Luhan ran through the building, keeping his head low and away from the many bullets that were being shot at him. He ducked behind a corner and loaded his gun. After hearing the bullets die down a little, he quickly shot a few rounds and heard bodies drop. Then he continued running.

 

He escaped the commotion, but he didn’t know he was being followed. Luckily, his pursuer wasn’t out to kill him. Luhan stood outside the door to his target’s location, and saw the intricate system of electronic locks. He sighed. He didn’t feel like wasting his time to hack.

 

Instead, he made his way to the outside of the tall building and shot his grappling gun at a ledge on the roof of the building. It latched successfully. Luhan clipped it to his belt and ran along the wall. Once he located the target’s hiding spot again, he ran, jumped, and let the wind carry him to the window. There, he kicked the glass as hard as he could, and smashed it to bits.

 

Luhan hopped in through the hole he just made and retracted his grappling hook. “Hello.” His target said casually. “You know you are going to die here today, right?” Luhan blinked. “I think you are mistaken. I have killed every single one of your men.” He said, just as casually. If they weren’t saying such gruesome things, one would think they were just making small talk.

 

The target laughed, a loud booming noise that echoed around the walls. “There’s someone else here today. There are two people out to kill me.” His laugh turned hysterical, and his eyes bulged. Luhan pulled his gun out and pointed it at the man.

 

Another gun clicked behind Luhan. He could feel the gun brushing the hairs on the back of his head. Luhan glanced to the side, his face still devoid of emotions. “Where’s Yuzhe?” Luhan asked. The man cackled. “I don’t know who the hell you are talking about.”

 

Luhan walked forward. “You know who I’m talking about.” He said, his voice icy. The man tilted his head to the side, suddenly wearing an innocent look on his face. Luhan heard things about this man. He was a lunatic. Crazy from the bottom of his heart. Needed to be locked up.

 

The man laughed hysterically, one of his eyes twitching in a frightening manner. “Looks like we are all dying here today.” The man took a button out of his jacket. Luhan frowned, confused.

 

The person behind Luhan gasped and pushed him down as the man clicked the button. There was a loud explosion, and the sounds of splattering guts were heard. If Luhan hadn’t been pushed, then he would have been caught in the explosion. Luhan stood. A thick, sweet and bitter aroma filled his nose and caused him to cough and stagger. “What the…” He mumbled, as his vision began to blur.

 

The mysterious boy who had shown up took a deep breath of the clean air underneath the noxious haze and grabbed Luhan by the waist. He ran to the window and jumped out, shooting his grappling hook at the ledge across from where they were standing. They swung to the edge of the adjacent building and scaled down the side, landing gracefully on the ground.

 

Luhan managed to get the poisonous gas out of his system and stood to face the boy who had saved him. “Who are you? Why did you save me?” He said. There was slight surprise in his voice, but nothing more.

 

The mysterious boy had his hood on, low enough to cover most of his face, and he shook his head. He took Luhan’s hand and pulled him into an empty coffee shop. They sat down in a booth in the corner of the shop. The boy pulled his hood off. “I’m Tornado. I’m sure you’ve heard of me.

 

Luhan nodded. “Eagle.” Tornado nodded as well. He waved the barista over and ordered a drink. Luhan ordered one as well. When the barista was out of earshot, he repeated his question. “Why did you save me?”

 

Tornado shrugged. “Instinct. Assassins should watch out for each other.” Luhan didn’t know what to say. Tornado smirked slightly. “How long have you been an assassin?”

 

“About a year.” Luhan answered. Tornado nodded. “3 years.” The barista returned with their drinks and put the bill down. Tornado took his wallet out. Luhan slid the bill over to his side. “I’ll pay. You saved my life.” He took out his wallet and put down a few bills.

 

Tornado blinked. Seems like the kid actually has feelings. He thought. The barista took the bill, and Luhan ordered her to keep the change. He paid more than double the amount, just like what Tornado usually does. This struck him as interesting.

 

“Why are you an assassin?” Luhan asked suddenly. Tornado hesitated, looking around. Then he stood. “Let’s find an inn. The walls have ears.”

 

The pair checked in at a small inn, located near the edge of downtown Beijing. They reached their room on the second floor, and the first thing Tornado did was flop onto the bed. Luhan sat on the edge. There was only one queen sized bed, making Luhan cringe when he realized he’d be sleeping next to this stranger.

 

Tornado sat up to face Luhan. “What’s your real name?” Luhan blinked. “Why are you an assassin?” he asked back.

 

Tornado smirked. “I need money. For myself. For my family. For the things I hold dear.” Tornado answered. There wasn’t much he could say, since those things he had just listed he had already lost. But one doesn’t stop being an assassin once one starts.

 

Luhan looked away. “Oh. I’m Luhan. Don’t call me Eagle. I hate that name.” Tornado glanced at Luhan. “I’m Sehun.” Luhan frowned. “Sehun? You’re not Chinese?” Sehun nodded. “I’m from Korea.”

 

Luhan blinked. “Your Chinese is very good.” Sehun smiled. “Thank you. I’ve been living here since I was 7.” Sehun scooted closer to Luhan. “I can tell you are a native though. Are you 18?” Luhan nodded. Then he frowned. “Why do you do that?”

 

Sehun blinked. “Do what?”

 

“Smile.”

 

Sehun laughed. “I feel more human. After killing so many people, I don’t feel very good about it. Smiling and laughing makes me feel like I still have a little part of who I used to be.”

 

Luhan looked down, his eyes finally showing an emotion. Sadness. “I left home knowing I’ll never be the same. I’ll never be able to go back.” A tear trickled down Luhan’s face. Sehun put his hand on Luhan’s arm, but he shook him off. “I’m tired. Let’s go to sleep.”

 

Sehun decided not to dig any deeper, and let Luhan wash up first. After Luhan was finished washing, Sehun took his turn. When Sehun was done, Luhan had already fallen asleep, but he noticed dried tears on the other boy’s cheeks. Sehun brushed Luhan’s bangs away from his forehead. He looked like an angel while sleeping.

 

Sehun blushed and shook the thoughts away. He sighed and pulled the blanket over himself, and dozed off into a deep sleep.

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

The barista waited for the pair to leave, then picked up the phone. “Hello?” the voice on the other side was a man, his voice low and husky. The barista’s bright, red lips curled into a sly smile.

 

“They’re here.”