“Tiffany, it’s going to be okay.  Nothing will happen to us.”  Taeyeon put her arms around Tiffany’s waist and hugged her tightly.

“Up until this point, it’s just been you comforting me and telling me that everything’s okay.  I can see, you know?  Everyone around us is dying.  And because I’m too scared to fight, I’ll get you killed too, along with the rest of the group!”  Tiffany cried even harder.

“You won’t get us killed, Tiff.”

“I will.  I can’t protect myself.  One day, you’re going to come to my rescue and they’ll get you too.”  Tiffany paused in attempt to control her sobs.  “…Unless it’s the day that you don’t come for me.”

“Tiff.  Tiffany.”

Tiffany continued to cry.

“Look at me.”  Taeyeon gently removed Tiffany’s arms and lightly pushed her away.  “Tiffany, look at me.”  Taeyeon cupped Tiffany’s face in her hands.  “I’m never going to leave you behind and I’m never going to let anything happen to you.”

Tiffany was unable to hear any of the words.  The whole world was blurry and tears kept falling.

“Please stop crying.”  Taeyeon began to tear up.

The only sound that could be heard was Tiffany crying her heart out as Taeyeon silently panicked to figure out what to do.

The only idea I have right now…

Would make you stop crying,

But you wouldn’t want me to take your first kiss, would you?

I can’t.

I shouldn’t.

Taeyeon sighed and wiped away Tiffany’s tears with her thumbs before pulling Tiffany in for another hug around the shoulders.

“Stop crying, okay?”  Taeyeon placed a kiss on Tiffany’s temple.

Slowly but surely, the sobs and tears came slower, allowing Taeyeon a chance to talk.

“Listen, Tiffany.”  She tightened the cozy hug.  “I love you.  I would never leave you behind and I won’t let anything or anyone hurt you.”  She paused and thought lightly on her words as they became words straight from her heart.  “And if that means taking a bullet to the chest or falling off a building…  I’d still do it for you.  I’ll save you or die trying.”

“You mean it?”  Tiffany stopped crying and looked up at Taeyeon with teary eyes.

“I meant every single word.”  Taeyeon chuckled as she wiped away more tears on Tiffany’s face.

“Just promise me that you’ll never leave me.”  Tiffany rested her head on Taeyeon’s shoulder.

“Well, I can’t promise that.”

Taeyeon felt Tiffany shift a little and smiled.

“Whenever there is a meeting, a parting shall follow.  But that parting needs not last forever.  Whether a parting be forever or merely for a short while, that is up to you.  So I guess it’s up to us.  When I leave, I promise that I’ll come back for you.”

“Did you just quote one of your little video games?”

“…  Maybe.”

“You dork.”  Tiffany laughed.

“Maybe so, but I’m not afraid to say exactly what I mean.”

“What are you talking about?  You always keep your feelings to yourself.”

“Sometimes it’s better that way.  It hurts less.  But when I do say things, I mean them.”

“Please don’t keep everything to yourself.  I don’t want the weight on your shoulders to become too heavy for you.”

“It’s a price to pay for being strong, isn’t it?  Hm.”

“Strong doesn’t mean being able to handle everything by yourself.  Strong means being able to withstand the worst blows.  And sometimes, the only way you can do that is with others by your side.  That includes telling me what’s on your mind, okay?  I don’t want you to bear the stress on your own.”

“I can handle the stress.”  Taeyeon stood up.  “To survive, I only need you.”  She placed her hands on Tiffany’s waist as the latter’s cheeks turned a light shade of pink.  Taeyeon smiled at the sight.  “Are you going to be alright, now?”

“I feel a lot better.  Thanks, Tae.”  Tiffany stood up and threw her arms around Taeyeon’s neck once more.  “Sometimes…  I wish we could hug longer.”

“Well, I wouldn’t mind!”  Taeyeon chuckled as her heart began to beat slightly faster.  “I love your hugs.”  She placed her hands on Tiffany’s back.

“But I guess we can’t, right now.  We shouldn’t keep Seohyun and Sooyoung waiting.”

“Why not?”

“We’re always in danger.  I don’t want to get them in trouble.”  Tiffany started to pull away but Taeyeon tightened her arms around Tiffany.

“Danger can wait.”  She snuggled her face into Tiffany’s neck and closed her eyes for a while.

“That kinda tickles.”  Tiffany laughed.  “Tae, we can hug later.  Right now, I feel like we should catch up to them.”

“I’m not letting go.”

“Come on, Tae.  I’m not going anywhere!”

“Fine.”  Taeyeon let go as she took Tiffany’s hand while placing a soft kiss on it.  “Let’s go, then.”

Taeyeon led Tiffany out of the room while the latter attempted to hold back a huge smile.

After walking down the hallway and descending the elevator, the pair met up with their other two members.

“What took you guys so long?  Jeez.”  Seohyun asked with an annoyed expression.

“Well, as long as you’re both here now.  Let’s go.”  Sooyoung led the way out of the hotel.

“Where are we going?”  Tiffany followed at the back.

“We’re going to find Ralph.”  Sooyoung stepped onto the street and looked around.  “I know one of his favourite hiding spots.  Since there’s food and water there, I’m guessing he might be staying there for a while.”  She pointed down the road, to a dark alleyway in the distance.  “It’s in that alley.  There’s a side door that leads into the basement of an old convenience store.”

“Wouldn’t his hideout be found if it’s the basement of a convenience store?”  Taeyeon questioned with a confused face.

“The store owners didn’t even know they had a basement.  Ralph sealed off the connecting door.”

“Uhm… Sooyoung, this guy sounds like an experienced criminal.  Are you sure you know what you’re doing?”  Tiffany asked nervously.

“When do I ever know what I’m doing?”  Sooyoung sighed and walked down the street.

After a short five minute walk, the girls arrived at the entrance of the alleyway.  The four girls stared down the darkened area.

“I don’t like the feeling I’m getting here…”  Taeyeon felt shivers going down her spine.

“It feels…  It feels like we aren’t alone.”  Tiffany shifted closer to Taeyeon.

“Only one way to find out…”  Taeyeon walked closer to the door at the end of the alleyway.  She turned the knob but a clicking sound was heard before the knob stopped turning.  “It’s locked.”

“He keeps a key here.”  Sooyoung reached for the base of the fence near the door and picked up a key.  She inserted it into the keyhole and unlocked the door.  Slowly, she turned the knob and let the door swing open.

“Is he in there?”  Tiffany peeked over Taeyeon’s shoulder.

“Hello?  Ralph?”  Sooyoung stepped inside.  “Yah!  Ralph!  Are you here?”  Sooyoung sighed.  “Guys, I don’t think he’s here.”

“Would he mind if we searched around?  Maybe he left a note for you?  Unless he didn’t think you’d come here.”  Seohyun suggested as she walked around the room.

“What if he doesn’t even come here that often?”  Taeyeon looked around the dusty room while closing the door behind her.

“This half-eaten sandwich doesn’t look that old…”  Tiffany pointed to the Subway sandwich on the table.

“These are-”

“Lettuce, tomatoes, bacon, mushrooms, mayonnaise…  Ew.”  Tiffany cut Taeyeon off.

“No, I meant these.  These are gun parts.  And there’s that symbol again on the handle.”  Taeyeon removed the handkerchief from her pocket and placed it next to the gun.

“That’s their gang’s symbol.  Might I ask how you got that?”  Sooyoung pointed to the handkerchief.

“A man attacked Tiffany back at her house before we came here.  After I kicked him unconscious, I decided it would be a good idea to take this in case it could be a hint.”

“You beat up Ralph…  That’s his handkerchief.”  Sooyoung picked it up and examined the sewing pattern of the symbol.

“Are you sure?”

“Every member of his gang had different coloured handkerchiefs or different stitching colours.  This combination is Ralph’s.  Do you remember if the guy you kicked had brown hair?”

“Yeah.  He had brown hair and one dimple.”

“Yup, that’s Ralph.”

“Wait…  What if he was in that car that we exploded…?”

Suddenly, the back door swayed open and slammed against the wall.

“Uh-  Oh, no.  Not you again!”  The man turned around and attempted to limp away.

“Not so fast!”  Taeyeon ran after him and tackled him to the ground.  She grabbed his collar and raised her fist, ready to punch.

“Stop, stop!  I’m not trying to hurt anyone!  I live here!”  The man closed his eyes tightly, bracing himself for the blow.

“Ralph?”  Sooyoung peeked from inside the room.

“Soo?”  The man smiled.

“So… this is Ralph?”  Taeyeon stood up and helped him up.

“Thanks for not hitting me.”  Ralph laughed.  “Hey, Soo, are you here to slap me some more?  Your friend already did a pretty good job of almost killing me.”  He limped inside the room and sat down on the worn out couch.

“Hey, you’re the one who tried to kill Tiffany.”  Taeyeon followed him inside and closed the door.

“Yeah… Sorry about that…  Leader threatened to shoot me if I didn’t get the girl to him.”  Ralph reached under the couch to pull out a first aid kit and opened it.

“What does your leader want with us?”  Taeyeon asked as she made her way to the other end of the table.

“You?  No, he doesn’t want anything with you.  He wants uhm…  Tiffany and Soo.”  Ralph pulled out a roll of bandages and rolled up his left pant leg, revealing a large wound.

“Wait…  Why does he want Tiffany?”

“Beats me.”  Ralph took a bottle of water out and washed his leg before wrapping it in gauze.  “What?”  He questioned Sooyoung who was now staring at him.

“Are you…  Are you gonna finish that?”  She pointed to the half-eat sandwich.

“Ahahaha, you haven’t changed one bit, honey.”  He handed the sandwich to Sooyoung.

“What?”  Sooyoung remained motionless.

“Oh I uh…  I…  I’m sorry.  I guess I kinda got used to calling you that, huh?  My bad.”  He sighed while Sooyoung reached out for the sandwich and smiled awkwardly.

“What are you guys doing here anyways?”  Ralph tied off the bandage and put the roll of gauze back into the first aid kit.

“We were hoping that you’d be willing to provide us with information on that little gang of yours.”  Sooyoung took a bite out of the sandwich while leaning on the wall.

“Uh…  That’s confidential information.  As much as I want to stab the leader in the back, they’ll kill me.”

“Does it matter?  We probably knocked the daylights out of your gang members who are nearby.”  Seohyun laughed.

“…  I guess…”  Ralph tucked the first aid kit under the couch and stood up.  “Come here.”  He led Taeyeon and Sooyoung into a smaller room while Tiffany and Seohyun stayed outside to guard the door.

Ralph the table lamp and pulled out a large, rolled-up piece of paper.  He spread it out on the table, revealing a mind map.

“To cut things down, our boss has a rival, Gil.  Gil’s crew found a massive cave on an uncharted island.”

“What about an uncharted island with a cave?  I bet there are thousands of those in this world.”  Sooyoung shrugged.

“Finding an uncharted island is difficult enough.”

“What’s so weird about an untouched, natural cave?  No big deal.”  Sooyoung finished off the rest of her sandwich.

“That’s the thing.  It’s uncharted territory but it’s not untouched either.  There’s equipment and gadgets in it.”

“Maybe it’s private property from some rich guy living in a nearby country.”

“Gil has access to the government’s top secret technology.  Strangely enough, the technology in this cave is far more advanced than anyone has ever seen.”

“There’s no way.  It can’t be that impressive…”

“We have cars, planes, bare basics of nanotechnology, computers, phones, and more.  This cave alone has what looks like jet packs, hovercrafts, virtual-screen glasses… everything beyond my imagination and concept grasping capability.”

“You seem quite interested…”  Taeyeon eyed him suspiciously.

“And you’re not?  This is amazing…  It’s…  It’s mind-blowing!”

“Calm down, Ralphie…  Before you sprout another dimple.”  Sooyoung laughed.

“So let me guess.  Your leader wants to get his hands on all this fancy stuff to either destroy Gil with it or just rub it in his face?”  Taeyeon crossed her arms.

“After what you’ve been through in the past few days, do you really think he just wants to laugh in Gil’s face?  What I’m afraid of is that he doesn’t just want to destroy Gil.  He might want to destroy the world while he’s at it.”

“Are you serious?”

“He never really liked anyone on the face of the planet.  I’m scared that he’ll try to enslave everyone with new found technology.  It sounds ridiculous now, but it’s possible.”

“One question, though.  How on earth did your leader find out about Gil’s discovery?  And how do you know exactly what was in that cave?”

“I happened to be enjoying my vacation week when the plane passed a familiar logo, Gil’s logo.  It was on a helicopter that proceeded to land on this tiny island.  I gave my boss a call and he ordered me to scope out the area with two other members since we were on our way to a nearby area.  We waited until Gil’s crew left.  Then we explored the cave a little bit.”

“Judging by everything you just said…  I’m gonna take a shot in the dark here and say that you know exactly what your boss wants with us.”  Taeyeon confidently held her gaze.

“You’re clever, aren’t you?  Haha.  Well, for starters.  He thinks I can manipulate Sooyoung into doing him a few favours on the other side.  He wants Sooyoung to gain Gil’s trust, and then steal a few files from his hide out.”

“And?”  Taeyeon demanded.

“… And what?”

“What does he want with Tiffany?”  Out of the corner of her eyes, Taeyeon saw Tiffany lift her head at the sound of her name.  Without shifting her eyes, Taeyeon closed the door.

“…”

“What does he want from her?!”  Taeyeon took a step towards Ralph.

“I uh…”

“Spill it.”  Taeyeon grabbed him by the shirt and slammed him against the wall.

“Chill…  Why are you getting all scared?”

“…”  Taeyeon’s gaze lowered to the floor as she let go of Ralph.  “Sorry.  Please, just tell us.”

“How do I say this?”  Ralph rubbed his chest, soothing the area where Taeyeon’s knuckles dug into.  “He and Tiffany’s father aren’t on good terms.  They were co-workers at one point.  They were great friends too.  Then one day, a mission was assigned to Mr. Hwang and not Boss.  Mr. Hwang took the job anyways, since he needed the money to support his family.  But even after payment for the job, he needed to borrow from Boss.  Mr. Hwang owes our boss a bit of money.  Not too much, but not too little either.”

“How much, exactly?”

“Two.”

“Two hundred, two thousand?”

“Two billion.”

“What?!  Two billion?  Who the hell needs two billion to support their kids?”

“Nobody.  He put those funds to a secret project.  He didn’t tell anyone about it except for me.  But he didn’t tell me much.  He just told me that the two billion went to my safety and the security of our clan.  The strange thing was, Gil’s crew attacked us a month after his project was finished.  Boss thought it was fishy that he asked for two billion for his family and the fact that Gil’s crew attacked for the first time shortly after the money was lent really drove boss nuts.”

“So Boss just wants Tiffany because he thinks Mr. Hwang might’ve told her something about his little project?”

“No, he knows that Mr. Hwang didn’t tell Tiffany.  Mr. Hwang never tells his family about his work in case that it endangers them.  He’s after Tiffany because…”

“Because…?!”

“Revenge.  He just wants her dead.”

The room became dead silent.  Sooyoung, who was simply watching the entire conversation fly by, put her hand on Taeyeon’s shoulder.

“Tae, I think…  We should spend some time thinking on what to do next.”  She turned to Ralph.  “Do you think we could stay here for tonight?”

“Be my guest.  To be honest, it gets kinda lonely here.”  He opened the door for the two girls as they stepped outside.

____

It was already midnight as Sooyoung, Seohyun and Ralph had gone to the grocery store across the street for supplies.  Taeyeon and Tiffany sat on the couch alone, in the dark with nothing but a table lamp to light up the room.

“I don’t want to die, Tae.”  Tiffany said quietly.

“What makes you think you’ll die?”

“I heard the entire conversation.  I know they’re coming to kill me.  They’re not after us!  They’re after me and Sooyoung!”  Tiffany shook nervously.  “What do I do?!”

“Well, we have to leave tomorrow and explore a bit.”  Taeyeon tried to change the topic.

“No.”

“What do you mean, no?”

“You can’t stay with me.”

“Why not?”

“It’s not safe.”

“Nowhere is safe.”

“Taeyeon, we can’t continue.  If we travel together, I’ll get you killed.  It’s better if I travel alone and pretend that I don’t know you.”  Tiffany started to cry.

“No.  Please, Tiffany, think about this first.”

“It’s better that way.  I’d rather die on my own than to get you dragged into this mess.”  Tiffany looked at Taeyeon with teary eyes.  Holding back her contained sobs, she looked down, allowing the first tear to fall.

“I know we’ve been running away for the past few weeks because we’re afraid.    I know I always run because I’m afraid.”  Taeyeon paused and looked at Tiffany with confident eyes.  “But not this time.  This time...  I won’t run.”  She held Tiffany’s hand and gave it a light squeeze.  “I’m not leaving you behind.”

“Tae, please.  I don’t want you to die.”

“I’d rather die with you than leave you.”  Taeyeon put her arms around Tiffany’s shoulders as she allowed the latter to rest her head on Taeyeon’s chest.

Tiffany cried and cried until her body was sore.  For the first time she felt a mixture of different emotions.  She was worried, scared, touched, happy, sad, and frustrated at the same time.  Feeling the warm comfort of Taeyeon’s embrace, she allowed herself to calm down before silence fell upon them.

“Are you sure?”

“One hundred percent!”  Taeyeon smiled and gave her a thumbs up.

“Then I guess…  I guess we should rest up, then.”  Tiffany closed her eyes.  Taeyeon smiled as she combed her fingers through Tiffany’s hair and straightened it out.

“Goodnight, Tae.”

“I love you.”  Unintentionally, the three words slipped out of Taeyeon’s mouth.  Realizing what she had just said, she stiffened up and mentally face-palmed.

“I love you too.”  Tiffany smiled and snuggled into the crook of Taeyeon’s neck before she was welcomed by the comfort of sleep.

____

“So it’s decided.”  Ralph spoke up as they all gathered in the room.

Morning had arrived and the group was ready to search the city.

“We confront them.”  Sooyoung stated.

“You’re going to bring me to them?”  Tiffany asked, about to panic.

“We’re not giving you over to them.  We’re going to find them and hopefully sort things out.  Maybe we can convince them to not try to kill you.  That or we kill them... all.”  Taeyeon looked up at Tiffany.

“That’s risky though.  There’s so many of them, and only a few of us.  Are you sure?”  Tiffany asked nervously.

“We have to.  There’s no other way of doing this.  Either this or we keep running away until we meet with death somewhere else.”  Seohyun put her backpack on.

“Well, today, it’s time we go find an ear on the inside.”  Ralph stood up.  “I hope you guys get along with Jessica.”

“I guess it’s settled then.”  Taeyeon strapped on her AK47.  “We either save the world…”  She looked at Tiffany.  “Or die trying.”

So how was that, huh?  (:

I really hope you guys like this update.  I have 3 chapters, each of different stories, in progress so please bear with me on slower updates!

News:

I have a HUGE future for this fanfic planned.  Not necessarily long but some fancy and unexpected stuff coming!

Jessica is mentioned in this chapter, but I promise she'll have a few scenes in the next chapter!

New visuals will be shown in later chapters.  I bet it will interest those who are into sci-fi movies or general gamers ;)  Took me a long time to make on picture editing programs!

♥ Happy reading! ♥

- UnknownSONE