Absolute - Chapter Four
Title: Absolute
Chapter: 4/?
Fandoms: TVXQ/DBSK, Super Junior, SS501
Pairings: Various (a LOT O.o; )
Rating: PG-16
Warning: Angst, Violence, Character Death
Summary: Seoul’s All-Boys Night School is just like any other night school in the area, but there’s one thing that sets them apart from all the others, and that is their students. Seoul has been the battleground of an underground, interspecies cold war for centuries, with populations of vampyres, lycans, and all those in between. Even so, no one saw it coming when young members from practically every division ended up in the same night class, along with several unassuming humans. How do you deal with suddenly having to play nice with those you were raised to hate? A dangerous game of cat and mouse begins, where the only rules were to get rid of the enemy, not be caught by the humans… And not to fall in love.
A/N: Time for another update! xD I'm trying to keep updates on Tuesdays and Fridays for the next little while. Also, for those who haven't noticed already, there's a Characters and Terms link now! *points down* It will be updated with each new chapter, so there WILL be spoilers, but if you're confused about anything it should help clear things up. Also, if you want a description on something added, just let me know and I'll write one up ^-^
Teaser Trailer | Characters and Terms | Prologue & Chapter One | Chapter Two | Chapter Three
Chapter Four
The first thing Mr. Lee said when he walked into class was, “Why are you so quiet, HeeChul?”
It was the first day in all of the first week he hadn’t walked in on a yelling match between HeeChul and YunHo. But, as RyeoWook watched the teacher’s eyes sweep the class and take in the situation, the reason for HeeChul’s proper behavior became clear. YunHo wasn’t here.
Neither was YoungWoon, nor KyuHyun. SungMin was looking around the room with an expression similar to that of a lost puppy. Watching him for a moment, RyeoWook’s attention was caught by KiBum and YooChun. The two were whispering back and forth, and the quiet male saw KiBum motion towards KyuHyun’s empty desk with one hand.
Wasn’t it the full moon tonight…?
“Alright, well I’m not sure what happened to your classmates, but they’re going to be missing out on an important lesson so if some of you could take notes for them, that would be great. For English, we’re moving on to conjugating verbs.” A faint sigh could be heard from Henry in the corner.
JaeJoong, writing down notes carefully, felt eyes on him and looked around when the teacher’s back was turned. SiWon met his eyes, and the human turned around abruptly, heart in his throat. He hadn’t been sure what he was supposed to do when he met SiWon in school; he’d been relying on the fact that most of the time YunHo would be around, but as it was the full moon he had no way of avoiding the Vampyre. YunHo had explained to him about vegetarian Vampyres, but really, even if SiWon’s intentions hadn’t been to hurt him it was hard to forget the feeling of fangs against his neck.
The way he’d been pressed up against the wall was even harder to forget; looking down at his wrists, dark bruises in the shape of fingers had appeared there over the day. They were sore to the touch, and ached constantly. He’d hid them under long sleeves so that KyuJong wouldn’t notice; the younger male had come back in a good mood from whatever he’d been doing with his friends, and JaeJoong didn’t want to worry him. He couldn’t tell his adopted brother about Vampyres, and from the bruises KyuJong would naturally assume JaeJoong had been a victim of molestation or something along those lines. What KyuJong didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him.
JungSu, meanwhile, looked over at YoungWoon’s empty desk with a frown. The younger male had been acting weird all yesterday, and now he wasn’t here. It was more than a little worrying. It wasn’t about the fact JungSu now had no ride home; he could walk, really. It was concern as a friend; they’d actually bonded quite well during the week. It was nice having someone in this class he could call a friend; he really didn’t know many people.
Worst of all, he didn’t know YoungWoon’s phone number or address or anything, so he couldn’t check up to make sure he was all right. Maybe he was badly sick? JungSu scolded himself inwardly for being such a mother hen, but he really wanted to check up on him…
SungMin, as the class drew closer to break, debated what he could do today. Every day that week he’d followed KyuHyun in secret and listened to him sing. He was sure he hadn’t been found out, though the younger male had appeared suspicious the second day and refused to sing before closing the classroom door and walking between the aisles of desk to make sure there was no one there. SungMin had stood up on a desk in the corner to avoid being caught.
Looking down at his notes on English as the teacher dismissed them for break, he sighed and glanced around the class. When his eyes landed on Henry, sitting by himself in the corner with a resigned expression on his face as he watched the others chatter in Hangul too fast for him to keep up, a smile appeared on SungMin’s face and he stood up. Walking over to Henry, he stuck his hand out like he knew the culture was in Canada and introduced himself in careful Hangul. “My name is Lee SungMin!”
Henry looked up at him in surprise, before hesitantly taking SungMin’s hand and shaking it. “I am Henry Lau,” he said in accented Hangul, stumbling over even that simple sentence.
“I was wondering if you would mind helping me with English? I’m really no good at it.” Seeing the look of utter confusion and panic on the younger males face, SungMin tried again. “Help me with this?” He held up his notes on English.
Henry blinked, and understanding seemed to dawn, because he nodded. “Okay.” SungMin beamed and sat down beside him. Maybe he didn’t have to be bored out of his mind this break.
At the other end of class, JaeJoong gathered his books carefully and stood up. Feeling someone standing behind him, he jumped in surprise, accidentally knocking one of his textbooks off his desk.
A hand reached out of the edge of his vision, picking up the book and holding it out to him. “Here.” Turning to face whomever it was, the human’s throat closed. SiWon looked down at him, holding out the book in one hand.
“Thanks,” JaeJoong muttered, looking away and taking his book back quickly. Suddenly SiWon reached out and caught his hand, pulling it back towards him. JaeJoong opened his mouth to shout, to do something that would get someone’s attention and get SiWon to let go, but the Vampyre’s grip was gentle as he tugged the other’s sleeve down slightly. Cold fingers brushed over the bruises around his wrists, and the contrast in temperature was soothing.
“You should put ice on this,” SiWon murmured, examining the marks he’d left from last night. “It will make it hurt less.” His eyes lifted to JaeJoong’s face, the human staring at him with a trace of fear in those eyes.
“I’m sorry,” SiWon said, letting go of JaeJoong’s hand. “I just want to talk to you, about what happened. Just talk. I didn’t mean to… Do what I did.”
“That doesn’t change the fact that you did it,” JaeJoong murmured, looking away. He wanted to leave, uneasy around the Vampyre. But SiWon was trying to apologize to him. Somehow the other didn’t quite fit into the stereotypical image of a bloodthirsty Vampyre (though he was definitely bloodthirsty in the obvious sense).
“I know,” SiWon replied, resigned. “I’m sorry. I try to restrain myself as much as possible, but it’s not always easy.”
“YunHo told me what you are,” JaeJoong said, hands tightening on the book he was holding.
“I assumed he would. I try to keep myself from taking lives; the last thing I wanted was to attack you, believe me.” JaeJoong saw from the corner of his eye one of the Vampyres hands lift, going to a golden cross around his neck.
The human turned his head to look at it. “You’re Christian?” He said softly, finally meeting SiWon’s eyes.
The Vampyre nodded. “I have been all my life. I was only Turned a few years ago. My family still doesn’t know; I’m keeping it secret as best as I can.”
JaeJoong suddenly felt a stab of pity for the Vampyre. For him to resist killing so resiliently, his faith must be strong. To be a Vampyre, and hold on to his Christianity so stubbornly… It must be painful.
Suddenly he didn’t want to run away as much. Well, he would definitely be staying at arms length, but he couldn’t just leave it like this. “Tell me about it?” He asked quietly.
SiWon looked up at him in surprise, then nodded. “Alright. Where do you want me to start?”
“Start at the beginning.” Glancing around the class and seeing there were only Henry and SungMin left (both of them absorbed in English lessons), JaeJoong hopped up to sit on his desk. “I’m listening.”
*****
It was cold out. JungSu shivered as he walked down the street, blowing on his fingers before stuffing them into his pockets. He had missed the bus back home, as he thought he would, and would have to do the hour walk. He’d always been thankful for YoungWoon’s offer to drive him home, but this just made him all the more grateful. It was cold out!
School had been rather uneventful. It was strange how, when none of them had ever been absent before in this first week, suddenly three classmates vanished on the same day. The strange part was half of the class didn’t even look surprised at the absence. He would have expected something from HeeChul, naturally, but the slightly younger male just huffed and went on with his night, without a word about YunHo’s absence.
Hearing leaves crunching behind him, JungSu glanced over his shoulder absently. There was no one there.
A shiver ran down his spine, the hairs on his arms standing up despite how bundled he was in his sweater and coat. He had the oddest feeling, like he was being watched.
He took a few more steps when a low, feral noise to one side made him look. There was a dog in the alley next to him, hidden by shadow and watching him with piercing eyes.
Then the dog stepped out into the light, and JungSu’s throat closed. That was no dog; it was far too big, and the face was all off. A wolf? In Seoul? How was that even possible? And it was a big wolf… Really big.
A snarl from the creature snapped him out of the daze, and JungSu backed up slowly, eyes wide. What did you do if you met a wolf? He didn’t know, he was a city boy. What if it was rabid? Never mind that, why was there a wolf here in the first place?
When he saw the muscles bunch under that sleek black coat, JungSu did what any sane human being would do. He turned and ran.
He didn’t make it far before something heavy hit him in the back, and he went down with a yelp. Sharp claws dug into his back, loud snarling in his ear. JungSu squeezed his eyes shut, too scared to move. That was it, he was dead. Killed by a wolf in the middle of Seoul.
Something went zooming by; he heard the whoosh of the air above him. And just like that, the pressure on his back was gone. The wolf was gone.
Sitting up slowly, JungSu turned himself around to see and froze. One of his classmates, that bright and cheery boy JunSu, was staring down at the wolf, eyes narrowed. The wolf was now lying against the brick wall, like it had been thrown. It slowly picked itself up, watching JunSu carefully.
“W-what are you doing,” JungSu exclaimed, eyes wide as JunSu took a step closer to the wolf. “It’s a wolf, it’ll kill you.”
“I’ll be fine,” JunSu said with a cheerful grin sent the other’s way, before returning his gaze to the wolf just as it launched itself at him with a feral growl.
Then, the most extraordinary thing happened. Faster than JungSu could blink, JunSu grabbed the wolf by its front paws and swung it around in a full circle, launching it back at the wall. The creature hit the brick with a painful thud, yelping as it slid to the ground. Once it had its bearings back, the wolf turned tail and vanished down the alley again.
“Wait up!” JunSu called, about to run after it when he remembered JungSu. Turning around, he vanished and reappeared beside the human on the ground, startling a yelp out of him.
“H-how did you move so fast?”
“I moved the same speed as I usually do.” JunSu frowned down at him, the frown more like a pout. “You alright? He didn’t take a chunk out of your back, did he?”
“N…. No, he didn’t… Wait, he? How do you know it was a he? What was that?” JungSu exclaimed, eyes wide.
“You ask a lot of questions,” JunSu said with a laugh. “But do you really want the answers?”
JungSu blinked up at him, mouth open. He’d never thought of it like that before. When JunSu stood up to leave though, he reached out and grabbed the younger’s wrist.
“Wait.” The downed human carefully stood up, meeting the other’s eyes. “I do want to know. And I want to know… What you are as well.”
“What I am?”
“That thing knocked me silly, and you threw it into the wall with little trouble. That isn’t something a human can do.”
“Doesn’t it scare you? You’re basically saying I’m not human.”
“It does. But I figured you wouldn’t have saved me from that creature if you were just going to kill me after, so I’m playing it by ear.”
JunSu laughed at that, a high ringing sound that lifted the human’s spirits. “I like your attitude. All right then. That, was a Lycan. And as for me,” he continued, turning around and flashing JungSu a bright grin. “I’m your friendly neighborhood Vampyre.”
JungSu’s eyes focused on the sharp canine teeth visible in the younger’s mouth, and stiffened. A Vampyre. And a Lycan?
“How many Vampyres and Lycans are there around here?”
“Oh, tons. Quite a few in our class actually. You might have noticed the three absent today?”
JungSu’s mind went to YoungWoon. “Yeah, what about them?”
“Well, tonight’s the full moon, where Lycans lose control of their human souls to the wolf inside them. Considering they all become bloodthirsty beasts the entire night, coming to school wouldn’t be really advisable.” JunSu shrugged. “They don’t even respect the territory lines, which is a bit of a pain really. Plenty of Vampyres are out every full moon to make sure the wolves don’t kill anyone on our side of the line. I just got on duty for the rest of the night.”
Taking it all in, JungSu paled. So YoungWoon was a Lycan? “What if they were just sick?” He croaked. “I mean, YoungWoon never said anything…”
“Oh, we just saw YoungWoon.”
“What?”
“That wolf.” JunSu motioned down the alley where the creature had vanished. “That was YoungWoon. Each wolf has their own distinct scent to us, though none of them are really appealing. Smells too earthy.” He wrinkled his nose slightly. “I knew it was YoungWoon the second I saw him.”
“… I need to sit down.” JungSu slipped back to the ground. YoungWoon had just attacked him. Nearly killed him.
“Hey, keep in mind they can’t really control themselves tonight.” JunSu crouched down beside the human male. “Most Vampyres and Lycans hate each other, but I get along with them pretty well. Well, to the point they don’t want to rip my head off the minute I start talking. YunHo and his pack are decent people, like anyone else. The full moon drives all of them crazy, but I know they don’t necessarily like going on rampages. Most of them find ways to tie themselves up in time for sunset, but YoungWoon’s crafty as a wolf and always finds a way to escape. So I usually tail him around and keep him out of trouble.”
It made sense. But JungSu wasn’t sure how he’d be able to face YoungWoon now, knowing what he was. In contrast, knowing what JunSu was, he didn’t feel so afraid. Maybe it was because the Vampyre had saved him; maybe it was because he couldn’t imagine JunSu being a cold-blooded killer. The boy was just too bubbly and full of life.
It had given him a lot to thing about.
“Thank you for saving me,” he said, standing up after a moment.
“Want me to walk you home?”
“Don’t you need to go after YoungWoon?” JungSu asked hesitantly.
“Nah.” JunSu showed him a text message on his cell phone. “HyunJoong’s on his trail now; he’ll herd him back onto wolf territory.”
HyunJoong? The sleepyhead? “I think you should explain more of this to me,” JungSu said carefully.
“Gladly. You have no idea how great it is to be able to talk to a human about us and not have them run screaming for the hills,” JunSu said with a laugh, turning to walk down the street with JungSu following behind him.
*****
The next Monday, everything was back to normal. The second YunHo walked into the class, HeeChul all but launched himself at the taller male with a barrage of insults. Everyone was there, except for KyuJong. JaeJoong’s adopted brother had said he wasn’t feeling well that day, so JaeJoong hadn’t pressured him into coming, saying he’d take notes and hand in the assignment that was due today for him.
There was one difference though. When break came, instead of going to YoungWoon as he normally did, JungSu went straight for JunSu. He wasn’t ready to face the Lycan yet; he didn’t know if he could act like nothing had happened. JunSu had told him YoungWoon wouldn’t remember a thing of what he did on the full moon, so it was best if the human not talk to him about what happened while he was out of control.
Meeting the human’s eyes, JunSu searched them for a moment before nodding, a bright smile appearing on his face. “Lets go talk to the others,” he chirped, pulling JungSu out of the class. He didn’t look back, knowing YoungWoon was watching them with a confused and slightly hurt expression.
SungMin watched KyuHyun leave the class, smiling. Just as he was about to stand to follow him, Henry appeared beside him. “Need help more?” The Canadian asked clumsily, holding up his English notes.
SungMin looked between him and the door, shaking his head and standing. “Thanks, but I think I’ll be alright now,” he said cheerfully. “See you later Henli!” With that he left the class, leaving Henry behind.
YunHo watched SiWon approach JaeJoong carefully, knowing the human would be scared by the Vampyre. He was surprised however when instead of running away or causing a scene, JaeJoong smiled at the younger male and offered to help him with his work. He was nervous, that much was obvious from his stance, but not as afraid as YunHo thought he would be.
He wasn’t sure why it bothered him as much as it did.
Glancing around, his eyes met those of YooChun from across the classroom. The younger male was watching him with a frown, but when their gazes locked he jumped and looked away, waving at KiBum and leaving the class. YunHo watched him, frowning slightly.
This class year was looking to be interesting. Perhaps a bit too much so.
*****
Compared to the activity of last Friday, the streets were dead now. JunSu padded down a different alley, glancing around. He wasn’t on patrol, not tonight. Generally Vampyre and Lycan activity stayed on their respective side of the lines for a few days after the full moon, as both parties recovered from running around the entire night.
No, he was out hunting tonight. But, unlike the majority of the Vampyre population, JunSu had a very specific diet.
He only killed those he thought deserved it.
In a way, it was a good thing Vampyre territory encompassed the darkest, most run-down parts of the city. There was always something going on: a robbery, a rape, a stabbing. And it was from those who participated in said activities whom JunSu selected a victim.
It wasn’t long before he found one. Turning down a different side street, the Vampyre paused, eyes narrowing slightly. A young man lay on the ground, coughing and holding his stomach. An older male stood over him, knife in one hand. JunSu smelt the blood before his mind had even registered the red staining and dripping down the blade.
Before the man could stab the downed victim again, JunSu dashed over and pushed him against the wall. “Let go of it,” He ordered, holding the hand with the blade so the man couldn’t use it. Then he tightened his grip on the fingers, a dull crackling cutting through the air. It was shortly followed by the man’s scream as he dropped the blade; not that he had much choice, with his fingers broken.
JunSu looked down at the stabbed man, who shakily got to his feet, face white and hands pressed over his bloodstained side. It looked shallow, not deep enough to cause damage to his organs. “Run,” JunSu told him, nodding down the alley towards the well-lit main boulevard. The man took off, limping.
Once he was gone, JunSu turned his sharp gaze back to the man he was holding against the wall. After listening to him curse for a while, JunSu adjusted his grip so he could press one elbow against his neck, cutting him off. “I could listen to you curse me until you’re blue in the face,” he informed the man. “But I have better ways to waste my time. And you’re just going to die anyways.”
Not even bothering to wait for him to take the words in, JunSu removed his elbow and replaced it with a pair of sharp canine teeth, biting down.
The man gave a choked noise, eyes widening and mouth falling open in a silent scream. Hands beat at JunSu’s body, trying to push him away, but the Vampyre wasn’t to be budged. Slowly, the human’s attempts to get free grew weaker, skin draining of color as he was drained of blood.
Humming softly to himself, YooChun turned the corner and froze. Right in front of him, teeth sunk deep into some unknown man’s neck, was his classmate JunSu. The younger male’s identity was the first thing to register; then it occurred to him just what he was seeing, and he cursed, one hand diving into his jacket pocket to pull out his gun.
He’d never considered the cheerful male as a Vampyre. Should have known that appearances weren’t everything.
Sensing his presence, JunSu looked up from his victim’s neck, and jumped away just in time. A bullet blasted a hole into the brick wall where he’d been standing, the human slumping to the ground. He was probably already dead.
Turning his gaze to the Vampyre, YooChun slipped one hand into his pocket and pressed speed dial on his phone. It was set to KiBum’s emergency number, so hopefully the younger would answer and trace the signal to here.
“Hold up, listen to me for a second,” JunSu said, frowning with both hands up in a peaceful gesture. “You can’t fault me for needing blood, I am what I am.”
“There’s blood banks for a reason,” YooChun replied, aiming at the Vampyre carefully. “I can’t just let you walk away after you killed him.”
“Sure you can. This doesn’t have to start a whole fight.”
There was the faint click as YooChun tightened his grip on the trigger. JunSu’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Or I guess it does, doesn’t it?”
Something heavy hit YooChun on the back of the head, and he fell with a shout, gun firing with a bang. JunSu narrowly avoided the silver bullet, watching with wide eyes. Blinking to clear his vision, the slayer started to stand when a hand pressed against his back kept him pinned down.
“Having a little trouble, Su?” He knew that voice. Despite the owner of it being ‘asleep’ for most of their classes, YooChun was good at remembering things.
“Thanks,” JunSu told HyunJoong with a small smile. “I didn’t know he was a slayer, did you?”
“I did actually. His family’s well-known; you would know if you weren’t so determined to stay out of our circles.” HyunJoong looked at the human he was pinning down. “What do we do with him? Kill him?”
“I don’t want to do that,” JunSu protested. “He’s a classmate.”
“The feeling wasn’t mutual from how he was pointing that gun.”
“I know, I know,” JunSu said with a sigh, running one hand through his hair. “I just don’t want to kill someone who doesn’t need to be killed.”
“Will you look at that, a Vampyre with morals.” Both of them turned their heads towards the new voice. That Lycan pup, KyuHyun, leaned against the wall watching them.
“What are you doing here?” JunSu questioned. “We’re in our own territory.”
“The border’s only a block or two down, remember? The gunshots were audible, so I came to see what’s going on.”
“Great,” YooChun muttered, lifting his face off the ground.
KyuHyun’s eyes went to the slayer. “So, what are you planning on doing with him?”
“No clue. Should we kill him?” HyunJoong asked, frowning down at the human. “He was about to put a few holes in JunSu.”
“He’s your captive, I’m not going to say anything,” KyuHyun answered with a shrug. Then he paused, looking up slightly and listening. “We have company.”
He’d barely gotten the words out when a gunshot rang through the area. HyunJoong fell flat on his face with a yelp, the silver bullet grazing his arm. “Are you alright?” JunSu exclaimed, then took to the ground himself to avoid another gunshot. KyuHyun hid in a doorway, watching with narrowed eyes.
KiBum turned the corner, a few other humans right behind him. KyuHyun recognized them as from the main slayer clans. YooChun picked himself up off the ground, HyunJoong doing the same though he could barely use the grazed arm; the injury might not be much, but the silver the bullet had contained was burning through his arm, leaving it useless.
JunSu sighed softly, a pout forming on his lips. “Looks like a fight is unavoidable now.” He darted past KyuHyun, tackling into a slayer who’d been about to shoot at the Lycan.
“Why did I come here again?” KyuHyun murmured to himself, before his body changed, shifting into a large wolf. He shook off the tattered remains of his clothing and leapt at the closest slayer, taking the human down with a snarl. He hadn’t meant to get involved, not one to stick up for Vampyres, but it was impossible to back down now.
*****
JaeJoong walked down the street, watching the Vampyre beside him carefully. Since KyuJong wasn’t at school, SiWon had offered to walk JaeJoong home to avoid him getting lost again. The human had been wary about accepted, considering what had happened last time. But seeing how SiWon was looking for a way to make it up to him, and he really didn’t feel like getting lost, he agreed to let the other accompany him.
The differences were noticeable though. SiWon kept a greater distance from JaeJoong, and had told the other that if he stopped for whatever reason, to just back off until he had his control back. Apparently control-issue episodes happened often, but when the humans in question didn’t know enough to back away, they resulted in attacks too often. JaeJoong agreed to just leave the vegetarian Vampyre alone if he had another episode; he wasn’t so sure if YunHo would be around to save him this time.
“We’re passing into Vampyre territory now,” SiWon noted, as they crossed the street. “It took a while for me to memorize where are the borders are, but when you have Lycans that glare at you the moment you step out of line, it starts to stick.”
JaeJoong nodded, looking around. There were no visible signs that they’d passed into a different races territory, not that he’d expected there to be.
SiWon opened his mouth to continue, then cut himself off. “What’s that?”
“What’s what?” JaeJoong blinked at him for a moment. “I didn’t hear anything.”
The Vampyre looked around as they turned down a darker alley. JaeJoong listened carefully, but nothing was coming to his human ears. “How far off can you hear, anyways?”
“Far, but I’m told the older the Vampyre the keener your senses become.” SiWon frowned. “I can’t even tell how far it -“
A gunshot rang out, echoing down the alley. JaeJoong froze; that he heard.
“What’s going on?”
SiWon listened, then his eyes widened. “A fight. And it’s coming this way.” There was no time to move away. Looking around, he held his breath and pushed JaeJoong into a shadowed doorway, hiding them from anyone looking.
Not a moment too soon. A heavy body thudded into the wall in front of them, JaeJoong clasping his hands over his mouth so he didn’t make a sound, staring with wide eyes. The wolf snorted in annoyance, picking itself up and launching back into the fight.
“Was that a Lycan?” JaeJoong whispered through the hand over his mouth. SiWon nodded, watching and being careful not to breathe while in such close proximity to the human male.
Another gunshot rang through the air, and the brick in the wall across from them chipped slightly. JaeJoong flinched as a man ran by, heading towards the fight. Before leaving their vision, the man shifted into a wolf, powerful muscles bunching under that sleek coat.
SiWon peered out around the corner of the doorway, eyes widening slightly at the sight. They were smack in the middle of a slayer, Vampyre and Lycan battle.
Chapter: 4/?
Fandoms: TVXQ/DBSK, Super Junior, SS501
Pairings: Various (a LOT O.o; )
Rating: PG-16
Warning: Angst, Violence, Character Death
Summary: Seoul’s All-Boys Night School is just like any other night school in the area, but there’s one thing that sets them apart from all the others, and that is their students. Seoul has been the battleground of an underground, interspecies cold war for centuries, with populations of vampyres, lycans, and all those in between. Even so, no one saw it coming when young members from practically every division ended up in the same night class, along with several unassuming humans. How do you deal with suddenly having to play nice with those you were raised to hate? A dangerous game of cat and mouse begins, where the only rules were to get rid of the enemy, not be caught by the humans… And not to fall in love.
A/N: Time for another update! xD I'm trying to keep updates on Tuesdays and Fridays for the next little while. Also, for those who haven't noticed already, there's a Characters and Terms link now! *points down* It will be updated with each new chapter, so there WILL be spoilers, but if you're confused about anything it should help clear things up. Also, if you want a description on something added, just let me know and I'll write one up ^-^
Teaser Trailer | Characters and Terms | Prologue & Chapter One | Chapter Two | Chapter Three
Chapter Four
The first thing Mr. Lee said when he walked into class was, “Why are you so quiet, HeeChul?”
It was the first day in all of the first week he hadn’t walked in on a yelling match between HeeChul and YunHo. But, as RyeoWook watched the teacher’s eyes sweep the class and take in the situation, the reason for HeeChul’s proper behavior became clear. YunHo wasn’t here.
Neither was YoungWoon, nor KyuHyun. SungMin was looking around the room with an expression similar to that of a lost puppy. Watching him for a moment, RyeoWook’s attention was caught by KiBum and YooChun. The two were whispering back and forth, and the quiet male saw KiBum motion towards KyuHyun’s empty desk with one hand.
Wasn’t it the full moon tonight…?
“Alright, well I’m not sure what happened to your classmates, but they’re going to be missing out on an important lesson so if some of you could take notes for them, that would be great. For English, we’re moving on to conjugating verbs.” A faint sigh could be heard from Henry in the corner.
JaeJoong, writing down notes carefully, felt eyes on him and looked around when the teacher’s back was turned. SiWon met his eyes, and the human turned around abruptly, heart in his throat. He hadn’t been sure what he was supposed to do when he met SiWon in school; he’d been relying on the fact that most of the time YunHo would be around, but as it was the full moon he had no way of avoiding the Vampyre. YunHo had explained to him about vegetarian Vampyres, but really, even if SiWon’s intentions hadn’t been to hurt him it was hard to forget the feeling of fangs against his neck.
The way he’d been pressed up against the wall was even harder to forget; looking down at his wrists, dark bruises in the shape of fingers had appeared there over the day. They were sore to the touch, and ached constantly. He’d hid them under long sleeves so that KyuJong wouldn’t notice; the younger male had come back in a good mood from whatever he’d been doing with his friends, and JaeJoong didn’t want to worry him. He couldn’t tell his adopted brother about Vampyres, and from the bruises KyuJong would naturally assume JaeJoong had been a victim of molestation or something along those lines. What KyuJong didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him.
JungSu, meanwhile, looked over at YoungWoon’s empty desk with a frown. The younger male had been acting weird all yesterday, and now he wasn’t here. It was more than a little worrying. It wasn’t about the fact JungSu now had no ride home; he could walk, really. It was concern as a friend; they’d actually bonded quite well during the week. It was nice having someone in this class he could call a friend; he really didn’t know many people.
Worst of all, he didn’t know YoungWoon’s phone number or address or anything, so he couldn’t check up to make sure he was all right. Maybe he was badly sick? JungSu scolded himself inwardly for being such a mother hen, but he really wanted to check up on him…
SungMin, as the class drew closer to break, debated what he could do today. Every day that week he’d followed KyuHyun in secret and listened to him sing. He was sure he hadn’t been found out, though the younger male had appeared suspicious the second day and refused to sing before closing the classroom door and walking between the aisles of desk to make sure there was no one there. SungMin had stood up on a desk in the corner to avoid being caught.
Looking down at his notes on English as the teacher dismissed them for break, he sighed and glanced around the class. When his eyes landed on Henry, sitting by himself in the corner with a resigned expression on his face as he watched the others chatter in Hangul too fast for him to keep up, a smile appeared on SungMin’s face and he stood up. Walking over to Henry, he stuck his hand out like he knew the culture was in Canada and introduced himself in careful Hangul. “My name is Lee SungMin!”
Henry looked up at him in surprise, before hesitantly taking SungMin’s hand and shaking it. “I am Henry Lau,” he said in accented Hangul, stumbling over even that simple sentence.
“I was wondering if you would mind helping me with English? I’m really no good at it.” Seeing the look of utter confusion and panic on the younger males face, SungMin tried again. “Help me with this?” He held up his notes on English.
Henry blinked, and understanding seemed to dawn, because he nodded. “Okay.” SungMin beamed and sat down beside him. Maybe he didn’t have to be bored out of his mind this break.
At the other end of class, JaeJoong gathered his books carefully and stood up. Feeling someone standing behind him, he jumped in surprise, accidentally knocking one of his textbooks off his desk.
A hand reached out of the edge of his vision, picking up the book and holding it out to him. “Here.” Turning to face whomever it was, the human’s throat closed. SiWon looked down at him, holding out the book in one hand.
“Thanks,” JaeJoong muttered, looking away and taking his book back quickly. Suddenly SiWon reached out and caught his hand, pulling it back towards him. JaeJoong opened his mouth to shout, to do something that would get someone’s attention and get SiWon to let go, but the Vampyre’s grip was gentle as he tugged the other’s sleeve down slightly. Cold fingers brushed over the bruises around his wrists, and the contrast in temperature was soothing.
“You should put ice on this,” SiWon murmured, examining the marks he’d left from last night. “It will make it hurt less.” His eyes lifted to JaeJoong’s face, the human staring at him with a trace of fear in those eyes.
“I’m sorry,” SiWon said, letting go of JaeJoong’s hand. “I just want to talk to you, about what happened. Just talk. I didn’t mean to… Do what I did.”
“That doesn’t change the fact that you did it,” JaeJoong murmured, looking away. He wanted to leave, uneasy around the Vampyre. But SiWon was trying to apologize to him. Somehow the other didn’t quite fit into the stereotypical image of a bloodthirsty Vampyre (though he was definitely bloodthirsty in the obvious sense).
“I know,” SiWon replied, resigned. “I’m sorry. I try to restrain myself as much as possible, but it’s not always easy.”
“YunHo told me what you are,” JaeJoong said, hands tightening on the book he was holding.
“I assumed he would. I try to keep myself from taking lives; the last thing I wanted was to attack you, believe me.” JaeJoong saw from the corner of his eye one of the Vampyres hands lift, going to a golden cross around his neck.
The human turned his head to look at it. “You’re Christian?” He said softly, finally meeting SiWon’s eyes.
The Vampyre nodded. “I have been all my life. I was only Turned a few years ago. My family still doesn’t know; I’m keeping it secret as best as I can.”
JaeJoong suddenly felt a stab of pity for the Vampyre. For him to resist killing so resiliently, his faith must be strong. To be a Vampyre, and hold on to his Christianity so stubbornly… It must be painful.
Suddenly he didn’t want to run away as much. Well, he would definitely be staying at arms length, but he couldn’t just leave it like this. “Tell me about it?” He asked quietly.
SiWon looked up at him in surprise, then nodded. “Alright. Where do you want me to start?”
“Start at the beginning.” Glancing around the class and seeing there were only Henry and SungMin left (both of them absorbed in English lessons), JaeJoong hopped up to sit on his desk. “I’m listening.”
*****
It was cold out. JungSu shivered as he walked down the street, blowing on his fingers before stuffing them into his pockets. He had missed the bus back home, as he thought he would, and would have to do the hour walk. He’d always been thankful for YoungWoon’s offer to drive him home, but this just made him all the more grateful. It was cold out!
School had been rather uneventful. It was strange how, when none of them had ever been absent before in this first week, suddenly three classmates vanished on the same day. The strange part was half of the class didn’t even look surprised at the absence. He would have expected something from HeeChul, naturally, but the slightly younger male just huffed and went on with his night, without a word about YunHo’s absence.
Hearing leaves crunching behind him, JungSu glanced over his shoulder absently. There was no one there.
A shiver ran down his spine, the hairs on his arms standing up despite how bundled he was in his sweater and coat. He had the oddest feeling, like he was being watched.
He took a few more steps when a low, feral noise to one side made him look. There was a dog in the alley next to him, hidden by shadow and watching him with piercing eyes.
Then the dog stepped out into the light, and JungSu’s throat closed. That was no dog; it was far too big, and the face was all off. A wolf? In Seoul? How was that even possible? And it was a big wolf… Really big.
A snarl from the creature snapped him out of the daze, and JungSu backed up slowly, eyes wide. What did you do if you met a wolf? He didn’t know, he was a city boy. What if it was rabid? Never mind that, why was there a wolf here in the first place?
When he saw the muscles bunch under that sleek black coat, JungSu did what any sane human being would do. He turned and ran.
He didn’t make it far before something heavy hit him in the back, and he went down with a yelp. Sharp claws dug into his back, loud snarling in his ear. JungSu squeezed his eyes shut, too scared to move. That was it, he was dead. Killed by a wolf in the middle of Seoul.
Something went zooming by; he heard the whoosh of the air above him. And just like that, the pressure on his back was gone. The wolf was gone.
Sitting up slowly, JungSu turned himself around to see and froze. One of his classmates, that bright and cheery boy JunSu, was staring down at the wolf, eyes narrowed. The wolf was now lying against the brick wall, like it had been thrown. It slowly picked itself up, watching JunSu carefully.
“W-what are you doing,” JungSu exclaimed, eyes wide as JunSu took a step closer to the wolf. “It’s a wolf, it’ll kill you.”
“I’ll be fine,” JunSu said with a cheerful grin sent the other’s way, before returning his gaze to the wolf just as it launched itself at him with a feral growl.
Then, the most extraordinary thing happened. Faster than JungSu could blink, JunSu grabbed the wolf by its front paws and swung it around in a full circle, launching it back at the wall. The creature hit the brick with a painful thud, yelping as it slid to the ground. Once it had its bearings back, the wolf turned tail and vanished down the alley again.
“Wait up!” JunSu called, about to run after it when he remembered JungSu. Turning around, he vanished and reappeared beside the human on the ground, startling a yelp out of him.
“H-how did you move so fast?”
“I moved the same speed as I usually do.” JunSu frowned down at him, the frown more like a pout. “You alright? He didn’t take a chunk out of your back, did he?”
“N…. No, he didn’t… Wait, he? How do you know it was a he? What was that?” JungSu exclaimed, eyes wide.
“You ask a lot of questions,” JunSu said with a laugh. “But do you really want the answers?”
JungSu blinked up at him, mouth open. He’d never thought of it like that before. When JunSu stood up to leave though, he reached out and grabbed the younger’s wrist.
“Wait.” The downed human carefully stood up, meeting the other’s eyes. “I do want to know. And I want to know… What you are as well.”
“What I am?”
“That thing knocked me silly, and you threw it into the wall with little trouble. That isn’t something a human can do.”
“Doesn’t it scare you? You’re basically saying I’m not human.”
“It does. But I figured you wouldn’t have saved me from that creature if you were just going to kill me after, so I’m playing it by ear.”
JunSu laughed at that, a high ringing sound that lifted the human’s spirits. “I like your attitude. All right then. That, was a Lycan. And as for me,” he continued, turning around and flashing JungSu a bright grin. “I’m your friendly neighborhood Vampyre.”
JungSu’s eyes focused on the sharp canine teeth visible in the younger’s mouth, and stiffened. A Vampyre. And a Lycan?
“How many Vampyres and Lycans are there around here?”
“Oh, tons. Quite a few in our class actually. You might have noticed the three absent today?”
JungSu’s mind went to YoungWoon. “Yeah, what about them?”
“Well, tonight’s the full moon, where Lycans lose control of their human souls to the wolf inside them. Considering they all become bloodthirsty beasts the entire night, coming to school wouldn’t be really advisable.” JunSu shrugged. “They don’t even respect the territory lines, which is a bit of a pain really. Plenty of Vampyres are out every full moon to make sure the wolves don’t kill anyone on our side of the line. I just got on duty for the rest of the night.”
Taking it all in, JungSu paled. So YoungWoon was a Lycan? “What if they were just sick?” He croaked. “I mean, YoungWoon never said anything…”
“Oh, we just saw YoungWoon.”
“What?”
“That wolf.” JunSu motioned down the alley where the creature had vanished. “That was YoungWoon. Each wolf has their own distinct scent to us, though none of them are really appealing. Smells too earthy.” He wrinkled his nose slightly. “I knew it was YoungWoon the second I saw him.”
“… I need to sit down.” JungSu slipped back to the ground. YoungWoon had just attacked him. Nearly killed him.
“Hey, keep in mind they can’t really control themselves tonight.” JunSu crouched down beside the human male. “Most Vampyres and Lycans hate each other, but I get along with them pretty well. Well, to the point they don’t want to rip my head off the minute I start talking. YunHo and his pack are decent people, like anyone else. The full moon drives all of them crazy, but I know they don’t necessarily like going on rampages. Most of them find ways to tie themselves up in time for sunset, but YoungWoon’s crafty as a wolf and always finds a way to escape. So I usually tail him around and keep him out of trouble.”
It made sense. But JungSu wasn’t sure how he’d be able to face YoungWoon now, knowing what he was. In contrast, knowing what JunSu was, he didn’t feel so afraid. Maybe it was because the Vampyre had saved him; maybe it was because he couldn’t imagine JunSu being a cold-blooded killer. The boy was just too bubbly and full of life.
It had given him a lot to thing about.
“Thank you for saving me,” he said, standing up after a moment.
“Want me to walk you home?”
“Don’t you need to go after YoungWoon?” JungSu asked hesitantly.
“Nah.” JunSu showed him a text message on his cell phone. “HyunJoong’s on his trail now; he’ll herd him back onto wolf territory.”
HyunJoong? The sleepyhead? “I think you should explain more of this to me,” JungSu said carefully.
“Gladly. You have no idea how great it is to be able to talk to a human about us and not have them run screaming for the hills,” JunSu said with a laugh, turning to walk down the street with JungSu following behind him.
*****
The next Monday, everything was back to normal. The second YunHo walked into the class, HeeChul all but launched himself at the taller male with a barrage of insults. Everyone was there, except for KyuJong. JaeJoong’s adopted brother had said he wasn’t feeling well that day, so JaeJoong hadn’t pressured him into coming, saying he’d take notes and hand in the assignment that was due today for him.
There was one difference though. When break came, instead of going to YoungWoon as he normally did, JungSu went straight for JunSu. He wasn’t ready to face the Lycan yet; he didn’t know if he could act like nothing had happened. JunSu had told him YoungWoon wouldn’t remember a thing of what he did on the full moon, so it was best if the human not talk to him about what happened while he was out of control.
Meeting the human’s eyes, JunSu searched them for a moment before nodding, a bright smile appearing on his face. “Lets go talk to the others,” he chirped, pulling JungSu out of the class. He didn’t look back, knowing YoungWoon was watching them with a confused and slightly hurt expression.
SungMin watched KyuHyun leave the class, smiling. Just as he was about to stand to follow him, Henry appeared beside him. “Need help more?” The Canadian asked clumsily, holding up his English notes.
SungMin looked between him and the door, shaking his head and standing. “Thanks, but I think I’ll be alright now,” he said cheerfully. “See you later Henli!” With that he left the class, leaving Henry behind.
YunHo watched SiWon approach JaeJoong carefully, knowing the human would be scared by the Vampyre. He was surprised however when instead of running away or causing a scene, JaeJoong smiled at the younger male and offered to help him with his work. He was nervous, that much was obvious from his stance, but not as afraid as YunHo thought he would be.
He wasn’t sure why it bothered him as much as it did.
Glancing around, his eyes met those of YooChun from across the classroom. The younger male was watching him with a frown, but when their gazes locked he jumped and looked away, waving at KiBum and leaving the class. YunHo watched him, frowning slightly.
This class year was looking to be interesting. Perhaps a bit too much so.
*****
Compared to the activity of last Friday, the streets were dead now. JunSu padded down a different alley, glancing around. He wasn’t on patrol, not tonight. Generally Vampyre and Lycan activity stayed on their respective side of the lines for a few days after the full moon, as both parties recovered from running around the entire night.
No, he was out hunting tonight. But, unlike the majority of the Vampyre population, JunSu had a very specific diet.
He only killed those he thought deserved it.
In a way, it was a good thing Vampyre territory encompassed the darkest, most run-down parts of the city. There was always something going on: a robbery, a rape, a stabbing. And it was from those who participated in said activities whom JunSu selected a victim.
It wasn’t long before he found one. Turning down a different side street, the Vampyre paused, eyes narrowing slightly. A young man lay on the ground, coughing and holding his stomach. An older male stood over him, knife in one hand. JunSu smelt the blood before his mind had even registered the red staining and dripping down the blade.
Before the man could stab the downed victim again, JunSu dashed over and pushed him against the wall. “Let go of it,” He ordered, holding the hand with the blade so the man couldn’t use it. Then he tightened his grip on the fingers, a dull crackling cutting through the air. It was shortly followed by the man’s scream as he dropped the blade; not that he had much choice, with his fingers broken.
JunSu looked down at the stabbed man, who shakily got to his feet, face white and hands pressed over his bloodstained side. It looked shallow, not deep enough to cause damage to his organs. “Run,” JunSu told him, nodding down the alley towards the well-lit main boulevard. The man took off, limping.
Once he was gone, JunSu turned his sharp gaze back to the man he was holding against the wall. After listening to him curse for a while, JunSu adjusted his grip so he could press one elbow against his neck, cutting him off. “I could listen to you curse me until you’re blue in the face,” he informed the man. “But I have better ways to waste my time. And you’re just going to die anyways.”
Not even bothering to wait for him to take the words in, JunSu removed his elbow and replaced it with a pair of sharp canine teeth, biting down.
The man gave a choked noise, eyes widening and mouth falling open in a silent scream. Hands beat at JunSu’s body, trying to push him away, but the Vampyre wasn’t to be budged. Slowly, the human’s attempts to get free grew weaker, skin draining of color as he was drained of blood.
Humming softly to himself, YooChun turned the corner and froze. Right in front of him, teeth sunk deep into some unknown man’s neck, was his classmate JunSu. The younger male’s identity was the first thing to register; then it occurred to him just what he was seeing, and he cursed, one hand diving into his jacket pocket to pull out his gun.
He’d never considered the cheerful male as a Vampyre. Should have known that appearances weren’t everything.
Sensing his presence, JunSu looked up from his victim’s neck, and jumped away just in time. A bullet blasted a hole into the brick wall where he’d been standing, the human slumping to the ground. He was probably already dead.
Turning his gaze to the Vampyre, YooChun slipped one hand into his pocket and pressed speed dial on his phone. It was set to KiBum’s emergency number, so hopefully the younger would answer and trace the signal to here.
“Hold up, listen to me for a second,” JunSu said, frowning with both hands up in a peaceful gesture. “You can’t fault me for needing blood, I am what I am.”
“There’s blood banks for a reason,” YooChun replied, aiming at the Vampyre carefully. “I can’t just let you walk away after you killed him.”
“Sure you can. This doesn’t have to start a whole fight.”
There was the faint click as YooChun tightened his grip on the trigger. JunSu’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Or I guess it does, doesn’t it?”
Something heavy hit YooChun on the back of the head, and he fell with a shout, gun firing with a bang. JunSu narrowly avoided the silver bullet, watching with wide eyes. Blinking to clear his vision, the slayer started to stand when a hand pressed against his back kept him pinned down.
“Having a little trouble, Su?” He knew that voice. Despite the owner of it being ‘asleep’ for most of their classes, YooChun was good at remembering things.
“Thanks,” JunSu told HyunJoong with a small smile. “I didn’t know he was a slayer, did you?”
“I did actually. His family’s well-known; you would know if you weren’t so determined to stay out of our circles.” HyunJoong looked at the human he was pinning down. “What do we do with him? Kill him?”
“I don’t want to do that,” JunSu protested. “He’s a classmate.”
“The feeling wasn’t mutual from how he was pointing that gun.”
“I know, I know,” JunSu said with a sigh, running one hand through his hair. “I just don’t want to kill someone who doesn’t need to be killed.”
“Will you look at that, a Vampyre with morals.” Both of them turned their heads towards the new voice. That Lycan pup, KyuHyun, leaned against the wall watching them.
“What are you doing here?” JunSu questioned. “We’re in our own territory.”
“The border’s only a block or two down, remember? The gunshots were audible, so I came to see what’s going on.”
“Great,” YooChun muttered, lifting his face off the ground.
KyuHyun’s eyes went to the slayer. “So, what are you planning on doing with him?”
“No clue. Should we kill him?” HyunJoong asked, frowning down at the human. “He was about to put a few holes in JunSu.”
“He’s your captive, I’m not going to say anything,” KyuHyun answered with a shrug. Then he paused, looking up slightly and listening. “We have company.”
He’d barely gotten the words out when a gunshot rang through the area. HyunJoong fell flat on his face with a yelp, the silver bullet grazing his arm. “Are you alright?” JunSu exclaimed, then took to the ground himself to avoid another gunshot. KyuHyun hid in a doorway, watching with narrowed eyes.
KiBum turned the corner, a few other humans right behind him. KyuHyun recognized them as from the main slayer clans. YooChun picked himself up off the ground, HyunJoong doing the same though he could barely use the grazed arm; the injury might not be much, but the silver the bullet had contained was burning through his arm, leaving it useless.
JunSu sighed softly, a pout forming on his lips. “Looks like a fight is unavoidable now.” He darted past KyuHyun, tackling into a slayer who’d been about to shoot at the Lycan.
“Why did I come here again?” KyuHyun murmured to himself, before his body changed, shifting into a large wolf. He shook off the tattered remains of his clothing and leapt at the closest slayer, taking the human down with a snarl. He hadn’t meant to get involved, not one to stick up for Vampyres, but it was impossible to back down now.
*****
JaeJoong walked down the street, watching the Vampyre beside him carefully. Since KyuJong wasn’t at school, SiWon had offered to walk JaeJoong home to avoid him getting lost again. The human had been wary about accepted, considering what had happened last time. But seeing how SiWon was looking for a way to make it up to him, and he really didn’t feel like getting lost, he agreed to let the other accompany him.
The differences were noticeable though. SiWon kept a greater distance from JaeJoong, and had told the other that if he stopped for whatever reason, to just back off until he had his control back. Apparently control-issue episodes happened often, but when the humans in question didn’t know enough to back away, they resulted in attacks too often. JaeJoong agreed to just leave the vegetarian Vampyre alone if he had another episode; he wasn’t so sure if YunHo would be around to save him this time.
“We’re passing into Vampyre territory now,” SiWon noted, as they crossed the street. “It took a while for me to memorize where are the borders are, but when you have Lycans that glare at you the moment you step out of line, it starts to stick.”
JaeJoong nodded, looking around. There were no visible signs that they’d passed into a different races territory, not that he’d expected there to be.
SiWon opened his mouth to continue, then cut himself off. “What’s that?”
“What’s what?” JaeJoong blinked at him for a moment. “I didn’t hear anything.”
The Vampyre looked around as they turned down a darker alley. JaeJoong listened carefully, but nothing was coming to his human ears. “How far off can you hear, anyways?”
“Far, but I’m told the older the Vampyre the keener your senses become.” SiWon frowned. “I can’t even tell how far it -“
A gunshot rang out, echoing down the alley. JaeJoong froze; that he heard.
“What’s going on?”
SiWon listened, then his eyes widened. “A fight. And it’s coming this way.” There was no time to move away. Looking around, he held his breath and pushed JaeJoong into a shadowed doorway, hiding them from anyone looking.
Not a moment too soon. A heavy body thudded into the wall in front of them, JaeJoong clasping his hands over his mouth so he didn’t make a sound, staring with wide eyes. The wolf snorted in annoyance, picking itself up and launching back into the fight.
“Was that a Lycan?” JaeJoong whispered through the hand over his mouth. SiWon nodded, watching and being careful not to breathe while in such close proximity to the human male.
Another gunshot rang through the air, and the brick in the wall across from them chipped slightly. JaeJoong flinched as a man ran by, heading towards the fight. Before leaving their vision, the man shifted into a wolf, powerful muscles bunching under that sleek coat.
SiWon peered out around the corner of the doorway, eyes widening slightly at the sight. They were smack in the middle of a slayer, Vampyre and Lycan battle.