"I think you need our help more than you let on," JungMin said. "I may not be the first person who has said it, but I'm the one who means it. Just like I mean it when I say I'll keep your secret, and by extension, KiBum's."

"I don't believe you." HyungJoon got around the older man's horse, spurring his gelding into going faster without caring if he was going to leave JungMin behind.

"I don't care if you don't believe me!" JungMin called after him, kicking his horse to catch up. "The sooner you realize we're all in this together the better off you'll be."

HyungJoon didn't speak to JungMin for the rest of their trek back to camp, the pair coming out of the forest onto the road a few minutes later. They followed the road as the sun lifted above the horizon, until they came across a very familiar caravan.

YoungSaeng stopped the caravan, hopping down off the front bench. "Are you both okay? What happened?" HyungJoon looked over those present, seeing KiBum's horse with them though both his brother and Kevin were nowhere to be seen. KyuHyun was riding JungMin's horse near the front of the caravan.

"We're fine, couldn't be better," JungMin said, dismounting from the horse. "Sorry we're late. KyuHyun, I hope that little field trip was worth it?"

KyuHyun nodded, glancing back at the caravan before returning his gaze to JungMin. "He'll be fine now."

"Where's…" HyungJoon started, but YoungSaeng cut him off.

"The two kids are inside the caravan, they're staying there until they stop trying to sneak away in the middle of the night. KyuHyun would be in there too, but that would make him too happy." YoungSaeng's eyes went between them. "You're injured. Should I be worried about people coming after us?"

"Probably not, but I don't want to stick around in case I'm wrong," JungMin said. "I'd like my horse back please KyuHyun, this one is too docile."

"You can have her," KyuHyun slid off the horse's back, holding the reins out for him.

"We'll get farther away, then stop for your injuries," YoungSaeng frowned. "They have our team horse?"

"Didn't see her, they probably didn't catch her," JungMin said. "Took this beauty as a consolation prize for their hospitality. I think she'll do just fine."

Looking over the new mare, YoungSaeng nodded after a moment. "Hitch her up to the rest of the team, and we'll get moving." He climbed back up into the front of the caravan, looking annoyed but at least not yelling at anyone.

"Sure thing boss," JungMin said. It took a few minutes to change out the horses on the team, but they were back on the road quickly. There hadn't been any sign of anyone coming after them, but just to be sure they double backed and headed towards the ocean again.

They camped for the night earlier than they usually would, just because most of them hadn't slept through the night and everyone was tired. Despite having been in the caravan all day, neither KiBum or Kevin were allowed to get much sleep. Especially when they stopped and were sent out to do the various chores that needed to be done.

Kevin tried not to fall asleep against the horse he was brushing, rubbing at his eyes to stay awake. They'd worked their way through most of the chores and had only the horses left at that point, and he was looking forward to passing out for a couple hours. "You still awake?" He looked over the horses to see where KiBum was, knowing the other was just as tired as him, if not more so.

"Yeah," KiBum nodded, rubbing down one of the horses legs. "I hope you're about done. Saeng said we weren't allowed to eat or sleep till we were both done."

"I'm getting there," Kevin nodded, forcing himself to focus. "So he doesn't yell when he's mad, apparently. He just piles on work." Even KyuHyun hadn't been able to get away scot-free, and had been put in charge of dinner and clean-up.

"I don't even get why we're in trouble," KiBum said. "We did a good thing right? RyeoWook got the medicine, no one got hurt. What'd we do so wrong?"

"I don't know," Kevin shook his head. "I think he's just mad no one listened to him." He lowered his voice quickly when he saw a figure approaching, but relaxed when he saw it wasn't YoungSaeng but HyungJoon.

"KiBum, can I talk to you?" HyungJoon asked, and the older brother didn't look very happy.

"Can it wait until morning?" KiBum said, shoulders slumping. He was way too tired to get yelled at by HyungJoon right then. "I'm really tired hyung."

"I know you are, but this can't wait," HyungJoon said, voice lowering so that only KiBum could hear him. "Two minutes, okay? It's really important."

"Okay," KiBum sighed, getting up to his feet. He gave Kevin a resigned look before following his brother a little ways away from the others. "Are you going to yell at me too?"

HyungJoon leaned back against a tree, watching the others warily. "I should yell at you for that, but something more important happened. KiBum, we have to leave," he said quietly.

"... What? What do you mean?" KiBum's brow furrowed in confusion. "Aren't we leaving in the morning?"

"I don't mean with them," HyungJoon said. "JungMin found out, it's not safe for us here anymore."

"JungMin... found out?" KiBum blinked, his shoulders slumping a little. "How did he find out? What the hell happened HyungJoon?"

HyungJoon exhaled slowly. "We were caught by those idiots from the compound," he replied quietly. "My shirt got torn in the process, and he noticed. I…I should have been more careful. I know you like it here, but it's not safe."

"... Why is it not safe?" KiBum asked. "Why do you always do this? These are our friends!"

"And who knows what they'll do," HyungJoon's lips thinned. "Would you rather leave while they're still your friends, or while they're trying to kill us?"

"You don't know that'll happen," KiBum replied. "How long has JungMin known, hours? Has he told anyone else?"

"I don't know if he has or not, I haven't spent every second eavesdropping on him. KiBum, I'm just looking out for us. We'll be at Yesan soon. I'm stocking up there, and we're leaving."

KiBum shook his head, turning away. "You're being crazy HyungJoon. I don't want to leave. I like being with them... what about Kevin? He's the first real friend I've had and you want me to just up and leave him? Because you think they're like the others? I'm not going anywhere."

"KiBum," HyungJoon clasped one hand on KiBum's shoulder. "This was why I didn't want to join any caravan or compound, because you're too trusting. The only reason you and I are still alive is because we stayed away from other people. Why won't you listen to me anymore?"

"Because I'm tired of this!" KiBum said, brushing HyungJoon's hand off. "I'm tired of you treating me like I'm five, I'm tired of everything! What's the point of staying alive if we have to live like this? I'm done following you around HyungJoon. I'm done. If you want to leave, then go. But I'm not going anywhere."

Hand dropping to his side, HyungJoon looked at KiBum's back with wide eyes. He looked down and away, swallowing. "…You're tired. We'll talk about this more later." He turned and walked away.

Brushing away tears at the corners of his eyes, KiBum stayed where he was for a moment before heading back to the campsite. Finding Kevin, he pulled the other man a little ways away. "We need to talk."

"Hm?" Kevin had just finished with his half of the chores. He followed KiBum, rubbing at his eyes sleepily. "What's up, what did your brother want?"

"He.. he wants to leave," KiBum said, his throat closing up. "He wants me to go with him and leave everyone behind and I just can't do that. I can't leave you."

"…What?" Kevin's eyes widened. "But…why? Why would he want you to leave?" He took KiBum's hands.

"Because... because he's crazy," KiBum said. "I don't want to leave you Kevin. I don't want to leave you behind. I don't want to leave any of you behind. I don't want to go with him."

"Then don't go," Kevin shook his head, holding on to the older man. "Stay here, stay with me. We can talk to him, argue, you don't have to leave."

"That's what I told him, that I wasn't going with him but he never listens to me," KiBum said. "You don't understand... you don't know him, what we've been through. As much as I want to stay, I don't know if I can say no if he tells me we have to leave. He'll take me away from here and there's nothing I can do."

"There has to be something we can do," Kevin looked up at him. "I don't want to lose you KiBum, you mean so much to me."

"I don't want to lose you either Kevin," KiBum said, squeezing Kevin's hands tightly. "Maybe... maybe we should leave. You and me, let's get some supplies and my horse. Tomorrow night, we'll leave. We'll come back when HyungJoon's gone and then we'll be fine."

"Leave?" Kevin blinked repeatedly, worried. "You think that's the only way? We're going to be in so much trouble."

"I don't care," KiBum said. "You're the only friend I've ever had Kevin, I don't want to lose you."

Looking down at the ground, Kevin nodded after a moment. "…Okay. Will you really be okay with leaving your brother though?" he asked quietly, looking back up at KiBum.

"... I don't know, I've never been without him but... I'm tired of always running Kevin," KiBum said. "We've been running our whole lives and I finally thought we found some good place to be... somewhere to belong."

Kevin squeezed KiBum's hands, nodding slightly. "…Let's get some sleep," he said quietly, pulling KiBum into a hug. He didn't really care who saw them just then. "We'll be able to plan more in the morning when we're not dead tired."

"Yeah," KiBum nodded, returning the hug. He really just hoped HyungJoon would forget the whole thing and things would go back to normal. But he doubted that. Once HyungJoon made up his mind, there was no changing it.

************************************

By morning YoungSaeng had decided those who had ran off the night before had learned their lesson, and let them off with just their usual chores (plus RyeoWook's since their cook was still out of commission). KiBum, Kevin and KyuHyun rode in the caravan most of the day, KyuHyun because he usually was in the caravan and the two kids because they were still under 'house arrest'. After a stop for lunch, they were allowed back out onto a horse but weren't allowed to stray too far from the caravan.

KyuHyun stayed inside the caravan, watching over RyeoWook. His fever had gone down since he was given the medicine, but it was better to be safe than sorry. Sitting on a crate beside the bed, KyuHyun glanced up at the sleeping man from over the edge of his book every now and then, the novel opened to the same page it had been on for nearly half an hour.

After a particularly harsh bump in the road, RyeoWook's eyes opened a little and he groaned unhappily. "...KyuHyun?" he whispered, his voice barely audible. The fever had ravaged his body and he felt weak, though he could tell the fever had finally broken.

Looking up, KyuHyun closed his book and set it aside. "Hey Wook…how're you feeling?" He picked up a flask of water from next to him, scooting forward.

"Awful," RyeoWook murmured, his eyes closing again. "And thirsty."

"Got some water, right here." KyuHyun shifted to help RyeoWook sit up enough to drink. "You'll be happy to know you look a lot less crappy than you did yesterday?"

"That doesn't make me feel better," RyeoWook said once he had taken a few sips and laid back down. "Where are we?"

"Close to Yesan, I think we're stopping for the night." He could hear conversation outside the caravan about finding a good spot off the road. "And it should, you looked like you were on your death bed yesterday."

"Feels like I was," RyeoWook replied, opening his eyes again to look up at KyuHyun. "What'd I miss?"

"Do you really want to know," KyuHyun gave RyeoWook a wry smile. "We actually managed to piss YoungSaeng off, which is a feat in itself."

"... KyuHyun, what did you do?" RyeoWook frowned at him.

"We got you your medicine," KyuHyun shrugged. "If that meant sneaking out in the middle of the night to steal it, then that's what happened."

"You stole it?" RyeoWook's eyes widened slightly. "KyuHyun, you shouldn't have stolen it, I would have got better without it."

"No you wouldn't have, you would have died," KyuHyun said bluntly. "Remember what I told you when we left your compound? Out here we do what we have to in order to survive. I did what I had to do to keep you alive. That's all there is to it."

"But... Saeng's mad at you now, because of me," RyeoWook said. "Did he yell at you?"

"He yelled at the kids more, because they didn't listen to him and me," KyuHyun shook his head. "And just gave us a pile of work. We wouldn't have had to sneak out if YoungSaeng had let go of his moral code long enough to realize you weren't going to last another day without the medicine, so don't worry about it."

"You know I will anyway," RyeoWook said. "I'll yell at you more later when I can keep my eyes open." Pulling out a hand from under the blankets he touched KyuHyun's hand lightly. "Thank you."

Lips quirking, KyuHyun curled his fingers around RyeoWook's lightly. "We look after each other. Rest well."

A few hours later the caravan stopped for the night, everyone going about their respective chores in relative quiet. By the time dinner had been and eaten and cleaned up, most were too tired to sit around the fire and talk as they usually did, curling up in their bedrolls and bedding down for the night.

With the fire smoldering to coals, KyuJong rolled onto his side and sighed a little, unable to sleep. He could hear JungMin and HyungJoon nearby echoing each other's snores while KiBum and Kevin had taken to sleeping as far from everyone else as they could, their bedrolls on the far side of the fire. Sitting up, KyuJong rubbed at his hair as he got to his feet and went in search of someone to talk about what had been bothering him. He found YoungSaeng just outside of the fire line and leaned up against the tree he was sitting by. "Hey," he murmured. "Can we talk?"

YoungSaeng looked up from where he was watching over the camp. It was his turn on watch again, the guitar he'd taken to putting back together in his free time in his lap. "Of course," he smiled tiredly up at KyuJong. "What's on your mind, Kyu yah?"

"Could we maybe... talk elsewhere? Just for a minute," KyuJong said, frowning over at the others sleeping. "This isn't something I really want others hearing right now."

Blinking, YoungSaeng nodded. He set the guitar down before rising to his feet, stretching out sore arms. "Over here," he lead KyuJong to a spot on the other side of the caravan, out of earshot of the others in case they were still awake. "What's keeping you awake?"

"Was thinking about the route we're planning on taking," KyuJong said, arms crossed and looking down at his feet. "You wanted to stop at the next compound before we got to Seoul. The next one we'll be at... is the one I was born and raised in."

"Oh," YoungSaeng blinked, leaning back against a tree. He frowned lightly, watching KyuJong's expression. "So you don't want to make a stop there, I take it."

"I know we need to stop though," KyuJong said, shaking his head a little. "I just can't guarantee we'll be welcome if they see me. I don't know what they'll do. I'm wondering if maybe I shouldn't go with you."

YoungSaeng's brow furrowed. "You're part of my crew now, they have no say in what you do. If it makes you uncomfortable to be there you can stay in the caravan or wait with someone else outside the compound, but if you go in with us I won't let them do anything to harm you."

"You and I both know that people in compounds will do as they please to anyone that comes in," KyuJong said. "I don't want to put anyone at risk."

"…You know them best." YoungSaeng pushed away from the tree, resting one hand on KyuJong's shoulder. "Tell me what you want to do before we get there, and we'll sort it out. No one's going to be in any risk, not you nor us."

"Thanks," KyuJong's lips quirked a little and he moved in a little closer to rest his hand on YoungSaeng's hip. "Maybe I'm a little nervous about going back there... My family's still there."

"Don't blame you for being nervous." YoungSaeng looked up at KyuJong with a small smile. "They're really missing out, but it's their loss. And my gain."

"Yeah, their loss," KyuJong nodded leaning in to brush his lips over YoungSaeng's in a light kiss. "When you're relieved for the night by JungMin, I'll probably still be awake."

"So I'll have someone waiting to welcome me into bed?" the older man chuckled, returning the soft kiss. "You should really try and get some sleep, it was a long day for everyone. You can't tell me you're not tired."

"I'll sleep when you do," KyuJong murmured. "I'm sure you're pretty tired yourself. You didn't have to volunteer to take the first watch you know."

"The kids are still on house arrest, KyuHyun spent the whole day looking after RyeoWook, and HyungJoon does watch far more than I'd like anyways," YoungSaeng smirked. "I can do my fair share, same as everyone else."

"You do more than your fair share," KyuJong said, turning around to head back towards the camp. "How long are you going to make the kids suffer for?"

"Until they stop making the rest of us worry? When I feel they've learned their lesson. KyuHyun going off on his own is nothing new and he knows how to take care of himself, but they don't." YoungSaeng gave a quiet sigh, following beside KyuJong.

It didn't take him long to realize something was wrong, gaze sweeping the camp before doing a double-take. His eyes narrowed at the missing bedrolls and the empty spot on the horses' picket line. He couldn't hear anything out of the ordinary in the forest around them. "…Wake up JungMin." He walked briskly to the picket line, crouching to see where the missing horse's hoof prints led in the dim light from the fire.

"What's wrong?" KyuJong asked, but did as told, going to where JungMin was sprawled out on the ground beside the fire. Kneeling down, he shook JungMin's shoulder until the younger man jerked awake.

"I didn't touch you!" JungMin said sleepily, eyes snapping open and he looked at KyuJong in confusion. "What?"

"... Saeng wants you up, something's wrong," KyuJong said.

"What, what's wrong?" JungMin said, sitting up and looking towards YoungSaeng. "What's up boss?"

YoungSaeng had followed the hoof prints as far as he could in the fire's light, losing them at the edge of the trees. "KyuJong and I stepped away to talk for a minute and the kids ran off, took KiBum's horse with them."

"... I'm getting really tired of having to save them," JungMin groaned, getting to his feet. He nudged HyungJoon with his foot once he got his boots on. "Yah, wake up."

"Have an idea which way they went?" KyuJong asked YoungSaeng.

"They headed west as far as I could tell," YoungSaeng looked back at them, brow furrowed. Standing, he went to light a torch to better track the missing two.

HyungJoon jerked awake instantly at the nudge, eyes opening. He blinked repeatedly at JungMin's foot before sitting up. "What? What's going on?" he winced, rubbing his eyes.

"Your brother is gone again," JungMin said. "He and Kevin took a horse. Any idea why the hell he left this time?"

"What?" HyungJoon's eyes widened and his gaze automatically went to where his brother had gone to sleep. Seeing the two missing, he scrambled to pull his boots on and get to his feet. "No, I have no idea. When did he leave?"

"It couldn't have been more than a couple minutes ago, they should still be close by," YoungSaeng had set up a torch, lighting the end on fire. "They headed west." HyungJoon stumbled as he hurried to his horse, regaining his footing.

"You stay here with the caravan Saeng, I'll go with HyungJoon to track the kids down," JungMin said, following HyungJoon to the horses. "We're chaining those two to the caravan after this."

"Be careful," YoungSaeng said. He waited until HyungJoon had finished saddling up before passing him the torch. HyungJoon nodded stiffly, following the horse's tracks to the edge of the trees. Glancing back at JungMin, he led his horse into the trees with the torch low to the ground so he could follow the imprints in the ground.

JungMin followed behind, gun on his lap as he looked around for any sign of the two. "Be straight with me HyungJoon. Why would KiBum leave?"

"I don't know any more than you do." HyungJoon's grip on his horse's reins was white-knuckled. With there not being much rain recently, it was hard to track the hoof prints, especially in the dark. "They couldn't have gotten far."

"I think you know a lot more than I do," JungMin said. "KiBum always said it was his idea to join the caravan, I don't get why he would just up and leave, especially after what happened. Was he upset that he got in trouble?"

HyungJoon's jaw clenched, eyes down on the ground as he followed the trail. "We…disagreed about something yesterday. But I didn't think he'd…" HyungJoon's voice trailed off, lips pressed into thin lines.

"Didn't think what? Didn't think he'd leave?" JungMin frowned. "What'd you disagree about?"

"It doesn't matter," HyungJoon replied, tugging his horse around a group of trees. "Let's just find them."

"It matters if I have to keep getting woken up to go hunt down your brother when he gets a half brained idea to do something stupid," JungMin said. "It isn't just you and your brother anymore HyungJoon. It's all of us."

"Then go back to the camp and sleep if you don't want to be out here," HyungJoon said shortly, not looking back at JungMin. "I'll find him myself."

"Alright, you find your brother and I'll find Kevin," JungMin said. "Or did you forget there was more than your brother out here?"

"I didn't forget," HyungJoon replied, voice annoyed. "Maybe it was Kevin's idea to leave."

"Right, the kid who can't even get a fire started on his own wanted to leave, I somehow doubt that," JungMin rolled his eyes. "Why can't you trust us? Obviously things with KiBum are getting worse, we want to help you."

HyungJoon looked over his shoulder at JungMin, half his face illuminated by the glow from the torch. "We don't need your help, and you know too much already. If you were in my place, you won't trust anyone either."

JungMin's expression softened a little, and he kicked his horse up to ride next to HyungJoon. "Look, I can't pretend to know what you've gone through, because I don't know what your situation actually is. But I'm not going to give away your secret, and I'm guessing it's KiBum's secret as well. I want to help you, the both of you. We look after each other here, if you haven't gotten that by now."

"You say that now." HyungJoon looked away, turning his eyes back towards the tracks. "You'll change your tune when someone's mark turns red, just like everyone else."

"Then you obviously don't know me well at all," JungMin said. "Which is sad, cause I really wanted to get to know you better."

"It's better for everyone involved if you don't." HyungJoon stopped, brow furrowed as he crouched to the ground. "…The ground's too dry here, the tracks are gone," he looked around.

"Well what do you suppose we do?" JungMin asked, watching him. "I don't want to wander around all night and then we can't find our way back to the caravan."

"Go back if you want, but I'm not going anywhere without KiBum." HyungJoon stood, expression determined and more than a little desperate. Pulling out his knife, he marked the tree trunk next to where the tracks disappeared before starting to look around for broken branches or anything that would help them know which direction the horse had gone.

"You're not thinking straight about this," JungMin said. "We'll have a better time of finding them with daylight and after some sleep." He frowned when he heard a rumble of thunder in the distance. "Well ."

HyungJoon looked up at the thunder. "No we won't, because the rain will wash away what little tracks are left!" Finding a few broken branches, he stood up and grabbed his horse's rein, heading in that direction.

"HyungJoon, you know this is a bad idea," JungMin said, following after him. "What good are we going to be to KiBum if you die of hypothermia?"

"And what if he dies? What then?" HyungJoon's voice rose. "I'm not leaving him out here, he's all I have left!"

"No he's not!" JungMin snapped back. "I don't want him to die, I don't want anyone to die. You have to think about this rationally HyungJoon, we didn't bring any supplies with us, this could take a lot longer than we'd like and we didn't bring any food."

Turning back to JungMin, HyungJoon's eyes were wider than normal in the torch's light. "And what supplies do they have? I can't just leave him out here."

Reining his horse in, JungMin looked at HyungJoon with concern. "I'm not ready to just give up on him HyungJoon, but you have to trust that I'll be able to find him. Why can't you just trust me to do that?"

Meeting JungMin's eyes as another rumble of thunder sounded overhead, HyungJoon looked away, throat working. "…We have to find him," he said, voice quiet in the rush of wind from the approaching storm.

"We will, I promise," JungMin said. "We should get back to the caravan before the rain hits. We'll lose the torch in the rain and then we'll be really screwed. If it makes you feel better, I think KiBum will have enough sense to hunker down somewhere to wait out the rain."

"It doesn't." HyungJoon looked around them one last time, like he could see through the darkness and find KiBum nearby. Finally he climbed up into his horse's saddle, adjusting his white-knuckled grip on the reins so he could steer and hold the torch at the same time.

"Was worth a try," JungMin sighed under his breath, turning his horse around to go back the way they had come. At least it hadn't been that long and he could remember the way back to the caravan. "With any luck, maybe they'll turn back up on their own."

HyungJoon followed behind JungMin, silent. He doubted JungMin's words; luck was never on their side. KiBum had run away because of him…he'd failed his little brother.