When he opened his eyes the man was still sleeping next to him. His features were so calm. His gaze went above from his chin, through the mole on the man's face to his shaking eyelashes. He reached forward, carefully, to sweep the dark locks away from his forehead, then put his hand next to himself, and his own lips as he thought about last night.

He had never met anyone like him. In one moment he killed four men at the same time in the most ruthless way, and in the other moment he hugged him gently, and the strangest thing was that Wonho felt safe in the man's arms.

"You're doing it again."

"Hm?" The one year older, but still young man shuddered as he heard the other's nice, sleepily hoarse voice.

"You're staring me while I'm sleeping. It's... creepy."

"Am I creepy?" he laughed quietly, rolling his eyes.

The other man opened his almost black eyes, earning a shiver what ran down Wonho's back. The smile what was on his lover's face could tell a lot of things. This smile was on him, when he cut people's body up, and it was on him, when he was around Wonho.

"Shin" he reached forward, and caressed the elder's cheek. It was true Wonho was one year older than him, but people could not tell this if they saw them. "You know I would never... never hurt you, right?"

His face was so innocent. Something came into Wonho's mind what had happened a few days ago, when he saw the man after he met two Korean spies. His lover's face was covered with blood, and when Wonho was searching for wounds on the man's body, he just said:

"It's not my blood, don't worry."

The young, Japanese general sat up suddenly. Wonho's eyes became bigger, but he did not answer the question. The raven black haired man pulled the blanket down on the elder's body until he reached his hips. He guarded his index finger on the beautiful skin through the man's stomach. He cut his victims' bodies on this line during his favourite execution method.

Wonho gulped as the man's long finger touched him, and it made goose bumps on his arms. His lover leaned down to him, caressed his dark hair, and gently took Wonho's bottom lip between his lips.

"Takuya-san!"

As the man heard his name the younger leaned away from Wonho, rolling his eyes. He did not like when people disrupted him during those things he loved the most. There were two things like this in the world; murder and Shin. In the beginning, when he met the man he thought the sudden feelings what he felt for Shin would make him weak, but it did not really happen. They made him stronger, and gave a chance to him to live a normal life. Of course it meant the elder's words were important to him, and maybe it was his weakness. Shin was his weakness.

He put his clothes on, quickly, what Wonho was watching in silence, then the general stepped out of the tent. There was a little bit cold because of the morning air, and Takuya, enjoying the nice weather, went forward between his men, who looked at the young man with humility. After his father's death everybody followed him. They knew the older Terada taught his son well through the years.

"They were hiding behind the rocks. We could destroy the army, but we thought we should let one of them alive, and bring him to you." A muscular man said, then signed to the two guards to come closer, revealing their hostage, who was bending on his knees.

The old man's hands were tied behind his back, wounds were running through his face, and his armor was not on him. One of the men whispered his name in to Takuya's ear, and a scary smile appeared on his face, before he took his soldier's katana.

"If I had known that we have a guest of honor, I would have put on more formal clothes" he walked around the man, slowly, like a cat with the mouse before it catches and eats it.

Wonho left the tent, and joined the soldiers, who were waiting curiously for their new leader's choice about the hostage. The man already got used to the others' strange looks, when he appeared, but of course none of them said anything. A few weeks ago a man was talking to Wonho, and not in the nicest way, during dinner time. The man said Wonho was in the army only because he was their leader's son's lover, what was the filthiest thing in the world.

In the other day they found the old man's pieces in the camp's different parts; his head was on one of the flags' place. It made a big mess in the Japanese camp, and General Terada asked his men about it, but nobody knew anything. When he arrived to his son, Takuya was looking at the bloody head with a proud smile, and went into his tent.

"Nobody can hurt you, while I'm here."

These words left Takuya's mouth in that night, while he was hugging Wonho, and kissed the top of his head.

"How did it feel like when you killed my father, General?"

"Unfortunately I can't say anything about it." Choi Geunho answered with emotionless face. "But I wish I could" he spat on to the ground. His saliva was mixing with blood.

It was enough for Takuya. The smile became a grin, and he stopped in front of the man. He lifted his katana, and put it to the clothes' material. Their swords were always the sharpest, so it could cut the material easily.

"Tell me, my dear General" he pulled his katana back, and put his forefinger on the sword.

A blood drop appeared on his finger tip, what he off, then continued to talk.

"How much do you know about the Japanese culture? About the traditions? Although actually I'm interested about one thing" he stepped behind the man with his long legs, and whispered into his ear, what everybody could hear who was close to them. "What do you know about... seppuku?"

Of course. Wonho could have suspected this was what Takuya was thinking about.

"If you think a kid can make me to commit suicide then you're wrong." The man answered forcefully. "Anyway, seppuku is the sign of loyalty in your country. And this is not the feeling what I have for you."

"A kid? I'm so hurt right now, General. And just to know I don't want you to commit suicide. I mean... what is the fun for me in that? Oh, come on..."

He stopped again in front of the man, and tilted his head to the side, while he was thinking. As the people could see Takuya was studying the man's body to find the point where he could...

"Takuya-san!"

In moments like this he hated his weaknesses, and this voice was one of them. Everything what was connected to Wonho was his weakness.

"Don't you think this is a bad idea?" Wonho stepped to him, and spoke so quietly, only the young man could hear him. "Maybe he has information what could be useful to us. If you kill him now..."

"Shin" he stepped closer to him. Shiver ran through on the elder's back as he felt Takuya's breath on his skin, but this time it was because of fear.

Why did he feel safe in the man's arms once, then why was he afraid to be the next victim of the man?

"You're half Korean. Everybody knows in the camp you're the one I share my tent with. Don't add more reasons to my men to hate you. And now, go back to your place" he patted his shoulder, and turned back to the general.

He had seen it many times as Takuya did a seppuku-like murder, and every time he had nausea, but not only because of the sight. The reason of it was that the man he loved, the man who whispered kind words into his ear at nights, the one who looked at him with bright eyes in the mornings was a cold blooded murderer, who loved every moment of it.

The painful scream made tears in Wonho's eyes, but he could not let others see them. He heard as the katana cut into the flesh, as the blade went through the man's skin. When he saw the offal Wonho ducked his head down, and looked at the green grass. Takuya was a monster; a monster who he could not help but love with all his heart.

"Send a message to the other Korean army, now." Takuya threw the now red katana on the ground.

"What do you want me to write in it?" A man, who was standing close to him, asked.

"The General needs help. That's all. They don't have to know, they're already late."

*

They could find an area in the river, where there were a lot of fishes. Their captain said he could check the trainees' speed, reflexes and of course the question of the dinner would be solved with the fishes.

"I can't believe you've already caught that much fishes." Taemin sighed, and circled his right shoulder.

"We went to fishing with my father, when I was a child. Now it's my turn to do it with my daughter."

"Your daughter?" The boy was surprised, and because he did not pay attention he just missed a fish, what swam away next to his legs, but Jinki noticed it.

"Yes, Sun is one of the best things what ever happened to me. Of course it wasn't easy in the beginning." The man remembered, after he caught another fish, and put it in the basket, what was on a rock. "I couldn't even hold her for months. It was really hard for me. But as I got to know her more, and I used to her appearance, I realized she is my blood, and I don't have to be afraid. Jonghyun pampers her" he nodded to the younger, who came back with another empty basket, after he took the other one to the cook.

"Of course I do. If his father treats her like a soldier I have to treat her like a princess. Uncles have at least that much part in children's life like their father."

In the last few days Jonghyun did not want to make Taemin's life miserable, at least not always, although maybe the reason of it was that the boy was always with Jinki, and it seemed the man could control Jonghyun.

"Do you let your daughter be with this guy?" Kibum raised an eyebrow, after he could finally catch a fish.

"You would be surprised how well he treats her. He really treats her like a princess." Jinki smiled, as he remembered the family moments.

"I would keep an eye on him, just in case" he arrived to the basket, but the fish slipped out of his hand, and it hit Taemin's nape, who shouted and jumped because of the mucoid feeling.

"You wouldn't believe your own eyes if you see them playing together." Jinki continued, while Taemin could get his balance back. "And what about you, Kibum?"

"What about me?" he frowned, and put his hand on his hips.

"We barely know anything about you."

"Well... maybe because we are in the middle of a war?"

"You tell funny stories next to the fire every night. I don't think it bothers you. So? Do you have someone who's waiting for you at home?"

There was a light smile on Kibum's face, and if Taemin could see right his eyes were sparkling in the light of the Sun.

"My mother. I promised her I will go back, so... I have to keep my promise to her."

"Why are you making promises like this?" Jonghyun mocked him, and Taemin could see something in Jinki's face; it was like he wanted to say something.

"You promised Yubi too, didn't you? I'm sure you told her this too before you said goodbye to her."

"Yubi?" Kibum hadn't heard this name while they were in the camp, and he got really curious. "Who is she? Your sister?"

"If you want to know, she's my bride. But I told her if I can't go back she has to move on. She's still young, and she has great chances to find a good man."

"How romantic." Kibum sighed as he looked at the other, and started another word fight, what Taemin was listening to in silence, and Jinki just smiled.

He knew exactly how hard it was for Jonghyun to tell about the war to Yubi, and when he did he cried as he saw the tears in the girl's eyes. The man told it to him in that morning they arrived the camp together.

"Taehoon, do you have anybody at home who's waiting for you?" Jonghyun got bored with the word fight, and tried to ask this question with minimal emotions.

"My... little brother." Taemin was thinking about the answer, and after he could finally catch a fish he put it in the basket.

"Oh, yes, I remember him!" Kibum realized it.

Taemin got nervous hearing this, and he became so white like the clouds on the blue sky.

"Taehoon's brother is really brave, if you ask me."

"Why? What happened?" Jinki was curious.

"As I know there are three men in that family. Taehoon's father, his brother and Taehoon. I couldn't see them well, because a lot of people was there that day, but I heard everything. Taehoon's father is old and his leg is injured. Taehoon went for the paper roll, but his little brother appeared. The boy wanted to go instead of them, because he was worried about their health. This is why he wanted to do it, right?" he looked into Taemin's eyes, who bit his bottom lip, and slowly nodded.

"And why didn't he do it?" Jonghyun asked from Taemin, but Kibum answered from the information he knew.

"He's underage. He couldn't come."

"Oh, what a shame." Jinki sat down on a rock, after a basket got full of fishes.

"And you came instead of your father, didn't you?" Taemin remembered the boy too; he saw him before his family got the paper roll.

"I just did what anybody would have done for his family." Kibum blushed a little bit. "I hope you didn't scold your brother too much. He just wanted to help."

"I know." Taemin gulped, and carefully looked down at his left arm. "But he humiliated our father in front of the whole city, and..."

"He wanted to help you and your father. There is nothing to shame about it, Taehoon." Jinki smiled at him, and a stone fell down from Taemin's heart, while he sent a smile too.

"I'm not happy to say it, but Kibum's right." Jonghyun joined the talk again. "Every normal people would have done it like Kibum or your brother. Anyway... your little brother sounds much cooler than you. You don't really resemble each other, right?"

"Well..." Taemin laughed awkwardly, and ran his right hand's fingers through his wet locks. "Not really."

Taemin was deeply in his thoughts. These men really thought he was brave? Was not it a shame what he had done? Since he left his home he felt guilty because of what he had done to his father and his brother. But actually why did he do it? Yes, maybe a big reason of it was that he did not want them to get more hurt in the war, but Taemin wanted to prove too. He did not want them to believe he couldn't be that good like his brother. He did not want to live his life as doing nothing for his family. He wanted to prove he was much more than his mother thought. 

"Of course we saw it! I think even the King knows about the Councillor's tent, what was blown up because of a rocket. Why?" Jonghyun asked, wiping his teary eyes during laughing.

"I swear I didn't want to blow his tent up, but I just wanted to help Taehoon with the rocket, and... well it just happened." Kibum barely could say it because of the laughter.

In the rest of the day they practiced archery. Taemin bit the inside of his cheek, after Minho gave from the arrows and bows to everyone but him. He could not do it with one hand, so the captain said him to go back to the camp, and practice sword fighting. Taemin left the forest with a sad face, and he spent his afternoon to hit the fake man-like doll with his sword as strongly as he could with one hand.

He was happy his brother did not come, because his pride could not bear this kind of discrimination. Taemin saw as the soldiers started to come back from the forest, and they went to the dining tent. Nobody cared about him; his friends did not notice him, because Kibum was in the middle of a story he was telling to Jinki and Jonghyun.

"Don't tell me I was the only one who was thinking about cheating with the arrows."

"But you were the only one who actually did it, and now you can wash the plates after dinner."

"I think it was funny."

Taemin was not hungry, so he thought he would skip dinner, and when everybody was already near to the tents, he put his sword down, and walked into the forest to find the place where the others were practicing.

He did not have to go too far. He found a place between the trees, where were a lot of bushes, and there were red circles painted on the trees. Some men left their arrows there, and Taemin thought he would be useful and collect them. But his curiosity was stronger. He looked around, paying attention to every bush and tree, and when he did not see anyone, he took an arrow, and put it to the string. He was concentrating to the middle of the red circle, and when he thought he found the right way, he let the string go, and the arrow drilled into the middle of the sign.

Seeing this Taemin laughed bitterly, and threw the bow on the ground. He did not want to believe his eyes.

"Perfect. There is one thing I'm good at, and I can't prove it" he murmured, as he thought about his brother's injured arm. 

"Lee Taehoon, what are you doing here?"

Hearing the deep, strict voice Taemin shuddered and turned around.

It was Choi Minho, a quiver on his shoulder, and a bow in his hand. First he looked at Taemin, then at the arrow what was in the middle of the red sign. He seemed shocked, but before he could ask about it Taemin quickly spoke:

"I thought I should collect the arrows what the others have left here. I saw that not everyone took them back to their places."

"The training is almost over, but they still don't know the most important things." Minho shook his head, and took an arrow to the string, what he pulled and let go. The arrow drilled into the other arrow, what was already on the middle of the red sign, and cut it in half.

"Wow! But... you just pulled it, and... just shoot it." Taemin was amazed, and went closer to the tree to take a better look at the arrows.

"Since I know my mind my father taught me. Archery, horse riding, sword fighting. Now that I'm twenty five years old I think I can give my knowlidge to others who need it" he stepped next to Taemin, and pulled the arrows out before he threw them on the ground.

"Twenty five?" he looked at the man. Until this moment he had no idea how old their captain could be.

He thought he was much older because he became a captain, but to him he was still older with nine years, and it made him sad, though he did not know why. Well, maybe he really was too young to the army. He had no experience, not just in fighting, but in life either.

"The Councillor still thinks I'm too young to be a captain. Why?"

"Just..."

"How old are you?" he studied the shorter's face.

"Twen... twenty three."

"I thought you were younger when I first saw you." Minho admitted, and his gaze went down to the unmoving arm. "You can still change your mind."

"What?" Taemin came to his mind, while he was looking into the man's big, brown eyes.

"Until the training comes to its end. You can still go home."

"But my bro... I mean" he cleared his throat. "Then my father should come instead of me, and I can't let that happen."

If he saw well there was a half smile on Minho's face. He had never seen the man smiling like this. He was always serious, care-worn and strict, but it was a completely different Choi Minho. 

"A son has to do everything for his father. I like the way you think, Lee Taehoon."

"And you? Don't you worry about your father?"

Of course he did. He always did, when his father went to a war, and it was the same now too. But he knew Choi Geunho, and he knew the man was a true survivor; he taught it to Minho too, to survive everything, but did not humble himself.

"There is no boy who doesn't worry about his father, isn't it?"

"And..."

"Do..."

They talked at the same time, and Taemin ducked his head down after both of them stopped. He had never talked to the man like this before, and he had to rethink every thought what was in his mind before he said them out.

"Do you want to try it?" Minho asked finally, after he realized that the other wouldn't continue it.

"Hm?" he blinked at the man, blankly.

"Archery" he lifted the bow, what was in his hand. "I know you can't do it because of your arm, but I can help you if you want."

He did not like the thought of Taehoon being in the army with injured arm from the first moment. Not just because he would slow his mates down, but he would not handle the tasks. But nowadays he saw how much the younger tried to do everything, and he thought he should help him.

"How?"

"Come on" he led him to the point he shot the arrow, and Minho put the arrow to the string. "Pull it with your right hand as strong as you can, and when you think you're ready, just let it go."

Taemin looked up at him again, just to make sure the captain really wanted to do this, and when the man did not back up, the boy nodded, unsurely, and stepped in front of Minho.

The man held the bow, his arm was next to Taemin's shoulder, and he was watching as the boy pulled the string with his right arm by two fingers. Minho put his head next to Taemin's carefully to see the target exactly like Taemin did.

The younger could shoot the arrow perfectly before, but now that the man was so close to him, he got nervous. He could find out the truth anytime, and Taemin's lips went dry, while he parted them during breathing. Then he noticed something, what he did not really understand. Minho was standing behind him because of the bow, so his body was pressing to Taemin's back. His heart beat seemed so fast, just like Taemin's. Maybe did the captain notice that his left arm moved, and he got nervous because of this? But then why did not he tell him anything?

"Let it go." Minho said, quietly, when he thought it was the right time.

His breath, just like in the first day, made Taemin shiver, and he immediately let the string go. This time he could not make it like before, but the arrow was still inside of the biggest circle.

"It's not that bad." Minho stepped away from him, and went to the tree to take the arrow out.

"Captain, do you think... I have a chance?"

"What are you talking about?" he put the arrow back into the quiver.

"You know it, too. The war."

Minho put the quiver on his shoulder, and because Taemin had the bow he started to go back to the camp. It seemed he would not stop, so the boy followed him quickly, and walked next to him in silence. They could hear the soldiers' happy laughter and voices, but they could not understand the whole sentences.

"My opinion didn't change" he stopped at the last tree in the edge of the forest, and turned to Taemin. "And my offer is still the same. Until we are training, you can go home anytime."

"I... I can't do that" he pulled his clothes' sleeve downer on his left arm. "I have to stay here."

"Lee Taehoon. Does your pride is more important than your health?"

"No, but... I have to stay here."

"I will take the army to a walking tour in the mountains after tomorrow."

"I'll be there. I can do that" he tried to say it like he was sure about it.

The taller could not keep the eye contact anymore, and he looked down again at the injured arm, what Taemin noticed too. It was the first time Taemin felt guilty because of the lie about his arm, but he did not have a choice.

"Anyway... I'm just one soldier among the others. Why do you care if I survive the war or not?" Of course it was good to see how much the man cared about him, but it was weird. He was always cold and gloomy, but when they were talking about his health he became worriedly.

"Just..." He did not know he should answer it honestly or not, but it did not matter now, because he could not hide his emotions in front of the trainee; for some reason this boy had an effect on him, especially as the days passed. "You're just like my sister."

"Oh..." Taemin did not expect this. "Why? She... her arm was injured too?"

Minho smiled at the question, and shook his head before he walked to the way of his tent. Taemin was still standing on the edge of the forest, and waited for an answer. After some steps the captain turned back, and it was like he was not sure about telling him the truth or not.

"No, but... your smile is just as beautiful as hers."

"What?" Taemin felt all of the heat went up in to his face, and he was glad, the Sun was going down, because the captain could not see it.

"Your smile is like my sister's."