お帰り [Welcome Home] - Chapter Ten
Title: お帰り [Welcome Home]
Authors: curionenene and yeonah
Chapter: 10/?
Fandom: SS501
Pairings: KyuMin, HyunSaeng
Rating: PG-16
Warning: Angst, AU
Summary: Black and white... white and black. It isn't always possible to tell what is good and what is evil; and four players in the never-ending fight for freedom would know. In a world where things are painted by shades of grey, taking a stand could mean life or death. And the struggle to be free, truly free, may tear them apart until there is nothing left but ash.
A/N: KyuJong and HyunJoong are played by curionenene , while JungMin and YoungSaeng are played by yeonah .
"Are we really going to pick up the trail like this?" JungMin asked, walking along the street next to KyuJong.
The human was showing the other man exactly which paths he'd walked along so that he could pick up on the elusive auras of the two they were tracking. At some point while he'd been walking around, JungMin had unknowingly crossed paths with the hunter pair, close enough to pick up on their life energy. Now if only they could find it again, then they could follow them anywhere.
It was dark outside, night fallen and the streets more or less empty.
“Yeah, I’m pretty sure.” KyuJong answered a little distractedly, rubbings eyes that had but a silver tint in them. His powers sealed as they were, it was a little tiring for KyuJong to constantly activate this way. But some things needed to be done. “Nothing here…where was the next place you went?”
"Along here." JungMin took them off the main street and down a less-traveled road, a shortcut between locations. At the same time he kept an eye on his partner, not liking that his powers had to be active for so long. What if the trail had already faded? Who knew when he'd passed them. "You sure you're okay, Kyu?"
“Yeah.” KyuJong answered his master without a second thought, focusing on looking at the place that JungMin showed him, narrowing his eyes as he stared at the few life energies that passed through such a small place. Then, his eyes caught sight of the brightest, newer ones there, frowning as if he couldn’t believe his eyes. “Hey! There they are! They just passed through here not too long ago!”
JungMin blinked, looking at where KyuJong was staring as though he could see the life energy too. "Really?" He blinked. Had it been here he'd passed them?
Confusion was instantly replaced by excitement. Finally, they had something to aim for. "Let's go then!" he exclaimed happily, and would have run off except he had no clue which direction to go.
KyuJong wanted to make sure again that he hadn’t made any mistake, but he was distracted by JungMin’s enthusiasm, glad that the human seemed to be back to his usual cheerful self. So much so that he nodded, pointing JungMin in the direction that their targets had gone.
If he had been paying more attention, perhaps he would have realized that he was pointing them in the direction of the hunter HQ.
A wide grin spread on the human's face as KyuJong pointed them in the right direction. They were finally going somewhere again.
"Come on~!" JungMin grabbed the ankou's hand and pulled him along excitedly, eager to track down the mysterious hunter pair. Maybe then they would finally have some answers.
*************
The stares that he got whenever he walked into the HQ were always cold and scathing, but today they were even more menacing than usual. HyunJoong could practically see the tension in the air, and it made the air seem like a viscous jelly -- hard to move in…hard to breathe in.
He had to remind himself that they had the perfect cover, and if they didn’t act it out properly, it would end up as just a “cover”.
YoungSaeng trailed behind HyunJoong as always, head bowed as he avoided the gazes of the hunters. He hadn't hidden his tail in his jeans this time, instead under a long coat that could be easily taken off if things got dangerous. Walking into HQ had always been like grabbing the bull by the horns, but tonight...tonight, the slightest flaw could expose them. He didn't want to be lacking in balance if that happened.
Even so, he was careful not to act suspicious, even as the other hunters closed in on the pair as they approached the main table, the felinefolk's gaze on HyunJoong's feet.
He was about to reach the main table when HyunJoong found his way suddenly blocked by a group of hunters, all of them bruised or bandaged and glaring at him with anger in their eyes…if looks could kill…
He swept that thought out of his mind as he stared impassively back. “What?”
“Kim. Bastard…did you send your little bitch on purpose last night to foil us, hmm? Or are you having a little problem controlling that cat of yours?” The biggest hunter, presumably the leader leered down at HyunJoong, casting dangerous eyes at YoungSaeng.
It took a tremendous amount of effort not to react as he was called the human's bitch, but YoungSaeng managed not to try clawing the other man's eyes out. Instead, he let his eyes flick up to the one who had spoken, blinking in silent confusion before his gaze went to HyunJoong's back, every inch the innocent bystander. He could sense hunters behind him as well, ears twitching slightly under his beanie, but he didn't look back at them. Come on, HyunJoong...
“Technically…” HyunJoong sighed, lifting up his hands to polish his nails, not giving the threatening group in front of him even the least attention. “If you were name-calling, using ‘Queen’ would be better, since he’s a cat after all.”
“But that’s beside the point.” HyunJoong looked past the group and to the main table. “May I ask what this exactly is about? What about last night? Got your panties in a twist and need a convenient scapegoat to get you out of mortal embarrassment?”
The huge hunter glared at HyunJoong before pointing a finger the size of a sausage at YoungSaeng. “Don’t pretend, Kim! That cat of yours foiled our attempt in seizing an ankou! Don’t tell me you have no idea about this! I bet you sent him on purpose!”
“And when…” HyunJoong asked pointedly, a derisive sneer on his face. “…exactly did that happen?”
“I already said! Last night!” The huge hunter snarled, looking as if he was about to rip HyunJoong into piece any moment now.
“Last night?” HyunJoong thought for a moment then smirked. “Not possible…since Saeng here was with me…”
The hunter looked ready to bust an artery. "That's easy enough for you to say," he growled. "I suppose you both were just swapping campfire stories then? We saw him there with our own eyes. You have no proof!"
That was their cue. YoungSaeng lifted his gaze back to the hunters, purposely allowing the collar of his shirt to fall down and exposing his neck as well as the marks, as he waited for HyunJoong to state the words that would either save them from suspicion, or expose them completely.
“Oh? Don’t I?” HyunJoong sneered as the hunter’s eyes shift at the movement (they were a paranoid bunch after all), his own eyes centering on the marks as well with a proud gaze. HyunJoong could feel the slightly horrified yet leering look that the huge hunter had and turned to see it for himself. Smirking, he tilted his head, knowing that the hunter could guess for himself what exactly they had been doing together last night.
He laughed, a small chuckle full of derision and accomplishment. “Swapping campfire stories indeed…oh don’t give me that look. As if you haven’t raped your own share of non-humans… tch…”
HyunJoong was convincing; if YoungSaeng hadn't been fully aware of what had really happened to cause those marks, then he would have believed his master as well. As it was, the other hunters obviously believed him, which was what they needed. Well...all the important hunters believed him anyways. Who cared what the others thought?
There was increased attention on the felinefolk now, eyes evaluating him, and YoungSaeng bit the inside of his cheek to keep silent. God, he hated these people...
"You're lucky this time, Kim," the bulky hunter replied, sneering at HyunJoong, but his eyes kept returning to YoungSaeng. "Hope he was a decent lay."
HyunJoong chuckled, rolling his eyes. He took the opportunity to slide around the group blocking his way to the main table, gesturing at YoungSaeng to do so too. “He was…excellent…but you’d never find that out.”
Ducking his head again in submission, YoungSaeng followed along after HyunJoong, skirting around the group.
A hand slipped under his coat, grabbing his tail, and the felinefolk jerked away instinctively with a sharp intake of breath.
HyunJoong saw the movement immediately, his instincts on the high due to the danger he knew they were in. And he reacted automatically.
Within seconds, he was pointing a gun at the bulky hunter…and he himself had all the weapons in the room trained on him. He ignored them all in favor of glaring at the offending hunter. “May I ask what you were doing to my property?” His voice was low, barely above a growl in animalistic possessiveness.
The hunter had his own gun out in reply, smirking at them both as he eyed YoungSaeng. The felinefolk had to stop himself from either backing up further or trying to take a chunk out of the man. "I wanted to see what all the fuss was about," he drawled. "For you to allow an animal to dirty you like that." He pointed to the marks on HyunJoong's own neck.
YoungSaeng clenched his jaw. Maybe marking his master in return hadn't been that great an idea.
"Surely you wouldn't mind if we were to 'borrow' this property for a while," the large hunter smirked.
HyunJoong snorted back in reply, his only action to click back the safety of his gun. His eyes were dangerously dark, gleaming with manic possession as he dared the other hunter to try.
Eyes widening slightly, YoungSaeng looked between them, unable to tell if HyunJoong was still acting or not. It sent shivers down his spine, even more so when he noticed the other hunter's smirk widen. He was looking for a fight. HyunJoong had never been accepted here, and his possession over YoungSaeng was just a convenient excuse for them.
"Threatening a colleague over some catty bitch, Kim?" The hunter released the safety on his own gun.
Then, from the corner of his eyes, YoungSaeng spotted another hunter aiming for HyunJoong and releasing the safety, the click loud to the felinefolk's ears. Instantly YoungSaeng was in the way, settled into a crouch as he hissed angrily at the man threatening his master's life, brown eyes shifting into slitted golden.
The hiss brought HyunJoong to his senses, and he paused for a moment to gather his thoughts before putting the gun down, slotting it back into his belt.
This was not to say he was backing down…instead, he moved over to YoungSaeng’s side, hands playing lightly over the felinefolk’s ears to calm him down, before tugging at his hair to get him to stand up, sending a mental apology to the felinefolk for his rough actions.
Even with his entire body on high alert, YoungSaeng's eyelids fluttered slightly at the hand against his ears, calming slightly before he drew in a sharp breath at the tug on his hair, standing up at the order.
Grinning back at the bulky hunter, although his next action would be for the entire audience in front of them, HyunJoong licked his lips in a strange sort of triumph. “Well…perhaps if you had laid with this ‘catty bitch’, you wouldn’t be questioning me so much…right…YoungSaeng?”
And with fingers gentle but firm, he pulled YoungSaeng’s chin up to just the right angle, before pressing hard lips upon the felinefolk’s, all the while praying that YoungSaeng wouldn’t hate him for this.
Eyeing the hunters with the unlocked guns, YoungSaeng was startled when his attention was suddenly directed elsewhere, and then HyunJoong was kissing him, the felinefolk's eyes widening as his body stiffened for a moment.
Part of him wanted to push HyunJoong away, another part understanding what the hunter was trying to do and knowing that he needed to follow along and not make them look suspicious. And then another part...
...Another small part actually didn't mind the kiss all that much.
It took him a second to gather his thoughts, but then he stepped a bit closer to the hunter, one hand pressing against the man's chest. Then, deciding to own up to the idea that he was a good lay a little, YoungSaeng rolled his hips slightly, making sure that the watching hunters saw the light grinding movement even though the whole thing sent shivers down his spine.
YoungSaeng was doing more than even HyunJoong had expected, and his own spine curled when YoungSaeng rolled his hips against him. It took all his self-control not to pull away in shock, and he forced himself to move along, his free arm wrapping around YoungSaeng’s waist to pull the felinefolk closer in order to press down yet harder, forcing his tongue into YoungSaeng’s mouth.
Although it seemed like HyunJoong was enjoying his dominance over YoungSaeng, all the while, he was really praying inside, repeating a fervent mantra over and over again. ‘Please don’t let him hate me for this…please…please…please…’
Letting HyunJoong pull him closer, YoungSaeng did everything he could to push the fear to the back of his mind, and focus on the acting. This was why he hated acting. But it was only HyunJoong. The felinefolk repeated this to himself as the human's tongue found his own, the kiss deepened past anything YoungSaeng had ever allowed with anyone, and it left him lightheaded as he tried to keep up, tried to make it convincing.
The problem was, this wasn't HyunJoong. HyunJoong would never force this on him, and even though they were only acting, it sent tremors through the felinefolk's body that would look like something else to those watching in shock.
Placing his hands against HyunJoong's waist, one hand trailing down his chest to arrive there, YoungSaeng subtly pinched HyunJoong's side. Enough.
HyunJoong felt the pinch at his side and winced - thankfully no one would notice that with all the other action going on.
He was just about to let go, when at that moment, there was a sharp clap as the head of the hunters stood up with an amused curl of lips. “Enough.”
HyunJoong thanked whichever Gods were listening and thankfully let go of YoungSaeng, panting slightly. He wanted to apologize to YoungSaeng for his unfortunate actions, but he had to keep up his act for a little longer. The smirk flew back up to his lips as he composed himself, pulling YoungSaeng once more to his chest, although this time more gently. “Aww…but I was having fun.”
Dazed when HyunJoong let go, YoungSaeng felt himself being pulled against his master's chest and rested his head there. The felinefolk blinked at them for a moment before he recovered, closing his eyes and letting out a loud purr, like an eager-to-please kitten.
"I think you've make your point, HyunJoong sshi," the head replied, watching them both. "Put your weapons away." The other hunters grudgingly did as they were told, the group backing off slightly.
YoungSaeng relaxed a little more against HyunJoong's chest. Could they leave now?
HyunJoong smirked as he saluted the head, grinning as he turned to leave. It seemed they were in the clear now…although the other hunters still wouldn’t like him any more after this.
He led YoungSaeng down the row of hunters, keeping him close so that another wouldn’t pull the same stunt to his partner like the first one had. They were just at the doorway when an alarm sounded.
HyunJoong cursed mentally. What now?
**************
Looking around curiously as KyuJong guided them through the alleys, JungMin started out into the street and quickly backed up into the shadows when he saw a hunter. "Woah," he breathed, pushing KyuJong behind him instinctively. There were a bunch of them hanging around, and a few others who looked like hunters out of uniform. "They came this way?" he asked KyuJong, voice quiet as he peered at the hunters.
There was a ton of them...just what was going on?
KyuJong bit his lip, looking around - the area looked familiar…too familiar. Like a bad dream. “Yeah…they came this way.” He confirmed, staring at the two life energies just to make sure.
There were so many hunters here…and staring up ahead at the tall building, KyuJong could see even more…so, so many. And it occurred to KyuJong that there was only one building in the area that could have so many. “Shit. Min. I think this is the hunter HQ.”
"HQ?" JungMin's eyes widened. He'd never seen the hunter headquarters before, few people knew where it was. Their base of operations...
...And somewhere, inside that building, were probably hundreds of captive non-humans.
"Is there a way to get closer?" He asked, looking around for a blind spot. Some of the hunters were on guard, others just milling about, but catching any of their attention would bring the whole group down on them.
“What?” KyuJong asked, startled, he spun round, staring at JungMin. No…he couldn’t possibly be thinking… “No! Min…don’t even think about it! It’s too risky!”
Storming the HQ was absolutely the last thing they should do. The ankou was pretty sure that even if they had the rest of the anti-hunter group on their side, it would have been a suicide mission. KyuJong was all in favor of backing out now, and reporting the location to the organization - and that was it.
JungMin was observing the building with keen eyes, chewing on his lower lip in thought before he glanced at KyuJong. "But there must be hundreds of prisoners in there, Kyu!" he pointed out. "If we could at least see where they are...or find a way to get them out..."
Hunters were brutal. While they generally killed any non-human they found, they were also prone to keeping them for their own sick enjoyment. Just the thought of it made JungMin's hands curl into fists.
JungMin’s argument had merit, but KyuJong knew better. “Min…I know. But this is…crazy. We can’t possibly take out the HQ on our own…we’ll just get killed, and those prisoners will still be there. We’d have done nothing…”
“Please, Min. We can’t…I can’t…let you die.” KyuJong pleaded, reaching out to hold onto JungMin’s hand.
Hesitating, the human looked down at the hand holding his own. He wasn't scared of dying. It was something that he figured would happen eventually with the path he chose, so why worry about it?
But even though he was all prepared to sneak in and fight his way past them if he needed to, he couldn't refuse KyuJong when the ankou looked at him like that.
"...Alright..." he sighed, running a thumb absently over the back of KyuJong's hand. "Can we at least take a look around the area? Look, but don't touch, that sort of thing." He wasn't content to just leave with nothing more than it's location. And what about the two they had followed here? They finally had a fresh trail, they couldn't just leave.
KyuJong sighed in relief before nodding, blushing a little at the small action that JungMin did and wishing that he wouldn’t get so excited about such a flippant action. “Alright…I’ll look around to see if there are any openings…”
Pushing JungMin gently to the side, KyuJong peered cautiously at the building, taking in the structure and the movement of everyone inside. After a while, he tugged at JungMin’s hand, pointing out a small entrance on the left that was unguarded by anyone. “Over there. There’s no one guarding that entrance…presumably because there’s so many people around…”
JungMin nodded, eyes bright as he considered how they could get there. "Walking across the street to it would be idiotic...but maybe we can sneak around from the side?" He peered down the street and saw that they could cross further down without catching their attention, and pulled KyuJong lightly in that direction. At the same time, he pulled out his cell phone and snapped a picture of the building from the angle they were at.
Perhaps they could…but it was still risky…and biting his lips, KyuJong did something he never thought he would.
He created a distraction…in the form of someone’s death.
His eyes flashed silver for a moment, quickly so that JungMin wouldn’t see. Then, there was a shout as all the hunters in the area ran to their fallen comrade, caught under a pile of tiles that had presumably fallen off one of the roofs due to old age.
“Come on, let’s go.” KyuJong quickly pulled JungMin to the entrance, running in before anyone could realize they were there.
Jumping at the sudden shout, JungMin blinked with wide eyes at the fallen tiles before he felt KyuJong pull him along by their joined hands. He was running after him in an instant, and then they were inside HQ. The human held his breath for a moment, looking around and waiting for shouts to follow them, but no one had seen them and the hallway inside the entrance was empty.
"Where is everyone?" he murmured quietly, walking down the hallway and keeping his free hand against the gun at his hip in case. Then JungMin looked back at KyuJong. "Was that you?" he asked, surprised. The tiles falling had seemed a little...convenient.
“They…all seem to be gathered in one room…” KyuJong murmured quietly back, casting his eyes upwards to a room a few floors above. Then he gasped at the question, realizing what exactly had happened…and why it had been so easy to use his powers…
“I-I…” KyuJong bit his lip, filled with a sudden guilt that had come with the realization. He didn’t know what to tell JungMin…if he told the truth, then JungMin would, without a doubt, question him. And those questions may lead to the discovery of what KyuJong was desperately trying to hide.
Blinking at his partner in confusion, JungMin could only guess the stuttering meant 'yes'. But KyuJong had always hated taking life, especially if he didn't need to. There had been no need to kill that hunter, though it certainly made sneaking in a hell of a lot easier.
Turning back to face KyuJong, JungMin opened his mouth to ask, then realized that a discussion here in the enemy base wasn't the best of ideas. "Later," he said simply, reacting out to brush the ankou's fringe out of his eyes and touch his cheek lightly in what he hoped was a comforting gesture. He could see the guilt in the other man's eyes.
Then he took KyuJong's hand again, pulling him along as he looked for anything that would tell them more about the headquarters.
KyuJong was grateful that JungMin saw the folly in having this discussion here in the enemy base, but it would only prolong the time till KyuJong would have to answer JungMin’s questions. But he pushed that out of his mind as of now, smiling at the human’s attempt at comforting him.
Deciding that since his seal was broken, he might as well take advantage of his temporarily heightened powers to make their mission easier. And so, he closed his eyes before opening them, their depths now bright silver. “…I…detect a vast amount of non-human life energies… below us…I think…dungeons?”
JungMin nodded, listening for anyone approaching. "Maybe we can find the way there...for future reference..." Even if they couldn't run in and rescue the non-humans now (there were bound to be guards at the dungeons at least) he wanted to gather as much information as possible. Knowing which way to go beforehand would be nice.
Snapping another picture as they went, JungMin paused. "Are you able to find our felinefolk and hunter friends?" They must be around here somewhere...
KyuJong nodded, then paused, looking around for their two friends’ life energies. “...” KyuJong frowned as he looked - it was hard amongst so many crisscrossing life energies. “I think…they’re in the main room with the rest of the hunters.” He didn’t actually spot the individual two energies…but rather there seemed to be no one else around in the building.
There must be something important going on in that room if everyone was gathered there.
So there would be no chance of following them for a while then. "That gives us time to look around without losing them then," JungMin replied, taking a hallway that seemed promising. If they could find the entrance to the dungeons, then that would be perfect.
They would need to be quick though. Surely people would start moving again once word got out of the tiles falling on that one hunter.
“... But I think…there must be something important going on in that room.” KyuJong licked his lips in thought. “A meeting perhaps? Maybe they’re announcing plans…”
He let out a troubled sigh before coming to the only possible conclusion. “Min…maybe we should split up.”
"Split up?" JungMin blinked at him. "One person goes to see what the meeting's about, and the other looks for the dungeons?"
It didn't sound that bad to him...but he didn't like leaving KyuJong alone.
"I suppose that would work...do you have your earpiece?" He'd brought his own along in case, taking it out of his pocket.
KyuJong nodded, pulling out the said piece of technology and placing it on his ear. “Testing…”
When everything seemed to be in order, KyuJong pointed the direction in which he was going to go to. “I’ll let you know if the meeting ends early or if I hear anything interesting.”
Adjusting his own earpiece, JungMin nodded. "I'll be...around. On this floor. Try and catch a picture of them if you can?" They needed more faces, anything that could give them an advance.
The human messed up his partner's hair. "Stay safe you." Adrenaline was starting to run through him, the idea that they could be caught at any moment. Then he waved and headed off, listening carefully and treading lightly.
KyuJong hesitated a moment as he watched JungMin move off…Maybe this splitting up wasn’t such a good idea. But just as he was about to state otherwise, he heard the sounds of a large commotion in the direction he was supposed to be headed to.
Letting out a shaky sigh, KyuJong decided that there were more important things at hand than coddling a human whom he had no right to coddle. And on a quick second thought, KyuJong snapped his fingers, forming a small silver mask out of simple magic, placing it on his face. At least this way, his identity would not be compromised if he were spotted…not that it would do any good if he were caught.
He would, of course, try not to get caught.
Walking around, JungMin snapped pictures of anything that caught his attention, as well as the general map of the hallways. Maybe they could start a layout of the headquarters, mark off what was in each room. Quite a few of the rooms he passed looked like offices, though unoccupied and locked. Reminding himself he'd promised not to touch anything, and therefore not pick the lock and get into one of those offices full of what he was sure was important information, JungMin snapped pictures of what he could see inside before moving on.
This place was huge...
KyuJong, on his side, crept up to the room, peering in through a window and nearly getting the shock of his life - holy crap, how many hunters were in here?
Taking in a few deep breathes, KyuJong summoned his courage and peeked inside again, forcing himself not to panic and accidentally kill everyone inside. It didn’t take long for him to spot their two ‘friends’ - they were the center of attention after all.
And with widening eyes, KyuJong could immediately see why they were the center of attention…
Sneaking around the hallways, JungMin skirted around the edges of the floor since those were usually where stairwells were. Sure enough, he quickly found a door that, when he peeked through, lead to a stairwell that went both up and down. How far down, that remained to be seen.
It took him a moment to ease the door open without making any noise, the redhead slipping in once it was open enough and letting it close soundlessly behind him. He eased into a crouch, and peeked down the stairwell.
Stiffening when he saw the guards on the floor below, JungMin pushed himself away from the edge, taking a deep breath. Yup, those were the dungeons all right.
Well…so much for an important meeting…but KyuJong was puzzled as to the actions of the felinefolk and the hunter. He had gathered that the other hunters seemed to think that the two had had…an intimate night. But for what he could see, they hadn’t done anything of the sort (yeah…life energies told you plenty of things).
Now, this led to the question of what exactly was the felinefolk’s relationship to the hunter. He could guess that this elaborate scheme was to prevent the felinefolk from taking the blame of…his mistake last night. But was this just protectiveness on the hunter’s part? Or was there some sort of ulterior motive behind all of it? Looking at the hunter’s poker face, KyuJong couldn’t really tell.
But then, he had no time to contemplate it any more as a loud alarm rang out through the HQ building.
Authors: curionenene and yeonah
Chapter: 10/?
Fandom: SS501
Pairings: KyuMin, HyunSaeng
Rating: PG-16
Warning: Angst, AU
Summary: Black and white... white and black. It isn't always possible to tell what is good and what is evil; and four players in the never-ending fight for freedom would know. In a world where things are painted by shades of grey, taking a stand could mean life or death. And the struggle to be free, truly free, may tear them apart until there is nothing left but ash.
A/N: KyuJong and HyunJoong are played by curionenene , while JungMin and YoungSaeng are played by yeonah .
"Are we really going to pick up the trail like this?" JungMin asked, walking along the street next to KyuJong.
The human was showing the other man exactly which paths he'd walked along so that he could pick up on the elusive auras of the two they were tracking. At some point while he'd been walking around, JungMin had unknowingly crossed paths with the hunter pair, close enough to pick up on their life energy. Now if only they could find it again, then they could follow them anywhere.
It was dark outside, night fallen and the streets more or less empty.
“Yeah, I’m pretty sure.” KyuJong answered a little distractedly, rubbings eyes that had but a silver tint in them. His powers sealed as they were, it was a little tiring for KyuJong to constantly activate this way. But some things needed to be done. “Nothing here…where was the next place you went?”
"Along here." JungMin took them off the main street and down a less-traveled road, a shortcut between locations. At the same time he kept an eye on his partner, not liking that his powers had to be active for so long. What if the trail had already faded? Who knew when he'd passed them. "You sure you're okay, Kyu?"
“Yeah.” KyuJong answered his master without a second thought, focusing on looking at the place that JungMin showed him, narrowing his eyes as he stared at the few life energies that passed through such a small place. Then, his eyes caught sight of the brightest, newer ones there, frowning as if he couldn’t believe his eyes. “Hey! There they are! They just passed through here not too long ago!”
JungMin blinked, looking at where KyuJong was staring as though he could see the life energy too. "Really?" He blinked. Had it been here he'd passed them?
Confusion was instantly replaced by excitement. Finally, they had something to aim for. "Let's go then!" he exclaimed happily, and would have run off except he had no clue which direction to go.
KyuJong wanted to make sure again that he hadn’t made any mistake, but he was distracted by JungMin’s enthusiasm, glad that the human seemed to be back to his usual cheerful self. So much so that he nodded, pointing JungMin in the direction that their targets had gone.
If he had been paying more attention, perhaps he would have realized that he was pointing them in the direction of the hunter HQ.
A wide grin spread on the human's face as KyuJong pointed them in the right direction. They were finally going somewhere again.
"Come on~!" JungMin grabbed the ankou's hand and pulled him along excitedly, eager to track down the mysterious hunter pair. Maybe then they would finally have some answers.
*************
The stares that he got whenever he walked into the HQ were always cold and scathing, but today they were even more menacing than usual. HyunJoong could practically see the tension in the air, and it made the air seem like a viscous jelly -- hard to move in…hard to breathe in.
He had to remind himself that they had the perfect cover, and if they didn’t act it out properly, it would end up as just a “cover”.
YoungSaeng trailed behind HyunJoong as always, head bowed as he avoided the gazes of the hunters. He hadn't hidden his tail in his jeans this time, instead under a long coat that could be easily taken off if things got dangerous. Walking into HQ had always been like grabbing the bull by the horns, but tonight...tonight, the slightest flaw could expose them. He didn't want to be lacking in balance if that happened.
Even so, he was careful not to act suspicious, even as the other hunters closed in on the pair as they approached the main table, the felinefolk's gaze on HyunJoong's feet.
He was about to reach the main table when HyunJoong found his way suddenly blocked by a group of hunters, all of them bruised or bandaged and glaring at him with anger in their eyes…if looks could kill…
He swept that thought out of his mind as he stared impassively back. “What?”
“Kim. Bastard…did you send your little bitch on purpose last night to foil us, hmm? Or are you having a little problem controlling that cat of yours?” The biggest hunter, presumably the leader leered down at HyunJoong, casting dangerous eyes at YoungSaeng.
It took a tremendous amount of effort not to react as he was called the human's bitch, but YoungSaeng managed not to try clawing the other man's eyes out. Instead, he let his eyes flick up to the one who had spoken, blinking in silent confusion before his gaze went to HyunJoong's back, every inch the innocent bystander. He could sense hunters behind him as well, ears twitching slightly under his beanie, but he didn't look back at them. Come on, HyunJoong...
“Technically…” HyunJoong sighed, lifting up his hands to polish his nails, not giving the threatening group in front of him even the least attention. “If you were name-calling, using ‘Queen’ would be better, since he’s a cat after all.”
“But that’s beside the point.” HyunJoong looked past the group and to the main table. “May I ask what this exactly is about? What about last night? Got your panties in a twist and need a convenient scapegoat to get you out of mortal embarrassment?”
The huge hunter glared at HyunJoong before pointing a finger the size of a sausage at YoungSaeng. “Don’t pretend, Kim! That cat of yours foiled our attempt in seizing an ankou! Don’t tell me you have no idea about this! I bet you sent him on purpose!”
“And when…” HyunJoong asked pointedly, a derisive sneer on his face. “…exactly did that happen?”
“I already said! Last night!” The huge hunter snarled, looking as if he was about to rip HyunJoong into piece any moment now.
“Last night?” HyunJoong thought for a moment then smirked. “Not possible…since Saeng here was with me…”
The hunter looked ready to bust an artery. "That's easy enough for you to say," he growled. "I suppose you both were just swapping campfire stories then? We saw him there with our own eyes. You have no proof!"
That was their cue. YoungSaeng lifted his gaze back to the hunters, purposely allowing the collar of his shirt to fall down and exposing his neck as well as the marks, as he waited for HyunJoong to state the words that would either save them from suspicion, or expose them completely.
“Oh? Don’t I?” HyunJoong sneered as the hunter’s eyes shift at the movement (they were a paranoid bunch after all), his own eyes centering on the marks as well with a proud gaze. HyunJoong could feel the slightly horrified yet leering look that the huge hunter had and turned to see it for himself. Smirking, he tilted his head, knowing that the hunter could guess for himself what exactly they had been doing together last night.
He laughed, a small chuckle full of derision and accomplishment. “Swapping campfire stories indeed…oh don’t give me that look. As if you haven’t raped your own share of non-humans… tch…”
HyunJoong was convincing; if YoungSaeng hadn't been fully aware of what had really happened to cause those marks, then he would have believed his master as well. As it was, the other hunters obviously believed him, which was what they needed. Well...all the important hunters believed him anyways. Who cared what the others thought?
There was increased attention on the felinefolk now, eyes evaluating him, and YoungSaeng bit the inside of his cheek to keep silent. God, he hated these people...
"You're lucky this time, Kim," the bulky hunter replied, sneering at HyunJoong, but his eyes kept returning to YoungSaeng. "Hope he was a decent lay."
HyunJoong chuckled, rolling his eyes. He took the opportunity to slide around the group blocking his way to the main table, gesturing at YoungSaeng to do so too. “He was…excellent…but you’d never find that out.”
Ducking his head again in submission, YoungSaeng followed along after HyunJoong, skirting around the group.
A hand slipped under his coat, grabbing his tail, and the felinefolk jerked away instinctively with a sharp intake of breath.
HyunJoong saw the movement immediately, his instincts on the high due to the danger he knew they were in. And he reacted automatically.
Within seconds, he was pointing a gun at the bulky hunter…and he himself had all the weapons in the room trained on him. He ignored them all in favor of glaring at the offending hunter. “May I ask what you were doing to my property?” His voice was low, barely above a growl in animalistic possessiveness.
The hunter had his own gun out in reply, smirking at them both as he eyed YoungSaeng. The felinefolk had to stop himself from either backing up further or trying to take a chunk out of the man. "I wanted to see what all the fuss was about," he drawled. "For you to allow an animal to dirty you like that." He pointed to the marks on HyunJoong's own neck.
YoungSaeng clenched his jaw. Maybe marking his master in return hadn't been that great an idea.
"Surely you wouldn't mind if we were to 'borrow' this property for a while," the large hunter smirked.
HyunJoong snorted back in reply, his only action to click back the safety of his gun. His eyes were dangerously dark, gleaming with manic possession as he dared the other hunter to try.
Eyes widening slightly, YoungSaeng looked between them, unable to tell if HyunJoong was still acting or not. It sent shivers down his spine, even more so when he noticed the other hunter's smirk widen. He was looking for a fight. HyunJoong had never been accepted here, and his possession over YoungSaeng was just a convenient excuse for them.
"Threatening a colleague over some catty bitch, Kim?" The hunter released the safety on his own gun.
Then, from the corner of his eyes, YoungSaeng spotted another hunter aiming for HyunJoong and releasing the safety, the click loud to the felinefolk's ears. Instantly YoungSaeng was in the way, settled into a crouch as he hissed angrily at the man threatening his master's life, brown eyes shifting into slitted golden.
The hiss brought HyunJoong to his senses, and he paused for a moment to gather his thoughts before putting the gun down, slotting it back into his belt.
This was not to say he was backing down…instead, he moved over to YoungSaeng’s side, hands playing lightly over the felinefolk’s ears to calm him down, before tugging at his hair to get him to stand up, sending a mental apology to the felinefolk for his rough actions.
Even with his entire body on high alert, YoungSaeng's eyelids fluttered slightly at the hand against his ears, calming slightly before he drew in a sharp breath at the tug on his hair, standing up at the order.
Grinning back at the bulky hunter, although his next action would be for the entire audience in front of them, HyunJoong licked his lips in a strange sort of triumph. “Well…perhaps if you had laid with this ‘catty bitch’, you wouldn’t be questioning me so much…right…YoungSaeng?”
And with fingers gentle but firm, he pulled YoungSaeng’s chin up to just the right angle, before pressing hard lips upon the felinefolk’s, all the while praying that YoungSaeng wouldn’t hate him for this.
Eyeing the hunters with the unlocked guns, YoungSaeng was startled when his attention was suddenly directed elsewhere, and then HyunJoong was kissing him, the felinefolk's eyes widening as his body stiffened for a moment.
Part of him wanted to push HyunJoong away, another part understanding what the hunter was trying to do and knowing that he needed to follow along and not make them look suspicious. And then another part...
...Another small part actually didn't mind the kiss all that much.
It took him a second to gather his thoughts, but then he stepped a bit closer to the hunter, one hand pressing against the man's chest. Then, deciding to own up to the idea that he was a good lay a little, YoungSaeng rolled his hips slightly, making sure that the watching hunters saw the light grinding movement even though the whole thing sent shivers down his spine.
YoungSaeng was doing more than even HyunJoong had expected, and his own spine curled when YoungSaeng rolled his hips against him. It took all his self-control not to pull away in shock, and he forced himself to move along, his free arm wrapping around YoungSaeng’s waist to pull the felinefolk closer in order to press down yet harder, forcing his tongue into YoungSaeng’s mouth.
Although it seemed like HyunJoong was enjoying his dominance over YoungSaeng, all the while, he was really praying inside, repeating a fervent mantra over and over again. ‘Please don’t let him hate me for this…please…please…please…’
Letting HyunJoong pull him closer, YoungSaeng did everything he could to push the fear to the back of his mind, and focus on the acting. This was why he hated acting. But it was only HyunJoong. The felinefolk repeated this to himself as the human's tongue found his own, the kiss deepened past anything YoungSaeng had ever allowed with anyone, and it left him lightheaded as he tried to keep up, tried to make it convincing.
The problem was, this wasn't HyunJoong. HyunJoong would never force this on him, and even though they were only acting, it sent tremors through the felinefolk's body that would look like something else to those watching in shock.
Placing his hands against HyunJoong's waist, one hand trailing down his chest to arrive there, YoungSaeng subtly pinched HyunJoong's side. Enough.
HyunJoong felt the pinch at his side and winced - thankfully no one would notice that with all the other action going on.
He was just about to let go, when at that moment, there was a sharp clap as the head of the hunters stood up with an amused curl of lips. “Enough.”
HyunJoong thanked whichever Gods were listening and thankfully let go of YoungSaeng, panting slightly. He wanted to apologize to YoungSaeng for his unfortunate actions, but he had to keep up his act for a little longer. The smirk flew back up to his lips as he composed himself, pulling YoungSaeng once more to his chest, although this time more gently. “Aww…but I was having fun.”
Dazed when HyunJoong let go, YoungSaeng felt himself being pulled against his master's chest and rested his head there. The felinefolk blinked at them for a moment before he recovered, closing his eyes and letting out a loud purr, like an eager-to-please kitten.
"I think you've make your point, HyunJoong sshi," the head replied, watching them both. "Put your weapons away." The other hunters grudgingly did as they were told, the group backing off slightly.
YoungSaeng relaxed a little more against HyunJoong's chest. Could they leave now?
HyunJoong smirked as he saluted the head, grinning as he turned to leave. It seemed they were in the clear now…although the other hunters still wouldn’t like him any more after this.
He led YoungSaeng down the row of hunters, keeping him close so that another wouldn’t pull the same stunt to his partner like the first one had. They were just at the doorway when an alarm sounded.
HyunJoong cursed mentally. What now?
**************
Looking around curiously as KyuJong guided them through the alleys, JungMin started out into the street and quickly backed up into the shadows when he saw a hunter. "Woah," he breathed, pushing KyuJong behind him instinctively. There were a bunch of them hanging around, and a few others who looked like hunters out of uniform. "They came this way?" he asked KyuJong, voice quiet as he peered at the hunters.
There was a ton of them...just what was going on?
KyuJong bit his lip, looking around - the area looked familiar…too familiar. Like a bad dream. “Yeah…they came this way.” He confirmed, staring at the two life energies just to make sure.
There were so many hunters here…and staring up ahead at the tall building, KyuJong could see even more…so, so many. And it occurred to KyuJong that there was only one building in the area that could have so many. “Shit. Min. I think this is the hunter HQ.”
"HQ?" JungMin's eyes widened. He'd never seen the hunter headquarters before, few people knew where it was. Their base of operations...
...And somewhere, inside that building, were probably hundreds of captive non-humans.
"Is there a way to get closer?" He asked, looking around for a blind spot. Some of the hunters were on guard, others just milling about, but catching any of their attention would bring the whole group down on them.
“What?” KyuJong asked, startled, he spun round, staring at JungMin. No…he couldn’t possibly be thinking… “No! Min…don’t even think about it! It’s too risky!”
Storming the HQ was absolutely the last thing they should do. The ankou was pretty sure that even if they had the rest of the anti-hunter group on their side, it would have been a suicide mission. KyuJong was all in favor of backing out now, and reporting the location to the organization - and that was it.
JungMin was observing the building with keen eyes, chewing on his lower lip in thought before he glanced at KyuJong. "But there must be hundreds of prisoners in there, Kyu!" he pointed out. "If we could at least see where they are...or find a way to get them out..."
Hunters were brutal. While they generally killed any non-human they found, they were also prone to keeping them for their own sick enjoyment. Just the thought of it made JungMin's hands curl into fists.
JungMin’s argument had merit, but KyuJong knew better. “Min…I know. But this is…crazy. We can’t possibly take out the HQ on our own…we’ll just get killed, and those prisoners will still be there. We’d have done nothing…”
“Please, Min. We can’t…I can’t…let you die.” KyuJong pleaded, reaching out to hold onto JungMin’s hand.
Hesitating, the human looked down at the hand holding his own. He wasn't scared of dying. It was something that he figured would happen eventually with the path he chose, so why worry about it?
But even though he was all prepared to sneak in and fight his way past them if he needed to, he couldn't refuse KyuJong when the ankou looked at him like that.
"...Alright..." he sighed, running a thumb absently over the back of KyuJong's hand. "Can we at least take a look around the area? Look, but don't touch, that sort of thing." He wasn't content to just leave with nothing more than it's location. And what about the two they had followed here? They finally had a fresh trail, they couldn't just leave.
KyuJong sighed in relief before nodding, blushing a little at the small action that JungMin did and wishing that he wouldn’t get so excited about such a flippant action. “Alright…I’ll look around to see if there are any openings…”
Pushing JungMin gently to the side, KyuJong peered cautiously at the building, taking in the structure and the movement of everyone inside. After a while, he tugged at JungMin’s hand, pointing out a small entrance on the left that was unguarded by anyone. “Over there. There’s no one guarding that entrance…presumably because there’s so many people around…”
JungMin nodded, eyes bright as he considered how they could get there. "Walking across the street to it would be idiotic...but maybe we can sneak around from the side?" He peered down the street and saw that they could cross further down without catching their attention, and pulled KyuJong lightly in that direction. At the same time, he pulled out his cell phone and snapped a picture of the building from the angle they were at.
Perhaps they could…but it was still risky…and biting his lips, KyuJong did something he never thought he would.
He created a distraction…in the form of someone’s death.
His eyes flashed silver for a moment, quickly so that JungMin wouldn’t see. Then, there was a shout as all the hunters in the area ran to their fallen comrade, caught under a pile of tiles that had presumably fallen off one of the roofs due to old age.
“Come on, let’s go.” KyuJong quickly pulled JungMin to the entrance, running in before anyone could realize they were there.
Jumping at the sudden shout, JungMin blinked with wide eyes at the fallen tiles before he felt KyuJong pull him along by their joined hands. He was running after him in an instant, and then they were inside HQ. The human held his breath for a moment, looking around and waiting for shouts to follow them, but no one had seen them and the hallway inside the entrance was empty.
"Where is everyone?" he murmured quietly, walking down the hallway and keeping his free hand against the gun at his hip in case. Then JungMin looked back at KyuJong. "Was that you?" he asked, surprised. The tiles falling had seemed a little...convenient.
“They…all seem to be gathered in one room…” KyuJong murmured quietly back, casting his eyes upwards to a room a few floors above. Then he gasped at the question, realizing what exactly had happened…and why it had been so easy to use his powers…
“I-I…” KyuJong bit his lip, filled with a sudden guilt that had come with the realization. He didn’t know what to tell JungMin…if he told the truth, then JungMin would, without a doubt, question him. And those questions may lead to the discovery of what KyuJong was desperately trying to hide.
Blinking at his partner in confusion, JungMin could only guess the stuttering meant 'yes'. But KyuJong had always hated taking life, especially if he didn't need to. There had been no need to kill that hunter, though it certainly made sneaking in a hell of a lot easier.
Turning back to face KyuJong, JungMin opened his mouth to ask, then realized that a discussion here in the enemy base wasn't the best of ideas. "Later," he said simply, reacting out to brush the ankou's fringe out of his eyes and touch his cheek lightly in what he hoped was a comforting gesture. He could see the guilt in the other man's eyes.
Then he took KyuJong's hand again, pulling him along as he looked for anything that would tell them more about the headquarters.
KyuJong was grateful that JungMin saw the folly in having this discussion here in the enemy base, but it would only prolong the time till KyuJong would have to answer JungMin’s questions. But he pushed that out of his mind as of now, smiling at the human’s attempt at comforting him.
Deciding that since his seal was broken, he might as well take advantage of his temporarily heightened powers to make their mission easier. And so, he closed his eyes before opening them, their depths now bright silver. “…I…detect a vast amount of non-human life energies… below us…I think…dungeons?”
JungMin nodded, listening for anyone approaching. "Maybe we can find the way there...for future reference..." Even if they couldn't run in and rescue the non-humans now (there were bound to be guards at the dungeons at least) he wanted to gather as much information as possible. Knowing which way to go beforehand would be nice.
Snapping another picture as they went, JungMin paused. "Are you able to find our felinefolk and hunter friends?" They must be around here somewhere...
KyuJong nodded, then paused, looking around for their two friends’ life energies. “...” KyuJong frowned as he looked - it was hard amongst so many crisscrossing life energies. “I think…they’re in the main room with the rest of the hunters.” He didn’t actually spot the individual two energies…but rather there seemed to be no one else around in the building.
There must be something important going on in that room if everyone was gathered there.
So there would be no chance of following them for a while then. "That gives us time to look around without losing them then," JungMin replied, taking a hallway that seemed promising. If they could find the entrance to the dungeons, then that would be perfect.
They would need to be quick though. Surely people would start moving again once word got out of the tiles falling on that one hunter.
“... But I think…there must be something important going on in that room.” KyuJong licked his lips in thought. “A meeting perhaps? Maybe they’re announcing plans…”
He let out a troubled sigh before coming to the only possible conclusion. “Min…maybe we should split up.”
"Split up?" JungMin blinked at him. "One person goes to see what the meeting's about, and the other looks for the dungeons?"
It didn't sound that bad to him...but he didn't like leaving KyuJong alone.
"I suppose that would work...do you have your earpiece?" He'd brought his own along in case, taking it out of his pocket.
KyuJong nodded, pulling out the said piece of technology and placing it on his ear. “Testing…”
When everything seemed to be in order, KyuJong pointed the direction in which he was going to go to. “I’ll let you know if the meeting ends early or if I hear anything interesting.”
Adjusting his own earpiece, JungMin nodded. "I'll be...around. On this floor. Try and catch a picture of them if you can?" They needed more faces, anything that could give them an advance.
The human messed up his partner's hair. "Stay safe you." Adrenaline was starting to run through him, the idea that they could be caught at any moment. Then he waved and headed off, listening carefully and treading lightly.
KyuJong hesitated a moment as he watched JungMin move off…Maybe this splitting up wasn’t such a good idea. But just as he was about to state otherwise, he heard the sounds of a large commotion in the direction he was supposed to be headed to.
Letting out a shaky sigh, KyuJong decided that there were more important things at hand than coddling a human whom he had no right to coddle. And on a quick second thought, KyuJong snapped his fingers, forming a small silver mask out of simple magic, placing it on his face. At least this way, his identity would not be compromised if he were spotted…not that it would do any good if he were caught.
He would, of course, try not to get caught.
Walking around, JungMin snapped pictures of anything that caught his attention, as well as the general map of the hallways. Maybe they could start a layout of the headquarters, mark off what was in each room. Quite a few of the rooms he passed looked like offices, though unoccupied and locked. Reminding himself he'd promised not to touch anything, and therefore not pick the lock and get into one of those offices full of what he was sure was important information, JungMin snapped pictures of what he could see inside before moving on.
This place was huge...
KyuJong, on his side, crept up to the room, peering in through a window and nearly getting the shock of his life - holy crap, how many hunters were in here?
Taking in a few deep breathes, KyuJong summoned his courage and peeked inside again, forcing himself not to panic and accidentally kill everyone inside. It didn’t take long for him to spot their two ‘friends’ - they were the center of attention after all.
And with widening eyes, KyuJong could immediately see why they were the center of attention…
Sneaking around the hallways, JungMin skirted around the edges of the floor since those were usually where stairwells were. Sure enough, he quickly found a door that, when he peeked through, lead to a stairwell that went both up and down. How far down, that remained to be seen.
It took him a moment to ease the door open without making any noise, the redhead slipping in once it was open enough and letting it close soundlessly behind him. He eased into a crouch, and peeked down the stairwell.
Stiffening when he saw the guards on the floor below, JungMin pushed himself away from the edge, taking a deep breath. Yup, those were the dungeons all right.
Well…so much for an important meeting…but KyuJong was puzzled as to the actions of the felinefolk and the hunter. He had gathered that the other hunters seemed to think that the two had had…an intimate night. But for what he could see, they hadn’t done anything of the sort (yeah…life energies told you plenty of things).
Now, this led to the question of what exactly was the felinefolk’s relationship to the hunter. He could guess that this elaborate scheme was to prevent the felinefolk from taking the blame of…his mistake last night. But was this just protectiveness on the hunter’s part? Or was there some sort of ulterior motive behind all of it? Looking at the hunter’s poker face, KyuJong couldn’t really tell.
But then, he had no time to contemplate it any more as a loud alarm rang out through the HQ building.