Chapter 5.

My mother was like me?

I paced in the darkness of my room, shielded from the sun by thick velvet curtains, sleep out of the question.

Strange to think the real master of our family, the power-hungry demon, was similar to myself. Many thoughts of what her youth had been like raced through my head at this new information, but one kept coming back: If she was as reluctant as dad claimed, why hadn't she done something about it? Mom did everything her way; her allowing of something to go on without her say was as preposterous as walking in broad daylight.

And in our world, broad daylight doesn't exist. We can’t even walk among the streets at night without the slightest worry of bursting into flames at the rise of the sun.

I ran a hand through my thick caramel locks, sighing heavily. I sat down on the bed, clutching the blankets in my hands. I closed my eyes briefly, letting out a small sigh.

If you were so much like I am now back then, then…Why are you forcing me to go through with this?

I lay back, staring at the ceiling. A thin sliver of light streaked across my ceiling. I reached up so the tips of my fingers were lit by the ray, and immediately retracted my hand.

As I stared at the singed skin, I bit my lip.

Why did I have to be born into this world?

…I just want to be free.

xXx

Sometimes Jonghyun forgot that Rinka was only 15 years old.

She seemed so mature, so sullen for her age. She was much too tame. And when he thought of how he himself had acted at that age, it bothered him even more.

He was wild. He never did a single thing he didn’t want to, never even listened when his parents spoke of his future. Back then, he thought his future belonged to him. What a silly thought.

But there were times like these, rare, when he’d see the slightest hint of dissatisfaction cross her face at one of her mother’s statements that he was reminded.

He stood by the young girl’s side as her mother ranted on etiquette and such, nearly forgetting he was there. The more times he was over at the Tekarimoto household for whatever reason, mainly formality, the more comfortable the woman got around him to discipline her daughter in front of him.

He could tell it bother Rinka, not that she would do anything about it. Of the few things he knew about her, he had learned that she took whatever her mother gave her without a single complaint. He didn’t know whether to call her weak for not protesting or strong for holding out.

“Miss Tekarimoto, don’t you think it’s a bit much to embarrass her so much?” he asked, finally having enough of the seemingly endless rant.

And by god, he felt such unexplainable pleasure at the expression on her face before she composed her self, clearing .

“Oh…yes, of course, I’m sorry Jonghyun.”

He merely forced a smile. “No, no problem.”

He watched her bow just a bit before exiting the room. He hid a smirk underneath his hand as Rinka’s mother retreated. Jonghyun snuck a look to Rinka and their eyes met, much to his surprise. Rinka gave him a little smile and nod then turned her attention to the Ninja Maid. She offered both him and Rinka type O negative, his own personal favorite.

Jonghyun watched her for a moment then flicked his faze back to Rinka. It was then he realized that something wasn’t quite right, but had no time to react before the dark red curtain of the window next to Rinka suddenly fell, exposing them to the rising sun.

Rinka cried out and raised her arms for protection; her chair falling as Jonghyun leapt to her side. His inhuman speed allowed him to sweep up the curtain and cover them both, he lay above her on the ground. After a few moments of panic, the curtain was lifted off them and carefully reset to its original place.

Jonghyun hadn’t realized how long Rinka’s family had been with his, he couldn’t believe how fast the sun had come, but he quickly dismissed the thought and turned his attention to his poor fiancé.

She was letting out horrible mewls of pain, holding her charred arms to her chest as he held her to his own, burying her face in his neck.

“Sh, it’s okay. Quick, get her something for her arms!” He sat her up in his arms as the maid ran off to get wet clothes, wiping tears from her eyes.

"My lord! Your neck! It's...." One of the Kim's maids trailed off, her hand to in absolute shock. Part of Jonghyun's neck was as charred as badly as Rinka's arms were. He hadn’t even felt it.

“Oh…No, I’m fine. Take care of her first.” For the first moment since the accident had happened, Rinka spoke up. Her voice was hoarse and quiet, but she pushed out her objection.

“Jonghyun, I’m…I’m okay. Your neck…” His eyes softened at the sight of her distressed face and he nodded, allowing his maid to swoop in with a cold cloth as Rinka’s did the same.

“Drink this, it’ll help heal you faster.” They were both handed small glasses of the O type blood that they were previously drinking.

Jonghyun slowly took one, but Rinka remained still.

"It's the same drink..." she muttered, her pain mixing with her confusion.”What's so special about it?”

“Type O is the purest of blood these days. It has special properties to heal the wounded, especially of Firsts. I’m surprised you didn’t know that,” Jonghyun stated, taking a sip.

“Oh,” she said softly, and he gazed at her with poorly masked concern as she tried to lift her drink.

He set his own drink down on the wooden floor and scooted closer to her, taking her drink. “Here.”

She looked at him in confusion before he held the glass up to her lips and ever so carefully tipped it to pour the liquid into .

To her surprise, it was warm; comfortingly so. As the blood slid down , the pain in her arms dulled to almost nothing.

“Better?” Jonghyun asked, his voice uncharacteristically soft.

Rinka sat back in his arms then nodded. She couldn't help but smile, just a little, at his sudden caring nature. She felt his lips press, just barely, into the crown of her head.

“Yes. Better,” she mumbled.

xXx

Rinka.

Everything was so confusing.

I felt like I was on the edge. My emotions were tugging me this way in that, one shouting Come on! and the other No, it’s a trap you fool!

Something had changed. The second that curtain had fallen, and I had felt the searing pain of the sun, and then the darkness that have followed…Then the sight of Jonghyun’s face, so close to mine and clouded with concern…Something had changed.

Every bit of sense in me told me to run. To run away, to never look back, and erase that face from my mind.

And yet, I ignored it. Because secretly…I was starting to really, really come to like that face.

xXx