As the Petals Fall - Chapter Five
Title: As the Petals Fall
Main Pairing: Kyumin
Side Pairings: Will be determined as story progresses
Genre: Suspense, Romance
Type: Chaptered
Disclaimer: I don't own them.
Description: Sungmin is no ordinary human; he is something called an enchanter, or manipulator. From a young age, he has had the ability to manipulate the world around him; creating things, mending, destroying. In comes Kyuhyun, an illusionist. He has the ability to make anyone see the things he wants them to see, or to make others forget what they had seen. Together, they are thrown into a very dangerous world full of deceit and lies, one that neither of them might be able to survive.
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~Chapter 5~
A dark-haired boy of around sixteen stood on the deck of the large ship, staring off at the dark, rolling waves of the angry sea. The sky was black with evil clouds, and they seemed to radiate a dark aura. Kyuhyun couldn’t help but to shiver subconsciously at the threatening feeling.
Seeming to sense his presence, the man turned around and looked at him. In the dark, Kyuhyun couldn’t make out the features of the man’s face, yet for some reason, he could tell that he was beautiful. He was about to take a step forward to talk to the mysterious person, when he was rudely pushed to the side.
Annoyed, he turned his head to glare at the disturbance, and let out a small gasp when he saw Hyukjae glaring maliciously at the other. Not having seen any other expression on the violet-haired man’s face but a smile, seeing his face full of hatred scared him.
“What are you doing you idiot!” Hyukjae snarled, turning the glare to him.
“He shouldn’t be out here in the storm,” he stuttered. Hyukjae was scary when he was mad.
A string of curse words fell from the other’s lips, and he sighed in annoyance at Kyuhyun. “Never fraternize with the enemy.”
“What?” Kyuhyun turned his head back to the beautiful boy on deck. He was still looking their way, his pale skin seeming to reflect some unseen light.
He felt the violet-haired man get off him, and with a feral snarl, Hyukjae launched himself across the ship towards the dark-haired man on deck. And before Kyuhyun could yell for him to stop, the beautiful man on deck was gone, thrown off into the waves.
“No!” Kyuhyun ran over to the railing, trying to catch a glimpse of him in the sea, but to no avail. A heavy feeling of loss seemed to suffocate him, bringing tears to his eyes. He turned to Hyukjae angrily, and snarled, “What was that for?”
The other just shrugged a blank expression on his face. “He belongs to the sea. Mess with the will of the water, and only bad things will come to you.”
Kyuhyun turned back to the waves, crouching to jump in, when he was stopped by a hand on his shoulder. “We need to save him!”
Hyukjae sighed in impatience. “This isn’t our battle. Nothing good will come of it.”
Kyuhyun gasped. “And because of this fate, you let an innocent man die?”
Hyukjae didn’t reply for a few seconds. He turned around and whispered, “Don’t mess up. Love is a dangerous thing.”
“Love?” But the other didn’t reply, and walked away from him, leaving Kyuhyun to stare at the waves alone.
…
Kyuhyun woke up, a single tear having fallen down his face. Kyuhyun touched his cheek in wonder. It was the first time he had cried in years. That dream. Kyuhyun sighed. Why did it seem so real? It almost felt as if it was one of his illusions rather than just a dream. Everything from the black sea to the angry clouds seemed as if it had been tangible. And the man… Kyuhyun sighed. What had made him feel so strongly for him?
Kyuhyun turned on his side to check his alarm clock for the time, eyes going wide as he saw that it wasn’t there. For a moment he panicked, but then he sighed in relief as he remembered the events of the previous day.
I’m free. He barely stopped himself from giggling childishly at the thought. Free. After all these years of being controlled by the people he had called parents, he was finally away from their cage. He sat up and looked around the small room he was in. There wasn’t much in it; just a small bed and a single lamp, yet he felt more at home here than he had ever felt in his actual home. A window stood to his left, and through it he could still see the darkness of the night sky. Feeling satisfied, he laid back down on the bed to let sleep overcome him.
…
Sungmin sat down on the couch, next to the feet of his sleeping friend. The cat-like man was curled up as tight as he could, and was giving off soft snores, the only sound that could be heard in the quiet of the sun-lit house. He smiled fondly at the man; if it weren't for him, he wouldn't have been able to achieve any of his goals. Because this man's unwavering devotion, they had been able to accomplish what they did now.
"Thank you, Chullie." Even though his voice had been the quietest of whispers, it still seemed to ring out in the deathly quiet of the early morning. The sun was up, yet Sungmin was the only one awake. Careful not to wake the older, he got off the bed to walk over to Donghae's room. With the Juyo, he would finally be able to cure his younger brother. When he woke up, he would be fine, almost as if by magic. Sungmin laughed quietly at the irony.
"What are you doing?" Heechul's inquisitive voice rang loud throughout the house; he hadn't bothered to whisper. Sungmin jumped in surprise.
"You're awake?"
Heechul just rolled his eyes. "No I'm asleep."
Sungmin just sighed in annoyance. "I'm being serious here. So you were fooling me this entire time?"
"Sure, why not? Well I've definitely been awake long enough to hear your pathetic thank you."
Sungmin sighed. "Well get over it cause that's the best you're going to get." He turned back to Donghae's door, Juyo in hand.
"You're going to use that now? Are you sure it's going to work?"
Sungmin just sighed again, but this time in impatience. "Of course it will. This object did not become a legend for fraud."
"Not what I meant. Do you think it's a fake and that the real one really is hidden somewhere else?"
"No, I'm certain that this is the real one. I can feel the power emitting from it."
Heechul just groaned at the other ignorance. "I feel as if we've been fooled in some way. An object of legend should have not been so easy to get."
"You call disabling an eoduun barrier easy?"
"Well, you didn't have much of a struggle with it."
Sungmin huffed in annoyance. "It takes a special kind of power to disable something like that. There are only two types of magic that can do that: physical manipulation and light manipulation. Both are rare powers."
"So? You would still think that they would try and be aware of all situations."
Sungmin just sighed in defeat. "Believe whatever you want, Chul. I'm just happy our struggles will finally be over."
“You can’t be sure about that.”
Sungmin turned his glance to him, the previously cheery eyes darkening considerably. “I am sure.” He shook his head, annoyed at his friend’s negativity. With a small huff, he tiptoed into his brother’s room.
Immediately his anger dissipated as he watched the small boy encased within the blankets, fast asleep. His little brother seemed to radiate peace and serenity, and it was nearly impossible to hold on to any anger, whether it was directed at the younger or not, when he was with Donghae. Feet not making a single sound as they touched the ground, he walked through the cheery room to the foot of the bed, where the younger lay, mind in another world. He looked peaceful, almost as if he didn’t have a care in the world.
A smile worked its way to Sungmin’s lips, and he chuckled softly. Finally his brother would get the life he deserved.
He pulled out the small, key-like device out of his jacket and held it out in front of him. Closing his eyes, he let his power lead him, and slowly let bits of his power flow into the object. All things of magic, whether living or nonliving, had some sort of connection, so he knew he was doing the right thing. He could feel it.
As he poured more of his magic in, he could feel the changes before he saw them. The object’s aura seemed to change slightly, and a slight breeze began to blow around the room, rustling hangings and playing with his hair. A small glow started to emit from the small key, and female’s voice rang out in his head.
“Seeker of power, state your name.”
“Sungmin,” he whispered. Soft footsteps approached him, and he knew Heechul had arrived.
“Directive?”
“Heal my brother.”
He heard Heechul scoff from behind him, and he knew he must have sounded ridiculous talking to a key, but at the moment he didn’t care.
“Do you accept the price?”
“Name your price.” He wrinkled his brow in worry. Pushing boundaries always came with a price, but no matter what the price was, he would pay it gladly. Anything for his little brother.
“Your power.”
Sungmin’s eyes widened. His power? He had expected a harsh price, but not this. He glanced at his palms in shock. His power was something that was a part of him, and something that would not be easily separated from his soul. If he gave up his power, part of him would die too.
“Do you accept?”
He clenched his fist tightly. His power… verses his brother’s life. Power verses life. Life…
“I accept.”
“And the bargain is sealed. For the next week, you will donate a bit of your power to the key every day until the last day is up, and your power is gone.”
“I understand.”
The Juyo’s light shown a bit brighter, and he felt a searing heat on his palm. It wasn’t painful, yet he still flinched. When the light faded away, he set the Juyo down next to Donghae’s bed, and sank to the floor, exhausted. His palm felt slightly numb, and he turned over his hand to look at it. Engraved into his palm was the shape of flames, establishing his fate.
Heechul walked over to him, and sat down next to him. “Did it work?”
Sungmin shook his head slightly. “Not yet.”
“Not yet? What is that supposed to mean?” Sungmin could hear the frustration that laced the quiet voice.
“In a week.”
“A week!?” This time Heechul didn’t even bother to quiet his voice in his rage. Donghae shifted above them, but didn’t wake up. Glancing up, Heechul continued, he voice back to the low whisper.
“Why a week?”
“I have a week to give up my power to the Juyo as recompense for the favor. Everything comes with a price.” He could hear how weak his voice sounded, and his body echoed that. Everything in him ached, and he could feel sleep pulling at the edges of him mind, but he forced it away for just a bit longer.
“A week…” Heechul slumped slightly. “You without your power… What are we going to do after that? We rely on you power for everything; money, a home…” His voice trailed away at the end in defeat.
“I know… But it’s worth it.”
The annoyance was back in his voice as he shot back: “Worth it? How is it worth it? Your love for your brother is messing with your head. Did you even think about the future? In saving your brother, you’ve condemned us all.”
Sungmin just sunk down, not willing to reply. A small part of him wanted to admit Heechul could be right, but the stubborn part refused to let it go. “We’ll be fine.” His voice wavered slightly, and he knew Heechul heard that as he scoffed.
“I seriously hope you know what you’re doing. Cause I sure don’t see the logic in this.” He jumped up silently, and stalked out, leaving Sungmin alone in the room with only his thoughts.
…
When Kyuhyun next woke up, the sun was shining brightly, shedding its light all throughout the small room. He closed his eyes with a satisfied sigh as he felt the warm rays caress his face gently. With the way his window faced at his home, he could never see the sun coming in through the window.
He let himself relax for a few minutes more, just enjoying the morning sun, and then jumped out of bed. He was still in yesterday’s clothes, and he searched the drawers for something else to wear for the day. To his surprise, he found a white sweatshirt and some jeans. The size was a bit too large, but he would deal with it. A small price for getting out.
Quietly, he opened the small door and peaked outside. He seemed to be in a hallway of some sort. He walked down it, and stopped as he heard Hyukjae’s quiet voice coming from his room.
“-Yes I got him…-“
“Love is a dangerous thing.” Kyuhyun shook his head slightly as echoes of last night’s dream invaded his waking hours.
“I understand sir. We shall put the plan into motion as soon as we can. Good night, sir.”
He heard a phone close, and before Kyuhyun realized it, the door to Hyukjae’s room opened and he found himself face-to-face with the other.
“Kyuhyun?” His eyes widened, whether in surprise or fear Kyuhyun couldn’t tell, but he quickly composed himself. “Were you eavesdropping?”
“Who were you talking to?” he asked, unabashedly.
Something in Hyukjae’s eyes seemed to change for a moment, but it was gone the moment it came, leaving Kyuhyun wondering if it was just a figment of his imagination.
“Our boss. He wants us to investigate the scene today. See if we can find anything out of the ordinary there. You ready?”
Kyuhyun nodded.
“Good. It’s going to be a long day.”
A.N.: Another chaptie~ Yeah sorry for taking so long… I just finished taking an AP test… and I spent the last month studying hard for it. I hope I do well! It felt too easy… not sure whether that’s a good or bad thing.
Um… yeah. Tell me what you think^^ Subbies and comments are always appreciated! (A lot)
I really hope this isn’t as bad as I think it is…
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