"Sungyeol?"

Sunggyu lightly stepped forward into the darkness, reaching out for the Transparent. His hands retracted on instinct once they made contact with a solid but flesh-like object.

"Sungyeol, it's going to be okay." The brown haired man reassured as his fingers danced around the object. Sungyeol hissed slightly as Sunggyu accidentally slid over an open cut. Realizing that he was touching the other's beaten face, the rebel bent down on one knee, cupping the Transparent's cheeks with extreme care. "It's going to be okay." He repeated, staring at where he thought Sungyeol's eyes were.

"Thank you for coming but you can't be here. My master-"

"Mission failed. Retreat! The police chief is in the house." Sungjong's voice came from Minho's walkie-talkie in a hushed tone. The three froze in their places, scared to make even the slightest noise.

"- took the day off…" Sungyeol finished. The brown haired rebel stood up, pulling the wounded Transparent up with him. Sungyeol let out a loud whimper as he went toppling down to the ground again. Sunggyu gaped at him in surprise.

"Can't you stand?" He asked, bending down to examine Sungyeol. His eyes had adjusted to the lack of light in the room and were starting to make out the other's features. Sungyeol looked like a mess, to say the least. His hair was thrown in every-which-way and there were bloody scabs and scars all over his face and arms. Sunggyu didn't even have to look to guess that his legs and torso were equally bruised.

"I can't stand on my own but I'm sure I can limp my way around." Sungyeol confessed, reaching out to feel his swollen ankle. Sunggyu wrapped his arm around the Transparent and lifted him up; making sure that his support wouldn't injure the other anymore than he already was.

"We need to leave. Now." Minho ushered them out of the room. "Since we have him, we can't go out the way we came in. By the sound of it, the second floor is clear since Sungjong and Jonghyun took the first floor and saw the chief." He planned out loud. The two Transparents took this time to carefully exit the room as slowly as they could. The third floor was mostly empty space for storage and a couple of rundown rooms like the one Sungyeol was trapped in. The only way out was either through the windows or downstairs.

"Do you know where the closest exit is?" Sunggyu asked the man in his arms. Sungyeol nodded and pointed weakly at the ground, indicating a door or escape route on the floor below. The trio made their descent; with Minho scouting the area before Sunggyu and Sungyeol followed.

"Over there." Sungyeol said, directing them to turn a corner in the long hallway they were walking in. Minho crept ahead to check out the other side. Sungyeol let out an uneven breath. All this moving was taking a toll on his weak body. Suddenly, Minho gasped and pulled himself behind the corner, hidden from the other side. Sunggyu's head snapped up, eyeing the panicking rebel.

Minho started to rapidly mouth out words. The brown haired rebel couldn't catch on to what he was trying to say but got the message. It wasn't safe and they needed to escape. Immediately. Sunggyu, without thinking twice, pulled Sungyeol out of the hallway and down the staircase to the first floor. As they neared the main hall, they started to hear someone talking.

"You dare enter my home and steal my Transparent and think you can get away with it?" An angered voice shouted. The walls in between the speaker and the pair caused the next sound to echo through the entire house and into their souls. A gunshot rang out, causing time itself to halt. The breath clogged in Sunggyu's throat when he spun around and realized that Minho was not behind them. Sungyeol started to really panic. The front door was just in reach but the brown haired man refused to move.

"Let's go, quickly." Sungyeol shook the rebel next to him. Footsteps could be heard coming down the staircase; each step making his heart beat faster and faster. Still, Sunggyu wouldn't move. "We need to go!" The Transparent quickly whispered, as he feared that his master would be able to hear them speak. Finally, Sunggyu jolted to life and led them out of the house and far from the front gate surrounding the perimeter.

"Over here." A familiar voice called out from behind a bush a few feet away. Sungjong peered out and waved them over. Sungyeol collapsed to the ground as soon as they made it to safety. With the sun shining on him, every cut and bruise was illuminated for the world to see, surprising everyone around him. His milky skin was adorned with red and blue splotches that could make anyone cringe on sight. Sunggyu sat down numbly, eyes unfocused.

"Everyone else is here. Where is Minho?" Jonghyun asked from next to the youngest rebel. Sunggyu flinched at the mentioning of the name. Sungyeol sighed, realizing that he would have to explain.

"He died. That gunshot you heard? That was aimed at him." He said in a monotone voice. The brown haired rebel nearly glared at the Transparent. The way Sungyeol had said the horrible truth was so matter-of-factly it burned Sunggyu's insides with rage. Minho, a rebel who came on this high-risk mission to save a stranger, was so quickly disregarded by the very man he set out to protect. It physically pained Sunggyu when it dawned on him that someone he barely knew had passed away. What was worse was that, from what he could tell, Minho stayed behind to stall the police chief enough for the two to get away.

To think that Sunggyu was once like Sungyeol…it terrified him. The amount of emotions that Transparents lacked was astonishing. Minho didn't deserve to die. Not here. Not today. But he did and it could not be reversed. He died and it was all Sunggyu's fault. He was protecting both of them even though they had barely talked to one another. Choi Minho was an honorable man who did not need his sacrifice to be announced by dull lips.

"The van is waiting for us just around the corner. We need to leave before the police arrive." Jonghyun stated sadly. Jonghyun seemed close with Minho, as Sunggyu had caught them chatting before the mission. The rebels loaded onto the black van one by one in silence, mourning over their loss. Sungyeol crashed out during the car ride back to HQ. All of today's excitement had him drained. Sunggyu stared out of the tinted window, trying to get his mind off of his partner. The ride back home was quiet and solemn. No one dared speak until they arrived in the courtyard of the main building.

"Sunggyu!" Woohyun called, racing up to him as soon as he stepped out of the van. The sunlight blinded him for a second so Sunggyu chose to stare at the ground. "Sunggyu, are you okay?" The purple haired rebel asked with a tender voice. Sunggyu shook his head slightly and looked into his best friend's pale blue eyes. They were filled with worry and a hint of relief.

"Yeah, I'm fine." The brown haired man confirmed, moving to enter the HQ. He sighed to himself and kept his gaze on the front door. Woohyun followed close behind, examining his best friend's off behavior. Sunggyu seemed gloomy and a little shaken up. It may have been because it was his first mission, but that wasn't the normal reaction after returning. Usually the new recruits come back extremely excited and proud. Then again, the rest of the rebels' faces matched Sunggyu's. Woohyun let out a sigh of relief. At least Sunggyu had momentarily forgotten about the kiss.

Woohyun followed Sunggyu into a grand hallway that split into different routs. They paused in the middle of the intersection. The brown haired rebel had his head down, his hair hiding his eyes from the dark haired rebel. Woohyun reached out to take Sunggyu's hand but he retracted when something wet dropped on his palm.

"Sunggyu?" Woohyun asked hesitantly, trying to get a look at his blocked face. All of a sudden the brown haired man let out a painful scream and fell to his knees. "Sunggyu, what's wrong?!" Woohyun bent down next to the sobbing rebel. There were a few people standing around in the hall, all who now had their focus on the two in the middle. The purple haired man bit his lip and hulled Sunggyu to his feet.

"Let's go somewhere more private, hm?" Woohyun stated calmly, nearly dragging the weeping man across the hall. Sunggyu kept thrashing and resisting, giving Woohyun some trouble in leading him to his room, which happened to be along the way. He successfully locked the door behind him and looked down at the man who had once again fallen to the ground.

"What did they do to you?" Woohyun asked in the same calm tone. He was worried beyond imaginable but he knew if he didn't act carefully he could further damage the crying man. Sunggyu gave his best friend a sharp glare in between sobs.

"What did they do? They didn't do anything! It was all my fault – I let him die! I killed Minho!"

~~~~~~

Happy new years everybody! Here is a special update for you guys~ Although, it didn't end on a good note…hehehehehe