[1s] サダメの薄幸な恋人 - The star-crossed lovers of Sadame, part 1

[haru_ran]

Title: サダメの薄幸な恋人 - The star-crossed lovers of Sadame
Beta: ligerliger
Pairing: YunHo/JaeJoong
Universe Alternative
Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Romance, Supernatural
Length: One Shot, devided into 4 parts
Rating: NC-17 to be sure
Warning: angst, fluff, male pregnancy, sexual content
Author's Note: Sadame originally means 'fate' and has been taken from my favourite song out of the anime series X/1999. Also I thank the mods for being so patient with me and apologize for taking so long ;;

Summary: They were not meant to love one another, but the bond fate had bestowed upon them was stronger than any rule and punishment.



Unbeknownst to humankind was a parallel world consisting of the creatures humans thought to be unreal, nonexistent; products of their fantasy. They wouldn't show themselves willingly to humans and would just step into the foreign world if they really needed to. Gates connecting the two worlds existed all around the planet humans called Earth - for the others it was known as Sadame.

It was an ethereal place, with seas as blue as the cerulean sky and meadows as wide as the eye could see. Some were a carpet of verdant soft grass, others sporting colourful flowers that were as beautiful as the mystic creatures taking care of them. Trees were surrounding the meadows like a ring, the tall and proud timbers being most important for Sadame's well-being than anything else. Each tree was the home to one of the mystic creatures, the biggest and oldest one in the middle of the main forest being their castle. Sadame was not just a world, but a kingdom - a kingdom ruled by fairies.

Contrary to the popular human opinion that fairies were small creatures with glittery wings and a cheerful personality, the fairies of Sadame were about five-to-six feet tall in average and had the ability to modify their height. Their personalities, as well, weren't always cheerful. Some indeed were known to be grumpy and inclement. Humans used to equalise them with demons. But in all honesty, demons were as nonexistent as elves and nothing but phantasms. The only thing that was true about fairies were their glittery wings. They were strong, beautiful, and magnificent. And each fairy had their very own unique pair, differing in shape, size, and pattern. And like their wings, fairies differed in many ways from one another. Some were assigned for exploring the human world, others for taking care of the seas, flowers, or animals, and yet others were assigned for reproduction of the fairylike race. The royal fairy couple, of course, was the head of such decisions.

Even though Sadame was solely ruled by fairies, there was still another race left being as old as their world itself, as were the graceful fairies. This breed lived in the embrace of the night, feasting in the darkness that promised them shelter. Sun was their enemy, and blood their companion. They were known as vampires, and both the human world as well as the fairies were well advised to fear them. Throughout Sadame, there was just one rule to follow: fairies were not allowed to have contact with vampires in any way and vice versa. Vampires themselves found it outrageous to socialise with the glittery creatures and lived in their own part of Sadame that was embraced by darkness and lay in the middle of Forbidden Forest. Of course, it was only forbidden because fairies had labelled it as that. The feud between those two breeds existed as long as Sadame itself, but it was the fairies that had won over the vampires in their first and last war many thousands of years ago. Vampires still found it a shame, but even though they were as strong enough to crush a rock with their fist, they still were completely outnumbered.

Conflict between fairies and vampires arose seldom as both did not interact with the other if not needed. That was until once every four weeks in a span of six months when the moon stood high and glowed in its entity on a starry night. Vampires were obliged to appear when the fairies held their festivities of what vampires used to call a 'mating market.' For them, it was an outrageous tradition to show off the most beauteous fairies and let the common folk ensnare them until they were married off to whoever was most fitting among the wooers. Mating for fairies was an instrument to keep their race strong; for vampires, it was a sacred act. It was a rare occasion for vampires to have a successful mating leading to offspring, which was why they slipped into the world of humans to combine their flesh. More than half of the vampires living in Sadame were akin to the human race, but it was them being most successful in breeding.

Jung YunHo was one of these vampires, and he was still a young one compared to his companions. Being a human for about 24 years, he still didn't know how to merge with the customs of Sadame. He had called this place home for barely 160 years and constantly slipped into the human world not only to feed but also to relive his past, which was why he still found it hard to keep up with the traditions Sadame had.

His humane behaviour still showed in everything he did: his speech, his looks, his customs, and, above all, his way of thinking. Of course, vampires found it outrageous of how fairies dealt with mating, but for YunHo, it was an even more disgusting tradition as for him, mating was not just sacred in its own, but it also was something made with love. And for him, Sadame was not filled with much affection between the population of either of the two breeds. If he could, he would gladly skip his appearance at the fairies' festivities. He tried, often even, but failed every time again. He instead started to ignore the happenings and faced the festivities with his back, sitting on the verdant grass whilst finding himself a nice distraction which recently had shifted to the tempting royal garden. And since he was always late, he barely registered the event in itself anyway.

“YunHo!” “Where are you, YunHo?!” “Come out, you sick fucker!?” was hollered throughout the forbidden forest. The wanted person sighed deeply, running his hand through his freshly cut brown hair whilst he was trudging past the trees. His steps weren't fast, after all; he wanted to drag this moment out as much as he could.

“Idiots. Why do they even bother searching for me? It's not like I want to be there anyway,” YunHo muttered under his breath, licking over his bottom lip where he still could feel a leftover drop of blood on them from his last repast. It had been a young lad of maybe 18 years, and his blood had been as sweet as strawberries. That was, if he actually still could remember their flavour. At the thought of it, YunHo looked up into the sky, heaving a deep breath when his golden eyes drew in every shining star in the nocturnal sky and fixed onto the full moon standing high above Sadame.

“Ah! I found him!” a chirpy voice called out, pulling YunHo out of his reverie unceremoniously. The young vampire looked to his left, brown short hair shining in the bright moonlight.

“Oh joy, the chaos brigade as large as life,” the brown haired remarked when three of his fellow vampires were running towards him. Not that they had to hurry. Time was, after all, nothing but a passing occasion and not important to any being in Sadame.

“Cut the sarcasm, Jung,” the tallest snarled, brown eyes sporting a flash of sapphire. 'Someone's angry, I see,' YunHo thought upon noticing the blue flashes directed at him. “Where have you been again? Master DaeHyun is livid,” YunHo's counterpart asked, eyebrows furrowed in anger and blueish eyes boring holes into the young vampire.

“I didn't know it was illegal to feast, ChangMin,” YunHo retorted, shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly.

“That's ChangMin-seonsaengnim to you, twerp,” ChangMin spit back, eyes narrowing in on YunHo. His brown eyes peppered with sapphire were raking over the young delinquent, not missing the shortness of hair. The close-cropped back especially caught his attention. “You've been to the human world. Again,” the taller one stated sternly, arms akimbo.

YunHo blinked. “That's got nothing to do with you now, does it?” he responded, eyebrow lifted as he stared back at the other vampire. ChangMin's nostrils flared.

“I must remind you that I'm six times older than you are, kid, and above all, your creator, so naturally it's got something to do with me,” the taller vampire announced, trying to calm himself down. Jung YunHo seriously knew how to infuriate the elder. A smirk played over YunHo's bow-shaped lips. ChangMin frowned, and his fellow companions gulped because they literally could see the vein on ChangMin's forehead burst with anger.

“Oh really? I thought you were still caught in your baby shoes.” It took just a second for ChangMin to lash out.

“You little fucker,” he growled, and the other two vampires had a hard time holding him back from ripping YunHo's head off of his neck. 'And so it starts again,' YunHo thought to himself in mocking amusement when he registered that today marked the first day in the six month circle he would love to erase.

The walk towards Timber Castle wasn't a long one, but to YunHo, it was an endless journey of boredom and reluctance, above all. His companions time and again had to push him so he hurried with his steps just a bit.

“Seriously, YunHo-yah. Why did you have to go to the human world again?” the vampire with the chirpy voice asked, walking next to the young vampire. Both were trudging after ChangMin, who had angrily stormed a few feet ahead of them together with the third vampire. YunHo eyed his companion who was a head smaller than himself and sighed whilst shrugging his shoulders.

“I felt like it. And I was hungry,” he muttered, shoving his hands into the back pockets of his newly purchased black jeans. They fit his strong legs like a second layer of skin and were ripped at the knees. The smaller vampire eyed his looks with furrowed eyebrows.

“YunHo, you aren't supposed to be all too human. This hairstyle is out of the ordinary, and Master DaeHyun will surely be enraged. Let alone this pair of trousers,” the normally chirpy vampire responded, his emerald eyes holding concern for YunHo.

“I am human, JunSu,” YunHo retorted and turned towards the smaller male. His golden eyes raked over JunSu's appearance and settled onto the shorter one's blond hair. “You once were, as well, if I may remind you,” he muttered, and the other fell silent with a hue of embarrassment crossing over his cheeks.

“You do not have to,” JunSu mumbled. After all, the fact that he had platinum-blond hair was evidence enough that he had once been part of the human race. “That does not change the fact though that I am 473 years old and you should address me with proper respect,” he remarked with furrowed eyebrows. “This also applies to ChangMin-seonsaengnim and Master DaeHyun.”

“Thanks for the reminder, JunSu-hyung,” YunHo voiced out, emphasizing the hyung with latched sarcasm. JunSu sighed and shook his head. Trying to lecture YunHo was once again a failure. They reached Timber Castle not long after, their group of vampires already surrounding the meadow near the entrance. After all, they were obliged to appear, but not to pay full attention to the happenings.

“You are tardy,” a deep voice greeted them. The owner was, without doubt, angry.

“Pardon me, Master DaeHyun,” ChangMin responded whilst bowing deep to pay proper respect to the elder whose face was marred with creases that were showing off his old age. It was, by means, more than anyone could imagine. He had already been an adolescent when the war had ended and was one of pure blood. “We were held up by YunHo.” The old vampire trained his eyes on YunHo, who merely shrugged at the red flames boring through him. The remaining vampires scolded YunHo under their breaths and judged him with their eyes. He didn't even bother to care.

“Disobedient child,” DaeHyun snarled. Everyone flinched upon hearing the livid voice; even YunHo frowned. Not that it really mattered. He was used to it by now. “I specifically forbade you to enter the human world,” the elder announced.

“You can't tell me what to do, old geezer,” YunHo retorted. Gasps were followed, an amount of eyes trained on him in shock.

“Imprudent child. Do not provoke me,” DaeHyun snarled. His patience was running thin, and that was a rare occasion in itself.

“Shall I be scared now or something?” YunHo responded, mocking the elder vampire further. It was ChangMin, though, who interrupted the scene before something grave was about to happen.

“You better leave before I forget myself,” he snarled and eyed YunHo with his sapphire orbs. The younger merely shrugged.

“Gladly. I don't know why you even bother to drag me here in the first place,” YunHo muttered and turned towards the private garden of Timber Castle. Of course it was forbidden for vampires to enter it, but the fairies had always been too engrossed in their festivities to even notice. The group of vampires stared after his retreating back, hushed whispers of indignation pearling from their lips.

“Seriously, who was that idiot that transformed him into a vampire,” ChangMin muttered under his breath and shook his head. JunSu tapped his shoulder.

“That was you, seonsaengnim.” It was needless to say that he earned himself a painful clout from the elder one. Meanwhile, YunHo was trudging through the royal garden, his eyes shifting shortly to the display next to him. His features contorted at the masses of fairies cheering for what seemed to be the wooers of the newest 'mating object.' He frowned and continued on his way. The only thing he really found interesting about Timber Castle was, after all, the beautiful garden. He followed a row of colourful roses when a soft melody reached his ears. His eyes shot up upon hearing the delicate tune, and with his sensitive ears he was able to locate the origin. He carefully followed the melody, eyes always observant to not get caught wandering around.

The tune got clearer with every step he took, turning into a soft and melodious humming when he was sure the origin was not far from him. Hiding behind a tree, YunHo looked around, and sure enough, his golden eyes fell onto a figure walking gracefully through the garden. Butterflies were bustling around the humming male, YunHo noted, a delicate smile scurrying over plush rosy lips. YunHo was not able to take his eyes off of the gracile fairy, his mouth agape at the beauty that had appeared before him. The moonlight illuminated the male fairy, auburn short hair glistening under it. It framed his beautiful features gracefully and showed off his jawline perfectly. He wore a white shirt and a pair of white trousers, and if YunHo didn't know that angels were nothing but phantasms, he surely would've believed one stood in front of him. YunHo took a step out of his hideout when his eyes caught sight of the fairy's wings. It was a delicate mono-winged pair coloured in soft azure. It blended almost perfectly with the sky, if it were day and not night, and was graced with gracile squiggles coloured with light, glittery purple. YunHo squinted his eyes at the upper part of the wings. He was sure the purplish squiggles formed a 'J' and the lower part was nothing but azure.

A branch cracked beneath his foot when he unconsciously stepped forward. The fairy stopped humming his tune immediately and dark-brown eyes were locked at him. It seemed as though time had stopped when golden eyes met with the other, and by all means, YunHo was sure he'd be dead meat once the other came over his stupor. But it never happened. YunHo's eyes widened when the beauteous fairy just vanished into thin air as a soft breeze was fanning through the garden. And then, he was alone.

His mind was focused on this incident even as the festivities had been called an end for this month and his circle of vampires was already on their way back to Forbidden Forest. No one seemed to register his unusual silence. Even when he lay in his sleeping quarters, he was still thinking about the auburn-haired fairy. He was sure he must've just seen things when the other disappeared into thin air because, sure enough, those fairies had long been known to be extinct. The Spirits of Air were nothing but a legend even in Sadame.

*****

Dark-brown eyes were longingly eyeing the cerulean sky, nimble fingers grazing along thick bark. Plush, rosy lips were slightly parted and ears not focusing on the lecture leaving a chapped pair of lips. The stern female voice entered the delicate ears sporting a spiky tip, but was not registered.

“JaeJoong-ah! Are you even listening to me?!” the old female addressed the young auburn-haired fairy, who in response, hummed. His mind was solely focused onto golden-coloured eyes. A short knock was heard before the door towards JaeJoong's quarters was opened.

“HaMi, has he shown understanding?” the queen of fairies chimed in, eyeing the young male with furrowed eyebrows. She had been most disappointed at the lad for he was supposed to show off his good sides towards his wooers during the event of the former night, but instead he had vanished as soon as he had been introduced to the audience.

“I'm sorry, Your Majesty, but he would not listen,” HaMi remarked and bowed before her mistress. The delicate queen dismissed JaeJoong's foster mother, who closed the door behind her once she had left. With a deep sigh, the queen went over to JaeJoong, settling down next to him onto the wooden windowsill gracing the knothole that was his window. She did not mutter a word and tugged on a blanket that had been unfolded messily next to her.

“JaeJoong-ah,” she voiced out but the younger fairy beat her to it.

“Spare your words. I do not wish to talk about it,” JaeJoong muttered, voice soft and melodious like a wind chime. The queen frowned.

“Is this how you talk to your mother?” she voiced out, eyebrow raised at the auburn haired. It just deepened the creases on her beautiful face. After all, she was many thousand years old, and it slowly was showing on her soft skin.

JaeJoong turned to look at her, dark-brown eyes raking over her form. She was a head smaller than himself and her wings had already lost some of their glitter. The duo-winged pair had long lost its bright yellow colour and was only a shadow of what it used to be. “Adoptive mother,” he reminded her softly, eyes shifting back to stare out of the knothole. It left the queen tight-lipped as she knew that she no longer was able to convince him of being a child of her own blood. After all, JaeJoong was not just any fairy and had special abilities. This also included the recognition of his birth parents. And now that JaeJoong had reached the age of 200, it was time for him to fulfil the duties the royal couple had laid out for him. Much to his complaint though. After all, in all his 200 years of life, he had never been asked what he wanted.

“I may not be your mother by birth, but I took care of you as if you were my own son,” she voiced out, rising to her feet in the process. She sternly looked at the young fairy, but JaeJoong didn't pay attention to her. She heaved a frustrated breath and turned to leave the quarters. She turned around once more, though, before she opened the door. “I expect you to apologize to your wooers for your behaviour. They will arrive tomorrow. And, for the time being, you are prohibited to leave your quarters.” The order lingered in the air neglected when the queen had left. JaeJoong sighed, longingly looking after a bird that flew by his window.

“What else is new?” he muttered whilst rising from his windowsill. He strolled over to his wooden bed and lay down onto the mattress made of moss, facing the ceiling of Timber Castle's crown. JaeJoong sighed deep whilst drumming with his fingers on his abdomen. There was nothing in his quarters that could cure his boredom. There wasn't even a single breeze that would help him to escape from his confinement. After all, he was a special fairy, and no one but the royal fairy couple itself and his foster mother knew of his abilities. If it were known that JaeJoong was part of an extinct race and, above all, extraordinary, hell would break loose and he would not be able to live a peaceful life anymore. Every fairy would line up for him to either carry a child of him or even let him conceive one of theirs. He frowned at the thought. He never wanted to be part of the fairies who were meant to reproduce. In fact, he despised it ever since he knew about having this fairly rare ability. He had always wished to explore the beauties the human world was holding, to experience the wonders of what humans called love. He had read about it in old, yellowed books stored in the deepest corners of the library in Timber Castle and had always wondered how it must feel to be devoted to his significant other. After all, for the fairies, mating was about reproduction and not about feelings.

Sighing, JaeJoong flipped onto his stomach, arms folded beneath his chin. He really did not want to interact with any of his wooers, but he had no choice. It was the king and queen's wish and he had to abide by it. That the result would be a disappointment did no one but JaeJoong know. After all, little was known about the reproduction between elementals; the Spirits of Air. Mating for this fairly extinct race was special and only successful if it happened between soulmates. And none of his wooers was fitting this position. Upon this crossing thought, brown eyes graced with golden flashes filled his mind together with unusually cut brown hair and a tall figure leaning against a tree.

“A vampire,” he breathed, fingers circling over a pattern on his duvet of leaves with eyes staring ahead. Just by one passing glance, JaeJoong had known that the male he had seen in the garden the former night was a vampire. But not just any vampire. He had sensed immediately that he once had been part of the human race.

His circling finger changed its motion to tracing something repeatedly. He felt his azure wings tingle at the squiggle he was tracing, assuring him of what he had already assumed. “Out of all the fairies populating this lonesome place, you have to be a humane vampire,” he muttered, finger stopping to trace the letter carved into the lower part of his wings since birth which was invisible to everyone but himself. Fate, indeed, was not on his side.

As announced by the queen, JaeJoong's wooers appeared the next day. All 43 of them, both female and male alike. And all of them were older than JaeJoong by at least 200 years, and none younger as just by reaching the legal age of 200 mating for fairies was appropriate. And JaeJoong was far from delighted to finally be of legal age, let alone be the object of their mating festivities.

“I expect you to apologize properly, understand?” the queen of fairies lectured whilst JaeJoong's foster mother arranged his outfit. He just stood there like the obedient fairy he was assigned to be. He was merely a doll, a shadow of himself.

“Yes, Queen Mother,” he muttered with a dull voice, eyes trained ahead. They were unfocused and not shining with life.

“Stay nice and be polite. They are, after all, one of the best catches around here,” the queen further babbled with excitement. She didn't even notice that JaeJoong was anything else but listening to her. “Oh, and for the sake of Primoris, promise me to allow them corporal contact,” she voiced out almost desperate.

Upon hearing those words JaeJoong woke from his stupor. “You know fairly well that I cannot promise that, even if I wanted to,” he muttered and passed the queen a stern glance. She frowned after his retreating back when he left his quarters to greet his wooers. It was an agonizing thirty minutes in which JaeJoong did his best to sound sincere throughout his apology. JaeJoong was not thrilled at all to speak to every single one of his wooers, let alone to get close to the fairies he knew wanted nothing more but to bed him. JaeJoong was polite enough to pretend that he was listening to the introduction of his wooers. He couldn't remember a single name, let alone their exquisite genealogy. Listening to their life story was a great bore, and more than once, JaeJoong slipped into a daydream filled with golden eyes.

“I wish to take a walk,” he muttered, successfully interrupting the speech of a lean fairy who was as tall as JaeJoong himself.

The black haired blinked in confusion upon the sudden interruption. “Excuse me?” he asked, eyeing the beauteous fairy before his eyes.

“I wish to take a walk,” JaeJoong repeated, eyebrows furrowed in thought when he couldn't recall the other's name. “I must apologize, but what was your name again?” The question sure displeased his counterpart what with him frowning at JaeJoong.

“JinSang,” the black haired muttered, clearly frustrated. The other wooers were eyeing one another. If JaeJoong already didn't know the name of the one talking to him for the last twenty minutes, then he surely would not remember a single one of theirs as well.

“Right, JinSang,” JaeJoong voiced out, a simple smile playing over his plush lips. That it was a forced one, none of his wooers noticed. For them, the smile was beauty in itself. “I would be delighted if you joined me for a walk through the garden,” he muttered and turned towards the remaining 42 fairies. “You are welcome as well to join me.” JaeJoong knew well how to manipulate his wooers. After all, he was prohibited to leave Timber Castle unless he was in company with one of them. And to his fortune, the 43 male and female fairies were discussing about who was to join him and who not. They simply just did not want to share JaeJoong with each other.

JaeJoong eyed his circle of wooers curiously, a smirk playing over his lips upon noticing their bickering. None of them paid attention to him. Luck was indeed on his side this day as a fresh breeze was fanning through the garden he could use to escape with. Blending perfectly into the mild summery air, he floated away from his wooers without their notice, enjoying the moment with delight as it had been a long time ago that he could freely unfold his elemental abilities. Completely lost in the moment, JaeJoong didn't notice where the breeze was taking him until he saw unfamiliar trees passing by. Dislodging himself from the summery whist of air, JaeJoong's feet landed on earthly ground. He was surrounded by old, twisted trees that gave off an eerie feeling. The forest at this depth also was very dark and a contrast to the summery feel one could locate around Timber Castle. It was eerily quiet around him, and he could hear his uneven breathing perfectly clear, as well as his footsteps. And, in all honesty, he was a perfectionist of walking around without causing any kind of noise.

JaeJoong's footsteps were cautious, his eyes always looking for any kind of suspicious motion. He made his way further through the undergrowth, deeper into the unfamiliar forest. JaeJoong's breath hitched when a dark aura enveloped his soul, his figure shuddering at the coldness he could feel. He knew instantly just where exactly he was. Right before his eyes loomed the border that separated the kingdom of fairies from Forbidden Forest - the home of vampires. He wanted to turn around immediately, when something curious caught his eyes. Right next to him stood a wooden shack, innocently erected right across the border. JaeJoong cocked his head in wonder. Forgotten was the uncomfortable feeling the border had brought upon him, when he carefully strolled over to the wooden building. Examining it closely, he registered that the shack had been built plank after plank. His fingers glided gently over the wooden material. Each of them was from a different tree, trees that had long been dead.

Walking around the shack, JaeJoong wondered who had created this simple hut. Simple, but done with affection and much perspiration and blood. It must have taken the creator years to complete this shack, at least twenty, if not more, as it was not an every day occurrence in Sadame for a tree to lose life. The bark was flaking off on some of the planks, and JaeJoong could see that time and again, an old plank had been replaced by a new one. He could not pinpoint how old it was, but it must have been at least a hundred years. He could feel it with every fibre of his elemental soul. Examining the shack more closely, JaeJoong found the door unlocked. Curious as he was, he stepped inside and let his eyes wander around the interior in front of him. It wasn't very spacious, but very cosy and decorated with affection. There was a small kitchenette right next to him, with a small wooden table and two chairs. JaeJoong's eyes were examining further, his feet dragging him deeper inside, when a cosy corner caught his attention. It consisted of a bed, the mattress wide and covered with white sheets. Red cushions were resting atop, inviting him to lay down. It was very different from his own moss mattress. The auburn haired registered the bookshelf next to the bed when he gave in to the temptation and sat down. It was fluffy and very comfortable, a total contrast to the hard mattress of his bed in Timber Castle.

Curiously, JaeJoong eyed the books stored next to him, gasping when he tried to read the backs of each. Surprised, he got hold of a dark-blue hardcover book and paged through it. He held a book about anatomy in his hands, about humane anatomy. And it was not the only one. Each of the books in the shelf either was about humans or had been written by them. Making himself comfortable on the bed, JaeJoong looked curiously through the pages, eyes widened in awe at the many pictures the book contained. He did not register how long he had been lost in the contents until darkness befell the shack. Lifting his eyes from the book, JaeJoong found himself confronted with the night. Gasping in shock, he sprung from the mattress, abandoning the book when he dashed out of the hut into the darkened forest.

“Oh dear,” he muttered, eyebrows furrowed in worry when he knew that he would get into deep trouble for one, being back at Timber Castle at this late hour and two, for even being outside of his quarters without company of his wooers. Yes, he was in deep trouble.

“Who is there?” a low voice called out, causing JaeJoong to freeze on his spot in shock. He did not have the courage to turn around and face the one who probably owned the shack he had impermissibly entered. He could feel the other coming closer, and he knew for sure that he was not a fairy. “Show yourself,” the voice demanded, stepping into the moonlight that fell through the trees' crowns. Slowly, JaeJoong did as he was told, swallowing the lump inside his throat when he turned towards the source of the voice. His eyes met with golden-coloured orbs, his lips parting in recognition of the vampire before him. His wings were tingling in delight, flapping lightly at the pleasant burn coursing through the lower invisible squiggles.

The other was eyeing him with the same recognition, feet coming to a halt a few metres in front of him. “You ...” the brown-haired vampire muttered and JaeJoong was glad that a breeze fanned through the trees right at this instant. He blended with it almost perfectly, eyes fixed on the other when he floated back to Timber Castle. The constant calls of the other for him to wait were ringing inside of his head even when he had long been back to the embrace of his quarters.

*****

With wide eyes, YunHo looked after the breeze that had taken the gracile fairy with it, calling for him to wait whilst jogging after him. He stopped shortly after, eyes trained in the direction where the fairy had vanished to.

“How is that possible,” he mumbled to himself, recalling the way the auburn-haired beauty had blended perfectly with the air. With this simple incident, YunHo was certain that this specific fairy was part of the fairly extinct breed everyone thought to be nothing but a legend. “An elemental,” he breathed, slowly trudging back towards his shack. A soft smile played over his lips upon this revelation. After all, the elementals had been the only fairies in Sadame YunHo had ever found interesting. Very little was known about them, and vampires in general thought of them to be nothing but a legend. But the things he had once read in an old book he had found in ChangMin's quarters during one of his many lectures had intrigued him to an extent of being obsessively fascinated with the delicate and mysterious breed of fairies. ChangMin didn't even know that the book was missing in his collection, and YunHo was pretty sure that the elder didn't even know of its existence what with the layer of dust and cobwebs that had surrounded the book when the brown haired first had found it. It was now hidden in his secret shelter, the wooden shack before his feet he had built himself over the passing years.

Upon this thought, YunHo wondered how the gracile fairy had been able to locate his shack. After all, it lay in an area he knew no one came ever close to; neither fairies, nor vampires. It was the reason why he had decided on this area in the first place, since there he could be alone and bask in his memories. And to his luck, a gate to the human world wasn't really far from it either and led him to a very beautiful scenery every time he stepped through it. Mourning over the fact that he was prohibited by a magical ban to enter the human world for the next amount of time, YunHo entered his shack and noticed immediately that the auburn-haired fairy had not only been near his shack, but also inside. A fresh scent of grass and lemons lingered in his wooden quarters, bringing a soft smile to his lips. He lit up the candles spread throughout his shack, a warm glow flickering through the darkness. There was no electricity in Sadame, but YunHo didn't really miss it. This was a world of pure nature and not of humane evolution, after all.

Blowing out the match, YunHo got rid of the burnt wooden piece whilst working on the stove in his kitchenette. The match was a souvenir he constantly took with him from the human world. It made making a fire for cooking, boiling water, and everything a lot easier. He really wondered how the vampires and fairies in Sadame could put up with making fire by using firestones. Whilst waiting for his water to boil, YunHo scanned through his shack in search of something that would give a hint on what the auburn-haired fairy had been doing inside. His eyes widened in surprise when he noticed the dark-blue book atop his mattress, mindlessly left behind in a place where it didn't belong.

“Interesting,” he muttered when he got hold of his anatomy book. The scent of grass and lemons lingered the most around his cosy corner and he inhaled deep. He imagined the auburn-haired fairy sitting on his mattress, paging through the book about the anatomy of humans. He wondered what the fairy thought about whilst looking through the contents of the book. He was fairly sure that the humane writing might have been too complicated. After all, the wordings of Sadame may be similar in many ways to the wordings of the human world, but the writing sure was different. He himself was still not used to Sadame's written language. Closing the book, YunHo rose from the mattress to place it back into the shelf. Upon shoving the book back into its respective place, purplish glitter fell from the pages; the same glittery purple he found on his mattress.

“Just who exactly are you?” YunHo mumbled, tracing the glitter between his fingers carefully with his thumb. He was most definitely intrigued with the auburn-haired fairy, and there was just one way to get to know just a bit more about him.

The following night, the breed of vampires gathered around their master in a cave that was the centre of their home. It was dark and clammy, and just about perfect for the creatures of the night. Fire was lit to enlighten the walls, and every vampire tried to find a spot to stand on. They weren't many, but still enough to fill the entity of a thousand-year-old cave that was as wide as Timber Castle of the fairies was high. Murmuring vibrated along the walls when the crowd of vampires was separated into feasting groups. Each of the groups was assigned to take care of a youngster; a vampire who was out for his very first hunt. They were pure bloods, half bloods, and humans alike, who just had turned into creatures of the night.

Nervously, JunSu looked over the crowd, his gaze time and again shifting towards the entrance of the cave. He really hoped that no one would notice YunHo's absence. After all, it was one of his tasks to make sure that YunHo was attending their gatherings. Even though the brown haired was always late and showed reluctance, in the end, he always followed JunSu. It was just simply because he didn't want to cause the elder much problems. That was until tonight. JunSu had not the slightest idea where YunHo could possibly be. He didn't find him at his quarters, nor at the secret shack only he knew about. YunHo once told him about it, and in the same breath asked him to never come searching for him there unless he was sure no one else was following him. It was this tiny secret that showed JunSu that even the infamous, antisocial YunHo was able to trust someone in Sadame.

A nudge into his ribs pulled the platinum-blond vampire out of his thoughts. His emerald eyes caught sight of ChangMin's furrowed eyebrows and the frown marring his features. “Where is that insolent bastard?” the elder snarled quietly. Although he was indeed the one who had turned YunHo into a vampire, he had no such special bonding towards YunHo as the creator normally had to their fledgling. He restrained himself from using the term child. It solely was used by their Master DaeHyun.

JunSu shifted nervously from one foot to another, his gaze downcast whilst his fingers were playing with the hem of his dark shirt. “I .... I don't know,” he whispered, casting a shy glance at the elder. ChangMin's sapphire orbs were glistening with coldness, giving off a shivering and eerie aura. JunSu trembled with fear.

“You're so useless!” ChangMin snarled. “I gave you one task. Just one simple task! All I ever trusted you with was making sure that this insolent failure of a vampire was attending the gatherings, and you failed!” he criticized further, always stabbing his long finger into the flesh of JunSu's chest.

“I'm sorry, seonsaengnim,” the platinum blond haired muttered. Before ChangMin could lecture JunSu any further, DaeHyun approached their little group with a young vampire. The casual clothing and unusual, very short cut black hair were the only visible evidence that the young vampire had formerly been a human. Just the purplish flashes that were gracing his brown eyes and pale skin were showing off his undead being.

“This will be your charge, ChangMin,” the old vampire rasped, pushing the black haired gently towards the taller brown haired. Immediately, ChangMin turned his attention towards his Master, bowing deeply in respect.

“Yes, Master DaeHyun,” he remarked and frowned when he noticed the elder's disapproving look.

“Where is he?” the old vampire snarled, his red eyes focusing onto ChangMin and JunSu by turns. Both of them swallowed hard. Of course their master noticed that YunHo was missing.

“We,” ChangMin began, gulping before he continued, “we do not know.” The nostrils of DaeHyun flared with an unneeded deep breath, his eyebrows furrowed in anger when he heard the younger one's response.

“How can you not? He is your fledgling, ChangMin, and you are obliged to lead, to lecture, and to form him,” DaeHyun announced and earned a meek nod from the younger in response. He then turned his attention to JunSu. “I hope you will take better care of your fledgling.” With that, he left the small group with the young vampire looking nervously from one of them to the other.

It was ChangMin who broke the awkward silence. “At least we know that he cannot be in the human world.” JunSu nodded in agreement and sighed. With concern, he looked at his fledgling and took a deep breath before he gently grabbed the taller one's wrist. “Follow us, YooChun.” The called one nodded and followed the two elder vampires to his very first hunting.

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to his companions, YunHo was strolling through Timber Forest with utmost care. If he were caught by the fairies wandering around their area outside the allowed times during the festivities, he surely would be put to death. Quite the same fate would await him if he were caught by the vampires. Not really something he wanted to experience, but he took this risk for the sake of finding out more about the fairy he was sure to be an elemental.

YunHo was thankful that, in the night, it was as dark in Timber Forest as it was all the time in Forbidden Forest. It made it easier for him to hide between the trees without getting caught. Time and again, he feared that a fairy might see him, but the few ones strolling around in the middle of the night were anything but paying attention to their surroundings. They were out drinking with wine flowing like water and whoring around. He could count the number of times of stumbling over a copulating couple on both of his hands in a span of thirty minutes. 'And to think that they think of themselves so highly,' he thought whilst shaking his head with a disgusted frown marring his features when he once more slipped past a distracted copulating pair. It really was a shame that such pure beauty as the auburn-haired fairy he had laid his eyes upon was assigned to the same breed.

The closer YunHo came towards Timber Castle, the more guards he spotted strolling around. His steps were very cautious when he tiptoed towards the royal garden. He halted behind a tree, though, when female voices were reaching his ears of two fairies walking down the stairs leading to the royal hall of Timber Castle.

“I've never encountered such a horrid attitude!” one of the voices remarked with a high pitch of distress. The owner of the voice was, without doubt, displeased.

“I can only agree with you, my dear. How dare he not pay proper attention to us, who so willingly offered to bear his child!” the other announced. YunHo shivered at the snobbish tone with a frown.

“And to think that he is the heir of Sadame! Such a disgrace!” A blinking YunHo stared after the bickering female fairies. He snorted softly in amusement when he continued his journey towards the royal garden.

“And they really wonder why that heir isn't interested in them? At least he does seem to have some brains and standards,” he muttered to himself. It seemed as though not all faith was lost for the fairylike race. On his way through the trees along the royal garden, YunHo constantly looked left and right. There were not many guards patrolling the beautiful area, to his luck, that is. He came to a halt close to a fountain, shielding himself behind the thick branches covered with green leaves of a tree when soft noises reached his ears. It was followed soon by a figure from the royal halls who hurried down to the fountain. It was the auburn-haired fairy YunHo had been hoping to meet, and he looked rather distressed, the brown haired noted.

The gracile fairy threw his arms in the air in frustration, walking from one side to the other when he complained, “Who does she think she is? How can she even expect me to approve of any of them!” A pleasant shiver ran along YunHo's spine when his ears caught the melody of the fairy's voice for the first time. It sounded like a wind chime to him, soft and delicate, yet sure and strong. It was then that he registered the auburn haired's words. 'He is the heir? He is the mating object?' he thought, blinking in surprise with mouth agape.

With a heavy sigh, the male fairy dropped onto the sink of the fountain, letting his head fall into his hands. “I don't want this,” he whispered softly, but clear enough for YunHo's sensitive ears to hear. A rabbit hobbled towards the auburn haired before YunHo gathered his courage to leave his hideout. He stepped forward, though, when the rabbit tried to brush against the fairy's leg and instead ran through translucent air.

The auburn haired muttered an apology to the little creature covered in brown fluff when YunHo exclaimed his revelation without a second thought, “You're truly an elemental!”

He was met with a strong whist of air filled with the scent of grass and lemon that made him stumble a few feet back on the clearance he had entered. A palm lingered millimetres away from his lips, widened, dark pools of brown stared deep into his golden-coloured eyes when a voice struck with panic filled his ears, “Hush! You must not speak about this! You cannot!” YunHo was completely tongue-tied. He knew that the auburn-haired fairy was beautiful, but seeing him up close now, calling him 'beautiful' would be an understatement. He was extraordinarily beauteous. His eyes travelled from the entrancing dark-brown pair towards a sharp nose that was rounded gracefully at the tip further to a parted plush pair of rosy lips. They were trembling lightly, a tongue peeking out to nervously lick them. YunHo swallowed, his eyes shifting back towards the worried pair directed at him.

“Why? How do you know about .... me,” the slightly smaller male breathed, shaking his head when he stepped away. “You cannot. It is impossible,” he further mumbled softly, his voice quivering, when a palm found its way to cover his trembling lips. YunHo didn't know how to answer. He wanted to, but he just couldn't. He stepped forward, closer towards the auburn haired whilst parting his lips. He was, however, interrupted by a sharp call.

“JaeJoong!” was chided through the nocturnal sky, footsteps echoing through the royal halls towards the garden. The auburn-haired fairy whipped his head back towards the source of the call, panic befalling his ethereal features.

“Quick! You must hide,” he breathed, worried eyes locking once more with the golden pair of YunHo. The latter blinked in surprise, wondering why a fairy would protect him of all creatures. He was, after all, a vampire; the known enemy of the fairies in Sadame. The footsteps came closer, and in the distance, YunHo could make out a shadow stepping into the garden.

“Please, I beg you,” the smaller male pleaded with such a soft voice that let YunHo's heart skip a beat, if that were still possible. He had no other choice but to comply. He just couldn't bring it over himself to disappoint the auburn-haired beauty before him.

“Here you are, JaeJoong-ah,” a female voice exclaimed once YunHo was securely hidden in the darkness of the forest. The auburn-haired fairy turned upon hearing his name when he was sure his foster mother was not able to see the brown-haired vampire. “The queen is searching all over for you. She is most enraged.”

“Did you tell her where to find me?” JaeJoong asked the older female softly, albeit a bit worried.

“I did not, but she was very inquisitive,” HaMi responded, arms crossed in front of her bouffant chest.

“Forgive me, Nana. I did not mean to trouble you,” the auburn haired muttered with regret flashing in his eyes.

“Hush, you. Nothing happened,” HaMi remarked with a soft smile and palmed JaeJoong's cheek gently. She patted him slightly before she sighed. “We better get you back inside.” Reluctantly, JaeJoong nodded and followed his foster mother towards the steps leading back into the royal hall. Just before he entered the wide hallway, JaeJoong turned his head once more to where he last had seen YunHo. Their eyes found each other even in the distance separating them. The brown haired was able to catch the smile scurrying over the auburn-haired fairy's lips. He vanished soon after from his field of vision. YunHo stayed still in his hideout for many minutes before he decided to make his way back towards Forbidden Forest. A grin was plastered atop his bow-shaped lips when YunHo recalled the one thing that got him a bit closer to knowing the auburn-haired fairy. 'JaeJoong,' he thought and decided for himself that it was a most fitting name for such an ethereal beauty.

[part 2]