Kyoto 1800

                A of finger and the prayer was written, like the crisp wind a shikigami of a wolf took its form and howl, thrilling the nerves of the lesser onmyojis protecting their leader. The purifying light illuminated the night and the rampaging demons were suppressed.

                It wasn’t over though, for the land critters paved its way to a new demon, much stronger than the ones that had been suppressed by the daimyo.

                The shikigami bared its fangs but the dark shadow paid no attention to it, his steps fell on the grass which immediately led to its withering, a very powerful demon indeed.

                “Good evening gentlemen, to what do I owe this rare visit.” The voice from the shadow of a nearby cherry tree muttered and the onmyojis tremble, but not their leader. Somehow, he was confident that these shows of skills were something friendly.

                “Good evening. We were just here to ask if you happen to came across a fallen god rampage through your woods.” The daimyo of the Cho clan asked casually earning a disapproving look from his comrades.

                “Nope!” the demon said playfully. “No fallen god dared visit my presence, my lord. You know how I hate their stench.”

“I see.” The onmyoji laughed. “Well sorry for disturbing you Kitsune. Please do tell us when it happens to pass by…”

“I’ll bring his head to you myself, Lord Cho.” The fox smiled and the onmyoji flashed him an equally knowing grin.  “Sorry for the disturbance Kitsune Lee Sungmin. Have a pleasant evening.”

The darkness ebbed away and the onmyoji proceed with their night walk. The demon critters backed away to the night slowly.

                Despite the confidence displayed by the daimyo of the Cho clan, his clansman wasn’t glad about it. “Leader Cho, wasn’t that the Kitsune demon everyone was trying to kill? How come you speak of him like he was your friend? He is a foe of our clan.”

                The laugh of the young lord garners frustrations from his mates. “He is my friend. He just thinks too highly of himself, you need not worry about him.”

“But my lord, that is a demon, it has no place in our era.”

It was fast and before everyone knew it, the lord’s hand was grappling the man’s neck, the dead look on his eyes showed neither remorse nor pretense.

“I think I told you that he is my friend.” The lord said with a menacing stare. “And that demon has a name, try to respect him or else you will see no light of day.”

The man choked up and nodded and the lord dropped him on the ground.

“I won’t tolerate anyone in our clan trying to cross the Kitsune. If you wish to disobey my order then make sure that you won’t come back alive from attacking him, or else I will kill you instead.” The lord of the Cho clan voiced out to his fellow clansmen, and off they walk through the dark night.

***

Kyoto 2015

Cho Kyuhyun opened his eyes once again and he was back to the old shrine. It was already dark and by the looks of it the sunset from the outside window showed blood red, unusual and unsettling.

A smoke entered his nostril and he looked around only to find a black haired man sitting across him, bored by the looks of his eyes and uninterested to the suffocating smoke from his pipe.

“Who are you kid?” The man asked with a blank expression.

“I should’ve asked the question, ‘Who are you’?.” Was Cho Kyuhyun’s spiteful remark and it earned nothing from the man across him.

“Hmm.”  Hummed by the stranger as if disregarding his existence.  He took a small pot from god-knows where and poured himself a tea.

“I can do this all day long, being cocky and such.” The stranger said in contrast with his beautiful doe eyes. “And I think you don’t have all day human?”

Cho Kyuhyun’s brow furrowed and he secretly begun incantations in his mind, he doesn’t knew where he is but he sure is not on the real mortal world. He could feel it by the stifling air, by the wind that carries such sorrow, he is trapped and the only way he could get out is to try to deflect the dark magic that is enveloping him through a still time.

He had a dream right after he saw the figure under the tree. An unusual dream of feeling the rush of power he knew nothing about and seeing a demon named Kitsune.

But it was the least of his worries, right now; there is someone who scares him without even knowing why.

The doe eyes lay by him and in a moment the table toppled down ruining the tea and a firm grasp lay against his neck. Kyuhyun was hoisted up by a force so strong, those eyes that bore through him turned malevolent.

“Who are you ‘onmyoji’ and what are you doing here?”

A shikigami appeared and the stranger threw Cho Kyuhyun on the floor recognizing the power and its familiarity.

“Lord Cho.” The stranger growled and as soon as Kyuhyun begun another incantation a black shadow toppled him back on the ground pinning him, hissing at his impertinence.

Demon. Kyuhyun knew it just by the force and the aura the stranger emits, he had never encountered such strong demon where his shadowed minions took solid forms enabling them to hold any living human.

The man looked at him his dark blue kimono turning darker by the moment the power of the demon rises, dark flames seemed to grace the hem of the man’s clothes, a look of pure loathing were on his face.

Kyuhyun’s heart begun pacing, yet he is focused on that stare, it was frightening but he can saw sadness and longing. It’s like the demon finally found what he was looking for all these years.

“Show me the daimyo!” the demon shouted sending flames towards Kyuhyun who barely escaped it by sending a shield in the form of the wolf shikigami.

“I don’t know who you are talking about!” Kyuhyun shouted nursing his aching arm.

“The daimyo! The Lord of the Cho Clan! You have the same smell, the same powers, and the same shikigami! That bastard! Show me where he is?”

The anger boiled towards Kyuhyun and he received the blow hard on his chest. He was thrown backwards through the paper walls of the shrine agonizing in pain as he felt the black flames torch his insides.

***

Kyoto 1800

                The fallen god scratch his feet on the ground, he had taken the form of a wild dog, huge like a chariot, eyes bloodshot, saliva flowing from his charred teeth. Most of the other onmyojis are injured and Lord Cho huffed as he held an unconscious child.

                The plague had found itself to a small village and many has been devoured already, he had barely saved the child he was carrying.

                “Stop this madness fallen god! Let me put a rest to your soul…”

                “You talk too much onmyoji, humans had to be punished. Destroying one’s home… how dare those mortals defy us!”

                “You’re no longer a god, you have been corrupted! You do not befit adoration!” The lord onmyoji drew his talisman and two crane shikigami appeared to his aid.

                “Bind.”

                The onmyoji commanded and the crane started drawing scriptures, binding spells that could deplete the god’s power. Being suppressed, the creature growled intensely, distracted as to how he will repel the shikigami’s surrounding him.

                Seeing it as an opportunity, he placed the child on the ground muttering shielding spells to protect the poor child, the daimyo let his guard down and the overwhelming power of the fallen god render him weak for a small amount of time, enough for the rotting fangs to pierce through his back sending the daimyo to an agony.

                The wolf shikigami tried to repel the locked bite on the daimyo but it was too powerful and the shielding spell he had placed to almost all of his injured comrades was taking its toll on his spiritual powers.

                It was dangerous and the lord was almost at his limit when he felt an overwhelming strength, and the next thing he knew, the fallen god’s head detached from its body and the piercing bite were removed from his shoulders.

                “I told you, do not try to exorcise every single god.”

                The voice of the demon Lee Sungmin scolded him. The onmyoji fell on his knees laughing bitterly. “You sure has nice timing Sungmin.”

                “And what’s with protecting everyone without leaving something for yourself, are you stupid?” Lee Sungmin asked waving his hand to burn the rotten body of the demon “If I didn’t come you would be food and that fallen god will have no one to stop him.”

                “You would do that for me, in case I didn’t survive.”

                “I don’t do charity.” The demon said. “Let me see the damage.”

                The Kitsune, Lee Sungmin walked slowly towards the kneeling daimy, wincing in pain Lord Cho obeyed as his friend meet him by the eye and tried to pry the bloodied kimono. Impurities, the dark matter from a fallen god were already on his skin eating away the flesh.

                Lee Sungmin clucked his tongue. “You’ll die. And what’s sad about it is that you’ll die of your stupidity.”

                The onmyoji laughed without a hint of fear. “I guess I will, but not today…” his voice was burdened but the demon heard nothing but confidence. “And how sure are you that you won’t die?” he inquired.

                Lord Cho looked at him from behind his brunette locks, eyes of deep hazel bore right on to the demon’s dark purple ones.

                “I won’t die because you’re here.”

                Lee Sungmin smirked at the remark and he sighed defeated. He pulled the onmyoji’s collar. “Little bastard.” He murmured and they both disappeared amidst the black flame.

***

Kyoto 2015

                Kyuhyun wipe the matted hair on his forehead. Looking around he tried to reassemble his thoughts. His vision, once again, focused on the demon, his head supported by his arm, looking at him with the same bored expression, the black book laying a top the table.

                “Explain this to me.” The demon commanded.

                “I don’t see why I should.”

                “Don’t be so stubborn kid, the only reason I’m keeping you alive is because of that book.” He said in a low bored growl.

                Kyuhyun’s eyes looked down on the book; it somehow saved his life at the most crucial moment. The demon saw how the incantations on the book protected Kyuhyun, stopping his demon fire from torching the young onmyoji. The incantations made the demon falter, Kyuhyun wondered why.

                “Why did you stop attacking? Those shielding incantations won’t last considering your power.”

                “I asked you a question first; it’s quite rude to reverse the situation.” The demon sighed. “I asked you where that stupid Lord is and why are you here.”

                “He’s gone.”

                The demon looked up at his eyes. “Why? Is he travelling again?”

                Kyuhyun’s brow creased. The demon he was talking to must’ve no sense of time, the one he was looking for is the daimyo of the Cho clan, the one who sealed the demon in the shrine and he had died shortly after that.

                “He better not be killing demons or fallen gods all by himself, he barely escaped the last one he fought.” There was bitterness in the demon’s voice but his distant eyes showed a trace of amusement, as if the memories of those events were all but sad. “Well, he’s an idiot, he probably went out of his way and do just that.”

                “He’s not travelling.” Cho Kyuhyun said quietly, finding it in himself hard to explain that the Lord Cho from the past century is already dead.

                “Then where is he? Hiding from me?” the demon blew his hair from his eyes and pouted at the thought and Cho Kyuhyun’s head pounded, a string of events passed his memories, hazy and rambled. He had seen this, these expressions, this gesture.

                “Who are you demon?” Kyuhyun gritted his teeth as he nursed his head against his palms. The demon looked at him questioningly, as if he had asked the most insignificant question.

                “You’re an onmyoji right? You sure you didn’t know me?” he asked.

                “No I don’t.” Kyuhyun replied looking at the purple doe eyes staring back at him.

                “I’m Lee Sungmin, the demon fox and who are you? Why do you have Kyu’s shikigami?”

                ‘Kyu’

                Kyuhyun’s eyes grew wider, ‘Lee Sungmin’ he had read that name before, it was repeated on that stupid book, the only thing he could understand from the first chapters of the book, those incantations, those prayers, the name ‘Lee Sungmin’ was everywhere.

                ‘Lee Sungmin’

                By the way he spoke, the way he look for the Lord of the Cho clan, this demon didn’t know what had transpired, what had happened over those decades. He was stuck. But why?

                “A-And why are you here?” The young onmyoji stuttered

                The demon looked at him with those distant eyes, he is hiding something by the way he avoided his questioning ones.

                “We were supposed to meet.”

***

Kyoto 1800

                Lord Cho screamed in pain the moment he and the demon appeared from nowhere towards the wooden floor of the shrine.

                “Stop whining!” the demon sighed kneeling in front of the injured onmyoji.

                “You should be gentler in handling me, I’m dying.”

                The Kitsune once again stared straight towards the man, brushing the sweat from the other’s forehead. He smiled, sincere and bright.

                “I must be really injured to think that you looked more beautiful when you smile.” The daimyo said almost in a whisper hiding the embarrassment with a nervous laugh.

                Sungmin reached out towards the torn cloth brushing it away to reveal the man’s bare shoulder. His eyes turned a lighter shade as a flow of immense power overcome his body. His hand cradled the onmyoji’s head closer to him, almost inches apart, again, he smiled, a rare sight. He tilted Lord Cho’s head away, gently moving closer towards the injury, sinking his fangs on the impurities of the fallen god’s bite.

                Lord Cho winced for a moment but his furrowed brows slowly relax when he felt the poison slowly leaving his body, healing and restoring his energy bit by bit. His eyes landed on the man against him. He knew that it’s not healthy even for a demon to out impurities, and this was supposed to be something out of the ordinary, but he looked carefully, the lips against his skin, the hair covering those eyes.

                By the time it was over and the demon was staring at him uninterestedly and he’s been gawking. Rationality left him when he raised his hand to feel the demon’s soft cheek. Sungmin seemed unfazed.

                “What?” the demon asked blatantly but the human kept locking his gaze, like he was contemplating the proper way to figure out what he should feel.

                “Hey… Let…” the demon blink slowly, voice tired and visions blurry.

                “Let me sleep, for a while.”

                Sungmin muttered before he fell towards Lord Cho’s arms, the onmyoji catching him in time for him to hit the ground.

                “I guessed you went too far this time huh.”

                Lee Sungmin laughed on his half-awake state. “Yeah, you’re such a pain, human.”

                “If I’m such a pain…” Lord Cho said in a whisper picturing in his eyes, the demon’s reaction. “If I am, as you said, a pain… then why would you help me?”

                The demon lifted his lids to look at the human cradling him. “You shouldn’t be too full of yourself. I just hate to see meaningless deaths.”

                But Lord Cho wasn’t convinced at all, or more so, he didn’t want to believe that it was the only reason, because he wanted it to be so much more. He just knew it…

                Swooping down he placed his lips against Lee Sungmin’s parted ones, and the rambling feeling that was bothering him burst into heat. Defining what he felt all this time.

                They parted and he stares right into the uninterested purple eyes of the demon.

                “What do you think you’re doing?” The demon asked when Lord Cho placed him carefully on his back, unable to do much, the kitsune kept looking at the young onmyoji.

                “I think I asked you a question.” Sungmin repeated towards the flustered onmyoji, but the human held his tongue, for he himself didn’t’ know what to say. Instead, he looked pass his brunette hair towards the demon, face flushed, doe eyes quivering. By then he began to understand…

                “Why the hell did you do that Kyuhyun!”

***

Kyoto 2015

                Cho Kyuhyun observe the demon sighing as he looked out the window. He slowly understands why he can see a tinge of sorrow in those eyes.

                He was waiting.

                But why?

                Didn’t his ancestor say his goodbyes? And why did he seal this demon if they were good friends. If this demon is waiting for him to return, why is he stuck in this shrine?

                “Stop staring at me, it’s annoying.” Sungmin said with a deep heave. “Tell me young onmyoji, when will that leader of yours return?”

                “He won’t.” Kyuhyun replied blatantly.

“And why is that?” the demon replied and the young onmyoji didn’t know what to say, he paused and the demon could see the uncertainty.

“Did he already marry?”

There it is again the sorrow. It was shown once again in those eyes.

“No he didn’t.”

Sungmin’s eyes looked at him again, studying his expression. “What are you trying to hide from me human?”

Kyuhyun was at a loss, because in reality he didn’t know what to answer, how to break the news towards the demon that’s been waiting for someone who won’t come.

“Don’t try to protect me, you always do that…” the kitsune said and when Kyuhyun looked at him, the demon was smiling.

Kyuhyun’s heart jumped off his chest, he had never seen something so beautiful in his life. He was drawn by strange feelings, those who seemed his but not exactly his own.

The book slammed open and the pages turn in a flash, Kyuhyun didn’t know why it reacted that way, the pages flipped until it stopped. Incantations burst from the pages, scriptures became readable in the young onmyoji’s eyes.

“Lee Sungmin, the fox demon for the first time held my hands. It was the most wonderful feeling I ever felt, and I never have loved someone, as much as I loved my little fox demon…”

Cho Kyuhyun’s eyes widened and Sungmin was frozen.

“I wish it would be like this, but I know, the happiest moments are short-lived. I knew it but I refused to see what was coming…”

“I wish I could’ve told him, If I am as courageous as my Sungmin, I would’ve told him…”

“He told me not to save him all the time, but I know I was not the one saving him, I was the one being saved…”

The pain poured out and the fox demon’s body when he dropped towards the shrine floor cradling his aching chest, Black flames started to erupt from him and Kyuhyun didn’t know what to do.

‘You have to continue reading.’

A voice from inside his head whispered and the words cleared for him to read.

‘If you want to save him, please… continue.”

Kyuhyun bit his lips and he saw the flames consumed the demon, arching his back in pain, Sungmin writhed, the purple of his eyes turned to slit and the growl from beneath his fangs sent a burst of fire towards Kyuhyun sending him towards the opposite wall.

“Kyuhyun! Where are you?” Sungmin’s voice was harsh and it shook the altered universe he was in.  The young onmyoji forced himself up and there he saw the impurities starting to spread towards the arm of the demon.

“And I knew for a fact that I will suffer, I will die for sure.” The young onmyoji read.

 “Sungmin… forgive me.”

***

Kyoto 1800

                The night was quiet and the moon shone bright through the open windows. The demon blew smoke from his pipe and he stared right back to the starless sky.

                He was cradled by a man, half behind him, wrapping his figure with his mortal arms, placing chaste kiss on his exposed shoulder.

                “You’re being too sweet, I hate it.” Sungmin growled though he didn’t even move a bit, he allowed the small shower of affection and the man behind him seemed to know about it.

                “Show me you hate it then.” The daimyo whispered with a chuckle, placing another chaste kiss on his shoulder. “You’re quite a lover, are you? Everything you say turns me on.”

                Heat creep towards the demon’s face and he hid it with a confident blow of smoke. “Shut up.”

                The onmyoji laughed at the reaction of the demon, pushing back a stray strand of hair behind his ear. “I could stay like this, be together with you night after night after night.”

                “Such sweet words.” The Kitsune chuckled. “But we both know it isn’t going to happen. You’re human and I’m a demon…’

                “Since when do you care about formalities and status quo?” Lord Cho asked placing his finger towards the demon’s chin, gently turning those distant eyes towards him. “We’re powerful, we could make it work.”

                “You’re an onmyoji, bound to transfer your powers to your next kin, you will have to build your own fortress and your own clan.” The demon kitsune said with bored eyes. “I am a demon; nothing will ever change that fact.”

                Lord Cho laughed heartily and Sungmin looked at him with annoyance. “What are you laughing about in this situation?”

                “You’re worrying like an insecure damsel.” The daimyo laughed and the demon was about to punch him when his hand felt a sting, pushing it aside he glared menacingly towards the young daimyo.

                Lord Cho was then pushed down by the demon, making him stumble on his back, the figure of Lee Sungmin towering over him, a playful look on the demon’s eyes.

                “I am not a damsel.” The demon hissed and the Lord catches his breath as he felt Lee Sungmin’s legs on him.

                “I know…” Lord Cho replied his hand kneading his lover’s thigh. “You’re a demon.”

                Sungmin smiled and claimed the daimyo’s lips on a passionate kiss, deep and sensual, earning a moan from the human. Heat travelling once again, radiating through their connected bodies, it was alarming, in a sense that they connect with each other so perfectly, it wasn’t a game anymore, or something to pass the time.

                They parted with the heated kiss and they looked at each other and they both know, right away.

                This is not a simple admiration.

.

.

.

                Sungmin wrapped his arm with a bandage wincing as the pain became a bit unbearable. He’s hiding it, and the time will come that he won’t be able to do so.

                It’s a good thing that he’s happy, impurities of a fallen god out life and feed on sorrow, that’s why he’s sure that the poison will spread the moment he saved the young daimyo, but he was wrong, and for the rarest time, he’s glad he was mistaken.

                The sound of footsteps made him anticipate but his eyes narrowed as he smelled the intent on the air. It was not Kyuhyun.

                He felt warding spells all over the shrine and he, in turn, repel the effects by his demon fire, the pain on his arms stung once again, and he forced the doors open with his power to see his perpetrators.

                “Did Lord Cho know you were paying me a visit?” his words were confident.

                The onmyojis lined up in a formation, shikigamis at a ready as they pose threat towards the demon.

                “We are here on his command.”

TBC

I would like to say, how happy I am that I am able to meet fellow KyuMin shippers, who I hope is still with the ship no matter how injured we sail. Its nice meeting you guys, I hope you find me here. It was a successful KYUMINCON.PH

And to you my readers, let's keep holding on, this is still a dream that will lasts as long as we wish it would.

It ain't over till we believe it is.

Love, Bomchii97