Well outside of the planet Omicron (MRD-87-HP-17), Changmin scanned it from afar and shook his head.  He had absolutely no idea how he was going to get what he needed without getting himself captured or killed.  And he’d had a full pulsar day to think of something.  It wasn’t that he really needed to worry about the planet itself; it had no actual defenses to protect against anything.  So it should have been easy, except the main sentient life-form was the endangered Kirin, a medium sized quadruped with a dainty build.  They came in a variety of colors, were renowned for being extreme pacifists with no desire for space travel, and most notably, a single horn curving from the middle of their forehead.

                Soon after they were discovered, it was recorded that they could heal any wound with the power of their horn.  Scans of their planet and the horns themselves showed a massive abundance of cosmic energy that allowed them to perform such miracles.  Furthermore, the environment was so saturated by it that the energy even registered in their blood.  The most recent space-farers thought they’d found a paradise of life and at first, coming to the Kirin to be healed of any ailment wasn’t such a problem.  But then the Great Feud between the angels and demons began.

                Yunho’s father, the current Emperor Jung at the time, was killed in a suicide attack on Mikhaelis.  His wife and unmarried daughter were also claimed in the tragedy, making Yunho the Emperor overnight.  He’d been off planet with Boa at the time, touring the planets in the solar system to get a better understanding of them, which was the only thing that saved him.  When he returned, reports indicated that the demons had delivered the death blow: the older brother of the Rising Emperor Kwon ordered the attack.  He’d fabricated an assassination plot against his father and ‘acted accordingly’ to stop them.  It had taken them nearly a half century to uncover the truth.

                During that time, tens of thousands of Kirin were slaughtered for their blood, a portable miracle drug that could bring the warring angels and demons back from the brink of death and restore any loss of limb.  They came so close to extinction, the Discoverers had to step in when the Celestial and Khaos chaperones were unable to curtail their charges, swept up in the overwhelming animosity between the races.  At last, Alpha Prime revealed the deception that had allowed everything to fall apart and declared Omicron a planet under their express protection.  Jiyong’s brother was charged with inciting genocide and jettisoned into the nearest sun.  Emperor Kwon stepped down, considering his failure to see the true nature of his son as a failure of his own, thereby making Jiyong the next ruler.

                So it was left to the new Emperors Jung and Kwon to sign a non-aggression pact so that such a travesty might never happen again.  Which left Changmin in the stymied position he was currently in.  Taking a deep breath, he sighed and squeezed the back of his piloting chair as he stood behind it.  “How?” he frowned, glaring at the beautiful, cloud covered emerald through the sea of obliterated ship debris hovering in the distance.  “Only very specific, sanctioned ships are allowed to land,” he mused, wondering if it would be possible to make his look like one.  Changmin gave up on that idea again almost immediately.  “They also have very special security codes.”

                Slapping his face with both hands, he dragged his fingers down, pulling at the bottom of his eyelids in the process.  “It’s impossible!” he snapped, slamming a fist into the back of the chair instead.  “No!” he chastised himself almost immediately.  “You have to find a way.  For Woo,” he whispered, setting his teeth in his bottom lip as he went back to deliberating.

                He was so focused on his current dilemma that he completely missed the quiet susurration of a small vortex of dust rising from the seams of his deck.  “Hello,” a pleasant, soft voice greeted at Changmin’s shoulder.

                “Wah!” the angel yelped, wings flaring in reaction as he reached for his sword and lurched to the side, searching for the intruder.  He didn’t see him at first so he immediately invoked a circle of protection, placing his back nearly against the wall as he brought his wings close to his body.  “Show yourself!” he demanded, brandishing the astrilite blade determinedly.  There was no reply.  But a quiet whisper of sound at his feet made Changmin look down.  “What the-?” he gasped upon seeing glittering dust swiftly making its way up his legs.  He tried to take a step as he brushed at it, but found himself rooted in place.

                Fear took hold as his brushing hand was also caught in a veritable vice.  “I’m right here,” the soft voice whispered in his ear as the dust took on a humanoid form.

                “Oh cosmos,” Changmin exhaled while he stared straight ahead, hardly daring to blink.  The figure was shorter and smaller than him, but the strength in the long, supple fingers wrapped around his wrists was substantial, holding him firmly in place.

                “What in the universe are you doing here, angel?” the being asked, his breath tickling Changmin’s ear with his proximity.

                “What are you?” the trapped angel whispered, daring to turn his head just enough to catch the hint of pale skin, narrow eyes, and a beautiful, bemused expression.

                The being pouted before dissolving to dust that swirled around Changmin, easily staying within the confines of his circle of protection.  In the blink of an eye, it reformed into the figure of a very attractive, slender humanoid man wearing vibrant, colorful silk sashes all over his body.  The slender hands still held Changmin’s wrists though, and he felt just as bad having the brown haired beauty less than a foot in front of him.  They were so close he could see the black eyes appeared to have entire galaxies swirling in them.  “You don’t know?” it smiled, the narrow eyes nearly closing as perfect lips turned up into a blinding smile.

                Changmin felt his stomach drop and his mind go blank for one heart stopping moment.  “You’re a Discoverer…” he trailed off, knowing without a doubt that he was dead now.

                “See?  You do know me,” the being grinned, his eyes closing entirely this time.  It gave one clap of excitement and then stepped back, plopping down into the pilot’s chair, thus freeing Changmin from his hold.

                In his moment of release, Changmin’s knees went weak and he reached for the wall to steady himself.  "Yeah,” he forced a wan smile, trying to guide his shaking sword back to its sheathe.  He was so unsuccessful that the Discoverer actually got up, seemingly appearing in front of the angel, and helped him guide the tip back into place with considerably steadier hands.  That was bad enough but it was more unnerving when he kept looking Changmin in the eyes as he did so.  “Are you going to kill me?” he finally asked when the extended silence became too much.

                “Now why would I do that?” the Discoverer questioned back, tilting his head to the side innocently.  Changmin dropped his head, managing to break eye contact as he looked away.  “Ah,” the other being hummed in understanding.  “So you are here for the Kirin.”

                The temperature in the ship felt like it suddenly plummeted and Changmin could see his breath as he shook his head, feeling the cold set in almost immediately.  “Not a Kirin,” he shivered, teeth chattering in the process.  “Just a s-s-s-single vial,” he swallowed, hugging himself tight.

                Slender fingers tipped his chin up as the temperature stalled.  He was forced to meet those terrible eyes again and this time, he couldn’t look away.  “Why?” the Discoverer asked, peering into him so hard the angel felt certain he could read his soul.

                He thought about trying to lie, to come up with a sob story that might sway this great being, but even as the idea tried to take root, it died in the soil of his mind and all that was left was the truth.  Nothing less would work.  And it was all he had.  “For Gunwoo.”

                The Discoverer tilted his head again and leaned so close their noses almost touched.  In a blur of motion and stomach lurching surprise, Changmin suddenly found himself sitting in the pilot chair with the being in his lap and arms looped around his neck.  He froze, immediately uncomfortable and terrified with the situation.  “I hear a story there,” his captor purred, looking at him expectantly while the temperature slowly returned to normal.

                “Um…” Changmin swallowed, glancing down nervously.

                The Discoverer followed his gaze and responded with a bemused smile.  “Does this bother you?”

                “Y-yes,” Changmin stammered after it took him a moment to work up the courage to answer.

                The other looked at him with a neutral expression before it turned into another blinding smile.  “I like you, Minnie.  You give honest answers,” it acknowledged, practically floating off his lap to stand in front of the angel.  “I am Alpha Four Beta One.  No.  Beta One Alpha Four,” it laughed at the mix-up, one finger poised in the air.  “Is that strange?” it wondered, seeing the conflicted look on the angel’s face.

                “A little,” he nodded hesitantly, breathing a bit easier when he wasn’t blown up on the spot.

                “Hmm.  Then how about Jinyoung for the moment?  Or millennia,” he shrugged, folding himself to the ground so he could bring his knees to his chest.  “So.  Tell me this story of yours,” he spoke, the words gentle enough but Changmin knew a command when he heard one.

                Settling himself as best he could in the chair – it was hard to feel relaxed when a being that could destroy him with the snap of its fingers was right in front of him – Changmin took a breath and attempted to explain what he was doing there.  It didn’t take him long to recount how the Empress had sent him to retrieve the only cure that would heal Gunwoo’s lost wings.  And all through it, Jinyoung didn’t blink at all, leaving the angel even more nervous.  When he finished, he folded his hands in his lap and stared at them, awaiting his fate.

                “Why you?” Jinyoung surprised him by asking, seemingly perplexed by that reality.  When Changmin looked up, the Discoverer gestured with one hand and added, “She could have sent anyone.  Or even petitioned the Council.  Not that they would have been able to grant that wish,” he commented with a sly smile.  “Well?” he prompted when the angel remained quiet.

                Changmin winced, feeling the sting of many truths gnawing at him.  He was disposable.  It was his only chance at redemption.  Because she expected him to.  And they were all true but none of them fit quite so well as, “Because I cannot fail him.”  Whether he wanted his wings or not, an angel without his wings was missing a part of their very self.  And Changmin hurt just thinking about it.  He was so caught up in his own world that he only noticed belatedly that Jinyoung was looking at him intently.

                “What were you to him, Minnie?” he mused, one finger resting over his lips.

                “His standard guard,” the angel answered warily.

                “You don’t sound like a standard guard,” the Discoverer hummed, a slow smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.  “You care for him.”  It wasn’t a question but Changmin treated it like one.

                “Of course I do!” he snapped, glaring at the other being.  “He was my responsibility.”  His words burned in his throat like the flush threatening to wash over his face.  It was more than that but he wasn’t read to say it out loud.  Jinyoung did it for him anyway.

                “You’re in love with him.”

                The tension in Changmin’s shoulders fled as his body betrayed him.  He looked away with a clenched jaw and sniffed.  “He doesn’t know.  Cannot know,” he amended immediately after, feeling the bitterness of that truth twist in his gut.  “The Emperor’s Heir… Gunwoo… was promised to someone else before I ever became his guard.  I knew that,” he whispered, horrified as his treacherous tongue just kept telling the one story he didn’t want to tell.  “And it was nothing at first.  He was a mere child being spoiled in the era of peace after the war.  Quick to anger, we were always trying to keep him out of fights.  Used to getting his way, we had to find ways to get around his orders to make sure he stayed safe.  And if he could blame something on us, he would,” he explained with a bitter laugh.

                “What made him change?” Jinyoung pushed gently, his voice so soft and understanding it made Changmin tear up.

                He swallowed the lump in his throat and sniffed, trying to collect himself.  “His parents fell deathly ill.  One of the gems on the Empress’ most recently purchased necklace came from the newly opened mines in a distant system that had been harboring a dormant virus.  We’d never been exposed to it before so it hit the angels on the ship hard.  They were both immediately quarantined, leaving Gunwoo by himself with us.  When Seyong got sick, like many other Royals, it was just me,” he shrugged, wrapping his arms across his torso.  “I can still remember him crying until he got sick, terrified that his parents were going to die,” he whispered, closing his eyes on the wrenching memory.  “I couldn’t do anything but hold him.  And he clung to me so tightly.  I think he was afraid that if he let go, I’d disappear on him too,” he swallowed again as tears fell from the side of his eyes.  “I told him, ‘Never.’  And he made me promise.  So I did.”

                “And you’ve been in love with him ever since?” the Discoverer questioned, honestly curious.

                “I loved him differently then,” Changmin admitted as he opened his eyes to look up.  “I watched the boy grow into a man who didn’t want to be heir.  And because he trusted me like no other, for a long time, I was the one he came to when he needed someone to see him for the angel he was.  Not the heir.  I watched him struggle under the weight of his expectations.  Listened to his fears about living up to the greatness that was his father.  Kept my mouth shut when his mother continued treating him like a child long after he’d grown up.  And hurt with him when he really learned what it meant to be betrothed, forbidden to even ‘see’ other angels in that light.”

                Jinyoung sighed with his chin propped on both hands.  “I see it has been tough on him being the only heir after all.”  Something about the way he said it made Changmin focus on the Discoverer, but he wasn’t given a chance to ask.  “When did you realize you’d fallen for him?” the other smiled.

                That was an easy question and Changmin knew the answer all too well.  “I admired and respected him for many reasons.  And yes, I was… am attracted to his… handsome face and learned charm.  But when I realized I knew every flaw he had and that none of them made me feel any different about him.  When I felt all his perceived failures as keenly as he did, and rode the same high for every joyous success...”  He closed his eyes again and took a deep breath.  “I know he’ll never be mine, but I still want to protect him,” he whispered, locking gazes with the Discoverer.  “He’s running away right now, but I also think he’s lost.  Which is why I need this,” he pleaded.  “Please.  Help me,” Changmin begged, sliding from the chair so that he could kneel on the ground, bowing before the Discoverer.

                The whisper of rustling dust followed by complete silence left Changmin uncertain.  Very carefully, he looked up and frowned when there was no sight of Jinyoung.  He was gone.  He wasn’t sure if that was supposed to be a good thing or not.  But just as soon as he made up his mind to stand back up, he heard the familiar whisper returning, sliding up through his ship slowly but surely.  In awe, he watched the sparkling grains swirl from their amorphous vortex shape into the more familiar Jinyoung.  More notably, though, was a crystalline ampule of liquid gold perched between his thumb and index finger.

                Jinyoung gave him a very satisfied smile.  “Thank you for letting me discover your story,” he nodded in acknowledgement.  “Allow me to share one with you,” he murmured, squatting down low so that he was at an even level with Changmin.  “This vial of Kirin blood was meant for a great angel.  Seventy six years ago, he fell deathly ill.”  Changmin’s eyes slid from the vial to the Discoverer’s star filled ones, mouth partially falling open as he listened.  “In secret – because no single life should be valued more than another due to one’s birth, the Galactic Council met on behalf of the Angel Emperor’s plight.  Dozens of angels on board the Celestial Scion had already perished and a cure was no closer to being found.  Since the illness fed on the purer cosmic energy more refined in mature Royals, they were the most at risk, and it was only through the combined efforts of the surviving Royals and the standards that kept the Emperor and Empress alive that long already.  Their healing prowess was great but even they were unprepared for the foreign savagery of the sickness that laid waste to their bodies, threatening the lives of the Emperor and his wife, as well as the stability of the Angel Empire.  Could the Council just leave it to chance for them to recover?

                So Council leaders Minki and Amber came to petition for the lives of Yunho and Boa.  They couldn’t be brought to Omicron for the journey could kill them.  And if they were left alone, they might die in turn, leaving their only son, a mere child, to inherit.  They considered selecting a Guardian in case the worst happened, but Emperor Yunho had earned the respect of all sides before, during, and after the Great Feud.  It is a powerful force that cannot be bought.  I agreed for the sake of a boy not yet ready to become an Emperor, and for an Empire that needed a strong, respected head.  Two vials given freely from the Kirin returned with the Council members.  Empress Boa drank one of them, recovering overnight.  But Emperor Yunho refused.  He maintained that if he had not already died, then he would live yet.  He said he was not going to waste something so precious as even a drop of the blood of a creature nearly driven to extinction on a body that would recover in time.

                When he finally regained his strength, Emperor Yunho was recovered enough to resume his duties and take the mantle of leadership back.  But he would never be completely whole again.  The sickness he survived and his refusal to drink this is the reason there is only one heir now.”  Jinyoung inspected the vial with a curious neutrality as he turned it in his hand.  “It seems strangely fitting that it might yet give the angels back the heir they don’t know they’ve already lost.”

                A quiet gasp escaped Changmin’s open mouth and he felt tears sting his eyes anew.  “I didn’t know,” he exhaled, bowing his head.

                “Few do.”  Changmin took a shuddering breath when Jinyoung grasped his hand and turned it over before gently pressing the vial into his palm.  With tender care, the Discoverer folded Changmin’s hand closed, hiding the vial from sight.  “Protect him, Changmin,” he commanded, the tone quiet but filled with purpose.  “For his sake, as well as his father’s.”

                Changmin nodded mutely, unable to form words.  He swallowed the lump in his throat and sat back, pulling his hand free to cradle it against his belly.  “I will,” he promised thickly, keeping his head bowed even as he heard the whispered departure of the other.  When he finally did look up, the ship seemed strangely empty with the Discoverer gone.  Getting carefully to his feet, Changmin couldn’t help but peek at the vial in his hand one more time.  No larger than his palm, the blood in the stoppered crystal really did look like liquid gold.  “I will protect him,” he whispered, covering it protectively as he closed his eyes again.  “I promise.”

                With about eight earth days left before he really needed to start worrying about someone showing up, Gunwoo knew he should have been long gone from Kibum’s apartment.  It would have saved him from a clingy roommate who was worried that when he did leave, he really would abandon them.  Sounded like something he might do.  But he was not good with Earth technology – the microunitranscoordinator only gave him the almost instant ability to understand and then speak foreign languages as he heard them - and his divination attempts were blurry at best.  On the other hand, they also gave him headaches lately, especially when he was focusing on the A&D program and the assistant secretary he was desperate to know more about.  So he was relying on Junhong and Kibum’s ability to tell him as much as they could about Myungsoo, where the A&D headquarters were specifically, and when and where the assistant secretary would most likely be.

                They cooperated long enough for him to understand that Myungsoo was believed to be completely human by everybody on the planet, except for a handful of people on an underground website that Junhong found.  They claimed to have pictures of him that showed he couldn’t be human, but when they actually looked at them, most images looked photoshopped or could be blamed on lighting and poor angles.  Gunwoo still felt validated that he wasn’t the only one who thought the other man was strange though.

                And the most recent broadcast of the A&D demonstration also made it to the website where it showed Myungsoo calmly regarding the freaking out Taekwoon and Wonshik as if it was just another day on the job.  Speculation abounded but he was otherwise ‘normal’ by human standards.  Graduated high school with no trouble, got into a decent college, got his Bachelors in Business Management, then went for his Masters before getting picked up by A&D a couple years later.  He wasn’t anything special until he met the right person or had the right timing or something, but before too long, he was in the center of everything and excelling.

                Because of the nature of his job though, his address and contact information were strictly confidential.  No one knew how to reach him but he had dozens of cafes and blogs and sites dedicated to him, leaving him all manner of messages.  From fanboys and girls to haters to other managers and more than a few anonymous people, he had quite the following.  It was all interesting information too, but none of it actually helped him.  And when Gunwoo asked for more, both Kibum and Junhong told him no.

                “Not until you tell us what’s really going on,” Kibum pointed firmly in his face.  Gunwoo just glared at his roommate and didn’t respond.  “See!  That’s what I’m talking about,” Kibum grumbled, looking at Junhong with a frustrated expression.  “Every time I ask something he doesn’t want to answer, he just gives me the silent treatment!”

                “Ah,” Junhong hummed, frowning at Gunwoo as he crossed his arms over his chest.

                Fidgety because he could feel the clock counting down and their reproachful eyes on him, Gunwoo muttered, “Whatever.  I’ll just figure it out myself.”  Kibum snorted in outright disbelief while Junhong gave him a skeptical look.  “I will,” he reiterated, annoyed they didn’t believe.

                “Prove it,” Kibum dared with a frosty glare himself.

                “Fine!” Gunwoo shot back, standing up with determination that quickly faded as he looked around.  “Um…” he trailed off, glancing between Kibum and the floor.  “Can I borrow your laptop?”

                Kibum’s mouth dropped open at the audacity of roommate.  The surprise wore off quickly though and he quipped, “Absolutely not!” as he looked away.

                “Junhong?” Gunwoo asked, better able to meet the younger man’s gaze.

                “Sorry,” the red-head raised his hands and shook his head.  “Not taking sides here.  Nope,” he added, standing up.  “In fact, I think I’m gonna go home before something else happens.  Bye!” Junhong waved, checking to make he had his keys before he fled the room.

                The silence lengthened between the two remaining people and Gunwoo grumbled, “Ugh!  Why are you so stubborn?!”

                “You’re one to talk!” Kibum snapped back before he turned to leave, heading for his room instead.

                For the first time in a long while, Gunwoo felt well and truly alone.  He knew he was partially to blame for it, and though he could probably ask Sandara, she was only slightly better than him with the computer.  She knew how to set up and run her shop’s website and could handle the accounting books of the store electronically well enough, but when it came to digging for information, Junhong and Kibum were much better at it.  Gunwoo knew he could probably hire someone but he didn’t know who or how or what it would cost.

                Stifling a groan, he slouched back to his room and shut the door behind him, feeling like a complete and utter failure.  “What in the universe have you been doing for six Earth years that you still haven’t figured out much of anything on Earth?” he chided himself in disgust.  Even if they were shorter than standard pulsar years, it was still a sad reality.  He’d spent the first year getting used to not having wings and making sure he was well and truly hidden.  To make sure he wasn’t being followed, he constantly hid and moved around, stealing little things here and there to get by but otherwise managing on his otherworldly (literally) charm and what the humans called ‘fortune telling.’

                Ultimately paranoid about being discovered somehow, he’d adamantly refused to do anything that required he set up accounts of any kind.  Having a full proof identity meant having a stronger presence and he wanted to be as under the radar as possible.  Outside of that, admittedly, he got lazy.  It had been the first time in almost a pulsar century that he didn’t have any obligations to uphold or people breathing down his neck or expectations waiting to be fulfilled.  There was no pressure and no court and no betrothed and nothing other than the freedom to go where he wanted, when he wanted, how he wanted, so long as he could make or ‘find’ the money.

                Using his ship, which still had sufficient power and the ability to become invisible in those early years, he drifted everywhere, trying anything and everything, but never staying in one place too long.  He immersed himself in the music of different cultures; tasted the foreign foods which were unlike most things he’d had back home; and tried to live for himself for once.  Maybe it was a good thing, but meeting people he was interested in was hard.  He knew firsthand the response he’d seen on screen, when the humans had been afraid of Taekwoon and Wonshik.  Though his wings were gone, the cosmic energy in his blood was still strong enough to remind them on a subconscious level that he could be dangerous.

                And when he did try to get close, the company of men and women was often lacking.  They were passionate but short sighted creatures.  Their lives revolved around self-gratification and avoiding death as long as possible in their ridiculously short life-spans, comparatively speaking (he was the equivalent of 233 years old here, whereas most only reached around 80 on this planet).  As a people, they were so fractured, making it a wonder they hadn’t done more to kill each other off, all things considered.  And, after figuring out they were anatomically compatible, the few times he had actually tried to have a relationship with someone, the results had been less than satisfactory, for various reasons.  Oh what his mother would think if she found out about that: interspecies relationships.

                Actually, that was a valid concern if the Council found out…

                Gunwoo quickly pushed the thought away and threw himself on the bed.  Self-consciously, he reached back to rub at depressingly flat shoulder blades.  If he still had his wings, he would be able to move around freely and his inherent sense of direction, linked preternaturally to his divination ability, would be much more helpful.  As it stood, he needed help but telling his friends the truth about him was another matter the Council would likely take exception to.  And if he didn’t get out of this mess soon, a run-in with the Council was becoming a very real possibility.

                Sighing as he stared at the ceiling again, Gunwoo admitted, “Maybe.  Just maybe.  I could have thought this out better.”

(a/n: Yay for back story!  And the introduction of a Discoverer.  hehe  So I hope this chapter helps to fill in some blanks and answer some questions, while probably giving more.  I definitely encourage you to ask if you're curious or just unsure about anything, and I certainly wouldn't mind hearing what you think about things so far.  ^_^  Not necessary but assuredly, comments do make me smile (and give inspiration). haha

Either way, thank you for reading and I hope you look forward to the next update!)