she deserves.
A familiar scent reached his nose though. Yoochun’s eyes widened as he looked towards the cabin; smoke was escaping from the huge gap in the wall and dangerously bright flames were beginning to consume the rotten structure. “Changmin,” he whispered before running forward, retracting his claws and fangs in an instant. The movement was insanely painful-his broken ribs and injured body clearly protested that-but he leapt back into the burning cabin and moved right to Changmin. The brunette’s eyes were closed and his skin was deadly pale. Even against the orange and yellow flames now growing in measure, the human looked practically dead, but Yoochun sensed that Changmin was alive. The best friend of Junsu’s was not weak, definitely not if he had two vampires as lovers for what might be eternity.
He was dying though, hanging on by a loose thread.
Yoochun had to get him to Yunho or Jaejoong or a fucking hospital, and he had to do that now. With painful ease, he snapped the chains locking Changmin to the old, beaten mattress and lifted the human into his arms. Changmin was freezing! Yoochun felt a worry that could rival that of Junsu’s pool in his stomach. The half-wolf carefully positioned the brunette onto his back and ran for the opening in the dying cabin, ignoring the burning flames which were now consuming the structure’s life.
Yoochun landed heavily on the ground. Pain flared up his leg and chest, causing him to fall to his knee. He re-accommodated Changmin’s weight onto his back and stood up, stumbling slightly as he did so.
His eyes widened in shock when Yee Jung’s figure came alarmingly close and her claw pierced the side of his neck; he couldn’t dodge it in time. He knew as he fell to the ground-Changmin rolling off his back onto the earth beside him-that she had succeeded with her fatal attack. His blood was now pooling out from the jugular vein in his neck, draining him of his strength and life.
The only way to kill a werewolf or one like it.
Bleed it dry.
Yoochun choked and gasped as he lifted his hand to press against his bleeding wound. There was no way his werewolf blood could help him heal this; it was impossible.
His eyes found Yee Jung as the vampire crawled her way toward him. Despite the pain, the wounds, and every hurt she cause on his loved ones, he felt a sense of accomplishment from seeing her in such a state. His vision was fading fast though; he could barely see her as she stopped beside him so she could glare down at his injured body.
“You will die a painful death for what you’ve done to me,” she hissed as she raked her long claws down the side of his face. Yoochun didn’t even wince; he would not give her that satisfaction. “I will kill every one of your friends, starting with that dying piece of flesh behind you-”
She sensed him right before Yoochun did but still had no chance to stop what came next. Her piercing screech filled the choking air as her own head was ripped from her body and thrown into the fires which raged behind them. Yoochun watched weakly as Yunho lifted the dead vampire’s corpse and threw that into the cabin too, letting the flames destroy every last inch of their enemy’s existence. The handsome vampire wasted no time though as he kneeled before Yoochun, slashed his own wrist, and pressed it to the other’s quivering lips. The half-wolf, with whatever strength he had left, protested and weakly turned away. “Drink it you fool,” Yunho growled as he pressed his bleeding wrist toward Yoochun again. “You need blood whether it is werewolf’s, vampire’s or a fucking rabbit’s so drink before you die!”
The fatal wound to his neck was a reminder that he indeed was dying, and despite everything-hatred, rivalry, and past battles-Yunho was right.
Fuck, Yunho was right.
But Yunho already knew that, so the vampire lifted Yoochun’s head and pressed his bleeding wrist to the brunette once more, practically ordering him to drink or never see Junsu again.
And Yoochun drank. It was painful to do so and most of Yunho’s blood trailed down his chin, but he still drank. Barely a minute later and Yoochun was sitting up with his hand still pressed to the wound on his neck. His jugular vein had healed itself to his utter relief and Yunho was now tending to Changmin.
The brunette was not so lucky, Yoochun could see it. He followed Yunho clumsily into the depths of the forest as the vampire carried his pale lover in his arms and led them away from the burning cabin. Yoochun could hear the old structure collapsing into shambles despite the farther they moved away.
They stopped in the clearing. If Changmin’s eyes were open he would recognize that he was near the fairgrounds, near the place which had led to him to a whole new life. But his eyes weren’t open and his body was limp. Yoochun could barely see the other breathing.
Yunho cradled his younger lover against his chest as he slowly knelt upon the grass. Yoochun knelt carefully beside the vampire, his eyes glancing from Yunho to the dying human in his arms. Pain, a deeper, heart-felt pain began to claw at his heart, reminding Yoochun of his own lover lying on a hospital bed.
Junsu was almost killed.
And now Changmin looked dead.
“What are you going to do?” the half-wolf asked Yunho; his voice was weak and shaky.
Yunho brought a trembling, a trembling, hand up to cup Changmin’s pale cheek. “I have to save him…” he murmured, and it was nothing like the voice the half-wolf has come to hate and loathe. Yoochun watched the mixed emotions flash across the vampire’s dark eyes. He could see the pain and torment on his own face, the worry, loss, and love for Changmin within the palm of the other’s hand. He was debating. He was debating whether he should turn Changmin now or let him die.
“Save him,” Yoochun choked out the words that became clearer with every breath. “What are you waiting for?”
“I need his consent,” Yunho all but hissed, his dark eyes flashing crimson the moment he glared at Yoochun. “I cannot turn him unless I have his consent.”
“He already gave it to you,” said Yoochun in anger and frustration. “Isn’t his love for you and Jaejoong consent enough?”
The crimson color faded slowly. Yoochun hoped the vampire saw sense in his words, in his own love for Changmin because the human was dying and Yunho had no time to debate about this decision.
Yunho’s expression filtered into a look of complete loss. “What’s wrong?” Yoochun demanded. “Changmin will die unless you turn him!”
“I…” the vampire lowered his head, his voice low and quiet. “I need Jaejoong.”
“Jaejoong will understand anything you do and decide,” Yoochun sympathized. “Please Yunho, you have to hurry!”
The vampire looked up at Yoochun with a mixture of puzzlement and amazement. It was then that the half-wolf realized he had decided. Just for encouragement or whatever the hell that urged him, Yoochun nodded towards Yunho, watching as the vampire’s fangs lengthened and gently, slowly, delicately…pierced the skin of Changmin’s neck. The bite was in the exact place where Yee Jung had bitten him.
Rid Changmin of her existence as well.
Yoochun smelt the venom as Yunho released it into his lover’s blood. As the handsome vampire pulled away, he and the half-wolf watched as the shreds of humanity were stripped from Changmin completely. The brunette’s body arched upward as his brown eyes shot open. A wordless cry left his lips, but it was soon swallowed by Yunho when the vampire covered his lover’s mouth with his own. “It’s alright Changmin,” Yunho breathed as he held the turning human in his strong, gentle arms. He kissed the corner of Changmin’s mouth softly. “Nothing will hurt you, I promise.”
There was a light breeze in the air when Yoochun caught his scent. “Yunho,” he alarmed softly the other quietly. The vampire’s dark eyes left Changmin carefully and followed the half-wolf’s line of sight. He sniffed the air once and his eyes widened. “Jaejoong,” he breathed out in relief.
Just like he had said, Jaejoong came into view near the other entrance to the clearing. The angelic vampire was sprinting towards their small group, eyes a brilliant jade color and skin glowing like the moonlight. Yoochun was glad to have his senses back to this extent. He could see Jaejoong almost perfectly; Yunho’s vampire blood had helped.
Another breeze ticked Yoochun’s nose, and the half-wolf caught it. His chocolate brown eyes turned a luminescent yellow as he shouted, “Jaejoong, watch out!”
The angel had almost reached them when he caught on. By the look of alarm on Yunho’s face, he sensed it as well. “Jae, stop!” he ordered as his body tensed and his hold on Changmin tightened.
The delicate vampire came to a complete halt and went insanely still as a pack of werewolves stepped up from their crouched positions in the grass and tightened their circle around him. Their golden eyes were locked onto his form as if he were prey.
In the situation he was in now, Jaejoong would surely agree that he was their prey.
It was during these few moments that Changmin took in his last breath and his heart stopped completely.
next: part 21(final)
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