~Yumi~

--------------------

JaeJoong stayed quiet for awhile, not answering my question. I was quiet as well and the only thing I could hear was my own breathing, and what the guys could hear, that would probably be my heartbeats.

"Don't worry, it's not like we came here to bring trouble to this town. We want to live in peace as well.. and just.. live" Changmin said softly and comforted me

I nodded

"I know.. it's just that.. recently, there has been so much stuff going on already and.. I can't believe that I'm in this, knowing this. It's.. unreal" I said and looked at them

Yunho nodded

"We know that and we understand that.. if you need some time away from us, we will give it to you. We don't want to burden you and this is a lot to take in.. but so far, you've been really strong" Yunho smiled

"Thank you Yunho" I smiled

He nodded

"You've taken this very good and that is pretty... amazing because most people would freak out or.. try to kill us. You haven't tried either of them. That is pretty surprising"  Yoochun chuckled

I rolled my eyes

"I don't know.. You say you're not alive but you feel more and more alive to me the more I hang out with you" I whispered

I felt the gaze of JaeJoong on me and I automatically looked up as a unreadable expression was shown at me. It was hard to read him. Trying to understand him was also hard. I had no idea to reach for him and even though we could talk to each other, sometimes it felt like he was trying to hide something, as if the darkest secret he had deep inside of him was the secret that was totally sacred that no one could know about. Or was that opinion only mine?

"You're okay?" Changmin asked and looked at me

I nodded

"He's calling for you"

JaeJoong's dead voice caused my spine to have chills and I even flinched a little since it was so.. scary

"Who is?" I asked

"Donghae" JaeJoong said and spun around

I didn't know what to do or to react to JaeJoong's sudden back that was facing me but Donghae needed me. I had to go

I arrived in the livingroom and saw Donghae on the couch. He looked somewhat better than before but seems like he was still in pain.

"Hey.." I whispered

He oopened his eyes and looked at me and waited for me to sit down on the floor, bending down onto his height as I could lean onto the couch

"You're okay?" He asked

"You're the one who's wounded and you are asking if I'm okay? They must have hurt you a lot" I chuckled

Donghae smiled at me

"Does it hurt?" I asked worriedly as I looked at his wounds

"It already healed but vervain are still torturing me. It'll disappear in an hour or so" Donghae said tiredly

Seems like vervain was really something. This must be the most hurtful torture to a vampire, a stake covered with vervain. I sighed worriedly as I felt myself not being able to stand the sight of Donghae being hurt. The childhood bond was there yes and it was coming alive

"How are you feeling?" I asked

"I'll be better soon" He nodded

"What happened?"

Donghae shrugged as he shook his head

"I don't know. I was on my way to your house and then suddenly I felt myself being followed. It was 1 vampire at first but then there were suddenly 3 of them" He whispered tiredly

"3?" I asked, feeling my heart beating faster as I started to get scared. 3 bloodthirsty vampires...

"Yes.. and the next thing I know was the pain.. I thought I was going to die then" He mumbled

I swallowed hard

I had to caress his forehead, then his cheek as I felt the tears coming up, feeling bad for Donghae, pitying him. What would have happened if he hadn't made it? If the guys wouldn't have found him? Just the thought of it was making my heart ache

"But you're.. here. And you're alive.." I whispered

Donghae chuckled

"In a way yes" He said and tried to joke it away

I remembered how Donghae was. How he was trying to lighten up the mood even in the most serious situations. Just like this one. It brought old memories to life and I could feel how much my chest was being absorbed with warmth, the warmth of the memories from the time when Donghae was still here

"Can you.. stop crying? You're giving me feelings of guilt here, since I kind of caused it" He said and tried to wipe away the tears

I chuckled and used my sleeve and wiped them away

"Sorry" I mumbled

"You're still the same.. " He whispered

The tone of his voice change, as if it became more softly, so much love behind it and so much longing. I suddenly felt his hand caress my cheek and slowly wiping away the traces of water that my tears left behind.

"You too" I mumbled

"Of course. Forever the Donghae of yours" He said

----------------------------------------

~JaeJoong~

-----------------------------------------

"You've already crushed the table once. Don't do it again please?" Junsu whispered as I felt myself wanting to break the table once again

I could hear every word that was being exchanged between Donghae and Yumi and for some reason, I felt irritated. I was jealous. My head had thoughts like wanting to kill Donghae, anything that would make him stop talking to Yumi but then the reasonable and the conscious mind came alive and the voice spoke something like 'He's her friend. If you hurt him you'll hurt her'. And I already knew that. Just remembering her facial expression from earlier when she saw what state Donghae was in, it was heartbreaking.

I felt myself soften up and letting go of the table, although the table now had marks of my hands

"So 3 vampires.." Yunho said

"Thirsty ones" Junsu said

"But why would they attack Donghae?" Yoochun asked

I didn't want to be a part of this discussion but I knew that if I wanted to stay and if I wanted Yumi to be safe, just like the other guys, we would have to find out what was going on. They were blowing our cover

"Is there a connection?" Changmin asked

"Maybe we should ask him" I gritted my teeth

"Seems like he doesn't know" Yunho said

"I know" I mumbled

"Then what are you suggesting?" Junsu asked and looked at me

"We'll find them and ask them. If we have to, we'll kill them. If they want to stay here, fine but do not blow our cover" I mumbled and looked up

"Seems like someone are killing-mode" Junsu mumbled

"Shut up" I said

Junsu chuckled

"They're friends.." Yunho said

"I know but she doesn't see the things that we see" I said angrily the more I thought about it and looked at the guys

"What is he doing?" Changmin asked

"Manipulating her" Yoochun answered

I could hear the guys gasp from shock but I shrugged. I had been thinking a little about this but this was the answer to my questions. Good thing for us that he still had vervain in his body, or else he would hear every single word that was being spoken at the moment

"Manipulating?" Junsu stuttered

I nodded

"Why do you think he's..doing that?" Yunho asked

I sighed and leaned against the wall

I raised one of my legs and I folded my arms over my chest as I looked at them

"He loves her. Yumi told me that he became a vampire.. since he wanted a second chance.. Maybe partly of that reason was to see Yumi again" I shrugged

"And?" Junsu asked

"And.. I'm afraid that he will now try to use the memories that both of them share.. to manipulate her feelings.. her thoughts.. and her heart.. in order to make her into one" I said worriedly

Changmin stared at me wideeyed

"Into.. a vampire?" He asked, barely audible

I nodded

"You're.. serious.. aren't you?" Yoochun asked and looked at me

I nodded

"She can't.. she can't.. become.." Changmin stuttered, starting to talk to himself

I nodded

"I know.. that is why I'm worried about what will happen if they spend time.. but I can't separate. None of us can. They already share a bond that is stronger than we know anything about" I mumbled sadly

I didn't hear the desperation in my voice, the sadness.. because of the thoughts.. just thinking about Yumi becoming a vampire was making me flinch. And I haven't flinched in 300 years

"We have to ... stop that.. She can't" Yunho said, a bit shocked as well but he was calm

"She can't become a vampire" Junsu whispered

"This is a doomed life" Changmin whispered

"She deserves better" I whispered and looked up

All of the guys looked at me, as the silence were speaking. We all knew that this was right. She could never.. ever become a vampire. We do not wish this kind of life for anyone, especially her now when she has become someone that we care for.

I felt my  chest was provoking me. It was warm and then too warm but then it was normal.

"Hyung.." Changmin mumbled

I looked up

"What is it?"

"You've... developed.. feelings for her.. haven't you?"

The question was like a bullet, straightforward and sudden. I haven't been able to think about it like this. But now when the question was here.. how am I suppose to answer? Are there any feelings? Could a vampire feel anything?

"Is it even possible for us to feel?" I whispered, needing confirmation

"Of course.. it's the strongest connection we have to our human side" Yunho whispered

I looked up

"Are we even sure that there are a human side of us?" I asked

"Hyung, you're going against your own words. 'We have to try to stay human, in any possible way. That is how we can balance our true nature with ourselves'. That is what you said" Changmin said

I nodded

"I just needed confirmation" I mumbled

"So is there?" Yoochun asked, waiting for my reply

I sighed and looked up

"I think so, yes"

"You think or you know?" Yunho asked

"I know so.. I'm just a bit unsuer if this is.. the right thing to do .. of me.."

"What do you mean by right?" Junsu asked

"Because.. I'm a vampire.. and.. she's a human" I whispered

"But there's your balance" Yoochun said

I looked at Yoochun as he smiled at me

"There is your balance. She will keep the human side of you in order to balance it with your true nature" Yoochun said

I rolled my eyes as I felt myself feeling like a mentor to the guys since they were now repeating my words

"I don't love her.. " I said

The guys waited

"But I have feelings for her cause... we kissed.. today.. before you .. arrived" I said and looked at them

"Wow" Junsu said with his mouth shaped as an 'O'

"And she responded?" Changmin smiled

I nodded

"Well.. she kissed me back"

"She must feel the same" Yunho said

"Is this the reason to why she is able to tackle all of this stuff?" Junsu asked

"Maybe?" Yoochun asked

"We're jumping to conclusions. Maybe we should wait and just.. wait. Push it to the side. We have more important things to do than to talk about my feelings and her feelings. It was just a kiss" I said

"But it was still a kiss and a kiss always means something" Changmin said

"Yes it does but what it means this time, I don't even know that myself" I said

"So what is our first priority?" Junsu asked

I felt the seriousness coming back, my chest's warmth disappearing as it became normal

"Talk to Donghae, find the 3 vampires and protect Yumi" I said

"From becoming a vampire" Changmin said

"Yes, from becoming a vampire" I mumbled