Zhou Mi followed KyuHyun's gaze, eyeing the ill man who was propped up by the corner of the caravan bed. "... KyuJong?" he said, trying to get the man's attention, but he didn't move. "YoungSaeng, I think we may need to stop sooner than you had hoped."

"What?" YoungSaeng looked back at them, confused. His eyes fell on KyuJong, and he passed the horses' reins to RyeoWook before climbing into the back of the caravan.

"I think he passed out," KyuHyun said, the sarcastic archer falling unusually quiet.

"Kyu yah?" YoungSaeng brushed his hand against KyuJong's forehead. Lips thinning, he gathered KyuJong in his arms so he could lie the man down on the bed properly. "RyeoWook, talk to JungMin about finding a good spot to stop nearby."

"What's going on?" RyeoWook blinked, looking over his shoulder before getting JungMin's attention. "Something's wrong, we need to stop for the night."

"KuiXian, if you could join RyeoWook up front," Zhou Mi said, moving to crouch down on KyuJong's other side. "It's what I think it is, isn't it?" he murmured to YoungSaeng.

Skin a little pale, YoungSaeng nodded as he looked down at the younger man. "…He wanted to keep it from the others as long as he could," he murmured after a strained pause. "Oh Kyu yah…" he made sure KyuJong was as comfortable as he could be, brushing sweaty bangs out of his boyfriend's face before wetting a cloth with water to place on his forehead.

"I'm sorry YoungSaeng," Zhou Mi sighed heavily, glancing up front when he felt the caravan slow to a crawl. "You said he's been ill this whole week?"

"Under the weather, it's gotten worse throughout the week," YoungSaeng murmured. "He told me yesterday it hadn't started to spread yet…I'm a little scared to check."

"If you want to step out, it's okay," Zhou Mi said, glancing up at him. "I won't be able to do as much as I'd like right now, not until we get to Seoul... but I can help him."

"I'm not leaving," YoungSaeng shook his head, resting the cloth on KyuJong's forehead. He looked at Zhou Mi, trying not to look as desperate as he felt. "You can help him?"

"Seoul has more resources, I should be able to find what I need there," Zhou Mi said, ing KyuJong's shirt. The red mark had spread, spider like lesions reaching towards his neck and shoulder. "It's early still, I'll have to check to make sure no new spots have formed but it seems like it's slow growing."

YoungSaeng's heart clenched tightly when he saw the mark was larger than it had been the night before. "…That's good at least…we just have to keep him stable until we reach Seoul. It'll take a week at the least, if there's no delays." His hand found KyuJong's and squeezed gently.

"Hey…is he okay?" KyuHyun had gone back into the caravan to see what was wrong. His face paled. "…Oh ."

"KuiXian, please leave," Zhou Mi said, glancing at him over his shoulder. "Don't say a word to anyone."

"Saeng? What the hell is going on in there?" JungMin called from the outside, grabbing KyuHyun by the collar to pull him back out of the way.

"Maybe you should go out and talk to your crew YoungSaeng," Zhou Mi said. "I won't be long in here."

"…Okay, but KyuHyun will stay in here with you," YoungSaeng replied, not willing to leave his boyfriend alone with a complete stranger. He turned to head back out to where KyuHyun was flailing to get away from JungMin. "Min ah, let him go. You're going to keep Zhou Mi company, KyuHyun."

"Yeah…sure," KyuHyun nodded, climbing back in.

"The rest of you, over here," YoungSaeng sighed, climbing down off the caravan and stopping a few feet away.

"Is KyuJong okay?" KiBum asked, holding onto the horses. "What's going on?"

YoungSaeng looked around at the worried faces, stalling for a moment as he took a deep breath. "…No, he's not okay," He said quietly. "The virus went rampant, it's started to spread."

"…Oh no," Kevin's eyes widened in horror.

JungMin looked away, his jaw clenching slightly. "What's the plan then boss?" he asked, trying to keep his tone level. "What do we do?"

I don't know, YoungSaeng wanted to say, but he knew they were looking to him for guidance. He shut his eyes for a moment before looking back at the caravan. "…We continue to Seoul in the morning. Zhou Mi may have something that can help him there."

Glancing around at the others, JungMin voiced a question he was sure they were all thinking. "Will he have that long?"

"What an awful thing to ask," RyeoWook's eyes widened. "Of course he will, right Saeng?"

"…He doesn't know," HyungJoon murmured when YoungSaeng didn't respond right away, his eyes on the caravan.

"We'll do what we can," YoungSaeng replied finally, looking back at them. He didn't know how he managed to remain composed, but he did. "It will take a week to get there…it hasn't spread that much yet, he might still have the time."

"I doubt we're getting much further today," JungMin said, glancing up at the sun and frowning. "Everyone, you know what your tasks are. Let's get camp set up, and give the caravan a wide berth. No sense in disrupting KyuJong if we don't have to."

No one argued with JungMin's words. Kevin took KiBum's hand and pulled him away to take care of their chores, eyes going to the caravan when KyuHyun came back out.

"Boss," KyuHyun said, walking over to them. "Uh…you should go see him."

Eyes worried, YoungSaeng nodded and turned to go back into the caravan. He hurried inside, eyes going to the two near the back.

"He's awake," Zhou Mi said, sitting back. "I'm sorry YoungSaeng, I wish I had something to give him for the pain. I'll see what I can come up with what I have. But he wanted to see you."

"Thank you, Zhou Mi, you can go," YoungSaeng said quietly, eyes on KyuJong. He knelt down beside the bed, fingers lacing with his sick boyfriend's. "Kyu yah, I'm here."

"Hey," KyuJong murmured, eyes opening a little. "I'm sorry... I was trying to be strong for you."

"I told you not to pretend," YoungSaeng whispered, looking down at him with pained eyes. "We're going to get you some help, okay? The man who was in here, Zhou Mi, he might have something that can help you in Seoul."

KyuJong nodded, though it wasn't clear if he really understood what YoungSaeng was saying. "Just... just remember your promise, okay?" he murmured, his hand tightening slightly around YoungSaeng's.

"I'll remember it," YoungSaeng whispered, squeezing KyuJong's hand. He leaned down and pressed a kiss to KyuJong's lips. "Rest, you'll need it."

"Yes, boss," KyuJong replied, his eyes slipping closed again and his heavy breathing evened out.

Zhou, who had been peaking over the edge of back gate, climbed up again quietly. "I'll watch over him YoungSaeng," he said softly. "RyeoWook told me you have some basic medical supplies, I'll at least be able to keep him asleep... I don't have anything for the pain he'll be feeling soon."

"Thank you for your help, Zhou Mi," YoungSaeng said quietly, not looking up from KyuJong's pale, drawn face. "I understand there's only so much that can be done right now." He let go of KyuJong's hand, slowly standing. "I'll be outside, let me know if anything changes."

"You'll be the first to know," Zhou Mi nodded, offering a supportive smile. He set about getting the materials he needed from their supplies as YoungSaeng left.

Outside, Kevin and KiBum had finished up with their chores, the younger of the two watching as YoungSaeng left the caravan with his head down. "He was fine just a week ago," Kevin murmured, eyes still wider than normal in shock.

"He acted fine at least," KiBum said. "It's how the virus works. One day you're alive and kicking, the next your blood's boiling in your veins." He glanced towards where his brother was, his expression grim. "I wish I knew how to cure everyone, make all this stop."

Kevin sighed shakily, resting his hand against KiBum's shoulder. "But you don't. None of us do." He was silent for a moment. "I do know of one way we can help though." Slipping his hand into KiBum's, he pulled his boyfriend towards JungMin.

"Huh?" KiBum stumbled a little, not prepared for being pulled anywhere. "What do you mean?"

"You'll see." Kevin brought KiBum up to JungMin, getting the older man's attention. "KiBum and I are going to go herb gathering, if that's okay. We're not going to go very far."

JungMin's entire attention had been on watching the caravan and YoungSaeng when he emerged. He didn't even look at Kevin when he was spoken to. "Take HyungJoon with you," he said curtly.

"What? Why?" KiBum frowned. "We can handle ourselves."

"I don't care, take your brother," JungMin repeated, looking at the two out of the corner of his eye. "No discussion."

"…Okay, that's fine," Kevin nodded. "Let's go get him," he murmured to KiBum, stepping back away from JungMin. "Doesn't really make much of a difference."

KiBum sighed a little, but followed Kevin in turning away from JungMin and went in search of his brother. "I understand why everyone's on edge, but it's not like we're getting attacked by bandits right now or something."

"Please don't jinx us, we don't need that on top of everything else," Kevin wrinkled his nose. HyungJoon was standing off by himself as usual, still keeping mostly off his sore ankle as he watched the others. His eyes went to the two kids approaching him.

"Uh…KiBum and I are going to gather some herbs from around the area," Kevin said. "Would you mind coming with us?"

HyungJoon's brow furrowed slightly as he looked between them, before nodding. "…Sure."

Kevin beamed happily, turning to head towards the trees. "See? No worries."

"What are we even doing Kevin?" KiBum asked, glancing at his brother with a shrug of his shoulders as he followed Kevin into the trees.

"We're looking for a plant…that I'm hoping is in this forest," Kevin frowned. "My mom made a lot of herbal remedies while she was alive. One of them was a herb that when crushed and put in a tea, could numb the pain of the virus. She showed me how to make it in the weeks before the virus took her."

"Really?" KiBum blinked at that. "That's neat Kevin, what does it look like?"

"Uh…it's around one to three feet high, in a place like this with lots of other plants it's probably on the shorter end. Thin stems, all green. If it has flowers, they're pale purple and look like clusters of spikes. It would be easier to show you one, if I can find one," Kevin looked around. "I never really asked my mom if it was anywhere outside of our area, never really had reason to."

"Well, can't say I've really seen it, but I don't spend a lot of time looking at flowers either," KiBum said. "We can cover more ground with the three of us looking."

"Yeah," Kevin looked back at HyungJoon, who was close enough behind them to hear what was being said. The older brother nodded to him. "We're going to need a lot of them, as much as we can find. Then I can grind them up when we get back to camp. There were a few other things to go in the tea, but I think we have everything else in the caravan supplies anyways."

They started searching, carefully inspecting bushes and clumps of weeds for the plant. Kevin worried, praying they'd find it. It wasn't much, but it would help keep KyuJong comfortable at least.

"…Ah!" Kevin dropped into a crouch, poking through a bush where he'd seen purple bristles sticking out. His lips spread into a wide grin. "Here, here's some." He carefully disentangled the plant from the bush it had grown into, pulling the stalks out of the ground. He stood up with a good handful of the stuff, turning around to show KiBum and HyungJoon what he had been looking for.

"How much of that do you think we'll need?" KiBum asked, redoubling his efforts to look around now that he really knew what he was looking for. "Will that be enough?"

"We should get as much as we find," Kevin frowned. "It's more effective freshly-picked, so I'll have to keep looking for more whenever we stop, but if we have some dried herbs on hand just in case we can't find any…it's better than nothing."

"Yeah," KiBum agreed, pushing through the underbrush. "Anything that'll help right? I can't even imagine what he's going through right now."

"It'll be less effective as the virus gets worse…but it's better than nothing," Kevin sighed.

"I think there's more over here," HyungJoon's voice startled Kevin; the older brother hadn't said a word since they'd left the camp. Looking around and seeing him crouched next to a tree, Kevin walked over to check.

"Yeah, that's them."

KiBum glanced over at his brother and Kevin, lips quirking a little. It was the first time he could recall his brother actually speaking to Kevin and hoped it meant HyungJoon was actually listening and trying to to put more of an effort to get to know Kevin. He'd just have to wait and see.

Spending another hour or so searching they found a few more of the plants and brought them back to the caravan. RyeoWook immediately volunteered to help with the making of the compound, and they got to work.

It was a little nerve-wracking for Kevin to try explaining how to go about making the tea to other people, especially someone like RyeoWook who knew a lot more about medicine than he did. Kevin didn't even know the proper names for things, he just knew what they looked like and what they were used for. But finally as the sun set on the horizon, they had enough of the tea mixture ready for the night and the following day, and the rest of the herbs dried and stored.

"It's ready," Kevin grinned widely, taking the pot off of the fire and carefully pouring it into a cup.

"I'll get YoungSaeng," RyeoWook said, getting to his feet and moving across the camp to where YoungSaeng was nearby. "Hey boss? Kevin made something for KyuJong... to help with the pain," he said, keeping his voice light. "Thought it would be best if you gave it to him."

YoungSaeng looked up at RyeoWook, blinking a little. "…He did?" Having been in and out of the caravan, he'd missed most of what had happened and no one had really had the heart to bother him. "What is it?" He stood up.

"Some flower extract, and a couple other things in a tea," RyeoWook said. "Him and the brothers went out and collected the flowers so we have enough for a few days. He says it works, and I really hope it does."

YoungSaeng looked over RyeoWook's shoulder towards the small group by the fire. He'd never heard of any flower that could help with the pain of the virus. "I hope so too," he said quietly, walking towards the fire.

Kevin looked up and held out the cup of tea. "Here…it's kind of hot, be careful."

"Thank you," YoungSaeng smiled tightly, taking the cup from him. He looked between the two youngest sitting by the fire. HyungJoon had moved away from the group once he was finished helping out, but wasn't as far out as he usually was. "I'll let you know how it goes." He turned and headed into the caravan.

His eyes automatically went to the figure lying on the bed. "Any change, Zhou Mi?"

"No, but at least he isn't getting any worse," Zhou Mi said, looking up at YoungSaeng when he came in. "He hasn't woken up though, which is probably a blessing right now."

YoungSaeng walked up to the bed and knelt down beside it. "One of my crew said he knew of a flower extract that numbs the pain," he said quietly. "He and three others just finished putting this together for KyuJong."

"A flower?" Zhou Mi blinked a little, looking at the tea cup. "May I see that?" he asked, holding out his hands for the cup. "I've never heard of that... I would have thought he would have known about something that helpful..."

"Who, your mentor?" YoungSaeng asked, holding out the cup to Zhou Mi. "It's hot, careful."

Cradling the cup carefully, Zhou Mi sniffed a little at the tea inside. "Interesting... I wonder what this is. It smells a little like.. mint. Here, it seems safe enough to me, you can go ahead and give it to him. I'll go ask them what's in it."

YoungSaeng took the cup back, looking at KyuJong. "I want to see if it works, if it actually helps with the pain…but at the same time I don't want to wake him up," he murmured.

Zhou Mi looked surprised at that, tilting his head to the side. "Why wouldn't you want him to wake up? You don't think he deserves to spend as much time awake as he can?"

"He does, but if this doesn't work then he'll be in pain," YoungSaeng replied.

"But if it does work, then he won't be," Zhou Mi said, smiling softly. "We won't know unless we try."

"…I know," YoungSaeng nodded, returning the smile with a small one of his own. Turning to KyuJong, he placed the cup down for the moment before reaching out and brushing his fingers through KyuJong's hair. "Kyu yah, can you hear me?"

It took a few moments before KyuJong was finally roused enough to respond, groaning softly as his eyes cracked open. "...Saeng?" he whispered, his voice barely audible.

"Hey," YoungSaeng murmured, thumb KyuJong's cheek. "I have a present for you from Kevin, KiBum and HyungJoon… Kevin says it might help you feel better. Do you think you can sit up?"

KyuJong's eyes opened a little more, though he blinked slowly at the question. "I... need help," he replied, coughing a little.

"I'm right here." YoungSaeng shifted so he could help KyuJong sit up against the caravan wall. He brushed messy locks of hair out of KyuJong's face before picking up the cup. It had cooled enough to drink, but he blew on it just in case before helping KyuJong to drink it.

Taking a small sip, KyuJong frowned at the bitter taste, but didn't say anything until YoungSaeng had moved the cup away from his mouth. "Bitter," he said, closing his eyes. "What is it?"

"I didn't get the specifics, but Kevin said it helps to numb the pain," YoungSaeng replied quietly. "Some herbs they collected from nearby, and a couple other things. Can you drink a little more?"

Nodding, KyuJong was able to drink the rest of the tea, although very slowly. When it was done, he closed his eyes and let out a soft sigh. "How bad is it?" he asked softly.

YoungSaeng's eyes saddened as he placed the cup down to the side. "…It's spreading," he murmured. "But slowly, all things considered."

"I guess that's comforting," KyuJong's lips quirked a little. "How are the others? Anyone tell you to leave me behind yet?"

"No, did you seriously think any of them would?" YoungSaeng shifted to sit on the edge of the bed next to the younger man. "Everyone's worried about you."

"I'm sorry," KyuJong said, turning his head slightly to look at him. "I know this is slowing us down...are we leaving in the morning?"

"We are. Don't apologize…you didn't choose for this to happen to you," YoungSaeng murmured, meeting KyuJong's eyes. He wrapped one arm gently around KyuJong, making sure his boyfriend was comfortable. "We'll take it as slowly as we need to."

"I don't want to be a burden on any of you though," KyuJong said. "Especially when we're out in the open like this. How well do you trust this Zhou Mi person? Enough that he would be able to fight alongside you?"

"We're keeping an eye on him," YoungSaeng murmured, eyes going to where Zhou Mi had left the caravan just before KyuJong woke up. "KyuHyun seems to trust him, though that might just be because someone can actually speak in Mandarin with him now."

"He may be a little biased then," KyuJong chuckled. "You can tell Kevin his tea works. It's not hurting so bad right now... or maybe you just have that affect on a guy."

"I should let Kevin have the credit though, it'll cheer him up a little," the older man smiled, brushing his lips over KyuJong's temple. "At the very least you'll be able to sleep easier."

"Yes... I hope it'll help with the nightmares," KyuJong said, finding YoungSaeng's hand and lacing their fingers together.

"Nightmares?" YoungSaeng murmured, squeezing KyuJong's hand lightly.

"The kinds of things your mind comes up with when you're scared for your life," KyuJong said. "I dream of everyone around me dying, of you turning your back on me... I dreamt I was so far gone you were repulsed by the sight of me and told JungMin to take care of me."

YoungSaeng's eyes tightened, and he kissed the side of KyuJong's head. "That would never happen," he replied firmly. "I would never leave you…I would never be repulsed by you. You're my Kyu yah, and I love you."

"I love you too Saeng," KyuJong smiled. "That's why I said they're nightmares... those never come true."

"Remember that," YoungSaeng murmured. "If you don't I'll be right here to remind you, every day."

"I can do that," KyuJong said, turning his head a little more so he could look up at YoungSaeng. "I'm not ready to die yet Saeng... I'm not going to let this thing beat me. I won't. I have too much to live for now."

YoungSaeng's gaze softened. "If anyone can beat it, it's you." KyuJong looked like he was feeling better…maybe the tea really did help. Leaning in, he brushed his lips against KyuJong's softly. "Let us know when the tea starts wearing off, and I'll get Kevin to make you some more."

"I will," KyuJong smiled, humming in relief at the kiss. "Feels like forever since you've done that," he said. "Even if I know it hasn't been that long."

"I'll always have kisses to spare for you," YoungSaeng replied, looking into KyuJong's eyes and smiling back. "As often as you want them."

"The day I don't want a kiss... is probably the day I'll die," KyuJong said. "So a very long time from now."

"Yes, a very long time." Kissing him again, YoungSaeng pulled back a little. "I should let you sleep," he murmured.

"I guess I can sleep some more," KyuJong nodded, getting back to laying down with YoungSaeng's help. "Next time I wake up, I'll want more of that tea... and maybe something to eat too."

"We'll have that ready for you," YoungSaeng nodded, pulling the covers up over his boyfriend. "Rest well," he smoothed out KyuJong's hair before letting his hand drop away. He started to sing softly under his breath, watching as KyuJong slipped into sleep. His boyfriend looked more comfortable than before at least, face not shadowed with pain as he slept.

Staying by the bed for a few long minutes and just looking down at KyuJong, YoungSaeng finally stood. Between the herbs Kevin had found and Zhou Mi's promise of a delay, he had more hope than the day before. Things would be okay…he just had to keep believing they would. He didn't want to lose anyone else. Picking up the patched-up guitar from a crate, he grabbed his tool kit and headed outside.