A World Without - Chapter Six
Name: A World Without
Fandom: SS501 (appearances by Super Junior)
Pairings: KyuMin, 2HJ, 2YS, friendship!KyuSaeng, friendship!MinSaeng
Total Word Count: 33, 000
Chapters: 6/7 + Epilogue
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Post-Apocalyptic themes, violence
Genre: Adventure, Romance, and a bit of Crack stirred in
Prompt: "A kiss is a lovely trick, designed by nature, to stop words when speech becomes superfluous."
Summary: 40 years after humankind was deemed to have lost one chance too many, the world is still struggling to recover from the effects of the Last War. With humans now exist after being systematically wiped out, and the powerful Order overlooking all, it looked like they would finally be able live in peace. That was before a small caravan of Healers discover something in the ruins that will turn their views on atonement and suffering for the sins of the past upside down.
A/N: This is for my bestie forever, ziippers <3 Originally a one-shot, that idea kinda...died. I'm so sorry, it hardly even relates to the prompt or anything anymore @.@;;; Hope you still like it anyways? <3 /sheepish/ Updates will be every two days. Thank you to the always amazing curionenene for betaing, ILYBB~~~ <3333
TO READERS: I'm sorry, but the amount of 2HJ in this fic is rather small: it's focusing mainly on KyuMin's relationship. I'm sorry for any misconceptions this may have caused. Hope you all enjoy reading anyways.
Pyongyang was in a similar state to Seoul, though thankfully less radioactive.
Kicking at the rubble with one foot, HyungJoon looked around. "What do you think? Something we can fix?"
YoungSaeng crouched to the ground, picking up a handful of soil and watching it fall. "There's no radioactivity at all, so we might have a chance. The soil needs a bit of work, but other than that we just need to give the plants a little boost."
It had always amazed KyuJong how quickly the world had turned green again after the Last War...or at least their part of it. According to HyunJoong and JungMin, North America and Europe were still pretty much the way Pyongyang and Seoul were now.
Apparently the quick work in Korea was all thanks to the Healer organization, something exclusive to Asia right now. The rest of the world was still busy dealing with the nuclear fallout, something Korea had been spared of aside from Seoul. So they focused on restoring the forests and fields instead.
Despite the fact that he had no idea what he was doing, KyuJong was quickly swept up into preparations for the healing. He helped YoungSaeng mix water, seeds, soil and who knew what else in one of the empty pots, grinding at it with their hands. Once it had turned into a thick paste, he was sent to mark off the best places to start in the ruins with HyungJoon and HyunJoong. Honestly he had no idea how they were able to climb over twisted shapes and vehicles and pass by the remains of bodies without even blinking, until he noticed them whispering under their breathes and realized they were praying for the dead.
It was really the best they could do for them. KyuJong knew if he had perished then, he would be glad to know he would soon be taken back into the earth under the Healer's guidance rather than left to rot in a metal graveyard.
Maybe the term 'Healer' didn't just apply to the land.
Once they'd returned, YoungSaeng handed them pots of the paste and instructed KyuJong to follow the others and spread it over the worst off areas, the ones where the plants would need an extra hold to grow. Personally he would have spread the mixture everywhere, until HyungJoon showed him what to look for. A lack of soil, places that were still high off the ground, places the sun wouldn't reach.
By the time all this was done it was night already. After a quiet dinner outside the ruins, they all fell into an exhausted sleep.
The next day had HyungJoon tickling JungMin into his griffin form yet again, and KyuJong learned there had been a reason why they'd gotten the two of them flying last time. Spreading the seeds would be a lot easier if they could do it from the air.
"Are you sure about this?" KyuJong asked uneasily as his legs were spelled down again. JungMin grumbled about being used as a packhorse below him.
"Of course," HyunJoong smiled, patting his knee before passing him a bucket full of seeds. "Don't dump them, just sprinkle lightly."
KyuJong rather thought it would be a miracle if he didn't drop the whole thing when JungMin took off.
"Are you okay?" KyuJong asked the griffin, feeling the body under him shift to take his weight as JungMin stood. He wasn't the lightest person on the face of the earth, and he was sure he'd seen JungMin limping a little after the last flight.
"Perfectly fine. You ready? The sooner we get this done the sooner I can kill Joonie." The griffin eyed the halfling darkly.
Swallowing, KyuJong carefully laid down across JungMin's back, holding onto the bucket securely. "As ready as I'll ever be, I suppose."
JungMin started running first, flapping his wings hard to get them airborne. KyuJong could feel the muscles straining under him before suddenly the ground fell away, and they were rising high into the air. Nearly slipping off, he somehow managed to hold on to both JungMin and the bucket until they were flying level over the ruins.
KyuJong's stomach fell out. The ruins seemed to go on forever. Once he took a closer look though, he noticed the edge of the forest on the other side of Pyongyang.
"Got those seeds ready?" JungMin asked, wheeling around to bring them back to the ruin's edge.
Nodding, KyuJong dipped his hand into the bucket and pulled out a handful of them. As he was instructed, he started sprinkling them lightly down into the ruins. Some of the seeds were caught by the wind, but none of them were too concerned; it just blew them further into the ruins.
It was a relaxing work, though long. As JungMin flew in a grid pattern over the ruins, they talked about anything and everything. Letting a slow but steady stream of seeds fall from his fingertips, KyuJong listened as JungMin explained more about how the healing process worked, how it was possible for griffins to fly, what other countries looked like. KyuJong also kept the griffin amused with tales of mischief between he and his old friends, silly little pranks they'd play on each other and children's campfire stories.
There were subjects they never touched though...such as the fact that those friends were now dead, and the amount of griffins left in the sky was down to a mere handful across the world.
After a while, KyuJong remembered a subject that had confused him for a while. "JungMin...why did YoungSaeng and JongWoon break up?" He asked hesitantly. It would take a fool not to notice the wistful look in YoungSaeng's eyes as he watched the clouds, as if hoping JongWoon would just fall from the sky like he was so prone to doing.
JungMin was silent for a moment. "YoungSaeng called it off himself."
That was surprising. KyuJong watched the seeds trickle down his fingertips to the earth below. "Why?"
The griffin shrugged slightly, muscles shifting under the human. "You remember when YoungSaeng explained about his attachment to his tree?"
Not sure what that had to do with JongWoon, KyuJong nodded slowly before remembering JungMin couldn't see him and replying with a yes.
"He won't be able to keep it in that pot forever. Once that tree starts putting down serious roots, YoungSaeng's stuck in that spot for the rest of his life. Normally that wouldn't be such a big deal. But JongWoon's a featherfolk."
JungMin paused. "Featherfolks are meant to travel. They migrate the same way birds do. To stay in the same spot would be as crippling to them as living in a desert would be for YoungSaeng. YoungSaeng didn't want to be the one to clip JongWoon's wings, so he broke up with him and said he just wanted to be friends. It took a while for them to get back to the point where they could hang out like they used to."
"But...they still love each other," KyuJong said quietly.
"Yeah. Yeah, they do." The conversation trailed off.
Sometime later, KyuJong noticed a faint trembling in the warm body beneath him and a strained note to the beating of large wings. JungMin was tiring...they had been up in the air for who knew how long. The sun had shifted quite a bit in the sky.
"I think we should take a break," he said, holding the bucket close and stopping the stream of seeds.
"I'm fine, keep going," JungMin insisted, but even his mind-voice sounded off.
"Break," KyuJong replied firmly, and refused to continue dumping the seeds until JungMin circled around to find a place to land, grumbling.
For all his tough talk, JungMin's legs nearly gave out when they landed just beside the caravan a minute later. Startled, KyuJong accidentally let go of the bucket and the seeds scattered through the grass.
"You both alright?" came a sleepy voice from the caravan. HyunJoong was the only one of the other three present, YoungSaeng and HyungJoon probably working in the ruins.
"Yeah," KyuJong panted, finding the chink in the spell on his legs and sliding off JungMin's back. When his feet touched the ground, he yelped and collapsed. His legs had cramped up after being immobile for so long. JungMin nudged at him with his head, and realizing belatedly he had once again landed on the edge of the griffin's wing, KyuJong winced and carefully lifted himself up so JungMin could move away.
"Here." HyunJoong tossed a set of clothing at JungMin. "You guys can continue tomorrow." KyuJong nodded in agreement.
JungMin didn't argue (the exhaustion must have finally gotten to him) as he shifted back into his human form. Giving a start, KyuJong quickly averted his eyes as he threatened to turn into a human tomato, but not before he caught sight of the bruises starting to form around the griffin's shoulder blades.
Only when JungMin was fully clothed did he turn his attention back towards the griffin, and to the seeds that were now scattered through the grass. "Sorry," he sighed as he started to gather them up again. HyunJoong's answer was a soft snore; the drow had fallen asleep again.
A second pair of hands entered his field of vision, and KyuJong looked up as JungMin started to help gather the seeds. "Clutz," he chuckled.
"I wouldn't have dropped them if you hadn't nearly faceplanted into the ground," KyuJong replied teasingly. "Have you been taking lessons from JongWoon sshi?"
"Maybe you'd fail at landing as much as him if we gave you wings."
Whatever comeback KyuJong had been about to give died in his throat when, in an absentminded attempt to pick up a large pile of seeds, he found himself catching JungMin's hand instead when the griffin reached for the same pile.
He knew he should probably let go, but then he made the mistake of looking up to see their faces were close...very close. His head spun, chest constricting so tight he could barely breathe, but it didn't scare him.
JungMin just stared as KyuJong slowly leaned in again, not breathing. He knew he should move, break eye contact, something, except it was like he was under a spell...which was stupid, because KyuJong was human and hadn't a drop of magic in his body, right?
This person was human, and the griffin remembered thinking how generic his appearance was when they found him, how lack-luster he seemed. But there was nothing plain about the chocolate brown eyes that seemed to shine with a light that had nothing to do with his bloodline, warm and inviting and a sweet question all at once.
The spell caught him completely and the griffin leaned forward in answer, feeling the light caress of the human's breath against his lips, watching the soft brown eyes slowly close...
"DANGER! RUN, HURRY!"
The two sprang apart, hands separating as they stared at each other. But that only lasted half a second before HyungJoon appeared right beside them, skin so pale against the shadows he was almost white.
"What?" JungMin snapped, a little harder than he intended to, but something was twisting in his stomach at the pure, undiluted fear in their magnae's eyes. HyunJoong snapped awake behind them, hopping off the caravan bench.
"S...Scouts," the halfling squeaked, and it was as if the world fell out from under them.
"...What?!"
"Scouts are here!" YoungSaeng's voice crossed the clearing ahead of him as the hamadryad ran full-tilt out of the ruins, panting for breath and clutching at a stitch in his side despite the fact he was very fit.
His words echoed through their heads.
"Scouts are coming, and they know about KyuJong!"
JungMin was frozen in shock. HyungJoon shook so hard he was practically vibrating, HyunJoong unmoving as he stared. A choked whimper sounded from beside him, and JungMin turned his head to see KyuJong had turned as white as a sheet, breath coming in short gasps before he turned wide, frantic eyes to the griffin.
The realization hit all five of them like a ton of bricks.
They'll kill him.
The human gave another shuddering gasp before somehow recovering first. Before any of them could react, he was on his feet and running into the ruins.
"KyuJong!" JungMin yelled, snapping out of it and sprinting after him.
HyungJoon took two shaky steps forward. "What do we do?" he whispered.
They'd thought if they were careful enough, they could protect him. Couldn't they?
"We need to get out of here," HyunJoong swallowed. "HyungJoon, follow and bring them back. Don't let JungMin fly...it would be too obvious, they'll just shoot him down." He knew how Scouts worked, having been one.
The halfling nodded and disappeared into the shadows. YoungSaeng turned to HyunJoong and started to speak, but his breath caught in his throat as his eyes locked on something over the drow's shoulder.
Feeling shivers run through his body, HyunJoong slowly turned around to meet the cold eyes of a high elf warrior, the emblem of the Scouts branded into his chest armor and glowing in a dark promise.
******************************
Pain shot through his legs as he ran, forcing himself to his limit as his breath escaped him in sharp bursts. He had to run, he couldn't stop. If he slowed down even for an instant, hesitated for a fraction of a second, they would catch him.
And he would die.
In the growing darkness, the ruins twisted and curved around him like the living shadows of a nightmare. He spotted a smashed car in the corner of his eyes before he ran past, then another, then a pile of glass. Always he imagined he could feel the eyes of the dead watching him, the dead who had once been just like him and who had paid for the mistakes of their kind. Paid with their lives, as he now had to pay.
Feeling tears blurring his vision, KyuJong wiped them away quickly. If he couldn't see, he would trip or run into something, and he couldn't afford the moment of distraction. For a moment he imagined he could hear someone calling his name, but the wind roared in his ears as he took a corner and he pushed it out of his mind.
The ruins were the only safe places left. The Scouts could never find him here. He'd grown up in their metal web, foraging for anything that could be of use among the bodies, hiding with wide eyes as caravans of nonhumans rolled by. Sometimes he had to watch them take away his friends and family too.
Find a hole, and hide. Hide among those who were as dead as he himself should be, lay still and quiet and maybe they would overlook you. Maybe. If they looked closer and found a heart that was still beating among the rotting and bug-infected corpses, then that heart was guaranteed to have stopped by the time the caravans leave.
What did he do? What had he done wrong that was punishable by death, besides be born?
A cold hand closed around his wrist.
Yelling in alarm, KyuJong whirled around and punched the person holding him hard, panting as he looked down at the groaning man...and froze.
HyungJoon winced, holding his jaw. "...Ow..."
Heart jumping into his throat, KyuJong hurriedly pulled the halfling back to his feet. "H...HyungJoon? Why are you here?"
Shaking his head to clear it, the other man smiled at him shakily. "To get you, of course. We're getting out of here before they catch up." Looking around, he groaned. "You must have lost JungMin somewhere."
"JungMin?" It took a moment to process HyungJoon's words. "You're...helping me? Still?"
"Of course we are," HyungJoon panted, grabbing at KyuJong's hand again. "Now let's go before they-EEP!"
They appeared without warning, like the shadows HyungJoon used to travel. KyuJong counted six at the very least, and he was sure there were more hiding in reserve. The matter of a living human was too important to send out anything less.
"Wait, don't hurt him!" HyungJoon exclaimed, trying to step in front of KyuJong and shield him, but there were Scouts on all sides of them.
"The rules of the Order decree we take him in for questioning," the leader of the group said, a young man who looked rather human himself. But upon closer look, HyungJoon felt goosebumps start to crawl from the sheer amount of power he was emitting.
No one messed with a dragon, even in human form.
"But he hasn't done anything wrong!" HyungJoon yelled, starting forward and suddenly finding a sharp blade against his throat.
"Stand down, halfling," the Scout said, eyes sharp as he stopped HyungJoon from reaching their leader.
HyungJoon gulped, and his eyes widened as he saw someone step towards KyuJong. "Leave him!" he yelled in fear for his friend.
KyuJong backed up, and stopped when he realized he was just heading towards someone else. Drawing in a shaky breath, he waited before the approaching featherfolk was within range before suddenly lashing out with hands and feet, landing a few blows before his arms were roughly yanked behind him and he yelped in pain.
"LET GO!" He screamed just as someone behind him shouted, "LET GO OF HIM!"
Whirling around at the familiar voice, KyuJong's eyes widened as JungMin dropkicked one of the Scouts idiot enough to block his path. "KyuJong!" he yelled, and KyuJong spotted a ripple under the other man's skin, knowing he was going to shift back in order to protect him.
That was before there was a deafening crack, a man who appeared out of the shadows striking the griffin hard over the head. JungMin collapsed.
Staring at the prone form and the slow trickle of red that slipped out from under crimson hair, KyuJong felt everything spin around him. "JungMin!" he cried hoarsely, rushing forward and breaking the grip on his arms. Before he could reach the other man, his legs suddenly snapped together in a binding spell and he fell onto his stomach with a choked gasp.
KyuJong's vision blurred with tears as he strained to reach out, his shaking fingertips brushing against JungMin's unmoving ones before he was hauled roughly to his feet, his arms bound the same way as his legs before he was slung over the back of a horse.
HyungJoon could only watch as the human struggled, yelling at the top of his lungs before the dragon passed a hand over his eyes and KyuJong went still, body going limp and eyes fluttering shut.
"You...you didn't..." The halfling felt the tears fall. "You killed him?!"
"First he must be brought for questioning," the dragon repeated simply, brilliant sapphire eyes trained on HyungJoon.
"We have the other two belonging to the caravan," a voice suddenly echoed in the air around them, the traces of a spell flickering at the corner of HyungJoon's eyes. "What should we do with them?"
"Let them go," the dragon replied. "We are here for the human only."
"Yes sir." The voice and spell faded.
Watching the group begin to leave, HyungJoon rushed forward again. "Please! He never did anything wrong! He didn't choose to be born human!" the halfling pleaded desperately, and was knocked back into the ground.
The dragon looked around them at the ruins. "Look around you, halfling. Would you like this to be repeated?"
HyungJoon shook his head hard. "But-"
"Choose your alliance carefully, half-breed," growled one of the Scouts, eyes glowing a deep red. "Or the Order might revise that decision to leave the halflings untouched."
HyungJoon turned white, his voice leaving him.
The group of Scouts disappeared as suddenly as they had arrived, leaving only a motionless JungMin and a quietly sobbing HyungJoon in it's wake.
*********************************
By the time the caravan reached them, JungMin had started to wake up. HyungJoon scrambled back out of harms way as the griffin slowly realized that KyuJong was gone and began to destroy the surrounding ruins, hoarse yells of rage and pain escaping him over and over again. At first they let him take out his frustrations, until YoungSaeng noticed the steady streams of blood that flowed from the torn skin of his hands and arms with every blow. Still shaky on his feet after a few of his tree's leaves had been plucked off in warning, the hamadryad stood and staggered over to the grieving griffin. Wrapping surprisingly strong arms around him, YoungSaeng held him still until he stopped injuring himself and started to cry instead.
HyungJoon curled up in a corner of the clearing, staring blankly into space with tears still rolling down his cheeks. HyunJoong went to sit beside him with a sigh, not speaking. After a minute of nothing, the halfling slowly leaned against the older man, shutting his eyes and sniffling quietly.
"He didn't deserve that," he whispered, voicing the thought that echoed around all their heads.
He was human. They all knew the risks. They all knew what humans had done. Maybe it was insanity on their part to doubt what had happened, but after getting to know KyuJong so well he was practically family, it was insanity they had all unconsciously embraced.
The insanity that believed one human's kindness could erase centuries of the pain humankind had caused.
"Here you guys are!"
YoungSaeng looked up sharply from comforting JungMin at the all too familiar voice. His eyes widened at the figure in the sky, circling overhead before swooping in to land.
"JongWoon, watch out for the-"
CRASH!
YoungSaeng winced as the featherfolk hit a raised part of what used to be a building and tumbled sideways, hitting the ground with a muffled yelp and a cloud of dust.
Suddenly they were surrounded people, three caravans rolling into the area through the sole street clear enough to maneuver in. Voices called out to them, then died off when they realized something was wrong. JungMin turned away from them, body completely stiff. YoungSaeng slowly let go of the griffin and walked over to where JongWoon was coughing in the dust, helping the featherfolk back to his feet and checking his wings to make sure he didn't break anything in the fall.
"What's going on?" RyeoWook asked quietly, scooting closer to KyuHyun as they watched HyungJoon wipe away obvious tears.
It was DongHae who noticed first. "Hey, where's KyuJong? The dreamwalker?"
There was a sharp crack of metal as JungMin punched the side of a twisted car.
HyunJoong sighed. "...Long story." He motioned for all 15 of the large caravan to gather around, Han Geng ready to translate for Henli and Zhou Mi. YoungSaeng managed to pull JungMin over as well, sitting him down and starting to tend to his wounds with his herbal remedies.
There was silence as the drow explained everything, right from the beginning. Other than occasional gasps from RyeoWook, DongHae and SungMin, the group listened intently. JungMin clenched his hands as HyunJoong ran over how they discovered KyuJong, how they struck a deal with him, how slowly but surely the human wove his way into their lives and hearts until the mere thought of his coming death drove their magnae to hysterics and their griffin to a raging frenzy.
Once he was finished, there was nothing for a long moment, the group taking it in. JungSu was the first to reply. "You know you shouldn't have hidden a human," he started quietly, sadness in his voice.
"It didn't matter if he was alive though," HyungJoon insisted. "One human can't possibly revive the entire race by himself. There would just be us halflings, and what's wrong with us, right? Right?" He looked to YoungWoon and RyeoWook for support. The lycan looked back at him with a level gaze, RyeoWook looking down without a word.
"He's a Healer now," YoungSaeng murmured. "Like us. You didn't see his face as he helped us work on the ruins. He was so happy to be able to make a difference."
"What does it matter now?" KyuHyun asked. "They got him. There's nothing we could do because right after they question him, he'll be killed. He might have already been. Spells are much more effective in interrogation than torture could ever have been for the humans."
"We still have a chance." JungMin stood up and started pacing in frustration. They could almost see the feathers rustling under the human disguise. "They would have taken him to the nearest fortification. That's less than a day away going slowly. There would be policies to go through, especially since no one was expecting to see another human again, and formalities that would buy us time. We could sneak in and get him out."
The large group just stared at him. "You're talking about treason," SungMin whispered.
"We can't go against the Order," SiWon protested.
"This is insanity," KyuHyun shook his head.
The griffin ground his jaw in barely contained anger. "Alright. So we let this slide, just because KyuJong's human. What if the Order pulls back that law to leave halflings untouched? It took them long enough to put it into effect in the first place, it's hardly impossible for them to take it back. Then what? Do we just sit aside like good little dogs and let them take our friends away?"
His words finally seemed to reach some of them. HyungJoon wiped away his tears and straightened. "One of them threatened to do it too," he said, voice quiet. "As a way to keep me in line, he threatened me with the lives of every halfling in the world."
"That isn't right," JongWoon bristled. YoungSaeng smiled hopefully at him.
"What would you do if they came for me?" RyeoWook's voice was quiet and halting as he looked at the others out of the corner of his eyes. "I'm half human. What if they decided I had to die too?"
"Never!" DongHae and HyukJae chorused as KyuHyun shifted closer to the halfling.
"We...can't..." They all looked to Henry, who was struggling with his words and motioning helplessly at HyungJoon, YoungWoon and RyeoWook. "They are..." He looked at Zhou Mi for help and said something in Mandarin.
"Innocent," Geng translated. "They are all innocent, no matter their bloodline."
"So why should KyuJong be any different?" prompted HyunJoong. "If halflings are capable of atoning for the wrongs of their kind in peace, why can't he?"
There was a long silence, the group looking at each other.
"Well, I'm sold." SungMin stood and dusted the ashes off his pants. "It's annoying the way halflings are treated like dirt, and if it's going to be worse for him, he'll need friends."
JungMin perked up, looking at them.
"I'll help," RyeoWook said slowly. "I can distract the guards." Having a yuki-onna as a mother lent him the ability of being highly persuasive.
"You'll need a partner for that before one of them tries raping you," KyuHyun rolled his eyes, the incubus seeming to look forward to a challenge.
YoungWoon nodded, lips pressed firmly together. "I used to be human."
"Count us in," HyukJae stated with DongHae nodding along beside him. Of course you could always count on sprites for a spot of mischief.
"I will infiltrate before all this, to make sure the human is within our reach," spoke KiBum, appearing out of the shadows next to them and making HyungJoon jump.
"..." JungSu chewed on his lower lip. "I in no way condone this...but perhaps I could use the wind to relay messages before you all get yourselves killed."
"And of course I'll be there too," JongWoon stated loudly.
"He's going to get himself killed," KyuHyun groaned.
YoungSaeng just beamed and shifted a little closer to the featherfolk.
HyunJoong watched the others talk amongst themselves, giving a soft sigh of relief. It had been an all or nothing risk in telling their friends about this. Either they helped them, or they would be obliged to stop them. Thankfully, they had amazing friends.
As preparations started to get the four caravans rolling again, HeeChul watched JungMin with a smirk on his lips. The griffin was helping out far more than he usually did, trying to get them moving faster.
"So when did featherbrains get a crush?"
YoungSaeng laughed quietly as he passed by him. There was another reason why they had to get KyuJong out of the Order's clutches alive...
Because even though a world without humans was needed most, a world without KyuJong was no longer enough for one of them.
Fandom: SS501 (appearances by Super Junior)
Pairings: KyuMin, 2HJ, 2YS, friendship!KyuSaeng, friendship!MinSaeng
Total Word Count: 33, 000
Chapters: 6/7 + Epilogue
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Post-Apocalyptic themes, violence
Genre: Adventure, Romance, and a bit of Crack stirred in
Prompt: "A kiss is a lovely trick, designed by nature, to stop words when speech becomes superfluous."
Summary: 40 years after humankind was deemed to have lost one chance too many, the world is still struggling to recover from the effects of the Last War. With humans now exist after being systematically wiped out, and the powerful Order overlooking all, it looked like they would finally be able live in peace. That was before a small caravan of Healers discover something in the ruins that will turn their views on atonement and suffering for the sins of the past upside down.
A/N: This is for my bestie forever, ziippers <3 Originally a one-shot, that idea kinda...died. I'm so sorry, it hardly even relates to the prompt or anything anymore @.@;;; Hope you still like it anyways? <3 /sheepish/ Updates will be every two days. Thank you to the always amazing curionenene for betaing, ILYBB~~~ <3333
TO READERS: I'm sorry, but the amount of 2HJ in this fic is rather small: it's focusing mainly on KyuMin's relationship. I'm sorry for any misconceptions this may have caused. Hope you all enjoy reading anyways.
Pyongyang was in a similar state to Seoul, though thankfully less radioactive.
Kicking at the rubble with one foot, HyungJoon looked around. "What do you think? Something we can fix?"
YoungSaeng crouched to the ground, picking up a handful of soil and watching it fall. "There's no radioactivity at all, so we might have a chance. The soil needs a bit of work, but other than that we just need to give the plants a little boost."
It had always amazed KyuJong how quickly the world had turned green again after the Last War...or at least their part of it. According to HyunJoong and JungMin, North America and Europe were still pretty much the way Pyongyang and Seoul were now.
Apparently the quick work in Korea was all thanks to the Healer organization, something exclusive to Asia right now. The rest of the world was still busy dealing with the nuclear fallout, something Korea had been spared of aside from Seoul. So they focused on restoring the forests and fields instead.
Despite the fact that he had no idea what he was doing, KyuJong was quickly swept up into preparations for the healing. He helped YoungSaeng mix water, seeds, soil and who knew what else in one of the empty pots, grinding at it with their hands. Once it had turned into a thick paste, he was sent to mark off the best places to start in the ruins with HyungJoon and HyunJoong. Honestly he had no idea how they were able to climb over twisted shapes and vehicles and pass by the remains of bodies without even blinking, until he noticed them whispering under their breathes and realized they were praying for the dead.
It was really the best they could do for them. KyuJong knew if he had perished then, he would be glad to know he would soon be taken back into the earth under the Healer's guidance rather than left to rot in a metal graveyard.
Maybe the term 'Healer' didn't just apply to the land.
Once they'd returned, YoungSaeng handed them pots of the paste and instructed KyuJong to follow the others and spread it over the worst off areas, the ones where the plants would need an extra hold to grow. Personally he would have spread the mixture everywhere, until HyungJoon showed him what to look for. A lack of soil, places that were still high off the ground, places the sun wouldn't reach.
By the time all this was done it was night already. After a quiet dinner outside the ruins, they all fell into an exhausted sleep.
The next day had HyungJoon tickling JungMin into his griffin form yet again, and KyuJong learned there had been a reason why they'd gotten the two of them flying last time. Spreading the seeds would be a lot easier if they could do it from the air.
"Are you sure about this?" KyuJong asked uneasily as his legs were spelled down again. JungMin grumbled about being used as a packhorse below him.
"Of course," HyunJoong smiled, patting his knee before passing him a bucket full of seeds. "Don't dump them, just sprinkle lightly."
KyuJong rather thought it would be a miracle if he didn't drop the whole thing when JungMin took off.
"Are you okay?" KyuJong asked the griffin, feeling the body under him shift to take his weight as JungMin stood. He wasn't the lightest person on the face of the earth, and he was sure he'd seen JungMin limping a little after the last flight.
"Perfectly fine. You ready? The sooner we get this done the sooner I can kill Joonie." The griffin eyed the halfling darkly.
Swallowing, KyuJong carefully laid down across JungMin's back, holding onto the bucket securely. "As ready as I'll ever be, I suppose."
JungMin started running first, flapping his wings hard to get them airborne. KyuJong could feel the muscles straining under him before suddenly the ground fell away, and they were rising high into the air. Nearly slipping off, he somehow managed to hold on to both JungMin and the bucket until they were flying level over the ruins.
KyuJong's stomach fell out. The ruins seemed to go on forever. Once he took a closer look though, he noticed the edge of the forest on the other side of Pyongyang.
"Got those seeds ready?" JungMin asked, wheeling around to bring them back to the ruin's edge.
Nodding, KyuJong dipped his hand into the bucket and pulled out a handful of them. As he was instructed, he started sprinkling them lightly down into the ruins. Some of the seeds were caught by the wind, but none of them were too concerned; it just blew them further into the ruins.
It was a relaxing work, though long. As JungMin flew in a grid pattern over the ruins, they talked about anything and everything. Letting a slow but steady stream of seeds fall from his fingertips, KyuJong listened as JungMin explained more about how the healing process worked, how it was possible for griffins to fly, what other countries looked like. KyuJong also kept the griffin amused with tales of mischief between he and his old friends, silly little pranks they'd play on each other and children's campfire stories.
There were subjects they never touched though...such as the fact that those friends were now dead, and the amount of griffins left in the sky was down to a mere handful across the world.
After a while, KyuJong remembered a subject that had confused him for a while. "JungMin...why did YoungSaeng and JongWoon break up?" He asked hesitantly. It would take a fool not to notice the wistful look in YoungSaeng's eyes as he watched the clouds, as if hoping JongWoon would just fall from the sky like he was so prone to doing.
JungMin was silent for a moment. "YoungSaeng called it off himself."
That was surprising. KyuJong watched the seeds trickle down his fingertips to the earth below. "Why?"
The griffin shrugged slightly, muscles shifting under the human. "You remember when YoungSaeng explained about his attachment to his tree?"
Not sure what that had to do with JongWoon, KyuJong nodded slowly before remembering JungMin couldn't see him and replying with a yes.
"He won't be able to keep it in that pot forever. Once that tree starts putting down serious roots, YoungSaeng's stuck in that spot for the rest of his life. Normally that wouldn't be such a big deal. But JongWoon's a featherfolk."
JungMin paused. "Featherfolks are meant to travel. They migrate the same way birds do. To stay in the same spot would be as crippling to them as living in a desert would be for YoungSaeng. YoungSaeng didn't want to be the one to clip JongWoon's wings, so he broke up with him and said he just wanted to be friends. It took a while for them to get back to the point where they could hang out like they used to."
"But...they still love each other," KyuJong said quietly.
"Yeah. Yeah, they do." The conversation trailed off.
Sometime later, KyuJong noticed a faint trembling in the warm body beneath him and a strained note to the beating of large wings. JungMin was tiring...they had been up in the air for who knew how long. The sun had shifted quite a bit in the sky.
"I think we should take a break," he said, holding the bucket close and stopping the stream of seeds.
"I'm fine, keep going," JungMin insisted, but even his mind-voice sounded off.
"Break," KyuJong replied firmly, and refused to continue dumping the seeds until JungMin circled around to find a place to land, grumbling.
For all his tough talk, JungMin's legs nearly gave out when they landed just beside the caravan a minute later. Startled, KyuJong accidentally let go of the bucket and the seeds scattered through the grass.
"You both alright?" came a sleepy voice from the caravan. HyunJoong was the only one of the other three present, YoungSaeng and HyungJoon probably working in the ruins.
"Yeah," KyuJong panted, finding the chink in the spell on his legs and sliding off JungMin's back. When his feet touched the ground, he yelped and collapsed. His legs had cramped up after being immobile for so long. JungMin nudged at him with his head, and realizing belatedly he had once again landed on the edge of the griffin's wing, KyuJong winced and carefully lifted himself up so JungMin could move away.
"Here." HyunJoong tossed a set of clothing at JungMin. "You guys can continue tomorrow." KyuJong nodded in agreement.
JungMin didn't argue (the exhaustion must have finally gotten to him) as he shifted back into his human form. Giving a start, KyuJong quickly averted his eyes as he threatened to turn into a human tomato, but not before he caught sight of the bruises starting to form around the griffin's shoulder blades.
Only when JungMin was fully clothed did he turn his attention back towards the griffin, and to the seeds that were now scattered through the grass. "Sorry," he sighed as he started to gather them up again. HyunJoong's answer was a soft snore; the drow had fallen asleep again.
A second pair of hands entered his field of vision, and KyuJong looked up as JungMin started to help gather the seeds. "Clutz," he chuckled.
"I wouldn't have dropped them if you hadn't nearly faceplanted into the ground," KyuJong replied teasingly. "Have you been taking lessons from JongWoon sshi?"
"Maybe you'd fail at landing as much as him if we gave you wings."
Whatever comeback KyuJong had been about to give died in his throat when, in an absentminded attempt to pick up a large pile of seeds, he found himself catching JungMin's hand instead when the griffin reached for the same pile.
He knew he should probably let go, but then he made the mistake of looking up to see their faces were close...very close. His head spun, chest constricting so tight he could barely breathe, but it didn't scare him.
JungMin just stared as KyuJong slowly leaned in again, not breathing. He knew he should move, break eye contact, something, except it was like he was under a spell...which was stupid, because KyuJong was human and hadn't a drop of magic in his body, right?
This person was human, and the griffin remembered thinking how generic his appearance was when they found him, how lack-luster he seemed. But there was nothing plain about the chocolate brown eyes that seemed to shine with a light that had nothing to do with his bloodline, warm and inviting and a sweet question all at once.
The spell caught him completely and the griffin leaned forward in answer, feeling the light caress of the human's breath against his lips, watching the soft brown eyes slowly close...
"DANGER! RUN, HURRY!"
The two sprang apart, hands separating as they stared at each other. But that only lasted half a second before HyungJoon appeared right beside them, skin so pale against the shadows he was almost white.
"What?" JungMin snapped, a little harder than he intended to, but something was twisting in his stomach at the pure, undiluted fear in their magnae's eyes. HyunJoong snapped awake behind them, hopping off the caravan bench.
"S...Scouts," the halfling squeaked, and it was as if the world fell out from under them.
"...What?!"
"Scouts are here!" YoungSaeng's voice crossed the clearing ahead of him as the hamadryad ran full-tilt out of the ruins, panting for breath and clutching at a stitch in his side despite the fact he was very fit.
His words echoed through their heads.
"Scouts are coming, and they know about KyuJong!"
JungMin was frozen in shock. HyungJoon shook so hard he was practically vibrating, HyunJoong unmoving as he stared. A choked whimper sounded from beside him, and JungMin turned his head to see KyuJong had turned as white as a sheet, breath coming in short gasps before he turned wide, frantic eyes to the griffin.
The realization hit all five of them like a ton of bricks.
They'll kill him.
The human gave another shuddering gasp before somehow recovering first. Before any of them could react, he was on his feet and running into the ruins.
"KyuJong!" JungMin yelled, snapping out of it and sprinting after him.
HyungJoon took two shaky steps forward. "What do we do?" he whispered.
They'd thought if they were careful enough, they could protect him. Couldn't they?
"We need to get out of here," HyunJoong swallowed. "HyungJoon, follow and bring them back. Don't let JungMin fly...it would be too obvious, they'll just shoot him down." He knew how Scouts worked, having been one.
The halfling nodded and disappeared into the shadows. YoungSaeng turned to HyunJoong and started to speak, but his breath caught in his throat as his eyes locked on something over the drow's shoulder.
Feeling shivers run through his body, HyunJoong slowly turned around to meet the cold eyes of a high elf warrior, the emblem of the Scouts branded into his chest armor and glowing in a dark promise.
******************************
Pain shot through his legs as he ran, forcing himself to his limit as his breath escaped him in sharp bursts. He had to run, he couldn't stop. If he slowed down even for an instant, hesitated for a fraction of a second, they would catch him.
And he would die.
In the growing darkness, the ruins twisted and curved around him like the living shadows of a nightmare. He spotted a smashed car in the corner of his eyes before he ran past, then another, then a pile of glass. Always he imagined he could feel the eyes of the dead watching him, the dead who had once been just like him and who had paid for the mistakes of their kind. Paid with their lives, as he now had to pay.
Feeling tears blurring his vision, KyuJong wiped them away quickly. If he couldn't see, he would trip or run into something, and he couldn't afford the moment of distraction. For a moment he imagined he could hear someone calling his name, but the wind roared in his ears as he took a corner and he pushed it out of his mind.
The ruins were the only safe places left. The Scouts could never find him here. He'd grown up in their metal web, foraging for anything that could be of use among the bodies, hiding with wide eyes as caravans of nonhumans rolled by. Sometimes he had to watch them take away his friends and family too.
Find a hole, and hide. Hide among those who were as dead as he himself should be, lay still and quiet and maybe they would overlook you. Maybe. If they looked closer and found a heart that was still beating among the rotting and bug-infected corpses, then that heart was guaranteed to have stopped by the time the caravans leave.
What did he do? What had he done wrong that was punishable by death, besides be born?
A cold hand closed around his wrist.
Yelling in alarm, KyuJong whirled around and punched the person holding him hard, panting as he looked down at the groaning man...and froze.
HyungJoon winced, holding his jaw. "...Ow..."
Heart jumping into his throat, KyuJong hurriedly pulled the halfling back to his feet. "H...HyungJoon? Why are you here?"
Shaking his head to clear it, the other man smiled at him shakily. "To get you, of course. We're getting out of here before they catch up." Looking around, he groaned. "You must have lost JungMin somewhere."
"JungMin?" It took a moment to process HyungJoon's words. "You're...helping me? Still?"
"Of course we are," HyungJoon panted, grabbing at KyuJong's hand again. "Now let's go before they-EEP!"
They appeared without warning, like the shadows HyungJoon used to travel. KyuJong counted six at the very least, and he was sure there were more hiding in reserve. The matter of a living human was too important to send out anything less.
"Wait, don't hurt him!" HyungJoon exclaimed, trying to step in front of KyuJong and shield him, but there were Scouts on all sides of them.
"The rules of the Order decree we take him in for questioning," the leader of the group said, a young man who looked rather human himself. But upon closer look, HyungJoon felt goosebumps start to crawl from the sheer amount of power he was emitting.
No one messed with a dragon, even in human form.
"But he hasn't done anything wrong!" HyungJoon yelled, starting forward and suddenly finding a sharp blade against his throat.
"Stand down, halfling," the Scout said, eyes sharp as he stopped HyungJoon from reaching their leader.
HyungJoon gulped, and his eyes widened as he saw someone step towards KyuJong. "Leave him!" he yelled in fear for his friend.
KyuJong backed up, and stopped when he realized he was just heading towards someone else. Drawing in a shaky breath, he waited before the approaching featherfolk was within range before suddenly lashing out with hands and feet, landing a few blows before his arms were roughly yanked behind him and he yelped in pain.
"LET GO!" He screamed just as someone behind him shouted, "LET GO OF HIM!"
Whirling around at the familiar voice, KyuJong's eyes widened as JungMin dropkicked one of the Scouts idiot enough to block his path. "KyuJong!" he yelled, and KyuJong spotted a ripple under the other man's skin, knowing he was going to shift back in order to protect him.
That was before there was a deafening crack, a man who appeared out of the shadows striking the griffin hard over the head. JungMin collapsed.
Staring at the prone form and the slow trickle of red that slipped out from under crimson hair, KyuJong felt everything spin around him. "JungMin!" he cried hoarsely, rushing forward and breaking the grip on his arms. Before he could reach the other man, his legs suddenly snapped together in a binding spell and he fell onto his stomach with a choked gasp.
KyuJong's vision blurred with tears as he strained to reach out, his shaking fingertips brushing against JungMin's unmoving ones before he was hauled roughly to his feet, his arms bound the same way as his legs before he was slung over the back of a horse.
HyungJoon could only watch as the human struggled, yelling at the top of his lungs before the dragon passed a hand over his eyes and KyuJong went still, body going limp and eyes fluttering shut.
"You...you didn't..." The halfling felt the tears fall. "You killed him?!"
"First he must be brought for questioning," the dragon repeated simply, brilliant sapphire eyes trained on HyungJoon.
"We have the other two belonging to the caravan," a voice suddenly echoed in the air around them, the traces of a spell flickering at the corner of HyungJoon's eyes. "What should we do with them?"
"Let them go," the dragon replied. "We are here for the human only."
"Yes sir." The voice and spell faded.
Watching the group begin to leave, HyungJoon rushed forward again. "Please! He never did anything wrong! He didn't choose to be born human!" the halfling pleaded desperately, and was knocked back into the ground.
The dragon looked around them at the ruins. "Look around you, halfling. Would you like this to be repeated?"
HyungJoon shook his head hard. "But-"
"Choose your alliance carefully, half-breed," growled one of the Scouts, eyes glowing a deep red. "Or the Order might revise that decision to leave the halflings untouched."
HyungJoon turned white, his voice leaving him.
The group of Scouts disappeared as suddenly as they had arrived, leaving only a motionless JungMin and a quietly sobbing HyungJoon in it's wake.
*********************************
By the time the caravan reached them, JungMin had started to wake up. HyungJoon scrambled back out of harms way as the griffin slowly realized that KyuJong was gone and began to destroy the surrounding ruins, hoarse yells of rage and pain escaping him over and over again. At first they let him take out his frustrations, until YoungSaeng noticed the steady streams of blood that flowed from the torn skin of his hands and arms with every blow. Still shaky on his feet after a few of his tree's leaves had been plucked off in warning, the hamadryad stood and staggered over to the grieving griffin. Wrapping surprisingly strong arms around him, YoungSaeng held him still until he stopped injuring himself and started to cry instead.
HyungJoon curled up in a corner of the clearing, staring blankly into space with tears still rolling down his cheeks. HyunJoong went to sit beside him with a sigh, not speaking. After a minute of nothing, the halfling slowly leaned against the older man, shutting his eyes and sniffling quietly.
"He didn't deserve that," he whispered, voicing the thought that echoed around all their heads.
He was human. They all knew the risks. They all knew what humans had done. Maybe it was insanity on their part to doubt what had happened, but after getting to know KyuJong so well he was practically family, it was insanity they had all unconsciously embraced.
The insanity that believed one human's kindness could erase centuries of the pain humankind had caused.
"Here you guys are!"
YoungSaeng looked up sharply from comforting JungMin at the all too familiar voice. His eyes widened at the figure in the sky, circling overhead before swooping in to land.
"JongWoon, watch out for the-"
CRASH!
YoungSaeng winced as the featherfolk hit a raised part of what used to be a building and tumbled sideways, hitting the ground with a muffled yelp and a cloud of dust.
Suddenly they were surrounded people, three caravans rolling into the area through the sole street clear enough to maneuver in. Voices called out to them, then died off when they realized something was wrong. JungMin turned away from them, body completely stiff. YoungSaeng slowly let go of the griffin and walked over to where JongWoon was coughing in the dust, helping the featherfolk back to his feet and checking his wings to make sure he didn't break anything in the fall.
"What's going on?" RyeoWook asked quietly, scooting closer to KyuHyun as they watched HyungJoon wipe away obvious tears.
It was DongHae who noticed first. "Hey, where's KyuJong? The dreamwalker?"
There was a sharp crack of metal as JungMin punched the side of a twisted car.
HyunJoong sighed. "...Long story." He motioned for all 15 of the large caravan to gather around, Han Geng ready to translate for Henli and Zhou Mi. YoungSaeng managed to pull JungMin over as well, sitting him down and starting to tend to his wounds with his herbal remedies.
There was silence as the drow explained everything, right from the beginning. Other than occasional gasps from RyeoWook, DongHae and SungMin, the group listened intently. JungMin clenched his hands as HyunJoong ran over how they discovered KyuJong, how they struck a deal with him, how slowly but surely the human wove his way into their lives and hearts until the mere thought of his coming death drove their magnae to hysterics and their griffin to a raging frenzy.
Once he was finished, there was nothing for a long moment, the group taking it in. JungSu was the first to reply. "You know you shouldn't have hidden a human," he started quietly, sadness in his voice.
"It didn't matter if he was alive though," HyungJoon insisted. "One human can't possibly revive the entire race by himself. There would just be us halflings, and what's wrong with us, right? Right?" He looked to YoungWoon and RyeoWook for support. The lycan looked back at him with a level gaze, RyeoWook looking down without a word.
"He's a Healer now," YoungSaeng murmured. "Like us. You didn't see his face as he helped us work on the ruins. He was so happy to be able to make a difference."
"What does it matter now?" KyuHyun asked. "They got him. There's nothing we could do because right after they question him, he'll be killed. He might have already been. Spells are much more effective in interrogation than torture could ever have been for the humans."
"We still have a chance." JungMin stood up and started pacing in frustration. They could almost see the feathers rustling under the human disguise. "They would have taken him to the nearest fortification. That's less than a day away going slowly. There would be policies to go through, especially since no one was expecting to see another human again, and formalities that would buy us time. We could sneak in and get him out."
The large group just stared at him. "You're talking about treason," SungMin whispered.
"We can't go against the Order," SiWon protested.
"This is insanity," KyuHyun shook his head.
The griffin ground his jaw in barely contained anger. "Alright. So we let this slide, just because KyuJong's human. What if the Order pulls back that law to leave halflings untouched? It took them long enough to put it into effect in the first place, it's hardly impossible for them to take it back. Then what? Do we just sit aside like good little dogs and let them take our friends away?"
His words finally seemed to reach some of them. HyungJoon wiped away his tears and straightened. "One of them threatened to do it too," he said, voice quiet. "As a way to keep me in line, he threatened me with the lives of every halfling in the world."
"That isn't right," JongWoon bristled. YoungSaeng smiled hopefully at him.
"What would you do if they came for me?" RyeoWook's voice was quiet and halting as he looked at the others out of the corner of his eyes. "I'm half human. What if they decided I had to die too?"
"Never!" DongHae and HyukJae chorused as KyuHyun shifted closer to the halfling.
"We...can't..." They all looked to Henry, who was struggling with his words and motioning helplessly at HyungJoon, YoungWoon and RyeoWook. "They are..." He looked at Zhou Mi for help and said something in Mandarin.
"Innocent," Geng translated. "They are all innocent, no matter their bloodline."
"So why should KyuJong be any different?" prompted HyunJoong. "If halflings are capable of atoning for the wrongs of their kind in peace, why can't he?"
There was a long silence, the group looking at each other.
"Well, I'm sold." SungMin stood and dusted the ashes off his pants. "It's annoying the way halflings are treated like dirt, and if it's going to be worse for him, he'll need friends."
JungMin perked up, looking at them.
"I'll help," RyeoWook said slowly. "I can distract the guards." Having a yuki-onna as a mother lent him the ability of being highly persuasive.
"You'll need a partner for that before one of them tries raping you," KyuHyun rolled his eyes, the incubus seeming to look forward to a challenge.
YoungWoon nodded, lips pressed firmly together. "I used to be human."
"Count us in," HyukJae stated with DongHae nodding along beside him. Of course you could always count on sprites for a spot of mischief.
"I will infiltrate before all this, to make sure the human is within our reach," spoke KiBum, appearing out of the shadows next to them and making HyungJoon jump.
"..." JungSu chewed on his lower lip. "I in no way condone this...but perhaps I could use the wind to relay messages before you all get yourselves killed."
"And of course I'll be there too," JongWoon stated loudly.
"He's going to get himself killed," KyuHyun groaned.
YoungSaeng just beamed and shifted a little closer to the featherfolk.
HyunJoong watched the others talk amongst themselves, giving a soft sigh of relief. It had been an all or nothing risk in telling their friends about this. Either they helped them, or they would be obliged to stop them. Thankfully, they had amazing friends.
As preparations started to get the four caravans rolling again, HeeChul watched JungMin with a smirk on his lips. The griffin was helping out far more than he usually did, trying to get them moving faster.
"So when did featherbrains get a crush?"
YoungSaeng laughed quietly as he passed by him. There was another reason why they had to get KyuJong out of the Order's clutches alive...
Because even though a world without humans was needed most, a world without KyuJong was no longer enough for one of them.