***

I've watched over each of you since birth. 

I've watched you all grow over the years.

I've seen your strong hearts and listened to their every beat. 

I am the one that has choosen you. All of you. 

I am the one that has granted you the gifts to always guard all that is good, and to smite all that is not. 

I live within each of you, as you are each kept within my heart. 

This is my oath to you, and I shall keep it, as long as you hold true to me. 

The promise that was made so long ago had withstood the trials of time and space, and try as he may, he was unable to forget about it. The words. The voice... He remembered it clearly. All of them had.

In contrast, the memories of their past childhoods were vague, to say the least. Most of the time, they only knew of the here and now, and tried not to focus on what had been. He sure didn't want to waste his time on the past. He didn't want to question why they were here now. He didn't have to know how it was possible that they could do the things that they do. All he wanted was to move on. Their lives were fine as is. Why go searching for answers to questions no one knew of?

There were times, - he called them moments of weakness -, when a sudden memory would float into his head. It usually lasted for about three seconds and dispersed again, but it always left him feeling like crap for days. It was worse in the beginning, when he thought he was alone. He'd spent nights wandering by himself, trying to search for something without knowing what it was. He wanted to fill a void that had started to eat away at him. He had a lot of weak moments then, and he swore to himself that he never wanted to go through that hell again. 

But then, he found his brothers. One by one. They were far more curious than he had been, after discovering what they could do, wanting to know more about their origins, where they came from, how they were able to find each other, even though they weren't aware that they were looking for one another. He said it was instinct, but they weren't satisfied with that answer alone. 

"If it's just instinct, how come we all feel like we know each other, even though we just met?" one of them had asked. 

Because we met before, but none of you seem to realize that, was his answer, though he never said the words out loud. 

He took a deep breath. That was the earliest clear memory he had since he woke up. He had parents who claimed to have raised him, who claimed to know him, but even though he did truly care for them, he could never fully acknowledge them as his parents. Then again, he always did feel like a stranger in a strange place, except, of course, when he was with his idiot brothers. 

"I'm going to school!" he shouted as he walked out of the house. 

"Okay, honey, have fun! Don't forget your lu-," his mother stared at him, wide-eyed, her hand covering . He froze himself. 

"What?" he prompted, quickly wiping the corners of his mouth. If she found out that he was the one responsible for eating the chicken she was saving for dinner, he'd be screwed. 

"Have you looked in the mirror this morning? You look terrible! Are you sick? Let me check your temperature," she started fussing over him and he quickly ran his hand through his disheveled hair. Inwardly, he cursed his older brothers for making him go hunting with them again. He didn't get to sleep a wink last night. 

"Look at those bags under your eyes," his mother muttered. "Have you been gaming all night again? I told you that I don't want you doing that, Jongin!" 

He cringed when she used his name and gently pushed her away. "I didn't, it's fine- I'm fine. I'm gonna be late," he tried. 

"Jongin," she warned strictly. 

"Mom," he mimicked her tone and quickly flashed her a boyish grin. "I'm fine, stop fussing. Oh, and I told you, it's Kai," he winked cheekily at her, knowing that she would soften up if he did so. 

"Ah, of course, how could I forget?" she rolled her eyes in a dramatic fashion. "You kids and your nicknames," she finally smiled when he grinned at her, hoping to get her off his back. She sighed, knowing full well what he was trying to do. 

"Are you sure you're alright, honey? You have to take better care of yourself, you know," she urged, caressing his cheek and rearranging his hair. 

"Yeah, I will, don't worry. I gotta go, I'll see you later," he rushed, ready to leave. 

"Jong- I mean, Kai, aren't you forgetting something?" she suddenly asked teasingly. She pointed at her cheek when he frowned in confusion at her. He groaned. 

"Ah, umma," he complained. For all intents and purposes, he was still a teenager who was way too cool to kiss his mommy goodbye before going to school. He refused to give in. 

"It's either this, or I'll take you to school in all my splendid glory and smother you with kisses for everyone to see," she threatened playfully, gesturing at herself. 

Kai felt the muscle underneath his eye twitch when he saw the curlers in her hair, the oversized Hello Kitty pajamas - that no woman should wear in his opinion - and the bunny slippers finishing the morning ensemble. Without skipping a beat, he moved towards her and planted a quick peck on the cheek. 

"Hey, that was too fast!" his mother teased, laughing when he steadily continued to the door. 

"Bye!" he shouted, still a little embarrassed, especially when he heard her laughing. 

"Bye, sweetie. Have a good day," she greeted from the doorway and waved at him. He sighed deeply and walked over to his bike, a look of mild disgust on his face. Generally, he had a profound distaste for any form of transportation because he thought all of them moved too slow. As he stepped on his bike and made his way to school, he felt like sulking. It would be so much faster if he just teleported, but knowing that if anyone happened to see him do so, prevented him from giving in. For all he knew, the sleepy town of Hanwol was unaware of people like him and his brothers, which was for the best.

Resisting the urge to disappear into the shadows, Kai resorted to picking up the pace until he was satisfied with the speed. He let his mind wander while cycling through the quiet streets he had grown fond of, while vague memories of another life floated past. 

Twelve people, cloaked in grey, bowing to one other. They were children, really. It was the first time they had met.

Racing through golden fields on a spring day. He always won, unless a certain dragon participated. He vowed revenge for losing.

Kai caught himself smiling and fiercely shook his head. What was he doing? He never acknowledged those memories and he certainly was in no mood to do so now. Moments of weakness. Who needs them? 

"Kai!" 

He looked up at hearing his name and saw a stately gray building looming up before him. At the side of the street stood a group of girls in their school uniforms, waving at him. Immediately he put on the charm and winked back. He smirked when the girls giggled and he sighed in content when he got off his bike and locked it in place. 

Who needs a life from the past when he had a perfectly fine life right here, right now? 

The voice of their source of life, the energy of their universe. The Tree of Life, choosing him... 

Startled, Kai grabbed the side of his head and tried his best to get rid of the memory, but his heart betrayed him. Feelings of pride and longing welled up inside of him and he cursed under his breath. He had to learn to let it go. They're not the same people they used to be, whoever they were. If his brothers were delusional enough to keep chasing rainbows, so be it. He'll have to be the one to remind them that rainbows weren't real.