We are ninjas

When Kai opened his eyes a couple of days later, he was finally feeling like a normal human being again, and he couldn't have been happier because of that. For two days straight the other’s had done nothing but baby him here and baby him there, not allowing him to go out of bed alone even if it was just to go to the bathroom. They forced him to tell them whenever he needed something, with the threats of not letting him up alone ever again if he didn’t, and he couldn't do anything else than comply, sulking. 

D.O had never been the overprotective type when it came to just being alone, but now he always kept an eye on Kai, even if Kai didn't think so himself. He couldn't do anything without D.O knowing it, and all though it was a bit annoying to be so babied, he understood why. He had died after all. 

Glad that he was finally feeling alright again, he slowly got out of bed, stretching and smiling to himself. In all honesty, he felt even better than normal. The days of resting had actually done him really well, which was very nice. He had been really tired lately, not sleeping enough, so it was nice to just be able to relax. And even if he never would admit it out loud, he did enjoy being babied. It felt nice knowing that they cared so much, no matter how annoying it might have been.

”Hey Kai” he heard a voice say, and he turned around to see Chen standing there, smiling. ”I see you snuck out of bed. D.O’s not gonna be happy.”

Kai snorted. ”Well, I feel fine now, so he’ll just have to deal with it.”

Chen grinned, and Kai smiled even wider. The only consolation he had had with his bed arrest was that Chen had been put into bed arrest too. And when they had begged enough, they were allowed to be together, as long as they didn't become too excited so they’d tire themselves out. 

They had been forced to be alone from time to time, since they realized once they started talking they loved the same things, and had become very lively and they had practically been jumping up i down in bed, screaming excitedly to each other. This had caused D.O to sit on Kai while Chen was forcefully carried away by either Lay or Xiumin, or even sometimes Luhan who said he couldn't stand their noises. But after much sulking the other’s had to give up and put them back together, and so it had continued of the days they were in bed arrest. Chen had been allowed to walk around alone already on the first day, but not for a long period of time, so he had happily spent his time with Kai. And Kai had happily spent his time with Chen. He smiled as he remembered the conversation they had had the day before about who’s in EXO were the hottest. Kai had insisted on his own, and Chen had insisted on Tao’s, but after many persuasive techniques (mostly evil tickling, with his hand over Chen’s mouth so he couldn't scream loudly enough for the other’s to come running (all though Luhan had forced them apart a couple of times when things like that had happened)) Chen had admitted defeat and agreed that Kai’s , indeed, was the iest of them all.

”Hey queen of the butts, what are you thinking about?” Chen said, mischievous smile on his lips and Kai narrowed his eyes at him.

”Excuse me, but I am the one and only king. My is no queen!”

”Really now? Because I have understood that D.O mostly is the dominant one in your relationship?” Chen wiggled his eyebrows suggestedly, and Kai growled at him.

”You little!” He then threw himself at Chen, and landed on top of him on the floor, tickling every part of Chen’s body he could reach.

”NO PLEASE GOD HAHAAHH I AM SORRY OH SO SORRY MY MOST BEAUTIFUL QUEEN OF THE ’S HAHAHHA NOOOOOOO” Chen screamed and laughed, and Kai just kept on going, until he heard Luhan’s voice.

”SERIOUSLY Kai and Chen PULL YOURSELVES TOGETHER.” Luhan barged inside the room, seeing the two troublemakers on the floor, stretched his hands out, concentrated and let his powers pull the two boys away from each other and up into the air. He glared at them. ”Didn’t we tell you guys to take it easy, and not touch each other’s throats out the first thing in the morning?”

Chen pouted. ”Sorry Luhan ge, but he started it!”

Kai looked at Chen with an accusing look. ”I did not! Luhan hyung, he called me a queen! A queen! Can you believe that!?”

Luhan smiled a very evil smile, and proceeded to let both bodies drop onto the floor, letting them rub their sore butts from the fall. ”Of course I can stupid. You are a queen. Or rather, more like a princess.”

Chen laughed ”Princess Kai, queen of the butts.”

Kai glared at the two laughing boys, but couldn't help but smile back when he saw how happy they were. He and Chen had gotten very close the last days, so he was willing to let him have his fun. And Luhan.. Well Luhan was Luhan, there was no other choice then let him do whatever he wanted.

But their happy moment was soon ruined, as a seething D.O came through the door. ”Kai!” He said with much anger ”Didn’t I tell you to stay in bed? Why won’t you ever listen to me?”

Kai sighed, and looked lovingly at his boyfriend. ”Sorry love, but I feel great, really. I feel better than I have felt in a long time, and I just couldn't stay in bed. I’m going crazy just laying still.”

He looked so sad and bothered, that D.O just couldn't stay mad at him. So he gave up, and embraced the younger in a hug. ”Well” he said quietly ”I am glad you are feeling better. But I still want Lay to check up on you before I let you run around.”

”Fair enough.” Kai grinned, and D.O smiled back. Then the older put his arm around the younger.

”Let’s go.” 

Kai nodded, and came along happily, with Luhan and Chen trailing behind them. Once they found Lay, the latter was very happy seeing Kai back on his feet, looking fine and well. 

”Kai!” he said with a smile. ”Nice seeing you so fresh!”

Kai laughed. ”Well, thank you. But what do you think? Do I feel like my energy is restored? Because it certainly feels like it.”

Lay came up to Kai, and put his hands on him, closing his eyes for a moment. Then he opened them and removed his hands, smiling. ”You feel fine actually. You energy is balanced and high. It’s good.”

Kai smiled triumphantly. ”Does that mean I get to spend time out of bed?!”

Lay laughed, and nodded. ”Yup. You are now free to do whatever you want. Except something stupid that is.”

Kai nodded happily, and hugged his husband tightly. ”I am so happy! Now I can start training!”

D.O nodded, and smiled back. They had talked to Kai about their plan to work up their powers, and the other had agreed immediately. Him, too, wanted to be stronger. 

”When do we start?” Chen asked.

”Today” they heard a voice behind them, and saw Baekhyun walk up to them. ”The earlier the better.” He had a grim look on his face, and the other’s knew that something was wrong. 

”What has happened Bakehyun?” Lay asked worriedly. 

”Alice sensed something weird in the forest of the cursed yesterday, and something tried to break through the shield up in the east a couple of hours ago.”

The other’s cursed. ”What the hell is happening to the world” Xiumin said, as he walked up to them, having heard their conversation. Soon the other’s joined as well, having been called by Luhan. 

”Alice wanted Kai to rest a bit more and stay away from a mission, and let BTS go instead.”

Chen’s eyes widened. BTS, that was the group Jin was in. He swallowed hard, and hoped that they would be fine checking out the east side. If not, he didn't know what to do. ”Will they be fine doing that” he quietly asked.

Luhan smiled, and nodded. ”They might have said we are much stronger than them, and in some sense perhaps that’s true, but they are actually very good at what they do. The are a lot more powerful than they might let on. So don’t worry about them, they’ll be fine. And besides, if something does happen I will know, since I have direct contact with Rap Mon’s head. He’ll ask for help if they need it, and in that case Kai might have to teleport us there.”

D.O looked like he was about to object, but Kai spoke first. ”That’ll be perfectly fine” he said and puffed away in his ordinary black smoke, only to reappear with a sandwich in hand. When the other’s stared at him, he shrugged. ”What? I was hungry, and it was a good way for me to prove that I am fine now.”

The other’s reluctantly agreed, and then they proceeded to go out to the training field. 

”Chen” Xiumin said as they walked inside. ”After our first training, I didn't really tell you but I was quite surprised to see how well trained you were. I told you you needed to do better, because you can always do better, but you actually are very well trained in stamina already.”

Che smiled, blush covering his cheeks from the compliment. ”Thanks. I always wanted to be stronger at home, so I worked out a lot, and since I love forests I always ran in them, working on jumping over fallen trees and such, in case I would ever need to do that. It most likely helped me, if we look at the training I did here. But I still need to work harder, because I know you all are better trained than me.”

Tao grinned. ”Well, we’ve just been doing this longer. And if you want to, I can teach you some martial arts, and how to handle a staff of sword.”

Chen smiled. ”That would be great.”

Tao smirked. ”Well then. Let’s begin.”

Chen looked confused. ”Now?” he asked. 

Tao’s smirk got even bigger. ”Mhm. We have all the time in the world. Well, almost.”

Chen looked around, and soon he understood what Tao meant. He had actually stopped time, as the other’s stood frozen around them. ”Wow” he whispered. ”Is this easy for you to do?”

Tao smiled. ”Easy enough. I have had my powers for quite some time, and this was one of the first things I learned. To stop time, for a longer or shorter time. I started with just slowing it down, but after a while it escalated to stopping it completely. But as we work on you swording techniques, I’ll we working with my powers as well. Okay?”

Chen smiled. ”Okay. But one question. Is the world frozen everywhere, or only here.”

Tao smiled. ”Everywhere, but if it is frozen for too long, it’ll automatically start again. I am not allowed to disrupt the ways of time too much. It would not be a very good thing. So we don’t have all the time in the world, but we have some.”

Chen nodded, and then he blushed again. ”Actually, Tao, I kind of lied to you guys. I didn't want Lay to know just yet, ’cause I’m still scared he’s going to kill me. To be honest… I already know how to handle a sword.”

”What? You do?!”

Chen grinned shyly at Tao’s astonished look. ”Yeah. But my favorite weapon is a bow with an arrow. I am quite good at shooting, actually.”

Tao looked even more astonished then. ”Yeah? You just got to show me!” He then proceeded to bring out a sword and a bow and arrow for Chen. ”Let’s start with the sword.”  

Chen nodded, and stood in position, remembering everything he had learned. And strongly, move carefully, but fast. Don’t kill this time. Then Tao made his first move, moving the sword in a strong motion, but Chen easily matched his blow, immediately turning while moving his word to the side, forcing Tao in a side position to meet his sword once more. Tao swore a bit at that, but met Chen with practiced easy.

Chen was almost jealous, as he fought with Tao. The younger moved with gracious beautiful movements, it was like looking at a with a pencil, but at the same time it was strong, powerful and carried a strong certainty Tao usually didn't have. 

Indeed was Chen jealous. He had never managed to look that cool while protecting himself. He knew how to, but it never looked pretty and he always had an almost constipated look on his face while fighting, since he was concentrating so much on doing things right. Tao on the other hand, had an indifferent stone faced look on his face, which made him look very strong and dangerous. Even though Chen knew Tao wouldn't hurt him, he almost feared for his life. There was no chance he was winning the match, he discovered pretty early, since every blow he gave was easily fended off by Tao. He wouldn't give up though, not until Tao had managed to get the sword out off his hand.

Tao, on the other hand, was amazed by how hard Chen was fighting, and how good he was at it. He moved with careful movements, silent and pretty, lethal and deadly. If it wasn't for the constipated look on his face everything would be prefect. He wasn't as good as Tao, of course not, but Tao had been training for years, and it was quite clear Chen hadn’t. To be able to hold his ground the way he did was very impressing, Tao thought. 

It also woke a curiosity up in the young boy. He really wanted to know how Chen had learned to fight, and why Chen had learned. Chen himself was a very interesting person, Tao decided on. he had lots of secrets, eve though he seemed like an open book. Tao wanted to be his friend. 

But even though he wanted that, he still couldn't help but finish the match when he saw the chance to. Chen left, just for a moment, his guard down, open and ”woundable” for someone as good as Tao. So Tao struck, hard, and Chen’s sword went flying across the room. They both just stood for a while, breathing heavily, looking at the sword on the ground, and then Chen started smiling happily.  Tao smiled back.

”You’re really good” he praised with a grin. ”How did you become that good?”

Chen smiled secretly. ”I’ll tell you, if you win against me in archery.”

Tao grinned. ”Challenge accepted.” Then he picked up a bow, and gave one to Chen, pointing on a little black dot on the other side of the room, approximately 150 meters away. ”The one closest to the dot wins. One chance only.”

Chen nodded, and raised his bow, putting an arrow on it. He loved the feeling of the weapon against his hands, and arm. It felt much more right than fighting with a sword, and this was something he was really good at. He strung the arrow, and took a deep breath, concentrating on the point he had to hit. 

Then he released the arrow, and it flew across the room and landed with a satisfying thud in the wall on the other side.

Right in the middle of the small, black dot.

Tao just stared. He had understood Chen was good, but that good? really? It was one of the cleanest, nicest hits he had ever seen, he was even better than Kai. Almost better than himself. Almost.

He immediately raised his bow, strung the arrow, let Chen’s satisfied grin fade into the background and released the arrow. The black pointy weapon flew fast through the room, right towards Chen’s arrow. 

And went straight through Chen’s arrow, slit it up in the middle. Then there was Tao’s arrow on the black dot, and Chen’s arrow laid shattered in the floor.

Chen pouted. ”Wow. I really have no chance against you.”

Tao laughed heartedly. ”Well I have been doing this almost my whole life, so it’s not so strange I am better than you. I gotta say though, you are extremely good at this, bow and arrow. You would beat Kai easily, and he i really good too. Even I had trouble beating you. If I hadn’t put my arrow in the middle of yours you would've won,which is a scary thought. I am not used to people being better than me, really, and if you had been bette than me I would've practiced until I was better once more. It’s my job being best at these kind of stuff, since I am protecting the other’s while they’re using their powers. In fights there’s no use doing this time freezing thing. All the different powers which is being used at the same time would erupt time itself, and that could have devastating consequences. Therefore I need to be best, since the other’s lives lie on my shoulders when they are using their powers for other things.”

”I see.” Chen looked both impressed and worried. ”But that must be a terrible burden for you.”

Tao smiled. ”Not really. I am happy to be able to able to protect those I really care about. I do the best I can, and they know that. There’s no need feeling guilty, because that would not be good when I’m concentrating and they would never blame me for something going wrong, all though I would. I worry about it a lot, having to protect the other’s, because what if I can’t? But it’s not a burden, not at all. It’s better to offer some kind of protection other than not offering it at all.”

”I am really jealous of you, you know” Chen said. ”At least you can help them. I am too weak to do anything.”

Tao shook his head, chuckling at Chen’s stupidity. ”I don’t know if you noticed, or maybe you have forgotten already, but you saved Kai’s life. Not D.O, not Luhan, not Lay, and not me. You. You saved him, and if that’s not helping I don’t know what it is. You just need a little bit more training, and then you’ll be just as good as us. You already know how to fight, damn it. You’re far more good than we thought you’d be. All you have done have just been impressing, really, so thank you for that. You try hard, you work well, it’ll be fine. Everything will be just fine.”

Chen looked, and then by some strange reason he teared up and ran over to give Tao a hard hug. Because the time-controller believed in him, even though he wasn't as good as the rest, not as fast, not as strong, not as powerful. Tao believed that Chen could do it, and then Chen didn't have  a choice but believe it himself. ”Thank you” he mumbled in the crock of the taller’s neck. ”For believing in me.”

Tao chuckled lowly. ”Well of course. Why wouldn't I believe in you. I have done that since first time I saw you. You are Lay’s brother after all, and you carry a certain strength to you, which have nothing to do with power, really. It’s more a inner strength.”

Chen smiled. ”I have been working of that strength for a long time, so I am glad it’s noticeable.”

Tao laughed at that. ”Of course it’s noticeable. Stupid.” 

Chen laughed as well, and broke the hug. The both of them just looked at each other for a while, but then Chen started thinking about something. ”Tao?” he asked carefully, and the younger smiled and nodded. ”Do you have a story like mine? Like Sungjae?”

Tao’s smile fell, but he nodded. ”No. I actually don’t, and it makes me feel very guilty. So many of the rest of you have been through so much, but I haven’t. I grew up in wonderful family, my dad dies before I was bron so I never really felt the pain of that loss. And my mother pulled through, even though she still miss him. I have a younger sister as well, but she handles herself just fine, as do my mother. My sister is not in this school, she is in another on the other side of the country, and my mother works as a teacher at that school.”

Chen nodded. ”I see.” He smiled. ”I am happy, though, that you never had to go through anything. You know pain anyways, so it’s not really needed.”

Tao nodded as well. ”Yeah. I am the guardian of time, so I know all secrets that time have to show me. With that I mean that sometimes when time feels nice it shows me glimpses of the past, of the present or of the future. What will perhaps be. What have been. What’s happening now. It’s the only thing within my power I can not control. Time does what it wants, I can’t control it all. No one with time powers have been able to do that, and no one will. Time decides over itself.”

Chen laughed. ”Well of course. Time is not controllable, since it always changes.”

Tao smiled widely. ”Precisely.”

”But why aren’t you going to school with your sister?”

”Because my power is special, and this is the only school who could help me with that power. Dina’s school is good for her power, but not for mine. And mum has the same power she does. Power to absorb objects” he said as Chen looked like he was about to ask. ”They can absorb anything they want and turn their bodies to that special object. It’s really cool, and useful. Like I said, they’ll be just fine on their own.”

Chen looked astonished. He had heard of those powers, but never met anyone with them. And there Tao was, with both mother and sister like that. And Tao himself, with time control. How cool could it possibly be? 

Then Chen turned serious again. ”Tao” he asked. ”Whatever that is coming.. do you feel it as well? That it’s not going to be good?”

Tao clenched his teeth, and nodded. ”I have felt that for a long time. I have gotten several warnings from time that something is coming, but I never get a clear picture. It’s like whatever is to happen is hiding from time as well. But that’s impossible. It must be something disrupting me, here.”

”You think someone is hindering your power?!”

Tao looked grim. ”Yeah. And I intend to find out who.”

Author’s note:

What is this ? Isch, horrible, horrible. Well, I still hope you didn't die from boredom. Comment if you feel up for it, since I love comments!!!! Peace people. Flower power. Much love!