Choi Minho’s POV

 

I woke up a few hours later, freezing my off. Taemin was still cuddled up to me, but his lithe form hardly gave off the heat I wanted right now. I quietly slipped out of his arms, opting to toss on a hoodie and turn on the water kettle in the kitchen to make some hot chocolate. While I waited, I looked back into the room we shared to see if Taemin had woken up, but all he had done was curl up into the spot where I had been lying. I shook my head, opting to look out the window over the sink. It looked rather grey-ish and dull outside, as though it were about to rain. The though passed through my mind that Tae didn’t like rain all that much,  and I mentally slapped myself. What was with me today? And yet, I didn’t get to answer my own question or ponder it’s meaning as sudden diziness sent me to the floor, and everything went black.

 

Lee Taemin’s POV

 

I woke to the high-pitched - and rather irritating - whistle of the tea kettle. Upon opening my eyes, I found that Minho was gone from his spot, as well. Maybe he was in the kitchen, then? I closed my eyes to go back to sleep, but the whistling from the kettle never stopped, thus making my attempts for more sleep useless. I rolled over, blinking tiredly, and got up, grabbing my phone from the nightstand to check the time. Seven fifteen at night - talk about sleeping in. Pocketing my cell phone and going out into the short hall to the kitchen, I glanced ahead of me to see if anyone was actually in the kitchen itself. Lo and behold, there was Minho….lying in a heap on the floor. 

 

Terrified, I ran to him, landing on my knees beside my Hyung. I shook his shoulder lightly, but he didn’t stir at all. For a moment, I thought he might be dead, but his obvious (though shallow) breathing instantly disproved that. I pulled my cell back out, calling the first person that came to mind while still trying to gently shake Minho awake, calling his name softly. I received no response from my boyfriend, but the person that I had called definitely picked up. “…hello…?” came JongHyun Hyung’s soft and somewhat sleepy-sounding voice through the phone. “H-Hyung…?” I said, “can…c-can you come home? Please? M-Minho…he…” I trailed off, starting to cry quietly. I didn’t even hear JongHyun Hyung say he’d be here in a few minutes, didn’t notice that he’d hung up. I just slumped over Minho, crying.

 

Kim JongHyun’s POV

 

The second I shut my phone, I started running back towards the dorm without regards to the fact that my leg was still messed up. It didn’t matter, Minho was far more important than that. Whatever damage I could do would get fixed later, when I had my surgery. I barely took the time to unlock the door properly, leaving the key in the door and the door itself open, not shutting it before running to the kitchen to find a sobbing Taemin clinging to Minho. Kneeling and gently pulling Taemin away with a soft ‘it’s okay, he’s alright’, I glanced at Minho, briefly looking him over to make sure there wasn’t any blood anywhere. Thankfully, though, there wasn’t. No bruises, nothing. He must’ve passed out, then, I supposed; I had no idea what had happened, and Tae couldn’t tell me since he had been asleep. But I wasn’t sure if it was safe to move him much, so I sent Tae for a pillow and gently moved Minho so he was laying on his back, the requested pillow cradling his head. I would’ve done more, but at that moment my phone rang again. Any other time I would have ignored it, but it was Key. And he’s dangerous when his calls get ignored. So I had Tae keep an eye on Minho and opened my cell again.

 

“Yoboseyo?” I answered, the response being a frantic and somewhat confusing sentence or two from Kibum. “Hyung? Onew, he…I…Hyung, what do I do? I don’t know what to…Jinki Hyung…why won’t he…” His words were broken, the badly formed sentence broken by sobs. I spoke softly to him, calming him before letting him speak again. This time, he managed, well…better. “…Jinki Hyung…he collapsed…I don’t know when…it’s been hours since I went to sleep, but…he was on the floor and…Hyung, I don’t know what to do…” he said in a whisper. I swear, it’s the only time I’ve heard Key so frightened. I calmly told him to keep a careful eye on our leader, that I’d be there with the car in ten minutes. He gave me the address and hung up, leaving me to instruct our maknae to call our manager and let him know what was going on, that he’d know what to do. Minho was pale, but hopefully he’d be okay while I was gone. I got up, grabbed the car keys and flew back out the door and to the car; heading for Key and Jinki the moment it was started and the door was shut.

 

Choi Minho’s POV

 

I swear, I thought I was done with these dreams. I thought they were over. But no. It’s as though they will never end. The only difference I can consciously note this time that the beautiful forest has been transformed into a network of caves, lit by very, very large, glowing crystals that were pale blue in color. Needless to say, it was just as lovely as the forest had been. Now if only I could get rid of this nightmare. But some unseen power or something just did not want that to happen. Someone laughed, the sound bouncing off of the tunnel walls and distorting to the point where I had no idea who it was. But…I knew where it was coming from, at the very least. I went forward, slowly going from a cautious walk to an urgent run.

 

And stopped dead in my tracks. I was expecting the scene I had always shown up to before, in the past. 

 

Not this time.A different figure, shorter than myself and clothed in pure angel white stood there, the sleek handgun just as white as the cloth. His hair was an auburn brown mixed with blonde, his stance steady and easy. I was staring at Key.

 

Kim Kibum’s POV

 

I still have no idea what I should do. What do I do? Besides, Hyung said just to keep an eye on Jinki. Of course, by that point, I’d managed to carefully prop him up against the side of the bed, tucking a small decorative pillow under his head to keep his muscles from cramping up. Keeping an eye on thim, though, didn’t make me feel at all better about the situation. His skin was so pale, his breathing far to shallow for my liking. He was fine earlier…had whatever bug that had made him lose his metaphorical cookies still be bothering him this badly? What if what Taemin-ah had had all that time ago had somehow manifested itself in Onew? No. I couldn’t think of it like that. I refuse to so much as let a thought go through my mind about losing Jinki. Because he was the leader of the group? Sort of. But mostly because, now that I really managed to realize it, I loved him. More than anything else, to tell the truth. It felt as if he would slip away from me now, and I shuddered. How could he just go like that? I knew him. He wouldn’t give up a fight like this, if something was dangerously wrong with him.

 

I reached out, gently setting a hand on his cheek. His skin was almost cool to the touch, and I frowned. Bad sign, if you asked me. But he was still breathing, which at this moment was all I could ask for. I sighed, taking one of his hands in both of mine and carefully rubbed his palm. It was something I did when either or both of use was too stressed to concentrate on anything else. It relaxed his mind, and helped me focus properly. If he was at all consciously present, I wanted him to know I was there, watching out for him. One minute, though, I was carefully rubbing Jinki’s palm, and the next Jonghyun was there beside me, calm and urgent as he tried to get me to help him get Jinki outside to the car. I did this without question, without a sound, not even daring to sit in the front seat and leave our ill leader. I had no idea that the same scenario was going on back in our dorm with Taemin and Minho; Jonghyun didn’t speak a word on the way back home, or on the way inside. It was only after we went by them through the hallway, when I glanced into the kitchen, that I saw there was a problem.

 

Lee Taemin’s POV

 

I was still in the kitchen with Minho when I heard our front door open and get carelessly pushed hard enough so it hit the wall. Manager-hyung wouldn’t be happy about the dent, that much was for sure. I strained to see what was going on, freezing in place and staring when I saw that Jonghyun and Key Hyung were carrying Jinki Hyung. I wanted to ask what was going on, but nothing came out when I opened my mouth. They were in Jinki Hyung’s room a few seconds later though, so I abandoned staring at where they had been and went back to keeping watch over Minho. I knew Hyung would be fine in their care; all that mattered was Minho. He was twitching in his sleep-like state, and I could see his lips moving, but it was nearly impossible to tell what he was trying to say. All I could figure was that, knowing the events of the past couple months, he was in the middle of that nightmare yet again. And I was scared for him.

 

Choi Minho’s POV

 

Key. Why Key, of all people? This was far worse. Key acted in the place of Taemin’s mother. Key would never do this. I knew that. And I was still rooted to my place, unable to go to Taemin. But it wasn’t just Taemin there, I noticed. Onew Hyung was, too, behind him. Laying in the lush cave moss, not moving at all. Red stained his gray shirt, it’s origin directly where his heart was. No. Originally Tae, and now Jinki Hyung, too? “No…” I mumbled, just as Key smirked. And at that moment, a gunshot rang out. But it wasn’t Key…no, Key fell to the ground with a cry, crumpling into a heap. Jonghyun Hyung stepped out of the shadows then, dressed in deep red. 

 

And then I found I could move.

 

Kim Jonghyun’s POV

 

There was a dramatic change in Key when we arrived at the dorm. He was quiet, his tears gone. A serious expression had replaced the terrified one. I could tell he was, at the least, shocked. He was out of the car moments after I had parked, already carefully taking most of Jinki’s weight and getting him out of the car. I helped, though Key silently ordered me in what I should do (which of course, wasn’t at all surprising) the entire way up to the dorm. I got the door open, and a couple minutes later Key was lovingly arranging Jinki in bed so he would be comfortable. I asked him to call the doctor that willingly made house calls and get him here, then went to the kitchen. Taemin was quiet now, too, and Minho seemed to be trapped in his own subconscious. I supposed it was one of the nightmares Key had mentioned to me a while back. I sat across from Taemin - kneeling was out of the question now, my leg hurt far too much - and took Minho’s free hand. 

 

“….Taeminnie…he’ll be okay…” I murmured, causing the maknae to look up at me. I gave him a reassuring smile, since it was all I could do, and he offered a ghost of a smile in return. I knew he was worried. It seemed like something bad was happening to everyone in this group lately, and none of us had yet to figure out the reason why. I freed one of my hands, reaching over and taking one of Taemin’s and holding it tightly. He looked at me again with a  somewhat sad and lost expression, breaking down into tears again. I squeezed his hand, frowning. What a mess this was.

 

Kim Kibum’s POV

 

It wasn’t long until the doctor arrived after I called him. Somehow, Manager Hyung showed up at the same time, but disappeared again to help Taemin and Jonghyun get Minho to a bed. The whole time, though, I sat beside Jinki, leaning against the wall and just holding his hand in both of my own. The doctor, however, didn’t ask me to leave as I had expected him to. He asked me what had happened before Jinki had collapsed, which I relayed to him quietly, and then it was silent in the room as he checked Jinki over. At one point, I was asked to help remove my lover’s shirt, which I was fine with, but the moment it was gone the expressions on both the doctor’s and my own face matched. I was, needless to say, quite confused when I saw the dark, nasty looking bruise on Jinki’s side. It was slightly yellowed around the edges, too, which was probably a bad sign. 

 

That was when, after the doctor began questioning me again, I realized that the hotel we had been at was somewhat fancy. The bed frames were made of solid wood…so perhaps Jinki had knocked into one of the posts? Or the side of the bed? Any way it was put, he had to have landed hard against something when he collapsed. I shared my musings with the doctor, who, after gently prodding the bruise and making Jinki wince and groan, agreed with me. The man then scribbled on a prescription pad, and handed me two pieces of the paper from it. One was for pain pills, and the other for a cream that would help the bruising heal faster. I thanked him as he left the room - after he stated that he would be back - then looked back at Jinki; who, thankfully, now had his eyes open and trained on me.

 

Lee Taemin’s POV

 

I was glad that Manager Hyung came home, too. It was great, actually, because then I could respectfully push Jonghyun Hyung away so he wouldn’t hurt himself more while we moved Minho to his room, which we decided I would now share with him while Manager Hyung took his own back. Right now though, the major thing was to move Minho. Manager Hyung took most of his weight, since I’m not that strong, and we carefully carried him to bed while the doctor - now finished with looking Jinki Hyung over - tailed us the whole way. Manager Hyung disappeared, probably to yell at Jonghyun Hyung for making his leg worse. I proceeded to glue myself to Minho’s bedside, refusing to leave. Which landed me in having to explain everything that had been happening to him in the last few months, while the doctor listened intently.

 

But the problem is, the doctor was just as perplexed about it as I’ve been. He told me that there was no logical or medical reason for this to have been going on, even after he had looked Minho over. He did, however, take note of my mentioning how sick he had looked when the nightmares had first began. And especially how bad he looked now, with his pale skin and too-shallow breathing. But aside from that, according to the doctor, he was fine. To be honest, I’d really love to know what the hell is going on.

 

Choi Minho’s POV

 

I dodn’t think anything could matter more than protecting Taemin. I ran right for Jonghyun, tackling him to the ground and wrenching the firearm from his hands and tossing it as far away from him as I possibly could. I could vaguely hear Taemin yelling, his voice somewhat broken, but I wasn’t about to let him distract me. My hyung fought back against me as I did my best to at least knock him out so he wouldn’t be a threat, but somehow he got into a better position to kick me in my stomach and knock me back from him. He went and retrieved his gun as I lay there on my side, coughing and trying not to vomit. I heard footsteps on the parts of the ground that weren’t covered in moss, and then suddenly Taemin was asking me if I was alright. I managed to nod, and he helped me to stand shakily.

 

“…Tae…are you okay? You’re not hurt, are you…?” I asked him in a near whisper, and he shook his head, murmuring that he was perfectly fine. I glanced around, noticing that Jonghyun was suddenly nowhere to be found. I automatically ran to Key first from where I was, since he was closest, to see what damage had been done. But he wasn’t moving, and his skin was already paled. He was dead. And so I went to Onew, Taemin tailing behind me. Instantly I could see that he was, at least somewhat, still alive despite the amount of blood on his shirt and on the moss beneath him. He looked peaceful, more-so than I’ve ever seen him. He looked asleep, to tell the truth; the gentle rise and fall of his chest made it look that way. I would’ve believed it, too, were it not for the blood.

 

“…Jinki Hyung…? Can you hear me…?” I asked quietly, lightly touching his shoulder as Taemin knelt beside me. Onew opened his eyes, looking at me, and nodded slightly. “…how do you feel?” His response was silence paired with a frown. “Not good, then,I suppose…does it hurt, Hyung…?” I smiled a little as Taemin moved away from me, sitting by Onew’s head and gently pushing hair from his face, playing with it a bit to relax him. He shook his head no this time, and I figured that he just couldn’t feel it. He closed his eyes and sighed quietly, smiling a little. At that moment, I realized he was finished with clinging to life. I grabbed his hand and held it tightly as he slowly became completely still, that soft smile still on his features. He still looked asleep.

 

At least my Taeminnie was safe this time.