“Quickly get her to lie down.” Kyuhyun helped Changmin carry her to the couch. Yunho stepped over the spill and went into the kitchen.
 

Changmin was in complete confusion. “You said it would work hyung! You said it would—“

“—it would if her stomach had absorbed the excess blood through the lining. But something doesn’t seem right.” Yunho came back with a carpet cleaner and stood there, perplexed.

He then glanced at his friend. “Changmin-ah, is there something about her that you haven’t told me?”

Kyuhyun appeared keen to know the same. Changmin slowly gave his hyung full attention.
“Well… There is one thing. She’s not Joohyun, she’s called Seohyun. And Seohyun is a muse.”

The white in Yunho’s eyes widened. “She’s a muse? Ah that would explain it. Gods and goddesses need special attention given to them unlike humans.”
 

“So what do we do?!” Kyuhyun exclaimed as he sat opposite Seohyun, his hands tightly holding hers. “We need to do something and fast!”

Yunho raised a hand which calmed Kyuhyun. “There is something which can be done. It won’t be easy but it may be the only thing that would make the difference.”

“Which is what exactly?”

“We have to go to Mount Olympus in Greece and speak directly to the muses. They’ll have their own ways of healing their kind when these things happen.”

“And how long would it take to go there?”

“From what I’ve heard it would be three to four days and back so about a week.”

“A week…!” Kyuhyun’s face fell. He turned to Changmin. “What do we do?! She may not last that long!”

Changmin had to think for a moment. Gazing over at Seohyun her paler complexion was slowly fading to grey. Something ached inside him seeing her starting to slip away.

“I think… I think there may be no other way Kyuhyun.” Changmin answered gravely. Kyuhyun stood up, placing Seohyun’s hand back down and going to Yunho.

“If someone has to go how do you get there? Is it like where we live in our realm?”

Yunho shrugged. “I’m not entirely sure. I think we would have information on it in our library. I would have to find out though.”

Kyuhyun nodded. “Can you do that for us please? Changmin and I will stay and keep watch.”

Yunho agreed. “I’ll find out what needs to be done and come back as soon as I can.”

Changmin walked over to the pair. “I’ll see you off hyung. Kyuhyun you can stay with Seohyun.”

~~~

Neither of them said a lot as they went to the hill. “I admit I’m worried about him.” Yunho murmured not focusing on anything or anyone in particular.

“Me too hyung; I don’t think I’ve ever seen him like that.”

Yunho eyed Changmin with concern. “I was thinking more of you.”

Changmin’s steps faltered. “Hyung I’m not the one who is worrying about her more. Kyuhyun is.”

Yunho moved to face him. “Kyuhyun was a Hunter. In his past he has watched many humans die. You however have not witnessed this. We may be blood monsters but that doesn’t mean we don’t have a conscience or cannot feel. It’s a consequence God has allowed as a result of our immortality.”

Changmin silently let this sink in. With it came a realisation he’d never imagined before.
“Hyung, feelings are not bad, so I’ve found. At least if they are for someone that is worthy of them.”

Yunho managed to smile at Changmin’s statement but did so without his eyes. “You sell yourself short Changmin-ah.”

“I do what—“

He was patted on the back by Yunho. “I’ll come back as soon as I can. In the meantime see if she can take in water, and don’t let that wound stay open. Bacteria could collect and make her even worse.”

Changmin understood and waved as Yunho went. He then went back to the house. Inside Kyuhyun had taken the plaster off and applied a fresh one. “We need something else; it’s getting soaked too soon and isn’t blocking the flow.”

Like Kyuhyun Changmin was not sure what would work. “Umm when you were hunting what did your leader do if they were bleeding too much?”

Kyuhyun knelt down from his crouch, eyes upward to the ceiling in thought. “He… Would… He would apply pressure.” He pressed two fingers down against the wound. The blood finally began to slow.

Ecstatic and relieved Kyuhyun let out a forced laugh. “It’s working, it’s working! Changmin it worked!”

“Good can you hold it there?” Changmin was in the kitchen going through a white box with a red cross on the lid. “I’m looking for something to try and cover it.”

“Ok be quick Changmin-ah.”

Neither of the two was familiar with first aid. They never had needed to use it. Taking out bandages, Band-Aids and pain killers still in the foil Changmin was beginning to believe there would be nothing of any use. That was until he came across a large pad made out of cotton wool.

“Here let’s try this there’s some tape to hold it down as well.” He came back into the room, giving the pad to Kyuhyun. Slowly easing his finger away he replaced it with the pad, taping it carefully to the sides.

The two let out a breath in unison. Kyuhyun sat down, resting against the table that sat in the living room. “Great now we just have to wait.”

Waiting there was nothing that vampires despised more.

~~~

By the time Yunho arrived it was about sunset. Changmin let him in while Kyuhyun remained almost glued to Seohyun’s side.

“Well the good news is I found a way into their realm.” Yunho began once he was seated. “There’s a doorway which opens up in Athens on their beach only when the constellation of Andromeda appears. Then she will allow access in.”

Kyuhyun seemed a little troubled. He wet his bottom lip. “Seohyun and her friends came here directly without travelling from Greece. So how does that work?”

“Since Seohyun is a muse herself according to the books they can move wherever they wish through doors they create themselves. However if you are not a muse or a God then you have to go directly to Andromeda.”

The other two nodded. “When will the doorway be open again?”

“In two days from now and will be open until the constellation goes. So we would have to leave almost immediately.”

Glancing at each other Kyuhyun excused himself and Changmin so the two could talk alone. Kyuhyun led his friend up the stairs to the small hallway on the second level just before the stair case.

“Changmin,” Kyuhyun began with hesitation. “There’s no time… It’s now or never.”

Closing his lips in a line Changmin agreed. “So what do we do?”

“If you…” Kyuhyun paused and then changed his head. “No I should go.”

“Kyuhyun why? Why do you want to go?”

“If I stay here then I’ll just end up worrying about her and you. I’ll be virtually useless Changmin. This way I will be distracted from her and won’t be a burden in case they try to attack.”
 

Changmin felt his body starting to tremor. “But Kyuhyun I’m not a fighter. What if they come to attack while it’s just me here?”

Wanting to ease the fear in his friend’s mind Kyuhyun clasped Changmin’s shoulders with both hands. It forced his friend to look at him.

“Changmin, you can do it. From what I can see you have no emotional pull to Seohyun that could cloud your judgement. And you have a stable head on your shoulders. If worse comes to worse then you will know what to do. She will be in safer hands with you.”

Kyuhyun may as well have said Changmin could never like Seohyun. But that was wrong and right now he couldn’t know it. When the timing was better suited Changmin would let him know.

Hanging his head in timid acceptance, Changmin agreed with Kyuhyun’s decision. They returned downstairs to Yunho and Kyuhyun informed him of the choice he’d made.

“Alright if that’s what you want Kyuhyun-ah.” Turning to Changmin Yunho added, “I’ll give you the numbers of two close friends. They are Hunter Vampires and will help as they are in debt to me.”

Changmin received Yunho’s phone with the numbers shown to him. “Thank you hyung,” he said typing them in.

Yunho and Kyuhyun began to leaving. Yunho ruffled Changmin’s hair, advised him to be careful and went out allowing the two friends a private goodbye. Spontaneously Kyuhyun hugged Changmin before he could respond. However the strong emotions Kyuhyun was emitting of having to leave were contagious, hence the gesture was returned.

“Take care of her please.” Kyuhyun murmured, stepping back.

Changmin took out his hand, the little finger still raised.
“Right now I swear that no harm will come to her.” Kyuhyun did the same and they promised with their fingers. As he watched the backs of his friends running, Changmin swore in his heart to protect her even if it cost him his life. Also that until he knew when was best he would also be silent about his affections for her.

Whoa getting exciting I think the next chapter will be a little thrilling. Cannot say much about it except there will be a hug?