From the Soul to the Song - Verse Twenty Three
From the soul to the song
Verse Twenty Three
The first thing Kangin learned about his wings was that they tended to react instinctively to whatever he was feeling. At the moment they were half spread, displaying his irritation. “I'm telling you, I tried that already,” he growled.
“That’s wonderful,” Kyuhyun snapped meeting the other mans irritation with his own. “We'll just have to cut you in half and hope that one of half grows into him and the other grows the other half of you.”
Kangin snarled dangerously and only the feeling of Leeteuk’s disproval from within him kept him from pouncing on the other man. “Do you thing I am enjoying this? Leeteuk might be gone forever. Do you think this is fun for me?” he felt Leeteuk trying to sooth and reassure him but it wasn't the same.
“Yelling at each other isn't going to help,” Kibum said calmly. “We already know that Vidyagauri has no idea of what to do. Henry is off seeing if Sangita knows anything else. Until he gets back we just need to brainstorm solutions.”
“Leeteuk agrees,” Kangin voiced the feelings of the other man to the group.
“You can still feel him,” Donghae replied. “That is a good start.”
Kangin nodded, “I guess you are right.” His wings folded back as he tried settled his mood to a calmer one. "Well I am open to all suggestions."
~♪~♪♫♪~♪~
Heechul sighed as he listened to yet another wild idea suggested by one of the members. He was sprawled across half of one of the couches watching the conversations. It wasn’t really what they were saying that was the real issue, because every single member was neatly dancing around one statement. It was that statement that he knew they wouldn’t say.
No one really thought there could be a way to fix this. If there had been surely Vidyagauri would have figured it out and tried it already. Heechul might be a schemer and a planner, but above everything else he was truthful. He wouldn't sugar coat things for everyone and they all knew that. They didn't need him to tell them what they already knew and for the moment he wouldn't.
Instead he occupied himself watching Hankyung who was sitting in an arm chair across the room. Heechul had awoken that morning to an empty bed and empty room. He had panicked, afraid that the revival of Hankyung had been a dream fabricated by his imagination. A moment later he had noticed the note in Hankyung’s writing saying that he had gotten hungry and went to get something to eat.
Heechul had been much calmer after that and had dressed himself and departed their room. Hankyung had been in the kitchen sipping a cup of tea. He had looked up quickly, greeting Heechul before looking away again. He hadn't made eye contact after that.
When the rest of the members had assembled and suggested a group meeting in the living Hankyung had shuffled out without a word. The Chinese man had immediately slumped in one of the arm chairs with his legs over one arm rest and his back against the other. Typically Heechul would have walked over and worked his way on to the man’s lap anyway, instead he had taken the couch. It allowed him to watch Hankyung as if he was a specimen to be studied.
While the other members talked Heechul simply studied the other man. Hankyung didn’t offer any suggestions. Instead he paid so close attention to whoever was speaking that he appeared to be hanging off their every word. The only time he had not looked at the speaker was when Siwon, who was sharing the other half of the couch with Heechul, had spoken.
Hankyung had been incredibly careful not to look at Heechul at all, all day long; nearly as careful as the rest of the members were not to mention anything that had happened the previous night. It was as if there was a monster in the room that no one was going to talk about. Heechul simply watched and as he did he wondered if Hankyung could feel himself being studied.
~♪~♪♫♪~♪~
It was well after dark by the time Henry returned. Both Vidyagauri and Chanita had been in to check on the members and offer any suggestions they had. At one point Yunho had visited and offered them a list of ideas that his group had come up with. He had expressed his apology that they couldn’t have been there and that they couldn’t do more. They had all slept through the racket of the previous night due to their dorm being too far away for them to have heard anything. Now, even though they were equally troubled about the situation, there was nothing that they could do about it.
By the time Henry had returned, Kangin was pacing the room, his wings rustling restlessly. The rest of Super Junior had given up on generating ideas when they had begun to try and think of ways to grow Leeteuk from nothing.
“I think we might have something,” Henry said as he kicked off his shoes and entered the room. Fourteen heads turned to look at him and he hurried to one of the low tables in the room. On it he placed a huge book. “I don’t know what it is really; I just know that Sangita spent all day looking for it. He said that Avanipala had told him a while ago that it contained the key to undo what was done to Vidyagauri but that he couldn’t read it because it was written by the original Light Ones in a language he didn’t understand,” Henry said quickly.
“I came back as soon as he gave it to me,” the young man shifted away from the book, letting the other men close around it.
Kangin flipped open the cover and began to flip through the page. The pictures that accompanied the text allowed him to find the section that appeared to deal with the act of fusing. He stared at the unfamiliar symbols and growled. “I can’t read any of this.”
Kyuhyun peered at the text. “It’s not Korean, Chinese, or Japanese. I don’t think it is English,” he mused.
Henry shuffled closer again to check for him. “No,” he confirmed. Yet something in the page called to him and he continued to study it in confusion.
“Kyuhyun could you break it like it was a code?” Ryeowook asked.
Kyuhyun laughed. “Sure, if it is simply another way to write Korean. Otherwise I would have to know the language base and have somewhere to start to even get it to letters that we could recognize. Even then I would just end up with words that no one had any idea what they meant. That much would take years, and I don’t think we have that time.”
“Then what good is this!” Kangin snarled shoving the book across the table. It slid off the edge and to the floor where it closed with a loud snap.
“Kangin, give it some time,” Donghae said. “We’ll think of something.”
“Just like we have been?” Kangin snapped.
Wordlessly, Henry moved around the table and picked the book up. He settled onto a cushion and opened the book back up onto his lap. He flipped to the page that they had been looking at and stared at it. There was something there, something that he knew he should understand that was just beyond his reach. He placed his finger on the page, underneath a letter and used it to guide his eyes from one character to the next, glancing at each in turn.
Henry was half way down the page before he realized that he was humming. His eyes widened in surprise. That was what he was missing. “It’s not words!” He exclaimed. The argument around the room stopped as everyone turned to look at the man. “It’s music!”
Sungmin, who was closest to Henry leaned in and glanced at the page. “It doesn’t look like any music I have seen,” he said in confusion.
“Well great,” Kangin said bitterly. “Music helps us even less than words.”
Henry ignored the other man in favor of his excitement. “Here hold this open for me,” he ordered, shoving the book to Sungmin. He held out his hands and called out to the violin that was inside of him. It appeared suddenly in his hands. He lifted it and rested it on his shoulder. Raising his bow he stared at the page for a minute and then began to play.
The music he played was unlike any they had ever heard. It implied caution with the grasp of hope. It was powerful and strong, yet gentle at the same time. There seemed to be layer over layer of notes being played all at once, yet no one knew how anyone could do something like that.
Henry played the page and nodded to Sungmin, who had been watching him, when it was time to turn the page. He played half of the next before the chapter seemed to end. Henry stopped when it stopped and the last note seemed to fade away with finality.
“That was,” Ryeowook said quietly trying to give voice to his thoughts. “Beautiful.”
“But it doesn’t help us,” Kangin said quietly. “Henry could play the whole book and we still wouldn’t know what to do.”
“I know what to do,” Yesung said softly as if he was hesitant to admit it.
Kyuhyun blinked. “That made sense to you?”
Yesung nodded. “I can undo this but I,” he paused for a moment and then changed his mind. “I can bring Leeteuk back to us.”
“Then what are we waiting for?” Eunhyuk asked excitedly.
Yesung took a deep breath and nodded. “Everyone give us some room. Henry, Ryeowook, you both stay.” The rest of the members that weren’t needed moved to the furniture, giving the other four some room.
“Henry do you know what Leeteuk’s Song sounds like?” Yesung asked.
~♪~♪♫♪~♪~
Yesung spent the next several minutes laying out his plan to Henry. He had no idea how he had gained the knowledge of what he was about to do from the music that Henry had played. He was certain that he had heard the same music that everyone else had. Yet as he listened it was as if the music meant something to him when it clearly didn’t mean anything to anyone else.
He waited patiently while Henry searched through his memory for what was asked of him. When the man opened his eyes and nodded. Yesung smiled. He then turned and turned his attention to his Singer who was standing beside him.
“I need you to ground me,” he murmured as he stepped closer to the man.
Ryeowook smiled and immediately pulled Yesung into a hug. “If you want me to have sex with you, we are going to have to move this process somewhere more private,” he whispered.
Yesung laughed. “Nothing like that. I just need your Song, your touch, and maybe a kiss.”
Ryeowook looked at him intently for a minute. “You know you can have all of that. You are worried aren’t you?”
Yesung didn’t respond. Instead he tilted his head and pressed their lips together. Yesung reached out with his abilities and touched Ryeowook’s Song gently. The touch was full of question and want, he could take the man’s Song, but he would never do that. Immediately he felt the offer of Ryeowook’s power and it filled him with the sweet music of the other man’s Song. Ryeowook relaxed into the kiss giving Yesung what he needed. After a moment Yesung pulled away. He brushed his thumb over the other man’s cheek in a moment of tender affection.
Kangin’s awkward cough reminded Yesung that he had other things he was supposed to be doing. He kissed Ryeowook’s forehead quickly before turning in the circle of the man’s arms. Using Ryeowook’s hold he pulled the other man tight against his back. Ryeowook let out a contented sigh as he rested his head on Yesung’s shoulder, eyes closed. His hands slipped under the fabric of Yesung’s shirt and rested against his warm skin. Yesung smiled at the fact that Ryeowook knew instinctively what he might need, even if the man thought that he didn’t.
Henry was watching him them with a smile while Kangin was avoiding his eyes and looking slightly uncomfortable. Yesung nodded to Henry and the other man lifted his violin and began to play. The song he played wasn’t just a string of notes; it was layer upon layer of music like the book had been, but much more complex. It comprised everything that would make up a person’s thoughts, actions, desires, and more.
To everyone else in the room it was just music, beautiful but still music. To Yesung, it was so much more. He took it all in and sighed as he felt Leeteuk in it all. After a moment more he held out his hand wordlessly to Kangin. The other man hesitated but took a step forward and placed his hand in Yesung’s.
Immediately, Yesung felt the tangle of Song in the other man. It was one of the most perfect Songs that he had ever felt with the exception of Vidyagauri’s. It seemed to him that every other Song was imperfect in some way, fractioned and not whole, but this Song was perfect in its unity. Now that he knew what he was looking for he could feel the parts that were Leeteuk and Kangin individually. It would be a shame to separate them, especially since the Songs didn’t want to separate, but it needed to be done.
Carefully he reached in, using senses that a few months ago he never would have known he had, and began to take a hold of the pieces that were Leeteuk’s Song. As he held the first in his grasp he paused for a moment. It was full of pure power, power that could be his, should be his. It was right there and he could take it. No one would really blame him and it would give him the power to protect everyone from another incident like what had happened to Hankyung.
As he stood there pondering, another Song tugged at his attention. The other Song was sweet and soothing and offered him not only power, but a gentle love and care that would come with it. He could add this new power to it and make it even stronger. He knew he could. At that though, the Song inside him surged louder, as if angry that he would even think that. It rose in volume until he almost couldn’t hear the Song in his grasp. He could feel that if he did that, the Song he had now would be angry and may never come to him again. He couldn’t live with that. No, this new power was better left alone.
Yesung physically trembled as he came back to himself and realized what he had almost done. Immediately Ryeowook’s Song was there reassuring him that everything was alright and grounding him. It seemed as though the other man’s Song had a personality of its own, or perhaps reflected the personality of the man who it belonged to. That would be something to ponder later. For now he simply listened to it and allowed it to hold him steady.
He took the small bit of Song that was Leeteuk’s inside Kangin and set it aside, just apart from the joined bits. Then using what Henry was playing he reached in for another piece. Section by section he set aside within the man. It wasn’t as if he was cutting out actual pieces of the Song, it felt more like he was taking the strands of the two Songs that were fused and gently separating them.
Kangin groaned and sank to his knees, his hand still in Yesung’s. His body began to glow the same soft green it had when Leeteuk had disappeared. As Yesung continued the work, the glow intensified until Kangin was covered in green light. The forms that were his wings began to dissolve from the bottom in tiny flecks of green light that faded away into nothing.
Yesung found the last tangled string and gave it a sharp tug, separating it from the others. The last bit of Kangin’s wings dissolved and a bright human shaped form suddenly appeared, glowing beside him. Immediately the glow faded and Yesung pulled his hand away while pulling away his touch as well. He used Ryeowook as a guide to guide his senses away from the pair and back into himself.
When the light faded, Leeteuk was sitting beside Kangin looking slightly bewildered. “Leeteuk!” Donghae exclaimed. The leader was suddenly swarmed but chattering members, who enveloped him in hugs and more than a few tears. Leeteuk glanced over Eunhyuk’s shoulder and made eye contact with Kangin, both men immediately blushed and looked away.
There was plenty of happy chatter in the dorm. Even Heechul had abandoned his staring project in favor of coming over and poking fun at Kangin. The only two that weren’t gathered around the returned leader were Ryeowook and Yesung. Instead they were standing a few feet away, unmoving. In Ryeowook’s arms Yesung was shaking.
~♪~♪♫♪~♪~
“Shhh,” Ryeowook soothed, running his hand through Yesung’s hair. Shortly after they had made sure that Leeteuk and Kangin were both fine Ryeowook had guided them back to Yesung’s room. The moment they had settled onto the bed, Yesung had buried his face in Ryeowook’s stomach and began to sob. “It’s ok.”
“No it’s not,” Yesung cried into Ryeowook’s shirt. He lifted his head and fresh tears spilled from his eyes as he looked at Ryeowook. “You don’t understand. I almost took Leeteuk’s Song. That wouldn’t have just misplaced it. That would have killed him, destroyed him forever.”
“I know,” Ryeowook said gently.
“Then how can you say it is okay?” Yesung asked bitterly.
“Because you didn’t do it. Next time it will be even easier not to do it. Stop blaming yourself for something you haven’t even done yet,” Ryeowook scolded. He grabbed the collar of Yesung’s shirt and used his hold to pull Yesung up his body so that he could offer him a stern look.
“But I could have,” he mumbled.
“You could have just as easily cut off Leeteuk’s head with your katana, but you didn’t do that either,” Ryeowook told him.
Yesung laughed bitterly and rolled to the side so that he was laying on his back beside the other man instead of on him. “I was willing to do that to Hankyung. I was willing to kill a friend, a brother. What kind of person is willing to do that?”
Ryeowook rolled on his side and propped himself up so that he could look at Yesung. The other man didn’t meet his eyes, choosing instead to look blankly at the ceiling. “The kind of man that will take the burden of doing what needs to be done so that others don’t have to. The kind of man that will sacrifice what he wants and what he loves, to protect what he can. The kind of man who will make those difficult decisions and carry them through with an unwavering will and then cry in sorrow about what he had to do later. That is the kind of man you are Yesung,” Ryeowook said softly.
Yesung turned his head to look at him as he continued. “I don’t give you my Song simply because you are my friend, or my Spinner. I don’t give you my body just because you need it to ground yourself and I certainly don’t give you everything else because you want it. I give them to you because that is the type of man you are. I know you will use everything I give you for the good of everyone no matter what that means. I give you everything because of exactly the person you are.”
“Ryeowook,” Yesung said softly, his tears slowing. “I’m not-“
“Kim Jongwoon, if you are daring to imply that you are not everything I have said and that I am wasting myself on you, I swear I will castrate you right here and now,” Ryeowook replied angrily.
Yesung’s smile was tearful but real. “I don’t deserve you.”
“No you don’t,” Ryeowook agreed, then his voice softened “but I don’t deserve you either, so I guess we are even.” He leaned down and pressed their lips together in a kiss that was all about understanding.
“Don’t leave me alone,” Yesung mumbled tiredly when Ryeowook pulled away.
“Never,” Ryeowook agreed, laying back down and pulling Yesung into his arms. The other man curled into Ryeowook’s side and sighed. In the next minute Yesung gave into his exhaustion and fell immediately asleep.
~♪~♪♫♪~♪~
Kangin lay on his bed staring up at the ceiling blankly. He was alone, more alone then he had been for the last twenty or so hours. It was nice, yet at the same time it wasn’t. Being fused with Leeteuk had felt completely right in its own way. Now if felt as if a bit of him was missing. He was sure that that would settle back to normal soon enough. He would rather not go back to the fused state with his best friend, no matter how lonely he felt at the moment.
The feeling of things being complete had been nice but the rest of the adventure he could have done without. No one should know the entirety of what was in their best friend’s mind, especially not when they were sleeping with said best friend. Yet Kangin knew it all. He had every memory, thought, and experience of Leeteuk’s as if they were his own. He could remember them just as he himself would remember things of his past. It should feel crowded in his head with two sets of memories but for some reason it wasn’t.
It was interesting and strange to see things like their concert through another pair of eyes. At the same time he got to see things like the accident up close and personal, which was far less amusing. It wasn’t as if the memories flashed before his eyes, they were simply there like his own. At certain times they would come to his mind, drawn by one thing or another but he felt as if he himself had lived them. As interesting as it was there were just some things that he never needed to know about his leader.
He shuddered and directed his mind elsewhere before those thoughts could resurface again. Poor Leeteuk was probably still out there with the rest of the members. Kangin was fairly certain that they were going to have to pry Donghae off the man with a crowbar. He really should be out there but if had been he would probably simply laugh and make the situation worse.
Kangin stopped thinking anything actively and let his mind drift. It had settled into a blissfully relaxed nearly asleep state when he heard his door open and close again. He lifted his head lazily and was surprised to see Leeteuk standing in his door way. “You got away?” he asked amused.
“Yes,” Leeteuk shuddered. “I had to pull the leader card. You would think they had been afraid that I was never coming back.”
Kangin laughed and sat up to look at the man more fully. When he did he froze. Leeteuk was standing just in front of his door wearing an oversized t-shirt and nothing else. The shirt, Kangin realized, was his, one of the ones that he liked to sleep in and so it was large and loose on him which made it even larger on the other man. The shirt hung off one shoulder exposing Leeteuk’s skin and collarbone. It fell down past his waist ending just under his butt. The older man’s hair was pulled up in a tail at the back of his head.
“Is that my shirt?” Kangin asked his voice suddenly husky once he had looked the man over.
Leeteuk’s fingers absently played with the hem of it as his eyes glanced away. “Yeah. When we were fused I got all of your thoughts including this. I know I don’t have breast or anything like that like your original thought had, but I wanted to do something to thank you for everything. For my back, for looking out for me, for -“ Leeteuk released an undignified squeak as he felt hands grab his bare butt and pull him into the body in front of him. He couldn’t help looking at Kangin then, and he swallowed thickly at the lust in the other man’s eyes.
“So you thought you would make one of my fantasies happen?” Kangin growled out roughly.
Leeteuk nodded and squeaked again as Kangin used his hold to pick him up. He immediately wrapped his arms and legs around the other man so as not to fall. Leeteuk had no idea when Kangin had gotten so strong; perhaps it was an after effect of their abilities getting stronger.
“You don’t know what seeing you in my shirt does to me,” Kangin growled, his mouth finding the bare skin on Leeteuk’s shoulder.
“Well I know that it is as good as marking me as yours and I know how possessive you are,” Leeteuk’s back hit the mattress and he bounced lightly, before Kangin crawled on after him and covered his body with his own. “And I saw how much you like the thought of your wife or girlfriend wearing something of yours. How it would mean that they were yours too, and I thought-” Leeteuk broke off his sentence to let out a moan as Kangin’s hand found a part of him that was decidedly unfeminine.
“Jungsoo,” Kangin growled. “Less talking and more moaning.”
Leeteuk nodded and smirked. He wrapped his arms around Kangin’s neck and when the man leaned down to press their lips together, he let himself melt into the other man’s passionate embrace.
Verse Twenty Four
Masterlist
Character Information
AN: See no one is dead or lost in anyone else and I swear all of this was necessary! Now before anyone asks, Ryeowook's Song isn't special or anything. That has to do with the way Yesung feels Songs. A Song is in essence what makes up a person, their personality, all of their decisions, how they are, is contained within it. If a persons Song is gone it is the same as the person being completely dead or at lease brain dead. With that said a Song acts like a person would. Since his Song is his it reacts like he would and Yesung can feel that. The best example I can give would be if Yesung reached out for say a normal human's Song. He couldn't walk up to the person and explain the situation and ask them if he could borrow power from their Song, however if he asks with his own Song, their Song will answer just as if the person had a complete understanding of what the situation was and what it was he would be giving. If the person would have given it with that knowledge, the Song will give itself without the person ever really knowing what happened. So it isn't like the Song has a personality of its own, it is the person. I hope I didn't just confuse everyone more. If I did feel free to ask question or just disregard the example and explanation entirely. ^_^;
I also wanted to thank all of my readers both the ones that comment and the silent ones (I know there are some of you there), for sticking with me for the crazy stuff I have done so far and the potential for more crazy stuff to come. I really want to thank all of the wonderful people that comment on my work. It means a lot to me to hear your opinions on what I write and even more that I get to interact with all of you. You guys have all been really great and encouraging and have completely turned some of my worst days around with your comments. When I look at my master list of work and realize that I wrote a ton of stuff in such a short amount of time, I am even more thankful. It is because of you guys that I write as much as I do and enjoy it so much. Thank you so much guys.
Verse Twenty Three
The first thing Kangin learned about his wings was that they tended to react instinctively to whatever he was feeling. At the moment they were half spread, displaying his irritation. “I'm telling you, I tried that already,” he growled.
“That’s wonderful,” Kyuhyun snapped meeting the other mans irritation with his own. “We'll just have to cut you in half and hope that one of half grows into him and the other grows the other half of you.”
Kangin snarled dangerously and only the feeling of Leeteuk’s disproval from within him kept him from pouncing on the other man. “Do you thing I am enjoying this? Leeteuk might be gone forever. Do you think this is fun for me?” he felt Leeteuk trying to sooth and reassure him but it wasn't the same.
“Yelling at each other isn't going to help,” Kibum said calmly. “We already know that Vidyagauri has no idea of what to do. Henry is off seeing if Sangita knows anything else. Until he gets back we just need to brainstorm solutions.”
“Leeteuk agrees,” Kangin voiced the feelings of the other man to the group.
“You can still feel him,” Donghae replied. “That is a good start.”
Kangin nodded, “I guess you are right.” His wings folded back as he tried settled his mood to a calmer one. "Well I am open to all suggestions."
~♪~♪♫♪~♪~
Heechul sighed as he listened to yet another wild idea suggested by one of the members. He was sprawled across half of one of the couches watching the conversations. It wasn’t really what they were saying that was the real issue, because every single member was neatly dancing around one statement. It was that statement that he knew they wouldn’t say.
No one really thought there could be a way to fix this. If there had been surely Vidyagauri would have figured it out and tried it already. Heechul might be a schemer and a planner, but above everything else he was truthful. He wouldn't sugar coat things for everyone and they all knew that. They didn't need him to tell them what they already knew and for the moment he wouldn't.
Instead he occupied himself watching Hankyung who was sitting in an arm chair across the room. Heechul had awoken that morning to an empty bed and empty room. He had panicked, afraid that the revival of Hankyung had been a dream fabricated by his imagination. A moment later he had noticed the note in Hankyung’s writing saying that he had gotten hungry and went to get something to eat.
Heechul had been much calmer after that and had dressed himself and departed their room. Hankyung had been in the kitchen sipping a cup of tea. He had looked up quickly, greeting Heechul before looking away again. He hadn't made eye contact after that.
When the rest of the members had assembled and suggested a group meeting in the living Hankyung had shuffled out without a word. The Chinese man had immediately slumped in one of the arm chairs with his legs over one arm rest and his back against the other. Typically Heechul would have walked over and worked his way on to the man’s lap anyway, instead he had taken the couch. It allowed him to watch Hankyung as if he was a specimen to be studied.
While the other members talked Heechul simply studied the other man. Hankyung didn’t offer any suggestions. Instead he paid so close attention to whoever was speaking that he appeared to be hanging off their every word. The only time he had not looked at the speaker was when Siwon, who was sharing the other half of the couch with Heechul, had spoken.
Hankyung had been incredibly careful not to look at Heechul at all, all day long; nearly as careful as the rest of the members were not to mention anything that had happened the previous night. It was as if there was a monster in the room that no one was going to talk about. Heechul simply watched and as he did he wondered if Hankyung could feel himself being studied.
~♪~♪♫♪~♪~
It was well after dark by the time Henry returned. Both Vidyagauri and Chanita had been in to check on the members and offer any suggestions they had. At one point Yunho had visited and offered them a list of ideas that his group had come up with. He had expressed his apology that they couldn’t have been there and that they couldn’t do more. They had all slept through the racket of the previous night due to their dorm being too far away for them to have heard anything. Now, even though they were equally troubled about the situation, there was nothing that they could do about it.
By the time Henry had returned, Kangin was pacing the room, his wings rustling restlessly. The rest of Super Junior had given up on generating ideas when they had begun to try and think of ways to grow Leeteuk from nothing.
“I think we might have something,” Henry said as he kicked off his shoes and entered the room. Fourteen heads turned to look at him and he hurried to one of the low tables in the room. On it he placed a huge book. “I don’t know what it is really; I just know that Sangita spent all day looking for it. He said that Avanipala had told him a while ago that it contained the key to undo what was done to Vidyagauri but that he couldn’t read it because it was written by the original Light Ones in a language he didn’t understand,” Henry said quickly.
“I came back as soon as he gave it to me,” the young man shifted away from the book, letting the other men close around it.
Kangin flipped open the cover and began to flip through the page. The pictures that accompanied the text allowed him to find the section that appeared to deal with the act of fusing. He stared at the unfamiliar symbols and growled. “I can’t read any of this.”
Kyuhyun peered at the text. “It’s not Korean, Chinese, or Japanese. I don’t think it is English,” he mused.
Henry shuffled closer again to check for him. “No,” he confirmed. Yet something in the page called to him and he continued to study it in confusion.
“Kyuhyun could you break it like it was a code?” Ryeowook asked.
Kyuhyun laughed. “Sure, if it is simply another way to write Korean. Otherwise I would have to know the language base and have somewhere to start to even get it to letters that we could recognize. Even then I would just end up with words that no one had any idea what they meant. That much would take years, and I don’t think we have that time.”
“Then what good is this!” Kangin snarled shoving the book across the table. It slid off the edge and to the floor where it closed with a loud snap.
“Kangin, give it some time,” Donghae said. “We’ll think of something.”
“Just like we have been?” Kangin snapped.
Wordlessly, Henry moved around the table and picked the book up. He settled onto a cushion and opened the book back up onto his lap. He flipped to the page that they had been looking at and stared at it. There was something there, something that he knew he should understand that was just beyond his reach. He placed his finger on the page, underneath a letter and used it to guide his eyes from one character to the next, glancing at each in turn.
Henry was half way down the page before he realized that he was humming. His eyes widened in surprise. That was what he was missing. “It’s not words!” He exclaimed. The argument around the room stopped as everyone turned to look at the man. “It’s music!”
Sungmin, who was closest to Henry leaned in and glanced at the page. “It doesn’t look like any music I have seen,” he said in confusion.
“Well great,” Kangin said bitterly. “Music helps us even less than words.”
Henry ignored the other man in favor of his excitement. “Here hold this open for me,” he ordered, shoving the book to Sungmin. He held out his hands and called out to the violin that was inside of him. It appeared suddenly in his hands. He lifted it and rested it on his shoulder. Raising his bow he stared at the page for a minute and then began to play.
The music he played was unlike any they had ever heard. It implied caution with the grasp of hope. It was powerful and strong, yet gentle at the same time. There seemed to be layer over layer of notes being played all at once, yet no one knew how anyone could do something like that.
Henry played the page and nodded to Sungmin, who had been watching him, when it was time to turn the page. He played half of the next before the chapter seemed to end. Henry stopped when it stopped and the last note seemed to fade away with finality.
“That was,” Ryeowook said quietly trying to give voice to his thoughts. “Beautiful.”
“But it doesn’t help us,” Kangin said quietly. “Henry could play the whole book and we still wouldn’t know what to do.”
“I know what to do,” Yesung said softly as if he was hesitant to admit it.
Kyuhyun blinked. “That made sense to you?”
Yesung nodded. “I can undo this but I,” he paused for a moment and then changed his mind. “I can bring Leeteuk back to us.”
“Then what are we waiting for?” Eunhyuk asked excitedly.
Yesung took a deep breath and nodded. “Everyone give us some room. Henry, Ryeowook, you both stay.” The rest of the members that weren’t needed moved to the furniture, giving the other four some room.
“Henry do you know what Leeteuk’s Song sounds like?” Yesung asked.
~♪~♪♫♪~♪~
Yesung spent the next several minutes laying out his plan to Henry. He had no idea how he had gained the knowledge of what he was about to do from the music that Henry had played. He was certain that he had heard the same music that everyone else had. Yet as he listened it was as if the music meant something to him when it clearly didn’t mean anything to anyone else.
He waited patiently while Henry searched through his memory for what was asked of him. When the man opened his eyes and nodded. Yesung smiled. He then turned and turned his attention to his Singer who was standing beside him.
“I need you to ground me,” he murmured as he stepped closer to the man.
Ryeowook smiled and immediately pulled Yesung into a hug. “If you want me to have sex with you, we are going to have to move this process somewhere more private,” he whispered.
Yesung laughed. “Nothing like that. I just need your Song, your touch, and maybe a kiss.”
Ryeowook looked at him intently for a minute. “You know you can have all of that. You are worried aren’t you?”
Yesung didn’t respond. Instead he tilted his head and pressed their lips together. Yesung reached out with his abilities and touched Ryeowook’s Song gently. The touch was full of question and want, he could take the man’s Song, but he would never do that. Immediately he felt the offer of Ryeowook’s power and it filled him with the sweet music of the other man’s Song. Ryeowook relaxed into the kiss giving Yesung what he needed. After a moment Yesung pulled away. He brushed his thumb over the other man’s cheek in a moment of tender affection.
Kangin’s awkward cough reminded Yesung that he had other things he was supposed to be doing. He kissed Ryeowook’s forehead quickly before turning in the circle of the man’s arms. Using Ryeowook’s hold he pulled the other man tight against his back. Ryeowook let out a contented sigh as he rested his head on Yesung’s shoulder, eyes closed. His hands slipped under the fabric of Yesung’s shirt and rested against his warm skin. Yesung smiled at the fact that Ryeowook knew instinctively what he might need, even if the man thought that he didn’t.
Henry was watching him them with a smile while Kangin was avoiding his eyes and looking slightly uncomfortable. Yesung nodded to Henry and the other man lifted his violin and began to play. The song he played wasn’t just a string of notes; it was layer upon layer of music like the book had been, but much more complex. It comprised everything that would make up a person’s thoughts, actions, desires, and more.
To everyone else in the room it was just music, beautiful but still music. To Yesung, it was so much more. He took it all in and sighed as he felt Leeteuk in it all. After a moment more he held out his hand wordlessly to Kangin. The other man hesitated but took a step forward and placed his hand in Yesung’s.
Immediately, Yesung felt the tangle of Song in the other man. It was one of the most perfect Songs that he had ever felt with the exception of Vidyagauri’s. It seemed to him that every other Song was imperfect in some way, fractioned and not whole, but this Song was perfect in its unity. Now that he knew what he was looking for he could feel the parts that were Leeteuk and Kangin individually. It would be a shame to separate them, especially since the Songs didn’t want to separate, but it needed to be done.
Carefully he reached in, using senses that a few months ago he never would have known he had, and began to take a hold of the pieces that were Leeteuk’s Song. As he held the first in his grasp he paused for a moment. It was full of pure power, power that could be his, should be his. It was right there and he could take it. No one would really blame him and it would give him the power to protect everyone from another incident like what had happened to Hankyung.
As he stood there pondering, another Song tugged at his attention. The other Song was sweet and soothing and offered him not only power, but a gentle love and care that would come with it. He could add this new power to it and make it even stronger. He knew he could. At that though, the Song inside him surged louder, as if angry that he would even think that. It rose in volume until he almost couldn’t hear the Song in his grasp. He could feel that if he did that, the Song he had now would be angry and may never come to him again. He couldn’t live with that. No, this new power was better left alone.
Yesung physically trembled as he came back to himself and realized what he had almost done. Immediately Ryeowook’s Song was there reassuring him that everything was alright and grounding him. It seemed as though the other man’s Song had a personality of its own, or perhaps reflected the personality of the man who it belonged to. That would be something to ponder later. For now he simply listened to it and allowed it to hold him steady.
He took the small bit of Song that was Leeteuk’s inside Kangin and set it aside, just apart from the joined bits. Then using what Henry was playing he reached in for another piece. Section by section he set aside within the man. It wasn’t as if he was cutting out actual pieces of the Song, it felt more like he was taking the strands of the two Songs that were fused and gently separating them.
Kangin groaned and sank to his knees, his hand still in Yesung’s. His body began to glow the same soft green it had when Leeteuk had disappeared. As Yesung continued the work, the glow intensified until Kangin was covered in green light. The forms that were his wings began to dissolve from the bottom in tiny flecks of green light that faded away into nothing.
Yesung found the last tangled string and gave it a sharp tug, separating it from the others. The last bit of Kangin’s wings dissolved and a bright human shaped form suddenly appeared, glowing beside him. Immediately the glow faded and Yesung pulled his hand away while pulling away his touch as well. He used Ryeowook as a guide to guide his senses away from the pair and back into himself.
When the light faded, Leeteuk was sitting beside Kangin looking slightly bewildered. “Leeteuk!” Donghae exclaimed. The leader was suddenly swarmed but chattering members, who enveloped him in hugs and more than a few tears. Leeteuk glanced over Eunhyuk’s shoulder and made eye contact with Kangin, both men immediately blushed and looked away.
There was plenty of happy chatter in the dorm. Even Heechul had abandoned his staring project in favor of coming over and poking fun at Kangin. The only two that weren’t gathered around the returned leader were Ryeowook and Yesung. Instead they were standing a few feet away, unmoving. In Ryeowook’s arms Yesung was shaking.
~♪~♪♫♪~♪~
“Shhh,” Ryeowook soothed, running his hand through Yesung’s hair. Shortly after they had made sure that Leeteuk and Kangin were both fine Ryeowook had guided them back to Yesung’s room. The moment they had settled onto the bed, Yesung had buried his face in Ryeowook’s stomach and began to sob. “It’s ok.”
“No it’s not,” Yesung cried into Ryeowook’s shirt. He lifted his head and fresh tears spilled from his eyes as he looked at Ryeowook. “You don’t understand. I almost took Leeteuk’s Song. That wouldn’t have just misplaced it. That would have killed him, destroyed him forever.”
“I know,” Ryeowook said gently.
“Then how can you say it is okay?” Yesung asked bitterly.
“Because you didn’t do it. Next time it will be even easier not to do it. Stop blaming yourself for something you haven’t even done yet,” Ryeowook scolded. He grabbed the collar of Yesung’s shirt and used his hold to pull Yesung up his body so that he could offer him a stern look.
“But I could have,” he mumbled.
“You could have just as easily cut off Leeteuk’s head with your katana, but you didn’t do that either,” Ryeowook told him.
Yesung laughed bitterly and rolled to the side so that he was laying on his back beside the other man instead of on him. “I was willing to do that to Hankyung. I was willing to kill a friend, a brother. What kind of person is willing to do that?”
Ryeowook rolled on his side and propped himself up so that he could look at Yesung. The other man didn’t meet his eyes, choosing instead to look blankly at the ceiling. “The kind of man that will take the burden of doing what needs to be done so that others don’t have to. The kind of man that will sacrifice what he wants and what he loves, to protect what he can. The kind of man who will make those difficult decisions and carry them through with an unwavering will and then cry in sorrow about what he had to do later. That is the kind of man you are Yesung,” Ryeowook said softly.
Yesung turned his head to look at him as he continued. “I don’t give you my Song simply because you are my friend, or my Spinner. I don’t give you my body just because you need it to ground yourself and I certainly don’t give you everything else because you want it. I give them to you because that is the type of man you are. I know you will use everything I give you for the good of everyone no matter what that means. I give you everything because of exactly the person you are.”
“Ryeowook,” Yesung said softly, his tears slowing. “I’m not-“
“Kim Jongwoon, if you are daring to imply that you are not everything I have said and that I am wasting myself on you, I swear I will castrate you right here and now,” Ryeowook replied angrily.
Yesung’s smile was tearful but real. “I don’t deserve you.”
“No you don’t,” Ryeowook agreed, then his voice softened “but I don’t deserve you either, so I guess we are even.” He leaned down and pressed their lips together in a kiss that was all about understanding.
“Don’t leave me alone,” Yesung mumbled tiredly when Ryeowook pulled away.
“Never,” Ryeowook agreed, laying back down and pulling Yesung into his arms. The other man curled into Ryeowook’s side and sighed. In the next minute Yesung gave into his exhaustion and fell immediately asleep.
~♪~♪♫♪~♪~
Kangin lay on his bed staring up at the ceiling blankly. He was alone, more alone then he had been for the last twenty or so hours. It was nice, yet at the same time it wasn’t. Being fused with Leeteuk had felt completely right in its own way. Now if felt as if a bit of him was missing. He was sure that that would settle back to normal soon enough. He would rather not go back to the fused state with his best friend, no matter how lonely he felt at the moment.
The feeling of things being complete had been nice but the rest of the adventure he could have done without. No one should know the entirety of what was in their best friend’s mind, especially not when they were sleeping with said best friend. Yet Kangin knew it all. He had every memory, thought, and experience of Leeteuk’s as if they were his own. He could remember them just as he himself would remember things of his past. It should feel crowded in his head with two sets of memories but for some reason it wasn’t.
It was interesting and strange to see things like their concert through another pair of eyes. At the same time he got to see things like the accident up close and personal, which was far less amusing. It wasn’t as if the memories flashed before his eyes, they were simply there like his own. At certain times they would come to his mind, drawn by one thing or another but he felt as if he himself had lived them. As interesting as it was there were just some things that he never needed to know about his leader.
He shuddered and directed his mind elsewhere before those thoughts could resurface again. Poor Leeteuk was probably still out there with the rest of the members. Kangin was fairly certain that they were going to have to pry Donghae off the man with a crowbar. He really should be out there but if had been he would probably simply laugh and make the situation worse.
Kangin stopped thinking anything actively and let his mind drift. It had settled into a blissfully relaxed nearly asleep state when he heard his door open and close again. He lifted his head lazily and was surprised to see Leeteuk standing in his door way. “You got away?” he asked amused.
“Yes,” Leeteuk shuddered. “I had to pull the leader card. You would think they had been afraid that I was never coming back.”
Kangin laughed and sat up to look at the man more fully. When he did he froze. Leeteuk was standing just in front of his door wearing an oversized t-shirt and nothing else. The shirt, Kangin realized, was his, one of the ones that he liked to sleep in and so it was large and loose on him which made it even larger on the other man. The shirt hung off one shoulder exposing Leeteuk’s skin and collarbone. It fell down past his waist ending just under his butt. The older man’s hair was pulled up in a tail at the back of his head.
“Is that my shirt?” Kangin asked his voice suddenly husky once he had looked the man over.
Leeteuk’s fingers absently played with the hem of it as his eyes glanced away. “Yeah. When we were fused I got all of your thoughts including this. I know I don’t have breast or anything like that like your original thought had, but I wanted to do something to thank you for everything. For my back, for looking out for me, for -“ Leeteuk released an undignified squeak as he felt hands grab his bare butt and pull him into the body in front of him. He couldn’t help looking at Kangin then, and he swallowed thickly at the lust in the other man’s eyes.
“So you thought you would make one of my fantasies happen?” Kangin growled out roughly.
Leeteuk nodded and squeaked again as Kangin used his hold to pick him up. He immediately wrapped his arms and legs around the other man so as not to fall. Leeteuk had no idea when Kangin had gotten so strong; perhaps it was an after effect of their abilities getting stronger.
“You don’t know what seeing you in my shirt does to me,” Kangin growled, his mouth finding the bare skin on Leeteuk’s shoulder.
“Well I know that it is as good as marking me as yours and I know how possessive you are,” Leeteuk’s back hit the mattress and he bounced lightly, before Kangin crawled on after him and covered his body with his own. “And I saw how much you like the thought of your wife or girlfriend wearing something of yours. How it would mean that they were yours too, and I thought-” Leeteuk broke off his sentence to let out a moan as Kangin’s hand found a part of him that was decidedly unfeminine.
“Jungsoo,” Kangin growled. “Less talking and more moaning.”
Leeteuk nodded and smirked. He wrapped his arms around Kangin’s neck and when the man leaned down to press their lips together, he let himself melt into the other man’s passionate embrace.
Verse Twenty Four
Masterlist
Character Information
AN: See no one is dead or lost in anyone else and I swear all of this was necessary! Now before anyone asks, Ryeowook's Song isn't special or anything. That has to do with the way Yesung feels Songs. A Song is in essence what makes up a person, their personality, all of their decisions, how they are, is contained within it. If a persons Song is gone it is the same as the person being completely dead or at lease brain dead. With that said a Song acts like a person would. Since his Song is his it reacts like he would and Yesung can feel that. The best example I can give would be if Yesung reached out for say a normal human's Song. He couldn't walk up to the person and explain the situation and ask them if he could borrow power from their Song, however if he asks with his own Song, their Song will answer just as if the person had a complete understanding of what the situation was and what it was he would be giving. If the person would have given it with that knowledge, the Song will give itself without the person ever really knowing what happened. So it isn't like the Song has a personality of its own, it is the person. I hope I didn't just confuse everyone more. If I did feel free to ask question or just disregard the example and explanation entirely. ^_^;
I also wanted to thank all of my readers both the ones that comment and the silent ones (I know there are some of you there), for sticking with me for the crazy stuff I have done so far and the potential for more crazy stuff to come. I really want to thank all of the wonderful people that comment on my work. It means a lot to me to hear your opinions on what I write and even more that I get to interact with all of you. You guys have all been really great and encouraging and have completely turned some of my worst days around with your comments. When I look at my master list of work and realize that I wrote a ton of stuff in such a short amount of time, I am even more thankful. It is because of you guys that I write as much as I do and enjoy it so much. Thank you so much guys.