They hadn't needed to kill her.

Jinki baulked and vigorously shook his head in denial as he stepped away from the ever-expanding circle of blood. It was viscous and black-crimson in colour; it was Horror with a capital H.

He hadn't known the girl - not even her name or age - he had only just met her at the masquerade ball. She was flush with the sweet daydreams of a young girl at a dance. Her cheeks were pink and perfectly round. He had kissed them before they had sneaked out of the crowded ballroom and into the cool promise of the starry night.

She had been earnest in their conversation, eager for a wealthy suitor. He had known this and meant to take advantage.

They were accosted by the two men just before the golden arches of the maze. The private property on which the masquerade was held belonged to the Duke and he imitated the landscaped grandeur of his homeland in the West. The neatly trimmed green walls were dark and uninviting. And so were the two men who jumped Jinki and his companion.

"Eh, lookie here, Jjong!" The slim man on Jinki's left yelled out, "Dinner."

"Sounds... delicious," the other answered in a breathy grin.

Jinki's heart hammered in his chest and he felt his throat close up. He took the girl's hand in his own, pulled her close, and warily stepped away. But the two dark shadows began to circle behind them, and it wasn't long until Jinki realised that they were being herded into the maze.

"Whatever happens, stay close to me," Jinki whispered to the girl and she nodded. He rubbed her arms when he felt the spastic shivers run through her body, and she finally gave voice to her whimpers of fear. They were now inside the entrance of the maze. The lamps hanging off from the arches could only shine a few metres of the maze, before shadows ate the pathways.

"Kibum!" Jjong suddenly called out.

Jinki frantically scanned the garden - there had been two of them before! In front of him! Now there was only one, Jjong.

"Here." Kibum's reply came as a breath of air against Jinki's ear.

He violently jerked backwards. Kibum was wearing a midnight-blue masquerade mask that covered everything but his grin. It was wide and devilish. Jinki stared with wide and disbelieving eyes at the faint hallucination of devil horns above Kibum's black hair.

Kibum lunged forwards, and Jinki and the girl ran away and into the maze.

They were chased by Kibum's cackling laughter.

Jinki was running blindly in the maze. There simply was no light and his eyes were slow to adjust to the dimness. He would simply bounce off from the maze walls and let them direct him along, deeper into the maze. Everything was grey and a dark green.

The girl was slowing him down too. She was crying, and tripping over her small heels and the hem of her dress. He began to growl in frustration when she fell onto her knees for the sixth time. He saw her right shoe a metre behind her and he cursed under his breath.

"Take off your shoes," he roughly instructed her, "We can run faster." He hitched up her dress and slipped her foot out of the other shoe.

She was crying harder now. Jinki studiously ignored her and took her hand in his again, to run once more into the dark maze.

"You're so NOT a gentleman," Jjong's voice tsked at him from above. Jinki looked up and saw the man sitting on top of the maze wall. His feet were dangling and kicking at the hedges. The soft starlight lit his white hair like a false halo.

"How?" Jinki demanded answers. Were these men monsters? How does one fight monsters and survive?!

Jjong gently slid off the hedge and glided down to the ground. His cloak billowed about him. He landed with nothing more than a puff of air.

Jinki felt his blood turn cold. He shook the girl a little - she was swaying, as if she was about to faint. He couldn't do much if she fainted now.

Jjong stalked up to them, his keen eyes fixed upon Jinki's face. Jinki felt his gaze cut deep into him, as if he was doing a scan of his body and soul. He felt weak in the knees when Jjong turned his attention to the girl. Her small cries became louder. She yanked her hand away from Jinki, so she could crouch to the ground and frantically cover her head with her arms.

"Hmm, you're right Kibum," Jjong mused.

"Aren't I always?" Kibum's droll voice floated from behind Jinki. He was surrounded again.

"But I don't like the girl," Jjong continued.

"That can be fixed."

Upon hearing Jjong's judgement, the girl screamed and stood up onto her feet. She began to run away from him, and unknowingly towards Kibum. Jinki watched in horror as Kibum drew out a black revolver and took aim at the fleeing girl.

The echoes of the three gun shots effectively wiped away the ambient sounds of the night. Only silence greeted the death of the girl, whose name Jinki had not known.

"Why do demons have to use guns?" Kibum almost whined.

"Because angels are purer than that," Jjong explained.

Kibum grimaced, "I don't like guns."

Jinki watched Jjong wink out of the air, completely disappear, and appear again next to Kibum. Jjong placed a comforting arm about the masked, black-haired demon and promised that he would do it next time, just for 'his Kibum'.

Jinki vigorously shook his head in denial as he stepped away from them. His movement, however, attracted the attention of the two men; or rather, the angel and his demon.

"He is beautiful," Jjong murmured to Kibum.

"And his soul is dark," Kibum concurred.

Kibum dipped his chin towards his chest, his grin took a wicked turn, and his dark eyes gleamed with amusement. Jinki gaped as Kibum flickered like a flame, and reappeared next to him. Kibum was practically falling on top of Jinki, breathing the same pocket of air, and sniffing at his neck. Jinki shuddered when Kibum's tongue touched his jaw and travelled up his cheek.

"Delicious," Kibum purred.

Jinki incredulously stared at Kibum. "Wha- what?"

"I want to keep you."

Jinki felt woozy. Kibum's saliva burnt on his skin like a liquid fire. He looked back at Jjong and dimly noted the man's lopsided grin.

Jinki's knees buckled beneath him and Kibum gently guided him to the ground.

"C'mon," Kibum reasoned, "Don't make me have to work harder for you. I had killed the girl already."

"But- but the other man hadn't liked the girl," Jinki stuttered

"And you hadn't too," Kibum purred, "I know." He nuzzled closer, "You like me."

Jinki felt heady. It seemed that the liquid fire from Kibum's touch had seeped under his skin and now burned in his gut. He reached out to remove Kibum's mask, but the other man's grip on his wrist stopped him.

"No, no; you don't have those privileges yet."

"When will I?" Jinki whined, unaware that he had practically accepted to be Kibum's pet.

"Soon-," he was laughingly promised.

Jinki felt Jjong touch his head and his vision turned to a blinding white, touched with black around the edges. He felt weightless, as if he was floating in the air. And he felt hands hold onto his wrists. They were tight in their grip, silent and comforting; they would never let go of him. Never let go.

"Soon-."