While Ryeowook knew that Kyuhyun understood a lot more about what was going on than he did, hearing someone else fill in the blanks was… enlightening and terrifying.  In rapt horror, he listened as Victoria spoke, hardly daring to breathe for fear she would stop and leave him in the dark about the information he craved so badly.  Her smooth voice eased over the prop of her wrists and she nodded her head to Kyuhyun or Seunghyun as she indicated the respective players to the plan.

                The half-turned already knew about the planned attack on New York and the attacks on the nuclear power plants, but what he didn’t expect was to hear about the newly formed alternative plans.  Chicago and Los Angeles had been bumped onto the scene rather abruptly when someone had warned the humans of the impending attacks.  It wasn’t until they’d noticed a large amount of military movement across the country, which had nothing to do with the bomb going off in New York, that they decided to work the attacks into the next two most populated cities in the states.

                Kyuhyun laughed bitterly once, his lips pulling up into a erse smirk.  “Worried you wouldn’t be able to take enough of them out in the initial attacks if there was proper interference?”

                Seunghyun growled low in the back of his throat but didn’t actually respond.  There was little point.  From her vantage, Victoria grimaced and added, “We are sorely outnumbered here.”

                Ryeowook could only glare at Seunghyun who was listening and slowly getting into position on the bed, blanket clinging precariously to his still unclothed form to show off his otherwise impressive physique, even if he was bruised and filthy.  His arm was still a bloody mess, but the skin appeared to have healed over at least, even if the muscle and bone beneath had yet to fill in and straighten.  He let his limb hang limply at his side, pulling his unresponsive hand onto his lap so it could rest easily.

                “I’m not the only one who believes I’m right,” Seunghyun commented with a steely glare, focusing his dread gaze on Kyuhyun who ignored him entirely.  The Chois were the ones that had taken the Chicago area, backed by the Songs, while the Jungs had agreed to move on the Californian city.  It wasn’t completely confirmed but it was probable the Shims were helping them out.

                “Murderer,” Ryeowook growled in the back of his throat as he actually bared his teeth at the werewolf.

                The werewolf’s focus shifted slowly and his irritation was a palpable force in the enclosed space.  “People die in war, mutt.  You should know your place,” the intimidating male growled back, cold eyes glaring at the half-turned.

                His gaze shifted to Kyuhyun blankly when the vampire stood up and approached instead, his steps casual and unconcerned.  “We saved your life, wolf,” he reminded the injured male with a feral hiss, immediately contradicting his body language.

                “No one asked you to,” Seunghyun retorted darkly, reaching up to grip Kyuhyun’s ruined shoulder with his good arm.

                “Seunghyun,” Victoria warned from the back, unfolding slightly on the chair as she watched the two males with dark, troubled eyes.

                “Kyu,” Ryeowook murmured at the same time, watching the way the vampire stiffened but refused to cry out or back down from the treatment.

                Instead, Kyuhyun grabbed Seunghyun’s wrist and muttered, “That doesn’t make it any less true.  You.  Owe.  Me.  Choi.”

                For a long, tense moment, the predators locked gazes, neither relenting until the werewolf gave a disgusted snarl and pushed the vampire back, turning away.  “The humans deserved it,” he grumbled, positioning himself on the bed without bothering to adjust the blanket, though he did glance down at his arm in irritation.  It, and the rest of him, was obviously healing slower than he liked.

                Trying to brush off the subtle attack, Kyuhyun straightened his shoulders and returned to his spot stiffly.  His tightly clenched jaw was the only indication of things hurting more than he was letting on.  They all paused when the vehicle came to a stop though, waiting until they heard Kangin at the top where the door was pried open to reveal a pale, clear night sky.  There was no obvious sound of combat anywhere and the group looked at Kangin when he hopped into the interior with them.

                He glanced around the tense room and shrugged.  “I got us away from the hot zone but what’s the next step?  And what’d I miss?” he added when it was apparent things were rockier than they should be.

                Victoria rolled her eyes and finally stood up.  “I need to make a call.”  At Kangin’s confused look, she shrugged and fished a handful of shards of something out of her pocket.  “You get hit by a Park and see if your phone survives.”

                That at least got a bark of laughter from Kyuhyun and he waved one hand mutely towards the back.  Victoria turned to see where it was but when nothing jumped out, Kangin snorted.  “Here,” he explained, moving close as he turned her around and practically leaned against her while he opened a panel on the back wall to reveal a well concealed satellite phone.

                “Get off me,” she muttered, elbowing him sharply in the ribs without looking behind her.

                Kangin coughed at the blow and gripped his ribs, though he couldn’t help but smile at her anyway.  “So much for gratitude,” he teased, frowning slightly when he turned around to see Seunghyun watching him with a nonplussed expression.  Victoria ignored them both and reached for the phone, leaning against the wall as she called out.

                Ryeowook couldn’t help but look between them all and wonder what the hell was going on.  Two different clans and a wolf in the same area with some tension but no outright fighting.  What had happened to the werewolves ‘being dangerous’ part?  Cold blooded murderer that he was.  Though what did he expect from monsters?  And they were all acting as if this entire attack thing wasn’t some major happening in the whole of the country.  Probably the world!

                “Kyuhyun,” he murmured, staring at the inattentive vampire.  He knew he was well aware of everything that was going on, but he looked so out of it…

                “Not right now, Wookie,” he murmured in response, holding up his left hand to wave off any upcoming questions.

                He wanted to argue but then he noticed Seunghyun was watching them intently, obviously waiting to hear what they had to say.  The thought sent a chill up his spine and suddenly, his question wasn’t so important.  Instead, he turned his attention to the brother in his arms, resting his cheek against the dirty hair.  He closed his eyes and fought the unbidden tears that threatened.  Their parents were gone, no thanks to that damn murderer, but he had his brother at least.  Another thought intruded though and worry followed soon after.

                Ryeowook was no longer fully human.  What would JR think of that when he found out?  Would he hate him too, simply for what he’d become?  It was a terrifying question and something he wouldn’t be able to find out until his brother woke up.  Not that it mattered really.  Of course it did, because it would hurt more than he cared to admit if that was the case, but… even if JR hated him, Ryeowook would protect his family.  What was left of it anyway…

                He took a shaky breath and opened his eyes again when he heard Victoria speak.  “Alright.  Minzy made it out alright and is nearby.  We can rendezvous with her before the sun comes up.”

                “My kin?” Seunghyun asked in a flat tone, narrowed eyes fixed on her.

                “She said some made it out,” Victoria nodded once, keeping her answer brief.  “But she couldn’t give me any details.”

                When they both hesitated, Kyuhyun spoke up to wave them off.  “Better hurry.  The sun waits for no one.”

                “Smart ,” Victoria rolled her eyes, though she did move to help Seunghyun up.  “Come on, wolf.”  When the blanket started to slip from his waist further, she snatched it and clucked her tongue at him.  “Unless you intend on transforming again, take it with you.”  Forcefully, she shoved the blanket against his chest and turned to peer at the opening in the top.

                “Maybe I should,” he muttered under his breath with a caustic glance at his wounds.

                “Keep in touch, Kyu,” Victoria murmured, ignoring Seunghyun’s words as she glanced at him in annoyance.  “I have no idea what’s going to happen next,” the vampire admitted with an uncertain shrug, turning an apologetic look towards the rest of their group.

                Kyuhyun didn’t say anything as he watched her jump through the opening.  Ryeowook looked between the remaining figures and couldn’t help but notice the way Kyuhyun kept watching the werewolf, his expression wary and thoughtful.  Kangin stepped up to the taller male though and smirked.  “Need a lift?”

                Seunghyun glared at the vampire and pushed him back firmly with his hand, muttering under his breath the whole time about ‘vampires pushing their luck.’  Without another word, he sprang to the opening, gently rocking the trailer with his launch, and padded on the roof heavily.

                “No tact, that one,” Kangin snorted, jabbing his thumb after the retreating figure.  He almost laughed out loud when they heard a resultant growl from above, indicating the wolf had heard him.

                Finally though, they heard both figures leave and Kyuhyun eventually asked, “We’re in the clear?”

                “Of course.  I already said that,” Kangin grumbled with a frown, crossing his arms over his chest.

                “Check the news then,” Kyuhyun nodded at the back, expression relatively blank.

                “Ugh!  Why am I always doing the checking?!” he sighed in annoyance, though he didn’t argue further.  Brushing his chair off, and removing a long strand of hair from the back with a perturbed expression, he settled in place and went to work.

                Ryeowook chewed his bottom lip and glanced at the sky.  It was still impossible to tell what time it was, but at least it was still dark.  His gaze drifted to Kangin who was busy clicking through links, and then back to Kyuhyun who was pointedly not looking at him.  Irritating vampire.  “Kyu,” he called, waiting until the other male glanced over.  “We-”

                “Let’s step outside,” he interrupted with a nod towards the opening in the ceiling.

                Tightening his embrace on JR, Ryeowook shook his head and asked, “Why?”

                “He’ll be fine,” Kyuhyun murmured as he stood up, completely disregarding the question.  “Isn’t that right, Kangin?”

                “Huh?  Oh, sure,” the other vampire agreed, twisting around to see what was going on and then arbitrarily agreeing anyway.

                Reluctantly, Ryeowook shifted to ease his brother onto the ground, cradling his head carefully before he stepped away and drifted closer to Kyuhyun.  For a moment, he thought the vampire would reach out and touch him, but then it was past and he was already through the opening in the blink of an eye.  Annoyed by his speed, Ryeowook managed it on his own, even if he wasn’t half as graceful.  Dammit.  He was still drained and tired and hurt…

                “You okay?” Kyuhyun murmured softly when he leaned close, his hand hovering just above Ryeowook’s shoulder, not quite touching.

                A sudden burst of anger had Ryeowook smacking the vampire’s hand away.  “Of course I’m not.”

                It was obviously not what Kyuhyun was expecting for he flinched, a flicker of hurt running across his face.  Ryeowook frowned in confusion but it was gone before he could make sure.  “Down here,” Kyuhyun urged instead, drawing them a little further from the entrance to give them a touch more privacy.

                There was no point in asking why or complaining so Ryeowook simply hopped down as well, grateful that it was easier than actually climbing out of something.  With his back pressed against the cool metal of the trailer, Ryeowook looked around briefly to see that there was no sign of the destruction they’d fled.  They were in fact sequestered in a patch of trees off the main road.  It wasn’t quite enough to be considered a forest but it certainly offered a modicum of protection from plain sight.

                He his lips and finally focused on the uncomfortably silent vampire, so many thoughts running through his head.  “I’m confused,” he finally stated, getting himself ready to work up to the harder questions.

                “Not surprising,” Kyuhyun nodded with a slow blink, though he declined to look at him.

                “Why do you always speak in riddles?!” Ryeowook demanded heatedly, hands balling into fists at his side.

                Again, Kyuhyun sidestepped his question and reached to touch his fingertips to Ryeowook’s injured side.  “How’s your wound?” he asked softly, hesitantly.

                Caught off guard by the obvious concern, Ryeowook inhaled quickly and pressed himself hard against the trailer, searching Kyuhyun’s face as his heart traitorously sped up for some stupid reason.  Angry and confused, he pushed the vampire away with a quick shove, wincing at the pained expression that crossed his face as he did so.  “I’m fine!  No thanks to you.”

                “I saved your life, you know,” Kyuhyun murmured, still looking down like a chastised child.

                “Where were you?!” Ryeowook demanded taking a hesitant step forward, pursing his lips when he couldn’t help but see the drying blood covering the entirety of the right side of his shirt.  “You wouldn’t give me any chance to be alone before tonight and then you just disappear!”

                “I know,” the vampire confirmed, eyes flickering up to meet Ryeowook’s.  He was clearly uncomfortable about something.

                “Ugh!  All I wanted to do was save my family!” he practically screamed, pointing his finger in Kyuhyun’s face.  “What happened to your grand plan, Kyu?!  Why did any of this have to happen?!  And why the hell did you help the werewolf that killed my parents?!” he demanded angrily, glaring at the vampire.

                He gasped when Kyuhyun suddenly surged forward to pin Ryeowook against the trailer, trapping the half-turned with his body and between his arms as he visibly shook.  “I was wrong,” he admitted dejectedly into Ryeowook’s ear, keeping his face practically hidden against the side of the trailer so the half-turned couldn’t see it.

                The tension Ryeowook felt at first shifted into confusion and he took a shaky breath when he turned to look at Kyuhyun’s profile.  His jaw was clenched painfully tight again but when Ryeowook rested his hands lightly against the vampire’s ribs, he saw some his face soften just a hair.  “What?” he asked uncertainly.  He’d never known the vampire to be wrong so far…

                “I… miscalculated,” Kyuhyun whispered, obviously angry with himself.

                Still upset but more curious now, Ryeowook pushed Kyuhyun away enough so that the vampire would finally look at him.  “How?” he asked, knowing that this had something to do with everything that had happened so far.  He froze when Kyuhyun actually placed his forehead against Ryeowook’s, his eyes closed tight, but he didn’t say anything yet; he just let the vampire continue.

                “I didn’t anticipate them attacking the city,” he explained flatly.  Ryeowook jerked when the vampire’s nails scratched against the trailer wall, but he didn’t pull away.  “Kangin and I went to help the plants.  There were too many, obviously, but forces were called in soon enough to keep them all from going down,” he explained, a tiny smirk pulling at his lips since at least that had worked out.  “He took more from you than he should have, but your blood gave us strength enough to do our part.  It’s not easy going against other vampires and werewolves,” he reminded the half-turned in a weary tone.

                “You said I could trust you,” Ryeowook murmured softly, swallowing his nerves as he remembered the recent feeling of being fed upon.

                “You can,” Kyuhyun replied immediately, tilting his head and opening his eyes just enough to peer at the shorter male earnestly before he pulled away slightly and turned his focus back to the wall in front of him.

                He wasn’t sure how much he bought that considering how he felt after the fact.  “Why am I so weak then?” Ryeowook demanded as a tremor ran through his body.

                “You only think you are, Wookie,” Kyuhyun sighed with a shake of his head, closing his eyes slowly.  “It’s just a placebo effect.  Your body’s not used to it so you think things are worse than they actually are,” he explained evenly, not turning to look at his companion.

                It didn’t take Ryeowook more than a few seconds to mull the words over and consider how true they might be.  He had held his own after all: pushing the humans aside and then trying to get to his… family.  Ryeowook bit his bottom lip harshly and he noticed Kyuhyun stiffen at the sound of his stifled whimper.

                  “The city was supposed to be safe enough,” the vampire breathed into his ear with something that sounded suspiciously like regret.

                Ryeowook inhaled slightly as he thought it over and ignored the tone of his voice.  “You knew I’d wake up and try to find them, didn’t you?” he accused, fingers gripping tightly against the soiled shirt.  He wasn’t sure if he should be gratified or irritated at being that predictable.

                “It was a possibility,” Kyuhyun dared to smile, finally opening his eyes to look at Ryeowook, their faces only a couple inches apart.  Conflicted about how to feel, Ryeowook couldn’t find the appropriate words so Kyuhyun continued.  “It took me longer than it should have to realize, but I came as fast as I could.  I never wanted you to get hurt, Wookie,” he explained softly, shifting his hands to rest them against Ryeowook’s shoulders in a tender, reassuring hold.

                A chill ran through him at the contact and Ryeowook swallowed while he tried to gather his thoughts.  He really didn’t prefer having the vampire so close to him but there was something strangely comforting about his touch.  It did nothing to still the tremble in his voice when he spoke next thought.  “Why did you help that murderer?”

                Kyuhyun exhaled as he gathered his thoughts.  “When Hunters are involved, we are all allies,” he managed, fingers tightening just a hair as if he feared Ryeowook’s reaction.

                “He killed my parents!” Ryeowook choked, bracing his hands harshly against Kyuhyun’s ribs, trying to push him away, but the vampire held tight, silently refusing to be cast aside.

                “I’m sorry, Wookie,” Kyuhyun apologized as he shifted his hands to rest the cool palms against Ryeowook’s bare neck, the earnest statement accompanying a chaste kiss on his forehead.

                Defiantly, Ryeowook tried to hold onto his anger, to reject the vampire’s concern, but the honest sincerity in the normally guarded and cryptic Kyuhyun finally did him in.  He closed his burning eyes and felt the tears fall as he pulled Kyuhyun’s body against his almost desperately, burying his face in the uninjured shoulder.  “They’re gone!  And they’re never… coming… back…” he sobbed, giving in to the ache and sorrow he had managed to keep at bay, for his brother’s sake if no one else’s.

                “I know,” Kyuhyun murmured, wrapping his arms around the shaking male as he held him close and let him cry.  Soft lips pressed against dark hair and the vampire said nothing while Ryeowook shook in his arms.

                A steady stream of broken statements and mumbled words were released against Kyuhyun’s shoulder.  Almost incoherently, Ryeowook cursed the Hunters and the werewolves simultaneously.  He cursed the vampires and Kyuhyun too but then apologized since the latter did have a couple redeeming qualities.  He railed against the attacks that had caused so much hurt, including the death of his parents, and eventually, he ran out of things to vent, leaving him utterly drained and spent.

                Trembling in Kyuhyun’s arms, he doggedly clung to the vampire, feeling foolish and embarrassed.  After a long, confused, and conflicted moment in which the vampire just let him think, Ryeowook finally asked, “Why don’t I hate you, Kyu?”

                He could practically feel Kyuhyun’s amusement at the inquiry.  A low chuckle answered him, “Well.  I’m not a complete all the time.”

                Ryeowook couldn’t help but laugh at the response and he rubbed his forehead against the taller shoulder with his eyes scrunched shut.  He couldn’t explain it just then because he was almost always irritated with the vampire, but there were moments, few and far between as they were, when he just shut up and let Ryeowook be.  Like now.  Which was mystifying and terrifying, in a weird way, and exactly what he needed.

                The peace of the moment was shattered completely and irreparably when Kangin poked his head out of the door and interrupted, prompting Ryeowook to jump back so fast he rammed into the side of the trailer with a loud thump.  “Ah…” he groaned, cradling the back of his head as both vampires hissed in shared pain.

                “Yes?” Kyuhyun asked archly while he carefully grasped Ryeowook’s arms again, making sure he was alright.

                “Kid’s coming around,” Kangin shrugged fluidly, not in the least bit chagrined.  “Thought you might like to know.”

                “JR!” Ryeowook gasped, still rubbing his head.  Kyuhyun was all but forgotten as the half-turned immediately vaulted up the side and clambered back into the trailer, bypassing Kangin roughly to attend to his still tired but very confused sibling.  Hopefully he’d give him a chance to explain before he cast judgment on the situation…

(a/n: Finally!  Some answers.  More or less.  And a pretty good KyuWook moment as well.  hehe  Hugs times!  XD  But yes.  More happenings to come soon, with some sort of exchange between JR and Wookie, as well as confirming additional events all over the world.  O.o  But thanks so much for reading and please look forward to the next update!)