She carefully balanced a pitcher of water along with three pieces of fruit in her hand.

An apple slipped from her grasp, and she winced as it hit the floor, no doubt bruising the poor fruit, and rolled a great distance to hit the hall and rebound to disappear around the corner. With a sigh, she went to retrieve the runaway but stopped when Luna blocked her path. The wolf’s ears perked and its nostrils flared, trying to scent something.

Luna wouldn’t have stopped her without reason. This, the girl was sure of, so she stepped back as the wolf put its nose to the floor, its tail swishing back and forth. Luna was troubled. She scented earth, which was odd inside the house and nowhere near the gardens. Her old master smelled like the outdoors, fresh and wild like the trees and wind along with the smell of power and life, but this was different. This smelled like dirt and soil, as if someone just threw land from outside onto the polished wood floors. Luna sniffed again. She picked up something else. Along with the earthy scent, she smelled charcoal. And then, a hint of malice. A growl erupted through her chest.

The human she was protecting took a few quick steps back and debated running back to her room a different way. Luna growled louder, ears flattened and tail bristled and parallel to the floor, behavior that further cautioned the girl. Never before had Luna gotten so worked up at the guys when they weren’t even in sight. With such loud warnings, the boys would probably call out a “sorry” and retreat also, putting a rest to the canine’s rumbling. However, this time, Luna was backing away along with her as it continued to bare its fangs at something the girl could not see. Instead of being foolish and calling out a “Hello, is anyone there?” as some horror film character might do, the girl abandoned her snacks and beverage, spun on her heel, and bolted down the hall.

Luna whirled around and snapped at air and then yelped as she was pushed aside. Shaking off the blow, she snarled at the strange man that pushed her aside and took off after him.

She could hear Luna and the man’s footsteps as she ran. The girl didn’t dare look back, focusing solely on the path in front of her and all the possible turns she could take and where they would lead. She side stepped into a new hallway and dove into a dark room, shutting the door just as the guy turned the corner. Taking a deep breath, she ran towards the other door of the room and exited it to enter a different hall, one that she had already passed by during her run.

Luna caught up with the demon and tackled him just as he was about the open the doorinto which the girl had just run. The wolf went for the throat but the man threw his hands up to ward the wolf off. The beast bit down on the appendages that tried to swat it away but found itself coughing soil and shaking its head. It grew angered and snapped blindly but yelped as the door slammed shut on her face. The intruder could hear the growls rumbling behind the door but paid them no heed.

She didn’t hear Luna anymore. She didn’t hear the strange man either. Who was he? A cousin of the boys perhaps that was too tempted by her humanity? A foolish robber? Did SHINee know they had a visitor? Did the guys leave? Couldn’t have. She had seen Minho barely an hour before.

She tread carefully, making her way back to her room where she had secretly started hoarding kitchen knives and other small weapons in her drawers. So she wasn’t so innocent anymore. He could blame her? It wasn’t too surprising.

Just as she turned a corner, she walked right into somebody. She literally jumped back, startled and frightened. At first, she believed she had run into Lee Jinki. The height matched and so did the build of the man. She almost squeezed her eyes shut and the reasonable part of her almost retreated back into the corner of her mind out of habit. But before she did, she saw his face. Was it even possible that she could get any more scared? She didn’t think so until then. “You’re...alive?”

‘Gyou.’ She remembered them calling this guy that. She remembered as he pulled down her pants and touched parts of her that...she shook her head, dispelling the thoughts. She thought those demons, in their madness, had struck down every single one of those campers. She didn’t expect any of them to live, much less Gyou who, while Shinji wasn’t looking, had snuck a finger into...

She spun around but didn’t even take a step before he caught her, arm around her neck. The tears were already wetting her eyes as she pulled at the arm that went across her shoulders to secure her to his front side.

“Hello Bunny. Long time no see.”

Her heels scraped the floor as he dragged her into a random room. “I really didn’t expect you to be here. ‘You’re alive?’ I should be asking you that.” His one hand drew circles against the skin of her abdomen. “Didn’t you say demons were after you? Those demons who turned out to be SHINee? They came didn’t they? And they killed everyone. I expected you too...” He trailed off and then laughed maniacally. “Oh! I get it! You’re their play thing! Or maybe a mistress or something. A playboy bunny.”

She whispered through her tears, “No...I’m not...” her eyes, although red and shiny, defiantly glared at him via the reflection of the mirrored wall.

“Oh come on. If you were prey or a victim, you’d be dead already or at least stuck in a dungeon. Oh, have you seen the lower level rooms? They got some freaky instruments down there. Actually, I’m curious to try some of them.” They both shuddered. One out of mild excitement and the other out of horror.

Throughout his talking, she continued to squirm. “How’d you find this place? You know what they can do to you! Do you want to die?!”

“Are you worried about me, Bunny? Don’t you worry your pretty little head. I brought family with me. They’ll take care of your guys.”

“Didn’t you see what they did to your friends?! Your family is going to die!” She gasped in pain as his hold on her tightened. She could just imagine the bruises forming.

“My family isn’t as helpless as my old friends.” He said in a monotone.

She stared at his reflection in realization. “You’re...a demon.” Before he could respond, she started thrashing about, kicking and waving limbs. ‘No! No! No! Not another one!’ She abruptly stopped, seeing stars as he slammed her head against the wall, not hard enough to crack the glass but hard enough for a small trickle of blood to trail down the side of her face.

“Stop wiggling around girl! You’re tiring me out.” He sighed as he still held the side of her head against the wall. Then he took her shoulder and turned her so that her back was to the mirror and she was facing him. He put a hand at each side of her head and stared her in the eye. “I’m not a demon. Don’t group me in with those devils.”

“Then...you’ll die,” she mumbled as she waited for the blurriness to disappear.

Gyou stepped back. “I didn’t say I was human either.”

She glanced from side to side and he casually said, “Don’t even try running or I’ll continue with the bloodletting. You don’t have to be a demon to enjoy the blood spillage. Actually,” He invaded her personal space again, “I particularly enjoy spilling your blood.” Turning her chin aside, Gyou smelled her neck and hair, moving upwards and then her cut clean. “Mmm…tastes semi-sweet. I like it. Maybe it’s because you’re something Shinji finally couldn’t have.” He held her chin harder. “Or maybe it’s because you caused Shinji’s death.” Her head, guided by his grip, moved from side to side. “I’m still debating whether I want to you, and then kill you. Or just kill you. Hmm…”

“Please…those boys,” she gritted out, “you can’t beat them.”

“Che.” Maybe he’d slam her head against the wall again to knock some sense into her. Easier to AND easier to kill. Genius, he was.

---------
THEA's Corner <3

This chapter is dedicated to mirru_val for her gift of this chapter's poster!

Other thing to talk about. So...Japan...
To my Japanese friends and non-friends and even strangers of Japan, be safe, be together, and I pray for you.
I know a lot of people are worried about their K-idols and other Korean celebritites that were in Japan during that time. I worry for them too, but please also think about the thousands of normal Japanese citizens that have died or are suffering now, not knowing if family and friends are okay or not having a home.

Posted: 12 March 2011
Word count: 1434