Chapter 11 - Unspoken serpents.
Silent and still, he waited with bated breaths for her body to move, twitch, anything. Nothing. His bare feet kissed the cold, hard ground as he padded forward to reach a tentative finger, grazing lightly over her smoothed brow. This wasn’t right. She shouldn’t be left alone out here. Where was her mother? Where was everyone?
He shifted from his crouch to gaze searchingly about through the shadowed trees. The wind whispered through their leaves, a haunting ghoul that ghosted between the silvered moonlight, watching him with cold, calculative eyes. He shivered in the bitter chill, stifling an unbidden sigh of distress that blew out from his chapped lips in a frosty puff. He felt the hairs on his back prickle with apprehension. He was being watched.
He let out a startled gasp as he brought his gaze back to gravel. The twigs rustled across the dirt ground, a dry crackle that sounded melancholy to his ears. Empty space stood out starkly back at him, as he widened his eyes in horror. She was gone.
Twinkling laughter echoed across the dry space, whipping and whirling about on the wind in a maddened, taunting dance. He glimpsed her flitting through the hollowed spaces, her hands brushing lightly across the swaying branches, her little feet stepping fleetingly for just a second upon the ground. It was simply beatific and melodious, her laugh- carefree and giggly, a sunburst of sugary sweetness enriched with a soulful trace of organs thrumming a lilting bass- it enveloped all around him.
It was Jaejoong's laughter. Yunho found himself laughing along.
***
A soft, gentle touch upon his brow. Slim fingers met his blurred vision as Yunho cracked his eyes blearily open, a tender wisp of air whispered across his skin as Jaejoong brushed stray strands of Yunho's hair across his creased brow. Yunho caught a glimpse of a tender smile gracing Jaejoong's lips before it was replaced swiftly with an amused curve.
“About time you’re awake. I’ve been trying to get you up for a long while,” Jaejoong said in mock irritation, a finely arched brow raised in annoyance as he tapped Yunho's forehead condescendingly. Yunho shifted out from under the covers, lifting his head blearily to peer at the curtained windows, his eyes widening incredulously as he took in the watery stream of sunlight resting lightly upon the dark woodened panelling of the room. “we have to go somewhere today.” Jaejoong commented absentmindedly as he sat down unceremoniously upon the edge of the satin sheets, slipping on a pair of discreet black Vans.
Yunho moved his tongue around his mouth, feeling the familiar graze of his sharpened teeth as he felt the insides of his cheek. He tasted stale and bland. Yunho's frown deepened as he swivelled his head about, taking in his surroundings wearily. His gaze landed on the cheery hello kitty clock that stood forlornly on the rickety wooden bedside table. The cute dimple of the cat’s cheeks as it smiled horrendously back at him, chafed against his nerves. “We just slept an hour ago!” Yunho complained, meeting Jaejoong's calm, lucid orbs of cranberry. “What are we doing up? The sun is still shining brightly…”
Jaejoong abruptly shifted his gaze downwards, his slim fingers picking out invisible pieces of lint that were stuck onto his casual woollen sweater. As usual, it was black. “It’s my parent’s death anniversary…” Jaejoong trailed away softly, raising his bowed head to meet Yunho's stricken gaze with hardened crystals of darkened pitch rose.
Yunho broke away from Jaejoong's piercing stare, fidgeting uncomfortably beneath the sheets as he bowed his head in shame. “I'm sorry.” He apologised meekly. The sheets rustled as Yunho stood up gingerly, turning his back to Jaejoong as he slipped a tightly knit sweater over his head, the intricate weave snagging on his fine hair.
The quiet hush of a still morning greeted their senses as they picked their way silently through the dark corridor. Sunlight never touched these grounds, choosing instead to linger outside their establishment, all too knowing of the sensitive residents that lingered amongst the elegant walls. They heard the gentle thrush of winters wind as it hovered outside in the snowy landscape, long before they even reached the main lounge. Yoochun's grand piano stood solemnly by itself, raised up high on its dais, regal and menacing. Its black and white keys glimmered back at Yunho in the darkness.
Elegant opulence blended in stylishly with modern architecture. The sleek line of the polished bartop was a streak of gleaming refinement that weaved itself between lush fabrics of velvet that covered the various chaises littering the room. Old fashioned wine glasses, their necks long and elegant, were neatly arranged upon glass shelves with fluorescent lights shining an eerie blue halo through the crystal. The rich carpet, soft and yielding to each tread, blew up dancing spirals of golden motes where sunlight had managed to seep through the cracks beneath the thick wooden doors.
They crossed the room swiftly, the muted creak of the wooden door opening was all the warning Yunho got, before sunlight shimmered its radiance upon him. A steady languor spread through his limbs as the sun spread her lulling warmth, slowing his rapid heartbeats into a rhythmic throb, his breaths deepening in a constant whoosh. The icy frost of cold, clean air that pierced his senses, perked him up somewhat. But it only served to slow down the pace of time, the sure but gradual deadening of his senses, as sights, sounds, dulled into a hazy swirl of sluggish thoughts.
“I feel like a human,” Yunho muttered in distaste, moving his arms and legs about, testing the restraints that the sun had placed upon him. His vision was blurred and hazy to say the least, his breaths slow and sluggish, his movements lethargic and lacklustre with his pale skin tightening in annoyance as the suns radiance felt all too warm for his liking. Jaejoong simply cast a sympathetic eye over Yunho before slipping into the passenger seat in Yoochun's car. Yunho climbed in without hesitation, breathing out a relieved sigh as the soothing caress of darkness enveloped him once again, within the tinted enclosure of the purring machine.
“This is going to be a long day...” Yunho murmured before taking off.
***
The morning’s sun strengthened as they drove along, shooing away the ineffectual clouds as though they were misbehaving children, clearing the sky into a pure expanse of faint cobalt. Towering skyscrapers, gleaming in the hazed sunshine with their polished windows that winked back at them, soon gave way to undulating countryside and forest. The air was cleaner and fresher out amongst the towering birches, very much unlike the choked, foggy air that clogged Seoul’s core city. Concrete sidewalks teeming with workers and businessmen alike, bustling with the sounds and sights of a city awakening to the first rays of light, quietened down to a peaceful hush as they marvelled at the tender caress of the wind, rustling through the trees.
Jaejoong soon directed them to a side path off the main road, a meagre trail of gravel that clanked annoyingly against the underside of the car, frequent piercing pangs voicing the car’s discomfiture as it trundled along upon the unruly ground. It was a bumpy ride, to say the least. Yunho winced in sympathy as he imagined Yoochun's livid face when they arrived back home, upon seeing his polished, sleek sports car with streaks of metal showing through the black matte paint as rocks had scraped slices of it away. Great, majestic oaks towered over them, their thick branches entangling together to overshadow their solitary passage down the unused path. Gnarled roots peeked out from the ground, forming a treacherous passage for the poor sputtering machine.
Yunho breathed out a pent up sigh as they finally slowed to a stop, a curtain of trees effectively blocking their passage. A narrow trail meandered through their trunks, forcing the passengers to leave the relative safety of their car. Yunho gazed at the path that resembled more of an animal’s water trail than anything else with slight hesitation, doubt showing clear within his lightened orbs of amber. Jaejoong simply ignored him and promptly stepped out onto the path confidently. Quick, sure steps that he touched fleetingly against the ground before his next leg was already in motion. Jaejoong flitted through the foliage with a feral grace that bespoke of familiar practice and skill, his eyes set straight ahead with determination.
Yunho hastened after him, tightening the straps of Jaejoong's backpack around his shoulders before he too threaded through the tricky undergrowth, picking his way testily around creeping roots and heaps of yellowed leaves. They travelled in single file for some time, neither saying a word as they concentrated fully on the task at hand, the cold rush of clean air streaming through their heaving lungs as a faint sheen of sweat shimmered across their brows. It was harder for Yunho as the sun shone down glaringly upon his bent back, its searing heat causing him to fidget uncomfortably within his stifling sweater, the cloying material chafing irritably against the side of his neck.
Abruptly, they stumbled out from the narrowed confines of the forest to a dappled clearing, the ankle-high grass waving and bending in time to an unknown symphony, the wind conducting a swirling melody that threaded it way between the rustling leaves. Nature was slowly unravelling her beauty to them in small peeks as winter’s frigid grip slackened, giving way to the nurturing caress of spring. New buds of green dotted the sides of trunks, their rough bark peeling off in strips to reveal a second layer of gleaming grey, their pallid paleness still virgin and protected from the brunt of the changing seasons.
Jaejoong gave out a sudden whoop, his eyes slid shut in bliss as he whirled a dizzying turn about, breathing in deeply of the crisp air, dry and new just like how everything was turning over and budding afresh. Alive and carefree, he spun about in a blur, his lilting laughs sounding infectious and curious to Yunho's perked ears. An unwilling grin lifted the corners of his lips, crinkling his eyes with mirth as Yunho stood aside in the shade, watching Jaejoong run about in glee like a jubilant child.
Jaejoong suddenly released a startled shout, his lithe form abruptly disappearing in a tumble as he fell down. Yunho started forward, pumping his legs in earnest as he rushed towards the dishevelled heap that lay at the bottom of the sloping hill. Fearing the worst, he scrambled down, uncaring of the dirt that his legs kicked up, in his maddened rush to Jaejoong. “Jaejoong! Are you okay?” Yunho panted, seizing Jaejoong in a sudden embrace as he fought to slow down, barrelling straight into the skinny frame with great force. They stumbled for a moment, their limbs flailing about comically as they careened dangerously, fighting precariously to maintain their balance.
Alas, it was in vain, as they tumbled to the ground in a messy heap. Yunho's breath whooshed out in a great huff as the hard ground slammed into his back, his head bouncing painfully with stars dancing across his blurred vision. He shook his head groggily, blinking his eyes wearily as his frown deepened, a warm palm touching his forehead as he peered around in disorientation. Jaejoong's widened orbs stared back at him in earnest, a slight frown of concern furrowing his brows together, his lips pursed in a tightened line of worry as his palm brushed fleetingly against Yunho's cheek. Yunho blinked a few more times.
“Are you okay? You hit your head pretty hard there…” Jaejoong murmured anxiously, his intense gaze searching within Yunho's muddled orbs for any hint of comprehension. Yunho shook his head furiously, feeling as if his ears were stoppered with water and clogged with a heavy blanket that smothered his coherency. The sun suddenly felt unbearable, shooting acute pinpricks of pain to lance through the befuddled daze and embed itself within the pounding headache at the base of his head. Squinting his eyes against the glare, Yunho groaned, propping himself up stiffly as he gazed back down at Jaejoong's body sprawled across him in a messy heap.
Jaejoong hair was tousled and dishevelled, his stylish fringe swept to the side in a layered jumble, unruly strands entangling little twigs within his locks. Yunho chuckled, reaching a tentative finger to brush the dead leaves away. Jaejoong startled, jerking away from Yunho's touch suddenly, his body freezing and tensing into a rigid board. But as quickly as it had come, he relaxed and quivered under Yunho's gentle touch, a slight trace of wary apprehension lingering within his eyes as he fiddled nervously with a few strands of grass between his nimble fingers, fidgeting impatiently under Yunho's unhurried perusal through his curtain of coppery red.
The sun lit a flaming halo that encircled Jaejoong's head, emblazoned streaks of crimson scarlet that threaded loving fingers through his hair. Yunho accepted his proffered hand with muted thanks, heaving a grunt as he hoisted himself up by gripping tightly to Jaejoong's hand. “I almost forgot the reason why we came here,” Jaejoong uttered seriously, squeezing Yunho's fingers firmly before he let them slip out of his warm grasp. He glanced around to check their bearings, before he strode sure-footedly towards a great oak, its trunk withered and blackened with age.
They soon came upon two crude stone fixtures, the engraved names barely noticeable as nature’s determination weathered away at the edges of the words. They stood out starkly against the base of the tree, moss and algae already creeping up the rough hewn sides, to paint dark green streaks across the steely grey expanse. The elements had not been kind to Jaejoong's parents’ graves. Jaejoong was unnaturally still, his face composed in an icy mask of incomprehension as he gazed unseeingly at their gravestones. Within the safe embrace of the trees crown, Yunho felt his eyesight sharpen somewhat and focus upon the slight frown that creased Jaejoong's otherwise serene countenance.
Time seemed to freeze within that inexplicable moment, capturing the fleeting instance of pure sorrow shining forth within Jaejoong's agonized gaze, before it too vanished in a flash. Yunho tucked the memory deep within himself, the vivid image of Jaejoong's forlorn figure standing bowed to the brunt of the wind’s force forever etched into his consciousness.
He extended a hand wordlessly forward towards Yunho, waiting patiently for the rough rasp of the backpacks strap to fall into his palm. In a single fluid motion, Jaejoong pulled out a small bouquet of lilies with a flourish, their snowy velvet petals protected by a flimsy sheath of plastic. A single lilac ribbon wrapped itself around the stems, clinching the flowers together in an unfurling spiral. Jaejoong crouched down, placing the virgin spider lilies near the base of the rough stone, their long slender fingers splayed out against a patchwork of undergrowth, a single nectar drop blossoming upon the tip of a protruding tendril.
Jaejoong sighed wearily. “Thank you umma, appa. For bringing me into this world and making me what I am today. I hope you both are enjoying each other’s company, now in eternal peace…” He recited the litany formally stiff and repetitive, giving voice to the words imprinted within his memory, their edges dulled and blunt with constant caresses from his morbid fascination with his parents death. He constantly revisited the haunting memories, their torturous grief resonating within his throbbing heart each time they resurfaced from the recesses of his mind. The pain was still very much acute, and agonisingly tender. Yunho sensed a vast sea of pain lurking behind Jaejoong's hooded gaze and chose not to speak, lest the dam of his emotions finally breached and spewed forth in a tumultuous rush.
A shrill squawk pierced through the calm hush, a flurry of yellow feathers drifting along on the imaginary playful fingers of the wind as it streamed behind in the birds wake. Indignant shrieks snapped both their heads up as they gazed wordlessly at the vicious struggle unfolding before their eyes. A blur of electric turquoise flashed past their vision as it struggled to avoid the pursuer with sharp jabs of its wickedly curved beak, swerving and diving in a wondrous display of acrobatics between the silver tipped branches. The pair of birds paid both men no mind as they continued in their endless, skirmishing flight, swooping to double back on each other just to land painful nips upon their tail feathers.
“How trivial they seem, with their constant day to day predicaments and trials,” Yunho murmured, as he swivelled his head, tracking their progress between the rustling treetops. “How meaningless How senselessly they throw themselves into their own problems. And yet, they never realise that a phantom is taking advantage of their stupidity.” He commented seriously, making a move to remove the gleaming serpent that was about to dip its arrow shaped head into a nest, burdened with speckled eggs. Jaejoong beat him to it, though.
“Stop,” Jaejoong laid a warning hand upon Yunho's shoulder. “it is not our place to upset the balance of nature.” But Jaejoong understood Yunho.
Yunho was not referring to the birds at all…
They watched in silence as a noticeable bulge formed past the snake’s unhinged jaw, to travel unhurriedly down the length of its sinuous body. Its scales shimmered and glinted in the dappled shade, minute crescents of brilliant onyx winking back at them as slivers of sunlight broke through the dense canopy of leaves. Yunho watched in wonder as Jaejoong extended a steady finger to trace lovingly around a jade dewdrop that adorned the crown of its head. A shiver crawled down Yunho's spine as the serpent slithered under Jaejoong's gentle touch to wrap itself around the length of his arm. Tentative dabs of its forked tongue flitted past its scaled lips to touch lightly upon the curious weave of Jaejoong's sleeve, its avaricious, beady eyes swirling around in an obsidian diamond as it stared back at the man.
Jaejoong hummed contentedly, a tender smile crinkling the edges of his lips as he gazed down lovingly at the relaxed coils of the snake’s serpentine body around his arm. Yunho simply stared on in shock. “Why doesn’t it bite you?” Yunho stuttered incredulously.
Jaejoong lifted amused orbs to settle upon Yunho's stunned visage. “Demons have a way with animals… w- we, can sense how they feel and convey in return our feelings and a basic understanding of our thoughts can flow between both of us.” Jaejoong's words grew softer and more hesitant, his brows furrowing in muddled confusion as he tried to piece together the best words to explain to Yunho the natural gifts of his kindred. “you can do it too you know. But it takes practice. And no, you are not only limited to bats like what people say in story books…” His icy façade thawed away as he spoke, an attractive smile complimenting the swirling orbs of honeyed warmth.
“I see,” Yunho mused. “no one really taught me all this… wh- when. When I was made, no one was there when I first woke up. I didn’t have anyone to teach me any of this. You could say, I was an orphaned vampire…” A morose smile graced his lips, as he stared back unseeingly at Jaejoong. Jaejoong uttered not a word. Yunho lifted his unreadable gaze to return upon the snake, coiled lazily around Jaejoong's arm, its morning breakfast settling down the middle of its length in a gentle swell.
“How pretty it looks with its gleaming scales and glistening diamond eyes. But yet, nature gifted it with a lethal strike and skin of purest midnight to camouflage well. It was made for preying in the dark and sleeping during the day. What a primal life it must lead, thinking only of the present and never the future. Only thinking about its next kill after it has fed. Ho- how… how pitiful.” Yunho finished remorsefully, his eyes turned inwards, nursing the jagged shards of his taunting memories as they cajoled and danced around him in a maddened tumble.
The wind picked up in the sudden lull after the monosyllabic words had rolled off Yunho’s tongue, whipping the remaining white grains of snow to swirl in eddies and churns around their booted feet. “I see,” Jaejoong commented with the same note of finality. “but that is the balance of life and death. We are creatures of flesh and blood, very much like the very humans that trawl the earth. Nature had gifted us with tools to simply maintain the balance. We are neither above nor below the seesaw of nature’s hand. It deals with us, not the other way around and every single flickering life that flourishes under her guidance is subject to the same gruelling rules of survival.” Jaejoong's voice gentled into a soft whisper. “I understand you must have faced tremendous difficulties after yo- ”
“No! No! You don’t understand! How can you possibly understand what I’ve been through!?” Yunho shouted suddenly, swinging his hand down in a sharp jerk, slicing through the air. “I killed her, Jaejoong! Her blood was on my hands! She didn’t do anything wrong to me, nothing at all! And what did I repay her with? Her death.” He bit out the words vehemently bitter, spitting the incarcerating syllables to land like hurled darts upon the faint drape of winter’s last sputtering fall of snow upon the ground. “Her eyes will forever stare back at me whenever I feed. Every single time the blood rushes down my throat, it tastes like her fucking blood, Jaejoong! I hurt everyone. Because I'm a monster…” He gasped huge lungfuls of air, heaving harshly as though he had just run a race. Yunho curled his trembling fingers in a tight fist, turning his body ashamedly away from Jaejoong, refusing to meet the horrified, accusing glare.
I'm a monster…
Warmth enveloped him in a sudden clasp. Jaejoong's strong arms gripped him in a paralysing embrace, the strength of his fervent words washing away the clamour that plagued his chaotic thoughts. “Accept the reality. That these things happen. Yunho, you couldn’t control what had happened. You woke up disorientated and confused, with an unsure take on your life. She simply happened to be there at an unfortunate time and place. But do not let your guilt cloud and poison your mind. If you are to continue living and fighting, you need to forgive yourself. You are not a monster!” Jaejoong whispered vehemently, his soft murmurs a balm to Yunho's tortured soul.
Yunho felt the tidal crest of his surging anger drain out from his limbs, leaving him utterly exhausted and drained. He fell into the abyss of Jaejoong's eternal comfort, leaning back heavily into their joined embrace, his gentling breaths puffing out in crystallized clouds that glittered under the flimsy cover of daylight. He breathed in deeply of Jaejoong's scent, a curious concoction of the clean rangy, feral wildness of animals with a homely trace of pine needles and an exotic tang of freshly crushed flower blossoms.
Yunho abruptly tensed, an unfamiliar scent dancing faintly on the wind as it shifted its course, perking up his alarmed senses. It tasted at once familiar and yet unnaturally peculiar. “A fox is near…” Yunho murmured in hushed tones to assure Jaejoong's startled jolt.
“Close, but not quite there Mister. Jung. Yunho.” A low voice trailed forth from between two mature saplings, their cover of leaves letting beams of sun to stream over the tall, slender frame of a man, his face enveloped in shadows. Yunho traced the faint glistening curve of the man’s feral grin, as sharp incisors glinted back from the forested gloom. Yunho unsheathed his wickedly curved knife from its place next to his hips, the comforting weight of the sturdy handle tightly wrapped within his grip.
A stranger had entered their presence.