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It was a chilly day, the wind howling and banging against the lone hut occupying the mountain; the only people within over four miles, sitting peacefully together. Their attire would be considered strange but it was comfortable, especially during the rough training they practiced daily. War was common in places beyond the mountain and as assassins in training it would be their duty to eliminate any threats that could trigger it.  

“So who do you think is the best?”

“It’s either Changmin or Akane. Changmin has strength behind him but Akane is too fast to catch,” Jaejoong observed.

“Well, one thing’s for sure. It’s definitely not you,” the small hut filled with laughter as they gulfed down their supper.

Jaejoong rolled his eyes, shoving the person next to him, which so happened to be Junsu. The poor boy slammed his face into his bowl of rice he had been scarfing down since the beginning of their meal. Another round of laughter filled the hut. Eleven people sat together, kneeling at the straw mats and eating a small supper of fish and rice. An aging man seated at the head of the table, no emotion portrayed on his face as he watched his students.

“Sensei, this fish tastes burnt,” Junsu stated, rice scattered over his cheeks and mouth from eating too quickly and Jaejoong’s sudden attack.

Akane giggled, placing her bowl down on the mat. She handed Junsu a small cloth, the latter blushing as he wiped the rice off. She playfully nudged the boy next to her who was stringing a ring onto a leather line. He smiled at his work placing it over his head.

“You still have it?” Akane asked, picking up the ornament on his necklace.

“Yeah, we made a promise didn’t we?” Changmin smiled, his eyes becoming uneven in the process.

“We . . . did?”

Changmin’s happy expression faltered turning into one of confusion.

“Well, you were the one that actually said it,” he muttered.

“What exactly did we promise?”

Changmin turned away, blushing and trying to hide it. Everyone in the room, besides Akane of course, could see it. They laughed, poking fun at him.

“Yeah, Changminnie, what promise?” Key taunted, nudging his left shoulder.

Everyone’s attention had suddenly shifted to him, even the old man at the head of his table turned to him curiously. He shook his head, stuttering as he tried to gain control of the situation.

“It’s not really—“

“If he doesn’t want to say it, leave him alone. Key, give Changmin back his necklace,” Akane said, glaring at the man, locked in Changmin’s head-lock.

Changmin released him, throwing his hands up in defense and catching the ring before it bonked his head. All ten of the people sitting at the mat were fairly close, treating each other like the siblings they never had. Well, all except Jonghyun and Jaejoong who were brothers from birth, Jaejoong being the older of the two. It was known among them all, Changmin and Akane had the closest friendship. No one really questioned it, or asked why. It just was like that for as long as they could remember. Out of the eight, none had the courage to ask why.

They lived on a lone cottage in a remote location in the mountains. They had never encountered any other human except the ones inhabiting the hut. All of them had, for one way or another, been left for dead. Orphans, you could say. They’d lived and trained together for most of their lives. Akane was the only girl among them, not that it was any trouble. She was extremely gifted with a katana, wielding it masterfully for the first time when it touched her finger tips.

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“Sensei, we’re going to be at the river,” Changmin shouted, just as he shut the door.

He grabbed Akane’s hand, sprinting into the woods before any of their siblings could ask to join. The trees shook from the harsh winds, a branch or two occasionally falling from the force. Still, Akane and Changmin trudged on, feet crunching against the dried leaves and wood chips on the ground. Akane released Changmin’s hand once she’d caught sight of the river bank, removing her sandals and socks. She tossed them carelessly to the side and dipped her feet into the water.

Changmin sat beside her lying on his stomach and placing his head on top of his folded arms. He’d loosened the strings tying his katana onto his back and placed the weapon next to him. He closed his eyes of a fraction of a second, tired from their work-out in the woods.

“What do you think it’ll be like?” he asked, his voice muffled by the sleeves of his shirt.

“The mission?”

“No, the places outside of this mountain, the people living out there,” he murmured.

“I guess we’ll find out the day after tomorrow,” she sighed.

Akane watched the moon reflecting off the water’s surface, then watched as Changmin’s head fell limp. His breathing steadied, light snores coming from his mouth. She chuckled to herself, dotingly watching him. He rolled closer to her, his back to the ground as he snuggled into her side.

“I lied about before, Changmin. I do remember the promise I made, I meant it then and I still mean it now. It’s just,” she paused, red flooding her cheeks, “it’s just so damn embarrassing!”

[Flashback]

“Ka-san*, ka san, wake up,” a little girl whimpered, clinging to her mother’s cold body. “I’m sorry for running ahead, I’ll never do it again. Ka-san!”

The sun harshly beating on her back abruptly disappeared, the shadow of a man blocking it’s path. Akane turned behind her, shielding her mom from this man. He was dressed in a bland colored kimono, a straw hat, covering his eyes from view. Behind him, two children clung to his garments, hiding from her. He bent down next to her, placing his hand on her mother’s neck.

“Hmm . . . she’s already gone,” he whispered.

At the time, Akane didn’t know what he was doing and quickly pushed him, sending him to the ground. She picked up a branch off the side of the road and pointed it in his direction. Tears streamed down her pale cheeks as she waved it.

“Leave us alone! Don’t hurt ka-san!”

The man grunted, reaching to his waist and unsheathing a metal blade. Akane was afraid, but she wouldn’t show it. She had to defend her mom, she was the only one left in her life, the only one left for her to turn to. She tightened her grip on the stick, moving into an attacking stance. A light tug on her sleeve caused her to spin around and hit the thing that’d grabbed hold of her.

Turns out, it was a little boy, dressed in similar clothing as the man. He was rubbing his head, whimpering slightly from the attack. Akane dropped the stick, covering her hand with . She didn’t mean to hurt anyone, she just wanted them to leave her mom alone.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, falling to her knees. “I really didn’t mean to.”

“Itai*,” he murmured, still rubbing the sore spot.

A hand was placed on her head, affectionately patting her in approval. She glanced up, locking eyes with the man, he was smiling now.

“It’s alright, he’ll be fine. Why don’t you come with us?”

“B-but my ka-san—“

The man and children were already half-way down the road, not waiting for her response. She turned to her mom, then to the people walking away. Should she?

“Come with us,” she heard from next to her.

It was the little boy who’d she’d struck with a stick, reaching out to her, arm extended to help her up. She hesitantly placed her hand into his and stood up from the dusty road. They both began walking down the road, hand-in-hand. The boy tightening his grip on her every time she loosened her hold on him.

“I’m Changmin,” he shyly said, face turned in the opposite direction from Akane.

“I’m Akane.”

“What’s that?” he asked pointing to the ring on her index finger.

Akane let go of him, holding it protectively. She bit her lip when a look of hurt crossed his face.

“It’s my ka-san’s. She said tou-san* gave it to her when he proposed.”

“Oh.”

Changmin moved his hand back to hers. Akane growing more accustomed to the skin ship.

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“This can be our secret spot!” Changmin yelled out, rolling along the grass by the riverbank.

“It won’t be a secret if you keep yelling out like that,” Akane stated, wobbling next to him.

“You can’t tell me what to do! I’m older!”

“You’re nine!” Akane retorted, sitting next to him.

The two young children bickered, unknown to them that their sensei was resting on the boulder situated in the middle of the river. He smiled to himself, watching as two of his best students stood and unsheathed their small wooden katana meant for practice. They began swinging the weapon back and forth, Akane managing to bonk his head lightly with hers. She cheered only to be hit on the head as well by Changmin.

“You cheated!”

“No! You just have poor technique! How are you going to protect yourself?”

Akane sniffled, looking down at her bare feet in shame, awkwardly twisting the wooden katana in her hands.

“Wait, don’t cry. I’m sorry,” he whined, tugging at her sleeve. “Alright, I’ll teach you how to do it properly.”

“But, what if I can’t do it? Will you protect me, Changmin-kun?”

“M-me . . . um,” he stuttered, pointing to himself.

Akane nodded, her eyes glassy from pent up tears.

“Sure,” he sighed.

“Do you promise?” she asked.

“Yeah, I’ll protect you from everything. So, you have to marry me so I can watch you forever,” he said with a straight face, 100% serious.

“We’ll be together forever! I promise too! Because Changmin-kun means a lot to me,” she grinned, placing her mother’s ring into his palm. “Here, proof of our promise. Don’t lose it.”

[End Flashback]

Akane reached down, placing her hand on top of Changmin’s. He was still asleep so it wouldn’t matter, would it? Running her fingers through his hair, she carefully leaned down, close enough to feel his breath. Changmin’s eyes snapped open, his mouth aligning into a soft smile. He lifted his arm, bringing his hand to her neck and pulled her face closer to his. Their lips met in the middle, Changmin propping himself up with his other arm and Akane leaning forward.

She pulled away first, blushing profusely at his stare. Changmin bit back a smile as he watched her fiddle with her ponytail, unknowingly making it look like a bird’s nest. He her cheek, a smile plastered on his face at the thought of forever.   

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“This is your last assignment before we leave on our mission. It is crucial that it is completed, understood?”

All ten students nodded, learning along the years not to provoke sensei; especially when he was in a bad mood, like today.

“Good. I’ve been training all of you for ten years. Some of you, a little more than that,” he said, nodding in Onew, Yunho, Akane and Changmin’s direction.

They bowed back, in response. Akane nudged his arm, smiling up at him as their sensei walked towards the hut, tapping his katana on his shoulder. Changmin shook his head, silently chuckling.

“I want you to pair up with the person you’re the closest to. Hurry,” he motioned for them to pick a partner, looking on silently.

He wasn’t surprised at the pairings. Jaejoong and Jonghyun were brothers; Onew and Yunho were joined at the hip; Junsu and Key were the pranksters of the group; Minho and Yoochun were usually silent around the others but found a close friendship with each other; Changmin and Akane were a given. Their sensei sighed, almost in regret as he stared at all of their faces.

“As an assassin, you don’t get to pick your target. You must always do as you’re told. Even if it is said to kill the love of your life, your best friend, or your brother, you must do it under any circumstances.”

Akane’s heart grew troubled, something was terribly wrong. She could feel it. The wind stirred; a warning in disguise.

“Kill your partner. Do not see them as your kin, see them as the target. Those of you not strong enough to complete this task will not survive in this business,” he said harshly, pointing towards the mountain. “Those of you that pull through will meet me inside the hut,” he turned his back on them, walking to the hut. “Begin.”

Everything was silent, still in shock. No one moved or talked; just the howling wind. Yunho was the first to draw his katana, everyone turning to his direction, wondering what he was going to do.

“Sumimasen*,” he whispered, cleanly stabbing his partner in the chest.

He didn’t have any time to react, he just fell to the dried grass, unmoving. Yunho blinked back tears and rushed into the hut. Once he had disappeared, the remaining eight looked at each other, a flurry of emotion coming over them. Yoochun was the next to fall, crumpling to the ground by Minho’s blade. Jaejoong untied the string to his katana, offering it to Jonghyun. His younger brother stared at the weapon.

“You go on, Jonghyun. I’d kill myself before the mission if I had to hurt you,” he said encouraging him.

“No, aniki*!  You have more experience, more—“

“Then, I’ll do it myself,” he murmured.

“No, you baka*! Put it down! Stop!”

 Jaejoong looked at the katana for a moment, then to his younger brother. He promised his mother he’d watch over him, with his life. Little did he know that wasn’t the only promise that was to be broken that day. He brought the blade to his neck, eyes down cast, and sliced. Jonghyun fell back, turning away from the gruesome scene. He crawled over to the bloodied corpse, cradling it into his chest, and cried.

Key and Junsu followed, unsheathing their swords and running at each other. Both katana clanging as they met. Changmin and Akane stood side by side, breaking from the inside out. He moved in front of her, smiling softly, still trying to make her feel better, as if everything was okay. But it wasn’t, and it would never be for the young assassin.  He pulled his katana from its scabbard, getting into an attacking stance. Akane merely stared at the weapon then back up at his face.

“Akane, we have to. It’s our duty. Don’t you want to complete your mission?”

“I do but—“

“Then draw your katana,” he whispered, twisting the handle between his palms.

She shook her head taking a step back from him.

“Then you leave me no choice.”

He lunged forward, katana poised to kill, aimed at her neck. Akane sensed his attack and stepped aside, dodging the fatal blow. Changmin grinned, glancing at her.

“I should’ve known you’d do that. You were always the best in these situations.”

He spun around, running for her again. This time, as he brushed past her, Akane drew her blade, plunging it into his back. Behind her, Key’s arm was extended, narrowly missing Junsu’s stomach, instead brushing along the fabric of his clothes. Junsu breathed heavily, katana resting next to Key’s neck, just lightly touching it, but enough to draw blood. Key retracted his blade, lowering his head. Junsu shut his eyes and sliced, cleanly decapitating him.

Akane supported Changmin, gently lying him on the ground. Breathing ragged, he shakily ripped the leather cord off his neck and handed it to Akane, clenching her hand around it.

“I couldn’t keep my promise after all . . . “

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Dinner that night was silent, only the rustling of napkins indicated people were present. Akane supported Jonghyun, who was struggling to keep his eyes dry. Every few seconds another tear would escape, running down his pale cheek. Yunho had the same emotionless expression as their sensei. Minho swirled his chopsticks around his bowl, only making a mess of the rice. Junsu abruptly stood, rudely pointing at their sensei.

“Why did you make us do it?! There are other ways of proving ourselves! This is all so messed up!”

“Junsu, stop,” Minho asked, pulling him down into a sitting position.

“They have a right to leave with us! But now they’ll never see the places beyond this stupid mountain! How can you tell me to stop?”

“You weren’t the only one who lost somebody,” Yunho snapped, his gaze softening as he watched Akane wrap her arms around Jonghyun.

The hut was quiet after that. There was nothing left to say.

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ka-san = mom (close relationship)

tou-san = dad (close relationship)

itai = ouch

sumimasen =  I’m sorry

aniki = older brother

baka = idiot

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Confused?