The bad premonition about the ball never stopped for Yoon Mi, it was always on the back of her mind. Even if she never talked about it she would think about it at least once a day.

Studying hard for the test, Yoon Mi read every book that needed to be read and did every practice question there was. Day in day out she kept herself in the far corner of the library.

That was until Him Chan came along yelling at the top of his lungs “YOOOONIIIEEE!!!” his voice echoed in the silent space. Hearing a loud crash at the back of the library, he happily made his way to the source of that noise and found Yoon Mi in front of the study table picking up fallen books.

“Why are you in here dear dongsaeng?” He squatted down to her level.

“Studying” Yoon Mi said quietly, quickly adding “Him Chan oppa” when she saw his hand approaching her face.

“Why study when you’re already so smart?” He asked.

“I’m not. I just work really hard!” She disagreed.

Rolling his eyes “please, you can memorize chunks of information easily. How is that not smart?”

Taking the remaining books from her hands and throwing them on the table, Him Chan dragged her out of the library. “Him Chan oppa, where are we going?”

“The training room! I’m gonna make you exercise!! I can’t have you studying all day and not be physically fit!”

“I hate exercising! Let go of me oppa!” Yoon Mi struggled. “You’ll have to fight me if you wanna let me go” He said tauntingly.

“I don’t know how to fight!” She exclaimed, making him stop in his tracks suddenly.

“A-are you serious? You don’t know how to fight?” Him Chan looked at her seriously.

“Really, I’m s-serious Him Chan oppa. I don’t know how to” Yoon Mi stuttered at how his attitude had changed so suddenly.

“Why don’t you know how to fight?” Him Chan asked.

“J-Ji Yong didn’t w-want me to get hurt…” Yoon Mi said uneasily. Suddenly having to remember the person she was still trying to let go of.

Memories of him persuading her not to learn how to fight came back and how he would always distract her with something else to change the topic. He had always said that he didn’t want his princess to get hurt…

“Well that’s ridiculous! You’ll be more vulnerable and more likely to get yourself hurt if you get into a fight not knowing how to protect yourself!” Him Chan knocked away her memories of Ji Yong just like that. “That’s it! You’re learning how to fight whether you like it or not!” He went on and proceeded dragging Yoon Mi to the training room.

“Ah! You’re here Dae Hyun!” Him Chan called out into the large room just as he sliced the throat of the test dummy.

The metallic sound of the blade to flesh made Yoon Mi cringe and she flinched when he stuck his blade into the dummy’s heart but Him Chan and Dae Hyun had no reaction whatsoever.

*Hyung, what brings you here? I thought I helped you with practice a few days ago.* Dae Hyun wiped his perspiration with a towel.

“I’m not the one needing help. Also I was intending on helping Yoon Mi myself but since you’re here why don’t you help me out?” Him Chan asked Dae Hyun.

*Why does Yoon Mi need help?*His eyes went to Yoon Mi who seemed to be struggling to get out of Him Chan’s grip.

“Because she doesn’t know how to fight at all” Him Chan said as if her lack of fighting skills was a catastrophe.

*That’s a danger in itself.* Dae Hyun ran his hand through his hair *What if you were captured or kidnapped by someone?* He asked.

“That never happened. Umma, Appa and Ji Yong always protected me and made sure that I was safe…”

*Well are they around now?* He said bluntly.

“That’s why we need you to know how to protect yourself” Him Chan stepped in and continued, mentally chiding Dae Hyun for not being more tactful with his words. “So what do you say Yoon Mi”

“I hate violence but if you guys think it’s necessary…” Yoon Mi trailed off hesitantly, really disliking the thought of hurting someone.

“It’s totally necessary!” Him Chan said as he threw a punch to Yoon Mi.

Making a sound of surprise, Yoon Mi quickly duck under to avoid being hit. “You have good reflex Yoon Mi!” Him Chan said happily as he gave a few more hits.

“Yah! What kind of guy hits a girl?!” She yelped.

*Then don’t think of your opponent as a guy then. Imagine it’s a girl attacking you* Dae Hyun mind projected out.

“Mwoh? Think of me as a girl?!” Him Chan said angrily.

 *How else do you want her to remove that mindset?* Dae Hyun shrugged as he stood a safe distance away from them.

“Whatever” Him Chan rolled his eyes “Yoon Mi! You need to stop running!”

After quite a bit of chasing, Him Chan stopped by Dae Hyun’s side saying “I think we need rethink our approach... Unarmed fighting might not be for her.”

*You think, Hyung?* Dae Hyun raised his eyebrow. *We need to think of something that suites her better and after she builds some confidence THEN we work on her unarmed fighting* He projected to Him Chan only.

“I think I know how to find something that suites her.” Him Chan ran to the side of the room and pressed a button. With a robotic sound, the walls separated and shelves upon shelves revealed themselves.

*That thing? Isn’t that just superstition?* Dae Hyun asked sceptically as Him Chan took out a huge rectangular box with many closed compartments numbered 1 to 50.

“It’s not. I swear that there’s something mystical about this box. When I tried this with Yong Guk, he always got the same miniature weapon no matter which number he picked. And when I chose the same numbers that he did in the same sequence, the stuff varied between three weapons but none of them were the same ones that Yong Guk had!” Him Chan explained.

“The stranger thing was that we really worked well with the weapons that came out!” He said with a very wide eyed expression.

“Choose a number and open the lid Yoon Mi” Him Chan offered when she came over after seeing that the coast was clear. “Take the miniature weapon out to see what it is, put it back and try a few more numbers.”

Trying the first one out, Yoon Mi took out…a rod?

All of them eyeing it strangely, they got her to try a few more times but the same metal rod came out every single time.

*Do we even have that in our storage?* Dae Hyun asked.

“I think we do actually… I think I saw something like that but not like that” Him Chan answered.

“Do you know what you’re saying Him Chan?” Yoon Mi asked him as she gave him a strange look.

“Yes, I do! Just let me go find what I was referring to!” He said running off to the shelves.

Simply staring at him as he flipped through the shelves and compartments *Shouldn’t you be looking at the bigger shelves? Since you’re looking for a metal rod?* Dae Hyun asked.

“It’s not a conventional rod, I swear.” He continued rummaging through the shelves.

“Found it!!” Him Chan yelled after many moments of silence.

Holding up another rectangular box, this time it no longer than the size of his arm and on it was engraved “Rose staff”

“Yong Guk used it once with really interesting results!” Him Chan said excitedly. “Ah…but there was a down side to it, what was it again?” He tapped his chin while wondering.

Taking the box from him, Yoon Mi opened it and revealed an ivory coloured rod not longer than her palm. It was beautiful to look at with all its carvings and shapes, especially when there was a place that looked like a hand was meant to be there. Showing where the grip was and where it was supposed to be held.

Taking out of the box, Yoon Mi held according to where the lines curved and once it was aligned she felt a sharp pain in her hand.

“Ow!! Why can’t I let go!” She cried.

*Him Chan! What weapon did you give her!* Dae Hyun yelled his thought out to Him Chan.

“Ah damn it! That’s what I forgot!! It’s a rose staff because it pricks the person who touches it and draws blood from them!!!” Him Chan suddenly remembered.

“NOW THEN YOU REMEMBER!!!” Yoon Mi yelled at him for forgetting such an important fact.

“Hey! It was a long time ago and it was only once!” Him Chan defended himself.

Feeling weak, Yoon Mi wondered how much the stupid staff took. Growing unsteady on her feet, she was about to stumble forward when the staff extended itself to support her.

*Interesting…* Dae Hyun thought to himself. Coming up with an idea, he asked Yoon Mi to swing the staff at Him Chan.

Trying what he asked. She swung it at him and in mid swing; the staff grew a red blade on other end.

“What the heck?!” Him Chan swore as he jumped back. “Why is it so different from when Yong Guk used it?!”

“What did it do when he used it?” Yoon Mi asked when she brought the staff back to her side.

“Well fire came from it” Him Chan started off.

*It follows the owner’s blood then. Since Yoon Mi doesn’t have a gift yet, so it compensates with versatility.* Dae Hyun concluded.

“At what cost?” She said tiredly, feeling woozy and lightheaded. “I feel like I lost quite a lot of blood”

*Put the staff back into the box and bring it with you.* Dae Hyun instructed.

“Huh? Why?” She asked.

*Because it contains your blood and we wouldn’t want anyone else in possession of it.* He explained giving her the box.

Automatically shrinking back to its original size, Him Chan and Dae Hyun helped Yoon Mi out of the training room.

*Hyung, could you help me get one of the house help to bring two glasses of blood up to Yoon Mi’s room?* Dae Hyun asked while holding onto her shoulders.

“I’ll get it for you. It’s easier if I do it” Him Chan said as he went down the stairs.

*Thank you hyung.* He said as he let Yoon Mi sit down on her bed.

Holding both her hands, Dae Hyun checked with his gift to see if there were any other side effects from using the rose staff.

Returning with the two glasses of blood, Him Chan set it by the bedside table before leaving the room, unable to help but to feel that he was a third party there.

Cutting his wrist with his fang, Dae Hyun set it to her lips.

He had missed the feeling that he got from giving her blood, knowing that his blood runs in her veins and that she could sense his thoughts as well. If his blood was in her, she would know how much he likes, no, loves her in his heart.

Loving the feeling of her lips on his skin, electricity coursed through his veins as he felt her draw blood from the cut. Yoon Mi was going crazy in her mind, her senses was filled with Dae Hyun.

The sweet taste of his blood as it flowed down , his blood scent filling the room.

It was driving her crazy, she liked him no doubt. And taking from him would definitely transit it more to love eventually. Yoon Mi felt her entire body heating up and her heart beating incredibly fast in her chest again. It didn’t happen with Yong Guk or Him Chan.

When Dae Hyun felt her fangs slowly extending, tingles ran down his spine. He felt himself relishing the feel of her smooth, hard fangs against his soft flesh of his wrist.

He almost wanted her to sink her fangs into his wrist but had remembered of the change that might happen to her. “Yoon Mi” He said with his voice when she didn’t respond to his thoughts.

Healing his cut, Dae Hyun couldn’t describe how he felt when Yoon Mi the spot where the wound was. When her fangs grazed his skin, slowly pressing themselves into his wrist. Shock registered in his veins and he quickly pulled away.

“Yoon Mi” Dae Hyun held her shoulders and shook her. “Get a hold of yourself, you can’t bite me”

In a dazed stupor Yoon Mi closed her eyes and breathed hard, looking for the right state of mind even though she felt so drunk.

Lying her down on her bed, Dae Hyun pulled the sheets over her. Watching her heavy uneven breathing slowly growing steady, he drank the glasses of blood to replenish his own.

*What just happened Yoon Mi?* He wondered while looking at his wrist. Her fangs and broke the skin slightly but it was nothing serious to be considered a bite.

Annyeong my dear readers!!! Did you miss me?? :)

I'm really sorry for the incredibly slow updates>.< **I don't know how many times I've said this already...But in any case it's because of the archery trainings I have on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday & Saturday TT^TT I reach home exhausted and my brain fried from the heat as well. So I'm on less than 30 percent of my battery like Zelo and can shutdown at anytime like Zelo.

Plus I'm burnt like burnt toast since we shoot outdoors from 9am to 4.30pm. And since my country is along the equator, the sun's rays can get very strong...

Anyway! More important than my skin condition. What do you guys think of the chapters?? Or rather this chapter^^

I love reading your comments even though I'm too burnt both mentally and physically to reply everyone. But I promise I'll start once the competition is over on the 28th of October.

With love!!!

Violynn. (08.10.2012 @ 11:36pm )