"You were my world
One lost shoe, a small broken fingernail
The spilled hot coffee and stale tears too

Girl, tell me little lie
Please, tell me little lie
So that I can hear you
But you just softly slipped away..." -Kiss したまま、さよなら, DBSK

-*-

The second time they noticed the sky, the sky was black, rough and ugly. It was as if the sky did not approve of what was about to happen.

The band had gathered around the conference table and was currently in the midst of a meeting. All five faces were unusually grim and an ominous silence hung in the air.

"So, what are we going to do now?"

The leader spoke, breaking the tentative silence and starting a conversation.

"I don't know." Jaejoong muttered, eyes not leaving the table.

Tension was evident in the air. All five members turned their gazes towards the table as the unspoken question floated about in their minds.

"Hyung, can't you leave?" Junsu pleaded, tears already rolling down his cheeks.

He could not allow this. He would not accept this. They were not going to separate. They were not leaving. They were still one. Did they not promise to always stick to one another no matter what? Or were promises merely heated words said in moments?

"You know how they have treated Yoochun. You can understand why we are doing this right? Then why are you not showing your support? Why are you still staying?"

Junsu's voice broke towards the end and he could no longer speak coherently. Covering his face with his hands, his small sniffles echoed throughout the room.

"I don't bite the hand that feeds me." Yunho spoke, face set in grim determination.

"It's not about that and you know that hyung!" Junsu hollered. "Why? Why can't you just leave? Why are you staying?"

Junsu's questions were left unanswered as the oppressive silence resumed after his sudden outburst. No member wanted to say a thing. All were afraid to break the silence. All were afraid to admit the truth. There was only one way to resolve this if both parties were not going to back down. There was only one way.

"Hyung, Yunho hyung," Yoochun whispered, tears clogging up his throat making it difficult for him to speak, "Please. Please.."

Yoochun's voice trailed off. He did not want it. He really did not want it. It was not meant to be this way. He had enough with this company but he did not want to part with them. This was not meant to happen!

"Please hyung, we can't break this up." Yoochun pleaded as tears flowed freely down his cheeks.

Surely being in this band was as precious to him as to Yunho? Surely Yunho could understand how precious those memories they made together were? Was he really going to destroy all of that? Was he going to break this band apart? They had been through so much together, surely they could not split at this point?

Split.

Separate.

It can't be truth can it?

Yoochun refused to believe in it.

"We are one. We are always one. Didn't you say that Yunho hyung? Didn't it come right out of your mouth?"

"I'm not the one breaking this up." Yunho replied stubbornly, ignoring Yoochun's question. "I've said it before and I do not wish to repeat myself, I do not bite the hand that feeds me."

At his words, Junsu sprung out of his seat and sent Yunho a flying punch across his shoulder.

"How can you say that?" Junsu roared as he lifted up his fist in another attempt to punch Yunho again. "How can you just push the blame on us like that? How can you just act like you don't care?"

"Stop! Junsu stop!"

Jaejoong tried to pry Junsu off Yunho's body as he screamed at Junsu but to no avail. Junsu was overpowering him and with one swing, Jaejoong was sent flying across the room.

"Junsu this is not helping! Stop!" Jaejoong shrieked from the other end of the room as he got up and walked towards Junsu once more.

"Jaejoong hyung. You heard what he said didn't you? You heard it. How can we continue like this if our leader doesn't even care?" Junsu spat at Yunho's face with disgust.

"Junsu yah, stop it. Stop it. Punching Yunho isn't going to help anything." Jaejoong implored. "Junsu, please. Please."  Please don't make this any worse than it is going to be. Please don't break it up.

"Please."

Jaejoong whispered to no one in particular as he fell to the floor, giving up trying to push Junsu off Yunho.

Was it really all going to end like this?

Dong Bang Shin Ki.

Dead.

Gone.

Forever.

Clang! The sound of the shattering glass pierced through the air as all four members jumped at the sudden noise.

"I had enough." Changmin spoke, a current of anger beneath his voice and broken glass shards of a cup near his feet. "Break this band if you will, or can't you tell it's already broken?"

Looking at Junsu beating the daylights out of Yunho and Jaejoong's failed attempt to stop him, Yoochun could not help but agree with Changmin. The wise maknae as usual huh?

"Guys, it's over. Let's just leave."

"Yoochun," Jaejoong uttered, totally mortified, "You don't mean to.."

"No, Changmin's right." Yoochun renounced. "There's nothing we can do now. It's over."

With that, Yoochun, Junsu and Jaejoong walked out of the doors of the room, leaving behind a bruised and battered Yunho, and Changmin who was still staring at the broken pieces of his cup.

Neither made any attempt to move and silence descended upon the room once more.

"This cup, it was a Christmas gift from Jaejoong hyung." Changmin uttered after a while, "and I just broke it like that."

The realisation of what had just occurred caught up to him and Changmin fell to his knees, eyes widening in horror.

"It's over."

Yoochun's voice reverberated in his mind.

"There is nothing we can do now."

Changmin looked down at his hands. They were muscular and could lift numerous heavy weights in the gym but when it came to protecting the people he really love, they could do nothing. They were powerless.

What an irony!

The first teardrop landed on his palm just as thunder rumbled in the sky. Leaning his head against Yunho, Changmin clutched Yunho's shirt tightly as soon the rain began pouring outside.

They were the only two members left now.

-*-