That was two years ago to this very day. The Great Prophecy had said that the Eternal Rose would become a fair young maiden of 21 when she's at her most powerful, outshining all of the others in this dark world she resides in.

She would have to be under some serious protection, though. Her Guardian would have to protect her; body and soul, since one can't co-exist without the other. Break her body and she finds another life form in another eon. Break her soul... and she ceases to exist.

It was once said that the Eternal Rose was to remind people of the world's pure and rare gift on innocence. Look at her and all the dark pain and sorrow would leave you for life, until you reach your grave in which it would be multiplied. This was the very reason people isolated her from them for all these years.

This was, also, why her Guardian had to be free of any pain, grief or anything else related. If he couldn't help but have them, he would have to pass the Rose in to another potiential Guardian's care, which were very hard to find.

''Zelo! Zelo! Zelo! Zelo!''

Zelo'a thoughts were interrupted by a 10-year-old girl bouncing on to his lap, taking the pen he had been diligently writing his notes with and scribbling all over his shirt. He chuckled and pried her little fingers off his shirt. ''Hayi... I thought I told you not to do that,'' he reasoned with her, cradling her small body in his arms.

Hayi. The name just popped in to his head when he saw her for the first time after 3 years; skipping through the castle as if she owned the place. Zelo almost had to chase her down the huge hallways before he knew who she was. She had assumed her human form of a 5-year-old girl at the time and since then, she had started to grow up like a little girl.

''You're reading too much. You need to play with me too, Zelo~,'' she whined as she pulled at his grey sweater's sleeves and rubbed them on his cheeks innocently. Zelo glanced at the open book in front of him and back at Hayi.

''Look! Your hair's turning raven!'' Hayi pointed out, tugging at a lock of his hair. Zelo's dark eyes widened and he pulled his hair over his eyes to look closely. She was right.

His Guardianship was catching up to him.

''Zelo, come play with me~,'' Hayi whined, taking his pen and drawing on his shirt once more. ''Alright, alright. Just let me go change,'' he gave in to her. ''No! I want everyone to see my masterpiece!'' she squealed as she jumped from his lap and tugged on his hand.

Zelo knew better than to argue with her.

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''She's becoming stronger, isn't she?'' Daesung said to Zelo in Hayi's beloved rose garden. He nodded and smiled as she poked her head through a gap in the hedge to his left. ''Sometimes I can't even believe she's an ancient power source. She looks like a normal girl to me,'' Zelo replied to Daesung.

''But looks can be deceiving, Zelo. Look at her,'' Daesung sighed as he sat down on one of the stone benches. Hayi's little form kept popping up from bushes, shrubs and hedges in her attempts to scare Zelo. He couldn't help but notice that she felt her most peaceful when she was among roses.

Her shoulder-legth hair billowed behind her and her skin was radiating with ancient power; which she shared with Zelo. Her eyes glinted gold when the light hit them just right. Since she had a piece of hard candy in , her modd was lifted by tenfold. She came over to Zelo and tugged on his hand, obviously wanting him to come play with her.

''Just a few more minutes, Hayi. I'll come soon,'' he softly said to her. She stomped her foot in frustration and gave Daesung a look full of hate, as if he stole her favourite toy, before bouncing away again.

''Although, I have to admit, her grudge against me is getting a bit disturbing,'' Daesung muttered uneasily. Zelo chuckled. ''Well you did paint her red roses blue, you know,'' he said amusedly, patting Daesung's shoulder symphathetically. ''But she said that blue roses were her favourite!'' exclaimed Daesung.

''Yes. I can literally see her enjoying them,'' Zelo said sarcastically. Daesung scowled and gasped when she pricked her finger on one of her own roses. ''Hyunsuk isn't going to like that...,'' Daesung whispered. Zelo just shook his head and pointed to what she was doing.

Holding her bleeding thumb with her left hand, she kneeled on the grass and pressed her thumb to the earth. Almost immediately, a small rose plant shot up from the ground, it's tiny leaves waiting for some sunshine. Daesung stood there in awe as Zelo smiled at her mischevious grin.

''H-How d-d-did she d-do that?'' he stammered. Zelo just shrugged. ''She came up to me one day and showed me. I don't think it's her powers which does the trick. I think it's the ichor in her,'' Zelo replied.

''Immortal blood? She has immortal blood in her?!'', Daesung shrieked in Zelo's ear. Stepping away from the elder, he nodded uncomfortably. ''That's why her roses never wilt, whatever the weather,'' he explained, walking towards Hayi. She jumped in to his arms in her poofy white dress and held out her thumb. Zelo brushed the golden ichor off her thumb with his finger and kissed it softly.

Her wound disappeared as if someone had wiped it off her thumb. She giggled and hugged him, wrapping her small arms around his neck. Daesung walked up to them now, his face filled with fear and worry.

''Won't her powers be detected? What if he tracks her down again? What if he draws all the ichor from-,'' Daesung began to panic, but Zelo's kick to his shin rendered him speechless. Hayi squealed when Daesung dropped on to his back, clutching his leg. ''Do it again! Do it again!'' she chanted. Shaking his head, Zelo put her down and watched as she stuck out her tongue and Daesung's pain-filled face.

When Daesung thought she was out of earshot, he screamed, ''I BROUGHT YOU HERE!'', at the top of his lungs while a steady stream of swear words followed.

''I'm sure she'll remember you,'' were Zelo's last words to the blonde before following Hayi.

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yes, i portrayed lee hi as a 10-year-old. because, dammit, she looks like one. T_T

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