Into The Dark Night (13/?)
Title: Into the Dark Night
Author: ms_awkward
Genre: AU, Fantasy, Angst, Romance, Drama, Adventure, Fluff?
Rating: PG-13
Pairing(s): HyukHae(main), KyuMin, HanChul, KangTeuk, YunJae, ninja!YeWook
Summary: All they needed was light.
Into the Dark Night
Chapter 13
“You’re an ass, you know that?” Hyukjae growled.
Junsu chuckled, adjusting Donghae on his shoulder as the brunette squirmed, uncomfortable with the pressure digging into his stomach. “Yeah, I’ve missed you too.”
“P-put me down.” Donghae thrashed.
At the sound of his soft voice, Hyukjae instinctively glanced back at them for a split second, but that was all it took for Siwon to shove Hyukjae’s foot off his back and lunge at the redhead. Hyukjae was quick to block the blade that was aimed at his throat.
“Rule number one, Eunhyuk. Never get distracted.” Siwon smirked, his eyes fiery.
Hyukjae ignored him. “Get him somewhere safe. Now!”
With a quick nod, Junsu took off to a bush only a few meters away. He didn’t want them to lose sight of this kid, convinced he was the naïve type and would surely do something stupid if they didn’t keep an eye on him. He set the brunette down behind a particularly thick clump of berries.
Donghae sighed with relief upon feeling the grass under him and looked up at the taller male. “Are you-?”
“Look, kid. Things could get pretty messy around here, so I advise you to stay. Put.” He raised a finger to emphasize his point. Donghae stared at it cross-eyed. “Got that?”
He nodded mutely as he watched the stranger take off to where Hyukjae was.
Another Rife, he was sure.
Junsu arrived to see Hyukjae and Siwon in a sword lock, their guns a few feet away. They were leaning back and forth in the power struggle, teeth gritted and glares menacing. Junsu sprung to action as he caught Siwon break their eye contact and glance at the redhead’s left.
Shit, his blind spot!
But just as his pocketknife neared and Hyukjae’s eyes widened, Junsu landed a kick on Siwon’s stomach, sending the lanky male pummeling to ground.
“Now, now.” Junsu chimed. “Let’s be civil, Siwon-ssi.”
“Civil? You call this civil? Kim Junsu, have you gone mad!” Siwon wiped a trail of blood that escaped his lips. “He’s a traitor!”
“Traitor?” Junsu looked to the redhead on his left. “I’m not sure we’re on the same page here, Siwon-ssi. All I see is Hyuk-popular guy, you know. A bit on the boring side, but hey, I manage.”
Siwon stood up slowly, his chest heaving. He eyed the two Rife before him, stances ready for battle. They’d always been together, Eunhyuk and Junsu-roommates and sparring partners for as long as any Rife of their generation could remember. In fact, not only once had Junsu dragged Eunhyuk into all sorts of mess and trouble for his insatiable need to prank the higher-ups and ‘make some fun in this boring old dump’. Yet never had he seen Eunhyuk get mad at him for it. Siwon knew him to be the quiet type, the one who always followed orders and played by the rules. It was why he’d easily become an Elite, favored by the boss for his efficiency.
But there was talk of him being just like Junsu when they were young-loud and cheerful and uncontrollably mischievous-maybe even worse. It hurt Siwon’s head every time he tried to remember, as if the memories were being blocked, but he was sure that something happened that made him change…something…
He widened his eyes as a flash of red charged at him. He ducked to the right, only to be brought down by Junsu. Again, Siwon fell flat on the grass, groaning loudly as a blade pierced his shoulder in the process. He heard that laugh of Junsu that he’d always found so damn annoying.
Blindly, Siwon threw his knife in what he calculated was Hyukjae’s direction. Hyukjae was able to duck out of the way, though it still grazed his cheek. Blood dripped slowly from the long cut.
For some odd reason, this angered him greatly. He marched to the culprit, grabbed his collar and lifted his fist. Siwon closed his eyes and readied himself for the impact, but it never came.
.
.
.
Hyukjae’s eyes widened as he felt soft familiar hands wrap around his wrist. He looked to Donghae who looked back at him with a wide, teary stare. Junsu gawked dumbly, wondering how in the world the kid got there without him noticing. He saw how his hands glowed against Hyukjae’s already pale skin.
“Please stop fighting.” Donghae’s voice trembled. “Please.”
“Hae…” Hyukjae looked into his eyes. “You don’t understand. He-”
“Please.”
With a sigh, he drew his fist back. Donghae’s hands proceeded to his injured cheek and touched it lightly, tracing the cut as if willing to have it erased.
Hyukjae felt himself relax, his sudden anger at Siwon dissipating. Unconsciously, he leaned into the soft palm, his mind flying away from all this drama of betraying his kin, from wondering why the hell it had to be so complicated, to Donghae. Donghae and his soft hands and melodic voice. Just-
“Hyuk!”
Junsu’s panicked voice rang across his thoughts and one second, he had Donghae’s eyes staring back at his, his sweet scent within reach; but in the next, both he and the muscular body beneath Hyukjae were gone.
- -
Siwon knew he couldn’t get far, especially against two other Rife who he knew for a fact were much much faster than him in terms of running. It hadn’t helped either that Donghae kept struggling against his hold; pounding his fists on Siwon’s back with a force the brunette probably thought was painful when it was just a bit ticklish.
But he had to at least try.
This was his mission and by God, he swore not to return to headquarters until he had this kid in tow and alive.
It was quick though-quicker than he had prepared himself. In no time, he was sent crashing into the nearest tree, cutting painfully through the entire width and slamming onto the bark of the tree behind it. With a groan, Siwon strained to lift his head.
There stood Hyukjae, his chest heaving and eyes piercing him in a rage so tangible. Donghae sat at his feet, bewildered at…at…how fast it all was. One moment he was being carried through the forest and the next he was back with Hyukjae.
“You did not just try that.” Hyukjae growled.
“Oh, but he did.” Junsu said from behind him, mouthing ‘busted’ to the injured Rife.
It was then that Donghae witnessed a Hyukjae he was sure he’d never want to see again. Because the Hyukjae he knew was kind and patient. The Hyukjae he knew put up with all his nonsense rambling and didn’t mind at all how much of his time got wasted helping Donghae find his way back because he gets lost easily. He was silent but warm-hearted, and when he smiles, Donghae is sure it’s the most beautiful thing in the world and he’s just a tiny bit bent on keeping it for himself.
He didn’t know this Hyukjae so violent, so angry. This Hyukjae who ruthlessly threw Siwon around like a rag doll, kicking him, punching him, hitting him over and over again to the point that it didn’t look like he were hurting Siwon for what he did, but as if Hyukjae had finally snapped and was taking out all his frustrations-the Corporation, Donghae’s fragile life, the unfairness of it all-on his former ally.
This Hyukjae…frightened him.
Soon, it became painful to watch. Siwon’s groans echoed through the rain and the trees, the sound of battered skin and harsh beating made Donghae’s breath hitch. He stepped forward to try and stop him, but Junsu laid a firm hand on his shoulder and shook his head.
Donghae’s protest is caught in his throat as the tables are suddenly turned and it’s not Siwon’s groan reached his ears, but Hyukjae’s. It came fast and painful, as all the events the Lumici had to witness-quick, agile footsteps, a gust of wind and suddenly, Hyukjae was thrown painfully off the grueling Siwon and onto the hard ground before them.
“You look like you need a little help there, kiddo.” He was a big man, tall, muscular, clad in black as Siwon and Hyukjae were. His hair cropped short, exposing a defined jawline that, for some odd reason, scared Donghae.
“Boss ain’t too happy with you right now, Red.”
Hyukjae coughed, and grumbled ‘shitshitshit’. Immediately, Donghae went to help him up but was refused profusely.
“Donghae, you need to get out of here right now.”
“But you’re-”
“I said now.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. Let the little guy join the fun.” They froze and turned to the man standing by Siwon. “Oh how rude of me, I haven’t introduced myself.”
In a flash, Donghae found the stranger’s face inches from his, dark smoldering eyes staring at him in the most frightening way.
“My name is Taecyeon. But please, call me Taec.”
A smile.
- - -
“And you’re sure about this guy?”
Jaejoong sighed for the nth time, turning his head to Heechul who kept pacing like a father outside the delivery room. He cringed at himself for equating the almost feline Lumiciant to such a manly figure.
He had arrived with Jessica and Krystal to find, to his relief, Heechul and the others already at the hideout. They were just getting settled, Henry giving Kyuhyun and Sungmin a tour around the place, getting acquainted with other Lumici, while Minho was given the laborious task of watching over the two hyperactive humans. They bounced around endlessly, asking this and that. Even the slightly more composed one (Taemin, was it?) got excited once they entered. Young Lumici flocked to them, amused with their antics, while the adults kept their distance, still traumatized by what they witnessed at the human attack.
In comparison, Yunho wasn’t difficult to handle. Save for the constant questioning and ogling, Jaejoong found it surprisingly easy to overlook. As for Jessica and Krystal, they still found him a threat and distrusted him greatly. Albeit the two were still down, particularly Jessica, after her encounter with Yoona, Yunho’s presence distracted them from depressing thoughts; their constant bickering-that, Jaejoong found difficult to tolerate.
While Heechul’s human was a quiet one, Jaejoong noted, neither speaking nor complaining once since he got handcuffed to one of the posts. Heechul decided to keep him there-the reason why, Jaejoong wasn’t sure-but sat right behind him the entire time, their backs facing each other while none of them spoke.
Jaejoong was almost certain the Lumiciant would sit there with the human for hours on end, if not for their unexpected guest who claimed he knew where Donghae was and that he could bring him back to them.
“He may not look it, but he’s a reliable guy.” Jaejoong said, “Trust me on this.”
“Black trench coat, popping out of nowhere-yup, definitely reliable.” Yunho mumbled beside him, earning a nudge and an order to shut up, or I’m sending you back to the hideout. The human followed him everywhere; though Jaejoong had to admit he didn’t hate it. Not really.
Heechul sighed, stood still for a while then resumed biting his fingernails and pacing.
“Stop that, it’s irritating.”
“I’ll pace as much as I want to, bitch.”
“Yeah, well pacing’s not going to get you anywhere, cunt.”
“I’m stressed okay, asshole.”
“Drama queen.”
They stared each other down before sighing, Heechul going back to pacing and Jaejoong leaning against the tree like a boss.
“Look, it’s not like we have any other lead on where Donghae might be. And to be frank, I trust Junsu with my life. He’ll bring him, I’m sure.” Jaejoong spoke calmly. Yunho grumbled again and kicked dirt like a kid on a tantrum. Jaejoong raised an eyebrow at him, wondering what stick went up the human’s ass this time, but shrugged it off.
“I just-It’s not that-I don’t know, I have a bad feeling,” mumbled Heechul. “And we still haven’t found Teuk…”
The rain poured harder, soaking the trees and bushes around them.
“We’ll just have to wait then.”
- - -
Hyukjae tackled Taecyeon the moment he got within hair’s breadth of Donghae but was easily thrown off, landing messily on the ground meters away, his shoulder looking as if it were bent painfully wrong.
Junsu charged next, cursing under his breath, but had easily been deflected as well, their attacks looking like nothing but ant bites to the frightening Rife. In seconds, Taecyeon was walking in Donghae’s direction and the brunette trembled in honest fear, backing away until he bumped into a tree and the panic set in. This man, this terrifying stranger walked closer, closer, closer.
“H-h-hyuk-“ he stuttered.
“I wonder if you know what your redhead had done just to keep you safe, Donghae.” His voice was firm, like venom that seeped through Donghae’s veins.
He knows my name.
“I don’t know w-what you’re…”
“A traitor to his own people, not only failing his own mission but disrupting his comrade’s as well. He turned his back on the values and laws that made up the world he knew and grew up in, causing havoc to the once organized Corporation because not once had a Rife, more so an Elite like himself, ever disobeyed; and for what?” He was close now, so close he could feel his breath running down his neck. “A kid like you?”
“That’s not true!”
“Is it? It sounds impossible to me too. I mean, what could be so special about you, a kid who doesn’t even know what he is?” His stare brought tremors down his spine. Donghae gulped, trying to keep it in.
“What I am?”
“Isn’t it odd how people always seem to be after you? How you’re so sheltered, locked inside the walls of a room instead of running around like everyone else?”
‘You’ve been going out too much lately.’
‘You don’t understand, Hae. We have to be careful. We need to keep you safe.’
“How there are things about yourself you can’t explain? Why you’re always called special?”
His stretching came to a stop as he remembered something and quickly brought a hand up to his hair, sleeves pooling at the bottom of his pale forearm. Still dry.
“Don’t you find it odd that someone like your redhead over there put up with you all this time? Did you really think he actually liked you?” His face so close now, his breath wafting over Donghae’s cheek as his lips lifted to whisper in his ear.
“He’s using you, Donghae.”
“Lies!”
“Get off him!” Taecyeon was shoved to the ground, but managed to catch himself and only stumbled a bit, a gash on his lip starting to bleed down his chin. Hyukjae’s familiar scent awoke Donghae’s senses and he opened his eyes he didn’t know he’d clamped shut the entire time, the sight of the red locks he knew so well in front of him instead of the frightening pair of eyes made him want to cry in relief. He almost did.
“Ooh, feisty.” Taecyeon chuckled, wiping blood off his chin, “I actually felt that one.”
“Look. I don’t want to fight you, Taec.” Donghae could hear the slight pant in Hyukjae’s voice. He must be tired.
“Oh, but I do.”
And just like that, Hyukjae’s muscular back disappeared from his sight and grasp, the redhead launching at the taller Rife.
Taecyeon knew that a fight with Hyukjae wouldn’t be a breeze; he knew he wasn’t revered in the Corporation for nothing, that he was the youngest Rife to have been promoted as Elite and that he moved at a speed that equaled even his own.
And true to rumor’s word, it definitely wasn’t a breeze.
Hyukjae kicked when he kicked, punched when he punched, and had even reached the point where he almost surprised Taecyeon with that small knife he sneaked under his sleeve, managing to slice off strands of his dark hair.
The strands fell to the wet grass, both Rife staring at them-one frustrated that he missed the neck by that much, the other surprised the younger even got that close. Not until now had someone matched up to his level and required more than two minutes to take down and stay down.
This is going to be fun.
Taecyeon chuckled darkly before slamming his gun to the other side of Hyukjae’s head and caught him by the collar before he fell to the ground.
“Playtime’s over, pipsqueak.”
Just as he was about to ram the redhead into the tree, a rock was thrown at the back of his head. Hyukjae’s eyes widened as Junsu came into view, panting hard.
Taecyeon turned around slowly, his frown deep set and patience running thin.
“I suggest you don’t stick your nose where it don’t belong, mutt.”
“Bring it on, asshole.” Junsu grinned, curling his finger provocatively at him.
Taecyeon lunged at him but before he could reach, he was faced again with Hyukjae who stood with his arms wide open in front of his best friend.
“This is our fight, he has nothing to do with this.”
“Are you insane? Let me at ‘em!” Junsu nudged him with his elbow.
“Alright, Taec?” ignored Hyukjae.
“Hyuk!”
He stepped forward.
“Hyuk, listen to me. Even you can’t take this guy alone. But together, maybe-”
He finally turned around, his expression serious. “I’m not letting you get hurt.”
“If you say so, Red!” They hadn’t paid enough attention as a boot came from hindsight and kicked Hyukjae square in the jaw. Taecyeon then flung a pair of crescent metal rods that attached to Junsu’s wrists and anchored him to the ground.
“Argh! Hey, that’s not fair!” He tried pulling on them but doing so only made them tighten around his wrists painfully.
Things started turning for the worse. Hyukjae having lost too much energy by now had a difficult time keeping up with the agile Taecyeon. Soon, his punches couldn’t connect, his sword swung at air and his defenses were getting weaker and weaker. Taecyeon pounded him mercilessly, slashing him everywhere so that his formerly majestic cloak was now in tatters and damp with blood.
Donghae’s eyes flooded with tears as he watched helplessly from the sidelines.
No…
Taecyeon kicked him hard, the sound of bones cracking reaching Donghae’s ears.
No, stop it…
He stepped on Hyukjae’s already bent shoulder, making him scream in agony.
Stop it! Hyukjae’s going to die! Stop it stop it stop it!
He pulled out his sword, pointing the sharp blade at the fragile neck.
“I’ve no orders to kill you,” it inched closer, “but neither do I have orders to keep you alive.”
STOP IT!
.
.
.
He prepared himself for death; in fact, maybe he’d always been prepared for death. Ever since his first assassination, he’d always thought of himself as someone worthy only of death.
That was until he met Donghae and suddenly, he found a reason to stay alive-Donghae with his smiles and his warmth and his fragility.
So when he didn’t feel the coldness of a blade slicing through his neck, instead hearing it fall on the grass beside him, Hyukjae looked up to see something he’d never imagined.
It was Donghae but at the same time, it wasn’t.
His small hands were wrapped tightly around Taecyeon’s neck, lifting him effortlessly off the ground as he struggled and thrashed for air. Donghae’s skin was blinding, his hair blonde and his eyes terrifyingly empty.
“I told you,” his voice sounded odd, many other voices speaking with him, “to stop it.”
With a flick of his wrist, he sent Taecyeon crashing into a tree. He walked slowly towards him but the Rife quickly recovered and charged at full speed.
“Why you little-”
To their surprise, Donghae caught his attack with ease, flipping Taecyeon on his back. His fingers found their way back to his neck, lifting him off the ground until his feet dangled above the grass.
“I told you to stop, but you didn’t listen.”
Hyukjae felt how the rain had ceased and suddenly, it was so hot that beads of sweat were running down his face.
Taecyeon struggled for gasps of air.
“You were hurting Hyukjae.”
The heat was starting to become unbearable. Hyukjae looked over to Junsu who was still anchored to the ground-he was a sweating mass, his eyes just as bewildered.
Donghae’s grip on the neck tightened even more, crushing Taecyeon’s windpipe.
“Those who don’t listen should be punished.”
The struggling was starting to lessen and Hyukjae panicked, “Donghae!”
Hyukjae?
“Donghae, stop it, you’re going to-”
“Punishment...” His grip became tighter, tighter… “You deserve...”
Taecyeon thrashed against his hold, but it grew weaker.
“…death.”
“Donghae, you’re killing him!”
Killing?
- - -
- -
-
“No!”
Donghae let go of Taecyeon’s neck, the larger man crumpling to his knees as he gasped for air. He stumbled backwards, staring at his trembling hands as his hair slowly turned back to brown and his skin back to its normal glow. It was beginning to drizzle again.
“I…I didn’t-I’m sorry…I didn’t mean to-”
His hands shook terribly as reality came crashing down. Taecyeon coughed violently before him.
“Donghae?” Hyukjae winced from pain as he stood up, but slowly approached him. “It’s okay, it’s over. Come here.” He extended his arms to him.
Donghae backed away, shaking his head. “No, I…I almost…”
“Relax, I’m here. It’s over. He’s alive, you didn’t kill him. Okay?”
“Hyukjae…” He looked up at him as tears rolled endlessly down his cheeks, his formerly soulless eyes now shining with grief. Hyukjae froze as he felt his heart shatter into pieces at the sight. “What am I?”
“You’re a monster!”
Huh?
- -
“Teuk!”
He stumbled hurriedly to the figure that fell to the floor, a hand clutching the bed sheets tightly.
“Teuk, what’s happening? What’s wrong? Are you alright?”
Never before had Kangin seen that kind of pain on Leeteuk’s face, his hand wrapped tightly over his stomach area.
- -
“Argh!” He collapsed to the ground, clutching his stomach.
“Heechul?” Jaejoong rushed to him, panicked. Yunho followed suit, peeking over his shoulder. “Heechul, what’s wrong?”
The Lumici groaned loudly as he crumpled up, his fingers clasped the cloth over the area just below his right rib in a tight grip, his breathing shallow. “I-it hurts…” he managed and inhaled sharply, “Jae…it’s…”
Jaejoong’s hand that was placed on Heechul’s back fell slack.
“It’s Donghae, isn’t it?”
- -
“Donghae!”
He saw bright patches of light, swirling around him, blinding him as if to distract him from what was real and what was fantasy. He could hear Hyukjae’s voice shouting his name, maybe Junsu’s too but he wasn’t sure. There was one voice though, one voice that was so close to him that he could hear his words resounding against his frantic heartbeats.
“Oh, and have I mentioned this before? Our orders changed. ”
He felt something icy and sharp dig into him, the rest of his body going slack, his blood running cold.
“My mission isn’t to take you back alive.”
He dared open his eyes and realized that was reality, that blade embedded onto his side-that was real. And once again, he was faced with those terrifying eyes, those ♦♢same eyes he almost blew the life out of himself.
“My mission is to kill you.”
Taecyeon pulled the sword out of Donghae’s side, and to their horror, he aimed it at the brunette’s heart this time.
Hyukjae gasped loudly, before breaking into a run, Donghae’s name flowing endlessly from his lips. The sword got closer and closer-no, he wouldn’t make it in time.
No no no no no!
Taecyeon wasted no time in thrusting his blade into the frail chest but it never connected.
A hand held the sword in a firm grip, blood dripping down the palm and onto the grass. He was panting, his eyes just as wide and bewildered as Taecyeon’s as he stared at him.
“Siwon?” - ♦
- - -
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A/N: Hello! It’s been a while, yes? Sorry if it’s boring to read. That is if anyone still reads this. ^^’ I feel I haven’t proofread this enough so it looks like crap. And uhm… fluff comes later.
Author: ms_awkward
Genre: AU, Fantasy, Angst, Romance, Drama, Adventure, Fluff?
Rating: PG-13
Pairing(s): HyukHae(main), KyuMin, HanChul, KangTeuk, YunJae, ninja!YeWook
Summary: All they needed was light.
Into the Dark Night
Chapter 13
“You’re an ass, you know that?” Hyukjae growled.
Junsu chuckled, adjusting Donghae on his shoulder as the brunette squirmed, uncomfortable with the pressure digging into his stomach. “Yeah, I’ve missed you too.”
“P-put me down.” Donghae thrashed.
At the sound of his soft voice, Hyukjae instinctively glanced back at them for a split second, but that was all it took for Siwon to shove Hyukjae’s foot off his back and lunge at the redhead. Hyukjae was quick to block the blade that was aimed at his throat.
“Rule number one, Eunhyuk. Never get distracted.” Siwon smirked, his eyes fiery.
Hyukjae ignored him. “Get him somewhere safe. Now!”
With a quick nod, Junsu took off to a bush only a few meters away. He didn’t want them to lose sight of this kid, convinced he was the naïve type and would surely do something stupid if they didn’t keep an eye on him. He set the brunette down behind a particularly thick clump of berries.
Donghae sighed with relief upon feeling the grass under him and looked up at the taller male. “Are you-?”
“Look, kid. Things could get pretty messy around here, so I advise you to stay. Put.” He raised a finger to emphasize his point. Donghae stared at it cross-eyed. “Got that?”
He nodded mutely as he watched the stranger take off to where Hyukjae was.
Another Rife, he was sure.
Junsu arrived to see Hyukjae and Siwon in a sword lock, their guns a few feet away. They were leaning back and forth in the power struggle, teeth gritted and glares menacing. Junsu sprung to action as he caught Siwon break their eye contact and glance at the redhead’s left.
Shit, his blind spot!
But just as his pocketknife neared and Hyukjae’s eyes widened, Junsu landed a kick on Siwon’s stomach, sending the lanky male pummeling to ground.
“Now, now.” Junsu chimed. “Let’s be civil, Siwon-ssi.”
“Civil? You call this civil? Kim Junsu, have you gone mad!” Siwon wiped a trail of blood that escaped his lips. “He’s a traitor!”
“Traitor?” Junsu looked to the redhead on his left. “I’m not sure we’re on the same page here, Siwon-ssi. All I see is Hyuk-popular guy, you know. A bit on the boring side, but hey, I manage.”
Siwon stood up slowly, his chest heaving. He eyed the two Rife before him, stances ready for battle. They’d always been together, Eunhyuk and Junsu-roommates and sparring partners for as long as any Rife of their generation could remember. In fact, not only once had Junsu dragged Eunhyuk into all sorts of mess and trouble for his insatiable need to prank the higher-ups and ‘make some fun in this boring old dump’. Yet never had he seen Eunhyuk get mad at him for it. Siwon knew him to be the quiet type, the one who always followed orders and played by the rules. It was why he’d easily become an Elite, favored by the boss for his efficiency.
But there was talk of him being just like Junsu when they were young-loud and cheerful and uncontrollably mischievous-maybe even worse. It hurt Siwon’s head every time he tried to remember, as if the memories were being blocked, but he was sure that something happened that made him change…something…
He widened his eyes as a flash of red charged at him. He ducked to the right, only to be brought down by Junsu. Again, Siwon fell flat on the grass, groaning loudly as a blade pierced his shoulder in the process. He heard that laugh of Junsu that he’d always found so damn annoying.
Blindly, Siwon threw his knife in what he calculated was Hyukjae’s direction. Hyukjae was able to duck out of the way, though it still grazed his cheek. Blood dripped slowly from the long cut.
For some odd reason, this angered him greatly. He marched to the culprit, grabbed his collar and lifted his fist. Siwon closed his eyes and readied himself for the impact, but it never came.
.
.
.
Hyukjae’s eyes widened as he felt soft familiar hands wrap around his wrist. He looked to Donghae who looked back at him with a wide, teary stare. Junsu gawked dumbly, wondering how in the world the kid got there without him noticing. He saw how his hands glowed against Hyukjae’s already pale skin.
“Please stop fighting.” Donghae’s voice trembled. “Please.”
“Hae…” Hyukjae looked into his eyes. “You don’t understand. He-”
“Please.”
With a sigh, he drew his fist back. Donghae’s hands proceeded to his injured cheek and touched it lightly, tracing the cut as if willing to have it erased.
Hyukjae felt himself relax, his sudden anger at Siwon dissipating. Unconsciously, he leaned into the soft palm, his mind flying away from all this drama of betraying his kin, from wondering why the hell it had to be so complicated, to Donghae. Donghae and his soft hands and melodic voice. Just-
“Hyuk!”
Junsu’s panicked voice rang across his thoughts and one second, he had Donghae’s eyes staring back at his, his sweet scent within reach; but in the next, both he and the muscular body beneath Hyukjae were gone.
- -
Siwon knew he couldn’t get far, especially against two other Rife who he knew for a fact were much much faster than him in terms of running. It hadn’t helped either that Donghae kept struggling against his hold; pounding his fists on Siwon’s back with a force the brunette probably thought was painful when it was just a bit ticklish.
But he had to at least try.
This was his mission and by God, he swore not to return to headquarters until he had this kid in tow and alive.
It was quick though-quicker than he had prepared himself. In no time, he was sent crashing into the nearest tree, cutting painfully through the entire width and slamming onto the bark of the tree behind it. With a groan, Siwon strained to lift his head.
There stood Hyukjae, his chest heaving and eyes piercing him in a rage so tangible. Donghae sat at his feet, bewildered at…at…how fast it all was. One moment he was being carried through the forest and the next he was back with Hyukjae.
“You did not just try that.” Hyukjae growled.
“Oh, but he did.” Junsu said from behind him, mouthing ‘busted’ to the injured Rife.
It was then that Donghae witnessed a Hyukjae he was sure he’d never want to see again. Because the Hyukjae he knew was kind and patient. The Hyukjae he knew put up with all his nonsense rambling and didn’t mind at all how much of his time got wasted helping Donghae find his way back because he gets lost easily. He was silent but warm-hearted, and when he smiles, Donghae is sure it’s the most beautiful thing in the world and he’s just a tiny bit bent on keeping it for himself.
He didn’t know this Hyukjae so violent, so angry. This Hyukjae who ruthlessly threw Siwon around like a rag doll, kicking him, punching him, hitting him over and over again to the point that it didn’t look like he were hurting Siwon for what he did, but as if Hyukjae had finally snapped and was taking out all his frustrations-the Corporation, Donghae’s fragile life, the unfairness of it all-on his former ally.
This Hyukjae…frightened him.
Soon, it became painful to watch. Siwon’s groans echoed through the rain and the trees, the sound of battered skin and harsh beating made Donghae’s breath hitch. He stepped forward to try and stop him, but Junsu laid a firm hand on his shoulder and shook his head.
Donghae’s protest is caught in his throat as the tables are suddenly turned and it’s not Siwon’s groan reached his ears, but Hyukjae’s. It came fast and painful, as all the events the Lumici had to witness-quick, agile footsteps, a gust of wind and suddenly, Hyukjae was thrown painfully off the grueling Siwon and onto the hard ground before them.
“You look like you need a little help there, kiddo.” He was a big man, tall, muscular, clad in black as Siwon and Hyukjae were. His hair cropped short, exposing a defined jawline that, for some odd reason, scared Donghae.
“Boss ain’t too happy with you right now, Red.”
Hyukjae coughed, and grumbled ‘shitshitshit’. Immediately, Donghae went to help him up but was refused profusely.
“Donghae, you need to get out of here right now.”
“But you’re-”
“I said now.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. Let the little guy join the fun.” They froze and turned to the man standing by Siwon. “Oh how rude of me, I haven’t introduced myself.”
In a flash, Donghae found the stranger’s face inches from his, dark smoldering eyes staring at him in the most frightening way.
“My name is Taecyeon. But please, call me Taec.”
A smile.
- - -
“And you’re sure about this guy?”
Jaejoong sighed for the nth time, turning his head to Heechul who kept pacing like a father outside the delivery room. He cringed at himself for equating the almost feline Lumiciant to such a manly figure.
He had arrived with Jessica and Krystal to find, to his relief, Heechul and the others already at the hideout. They were just getting settled, Henry giving Kyuhyun and Sungmin a tour around the place, getting acquainted with other Lumici, while Minho was given the laborious task of watching over the two hyperactive humans. They bounced around endlessly, asking this and that. Even the slightly more composed one (Taemin, was it?) got excited once they entered. Young Lumici flocked to them, amused with their antics, while the adults kept their distance, still traumatized by what they witnessed at the human attack.
In comparison, Yunho wasn’t difficult to handle. Save for the constant questioning and ogling, Jaejoong found it surprisingly easy to overlook. As for Jessica and Krystal, they still found him a threat and distrusted him greatly. Albeit the two were still down, particularly Jessica, after her encounter with Yoona, Yunho’s presence distracted them from depressing thoughts; their constant bickering-that, Jaejoong found difficult to tolerate.
While Heechul’s human was a quiet one, Jaejoong noted, neither speaking nor complaining once since he got handcuffed to one of the posts. Heechul decided to keep him there-the reason why, Jaejoong wasn’t sure-but sat right behind him the entire time, their backs facing each other while none of them spoke.
Jaejoong was almost certain the Lumiciant would sit there with the human for hours on end, if not for their unexpected guest who claimed he knew where Donghae was and that he could bring him back to them.
“He may not look it, but he’s a reliable guy.” Jaejoong said, “Trust me on this.”
“Black trench coat, popping out of nowhere-yup, definitely reliable.” Yunho mumbled beside him, earning a nudge and an order to shut up, or I’m sending you back to the hideout. The human followed him everywhere; though Jaejoong had to admit he didn’t hate it. Not really.
Heechul sighed, stood still for a while then resumed biting his fingernails and pacing.
“Stop that, it’s irritating.”
“I’ll pace as much as I want to, bitch.”
“Yeah, well pacing’s not going to get you anywhere, cunt.”
“I’m stressed okay, asshole.”
“Drama queen.”
They stared each other down before sighing, Heechul going back to pacing and Jaejoong leaning against the tree like a boss.
“Look, it’s not like we have any other lead on where Donghae might be. And to be frank, I trust Junsu with my life. He’ll bring him, I’m sure.” Jaejoong spoke calmly. Yunho grumbled again and kicked dirt like a kid on a tantrum. Jaejoong raised an eyebrow at him, wondering what stick went up the human’s ass this time, but shrugged it off.
“I just-It’s not that-I don’t know, I have a bad feeling,” mumbled Heechul. “And we still haven’t found Teuk…”
The rain poured harder, soaking the trees and bushes around them.
“We’ll just have to wait then.”
- - -
Hyukjae tackled Taecyeon the moment he got within hair’s breadth of Donghae but was easily thrown off, landing messily on the ground meters away, his shoulder looking as if it were bent painfully wrong.
Junsu charged next, cursing under his breath, but had easily been deflected as well, their attacks looking like nothing but ant bites to the frightening Rife. In seconds, Taecyeon was walking in Donghae’s direction and the brunette trembled in honest fear, backing away until he bumped into a tree and the panic set in. This man, this terrifying stranger walked closer, closer, closer.
“H-h-hyuk-“ he stuttered.
“I wonder if you know what your redhead had done just to keep you safe, Donghae.” His voice was firm, like venom that seeped through Donghae’s veins.
He knows my name.
“I don’t know w-what you’re…”
“A traitor to his own people, not only failing his own mission but disrupting his comrade’s as well. He turned his back on the values and laws that made up the world he knew and grew up in, causing havoc to the once organized Corporation because not once had a Rife, more so an Elite like himself, ever disobeyed; and for what?” He was close now, so close he could feel his breath running down his neck. “A kid like you?”
“That’s not true!”
“Is it? It sounds impossible to me too. I mean, what could be so special about you, a kid who doesn’t even know what he is?” His stare brought tremors down his spine. Donghae gulped, trying to keep it in.
“What I am?”
“Isn’t it odd how people always seem to be after you? How you’re so sheltered, locked inside the walls of a room instead of running around like everyone else?”
‘You’ve been going out too much lately.’
‘You don’t understand, Hae. We have to be careful. We need to keep you safe.’
“How there are things about yourself you can’t explain? Why you’re always called special?”
His stretching came to a stop as he remembered something and quickly brought a hand up to his hair, sleeves pooling at the bottom of his pale forearm. Still dry.
“Don’t you find it odd that someone like your redhead over there put up with you all this time? Did you really think he actually liked you?” His face so close now, his breath wafting over Donghae’s cheek as his lips lifted to whisper in his ear.
“He’s using you, Donghae.”
“Lies!”
“Get off him!” Taecyeon was shoved to the ground, but managed to catch himself and only stumbled a bit, a gash on his lip starting to bleed down his chin. Hyukjae’s familiar scent awoke Donghae’s senses and he opened his eyes he didn’t know he’d clamped shut the entire time, the sight of the red locks he knew so well in front of him instead of the frightening pair of eyes made him want to cry in relief. He almost did.
“Ooh, feisty.” Taecyeon chuckled, wiping blood off his chin, “I actually felt that one.”
“Look. I don’t want to fight you, Taec.” Donghae could hear the slight pant in Hyukjae’s voice. He must be tired.
“Oh, but I do.”
And just like that, Hyukjae’s muscular back disappeared from his sight and grasp, the redhead launching at the taller Rife.
Taecyeon knew that a fight with Hyukjae wouldn’t be a breeze; he knew he wasn’t revered in the Corporation for nothing, that he was the youngest Rife to have been promoted as Elite and that he moved at a speed that equaled even his own.
And true to rumor’s word, it definitely wasn’t a breeze.
Hyukjae kicked when he kicked, punched when he punched, and had even reached the point where he almost surprised Taecyeon with that small knife he sneaked under his sleeve, managing to slice off strands of his dark hair.
The strands fell to the wet grass, both Rife staring at them-one frustrated that he missed the neck by that much, the other surprised the younger even got that close. Not until now had someone matched up to his level and required more than two minutes to take down and stay down.
This is going to be fun.
Taecyeon chuckled darkly before slamming his gun to the other side of Hyukjae’s head and caught him by the collar before he fell to the ground.
“Playtime’s over, pipsqueak.”
Just as he was about to ram the redhead into the tree, a rock was thrown at the back of his head. Hyukjae’s eyes widened as Junsu came into view, panting hard.
Taecyeon turned around slowly, his frown deep set and patience running thin.
“I suggest you don’t stick your nose where it don’t belong, mutt.”
“Bring it on, asshole.” Junsu grinned, curling his finger provocatively at him.
Taecyeon lunged at him but before he could reach, he was faced again with Hyukjae who stood with his arms wide open in front of his best friend.
“This is our fight, he has nothing to do with this.”
“Are you insane? Let me at ‘em!” Junsu nudged him with his elbow.
“Alright, Taec?” ignored Hyukjae.
“Hyuk!”
He stepped forward.
“Hyuk, listen to me. Even you can’t take this guy alone. But together, maybe-”
He finally turned around, his expression serious. “I’m not letting you get hurt.”
“If you say so, Red!” They hadn’t paid enough attention as a boot came from hindsight and kicked Hyukjae square in the jaw. Taecyeon then flung a pair of crescent metal rods that attached to Junsu’s wrists and anchored him to the ground.
“Argh! Hey, that’s not fair!” He tried pulling on them but doing so only made them tighten around his wrists painfully.
Things started turning for the worse. Hyukjae having lost too much energy by now had a difficult time keeping up with the agile Taecyeon. Soon, his punches couldn’t connect, his sword swung at air and his defenses were getting weaker and weaker. Taecyeon pounded him mercilessly, slashing him everywhere so that his formerly majestic cloak was now in tatters and damp with blood.
Donghae’s eyes flooded with tears as he watched helplessly from the sidelines.
No…
Taecyeon kicked him hard, the sound of bones cracking reaching Donghae’s ears.
No, stop it…
He stepped on Hyukjae’s already bent shoulder, making him scream in agony.
Stop it! Hyukjae’s going to die! Stop it stop it stop it!
He pulled out his sword, pointing the sharp blade at the fragile neck.
“I’ve no orders to kill you,” it inched closer, “but neither do I have orders to keep you alive.”
STOP IT!
.
.
.
He prepared himself for death; in fact, maybe he’d always been prepared for death. Ever since his first assassination, he’d always thought of himself as someone worthy only of death.
That was until he met Donghae and suddenly, he found a reason to stay alive-Donghae with his smiles and his warmth and his fragility.
So when he didn’t feel the coldness of a blade slicing through his neck, instead hearing it fall on the grass beside him, Hyukjae looked up to see something he’d never imagined.
It was Donghae but at the same time, it wasn’t.
His small hands were wrapped tightly around Taecyeon’s neck, lifting him effortlessly off the ground as he struggled and thrashed for air. Donghae’s skin was blinding, his hair blonde and his eyes terrifyingly empty.
“I told you,” his voice sounded odd, many other voices speaking with him, “to stop it.”
With a flick of his wrist, he sent Taecyeon crashing into a tree. He walked slowly towards him but the Rife quickly recovered and charged at full speed.
“Why you little-”
To their surprise, Donghae caught his attack with ease, flipping Taecyeon on his back. His fingers found their way back to his neck, lifting him off the ground until his feet dangled above the grass.
“I told you to stop, but you didn’t listen.”
Hyukjae felt how the rain had ceased and suddenly, it was so hot that beads of sweat were running down his face.
Taecyeon struggled for gasps of air.
“You were hurting Hyukjae.”
The heat was starting to become unbearable. Hyukjae looked over to Junsu who was still anchored to the ground-he was a sweating mass, his eyes just as bewildered.
Donghae’s grip on the neck tightened even more, crushing Taecyeon’s windpipe.
“Those who don’t listen should be punished.”
The struggling was starting to lessen and Hyukjae panicked, “Donghae!”
Hyukjae?
“Donghae, stop it, you’re going to-”
“Punishment...” His grip became tighter, tighter… “You deserve...”
Taecyeon thrashed against his hold, but it grew weaker.
“…death.”
“Donghae, you’re killing him!”
Killing?
- - -
- -
-
“No!”
Donghae let go of Taecyeon’s neck, the larger man crumpling to his knees as he gasped for air. He stumbled backwards, staring at his trembling hands as his hair slowly turned back to brown and his skin back to its normal glow. It was beginning to drizzle again.
“I…I didn’t-I’m sorry…I didn’t mean to-”
His hands shook terribly as reality came crashing down. Taecyeon coughed violently before him.
“Donghae?” Hyukjae winced from pain as he stood up, but slowly approached him. “It’s okay, it’s over. Come here.” He extended his arms to him.
Donghae backed away, shaking his head. “No, I…I almost…”
“Relax, I’m here. It’s over. He’s alive, you didn’t kill him. Okay?”
“Hyukjae…” He looked up at him as tears rolled endlessly down his cheeks, his formerly soulless eyes now shining with grief. Hyukjae froze as he felt his heart shatter into pieces at the sight. “What am I?”
“You’re a monster!”
Huh?
- -
“Teuk!”
He stumbled hurriedly to the figure that fell to the floor, a hand clutching the bed sheets tightly.
“Teuk, what’s happening? What’s wrong? Are you alright?”
Never before had Kangin seen that kind of pain on Leeteuk’s face, his hand wrapped tightly over his stomach area.
- -
“Argh!” He collapsed to the ground, clutching his stomach.
“Heechul?” Jaejoong rushed to him, panicked. Yunho followed suit, peeking over his shoulder. “Heechul, what’s wrong?”
The Lumici groaned loudly as he crumpled up, his fingers clasped the cloth over the area just below his right rib in a tight grip, his breathing shallow. “I-it hurts…” he managed and inhaled sharply, “Jae…it’s…”
Jaejoong’s hand that was placed on Heechul’s back fell slack.
“It’s Donghae, isn’t it?”
- -
“Donghae!”
He saw bright patches of light, swirling around him, blinding him as if to distract him from what was real and what was fantasy. He could hear Hyukjae’s voice shouting his name, maybe Junsu’s too but he wasn’t sure. There was one voice though, one voice that was so close to him that he could hear his words resounding against his frantic heartbeats.
“Oh, and have I mentioned this before? Our orders changed. ”
He felt something icy and sharp dig into him, the rest of his body going slack, his blood running cold.
“My mission isn’t to take you back alive.”
He dared open his eyes and realized that was reality, that blade embedded onto his side-that was real. And once again, he was faced with those terrifying eyes, those ♦♢same eyes he almost blew the life out of himself.
“My mission is to kill you.”
Taecyeon pulled the sword out of Donghae’s side, and to their horror, he aimed it at the brunette’s heart this time.
Hyukjae gasped loudly, before breaking into a run, Donghae’s name flowing endlessly from his lips. The sword got closer and closer-no, he wouldn’t make it in time.
No no no no no!
Taecyeon wasted no time in thrusting his blade into the frail chest but it never connected.
A hand held the sword in a firm grip, blood dripping down the palm and onto the grass. He was panting, his eyes just as wide and bewildered as Taecyeon’s as he stared at him.
“Siwon?” - ♦
- - -
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A/N: Hello! It’s been a while, yes? Sorry if it’s boring to read. That is if anyone still reads this. ^^’ I feel I haven’t proofread this enough so it looks like crap. And uhm… fluff comes later.