Bom and Dara sat across each other on the plush covers of Dara's queen-sized bed. A tray of snacks and cookies sat between them as the butler from before had brought them in. Bom would have been thrilled had she not still been overcoming her shock. The news of the bright girl actually being the daughter of one of the most feared beings in all of the underworld was not what she had been expecting.

“Why have you been keeping it under wraps all this time?”

“Are you joking? Don't you know how terrifying of a presence my dad can be? I mean look at how everyone treats you and that's because they think you're the Grim Reaper's daughter.” Dara gestured towards the gloomy girl and then pointed to herself. “Can you imagine what they would do once they found out that I was the legitimate one? Good bye social life.”

Bom shrugged, not finding it a big deal. “I don't see what you're so worried about. Everyone knows you're friendly and kind and that's who you truly are. Revealing that your father is the harbinger of death won't change anything...”

Dara stared at the girl incredulously wondering how she could say that with a straight face. “Sometimes you have a strange way of thinking Bommie.”

“What?” Bom asked innocently while reaching for one of the sweet confections on the tray in front of her.

“Unfortunately for me, not everyone thinks as logically as you. I just know that if I reveal my identity people will treat me differently and I don't want to be isolated... not again.”

Bom paused with a cookie mere centimeters from her lips. “What do you mean 'again'?” She remembered that on Dara's first day of transferring she mentioned having attended a human school before theirs. What could have happened to her there? “Were you isolated at before?”

“I... don't like to talk about it.”

Bom pursed her lips. Normally she wasn't one to pry into others' businesses but she couldn't help but feel curious. “Hey now, if we're going to go through with this trust thing you're going to have to trust me as much as you expect me to trust you.”

Dara knew Bom was right. It wouldn't be fair if this was all one-sided. Grabbing a fluffy pillow from the head of her bed she clutched it tightly to her chest and rested her chin atop it before beginning her story.

“You might remember that I said the school I attended before Illyria Academy was a human school.” Bom nodded. “Believe it or not, before coming to this school I was much like you. A shy, quiet person who was afraid to befriend people because I knew I was different from everyone. Although in this case the difference was monumental because I was the only non-human.” Bom couldn't even imagine how hard it must have been for the girl to have to hide her true self and pretend to be a normal human being like everyone else.

“Everyone ignored me. I was too awkward to get close to. I didn't understand how to socialize with humans. But then... she showed up, like a heaven-sent angel.” Dara laughed sadly. “Can you imagine? The Grim Reaper's daughter happy to have received an angel?” Bom chewed at her lip, already wanting to comfort the girl.

“Her name was Ha Ni. She approached me one day. At first I was afraid that someone had finally come to speak to me but I was quick to realize her pure intentions. We became friends very quickly. She was kind and not just to me, but everyone else too. All of our classmates loved her. She was very soft-hearted, bright and always saw the positive things in life. But one day something changed. It wasn't too big of a change at first that most people didn't notice but I definitely saw it.”

“...What was it?”

“She looked weaker. The glimmer in her eyes was slowly fading as if she were sick. I knew something was wrong but she wouldn't tell anyone, not even me. It got to me and I wanted to do whatever it took to find out what was the matter in order to help her. So I did the only thing I could think of... I consulted my father.”

Bom's eyes widened a fraction. “Why him?”

“Because I could tell that it was serious. And as much I didn't want to admit it, he was bound to know something, being who he is and all.” Bom swallowed a lump in at where this was going.

“When I asked him he hesitated to tell me. He knew how close I had grown with Ha Ni and being a typical dad he didn't want to see his baby girl get hurt. But I wouldn't stop pestering him about it so he finally gave in and told me the truth... Ha Ni was sick with a fatal illness and she only had a couple more months to live.”

Bom's heart clenched, how traumatized Dara must have been during that time. She scooted over beside the disheartened girl and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, rubbing them to console her. “I'm so sorry...”

“I wasn't even sad... in fact I was mad. Furious even. That Ha Ni didn't tell me the truth sooner. I felt like she didn't trust in me enough to tell me that she was dying! I went to school the next day intent on giving her a piece of my mind and demanding to know why she had been keeping the truth from me all this time. But then... when I saw her in our classroom that next morning, I realized why. She was smiling surrounded by happy and cheerful friends. Her positivity radiated off onto others and I was the only one who knew that she was really hurting on the inside. I realized at that moment that she didn't want others to worry, she always thought about others before herself, she was pretending to be okay so that everyone else wouldn't be sad and treat her differently. Who was I to take that away from her?” Bom squeezed at her shoulders in reassurance.

“You're a good friend Dara.” The brunette looked up at her and gave her a watery smile.

“If only that were true. I couldn't protect her for too long. Over the next few weeks the illness grew worse and it became harder for her to hide it. Everyone was becoming suspicious and it only worsened when she suddenly stopped coming to class. It didn't take me long to figure out that she had checked into a hospital so I begged our teacher to tell me where she was being hospitalized. When I got there I was so shocked at her sudden change in appearance. She was so pale and fragile-looking in that hospital bed. But what was even more shocking is that she didn't seem surprised to see me there. It was like she had been expecting me.”

Dara's gaze grew distant as she reminisced on the last conversation she had with Ha Ni.

**Flashback**

“You finally made it..”

Dara approached the side of the bed with slow footsteps. She sat down on the chair beside it and laid a hand on top of the weak girl's. The tears already falling freely from her eyes as she scanned Ha Ni's face.

“Dara... please don't be sad. I know you must be having a hard time on my behalf. I'm sorry... I'm sorry I can't protect you anymore... Even knowing I was sick since a long time ago I didn't want to just leave you there all by yourself. Forgive me for being selfish and not thinking about how you'd feel once I ended up here...”

“No... don't be... just... please, Ha Ni don't leave me...” Dara choked out between sobs and pressed her head against the white bedsheets. The frail girl smiled back at her.

“Thank you.” Dara's head shot up as she sniffled.

“W-why are you t-thanking me?”

“Because from the very beginning you knew. I don't know how you knew but I could tell. And you continued to keep my secret much like how I had wished you would. You're like an angel Dara. My angel. You've been watching over me this whole time making sure that my deteriorating health didn't affect how I lived my life. You let me live my life as if I weren't dying, as if I were just a normal teenager like everyone else... so thank you.”

The tears streamed hotly down Dara's cheeks as she watched Ha Ni's eyelids droop. “H-hani wait! Please don't close your eyes just yet...! I still have so much to say..”

“I'm sorry. It's time for me to go now... thank you again...” Ha Ni whispered weakly. Moments later her eyes fluttered closed and the resounding beep from the heart monitor signaled her departure from this world. Dara's vision blurred behind her tears as she could hear the sounds of nurses and doctors shuffling in at the sound. They watched with sympathetic looks as she stood up silently and turned to leave the hospital room. When she stepped out into the hallway she felt a hand on her shoulder. Craning her neck she saw her father standing beside her. He saw her tear-stricken face and lightly squeezed her shoulder. She merely nodded as she knew that it was time for him to do his job. The two parted ways as she continued her way out of the hospital and he made his way into the room where Ha Ni lay peacefully.

**End flashback**

“When I returned to school the next day everyone was depressed. The news of Ha Ni's passing spread quickly and it affected everyone she knew. Not only that but people were acting strange around me. Even stranger than usual. My classmates were giving me weird looks, some even hateful ones. I didn't know why at first but I later found out that people had heard that I was there during Ha Ni's last moments. They thought it odd that I was the only one who knew. They started to make this ridiculous connection that Ha Ni's sickness started around when she started to spend time with me. They treated me like a plague and I felt no need to explain anything to them so I let them assume whatever they wanted. I was fine with being ignored once again but it only got worse over time as I started being bullied by girls in my class. They would smack me around and blame me for the fact that Ha Ni was no longer around but I continued to stay silent. I still wanted to keep Ha Ni's secret even while she was up in heaven.” A few teardrops slid down her cheeks.

Bom could feel her own tears stinging at the corners of her eyes. She didn't think that someone like Dara could ever be so scarred. She seemed too sweet and kind to ever be treated that way.

“My parents saw how much I was suffering so they proposed I transferred schools. To one where there were teenagers like me who weren't normal and who could possibly be more understanding of who I was. I figured I didn't have anything to lose so I accepted it. However, I promised myself that I wouldn't reveal who I really was at my new school even despite the fact that they were monsters like me. I feared that people would treat me similarly to how I was at my human school. I didn't want to be a plague again. So I decided to change myself completely, become more outgoing, and try to befriend as many people as I could. I knew Ha Ni would have wanted that... and then I met you.”

Realization settled in on Bom. Now she could see why Dara was so drawn to her. She must have seen herself in Bom. A dark, quiet girl whom everyone regarded like a dangerous disease and was always alone. She must not have wanted her to struggle much like she had in the past so that's why she was so adamant about becoming friends and wanting to help her. Dara wanted to be the angel that Ha Ni had been to her and didn't want to see her suffer. Bom smiled and wrapped Dara in a tight hug. Her voice shook as tears dripped down her face.

“Thank you for wanting to be there for me... I should have realized that you had your reasons.”

Dara, shocked--yet overjoyed by the intimate gesture, looked up at her. “Are you crying...?” Bom quickly pulled away and held up her sleeve in front of her face.

“N-no!”

Dara giggled as she leaned over to the bedside table and grabbed a box of tissues and brought them back over. She offered one to Bom which she gratefully accepted. Bom was careful to lift her glasses only enough for her to be able to reach beneath them and dab at the corners of her eyes, still hiding them from plain view. Dara frowned at this.

“Now that you know my deepest darkest secrets, I believe it's only fair that you finally reveal yours.”

Bom tensed. She wasn't sure she was prepared to share her problems just yet... but the nurse and her uncle had told her that she really needed someone to confide in. Maybe this was the opportunity she had been waiting for.

“You sure are a careful person Bommie. You're constantly covered up from head-to-toe and you seem to always be hiding behind your glasses. Either you're an extreme prude or you just have a thing for having an air of mystery about you.”

“It's not actually a matter of my modesty or my character. I cover myself in order to protect others.”

“What do you mean?”

Bom hesitated. Sensing how earnest Dara really was, she finally decided that it was now or never. She slowly reached up for her glasses and pulled them away from her face, earning a gasp from Dara.

"Bom your eyes...!" Dara stared in awe, mesmerized at Bom's round eyes. Surrounded by thick dark lashes where gradient lilac and aqua orbs. Something she'd never seen on any monster before in her life. It was like a cool-colored aurora reflecting in the other girl's eyes. "They're beautiful!"

"Thanks..." Bom blinked a few times and squinted her eyes to try and bring some sort of focus to her poor vision.

"Why have you been hiding them all this time? It's such a shame! You should consider contacts."

"Well there's two good reasons for that. One being, I don't want to bring attention to myself, which with these eyes makes it nearly impossible. Second being, my eyes have a special... power. A power that I as of late, haven't been able to control anymore." Bom lightly gripped at her glasses in her hands. "They tend to... hypnotize people.... well men I guess I should say specifically."

"Men?" Dara's eyebrows rose.

"Yes. And I don't just mean the putting them to sleep kind of hypnotize... I mean the kind where they end up...." Bom bit her lip, embarassed to continue her sentence. "...finding me irresistible."

"Wah!!! You have that kind of power? You lucky girl!!" Dara exclaimed with slight envy in her tone.

"It's not lucky at all. It's awkward as hell and makes my life difficult." Bom's eyes suddenly darked and transformed into a dark chocolate brown color.

"Wait... how did you do that? And if you can do that, why not just keep them that color in public?"

"As I said before, I've been having trouble controlling it. Much like my other power."

"You mean there's more?"

The other girl nodded as she carefully pulled her sleeves up her forearms and revealed her hands, facing her palms upwards. Dara's brows furrowed. They looked like any ordinary hands. They didn't have scales, warts, or anything like the rumors had said. Seeing the confusion on the other girl's face, Bom continued her explanation.

"If I were to touch a male with these hands or if they were the ones to touch my hands, this would cause them to be overcome with... uhhh... intense emotion? They lose control of themselves and become... beasts of sorts." Dara just stared at her with a lost expression. "The erm.... the lewd and... lustful kind." Dara's mouth dropped ever so slightly at the now heavily blushing Bom who was having difficulty continuing.

"So you basically mean to say that men will throw themselves at you like dogs if you ever so much as brush against them?"

"In a sense... yes."

"Geez Bommie, I wasn't expecting that from someone like you." Dara's cheeks now matched Bom's blush as she waggled her eyebrows suggestively. Bom rolled her eyes.

"It's not like I'm doing it on purpose. It's just how I was born."

"What kind of monster or demon possesses such unconventional powers like that?"

"I'm what you would call a Succubus. I am like my mother, we are both Succubi. The males who possess similar powers as us that work only on women are known as Incubi. We are a race of demon who have existed for decades."

"Is your father an Incubus then?"

"Oh no. He's actually human."

"Eh?! You're half human??"

"Technically yes, but when my kind give birth their children are born with their powers as if they were full-blooded."

"So was your father... seduced by your mother? If you don't mind me asking..."

"Not at all, it's an expected question when one of your parents is a Succubus or an Incubus. To answer your question, I'm not entirely sure to be honest. My dad told me that he legitimately fell in love with my mother at first sight and claims he didn't need to be influenced by her power. He didn't even care when she admitted to not being human and still wanted to be with her nonetheless. They're both pretty lovey-dovey with each other so I like to believe what he said to be true."

Dara brought her hands to her cheeks. "That's so romantic..."

"Yeah. I envy my parents. I can only hope to overcome these powers and be able to find true love like they did."

"You said that your powers have gone out of control lately, does that mean you were able to control them before?"

"Kind of... there was a time when I was able to touch other guys no problem and nothing happened. It was only when I willed it that I would 'affect' them. Same with my eyes, for the most part I kept them a normal color so that no one could figure out what I was. My real eye color is a very distinct feature of Succubi, making them a dead giveaway."

"What changed then?"

"It all started last year when I turned 16. It's an infamous tradition that occurs in our race. Once we hit a certain age we experience a surge in our abilities and strength and it becomes so overwhelming that we no longer can control it. My mother went through the same thing when she was my age too."

"Well what did she do to overcome it?"

"That's the thing... she won't tell me. Well... she can't."

"Why not?!"

"I can't really explain it but you could say that it's a law amongst our people. This sudden transformation is meant to test our abilities and determines who are the weak and who are the strong. It is up to us to find a solution on our own and we're not allowed to ever directly reveal our methods afterward to others."

"That sounds rough... So there is a way for you to go back to normal then, right?"

Bom sighed. "Yes. I've been searching for it since I turned 16 but I haven't found anything yet. Until then I've been taking extra precaution with covering myself. Once I was no longer able to control my powers I became paranoid that any part of my skin touching another guy would affect them so that's why I dress like this..." Bom gestured to her large hoodie and long socks.

Dara cocked her head to the side. "I think you're exaggerating it a bit Bommie. I doubt that if a guy touched your knee he'd go gaga all over you.."

"You can never be too careful." Bom shrugged.

"So until you find a solution to your problem all you need to do is stay covered and not touch any guys with your hands, right? That doesn't sound too hard." Bom bit her lip as she nervously stared at the floor.

"Oh right... there's one more thing I forgot to mention."

***

Luhan scratched at one of his wolf ears anxiously as he walked down the empty hallway. He finally spotted the entrance to the room he had been searching for and made his way in. The large room was a bit dimly lit, something he wasn't expecting from a library considering people needed to read in it. He would have assumed that it was abandoned had he not seen a red-headed girl standing at the front desk. She didn't seem to notice that he had walked in and began approaching her.

“Ahem... uh... are you the library aid here?”

He could see the girl jump slightly at hearing his voice and her eyes were wide with surprise when she looked up at him.

“Oh um, yes. Sorry, we don't have many people come in here... how can I help you?” Luhan briefly glanced down to see the girl had been immersed in some kind of crusty old book about witchcraft. He looked back at her and continued.

“Yes, I'm wondering if maybe you had some books here on illnesses. And I don't mean normal cough and cold illnesses.. I'm talking about.... otherworldly illnesses. Like say... zombie curses?” Luhan scratched the back of his head, unsure if he was really making any sense to the girl at all.

The girl tilted her head in thought. “Hmmm... well I'm not too sure about zombies per se, but if you're looking for books on curses and other ailments not of the human world I'd say your best bet would be down that aisle there.” She leaned over her desk and pointed between some bookshelves with her hand. Luhan followed the direction with his eyes and nodded.

“Thanks um...”

“Gong Minji. But you can just call me Minji.” The aid politely smiled.

“Thanks Minji.” He smiled back and made his way to the aisle she had indicated. As he turned away he failed to notice the nervous and suspicious gaze in her eyes. He walked alongside the bookshelves, scanning the spines for any titles that called out to him. He paused at an area of a bookshelf that appeared a bit strange. There was a small lamp sitting on one of the shelves as if someone frequented this part of the library often. There were numerous empty spaces on the shelf like someone had borrowed several of the books and it was less dusty than the rest. Was someone else looking into sicknesses too?

His felt his foot knock into a small pile of books that had been left laid out on the floor. Curious, he bent down and picked one up that he found a bit peculiar. It was a very old-looking book with several pages that had been dog-eared as if they were of importance. He turned to one of them and scanned the page. He couldn't understand a of it as the text had entirely been written in Latin. He continued to turn the pages and paused when an illustration caught his eye. It showed a scantily clad woman laying with a man amidst a forest clearing. Ignoring the fact that this could be considered some kind of soft , Luhan lowered his face and focused on their interaction. The woman had her hand pressed to the man's face with hers very close to his. She looked as if she were the spirit out of the man and draining him of his life. He turned the page and it revealed another illustration of the same man looking weak and frail with dark circles beneath his eyes. It eerily reminded him of how Minho appeared the day he showed up in class with the zombie curse.

Luhan cursed under his breath, wishing he could read the captions beside the illustrations. Perhaps they would provide a clear explanation of what was going on in the pictures. Slamming the book closed, the werewolf stood back up and tucked it under his arm. He walked back out to the main lobby of the library and approached Minji once again.

“I'd like to check this book out.” He said as he laid it on the counter. The girl tensed as she looked at the cover of the book and immediately recognized it.

“Is something the matter?” Luhan raised a brow. “I'm kind of in a rush so could you please...”

“R-right.” Minji shook her head and picked up the book, searching for something on the spine and wrote it down on some kind of list in a binder she had beside her at the desk. “Could I get your name?”

“Xi Luhan.”

She scribbled a few more notes down and handed the book back to him. “You're all set. Please have the book returned in the next two weeks.” Luhan thanked her and quickly made his way out of the library. Minji gulped as the door shut closed behind him.

“Unnie, you might be in trouble...” The young red-headed girl whispered to herself.

***

Bom's true identity is finally revealed!! I got nervous because LanaAthena had was able to guess it. (I was scared to spoil anything for everyone else so I didn't reply to that comment on purpose... lol)

I didn't include a description of Dara's dad but I felt like I should at least explain that in my head I wasn't imagining him as your typical skeleton in a robe. In this story he has a human-esque form and isn't like your average Grim Reaper. He's more like a Japanese Shinigami/Death God if you will, but with a distinct title. I know that my explanation of Bom being a Succubus is not typical of the actual folklore either but this is a fanfiction and I wanted to put my own spin on it. I think it makes it more interesting, no? Also, for Bom's real eye color I envisioned them to look a bit like Shirayuki Mizore's from the manga/anime series Rosario+Vampire. I think they're super pretty!

I hope you all liked this chapter even though there weren't any Lubom/Krisbom interactions. Just a lot of explanations and past stuff. >_< Please be patient with me and let me know what you guys think down below~