Escape
Vampire Prince
Soohyun and Kuro ran from the room and down the corridor, listening for anyone who might be following them. So far, there was no one. Suddenly, Kuro was thrown backward and hit the floor with a grunt. There, standing in front of them, was Tsubaki. "Where do you think you're going with my prizes..?" he said playfully. Soohyun took a few steps back, glaring at Tsubaki and holding Kanna a little more securely.
Kuro got to his feet and rushed over, standing in front of Soohyun and Kanna. "Get out of our way.." Kuro glared. Soohyun looked down to Kanna who was breathing heavily. 'I'll protect you..' he thought, wishing Isaac would come.
Shin rushed up the stairs to Isaac's study. "What is it?" he asked as he entered the room. Isaac was standing beside the fireplace adjusting the cuffs on his long coat. "It's Soohyun; he's in danger. I have to go."
"Is...is Kuro with him? I've been having a really bad feeling for a while. He was supposed to be back a long time ago.." Shin replied anxiously.
Isaac nodded. "I believe they're with the Ravnos."
"The Rav- I have to come with you!" Shin all but shouted.
Isaac turned to look at him. "He's your brother, so I know that you want to do what you can for him, but it will be dangerous." He paused before continuing. "Although, we may need all the extra help that we can get."
As Shin and Isaac prepared to leave, George saw them off at the door. "Be careful, sir." He bowed as the two disappeared into the night.
Tsubaki began to approach the two men with all the grace in the world. Kuro looked over his shoulder to Soohyun, who nodded to him. Kuro quickly lunged toward Tsubaki, throwing a punch, but he dodged and pushed Kuro aside, causing him to collide with the wall. He slumped over, unconscious.
Kanna gradually came back into consciousness as the remnants of the drug in her system thinned out. She opened her eyes and Soohyun's face swam into view. Soohyun looked down at her as she awoke. "Kanna, I need you to be strong.." he said softly, dodging around Tsubaki and running to Kuro with her still in his arms. "Stay here with him," he said as he put her down beside Kuro and stood over them in a protective stance, while Tsubaki and three other vampires encircled and cornered them.
Kanna nodded and noticed that he wasn't wearing a shirt. She felt a slight blush creeping across her face. She then looked down to see his shirt lying in her lap. She clutched it, looking back up at Soohyun's back.
"You'll die here, Prince," Tsubaki said, eyeing Soohyun down. Soohyun remained silent, waiting for an attack.
Kuro groaned, opening his eyes, and sat up slightly, looking at Kanna. "You're alright..." he said softly. "That's a relief."
Two of the vampires lunged and Soohyun quickly grabbed them both by their necks. Kanna flinched back and covered her head as the vampires came at them, but she heard them emitting choking sounds and by the time she looked up, they were being flung against the wall. Her heart pounded and she turned her attention to Tsubaki who remained very calm and composed, smiling at Soohyun. Suddenly, he looked beyond Soohyun to Kanna and winked at her, ever so fleetingly.
Soohyun lost his patience and charged toward Tsubaki. He threw punch after punch as each one was blocked. Then, it was Tsubaki's turn. Like lightning, he lashed out, kicking Soohyun in the chest. Soohyun caught Tsubaki's ankle, hiding the pain of the impact. He looked up, smiling, and pulled him closer.
Kanna was watching the two intently and didn't realize that the other two vampires had begun to get to their feet. Suddenly, Kuro pushed her to the ground and she looked up to see his hand around one of the vampires' throats. He glared at the vampire and tightened his grip until it had its mouth open as far as it would go, gasping for air. Then, there was a cracking sound and the vampire's eyes rolled and closed, and Kuro tossed the limp body aside.
As the body hit the floor, Soohyun looked back in worry at Kuro and Kanna. Suddenly, he was pushed back against the wall by Tsubaki who was baring his fangs near Soohyun's neck. "Kuro, get Kanna out of here!" he yelled as he strained against Tsubaki's strength.
Kuro quickly grabbed Kanna's hand and pulled her to her feet, taking off through the house, leaving Soohyun behind. Kanna glanced behind her as they ran, trying to get a good look at Soohyun. 'Please be alright..'
When they reached the door, it opened before them, and there stood Isaac and Shin. Relief flooded over Kanna. Isaac stepped over the threshold, looking briefly at Kuro and Kanna and acknowledging their safety before dashing off down the hallway. Shin approached Kuro and reached out, gripping his shoulder. "I'm so glad you're alright," he said. Kuro's crooked smile appeared. "Are you kidding?" he replied. "There's no way these petty vampires would get the better of me." Shin chuckled ironically. "Then you didn't get captured?" Kuro looked like he was about to retort, but clenched his jaw and folded his arms, holding it back. Kanna couldn't help but giggle at the brotherly display.
Isaac quickly reached Soohyun and ran to him, grabbing Tsubaki by the neck before he could partake of Soohyun's blood. He lifted him from the ground and his presence grew stronger as he spoke. "Even though we have a treaty, I will not hesitate to kill you if necessary." He pushed Tsubaki away and the other vampires caught him.
Isaac then turned to Soohyun who was slumped against the wall, and helped him to stand up straight. As they both started to walk away, Tsubaki spoke up. "Old man!" he shouted after them. "I will have your head one of these days... I will kill you.." Isaac ignored the comment and proceeded toward the exit.
Kanna, Kuro and Shin made their way across the dark lawn. They had almost reached the street when they heard the heavy wooden door of the mansion open behind them. They stopped and turned around, and Kanna was relieved to see Soohyun appear alongside his father.
Soohyun looked up, and after seeing Kanna, quickly walked over to her. "I'm sorry..." he said, pulling her close and hugging her. "Forgive me..."
Isaac left, and Kuro and Shin followed, leaving Soohyun and Kanna to each other.
Kanna hugged him back, but when she realized what she was doing, embarrassment caused her to pull away gently. She looked down and shook her head in response to his apology. "It's not your fault, and we're fine," she smiled up at him. Soohyun leaned down slightly and lifted a hand to rest against her jaw. 'Is it alright if I kiss you..?' he whispered the words in his mind, his eyes flicking back and forth across her features before resting on her eyes.
Kanna blushed, and even though she wanted to, she couldn't look away. Suddenly, a rush of dizziness overcame her and she stumbled. Soohyun caught her, holding her against himself. He smiled and set her back on her feet. Glancing down, he noticed that she was still clutching his shirt. He took it from her gently and slipped it back over his head. "Let's go." He held her hand and they started to walk down the path toward the glistening city.
As they approached the main street, Soohyun spoke over the cars. "Do you miss your life?"
Kanna was caught slightly off-guard by the question, but responded, "I haven't really thought about it.." It was true; up until that point, she had been too preoccupied to give the situation much thought.
Soohyun nodded and continued walking in silence until they got to a familiar street. Then he spoke. "Why were you in your apartment earlier?" he asked as they approached her apartment building, looking up at it. He stopped, waiting for an answer. Kanna glanced up at the building. "I was going to get fresh clothes and shoes.." she responded, and Soohyun nodded at her, smiling. "After you." He bowed and held out his hand, allowing her to go first.
Soohyun followed as she walked up the stairs to the second floor and made her way to her door, which was unlocked. Soohyun walked into the apartment first, just to make sure that there weren't any more surprises. He flipped on the light, revealing the same mess as before. "Aish, we should seriously get this cleaned up..." He coaxed Kanna into the apartment and shut the door.
Once inside, Kanna briefly looked around at the mess and walked past it to the bedroom. She opened her closet and pulled out her suitcase, grabbing a few articles of clothing from their hangers in the closet. Soohyun walked into the room after her. "It smells nice in here," he said with a smile, then sat down on the bed and leaned forward with his elbows on his knees, pressing his palms together. "Do you want to come back and live here?" he asked solemnly. After a few moments of consideration, Kanna shook her head, going over to her dresser and sifting through the underwear drawer. "I don't miss it enough to come back here yet."
Soohyun nodded. Standing back up, he walked over to Kanna and leaned against the wall, watching her pack. When she was finished, he took her bag from her and swung it over his shoulder. "All of this must have been scary for you, huh?" he said as he left the room. She followed him out, trying to avoid looking at the shambles that was her living room. "Neh.. But I think I'm getting use to it," she chuckled.
They remained silent as they walked back to the mansion, but Soohyun kept an alert eye on his surroundings. After a few minutes, he spoke. "About Aimi..." he started, but was unsure of how to word it. "I'm sorry you had to see her like that..." He became quiet, wishing he would have explained it to her beforehand. Kanna's heart sank a little at the mention of Aimi. "That.." She paused, trying to find the right words. "That's not my business."
They approached the path leading to the front of the mansion. "It's been a long night, we should get some rest. The sun will be coming up soon..." Soohyun said as the sky's deep blue was beginning to turn into a hazy pink. He walked Kanna up the path and into the house. It was very quiet, probably because everyone was resting.
Kanna allowed him to hold the door for her, knowing by now how much of a gentleman he is, and stepped into his home. 'My home now..' she reminded herself. It was a relief to be back after having been abducted and held captive in such an unpleasant place.
Soohyun walked behind Kanna slowly as they made their way to her room. Arriving at her door, he opened it for her and held her bag out in front of her. "Get some sleep," he said softly, lowering his gaze from her face.
She took her bag, and as Soohyun turned to leave, she held the door open, stopping him. "Soohyun.." He looked at her, waiting for her to continue. "Thank you.. You always end up saving me, and I'm sorry."
Still averting his eyes, he nodded and closed the door softly. He waited outside in the hall for a few seconds before walking to his room. He couldn't help but to think about earlier; how foolish he had been to want to kiss her right there. 'No, I'm sorry...' he thought to himself.
Kanna stood silently behind the closed door for a short while before picking up her suitcase and carrying it to the bed. She opened it and began to unpack it, making use of the wardrobe and dresser. She left out a pair of pajamas and fresh underwear for herself to change into.
After changing her clothes, she stowed the empty suitcase beside the dresser and climbed into bed. She laid there, staring at the fire that was gently burning in the hearth.
Soohyun walked over to his fireplace and stood next to it, gazing blankly into it. The fire put him in a trance-like state. He began thinking about the day's activities. 'If only I could actually protect her...' He walked away, braking eye contact with the fire. 'I won't let her go away again...' He sat on his bed and pondered for several minutes before standing up and suddenly slamming his fist into the wall in frustration.
Kanna was suddenly very drowsy, which she thought was understandable after everything that had happened, and being unconscious due to drugs wasn't the same as sleeping. She closed her eyes, listening to the crackle of the fire.
Soohyun looked to the window and walked over to it. 'If I could just see it once... ' He tentatively reached out and began to part the curtains, but stopped as one of the first rays of morning sunlight fell across his hand. He pulled back as he felt the sting and let the curtains fall back into place. "Aish.." he muttered, clenching his fist and watching as the small burns slowly healed.
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