Reeling from the shock of the news, Haera allowed herself to be dragged to the Canteen for dinner. When she came to her senses, she realised there were more than just seven at the table.

They introduced themselves as BlockB. Lean, muscular and incredibly good looking, just like Infinite. Haera greeted them half-heartedly. Did they know they were going to have to kill each other soon?

"So she heard the news huh?" Zico grinned wryly. "Don't worry, newbie. I'm sure Infinite'll take care of you," Ukwon grinned.

Infinite returned their smiles forcefully and hurriedly gulped their food down. She felt Sungjong nudge her feet to do the same. 

After dinner, she found herself in a room in the library, with Infinite and a British man. "Hey Mr Barker," Woohyun grinned cheerfully. "Like the new addition?"

Haera grinned nervously and waved. "Surprised these kids even study huh? They're such beasts in the field," Mr Barker said in English after she introduced herself.

She smiled slightly at the wrinkled brows she saw. Evidently, English wasn't something Infinite could master easily. "Surprised they could even read," she joked back in English fluently. 

Infinite stared at her in shock. "You know English?" Dongwoo yelled. "There's nothing to do when you have no friends and you're locked at home all night," she said simply in Korean.

Immediately their grins vanished.

******************************
Over the next few days, Junho watched from the rooftop as Infinite and Haera started another day's training on the lawn. He let Sunggyu take charge for a few days. The boy was older than he was and he deserved at least that much responsibility. Yet, He couldn't stop himself from shaking in despair and anger at the plight of the boys. 

And girl. 

Junho sighed in resignation. It was one thing to feel such affection for the boys but he couldn't find enough to muster the same for the girl. He pitied her. She was saved, only to die. 

But what could he do? Their secret a few years back was quickly discovered by the government and the Captain who immediately pulled them back from a Russian mission they were on and threw them straight into the Selections. He still remembered the  confusion and fear as he woke up to the canopy of trees instead of the usual Russian hotel ceiling. Still felt the horrors of the biting cold and the primal side of his friends. 

"Oppa," Yiseul said and wrapped her arms around him giving him a back hug. "What are you doing up here?"

He drew away but held her hands still. "Nothing," he said monotonously. 

Yiseul and Junho were soulmates of a kind. They grew up together and underwent puberty together,  shared their first kiss together. But all that changed after the Selections. Partly because Yiseul was one of the reasons OneDay was thrown into the forests. 

Junho had accidentally slipped out information about the plan to the female who accidentally told her father in the presence of the Captain. But he held no grudge to what could have been his fault too. 

She reached up and tried to kiss him on the lips but he turned away at the last second, facing Infinite and Haera. She caught the space next to his lips instead.

Sighing, she pulled away. "It's okay," she reassured herself more than him. "I know you have a lot in mind." 

"Stop it," he said harshly. "Stop trying to make it more than it is. We're friends and we will always be that; no more no less." He turned away so he didn't have to see her face crumple and her eyes fill with tears.

"I'd take that advice if I were you, ma Cherie," a Daegu accent laced with French called from behind them both. Shortly after, Junsu joined Junho at the ledge, staring out into the field. 

Silence greeted them both. 

Eventually Junsu whispered, "Maybe we can save them."

The Emperor stayed silent.

"I'll help you train them."
"What about BlockB?"

Junsu's face contorted in pain. Men were still human after all.  "They shouldn't pay for our mistakes."

**************************************
By the end of the night, Haera's body was on fire. After three days of non stop training and studying, she could only conclude that the boys were complete idiots with books but indeed beasts on the field. Sunggyu kept dragging them out to the field for more training. She had paled when she had a car tyre tied to her waist with chains to drag it along the track. But she had just about freaked out when Infinite sped off without her, completing the ten rounds around the track in half the time it took her to finish.

And if that wasn't enough, Sunggyu made her sit down and watch Infinite brutally swipe at each other. She winced as Sunggyu flipped Sungjong over, jumped as Dongwoo caught nunchucks around both L and Sungyeol's necks and screamed when Woohyun threw a spear straight at her before Hoya caught it cleanly to swipe over his head.

Junho returned to training grimly that night. "If you were in Selections right now, you would all have been dead."

He snatched the spear away from Hoya and threw it Woohyun's direction who dodged, narrowly missing the spear. Angrily, he snatched Haera and gripped her around the neck, ready to snap before Sunggyu reacted and shot an arrow straight at the Commander's head, forcing him to let her go to grab the arrow in time.

Immediately, figures slipped out of night's shadows and Haera found herself in a circle while figures in black throttled for victory with Infinite. 

Junho raised an eyebrow and lunged for her. She immediately braced herself and lodged an elbow in his stomach. He grunted in pain but managed to knee her enough to fall to the ground. She rolled away and grabbed the first thing she could lay her hands on, a knife. She swiped at him but he moved fast, just like the figures and circled, feigning to the right and left.

Stopping, she absorbed his motions just like Hoya had taught her in the afternoon and threw it in the direction she predicted. The stealthy boy dodged it but nicked his forearm. Hissing curses, he called for a halt.

Some of the figures chuckled and even Infinite grinned. One of them pulled off his beanie/mask and grinned, "She's a fighter, this one."

The rest pulled theirs off too. The blonde Thai laughed to the boy with bunny teeth, "The Captain will have a hard time." Haera's eyes widened in recognition. This must be the famous OneDay. She could distinctly make out some of them from the descriptions Infinite gave her. She bowed in greeting.

"Respectful too," Changmin acknowledged. "Not like you boys. I don't know how Junho puts up with you." 

Junho smiled slightly, "You can leave now. Thanks for the help."

OneDay nodded and rolled their beanies back on. "Time for BlockB," Wooyoung trilled. With that, they slipped back into the shadows.

"Watch each other's backs or die. Go and get some sleep, boys," Junho commanded. "Haera, follow me."

"M-m-me?" she stammered. The thought of being alone with the Commander, in the dark, intimidated her. Junho raised his eyebrow and smirked before walking away; an indication she was to follow him. 

Dongwoo gave her a little nudge and she forced herself to trudge along. 

************************************
She walked behind him through the thick trees behind the campus. It thoroughly scared her, the perpetual silence interrupted by their shuffling in the still forest. He slowed down after a few minutes, before he settled down at the base of a tree. She stood hesitantly a few feet away before he waved her over to join him.

She sat next to him; their shoulders barely touching. They sat like that in silence, listening to the others' breathing.

"I'm sorry," he said, pain seeping into his voice. He didn't see the questioning look on her face but he felt her confusion. "For having to put you through this. All of you. For having to pay for our mistakes. I'm sorry."

She couldn't see him but heard the tremors in his voice. Her mind flashed back to Sunggyu and the Commander's story.

"I'm sorry too," she said. "Sorry that you had to experience what no five year old boy should. Not even an adult should experience this."

He took her hand and lay her head on his shoulder, not caring about her reaction or the trouble he could get into. 

"I'm sorry," she repeated.

It took a while to realise that she was crying too and that the days spent with Infinite and junho made her realise that she wanted to protect them. Even if it meant her dying.

Junho's stomach clenched. It had been too long since he had been around women, much less women he had poured his feelings to. The weight on his shoulder softened his pain; it was oddly comforting. Lust curled in the pit of stomach.

Slowly, he s an arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him. He let out a shaky breath as he looked out into the woods. His sharpened and seasoned eyes were used to the dark. 

He scanned his eyes at the tablets that lined the ground in front of him. They both saw it now, eyes adjusting to the lack of light. The graves of the Hidden made her stiffen up but Junho squeezed her tighter. 

That night, he made a promise to her aloud that he would do everything to keep all eight of them safe. But she couldn't help but wonder if the next tablet in the ground would be hers or the other 14 boys she was here to kill.



Hi guys! Please comment:( I cannot keep updating without comments! It's really hard to do so when I feel like nobody's reading this fic! Silent readers not allowed okay:(((