Tao

Tao woke to an ache in his side and his shoulder. He was back in his bunk, wrapped in his blanket and bandages. Lay almost never used bandages because of how quickly he healed people.

Then he remembered Kris and Kai, and Kertuk Mountains, and passing out. He shot out of his bed, immediately regretted the sudden movement, and fell to the floor, groaning at the pain. He also regretted picking the top bunk. So much.

The bedroom door flew open, and his friends came bursting into the room.

"Tao, you're okay!" Baekhyun slammed into him, and a fresh wave of pain shot through him.

"A little less okay now."

"Hands off the patient." Lay shooed Baekhyun away and ran a hand down Tao's side. The pain receded fast, and when he removed the gauze, only the red-stained cloth made any indication that he had been wounded. Lay did the same with his shoulder.

"Thanks," Tao said, stretching his arm.

Lay's dimple appeared as he smiled and nodded.

"So what happened? Is Kris ge and Kai okay?"

The room went quiet, and Tao felt he said something he shouldn't have.

Lay helped him off the floor and into the desk chair.

"Kris ge is still asleep, and Suho's talking with Kai right now."

"About what happened in the ally army?"

"For disobeying his orders," Xiumin said, leaning against the desk. "Suho and Kris told him to return, but he insisted on staying. He was surrounded by enemies, and Kris covered for him. He took a knife to the back."

Tao almost didn't believe Xiumin. Why would Kai choose to stay on the battlefield? What did he want to accomplish by being in an infantry that wasn't suppose to know that they existed? He remembered how enthusiastic Kai looked when they were scouting the enemy soldiers and all the other times they were sent on missions. He never thought that Kai liked fighting to the point he would disobey Suho's orders.

"If Kai had decided to stay and fight, I wouldn't have been able to save him." Lay grimaced at the thought. "Suho did some first aid on you while I healed Kris ge."

That explained the bandages.

"What do you think will happen? Kai disobeyed orders, but they won a losing fight because Suho hyung impersonated the lieutenant general," Baekhyun said. "If Kai hadn't gotten mixed up with the ally army, then they might have lost Kertuk Valley."

"Insubordination is insubordination," Xiumin said. "And we don't want anyone finding out that Suho acted as a higher-up. Even if we're already dead and these are just some trials, I don't want to give Monju an excuse to punish us."

Tao flinched at the mention of punishment. He had been punished the most for his lack of progress in controlling his ability. He knew all too well the metal room they used, and the cuffs that nailed his wrists to the floor and forced him to kneel as they whipped and sliced at him. Lay had long healed the scars, but the pain of the torture hadn't left him.

"Are you okay?" Baekhyun asked.

He nodded and stood, taking a new shirt from his wardrobe and moving into the living room.

"Where are you going?"

"To see Suho ge and Kai."

As much as Tao wanted an explanation for his infiltrating the ally infantry, he was more worried that Suho would decide a punishment for Kai. This was the first time anyone in their unit had disobeyed Suho's orders, but he knew that the teleporter would blame himself and then push his limits with non-stop training. That was punishment enough.

"You should rest more, Tao. I healed your wounds, but you passed out from blood loss. If Suho hadn't manipulated your blood back into you..."

As if on cue, stars covered his vision. A dizziness swamped him, and he wobbled backwards. Xiumin caught his arm and let Tao lean on him.

"I have to report what I found tailing those officials too," Tao said, trying to blink away the spots.

He heard a door close and footsteps approaching.

"Kai, what'd Suho hyung say?" Baekyun asked.

Kai was there? His vision was still swimming with swirls and flashes.

"Tao hyung, are you okay?" He heard Kai ask him. He sounded distant though, as if he only paid half his attention in asking the question.

"I'm fine."

"That's good, and I'm sorry."

"Wait. You don't have to..."

Speaking was hard, his words slurring as much as his head. He took a step forward and would have hit the floor again if Xiumin didn't grip him tighter.

"Kai left. He teleported away," Xiumin said. "You, on the other hand, are going to rest."

Tao didn't argue this time. He let himself be dragged back to his bedroom and plopped onto Lay's bed. As his head hit the pillow, his vision cleared, and the swirling sensation calmed.

He didn't want to sleep yet. He needed to talk with Suho and Kai, stop him from burying himself in training and knife drills. But the lull of sleep drifted in as the dizziness left, and Tao sank into the mattress and blanket.

*******

When Tao next woke, it was late. Or early. His inner clock told him it was exactly thirteen minutes past one in the morning. He could hear Lay sleeping in the chair, head leaned on the table. Normally Lay worked on research into the early hours of the morning, but healing two people from near death must have tired him out. Plus Tao was sleeping in his bunk. Not wanting to lie in bed any longer, Tao tip-toed out of his bed, careful to not wake his sleeping roommate, and moved to the living room.

Beams of moonlight filtered in from the small window above. It shone right on top of the table, letting Tao find and sit in his usual spot. He planted his cheek into the cool wood and sighed.

He didn't know what to think. Kai was probably training himself to oblivion. If he knew where, he would have gone to stop him and talk with him. Suho was probably asleep and required to report everything to Commander Lang at dawn. What was he going to say? That Kris and Kai had possibly revealed their powers and existence to the enemy? That the victory was actually because of Suho's order? Or would he say a lie to cover up everything that happened?

Tao rolled his face into the table before leaning onto his other cheek.

Their leader hadn't reported anything that got them in trouble before, even though they had made mistakes. He didn't think Suho would get them in trouble, but their commanding officer was ruthless. If he caught Suho in a lie, he would undoubtedly be put in the punishment room. And Tao didn't want him to go through that.

Maybe if he told Suho about what he saw from tailing the two officials, he could tell Commander Lang and he would be so overjoyed that Suho wouldn't have to report any other details?

Rolling his face even more into the