Everything was cold. Not that kind of cold what he had felt in the cave, or when they had been walking in the snow covered mountain. This cold surrounded him, and he could not get rid of it. His eyelids were like lead on his eyes. He did not hear anything, and it frightened Taemin more. His sensory organs started to wake up too; he felt something soft under himself, it was not like the ground in the cave. His fingers started moving slowly, and he could feel several layers of material; blanket and sheet.

The darkness started to form something. The person was standing in front of him; blood was running down on his chin, the sword went through his body. Shin's teary eyes looked into his own, breaking the boy's heart.

The cold disappeared as if it had never been there. Taemin felt warmth first on his forehead, then on his cheek. His eyelids became weak, and he could see the place around him through his eyelashes. 

He saw the window and the walls of the room. He was lying on a bed, covering with a blanket until his chest.

Minho's shape started to be more real. The man was sitting on the bed, leaning forward, one of his hands caressing Taemin's cheek. The younger's heart had a faster rhythm, and without saying anything Taemin sat up, but the pain already attacked his body in his side.

"Careful. Lay back." Minho said and he wanted to push the boy back on the bed, but he did not move.

"You... you saved me." Taemin's lips formed the words, shaking, while he was looking into the man's eyes.

The captain made a sad smile, and nodded. Taemin did not understand the sadness, but he was grateful; Minho saved his life.

"I just paid back my debt."

"Anyway... thank you."

Taemin looked around, maybe they were not alone, but even the door was closed. He guided his right hand to the man's nape, pulled him closer and kissed his lips. Minho did not move, while Taemin's dry lips touched his soft ones, so the boy leaned back before he could have used his tongue. The boy blinked at the elder, questioningly, maybe he would explain his behavior. Maybe it was not that important to Minho than to Taemin? Did the man only do it, because they had been the only ones in that cave?

"Minho..."

"The doctor said a lot of great news" he interrupted him quickly.

"The doctor?" Taemin found the important part, and his gaze went to the other's shoulder. "How is your wound?"

"It's fine. He said it was good that you cleaned it."

"Oh." Taemin was relieved, and he could hear the huge stone what fell down from his heart.

"But... he said other great news too."

Somehow he did not hear the happiness in Minho's voice, although he thought he would be happy if the doctor had told him some great news.

"Your wound wasn't that deep, so if you will have a lot of rest you'll be fine. And" he swallowed, avoiding Taemin's gaze "it seems you don't have to be afraid if you want to go to another war."

Taemin looked at Minho, frowning. He tried to read the thought from his face, but he failed. The captain was so distant and mysterious. It was like a deep gap would have separated them from each other, and it did not matter how hard Taemin tried to reach him Minho did not do anything for it.

"Because your arm... is completely healthy."

Now he could see that Minho's dark eyes stopped at his left arm. Taemin's whole body shuddered, his heart was beating in his throat, but he slowly followed the man's gaze.

The white bandage was gone, and only Taemin's healthy skin was seen without any burning marks. He jumped because of the fright, as if he could get away from the sight, then he looked back at Minho, who needed an explanation.

"Minho... I... I can explain it." He was shaking; he was desperate.

"Do you want to find the boy who joined the army in an illegal way? I think I found him for you."

"No... no, Minho, please" he reached for him to touch his shoulders, but the elder leaned away, and stood up from the bed.

Taemin moved with him, and because of that he was trapped by the blanket in the next moment he fell on the floor with a loud thump. He made a painful groan, and touched his side, where a red patch formed on the new bandage.

Minho took a step closer, but he changed his mind and cleared his throat. Every part of him wanted to help the boy, but he stayed strong, and he just watched as he slowly knelt up.

"It's Captain Choi to you."

The last time he spoke to him in this way had been when they had had the trainings, and it totally broke Taemin's heart. But he had to stay strong, and he could not let his tears to show up; they tried to leave his eyes violently.

"And you?" Maybe he should not have asked him, but he was too curious. "Who are you?"

"Minho... Captain..."

"If you can't answer this simple question, we have nothing to talk about. I guess you need time for another lie, though."

"No! I... I didn't lie to you! I... I didn't lie about the important things..."

"Important things?" Minho laughed bitterly.

He stepped to the boy, leaned down to him, and grabbed his left arm, strongly, so he could pull him up from the floor.

"This! This is important!"

"I didn't lie to you in the cave!"

"What?"

He saw as the teardrops gathered in his brown eyes. The boy seemed so unprotected Minho's heart almost broke. But he could not forget about his rank, and about who he was.

"You... you really were my first."

It was like the grip became weaker on his arm. Taemin thought he saw the light in the darkness, and the problems would be gone. He saw the uncertainty in Minho's look, but then he heard sounds from the corridor.

The door opened without knocking, and a panting, red faced Jinki looked at them. He made a relieved sigh because of the sight, but when he saw their captain he bowed. After this he looked at the boy again, and stepped closer to him.

The tension was touchable in the room, so Jinki had no idea what he should say. But when he got closer he could see Taemin's upper body, just like his left arm without the bandage. The captain had found out!

"Captain Choi..."

The picture immediately showed up in front of him when he had stopped Lee Jinki. He did not know why they had been fighting with the younger, but the boy's clothes had been disheveled, and the bandage had been loose on his left arm. So Lee Jinki had found out that time. Minho let Taemin's arm go; his fingers left red marks on his skin, but Taemin did not care about the pain.

"Go gome." He only said this.

It was like he aged years during those minutes. Jinki bowed again, when he walked away next to him, and Minho left the room. Taemin could not let this happen. He did not care about anything, he just ran after the man, even when Jinki shouted at him to stop.

Minho froze because of the touch. He could not move, and he looked down at the hands around his body through the curtain of tears. Now the boy hugged him tight with both of his arms from behind, and the man could hear his snivel.

"Let me go." His voice was quiet, not violent like before.

"But..."

"Let me go" he escaped from the boy's arms, lazily, and he took one last glance at him before he disappeared in the corridor. "Whoever you are..."

It's Captain Choi to you.

We have nothing to talk about...

Go home.

Let me go... Whoever you are...

Whoever you are...

Taemin did not know how many times had passed since Choi Minho had walked away and left the building. Back then the boy had collapsed on the floor and started sobbing. By now the salty tears dried up on his face, and he was sitting on the interior window sill. Those words were in his mind, constantly, and he just stared out of the window, where he saw the people of the capital. He hoped he would see the Captain, but it did not happen. Choi Minho had left. And Lee Taemin did not blame him.

"If you had enough rest I'll take you home."

Taemin slowly took his gaze away from the street, hearing Jinki's gentle voice, and looked at the man, who was sitting in a chair. The elder's warm smile could always make Taemin happy, it could calm him down, but now it was just not enough.

"Kibum already went for some food. Everything is over now, so he wants to go home too."

"How..." His throat was dry, so he had to swallow then he coughed. "How are they? Kibum and Jonghyun?"

"Jonghyun wanted to go after you, but we told him it would be too dangerous."

"But..." Taemin got scared.

The man had said Kibum had wanted to get some food. But he hadn't mentioned Kim Jonghyun.

"Jonghyun... He..."

"He's fine. We will go home together for a while. I... I thought I should go with you and Kibum to meet your brother, and... I should say thank you."

"I... I think you already did." As he looked up his eyes met Jinki's, and finally the boy smiled. "You helped me. My brother will be very grateful."

Another short, but awkward silence was there. Taemin did not mind; at least he found a reason to turn back to the window. He watched the walking people, he watched their gestures, he tried to figure out what was the topic of the conversation. Were they happy? He was... until this morning.

He saw that someone started to light the lampions, and he knew they would make a beautiful sight in the capital when the night comes.

"How... How could you survive it?"

Jinki was curious. In the capital one of the soldiers had seen that their captain had arrived to a doctor with another person on his back, and soon the whole Korean army - at least the ones who were alive - had known about the information.

"There was a cave." Taemin was talking in an emotionless voice, and now he did not turn to Jinki.

The man could see Taemin's reflection on the glass.

"But... it was very cold. Even we got frozen almost, although an old married couple gave us a place to sleep.''

"It was cold." Taemin remembered.

Even the fire could not help it; it was too cold.

"But... he kept me warm, and... I did the same."

He did not want to lie anymore, so he talked to Jinki honestly, who started to understand the meaning of the words, and Taemin continued with a quieter voice. It was like he did not talk to the man but to himself.

"He was gentle and careful."

Taemin felt Minho's every touch and they heated his skin up. He felt the touches on his face, on his lips, on his neck, on his chest, on his stomach, and...

"But Taemin... Does the Captain know that you're only sixteen years old?" The father spirit came out of Jinki again.

"It doesn't matter now, does it? I mean... the Captain left, and I'll go home soon."

Knocking was not that current nowadays, because the door opened, and two men wanted to get in the room. Jinki stared at the two younger, while Taemin just took a glance at them, then his face turned back to the window.

"We saw the Captain, and he told us you're here. Oh, Lee Taemin, you..." Kibum started, but the look on the boy's face stopped him.

"How do you know?"

"He saw what you did before you fell off of the cliff." Jinki explained, hoping the boy would understand why he had done it. "I had to tell him, and..."

"And Kibum told me, but actually we would have put the pieces together." Jonghyun went to the boy, who was still sitting by the window, and patted his shoulder. "You are tougher than I thought, kid."

Taemin did not pay attention to them anymore. They were alive, and it was the most important thing. His attention went back to the people in the street, and his heart squeezed in his chest, cold ran through on his spine. He did not want to believe his own eyes, so he blinked a few times, and he even leaned to the window glass so close his forehead touched it.

"Where... where is the palace?"

He needed an answer now, and he did not care if the topic of the conversation was different.

"Hm... if I saw well, in that way." Kibum leaned closer to him, and knocked on the glass with his finger. 

"I... I have to go there" he jumped up from the window sill, and started to search for his clothes in the room.

He found them soon on a chair, next to the wall. While he put his shoes on the other three men were watching him, curiously, sometimes exchanging a look with each other, hoping maybe the other would know what the youngest wanted to do.

"I saw him... I think I saw Takuya."

"What? How did he survive the avalanche?" Jonghyun asked.

"But if he's even alive, I'm sure his men are with him. You have no chance alone." Kibum wanted to convince him.

"No, he's alone. His men..." Shin's teardrop what ran down on his pale face, the blood what covered everything. "They're all dead."

"But what about the man who was always with him?" Jinki thought about it.

"I told you, everybody is dead!" Taemin raised his voice, surprising the others with it, who stared him without breathing. "I... I don't know what he wants, but Minho... I mean Captain Choi went to the palace to meet the King. We have to stop Takuya."

"There is a whole army in the palace. Takuya has no chance." Jonghyun told the facts.

They watched as the boy quickly adjusted his clothes, and now he was ready to go. He looked around in the room one more time, and saw the sword next to the bed. He stepped to it, and took it into his hand, but as his fingers touched it he was there again. Taemin pulled the sword out with shaking hand. He was afraid the blood would be still there, but Minho had certainly cleaned it, because there was nothing red on the weapon.

"He will find the way" he put the sword back, and tied it to his belt.

"Where are you going?" Jinki stood up from the chair, ready to follow the boy if it was necessary.

"I told you, Takuya is going to the palace. I have to go there."

"Yes? And if you're alone what do you want to do, hm?" Jonghyun blocked his way, and soon Kibum was next to him.

"Jonghyun's right. Takuya learned how to kill anybody since he was a child. While you were playing in the garden I'm sure they taught him how to cut a squirrel's stomach up!"

"These are a little bit too big words." Jinki glanced at the taller, but he had to agree. "But Kibum's right. You started the training not a long ago. And you have a wound."

"The King and the Captain are in danger. Should I sit here then go home? Just... I will tell the people in the palace that Takuya is here, then I'll go home. Alright?" He wanted Jinki's permission.

"Taemin..."

He took it as a yes, and he stormed out of the room. Lee Jinki thought he knew everything about raising a child since he had a daughter, but it was different with the boy. Lee Taemin had taught him new things. There are moments in life when he cannot be next to them, he cannot hold their hands. There are moments, when the child has to fight alone.

As he stepped out to the street he could hear the noises from the people. Dust was in the air because of the chariots, the people seemed busy but happy. Children were playing next to the houses. Taemin saw the palace in the distance, and as fast as he could he started to go in that way.

Although he did not want to draw the attention to himself, he became faster, he almost ran, trying to avoid the people around him.

He had only one more task. He did not care if Choi Minho did not want to see him again, if he humiliated him, because at least he was alive. He could thank so much to the young captain, even if he did not know about it. He had taught Taemin things the boy had never thought he would be able to learn about. Choi Minho had taught him how to live, how to fight, how to love...

The boy stopped just in time, almost falling because of the big momentum, but he held the person's arm in front of him, and the other did the same. Taemin stared at the ground with heavy breathing, where he saw dried ruts. He slowly lifted his head up, looking at the man's clothes, then his gaze stopped on the dark eyes.