Nichkhun paced around the outer border of the small, craggy island for the nth time, trying to ease the pangs of worry and hurt in his chest. The sky had darkened quickly, and it was night now ,but Nichkhun couldn't sleep, his mind on hardrive with all of the conversations.

Well ... who wouldn't? His supposedly-dead girlfriend appeared to be living in the sea like a mermaid, and told him to stop what he had been doing his whole life since she left. Too late to stop - why couldn't she understand?

He'd done too much.

"I'll get you back one day," she had said, and the certainity in her voice ...

No. He couldn't. It would only hurt her more, what he had done.His mind drifted back to Taecyeon and Tiffany. He hoped they they were safe and hopefully Tiffany and her straight head would stop Taecyeon from doing something crazy.

Hm ... ugh. Nichkhun ruffled up his already-tangled hair in a failed attempt to calm down, then began pacing again.

*Taecyeon POV.*

I walked down with Tiffany out of the station. Okay. One thing that was done ... now what?

Tiffany sighed. "I'm tired ..." she whined. I playfully cuffed her around the ears. "And?"

"You're mean, oppa." she pouted, then said, "What do we do now?" I sighed as well after that. I don't know. No-one knows.

I couldn't help but see a familiar memory flashing over and over in my head. No matter what I tried, I couldn't get it out of my head. I sighed, my heart clenching. I really, really hoped that he wouldn't ...

"Oppa?" Tiffany stared at me through narrowed eyes. "There is something bothering you. Tell me." It wasn't even a question - it was a demand. I bit my lip ... I promised not to tell, but ...

"I said I wouldn't tell anyone ..." I mumbled. TIffant frowned. "What? You can tell me ... I know that you two are really close ..." her voice broke slightly, then she continued,"But you can tell me. I won't tell anyone else - this is gonna be our secret. You, me, and Nichkhun oppa. Okay?" She gave me an encouraging smile. I managed to turn up the corners of my lips for her. "What could I do without you, Fany ..."

"Nothing. You would fail in life." She stuck her tounge out, and then her face fell again. "So, tell me."

"Um ... Khun hyung, he ... it was a few weeks after Tori disappeared. He ..."

*flashback*

Taecyeon jogged along the beach, running his hands through his hair. He bit his lip worridly. Nichkhun hadn't been picking up his calls for the past hour - and he always did. Always.

Until Victoria disppeared, that is. Her leaving and supposed "death" left a huge impact on him. He was never the same after that. It pained both Taecyeon and TIffany, his sister, to see him slipping away like that. It was almost like his old self was fading, to be replaced by this new version of him, cold, expressionless, and b with unseen sorrow, though he tried his best to push it back. 

He held his breath as he ranng him again ...

Ring ... ring ... ring ... ring ... ring ...

"i am sorry but the number that you requested is -"

"ARGH goddamnit Khun! Where the heck are you?!" Taecyeon started off again, running down to the rocky cover where he hoped Nichkhun would not be.

The rain was still falling, and far away, the tendrils of night were creeping over the horizon. 

Taecyeon was soaked ot the core, and he hoped that Nichkhun had the sense to bring at least a coat, if he was even out here, which he hoped not. Please, he thought desperately. Please, let my phone just ring once, and let Tiffany call to tell me that Nichkhun hyung has come home again ... please ...

But nothing. Nothing from his phone, which was starting to dampen through his pocket. 

Finally, after a few more agonizing minutes of running across the long sandy strip of a beach, he turned a corner and came face to face with the towering coves, each filled with pitch black shadow. He couldn't see anything inside - one false step, and he would go plummeting to his death into the swirling surrents below and drown, if he wasn't dashed onto the rocks first. 

But he knew he was in here - a flash of lightening lit up the gloomy cavern for a moment, and he saw a faint outline of a man, standing alone on the rim of the highest cliff, above the blackness of the waters below.

Nichkhun.

He would recognize him anywhere.

His heart dropped as he started to finally clamber over the slippery rocks, the dangers screaming at his head drowned out by his exploding concern for Nichkhun. Hand over hand, he slowly inched his way up onto the same level as Nichkhun. He held out his hands to steady himself, then turned sharply as he heard a faint shuffle in front of him, where Nichkhun was standing.

His heart plummeted as he saw him inching towards the edge.

.

He's not ... he's not ... is he??

Taecyeon surged forwards as Nichkhun froze. It was him - he was sure now, as he reached him just as he turned, shock written all over his face. 

"T-Taec ..." he choked out, his eyes wide. Taecyeon grabbed his by the arm and dragged him away from the edge, amd he could tell from the slight flicker of expression on his face that Nichkhun was ... almost glad that he had just been stopped.

"You idiot!" Taecyeon threw himsslef onto Nichkhun once they were a safe distance away from the edge, on a drier patch of rock. "What were youthinking? You had us all worried - w-why would you ..." he faltered and instead buried his face into his best friend's shoulder. Nichkhun stood frozen, not knowing what to do.

"Why ... " Taec looked at him, his eyes shining bright with worry in the gloom. Nichkhun shook his head slightly, his mind in a daze. "I don't know ... I just ... I  ..." He gulped, biting his lip. "I don't know ... I just couldn't ... I -"

"If you don't know something, come to me." Taecyeon stared at him resolutely. "Me, or Tiffany. We're your friends, we care about you. Don't do anything like this again." Nichkhun let out a deep breath, and mumbled, "I don't deserve friends like you ..." Taecyeon gave him a light punch on the shoulder, knocking Nichkhun back to reality. "Don't say that. You are an amazing, person, you just don't know it. I know that your f-father ..." he trailed off as Nichkhun's face darkened dangerously. "Erm ... I ... oh damn it." Taecyeon shook his head, and Nichkhun's lips quirked up briefly. 

"Come on, let's go." 

*end flashback*

"...Oh ..." Tiffany had her hand covering , her eyes glistening with tears. "Nichkhun oppa ... he ..." 

Taecyeon hung his head. "I don't know ..." he said almost inaudiably. "Now he's changed, and he's alone, and I know that he hates the fact that he is ... but I just .. don't know what he will do now. I just ..." he swallowed.

"I don't know."

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HEYYYYYYYYY IMMA BACK!! I know, i'm really sorry for not updating in so long but I had a block. For the second time ... I'm so stupid ... argh ...

anyways, just warning but it will get more depressing than I thought that it would be. Sorry folks ... that's how I write. Unplanned *shrugs* 

So ... yep. That's about it. Please, please drop by with a comment, it makes me so much happier. Oh, and while I'm at it, thank you so much to mickey0817  for commenting! hehe ... I thought my fic had been abandonned, not just me me but my readers ... O_o

So yeah, enough of my blabber. Thank you for everyone who stayed with me (if there are any ... ;__;) and new readers, welcome! Warning ... I m not the most relaiable nor good author anywhere in any way, so please be patient with me, hehe.

Thank you all and goodbye! See you next time!!

MM123