When they drove right through the city of Chicago, Ryeowook couldn’t honestly say he was surprised by the outcome.  A single, irritated glance at Kyuhyun confirmed the vampire had done as much as he said he would, in the very loosest terms possible, and was content with that.  He didn’t even question as they continued on, skirting around the outer edge of Lake Michigan as they went.  He was however confused when they slowed down in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

                “Here?” he asked, looking between the two vampires before he peered ahead at the sleepy city in the wee hours of the morning.  It was still alive with people and lights, but their numbers were much reduced from the usual hustle and bustle of daytime activities.

                Kangin grunted beside him and scoffed, “I still haven’t figured it out either.”

                “It’s N.  That should be answer enough,” Kyuhyun chuckled dryly, nodding for their driver to continue on as he looked out the window, examining the area.

                Ryeowook had only been to Kalamazoo a handful of times in the past and while it was a nice place to visit, he hadn’t felt any desire to stay here.  There was a nice University in the area and it was moderately known for medicine and pharmaceuticals but nothing otherwise exceptional.  He shifted awkwardly in his seat and shrugged his shoulders, annoyed that Kyuhyun still had his damn arm wrapped around him.  He was getting tired of that…

                He held his peace though and simply watched, trying to figure out where they were going specifically so if he had a chance to call someone, he’d be able to give them a location.  Damn vampires had taken his phone first thing and he felt so without it.

                They drove through the town and into a more residential area that was still relatively close to the large, easy to recognize Bronson Methodist Hospital.  Kangin started muttering under his breath about someone being too obvious as per usual and Kyuhyun ignored him as he pointed out the house they needed to pull into.

                “I remember!” Kangin grumbled darkly, easing into a driveway with a closed garage.

                Kyuhyun just clucked his tongue once while Ryeowook watched in confusion as the automated door slid open, apparently on its own.  “Eh?” he chirped, tilting his head to the side when he saw that it extended back a great deal further than he would have expected.  In fact, the entire truck and modified horse trailer they pulled behind them fit with little difficulty.

                “We’re here,” Kyuhyun murmured, opening the door before the truck was even off, grabbing Ryeowook’s arm to gently pull him from the cab in turn.

                “I’m fine!” Ryeowook snapped, yanking back reflexively.  At least he was until the lights went out and cast him into total darkness.  “Whoa!” he yelped, blindly reaching to hold onto Kyuhyun’s hand as he looked around with wide eyes.

                “I thought you were fine,” Kyuhyun reminded him with a smug tone to his voice.

                Ryeowook gritted his teeth and swallowed hard, shifting cautiously over the seat as he felt his way along, making sure he didn’t just fall out of the truck in the process.  “I can’t see,” he admitted in a mere whisper.  He would much rather not be touching the vampire just then but not knowing where he was in the darkness would have been even worse.

                “Well I can.  Come on,” Kyuhyun urged, sliding his arm around Ryeowook’s back and waist before he closed the door with a sound that startled him.

                “Yah!”  Again, Ryeowook fought a surge of fear at the noise and grabbed tighter to his guide, immediately embarrassed in the next second.

                “Jumpy much?” the vampire teased, clearly enjoying himself as he moved them along.

                “You could have warned me,” the human muttered with a frown.

                “True,” Kyuhyun conceded, his tone indicating he was still teasing.  It only served to irritate Ryeowook even more and he clenched his jaw as a door was opened nearby, throwing a spear of light into the darkness so he could see.

                “This way,” Kangin waved, holding the door open for both of them and he chuckled at Ryeowook’s blindness.

                “Is that you, Kyuhyunnie?” a cheerful, male voice asked from inside.

                As the vampire beside him groaned with a slight stiffening of his body, Ryeowook looked at him with an amused expression.  “Kyuhyunnie?”

                “Not a word,” the vampire sniffed, pushing his charge along as he called ahead.  “Who else would it be, N?  Santa Claus?”

                “You’re earlier than I expected,” the speaker admitted, still remaining clear of the doorway so that the three visitors could step inside without trouble.

                “We made good time,” Kangin nodded, pulling the door shut behind his companions as Kyuhyun stopped them just over the threshold while Ryeowook stared at the person before him.

                The vampire he presumed to be N was about his height, with a slightly darker complexion than he was used to seeing on the undead – all two of them so far – but he had deep red hair and a slender frame, much like his own.  Nothing about him said vampire…

                “Oh!” N gasped, clapping his hands together in excitement as he laid eyes on Ryeowook.  “You didn’t tell me you had a newbie!” he exclaimed, rushing close to grab both the human’s hands and smile at him.

                Surprised and startled, Ryeowook stepped back into Kyuhyun’s body, stiffening further when that vampire grabbed his shoulders to keep him steady.  “N…” Kyuhyun warned, reaching his hand out to press it against the shorter vampire’s forehead and push back.

                Undaunted, N brushed the hand away and rambled, “It’s not like you to have a half turned, Kyu.  And he’s so cute!” the vampire gushed, waving at Ryeowook animatedly.  “What’s your name?” he asked intently, ignoring both Kyuhyun and Kangin as he focused on the human.

                Taken aback by the unorthodox greeting, Ryeowook blinked in surprise and blurted, “Ryeowook.”  A slight tightening of the fingers on his arm let him know that Kyuhyun wasn’t all too happy about N’s forwardness either and he had to stifle a smile.  “It’s nice to meet you, N,” he added in a shaky voice, feeling slightly victorious when Kyuhyun didn’t like that either.  Hah.  Take that.

                “And he’s so polite,” N hummed happily, giving Kyuhyun a knowing look before he leaned closer to the human.  “Do tell me he’s treating you well.  You look so pale, Wookie,” he explained, gently touching Ryeowook’s cheek with his fingertips as his face crinkled in concern.

                “He needs food,” Kangin coughed into his hand behind the trio as he tried desperately hard not to laugh outright at the situation.

                “Why haven’t you been feeding him?” N immediately chastised Kyuhyun with a finger in his face, his demeanor shifting entirely in the blink of an eye.

                “Because he wo-” Kyuhyun started to defend himself before he was cut off.

                “No excuses!” N snapped, focusing his attention on Ryeowook again.  “Come on Wookie.  This way,” he explained as he pulled the human from Kyuhyun’s stunned and dumbfounded grasp.

                “Dammit, N!” Kyuhyun grumbled, turning his irritated glare on Kangin who had given up on not trying to laugh.

                The pair hadn’t made it more than a couple steps before N yelped as a loud smack connected with his back.  “Why are you such a mother hen?!” a female voice demanded to their side, seemingly appearing out of nowhere.

                Wide-eyed, Ryeowook inhaled sharply and turned to stare at an attractive young woman who was rather successfully berating N.  With lavender colored hair that spilled over her shoulders in two wavy pigtails, she looked almost like a child, but the fantastically applied makeup and form fitting attire confirmed she was a grown woman in her own right.

                “Hyosunggie,” N whined with a slight pout.  “Kyuhyunnie hasn’t fed Wookie yet,” he explained, pointing between the vampire and the human frantically.

                “Aish,” the woman rolled her eyes and then smiled as she noticed Kangin still laughing heartily nearby.  “You are so good at causing a spectacle and being loud,” she sighed with a shake of her head.

                “You’re one to talk,” N mumbled back, laughing at her affronted expression.

                “Oh for ’s sake,” Kyuhyun growled, stepping close to yank Ryeowook back into his arms with a glare at both N and Hyosung.

                “This is too good,” Kangin laughed, clapping his hands heartily as he simply watched the drama unfold.

                Ryeowook was so very confused and he didn’t like the feeling of being jostled and yanked around like a doll.  At least Kyuhyun was sturdy, even if he didn’t enjoy his company, and so he held onto him with both hands and tried to make sense of things.

                “Kyu!” N and Hyosung whined at the same time, turning to pout at the taller vampire.

                “No!” Kyuhyun spat back, pointing his finger at them in irritation.  “He’s my human and you both need to calm the hell down.”

                “But…” N complained, sticking his bottom lip out effectively.  Kyuhyun made a silencing gesture with his hand as he grunted in the back of his throat, clearly annoyed.

                Kangin managed to get his laughter under control so that it was only a quiet snicker on the side and into the resultant lull, they heard, “Why is everyone so loud?”  All eyes shifted to take in the sight of the newcomer: another slender male with sharp, attractive features and slightly fluffy black hair.  Sleepily, he rubbed at his dark eyes while he stood in the entryway into the kitchen in soft blue bunny pajamas.

                “Himchannie!” Hyosung gushed, rushing over to grab his arm in hers with a delighted, if apologetic smile.  “Did we wake you?” she asked, giving him a very repentant look.

                He stifled a yawn as he nodded and then blinked a couple times as he took in the rest of the gathering.  “Hi,” he waved with a charismatic smile, tilting his head to the side when he settled his gaze on Ryeowook.  “He’s not a vampire.  Is he like me?” he asked, looking at Hyosung with a curious expression.

                “Ne,” she nodded in agreement while all eyes turned back to Kyuhyun and Ryeowook.  The vampire glared at everyone nearby and Kangin chuckled again, immediately silencing it when the sharp gaze shifted his direction.

                Humming under his breath, N stepped into the middle of the gathering and suggested, “Maybe we should get the whole story.”

                “You think?” Kyuhyun responded in a flat tone of voice.  Ryeowook winced at the sound, shifting in place just a bit when the grip on him was starting to become uncomfortable.

                Needless to say, it didn’t take the vampires long to get things sorted out before Ryeowook was essentially ushered off under Himchan’s capable hands despite Kyuhyun’s complaints.  “He’ll be fine,” Hyosung assured him as she pat Himchan’s back with both hands, giving him a gentle push in the direction of the living room.

                “Wait a-”

                “You haven’t told him anything useful,” N grumbled, pointing a chastising finger at the taller male.

                “He wouldn’t-”

                “Ah, just let it go, Kyu,” Kangin urged, stepping close to throw his arm over Kyuhyun’s shoulder and drag him near.

                Ryeowook’s head was still spinning as he was deftly guided to the comfy couch in the living room where he collapsed with weary, exhausted relief.  Past the point of caring, he fell onto his side and curled his hands to his chest as he closed his eyes, taking a deep breath.  “So tired…” he exhaled, only realizing after the fact that he spoke aloud.

                “It’s no wonder,” Himchan shook his head, taking a careful seat next to Ryeowook on the couch, resting his hand on the dark head of hair beside him.

                “Why?” Ryeowook murmured, peering through half open eyes as he whimpered softly at the gentle contact.

                “Well, despite being neither human nor vampire right now, you still need to eat,” the other male chuckled softly.

                “Not blood,” he whimpered, clenching his eyes shut again as he turned his face into the cushion.

                For a long moment, Himchan didn’t say anything and simply just resorted to petting Ryeowook in long, soothing , carding his fingertips through the unwashed hair before trailing his palm down the length of his spine.  “It’s not so bad you know,” he admitted softly, the hint of a smile in his voice.

                Ryeowook took another breath, more relaxed than usual as the never ending headache faded just a hair.  “What isn’t?”

                “Being a half-breed of sorts,” he admitted, his hand slowing down.  “You can still see the sun and you don’t need as much sleep as before, though you do need some sort of food and regular supplements of a vampire’s blood to keep the reactions you’re experiencing now at bay.”

                “No…” Ryeowook whimpered with a shake of his head.

                “Why not?” Himchan asked, genuinely curious while he drew the bangs out of his charge’s face to peer into the pale expression better.

                “I didn’t want this,” he murmured pitifully.  “I didn’t even know any of this was real until a couple days ago.  I just… didn’t want him to hurt Henry.”

                Himchan laughed softly, the sound light and understanding.  “No one ever warned you about making deals with vampires did they?”  At the shake of Ryeowook’s head, he took another breath.  “The Chos are the worst too.  They never forget anything,” he murmured with an irritated tone.

                Very slowly, Ryeowook shifted on the couch to get a better look at Himchan above him.  “Why are you with them?” he asked, swallowing with a wince.

                “Because I want to be,” Himchan smiled with an encouraging nod.  “I keep hoping that Hyosung will agree to turn me at last but I think she just likes having me at her beck and call,” he snorted with a roll of his eyes.  “Well, that and I have easy access to blood packs at work,” he shrugged nonchalantly.  “But you…” he trailed off, his gaze speculative as a smile pulled at the corners of his mouth.  “It looks like Kyu actually wants to turn you.”

                “Why?” Ryeowook grumbled, completely confounded.  Kyuhyun had already said that humans were stupid and selfish, and he already knew he was weak and otherwise useless in that regard, so he had no idea why any vampire would want to turn him.

                “He’s a vampire,” Himchan snorted with an amused shrug.  “And a Cho to boot.  I have no idea,” he shook his head with a smile.

                His response made Ryeowook pause to think.  It was strange to know that some humans wanted to be vampires and some vampires wanted to turn humans but the two didn’t seem to coincide as often as one would expect.  Nor was it a simple matter of just biting someone to make it happen.  Ryeowook hadn’t been altered until he’d drank Kyuhyun’s blood in the juice and according to the vampire, it only started getting the body ready for the full change.  To complete it, he would need to drink the blood of a willing vampire, straight from the source.  The mere thought of it made him shudder.  To distract himself, he moved on to another question.  “Are N and Hyosung Chos?”

                “Oh goodness no,” Himchan laughed outright, clearly entertained by the thought.  “They’re Chas.  N turned Hyosung a few decades ago and the rest of the clan are sort of scattered all over the world.  It’s probably why Kyu stopped by actually.  The Chas are the messengers of the clans.  The Chos, like Kyuhyun and Kangin, are the memory but if you need to send word without risk of being overheard, you contact a Cha.”  At Ryeowook’s curious expression, Himchan blinked and chirped to himself.  “He really didn’t tell you anything did he?  The Chas can fly when they want to.  Their wings are so cool!” he gushed, flailing excitedly on the couch.

                “Really?” Ryeowook blinked, curious despite himself.

                “Ne!  Just ask N.  He loves to show em off,” Himchan chuckled with a nod towards the kitchen.  His expression turned thoughtful though when he realized he didn’t hear voices and shrugged.  “They must have gone upstairs.  Ah well.  So yeah.  Can you guess what the other two clans do?” he beamed, rubbing his charge’s arm with his hand.

                “Not really,” Ryeowook managed a hesitant smile, feeling more at ease than he had in a while.  It was hard not to when you were being given answers and comforted by a bunny pajama wearing young man who seemed to know exactly what he was going through and what was going on.

                “That’s fine.  I’ll tell you.  The Shims are our spies.  Well, the vampires’ spies.  I’m not one of them yet,” he admitted as he wrinkled his nose.  “Be careful what you say around them though.  They hear everything.  And see.  And smell.  And taste.  It’s creepy,” he snorted with a quick shake of his head.  “I don’t think I’d want to have all of that hyper sensitivity,” he grimaced, lip curling up in distaste.

                “Me either,” Ryeowook had to agree quietly.  It was bad enough some days just having normal senses, much less heightened ones.

                “And then we have our Songs.  Oh boy,” he chuckled knowingly with a raised brow.  “All vampires are decent in a fight, but the Songs are something else,” Himchan murmured with pride.  “They’re incredibly flexible and way too resilient.  Don’t even bother with punching one,” he waved dismissively.

                “Why not?”

                “Because it doesn’t do anything,” Himchan laughed, delighted by the question.  He paused to look down at Ryeowook with a more relaxed expression and smiled again, giving his arm a gentle squeeze.  “So.  You feeling any more at ease now?” he asked, tilting his head to the side.

                “Ne…” Ryeowook answered hesitantly, aware the headache was still there and he was still just as tired but he didn’t feel so wound up.

                “Good.  Let’s get some food in you and maybe you’ll be able to sleep after that.  You look like the walking dead,” he teased with a playful wink, putting his hands under Ryeowook to give him a boost.

                Personally, Ryeowook didn’t know how he should feel about that comment, or the idea of food, but after Himchan’s explanation, things didn’t seem quite so bleak or terrifying.  He was still vastly confused and had no idea how he fit into any of it, but having some of his questions answered made things more bearable.  “What kind of food?” he asked hesitantly, shakily getting to his feet.

                “Easy,” Himchan urged, slinging an arm around his waist to steady him.  “I have found that rare meats are good and you definitely need at least a little bit of a vampire’s blood if you’re not going to be turned yet,” he explained.

                “Ack,” Ryeowook grimaced, exhaling pitifully.  “Why didn’t Kyuhyun just force me to become a vampire?  Like he did for Kangin?”

                Himchan paused to peer at the slightly shorter male with a piteous expression.  “I don’t know Wookie.  From the stories I’ve heard, Kangin was apparently a brash, drunk that Kyuhyun took a weird liking to because of his belligerent attitude that evening.  At least that’s how Hyosung tells it,” he winked, taking a quick look around to make sure Kangin wasn’t in the vicinity.  “In your case…” he trailed off, leaving the rest of his sentence unsaid as he had no clue.

                Well that wasn’t helpful.  In the end, Ryeowook was no closer to getting the answers he truly wanted but he was at least coaxed into trying another sip of ‘tainted’ juice.  Admittedly, he did feel slightly better almost immediately, even if he had to fight the curious nausea that warred with a very strange sense of desire for the contents of the cup.  He had not been expecting that.

                “Trust me,” Himchan urged as he pushed a cold, rare cooked steak towards his companion.  “It gets really bad if you’re like us and you don’t have access to blood,” he explained with a nod towards the glass in Ryeowook’s hand.  “They kind of go crazy.  It’s the best way to describe it.”  Ryeowook blanched at his words and then paled when he continued.  “Hunters find them with little trouble at that point.  You know those people you hear about on the news that just go off the deep end?  Some of them are transitional vamps like us.”

                Ryeowook shuddered at the thought and took another sip, feeling just that much better as he did so.  He knew he’d told Kyuhyun that he’d rather die a human than a monster but he didn’t really like that way of going either…  Without another word, he hesitantly started on the steak, chewing carefully.  It wasn’t normally his favorite food but right now, after three days of not eating much of anything, it tasted pretty damn amazing.

                He was partially done with his food by the time they heard footsteps coming down the stairs, alerting them to the arrival of the vampires again.  “Do I really have to go tonight?” Hyosung whined plaintively as she led the way, shoulders slumped and head handing before her.

                “Yes,” N answered, bringing up the rear as he looked over Kyuhyun and Kangin’s heads.

                “Why do I have to talk to the Shims?” she tried again, rounding on the other three with a cute pout.

                “Because they like you more than me,” N responded with a roll of his eyes.  “Don’t worry.  I’ll take care of Himchannie while you’re gone and then I get to handle the Songs when you get back.”

                “That’ll be interesting,” Kangin chortled, clearly amused by the thought.

                Kyuhyun didn’t say anything and simply looked at Ryeowook, taking in the scene with sharp eyes as he glanced at the glass beside him and the partially eaten food.  A satisfied half-smile graced his lips and Ryeowook determinedly pushed the rest of it away.  He didn’t miss the resultant frown on the vampire’s face either.

                “Ugh!  This is so not fair!” Hyosung huffed, blowing a gust of air into her bangs so that they flopped against her forehead.

                “At least there’s not much of a moon tonight,” Kyuhyun murmured flatly, still displeased by Ryeowook’s reaction.

                “True,” N nodded in agreement, walking around to pat Hyosung on the shoulder.

                “Ugh!  Fine…” she trailed off, shaking her shoulders as a pair of black, feathered wings sprouted from her shoulders with a strange sound of rustling and creaking.  “My wings are still sore from the last run though,” she admitted with a pout as she pulled her left one around and ran her palm down the feathers soothingly.

                “See!  There they are!” Himchan pointed with a grin as he glanced at Ryeowook who was staring at what had just happened.

                “My wings?” she chirped in response, a practiced smile lighting up her face.  She noticed Ryeowook’s look and giggled.  “See?” she preened, fluffing them out further and doing a turn so he could have a better look.  Hyosung paused mid-turn and looked over her shoulder to send a wink at the men at the table before finishing her show.

                “Would you get going already?” N laughed, shooing her with his hands.  “Show off.”

                “You know you enjoy it too,” she teased, blowing him a playful kiss before she blushed at her own daring and hurried off towards the back of the house.

                N sighed with a confused frown.  “Why did I turn her?”

                Kyuhyun laughed once and stepped abreast of him, clapping a hand on the shorter male’s shoulder loudly.  “Your problem.  Not mine.”

                “Ha ha,” N grumbled with a mild glare.  His gaze shifted to Ryeowook and Himchan though with an abrupt shift in demeanor.  “Oh he looks much better now!  Good job, Himchannie,” he praised, waving at both men excitedly.  “Can I have him?” he abruptly asked, turning to Kyuhyun with a bright smile.

                “Eh…” Kangin exhaled slightly behind Kyuhyun as he grimaced and waved with his hands in what had to be a warning gesture.

                Kyuhyun’s expression turned ominously emotionless and he asked N in a completely even tone, “Do you want to die?”

                N blinked at the taller male for all of two seconds with a thoughtful look before he held up his hand and added, “On second thought.  Don’t we have something else to discuss?  Something about the werewolves and… making a move soon?” he gestured with his hands as he tried to find a way to avoid Kyuhyun’s ire.

                “What?” Ryeowook murmured, perking up at the mention of werewolves.

                Himchan leaned over and filled him in with a tidbit of information.  “The werewolves are the strongest supporters of living in equality with the humans or trying to subjugate them.  Extremists on both sides,” he shrugged, using his hands to mimic scales.

                Kangin cleared his throat and Himchan and Ryeowook looked up to see the vampire nodding his head towards Kyuhyun and N.  Both were frowning at Himchan.  “Didn’t you say something about Jinki overhearing something or other not that long ago?” Kangin asked, directing his question towards N specifically.

                “Huh?” the shorter male asked, blinking thoughtfully as he collected his focus.

                Ryeowook shifted his gaze between N and Kyuhyun, though he kept having to go back to the latter because the vampire had yet to look away from him.  It was unnerving.

                “Right.  There has been more movement lately.  And the hunters are being more active than usual too,” N admitted, drawing Ryeowook’s attention once more.

                “Hunters like the Bangs?” he offered hesitantly, wondering how it all connected together.

                “Oh!  You know something don’t you?” N asked, taking a step forward as if he was going to approach Ryeowook further before he glanced at Kyuhyun out of the corner of his eye and stopped.

                Kyuhyun smirked at the response and waved at Ryeowook to stand up.  “Come on.  We should at least find a more comfortable place to sit if we’re going to discuss this further,” he explained, shifting his gaze to N long enough to force the other to male to move without words.

                “Alright Channie,” Kangin chuckled, grabbing the young man by the arm and directing him back into the living room, leaving Kyuhyun and Ryeowook alone for the briefest of moments.

                For a long moment, Ryeowook sat uncomfortably in his seat, not sure if he should get up or just stay where he was.  His eyes flickered from the table to Kyuhyun and back, feeling the weight of the other’s gaze on him like a palpable force.  What was he waiting for?

                “Feeling better?” Kyuhyun finally asked into the silence, causing Ryeowook to look up in surprise.

                Very slowly, he nodded his head once.  “A little.”

                “Good,” the vampire responded quickly, extending one hand to gesture politely towards the living room again.

                Feeling jittery and nervous, Ryeowook pushed himself up and clasped his hands defensively in front of his person as he shuffled in the indicated direction.  He couldn’t help but jump when Kyuhyun was suddenly beside him, an arm casually eased about his shoulders to keep him close and guide him forward.

                “I’m glad.”

                The words were spoken in such a soft manner, Ryeowook wasn’t even sure he’d heard right.  On second thought, he couldn’t have.  There was just no way, especially since all Kyuhyun usually did was smirk at him and give snarky replies when possible.  Pushing the obviously misheard response out of his mind, Ryeowook tried to make himself as comfortable as possible when Kyuhyun directed their path to sit on the couch together.

                N looked at Kyuhyun in such a way that Ryeowook knew he wasn’t positive about what he was about to say but the vampire beside him nodded once and it seemed to be enough.  Exhaling once, N shrugged and began, “So.  This is what we know so far…”

(a/n: So now you know a bit more about our vampire clans in general.  hehe  More new faces and new names and all the good stuff!  Still enjoying the story/characters so far?  lol  The Chas were fun to write.  XD  And there's just a little bit of that push and pull between Kyuhyun and Ryeowook.  Our dear Wookie is still coming to terms with things but the original alternative is far less appealing than it initially was.  >.>

Hopefully you're picking up on the fact that there's more conflict going on and building in the world at large than currently meets the eyes.  We should have a greater explanation in the following update where I'm hoping to touch on the werewolves just a little bit more.  We'll see how things go.  haha  Thank you for reading though and you guys are awesome!)