Edited; Re-uploaded

            Baekhyun was waiting.

            He sat at a table in the mess hall, where Chanyeol had promised to meet him for lunch, constantly looking around to spot the tall giant. They'd all been attending their own morning training sessions, and it seemed that Baekhyun was let out earlier than the others. He already had a tray of food in front of him, untouched as he waited.       

            Baekhyun could've been eating already, but he had a plan in mind, and he didn't want his food to be gone before he put it into action. He only hoped it would work, because he was really looking forward to Chanyeol's reaction to come. He'd snagged a table against the wall to make it easier for himself so that there'd be a greater chance of success, too.

            After two weeks of honing his camouflage skills, Baekhyun was eager to try it out with one of his friends, and Chanyeol was going to be the first victim. He'd gotten lots of encouragement from Eric, who told him he'd been doing well in progressing, and he only hoped the older male wasn't lying when saying he was close to getting it perfect every try.

            Baekhyun had been relying on Eric to tell him if he was using his powers right, but he didn't want to have to do that. He wanted to be able to feel confident enough to get it right every time without having to make sure with somebody. And that's why he's testing himself with Chanyeol, because Chanyeol wouldn't be prepared. Only his reaction would tell Baekhyun what he needed to know.

            Baekhyun scanned the room for what felt like the billionth time in the past ten minutes, and he perked up in his seat when he spotted Chanyeol's tall frame at the entryway. He rotated his shoulders a bit to loosen up, trying to keep a smile off his face as his plan was put into motion.

            While Chanyeol was in line to get his food, Baekhyun prepared himself to use his powers. He had to wait until the last moment so no one else would notice his change before Chanyeol, so in the meantime, he began eating, using his fabulous acting skills to come off as casual and unsuspicious.

            Baekhyun was mentally crossing his fingers as he finally spotted Chanyeol walking over. The tall teen wasn't yet in the proper position across from Baekhyun, so the teen gave his big, usual grin without realizing that something was off. He walked over to the table from Baekhyun's right, sliding the tray across their table while he pulled out his chair.

            "Hey! Am I lat—Oh My God, Baekhyun! Where's your arm!?" Chanyeol's voice was quick to rise into a shout as his eyes finally glanced over Baekhyun completely, and a smile grew on Baekhyun's face at the reaction.

            "It worked!"

            Chanyeol looked on the verge of having a heart attack, with a very confused expression covering his face, and Baekhyun quickly realized that he should explain.

            "Sorry, Chanyeol. I'm fine!" Baekhyun gave his left arm a quick shake, disarming the camouflage and revealing the limb to be good as new. He lifted up his hand to Chanyeol and wriggled his fingers with a smile remaining on his face. "See! It was just camouflage!"

            Chanyeol huffed as he plopped down in his seat, his eyes wide. "You scared me! I thought your arm was gone!"

            Baekhyun's smile faltered slightly as he realized that a friend might take it more seriously than he thought, but it didn't fall completely as Chanyeol went on.

            "That's actually pretty cool, though. How'd you do that?"

            Now Chanyeol was leaning forward in his seat, a spark of curiosity replacing his previously confused expression. He reached for his tray again, giving off an expectant look, and Baekhyun spoke again with a small smile.

            "I've been learning to camouflage myself in training. I wanted to try it out on someone else, but I didn't mean to scare you. Sorry..."

            "Again, that's cool, but couldn't I have gotten a warning or something?" Chanyeol asked, grabbing the front of his shirt with a large hand. "I think I pulled a heart muscle."

            Baekhyun rolled his eyes when he caught the familiar playful tone of Chanyeol's voice. "The point is that you don't know I'm going to do it. You just gave me an honest reaction, and that's what I was looking for." He took a small sip of his drink, then he went on. "Besides, if I had lost my arm within the past two hours, I'm pretty sure you would've heard my scream from your room. Not to mention I'd be with Youngjae or something right now."

            Chanyeol was nodding slowly. "True..."

            Baekhyun's lips turned up in a smile again. "Now, what have you been doing?" He was honestly eager to know about Chanyeol's training, because he'd always found his powers to be cooler than his own. Though he thought that about most of the others, too.

            Chanyeol leaned back and heaved in a long breath. "Boring stuff, really. Mainly target practice, though I can never seem to hit the targets correctly..." As Chanyeol spoke, he raised his juice to his mouth and his straw missed, nearly going up his nose. Baekhyun had to hold in a laugh.

            "Maybe you need glasses, then."

            "And where am I supposed to get those?" Chanyeol asked in response, opting to eat more instead of drink.

            Baekhyun could only shrug, since he didn't know, either. "I'm sure Youngjae can help. He can probably build a spaceship right in his workshop, so how hard can glasses be?"

            Chanyeol tilted his head, narrowing his eyes in thought. "I don't think that's how it works..."

            "Oh, just eat!" Baekhyun shoved a mouthful of food into Chanyeol's mouth, then he put some into his own with a grin. Chanyeol did as he said, and they continued eating their meals in silence.                                                                       

            When they were finished with their food and stood to put them away, they were met with Jackson walking up to them. Lately he'd seemed to be Siwon's messenger boy, so they quickly assumed that something was going on.

            "What's up?" Chanyeol greeted as Jackson stopped before them. Baekhyun stood at Chanyeol's side, gazing expectantly at Jackson who thankfully went straight to the point.

            "Siwon ordered me to take you to your new training grounds. You're going to start training a new set of skills aside from your powers."

            Baekhyun immediately groaned at the information they were just given. "More? Seriously?"

            Jackson shrugged. "Orders are orders. Everyone else has to take the exact same thing, so you aren't alone. Even I have to continue."

            "What kind of training is it, exactly?" Chanyeol asked.

            To this, Jackson smiled. "Mainly hand-to-hand combat, you could say. Things like martial arts, plus a few other special skills for those who are interested."

            Baekhyun's jaw dropped, but he didn't look to see if Chanyeol's was doing the same. The place was  turning into some sort of relaxed boot camp, where they'd end up getting forced into war in the end. He definitely didn't agree to any of this, but it wasn't like he could just not do anything. He had heard what happened with Suho and D.O, and how they were both practically dragged out of their rooms for not complying with Siwon’s orders. Baekhyun hadn't thought that Siwon would be that kind of person, but he understood why Siwon was doing everything, in a way. He'd just have to deal with it.

            When nothing else was said, Jackson took things as a sign to continue. He was meant to be their guide, too, so Baekhyun hurried to dispose of his dishes with Chanyeol. Then they left to go on another journey through the base.

            No words were spoken as Jackson led them to the new training area. There were a few people in the halls they passed through, some going in or out of doors they passed. Baekhyun's food didn't seem to have settled well in his stomach by the time they reached a door at the end of one hall, but he tried not to think about it as he walked into the room.

            Inside, the air held the slight stench of sweat, and Baekhyun was surprised to see how big it was. There were several different activites going on at once, and there was even a set of stairs leading up to a second level. Different sets of equipment lined all of the walls, and the floors were padded for what was probably meant to be safety. People were training in pairs or alone, though Baekhyun spotted a small group of four, too. Grunts and whacks echoed around the large room, originating from the several activities that occurred.

            Baekhyun gazed around as he followed Jackson across the room. They had to dodge a flying body and even a long, wood stick before they reached the far wall, and then they passed through another doorway.

            The next room was relatively small compared to the one before, but it was still a pretty decent size. Two people occupied the room, though only one was familiar in Baekhyun's eyes. He recognized the long brown scruffiness of Joon's hair, and he sent a nod over in greetings. Already, Baekhyun could see that Joon was in a serious mood, and his partner seemed the same. Both looked to have the same quality of goofiness to their faces, and Baekhyun assumed that their personalities changed in similar ways, too.

            As Baekhyun and Chanyeol stepped into the room and moved to stand before Joon and his partner, their lead instructor began talking. "Let me introduce to you, Sungmin. He will be your second instructor beside me, but he will manage your physical combat training. And unlike me, he will work with you more personally." Joon gestured to his partner with a hand, and the black haired male stepped forward with a slight bow.

            "My name is Sungmin, and I hope to bring out the best of your abilities." Sungmin's introduction was simple and somewhat formal, and he was quick to get on with things. "I hope to view the physical abilities you currently have for our first meeting, and then I will be able to help you with other skills in the future."

            "Can I ask what other skills you are talking about?" Chanyeol spoke up.

            Sungmin gave a nod, then he swept a hand towards Jackson, who had remained in the room behind them. When given Sungmin's signal, Jackson hurried out of the room and rely seconds later with a thin saber in his hand. Baekhyun watched as Jackson moved farther into the room, where there was space available to move around freely, then he took up a stance with the saber in hand.

            The next minute or so came as a blur when Jackson started moving. He swung and jabbed the saber into the air, both his arms and his legs moving at incredible speeds that seemed almost impossible. When Jackson's match with his imaginary partner was over, Baekhyun could only blink, speechless.

            Jackson gave a proud grin as he twirled the saber around. He then set it against a wall and returned to stand beside Baekhyun and the others. "That's one example. I add a hint of my speed to the movements and then I'm practically unstoppable. I've never been beaten at fencing since I've learned how to use my abilities so precisely with Sungmin."              

            After Jackson finished, Sungmin turned to give his shared attention to Baekhyun and Chanyeol, a hint of a smile on his face. "I work with Joon to add your powers to basic fighting techniques. You won't always be able to rely fully on your powers, so that is why you must learn these skills, too."

            Sungmin raised a hand into the air to snap his fingers together, and when he did so, the door behind them opened and two figures entered. Baekhyun turned to Sungmin for an explanation, and the older man lifted his hands out to his sides, giving a short, simple response.

            "Spar with them."

            Kyungsoo had reoccurring conflicted feelings about allowing himself to become closer to Kai. His younger friend gaining a hint on his past wasn't something that he had wanted to happen, but it was too late to change things. Kyungsoo wanted Kai to distance himself, but at the same time, he wanted to be near Kai, too. Though it wasn't even Kyungsoo's decision to make, because Kai was stubborn and refused to believe he could get hurt.

            Already, almost three weeks had passed. Kyungsoo tried to tell himself that he should avoid Kai, but he found himself coming closer and closer to him. The occasional holding of hands grew to occur almost daily, and they even began to embrace each other when in need of comfort, though that was completely from Kai's side. Kyungsoo couldn't bring himself to return Kai's gestures in fear of harming him. He knew all too well that it was possible, and he'd do anything to avoid risking Kai's life.

            Along those lines, Kyungsoo had started to try and find ways to push down his inner beast. Kai had practically begged him to work with his trainer, and he agreed after thinking hard about it. If he worked hard enough, then maybe he'd be able to control his strength. Then he wouldn't have to worry so much about Kai's safety when they were together. That alone was enough to bring Kyungsoo to the decision.

            Now Kyungsoo and Kai were brought as a pair to some training area that they've never seen. Jackson didn't tell them what for when he led them to the area, but that was probably because they didn't ask. Things tended to be explained when they reached their destinations, anyway.

            And as Kyungsoo had guessed, they were given a full explanation of what was going on. They were the third pair to meet in the room since lunch, and the man that they learned to be named Sungmin was quick to get on with things so that he could get as far as possible with the others before dinner.

            Kyungsoo was anxious to figure out what kind of training they'd have to do, and he was sure to dislike it since he was told it was physical. He only hoped that he wouldn't have to train with Kai. He couldn't see any other reason for them to come in pairs, and Kai was the last person he wanted to have to fight.

            Kyungsoo bit his lip and glanced up at Kai to find that he was mirroring his own worried expression. He didn't know what Kai was thinking at that moment, but he was sure it had to deal with his fears. He almost wished he could read his thoughts.

            Sungmin snapped his fingers, attracting Kyungsoo's attention. He wasn't exactly sure why he'd done that, but then he heard footsteps behind him and turned around. Two figures walked into the room, and Kyungsoo heard a voice ordering the two pairs to fight. That order alone caused Kyungsoo's heart to pound, and he took a few steps back as the figures came closer.

            Kyungsoo wasn't sure if they were male or female. They were the same height, though still taller than he was, and they wore full clothing and masks, leaving no skin uncovered. Gloves, boots, and what looked like some sort of light-weight training gear covered their entire bodies, and Kyungsoo realized that Sungmin and Joon weren't messing around. They were really expected to fight.

            Kyungsoo glanced around to try to oppose this training method, but Joon and Sungmin were nowhere to be seen. The room was empty around them, and the figures were continuing to advance towards them.

            Kyungsoo's heart was going wild in his chest, his thoughts scattering in panic. He couldn't fight. He had avoided it at all costs after what he'd done in his past, fearing he would go rampant once again. He didn't want to hurt anyone, but if these people didn't back down, there was no telling what he'd do.

            Kyungsoo soon found himself separated from Kai, the figures having pushed them to opposite sides of the room. The one before Kyungsoo started jabbing fists at him, not quite hitting him, but enough to tease and intimidate him. Kyungsoo didn't do anything in return, he just tried his best to dodge them and escape.

            After what felt like ages of this, Kyungsoo heard Sungmin's voice somewhere above him. "Just throw a punch or two. I don't care if you know how to fight or not. I want to see your potential."

            It sounded like an order, but Kyungsoo couldn't obey it. Things would go terribly wrong. He could already feel it. He needed to stop, because his anger was getting tested at that moment. The constant taunting jabs he received were started to make small contact with his body, and it was just turning the heat up on his quickly boiling anger. He could feel the beast inside threatening to burst, and he fought to keep it down. He couldn't let it out, not like this. Not in front of Kai; someone he cared about. Never again.

            Kyungsoo couldn't see what Kai was doing, for everything else was starting to get blocked out. Every hit to his body sent shocks deep to his core. His senses focused on each individual hit, raising the sensitivity until that was everything he saw, felt, heard, and even tasted. Kyungsoo could taste his own blood from the amount of pressure he was exerting on his own tongue, and he struggled to keep his anger down.

            He was close. Kyungsoo could feel it. The beast inside was right under the skin, just waiting for an opening that Kyungsoo knew he couldn't give. He had to hold on, for everyone's sake.

            The onslaught only grew stronger. Kyungsoo knew they were trying to get him to fight back, but they didn't know his reason for refusing. The jabs turned into punches that quickly turned more forceful. Kyungsoo only grabbed his head to try to block them out, pressing himself against a wall to leave his back open to the hits.

            He told himself he could deal with it. He told himself he'd push through, to fight to keep himself. He wouldn't let out the beast; he couldn't. He couldn't let Kai see him turn into a monster. He had to tell himself he'd keep it in. He had to remain in control.

            Kyungsoo had hoped that the person would back down and give up, but things didn't go his way. After continuous painful blows to his backside, Kyungsoo felt a strong force hit the back of his legs and he yelped as he was forced to his knees. Then, as he was momentarily off-balanced, he was pushed to the floor. Kyungsoo glanced up to see a foot lifting above him, and that's when the thing inside him snapped.

            A fire scorched inside his body, and he felt an overbearing strength suddenly take over. Kyungsoo's vision dimmed for a moment, and then he was grabbing the foot; pulling the person down. The figure was thrown off balance, and that's when Kyungsoo retaliated with a strong punch to the figure's masked face. He could feel the material cave in under his touch as the body literally flew across the room, and everything seemed to fall silent as the body smacked against the wall and collapsed to the floor in a jumbled mess.

            Strength continued to flow through Kyungsoo's body, and he found himself panting, heaving for breath like some sort of wild animal. He was hardly aware of what he was doing, and he hunched over slightly, his eyes darting around until they landed on the two other people in the room.

            Kyungsoo recognized Kai through the haze, and something in his head reveled in the fear written on his face. It came off as something that looked tasty and weak. Something that should be devoured and covered in blood. Kai had the look of prey, and a hungry beast was looking to feed.

            "Soo...?" Kai's voice was soft and shaky as he spoke. "Are you okay?"

            Even from a distance, Kyungsoo could see the way his hands shook. His entire body was trembling, and he didn't miss the hesitant, fearful tinge to his voice.

            Kai was scared. Kyungsoo was making him scared. Kai was scared of Kyungsoo in that moment, and the realization was just enough to bring Kyungsoo to his senses.

            As Kyungsoo felt the strength fade from his body, he found himself trembling even worse than Kai. His body was having its own mini earthquake, and he was scared to face the body that lay across the room. He knew what he had done, though. Even if it wasn't his own action, he knew it was his body that had done the damage, and the sunken face of the person he'd been fighting with was enough to prove the beast's brutal strength.          

            Tears swarmed in Kyungsoo's eyes as he stumbled across the room, closer to the body he'd destroyed. He fell to his knees only a few feet away, unable to keep himself standing. He could clearly see the body now. Any skin was still out of sight, but there was an evident indent in the mask that was proof enough that the skull would be far too damaged to recover.

            The tears streaming down Kyungsoo's cheeks grew thicker, and he unleashed a mindless wail, forgetting for a moment that there were others in the room. His sobs echoed against the walls as he crouched on the floor, and he could faintly hear footsteps running across the floor. They seemed to come from above him, but they were soon right beside him. Hands landed on Kyungsoo's back, moving to his shoulders and then his face, forcing him to look up. And through blurry eyes, Kyungsoo could see that it was Kai, all fear forgotten to be replaced with concern.

            Kyungsoo's sobs didn't end there, and Kai went on to bring his head to his chest. Kyungsoo was hugged tightly into Kai's body, where his tears dripped onto his usual green shirt. He could hear Kai murmuring things into his ear, but he couldn't make out what was being said.

Joon and Sungmin were talking, too. He could tell that much.

            Eventually, Kyungsoo's sobs were brought down in volume, and he was able to remove himself from Kai's body, though the teen kept a tight grip on his hand. Kai didn't seem to have any intentions of letting go, and Kyungsoo couldn't see why after what he'd witnessed.

            Kyungsoo couldn't even bring himself to look up at the body that still lay before him, and he desperately tried to rid his mind of any thoughts of it, though that was pointless. There was no erasing what was done, and now he could only wait to get thrown into a containment area, where he couldn't hurt anyone but himself.

            "Kyungsoo?" Sungmin spoke up again after a while, and Kyungsoo slowly turned his head to look up. The seriousness that both he and Joon had displayed earlier was gone, and now he had the same look of concern as Jongin. "It's alright. You don't have to worry about anything. No one got hurt."

            For a moment, Kyungsoo wondered what Jongin had told them, but then he thought that maybe his reason for crying was obvious. Either way, he was still confused. Someone definitely got hurt, so how could things be okay?

            "What do you mean?" He asked simply, new tears still threatening to fall. He didn't even know if his voice could handle speaking more than a few words right then.

            "It was just a dummy." Sungmin explained. "You didn't hurt anyone. It's only fake." As he spoke, Sungmin walked over to the body on the ground and dragged it over. He removed the mask to prove himself, showing that there was a large dent in what looked to be some sort of plastic material that formed the skull.

            Kyungsoo stared at the dummy in shock, and embarrassment started to bring heat throughout his body. But at the same time, he thought he'd cry again. And it wasn't long before he did.

            Kyungsoo turned to Kai, and then he broke down again, his head falling to Kai's shoulder. "I thought I did it again... I thought it happen all over again..." Words tumbled out of his mouth, coming out somewhat incoherent as he sobbed. "I was so scared, Jongin... I thought I'd hurt you... I thought I'd lose you... I couldn't control myself..."

            "Shh... Shh..." Kai hushed Kyungsoo, his hair with a hand. His other arm wrapped around his body, and Kyungsoo felt his head rest on top of his. "It's okay, Soo. I'm okay. You're okay. Everything's okay. Calm down..."

            Kyungsoo nodded, his face rubbing against Kai's shoulders, and he was eventually able to bring his breathing back down to normal. His tears were finally dried up, and he wiped the remaining few from his cheeks. Sungmin and Joon were still standing beside them, waiting patiently for them to finish. When Kyungsoo saw them, he found that he still had a question that he wanted cleared up.

            "How do those dummies move so well? It shouldn't be possible."

            Sungmin looked slightly shocked at his question, as if he hadn't expected such a swift recovery, and he was quick to glance up and wave a hand. Turning his head up, Kyungsoo saw that there was a small balcony from the second floor of the other room. A boy stood leaning against the railing, and he leaped down when Sungmin waved to him. The fall seemed too far, but the boy landed effortlessly and moved to Sungmin's side, swiping his hair back away from his face.

            "This is Taehyun." Sungmin introduced. "He has the ability to control dolls such as these, and he is a big help in training everyone here. He's your age, so he's young, but he has quite a few skills when it comes to hand-to-hand combat. He's one of our best men, and he's helpful for things like this."

            Sungmin gave Kyungsoo a small smile after the introduction, then he went on. "We come prepared for these kinds of things, but I truly am sorry to have pushed you this far. Taehyun only did as I ordered him to, and I should have known when to stop."

            Kyungsoo was surprised when Sungmin ended with an apologetic bow, but he wasn't sure how to respond. They were both at fault. He hadn't told anyone about his fears, so Sungmin wouldn't have known, but at the same time, Sungmin did go far. In the end, he just didn't say anything. Sungmin's expression didn't reveal how he felt about it, but he gave a small nod.

            "Alright. You're done for the day. Thank you."

            Kyungsoo gave a small nod in return, and then he felt Kai tugging on his hand. They were still seated on the floor, and Kyungsoo got to his feet so that he and Kai could leave. Neither of them said anything, and Kyungsoo wondered if Kai was scared of him now. It was on his mind through the whole walk to their room, but then he became aware of the fact that Kai still had a tight grip on his hand, and something told him that Kai's mind still hadn't changed.

            Kyungsoo just wasn't sure if that was a good or a bad thing.