Kharin and Leeteuk remained in the shadow realm for longer than either of them wanted to, but the patrol lingered, determined to find where the pair had disappeared to.  Without the aid of his crutch, their pace was even more slow than usual, and making the tree line was an adventure in itself.  Kharin was not well enough to carry him, as one failed attempt showed them and they were lucky enough he didn’t re-break his ankle in the subsequent fall that left them both paralyzed with pain for a moment.

                “You’re heavier than you look,” Kharin muttered as she picked herself up cautiously, testing still sore limbs and favoring her left side.

                Seeing as there wasn’t much he could say to that, Leeteuk remained silent and awkwardly pushed himself to his feet, grateful his good leg did not buckle on him.  “At least we’re almost there,” he gestured instead, watching a blob of white travel over the ground under him, heading the same direction they were.  The patrol was persistent, if nothing else and they were currently scouring the tree line and making brief forays into it.  There really was no other place for them to have disappeared to, even if they couldn’t explain it.

                Kharin watched the lights for a moment more before nodding.  “Yeah.  At least there is that.  Come on,” she urged again, taking her place beside him and helping him along again.  She shuddered to think of the pressure on his ankle for even the brief period he had to set his weight on it to step forward.  Grudgingly, she had to give him credit there.

                Eventually, they made the tree line, a strange mixture of light and shadow that confused the eyes.  Solid pillars of white rose where the trees would be and despite the strangeness, Leeteuk rested against the first one they came to gratefully, his face whiter and the expression more pinched than usual.  Unfortunately, they also noticed that while they had made it to the shadows of the forest, they could no longer tell where the patrolmen were who had gone inside the woods either.

                Kharin frowned in thought and nodded to herself.  “Wait here, Teuk.  I’ll be right back,” she promised as she threaded through the trees further in.

                “Be careful, Kharin!” he stated unnecessarily, leaning around to watch her as long as he could.  It was an entirely eerie sensation to watch her fall through the ground again and disappear before his eyes.  He couldn’t quite contain his gasp, even though he was expecting something like it.  Tensely, he watched the edge of the forest for any additional shadows and out near the road, he could still see the majority of the force drifting around.  It was quite strange how the only sound present was him breathing and the pounding of his heartbeat as he counted the seconds she was gone.

                Abruptly, he heard footsteps behind the tree and when he glanced around again he was relieved to see Kharin again.  “I think they’re starting to disperse,” she explained with relief as she watched the blurs move away from them raggedly.

                “We should probably move down from here and then try to go back,” Leeteuk suggested, uncomfortable with being here but more so with the idea of being found so close to where they had just escaped.

                Kharin sighed but nodded.  “Fair enough.”

                In a series of short trips, they moved from tree to tree where he could use the trunks as additional props when they walked.  When looking back showed no additional movements on the shadow world floor, Kharin tentatively jumped through again, reappearing a moment later to pull a very relieved Leeteuk with her.  As before, he endured the sensation of being pulled through water and emerged completely dry.

                “Thank the gods,” he grinned, giddy with relief as he pulled up two new crutches and felt himself relax slightly with his reestablished connection with the earth.

                “That makes two of us,” she laughed lightly as she stuck her tongue at him, pretending insult.

                He laughed and bowed gratefully to her.  “Thank you, Kharin.  I would probably be in dire straits without your help.”

                She snorted in agreement and shook her head, making him flush lightly in embarrassment.  “We all need help sometimes,” she stated with a firm hand on his shoulder, echoing Siwon’s words from the night they had huddled together in the rainstorm.  They had made a decision and had chosen to move forward for each other.  His heart was in the right place but he had some peculiar blind spots too.

                Leeteuk nodded in agreement, chagrined but happier for the memories the words stirred up.  Curiously, he glanced up to check the sun.  “Plenty of light left.  Let’s get moving,” he encouraged, already starting to move forward determinedly.

                Kharin followed along and caught up to him easily, keeping pace beside him as she had been doing since they had gotten separated from the others.  She hoped fiercely that they would be able to find some sort of respite soon.  Corley Port was still so far away and if another patrol came, their only course of action would be to hide again.  She pushed the thought away for now.  They would address it when they came to it.

                The afternoon wore on steadily and while they were loath to leave the protection the forest offered, they both had to have water at some point.  Feeling very much like skittish prey, the pair shuffled to the river, a position that was altogether too out in the open for their tastes.  Nervously, they kept watch for each other and hurried back as fast as possible, relieved to be near the shadow again.  Leeteuk never imagined he would appreciate the dark so much as he did this day.  Fortunately, the way remained clear and he had no sense of anyone approaching from either direction.  For now, that was enough for both of them.

                By the time it got dark, they were more than ready to settle down for the night.  Leeteuk still had some of the meat leftover, a bit abused for their adventure earlier, but edible, if nothing else.  Wary of the patrol they had narrowly escaped, they did not try to start a fire this time and with the reaction he had earlier with his power, Leeteuk was loathe to try and make another shelter.  Kharin suggested watches again and reluctantly, he agreed.  It was not ideal by any means but it would work for now, though it meant for less sleep for both of them and less time to heal.

                Evening without the small comfort of additional light or even the stifling shelter made them both nervous as they could hear what their eyes could not see.  The shadows hid all manner of rustling sounds and it made for a very jumpy watch for both parties.  Gladly, Kharin woke Leeteuk about halfway through the night and switched off, passing out on the hard ground without much trouble.  The earth elementalist spent a fair bit of his time listening to the ground during his shift but he was not overly distracted and was privy to the sunrise.  It was a breathtaking sight, the rays dancing on the surface of the river and bathing the world in gold for those few moments it took to ease above the horizon.

                He watched it for a few more moments, letting the warmth sink in, before he reluctantly woke Kharin.  They had finished the meat and were out of food again, but they had some time before they would have to find something else.  Cautiously, they visited the river and then moved downstream, following the forest as they headed for the port city.

~~~~~~

                Eleanara did not think she’d ever been so afraid in her life.  She couldn’t see, couldn’t move about and she had no idea where Kyuhyun was at any given time other than somewhere in the mass of moving creatures and men.  The feel of cold armor against her back and hands was nerve wracking and the moving horse beneath her was downright scary as she had never been on one before and her balance felt off with every fast step the creature took.  She knew they weren’t running all out, but it was definitely not a walking pace.  The Captain’s arms on either side of her as he held the reins didn’t help any either as she bumped against his armored limbs at odd intervals when the motion of the horse caused her to slide.

                She was intensely startled when he spoke to her over her shoulder and near her ear, uncomfortably close to her.  “Nara?” he asked softly, his voice calm and collected as he steadied her by force of habit, recalling the name the young man had called her when they had first seen them.  Her entire body tensed and he sighed behind her.  “I didn’t want to hurt him,” he explained softly.  “But you both left me no choice.”  Stubbornly, she maintained her silence, her head tilted slightly to catch his words better.  “I have every intention of bringing you both to Lord Enrhyll safely,” he explained further, seemingly unconcerned by that strange request.

                The Captain sighed again, feeling more like a babysitter to the young woman.  Since her capture, she had offered little resistance save a stubborn silence.  Her companion on the other hand…  He glanced back at the young man and saw that he was still being more of a handful.  A couple times now he had kicked the horse he was riding on, nearly throwing both riders to the ground and slowing the general procession as the rest waited for them to settle down.  At the first pause, he had been transferred to another, more experienced rider with mixed success.  “I am Captain Kwan,” he told her at last.  “Let me know if you need anything.”

                Eleanara filed the name away for later and ignored him otherwise.  She strained to hear something of Kyuhyun but the constant sound of clopping hooves, shifting armor and the general noise of many living bodies hid him well.  Reflexively, she worked her wrists, wincing when the rough ropes bit into the tender skin.  Without thought, she healed the scrapes as soon as they formed and continued worrying them, mostly oblivious to the harm she was inflicting on herself.

                While he was as blind and afraid as his companion, Kyuhyun hid his fear by being more caustic and annoying than usual.  His brief attempts at trying to spook the horse had scared him nearly as much as the creature and he didn’t think he’d be doing that again any time too soon.  The feeling of nearly falling was terrifying when one couldn’t see, especially when he could feel how fast they were moving by the wind blowing past him. Aggravatingly, it only served to remind him of Eunhyuk and how the elementalist had loved to annoy him with the wind.  “So when are we going to stop you useless piece of scrap metal?” he demanded irritably over his shoulder.

                “When we stop,” came the infuriating reply.

                He could get no further reaction from the rider behind him and so was forced to endure the uncomfortable pace they set.  Already, he was starting to feel the effects of riding and he was sure he wasn’t going to like it later…

                Twice more they stopped along the way, keeping the pair carefully separated, but they were at least given water to drink though the blindfolds never came off.  Spitefully, Kyuhyun spat the first mouthful back on the person who was taking care of him.  He heard the unfamiliar voice mutter under his breath before he felt a hand grab his hair and yank hard.  Kyuhyun grimaced as a pained groan escaped him.

                Captain Kwan pulled Kyu close so that he wouldn’t have to raise his voice, “I understand you’re upset, but this behavior will not do.”

                “If you think I’m going to make this easy for you, you’re crazy,” Kyuhyun retorted with a pained laugh.  He heard the captain sigh.

                “Keep making trouble like you are and she’ll suffer for it too,” he warned calmly.  He did not want to hurt the young lady, but if it helped make this one more manageable, then it might well be worth it.

                Kyuhyun froze as he thought about the warning seriously.  He angled his head to relieve the tension on his hair and hissed, “You wouldn’t.”

                “Foolish,” Kwan murmured regretfully.  A moment later, Eleanara shrieked as an ungloved backhand caught her across the face.  Unprepared for the strike, she stumbled to the ground heavily, briefly unable to get back to her feet without the use of her hands.

                “Bastard!” Kyuhyun growled as he kicked out blindly, howling in pain when the hand still grabbing his hair pulled harder and yanked him off his feet.  He landed on his back, bound hands pressing painfully into his spine.

                Now Kwan knelt next to the foolish young man.  “Her safety for your good behavior.  Do we have an understanding?”

                Kyuhyun clenched his teeth hard as he fought the immediate impulse to lash out at him again.  Finally, he managed to swallow the hasty words and nodded slightly, the barest concession, but it was enough.  Kwan released his hair and allowed two other men to haul him to his feet roughly.

                “Mount up!” Captain Kwan called as he approached the now standing Nara and his horse.  He winced when she flinched at his touch but hefted her up and settled himself into the saddle behind her.  A glance back showed that Kyu was being moderately more cooperative.  He still had that stubborn resistance but it wasn’t so overt anymore.

                Easily, the party moved on down the path as the sun continued to turn across the sky.  The ground eating canter brought them into contact with the other patrol by day’s end where they concluded they were about halfway down the Angmer in either direction.  The two groups settled down for the evening together, taking up the majority of the space between the road and the forest.  Various tents were set up and the horses were picketed nearby.  Eleanara and Kyuhyun were escorted together to some sort of enclosure.  They figured it had to be the Captain’s tent when Kwan’s voice was joined by another man’s and they started talking about their journey up to this point.

                Eleanara and Kyuhyun were seated together on what felt like a cot within easy hearing distance of the two men.  While they were certain they had not left his sight yet, the pair were uncommonly glad to realize they were finally side by side, close enough that their arms and legs brushed against each other.  The relief they felt at knowing the other was right there was almost tangible, a feeling so strong it made Eleanara want to cry.  Uncomfortable with trying to speak just yet, they soaked in each other’s presence and the light elementalist laid her head against his shoulder, needing just that bit more contact with someone she knew and actually cared about.

                In silence, they listened to Kwan and who they figured was the leader of the other patrol, and gleaned what they could.  They understood that Kwan was a high ranking captain and the new man was Jae-Yup, a sergeant under his command.  It was also revealed that he had come across the shadow and earth elementalists but they had eluded capture.  Heartened by that small bit of good news, it did nothing to alleviate their concern of the other three who were still missing.  Kwan did confirm that he would be continuing around the way the other patrol had come from and would keep an eye out for the escaped pair.  Jae-Yup agreed that he would finish his circuit in the opposite direction as planned.

                Food was brought in later in the evening, the aroma teasing the pair who were only reminded that they had not had food since earlier that morning.  While they maintained their silence, their stomachs more than made up for it, to Kwan’s amusement as a low chuckle reached their ears.  Eleanara’s flush was from embarrassment but Kyuhyun’s was entirely from aggravation.  “You think this is funny?” he demanded angrily, his voice harsh in the relative silence and he felt Eleanara cringe beside him.

                Kwan sighed at the outburst and cleared his throat, refusing to respond.  Instead, the blindfolds were finally removed, dazing the two with the amount of light they were suddenly exposed to.  Even the dim light of the tent was bright when they had been blind for most of the day and tears welled up at the sudden assault on the senses.

                Kwan and Jae-Yup regarded them stoically for a moment as they adjusted to being able to see again.  They didn’t miss that the pair took note of the four guards stationed throughout the tent, one in each corner, intensely watchful.  A small table was at the back of the tent, on top of which was a platter of food that made their mouths water to see.  Reluctantly, they focused their gazes elsewhere, determined to not appear needy, and observed a cot on the other side of the tent, slightly nicer than the one they were on.  Other than being spacious, it wasn’t particularly lustrous.

                “You know I do not find your discomfort amusing,” Kwan stated simply while Jae-Yup nodded in agreement.  “I simply acknowledge you might be hungry.”  He did not go to retrieve the food that was set for him and his sergeant but he did step partially out of the tent to quietly speak to another man before returning promptly.  The group waited for someone to come along, the guards waiting patiently, unobtrusively in the corners while the other four watched each other intently.  Kwan gestured for Jae-Yup to help himself at the table and he graciously bowed while the captain pulled up a chair in front of the elementalists.  “Now.  Must I feed you like children or can I trust you enough to behave?” he asked seriously, his gaze directed at Kyuhyun pointedly.

                It was a look Eleanara did not miss and she glanced between the two in confusion, certain she had missed something.  “Allow us at least that much freedom,” she quietly spoke, her gaze pleading.  Her arms and wrists ached from the awkward position and she could only imagine Kyuhyun felt the same.  Nor did she wish to suffer the indignity of having to be fed like an infant when they were both more than capable.

                Kwan nodded at her in acknowledgement but then looked at Kyuhyun again.  “Well, Kyu?” he asked softly, a world of inflection in the query.

                Kyuhyun worked his jaw for a few seconds, wanting very much to light this man on fire right now.  At last, he sighed heavily, “We can feed ourselves.”  It was as close as he was going to get to graciously doing anything for Kwan and the captain at least nodded once in understanding.

                As a young soldier slipped in with a medium sized tray, the trio looked at the tent flap in tandem.  Kwan gestured for him to set the tray on the table where Jae-Yup was currently working on his food.  Hastily, the young man departed as soon as his task was complete and Kwan beckoned Eleanara to stand up.  “One at a time,” he explained as he waited.

                Eleanara looked at Kyuhyun uncertainly and he nodded once, forcing a half-smile for her benefit.  Carefully, she stood up and watched Kwan with no small amount of wariness.  She flinched when he reached out for her but held her ground and clenched her jaw tight as he turned her around so he could untie the ropes.

                “Nara,” he murmured sadly, undoing red tinged bindings.

                Eleanara cringed when she was finally able to bring her hands around in front again, rubbing at sore but healed wrists.  She paused and turned to look back at Kwan, a determined expression on her face.  “Eleanara,” she told him softly but firmly as she nodded once and with a slightly more relaxed expression, offered Kyuhyun a half-smile in turn.  It didn’t feel right that he keep calling her by that name.  Cautiously, she approached the table, edging around Jae-Yup and gingerly taking a seat in the chair on the other side.

                Perhaps it was because she was being watched or that she was so hungry, she didn’t feel it anymore, but she ate with more control than the captain expected.  He watched her for a moment more before switching his gaze intently to Kyu as he sat back down, toying with the stained ropes without thought.

                Kyuhyun eyed the food with longing for a second before he returned to glaring at Kwan.  He stared at the ropes in his hands with a frown on his face.  “You don’t have to keep her tied up you know,” Kyuhyun stated quietly, trying to keep his voice low so that the other two would not hear.  “What’s she going to do?  Heal you?” he asked with a sneer.

                Kwan smiled in genuine amusement, his eyes twinkling.  “And I suppose I could untie you as well?” he queried, one brow raised thoughtfully.

                “You could,” Kyuhyun shrugged noncommittally, his eyes shifting over to Eleanara and the food again.  His response made Kwan laugh, drawing the attention of both persons at the table.  Easily, he waved his sergeant off but the elementalist continued to watch him keenly, sending a concerned glance at Kyuhyun.

                “I think not,” Kwan responded through his smile.  Kyuhyun eyed him in annoyance but didn’t respond.  The pair continued their steadfast silence until Eleanara pushed herself away from the table, finished for now.  It did not look as if she’d eaten all that much but the Captain gestured for Jae-Yup to assist her outside while he attended to Kyuhyun.  “She’ll be fine,” he assured the elementalist as Eleanara was escorted out the tent flap easily.  “I suggest you eat while you get a chance,” he told the young man, gesturing at the table once the bindings were freed.

                Kyuhyun eyed the Captain for a moment before he stepped towards the food.  He probably had a very good idea of how badly he wanted to incinerate him right now, but Kwan kept himself pointedly nearby and with four additional guards in different directions, it would be unlikely he would be able to do anything other than kill off one or two before something happened to him.  While it was likely Eleanara would be able to heal him again, it wasn’t exactly as if he wished to feel another blade bury itself in his person…  For now, they simply maintained their standoff and ate at the table.

                It annoyed Kyuhyun to no end that Kwan ate with such poise and he felt briefly obligated to match that.  Captured or not, this captain wasn’t better than him, but such thoughts were promptly dismissed when he decided he didn’t care.  He was hungry and if this bastard wasn’t going to stop him, he was damn well going to eat.  After all, he didn’t know when they might get to eat again after this.  He made a point to watch Kwan though and several times he looked at the tent flap expectantly, waiting for his companion to return.  Fortunately, she was not gone long and he felt a twinge of relief at seeing her back inside the tent, unharmed.

                It was a sentiment she shared upon seeing him still eating as she hadn’t been sure what Kwan would do to him.  She already had her reservations about the man since he had stabbed Kyuhyun earlier, no matter what he might say his reasons were.  Unfortunately, what she thought didn’t matter and her freedom was soon revoked again when Jae-Yup saw to it that she was bound and seated back on the cot.  She hadn’t exactly believed she would be allowed that small bit of freedom for too long but it had been a nice thought to entertain.  At least this time, the bindings weren’t quite so snug.

                Seeing how Eleanara was treated, Kyuhyun had a pretty good idea of what to expect as he glanced down at the mostly empty plate.  Resolutely, he finished it off and then glared at Kwan with a deadpan expression.

                “Finished?” the captain asked politely, not waiting for a response before he stood up and beckoned for Kyu to follow him.

                Kyuhyun grumbled under his breath but reluctantly followed along.  Again, he looked over at Eleanara and nodded once in assurance, giving her one of his cocky half-smiles.  It amazed him that so small a gesture could make her brighten considerably, even when they were surrounded by enemies and held prisoner.

                Eleanara watched him escorted out, certain that he would return shortly so long as no one outside pissed him off.  She sat, poised on the edge of the cot, as she waited impatiently for him to return.  For all that they didn’t see eye to eye on things, she worried about him a lot of late.  His propensity for hurting himself was becoming dangerous and right now, even though she knew Kharin and Leeteuk were alive, he was all she had.  When he did return, he was treated to the same attention she had received.

                Having seen to his charges, Kwan wasted no time in getting them settled for the evening.  Another cot was brought in and he placed it next to his.  Before he did anything else, he put the blindfolds back on the elementalists, annoyed by their combined resistance as Eleanara ducked away from it and Kyu actually kicked at him.  “I could just leave them on all the time,” Kwan offered noncommittally.  It did not bother him either way if they could see or not.  He could make sure they walked safely from place to place and see to it that they were fed by hand if need be.

                As predicted, Eleanara relented first and Kyuhyun put up a token resistance but succumbed as well.  Easily, the two were separated again and Eleanara was placed on the cot near Kwan.  The captain continued to maintain it was for her protection but Kyuhyun saw it as taking her hostage against him.  He ground his teeth as he lay on the cot, listening to the sounds around him, wishing he could incinerate Kwan without recourse…  The unfamiliar sounds of the camp kept him awake, even though he was tired and full.  Armor clanked softly as a sentry walked by; horses shifted and whickered nearby and even Kwan’s voice as he spoke quietly with Jae-Yup at the table.  Every now and then, he could hear Eleanara shifting in her cot, the surface creaking softly as she moved and he recalled how she had asked to stay with him the other night.  He doubted she’d sleep much either, seeing as she hated to be alone and no, he didn’t count Kwan as good company.  It was a long time before either of them drifted off to sleep.

                Waking was startling as the same sounds that had kept them up brought them both to consciousness quickly.  “Kyu?” he heard Eleanara ask as he woke up, a twinge of worry in her tone.

                Of course he was still here…  Where did she think he was going to go?  “I’m awake,” he grumbled as he sat up slowly, his shoulders and arms aching from where he had slept on one side the whole night.

                “Good,” Captain Kwan remarked as they heard him walk nearby.  “We leave within the half hour,” he explained quickly.  “And don’t be alarmed.  We’ve brought you food and drink,” he warned them easily before he gestured for the two patrolmen to approach.  They held waterskins and a cup of porridge, watered down so a spoon was not required.

                “Didn’t we already establish we can feed ourselves?” Kyuhyun muttered crossly as he just managed to keep his foot down when he felt a hand touch his shoulder.  An amused chuckle was his only response.

                The elementalists were given food and water before they were led back outside as the tent was carefully packed behind them.  A random array of sounds assaulted them as the camp was taken down and men prepared to get moving again.  Kwan retrieved Eleanara and Kyuhyun was handed off to He-Sung, one of the more experienced riders in their party.  The two patrols parted ways and the uncomfortable ride began once more.

(a/n:  Hurrah!  My time is always a bit crunched at the end of the month so I'm glad I could get this out relatively quickly.  Work is quite the bother.  >.>  I hope that you enjoyed it though and I look forward to hearing from you if you're up to it.  ;)  Thank you to my readers, silent and otherwise, who continue to follow this story.  <3  You are very much appreciated!)