Jinki sat with his heavy head in his clumsy hands. His feet were tapping nervously on the marble floor in no particular pattern. The bright, luminous hall he sat in irritated his eyes. His tear-stained face felt sticky still, but he was still slightly smiling. He could not stop thinking about all that had happened. He wondered about Jonghyu Perhaps it was in the panic of the moment that made Minho just sort of accept all of what had been dropped on him, but if that were true, he didn't think he would be able to feel how much Minho was thinking about him back. Jinki's heart rate hadn't been regular in a long while. 

When Jinki felt a presence hover over him, he looked up. It was the Guardian. The friendly, familiar face of the elderly man put Jinki at ease a little bit. 

“How are you doing, my boy?” The Guardian asked kindly. Jinki started to stand to show respect to his elder, but was gestured to stay seated. 

“I’m a mess. This wasn’t supposed to happen, was it?” Jinki asked, fearful for Kibum and Jonghyun. 

“Love is not perfectly smooth, Jinki. Connections take time to form and they can break because they are fragile and tender. Just because Kibum and Jonghyun are having trouble connecting, does not mean that they are not meant to be together. Like Minho, Jonghyun has had an immensely difficult upbringing. I do not have the ability to connect with your soul mates myself, but I can look back into the deep crevices of their minds to see if there are any gaps or abnormalities. Jonghyun is a young man who was severely abused as a very young being. In addition to this, it is in his personality to take on the burdens of his family. His older brother status within his family puts an extraordinary amount of pressure on Jonghyun’s mind.” 

Jinki nodded, processing what the Guardian was telling him. It crushed Jinki. 

“Jonghyun is in a situation where there has been no escape, no break, no solace, no outlet for his fears and anger. He puts Minho and his surrogate mother far before himself. Jonghyun has such a large weight pressing on his mind, that his pathway is severely weakened and he has somehow developed the rare ability to truly self-initiate block outs. Your Minho blocks out when he is at an absolute peak of mental distress, but Jonghyun is able to close his mind off much more freely. You see, as a conscience and a soul mate grow together, their minds are connected, long before they contact each other. There’s always a connection, it’s how you have always been to advise them. However, full pathway connection takes incredible amounts of energy. Jonghyun himself and their brittle blue pathway could not support the energy flow and so what is normally slightly painful, became crippling. In such a vulnerable and painful state, Jonghyun flickered in and out of a block out, which was not only disorienting to Kibum, but obviously beyond painful as well. The best thing you can do is to continue to connect with Minho and find ways to open up Jonghyun’s mind.” The Guardian finished his explanation and scanned Jinki’s face. 

The Guardian saw traces of exhaustion, evidence of tears, and knew how much of a burden this all was for the four of them. The Guardian knew what he had to do in order to help. 

“Jinki, you look like you have something to say.” 

“Ah. I connected with Minho in order to tell him about Jonghyun. After Minho was with Jonghyun he asked me if he was able to initiate connections. I told him I would ask, but I have a feeling I know the answer.” Jinki trailed off at the end of his sentence, worried that the elderly man in front of him would scold him for being so clueless. 

“I’m very glad Minho is so eager to talk to you. Normally your soul mate would not be able to initiate a connection themselves. As you bond more, there will come a time where you will be able to feel when Minho is itching to connect, almost as if he were telling you it is time. What you are asking about is an ability Minho does not have. It is actually looked down upon if a human soul mate possesses a power that a conscience has. But, your unique dynamic calls for different measures. I am going to grant Minho the ability to connect. As you know, the blue pathway normally only goes one way, from your mind’s tunnel to his. I am able to reach back into Minho’s mind’s eye and open up an additional passage so his path can travel to your mind. I am doing this because the more you two help, the better Jonghyun and Key will be. I may get in trouble for this, but then again, I am the Guardian.” The man chuckled, with sympathetic eyes. 

Jinki could not believe his ears. Minho was going to be able to connect with him the way he can with Minho. Tears pricked at the sides of Jinki’s eyes. 

“Why are you willing to do this? It is so generous of you, but why?” Jinki asked, in awe of his protector that he had known his entire life. 

“Never before have four beings been so intertwined. I knew the minute you and Key came into my care, and the moment Jonghyun and Minho were born and brought together, that it would not just a bond between you and Minho and between Key and Jonghyun. There is no you without Key, and there is no Minho without Jonghyun, which means that you must find each other together. I am doing this because I care very deeply for all of you, and I will not rest until you four are united, even if that means I must bend the rules. I’m sure a guardian angel will come down to lecture me, but it does not matter. My job is to care for you and ensure your safety and happiness.” 

Jinki was overcome with emotion. He was silent, unable to express his gratitude in words. Jinki just stood there, tearful and sputtering, trying to find something to say. 

“Jinki, I know that you are thankful. My boy, you deserve this, no need to be apologetic or humble. The only thing I need you to do is to connect with Minho and explain to him what I am going to do, so he is not caught off guard. I am not sure if it is going to be painful for him or you,  so warn him. I’ll need you to be connected to him while I bend his path.” The Guardian explained, ruffling Jinki’s hair as if he were a young boy. 

“Key is still very disoriented and weak. Let’s not waste any time.” The Guardian then added, sounding much more urgent, than comforting. He began to walk down the hall away from the room Key was being healed in. Jinki was reluctant to go, especially since he had yet to see his best friend, but he knew that connecting with Minho in order to give him the ability to initiate contact was crucial. As Jinki walked a few paces behind the old man, he spotted Taemin, the young glowing conscience, who was a cloudy grey color. He was obviously occupied with something that was greatly worrying him. 

“Taemin!” Jinki whispered loudly, trying to catch the younger one’s attention. 

“Hyung?” Taemin asked, spinning a bit to try to listen in to where the voice was coming from. Since Taemin was not in his human form yet, he could only listen for voices. 

“Taemin, listen, Key and I are now in our human forms. Key had trouble connecting to his soul mate, and got hurt. He is down the hall in the second infirmary room. I am about to do something really important that will help Key. Please go to the room and tell Key where I am and that I will be back to take care of him soon.” Jinki panted, after quickly telling Taemin everything in one breath. Normally, the young conscience was loud, combative, and rather sassy, but Taemin could hear the distress in Jinki’s voice. Without further discussion or questions, Taemin floated down the hall, becoming an even cloudier grey color. 

Jinki continued down the hall, following the Guardian, thinking of everything and nothing at the same time. It was time to take the next step with Minho to help Key and Jonghyun. Something Jinki was discovering was that as an important piece of a complex puzzle, he had to push aside all of his fears and doubts in order to help those he cared about. He cared and it hurt, but he cared too much to let the pain consume him. 

A/N: <3 Enjoy loves.