『XVI』




Your traces that my heart is filled with
Makes me able to breathe
When the long night is colour by the moonlight
Will the inescapable wait all end?
I wish for a miracle and ask and answer myself

Oh, I can't tell you about me, who wants to reach your heart
Like the starlight hidden behind the cold clouds
I love you, in the end, this painful confession
That lingers at the edge of my lips
Slides down in tears

This arrow that's reached my heart
Feels like a part of my body now
Even though it hurts to death
I can't remove you, who's stuck in my heart
Because it's love, because for me, it's love

Even if I can't have you, even when my heart
Is blocked in the end by the wall of sad connection
I love you, if it's a place, where I can just watch you
Because you're my everything

I stay up for so many nights
When the starlight becomes rain
That doesn't stop like my tears
Remember that I loved you

Even if I can't have you, even when my heart
Is blocked in the end by the wall of sad connection, I love you
If it's a place, where I can just watch you
Because you're my everything

Even if I can't have you, even when my heart (I need you)
Is blocked in the end by the wall of sad connection, 
I am trying, dying, crying for you, baby)
I love you, if it's a place, where I can just watch you
(I love you, I love you)
Because you're my everything

It's not tough, oh no
Because you have to be mine
In order for you to be you
Even if it hurts
Even if you make me cry
I love you
Quasimodo – SHINee

[-][-][-]

Key grabbed his shirt, just above the area where his heart would be under his human flesh. For the first time in his long – immortal – life, he felt this awful pain in his heart. It felt like someone had frozen his heart and then crushed it into million pieces. He himself did not know he could even possess a heart. He watched as Amber and Minho embraced each other. Minho whispered something into Amber’s ear and Key felt the pain and rage build up inside him – he was ready to explode. He saw the tears fall from Amber’s beautiful eyes and how Minho gently wiped those tears away from her rose-pink cheeks. He felt that he should be the one embracing Amber. The one to wipe her tears away – he wanted it to be him not Minho. Finally he now understood all the feelings he had been feeling all along. He is in love – in love with an angel and her name is Amber. 

He stood there with the others when Minho took Amber’s hand and the two of them walked away together. He quickly turned around and walked away before the others can stop him. “Where is Key going?” Jonghyun asked Taemin when he saw Key walk away from the group. Taemin shrugged his shoulders as a reply. 

Luna and Sulli walked towards the group. Sulli was holding Luna’s free hand, swinging it back and forth, happily, “What’s going on? Sulli and I just walked past Amber and Minho. They were holding hands.” Luna stopped, with Sulli still holding onto her hand.

Krystal looked at Sulli and frowned, “Sulli, you better tell us what you know now!”

Sulli stuck her tongue out at Krystal and smirked, “Why? It’s really not my place to explain what is going on between those two.”

“Don’t play around,” Krystal crossed her arms and pouted. 

“Oh, okay,” Sulli let go of Luna’s hand and walked over to Krystal and placed her arm around her shoulder, “It seem that he remembered his past; who he was before he became a demon. Amber has been having more vivid dreams these past two days, right? She is starting to remember her past as well.” 

“What past?” Taemin asked.

“I don’t think it’s our business. If Amber and Minho wants us to know the truth, they will tell us. Well they are going to tell us sooner or later anyway.” Sulli answered. “By the way where is Key?”

“He stormed off somewhere,” Jonghyun said, as he nodded his head in the direction that Key went.

Sulli frowned as she muttered, “Oh man, I hoped to talk to him first, but I’m too late.”

“What do you want to talk to him about?” Taemin moved closer to Sulli and Krystal.

Krystal looked at Sulli, as she bit her bottom lip nervously, “I want to stop him from doing something that he will regret.”

“What are you talking about?” Krystal raised an eyebrow. 

Sulli took a slow deep breath as she closed her eyes, “My power is limited in my human form. I can only see bits and pieces of the future. As each one of us chooses a different path, it also influences the outcome of the future. All I know is that he will regret it and it will hurt the person he loves the most. Well, one way or another everything will sort itself out. Now, who is hungry? Let’s go get something to eat!” 

Luna looked at the two girls and the two boys, “I hope everything will sort itself out like you say.” The five of them walked toward the cafeteria.

Key watched as Luna, Sulli, Krystal, Jonghyun, and Taemin walked towards the cafeteria. He had been hiding from them. He waited for them to move so that he can follow Minho and Amber. He was so deep in his thoughts that he could not hear anything that Sulli had mention. The future had been set. He had chosen his path. 

As the group disappeared around the corner, he quickly moved from his hiding spot and followed the scent of Amber and Minho. His sense of smell had always been his best trait – his special power. When he thought of that, he laughed quietly to himself. He remembered the first time when he met Amber. She called him a dog. He thought to himself that she was right in some way. 

He stopped when he saw Amber and Minho sitting on a bench under a tree. He slowed down and moved in closer to them so that he could better hear them. 

“So you are Uriel?” He faintly heard Amber asked Minho. They were talking in a low whisper to each other. If a normal human had stood where Key stood they would not hear them at all, but Key is not a normal human, therefore he heard them loud and clear.

“What happened?” Donghae asked Jessica as he walked through the door. 

Jessica looked back at him with worry and fear in her eyes, “Their memories returned!”

Donghae ran over to Jessica and wrapped his arms around her. He hated seeing her in pain. He was supposed to protect her and made her happy, but he placed so many responsibilities on her shoulders. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s ok,” Jessica shook her head and smiled back at him weakly. “We should have known better. We should have known that we could not break the eternal bond by erasing their memories alone. Would they hate us for what we have done to them?”

Donghae gently ran his hand through her hair, “It would be fine. I think they would understand why we did what we did. We wanted to protect Amber and Minho wanted the same thing. They would understand our intention.” Donghae gently kissed her on her forehead. 

“I believe so. I’m still trying to piece together my memories,” Minho played with his fingers as he answered. 

Amber pulled her knees up toward her chest and hugged them, “Same here. My memories are coming back to me in bit and pieces too. I remember more while I’m dreaming ...” she stopped midsentence, turned to face Minho and looked at him. “I need to ask you one important thing. Why did you leave me?”

Minho looked at Amber, reached his arm around her shoulders and held her tight against his chest. Amber let him as she listened to the sound of his heartbeat – it is calming to her, “To protect you. I felt that was the only way to save you from the destiny that had been set for you.”

“Protect me from what?” Amber tilted her head upward to look at him. Her chin rested on his chest.

“You know who your parents are right?” Minho asked her, his warm breath brushed her cheeks. She nodded. “Then you would also know that your blood is the key to the Grigoris’ freedom. In addition, there is a part of the ancient carving that said that person had be in an eternal bond – eternal love – of Uriel, which is me. The reason for it is because Donghae and Jessica ... they used my blood to seal the gate – the prison. When you were born they removed that part of the carving out – fear that it will endanger your immortal life. I was still worried that someone might one-day figure it out. That is the reason why I let Donghae and Jessica erased our memories to make sure that we forget about each other, but that backfired. The bond created by the almighty cannot be broken that easily; only death can break it.”

Amber smiled weakly, she reached over and held one of Minho’s hand with both of hers, “I’m happy that you didn’t kill yourself, what a sin that would be. Promise me one thing; do not ever leave me again. I can take care of myself. In addition, my heritage of being the daughter of Lucifer and Azrael is a secret. Only a select few know. I think Victoria and Onew is one of those select few. Victoria is my secret bodyguard and Onew used to be one as well before he followed my father down to hell.” 

Amber felt warm liquid on her forehead. She turned and looked at Minho and saw the tears streaming out from his warm brown eyes. He looked down at her and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead, “I’m sorry ...” he was interrupted midsentence by Amber. “Sorry can’t change anything. What happened in the past is now in the past. We have to concentrate on the present. What about this?” She pulled out her necklace of the white feather with the reddish brown peck of dried up blood on it.

“That was really my feather and my blood,” Minho looked at her with a pained look on his face. “We had to make sure that it looked like the demons killed me so Donghae, Jessica and I set-up the scene after they erased your memories of me.” 

Amber let go of Minho’s hand and got up. For a split second, she felt anger inside of her, “Lies upon lies. You know how much that event had hunted all these years?”

“I know.”

“How painful it was to dream of something that didn’t even happen?” Amber turned to looked at him. Tears tainted her beautiful face. 

Minho got up and reached out for her hands with his. He held them as he kneeled down on the ground in front of her, “I was tortured by the dream too.” Amber raised an eyebrow. “I’m not trying to make an excuse for myself. Please listen, I thought what I did was the right thing to do at that time. I do not expect you to forgive me for what I had done to you – to us. Those dreams plague me as well. I understand how much pain and confusion it has given you. Please don’t hate me.” 

Amber looked away from him and inhaled deeply. Slowly her anger subsided. Minho – the former and proud archangel – kneeled in front of her asking for her forgiveness. She softened and kneeled down on the ground at his level. She wrapped her arms around him, “I’ll ... this once ... forgive you, but promise me – never again.”

Key gasped at the revelation and then quickly placed his hands over his mouth hoping that the newly reunited couple did not hear him. He slowly moved backwards and quickly turned and ran, but he ran into someone. He was shocked at the smiling face that stared back at him, “You ...”

Heechul placed his index finger on Key’s lips, “Follow me.”

For some odd reason Key obeyed and followed. It seem liked they had walked forever when Key was pushed into a dark small office by Heechul, “What do you want with me?”

Heechul smirked at him, “Tell me what you just heard from those two.”

Key swallowed hard. Heechul who usually look very angelic now looked more demonic than he was, “Those two? What are you talking about?”

Heechul let out an evil laughed, “Don’t act like you don’t know – demon.” Heechul pointed down towards his arm. “I just cut you with a knife, you didn’t feel it nor did you bleed.”

Key looked down at large cut on his arm. He cussed at himself for just pretending to take the potion. He thought it was stupid. His pride has betrayed him. He unfurled his black wings to try to intimidate Heechul, “What are you?”

“I’m a Nephilim; descendent of the Grigoris.” Heechul stepped closer to Key, as he slowly unfurled his wings. It was not as big as that of Key’s, but it was not small either. What caught Key’s attention was its colour; it was blood red. Heechul smirked at Key’s reaction to his wings. “We seek to free our parents, so tell us what you know or we will make sure that we hurt that girl, Amber. I can see it in your eyes, the feeling you have for her. You love her. You want her. If you help us, I am sure we can help you make her yours. We can get rid of your obstacle, Minho. Help us and we will help you.”

There was so much going on in Key’s head that he felt that he had no other choice. His dark side came over him. He wanted Amber for himself. Get rid of Minho and she will be his forever. The temptation right there in front of him. Why should he care for Minho when he lied to him; pretended to be a demon, when he was an angel all along. He made his decision. He gave in to his temptation – his demon darkness. 

Consequently, he diverge the information that he had heard from Minho and Amber – not everything, but just enough. When he realized what he had done, it was too late. 

Heechul grinned evilly, “Good. Get her away from them on the night of the ball. Bring her to me. I will let you know the location later on.”

Joon stood in the shadow of the small office as he watched Heechul interrogate Key. For the first time he felt confusion and fear emitted from a demon. He ran he hand over his face and rested on his neck. He took a last look at Key and Heechul and disappeared into the shadow. Blending in and out with the shadow was his specialty. A power that he had kept a secret from the Nephilims, the one person that knows he has this power is Kyuhyun. 

A moment later, he stepped out near the cafeteria. He walked into the cafeteria as he scanned it in search of something or someone. He smiled when he found them. He walked up to a group of five people, “Hi guys, how it’s going?”

The group turned and looked at him. The youngest boy, Taemin looked at Joon and scratched his head, “Good ... what do you want with us?” 

Joon sat down next to Krystal and across from Sulli. He whispered to them, “We need to talk. I gave you the letter but Amber never received it. The situation had taken a turn for the worse and this is my last resolve. Letting them see me with you guys like this will sure cause some suspiscion.”

Sulli looked at Joon, confused, “What do you mean? How can your issue of asking Amber to the ball taken a turn for the worse?”

“We MUST talk and you will understand,” Joon smiled, got up and walked away from their table.

The group looked at each other with confusion. Then Luna pointed at the empty space where Joon had sat; there on the table was a piece of paper. Krystal picked it up and read it. The note provided a meeting place and the time, “I guess we will have to meet him to find out what he wants with us.”

Tiffany smiled as she told her father the good news, “We found the gate and we also found the person - the key - to open it.”

“Good ...” the old man coughed. He was once forever young, but now he was just an old decaying man. His wings that were once bright, crimson red now turned into a rotting greenish colour. They was once large, now they nothing but stubs on his back. “Leave. Set them free. Return our family glory, which you cursed. I should have killed you when I had the chance; if it were not for your mother, you would have been dead. You cursed me – cursed our family. Leave now and do what you must.”

Tiffany slowly retreated out of her father’s room. As soon as she closed the door, the tears that she held exploded. Her father hated her for being human. She was a curse to their family. That was the reason why she is doing all these things. She wanted to bring back the family’s name and maybe her father will love her. For once, maybe he would be proud of her.