"Mio, are you awake?"

   Mio sat bolt upright, breathing heavily. They were home.

   The first night she was there, she locked the door and wedged a chair beneath the doorknob. The next morning, she woke up and found her door was wide open, the lock smashed, and the chair broken into tiny little pieces beside her bed. It seemed almost like a threat.

   They disappeared into the human world to feed sometimes, although they still preffered to feed off of her. How they got all the money for the mansion and "human food" and designer clothes they lavished upon Mio, they didn't say.

   She tried to avoid them most of the time, but they almost always found her.

   She quickly ran out of her bedroom in an attempt to get to the third floor and hide in the attic before they could find her, but she bumped into something before she could step out of the room.

   It was Jonghyun. He smirked and a strand of her hair. "Were you thinking of trying to hide?" He whispered, bending over to kiss her neck. "Silly Mio."

   The others appeared soon after. "Mio, I missed you so much." Taemin said softly, staring up at Mio with a shy smile.

   "What were you doing?" Onew asked her, staring at her.

   Mio shrugged. She didn't want to say anything. Just like they once told her--every word she said, every thing she  did, it dragged them deeper and deeper into the abyss, into this obsession.

   "Why don't you come hang out with us in the lounge?" Key suggested. Mio knew they'd bring her there even if she refused, so she nodded mutely.

   "I'm sorry we woke you from your sleep." Minho whispered, peeking sideways at her. "You're still wearing your pyjamas."

   Indeed, Mio was still wearing her long white nightgown.

   She followed them meekly to the lounge, a large room with a huge flat-screen TV and a big, pale L-shaped leather couch. She sat in the very middle, at the corner of the L, and they all crowded around her, desperate to be near her.

   She watched the TV mutely, without saying a word. She wanted to be back upstairs, in her room, safe. Well, not safe anymore. They broke her lock, and she knew if she tried to barricade the door again they'd break the door.

   "Mio, you're so quiet. Are you feeling okay?" Onew asked her worriedly.

   Mio smiled. "I'm okay, really."

   Key stood up. "I'll go get you something to eat. You must be hungry." He shot the others--especially Jonghyun--a dirty look that said feed off of her while I' m gone and I'll kill you.

   He disappeared into the kitchen. Onew went to go help him. Taemin grabbed Jonghyun's arm and, ignoring Jonghyun's protests and curses, dragged him away to help with a "surprise".

   That just left Minho and Mio together.

   Mio sneaked a quick glance at him. He wasn't even pretending to watch the TV. He was staring at her, intensely, barely blinking. She couldn't hold his gaze for long, and she ducked her head down hurriedly, shielding her face with a curtain of her dark hair.

   There was a few moment's silence, then he whispered quietly, "You want to leave this house, don't you?"

   Mio looked up, surprised. Out of all the other dark angels, Minho was the one who seemed the most observant, the most sensible. He was also the only one that could feed off of her without needing someone to drag him away.

   "Well....I-I......"

   "Please don't lie."

   Mio hung her head. "I don't like being here against my will."

   When she didn't hear an answer, she looked up and found Minho was watching her again with sad eyes. Those eyes were so full of sadness and despair she almost started to cry. "I-I'm so sorry! I really do like it here! I really do! It's so beautiful, it's just that, um.......I need to go to the human world too."

   She knew she wasn't fooling him. Minho knew she didn't want to be here at all.

   "I just thought........I wished........we wished.........that you would want to be here. Be happy. With us. With me." He whispered sadly, quietly.

   "I could try." Mio said quickly, trying to find a way to make those eyes don't look so terribly sad. "I could try, I really could! I could even try to love you! Just, please......"

   Nothing she was saying was making him better, so she did the only thing she could think of. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and leaned forward quickly, kissing Minho full on the lips.

   Minho was surprised, his eyes open wide with shock. Mio kissed him clumsily again and again, not sure how to kiss a guy. They've always done it themselves, so she didn't have to really do it herself.

   He slowly relaxed, his eyes softened. He pushed her away only for a moment to whisper, "That's not the way." He her face, looking straight into her eyes, and kissed her himself. His lips molded into hers, and they held it there for a long time before breaking free to kiss her softly again.

   He kissed her more and more, sweetly and passionately, and she felt her sadness starting to pull away from her soul. He suddenly broke free, gasping.

   "Minho?" She whispered quietly.

   "I---well----I----no----yes----thank you..........." he blushed, unable to find the right words to describe what he was feeling.

   "Are you okay?" Mio asked him. "Please don't be sad. I was very selfish. I wasn't thinking of how you all must feel while I moped around. I-I don't know what I can do, but I'll try. I'll even try to love you. Just please---don't ever look at me so sadly ever again."

   Minho looked at her, and his heart stopped.

   She looked so beautiful, staring up at him with those big, shining eyes. Her dark hair, so silky and soft, shimmered down her back like a waterfall, her small nose so perfect, her red lips so plump and full. She was an angel. More beautiful than anything he's ever seen before. She practically glowed with beauty.

   "Please....don't look so sad." She whispered again. Minho couldn't breathe. He was drowning in her angelic, heavenly beauty.

   "I love you." He said suddenly.

   Mio was stunned. She knew they liked her---loved her---but she never heard them say it to her so directly. She blushed.

   He blushed too. "I-I know you don't have an answer yet. And I have a feeling I know what the answer is already. But--just try. Please, I'm begging you. For the sake of all the others---and me---just try. Please." He begged.

   She nodded, smiling at him. "I'll try."

   Suddenly, the others appeared. Key and Onew arrived and placed a plate of toast and scrambled eggs on the table before her. It looked so good, she was about to dig in straight away when Taemin and Jonghyun came too.

   "Wait!" Taemin yelled, shoving an object into Mio's hands. "Open this first!"

   It was a tiny box, wrapped in a beautiful silvery material and tied with a red silk ribbon. She opened it carefully, trying not to rip the paper. She opened the box, and gasped.

   A beautiful silver bracelet with five small charms winked at her in the light. She held it up.

   "Jonghyun gave you the wing." Taemin said softly. "Onew gave you the star, Key gave you the bow, Minho gave you the flower, and....well...." he blushed. "I gave you the heart."

   He suddenly reached over and hugged her tightly. "You thought you could hide it from us? What today is? Happy 20th birthday, Mio!"

   Mio felt tears in her eyes. They knew. They found out. She never told them before, and they went to such lengths to find out, and they gave her this beautiful charm bracelet.

   Taemin kissed her cheek. "I love you!"

   Key suddenly said angrily, "Hey! How come you got to tell her?" He looked into her eyes and said seriously, "Mio, I love you too."

   "I love you, Mio." Onew whispered, squeezing her shoulder gently.

   "I love you." Jonghyun told her passionately.

   Minho smiled at her.

   Mio laughed. For the first time since she came to the mansion. She laughed.

   "I'll try." She told them, smiling. "I'll try."