" Isn't he with your relatives? " Ara asked in confusion and panic.

No one answered her as Ara looked back at them. The girl felt her heart pounding in fear as she measured the agony on all their faces. " Someone please tell me what is going on?? "

" Kris doesn't want you to know about this. " Kai stated firmly with an air of finality when everyone refused to meet Ara's worried gaze.

" But- "

" Luhan, how's the situation? " Kai ignored Ara for the first time and turned to the man.

Luhan squinted his eyebrows in concentration as he shut his eyes. For a moment, his face went blank as he delved into the leader's troubled mind.

" He's not in a good state but he isn't in a critical condition either. " The man finally determined.

Sighs of relief were audible as everyone immediately relaxed their tensed stances. He would be alright.

" That's it? None of you are going to do anything about him? " Ara questioned in disbelief as no one made a move to stand up.

" There is nothing that we can do for him. Besides, Kris can take care of himself well, trust me. He will be fine. " Suho leaned back on his chair as he exhaled.

The girl didn't look convinced as Kai gently took her hand in his, giving her a reassuring squeeze. " Relax. " He muttered in her ear.

Deep down, the man was worried sick about his leader. From the expressions that they were trying to hide, he knew that the rest of his brothers felt the same way too. On Kris's orders however, no one was allowed to breathe a single word about this to Naeyong or Ara. 

Everyone threw themselves back into the game with more animation than before - just a little bit to much that it seemed suspicious to Ara. Once, she saw Kai's anxious eyes lock with Luhan's but it was only for a moment. They broke the eye contact once Ara noticed. She made up her mind to confront the man about this but Kai excused himself for a short while, leaving Ara with the rest of the guys still in the game.

" Where did Kris go? " Ara repeated her question once again with determination the minute Kai left. 

" You guys are not planning on telling me where Kris went right? " A melodic voice rang through as Ara turned her head. Naeyong was standing in the doorway as she frowned at every single one of them.

" Nae you're still weak. You shouldn't be here! " Chen chided as he hurried to support her.

"  Kris is gone. His room is empty and his ring is not on his desk. " Naeyong replied as she pushed away Chen's offered arm. " Where is he? "

" Naeyong... " Suho sighed as he gazed at the stubborn girl. 

" Fine then, I'll find out for myself. " She stalked out of the room breathing heavily as everyone looked at her in worry.

" Are girls all that stubborn or are we unfortunate enough to meet the only 2 in the world? " Chanyeol muttered as he shot Ara a look. 

The girl frowned as she realized that none of them were planning to share the secret. " I'll help Naeyong to find out since none of you will tell me. " With that, Ara left the table as everyone dropped their mouths in amazement considering Ara and Naeyong's non-existent friendship.

" Kai wouldn't be too happy about this. " Tao grumbled under his breath.

-

" What the hell do you want. " Naeyong hissed as she noticed Ara following her into the room. 

" The same thing as what you want, I'm here to find out about Kris. " The girl replied simply without any trace of emotion.

Smirking, Naeyong inched closer to Ara. " Anything regarding Kris is not your business but mine. "

" In case you forgot, I'm a Guardian too and that means he is my leader as well. " 

Naeyong rolled her eyes as she turned away from Ara. " Suit yourself. But that's all he will ever be to you; a leader. "

She settled down in an armchair, wincing in pain as she clutched on her chest. Ara parted her lips to ask if she was okay but Naeyong's hostile glare made her decide against it.

The woman closed her eyes, just like Luhan had done before. " What are you doing? " Ara blurted out before she could stop herself.

" Using my powers which thankfully, isn't as pathetic as yours. Who needs water when the mind is a powerful weapon? " Naeyong laughed scornfully as she opened her eyes and look at Ara in disdain.

Ara stood still as she contemplated what to do next. It seems at though coming here was a huge mistake. Before anything could happen, the door was slammed open so violently that it shook the whole room. Kai came bursting in as he glared at the scene before him. Without another word, the man took Ara's hand in his as he pulled her out while she stumbled trying to match his pace.

" Didn't I tell you not to associate with her? Do you want to be accused of something else again? " He yelled furiously to the girl when they were out in the hallway.

" I had to find out where Kris went. " Ara mumbled as she looked at her feet unable to meet his enraged eyes. Kai always seemed intimidating and distant when he was being like this and Ara didn't like it at all. She knew what the man was capable of so she remained silent as he tried to calm himself down.

" Next time, just talk to me about it instead of approaching Naeyong. " He finally muttered as he took a deep breath.

" Sorry. " Ara looked up at him sincerely with apologetic eyes. The man exhaled softly as he found himself giving in to the girl. When it came to Ara, he could almost never be truly angry at her. She was probably the only one whom he could control his temper for. Kai hesitantly brought up his hand to brush his fingers against her soft cheek. " I'm sorry too. "

Ara smiled as she felt the lingering feeling of his warm touch. 

-

The women snarled under her breath as she put together the missing puzzle pieces. So all the danger that Yifan had placed himself in was for Ara. It was all about Ara yet again.

She clenched her fist tightly, ignoring the pain which shot through her chest.

-

" Sorry for being mistaken about you hurting Naeyong previously. " Suho looked at Ara sitting quietly beside him as he muttered guiltily.

The girl shook her head to show that she didn't mind. " Just let it past. "

He chuckled lightly as she returned him a warm smile. With their faces close to each other like that, the similarities in their features were startlingly obvious. Both had beautiful flawless skin and an oval face. Their sharp noses were almost identical as they smiled at each other. The only feature which was different was perhaps the dimple which caved in whenever Ara smiled.

" Anyone can tell at first glance that you guys are siblings! " Tao exclaimed carelessly as he munched on his chips. The sudden silence that fell made the maknae gulp in realization. 

" Siblings? " Ara echoed in a cracked voice.

 " . "

" Huang Zi Tao. " Chen hissed in frustration as his eyes glinted.

" Ara has the right to know! " Tao defended himself while Suho shifted his glance to Ara worriedly. Everyone was waiting anxiously for her reaction.

" Suho is... my brother? " The girl whispered to herself as her face paled. No one dared to make a sound as they studied her expression.

" Ara... " Kai muttered gently.

" Why didn't you tell me? " Ara shot up from her seat. " You guys don't tell me anything at all! "

" We didn't want to throw you with too much information! " Suho stood in front of her as he exclaimed urgently. " We were waiting for the right moment. "

The girl stared into his identical brown eyes as it hit her. Their facial features were honestly too similar to overlook. Why hadn't she realized this before? Not to mention their shared power. Why had she been so clueless about everything?