Chapter 12

Working Together?

                Kyuhyun snorted.

                “Please, this is your idea of revenge?” He casually leaned back. “Do you keep forgetting that I can read your mind? I’ll know every move you’re going to make before you can even move a muscle.” At this, Katrina gave him a knowing smirk.

                “Precisely why we should fight. It would be good practice for a beginner like me.” She turned to their leader. “Right Leeteuk?”

                Leeteuk smiled in amusement. Katrina may not be like her mother in personality, but she sure had her spirit.

                “It’s fine by me, but Kyuhyun must accept the challenge.” He explained, smiling expectantly at Kyuhyun, waiting to see what he would do. Kyuhyun rolled his eyes in annoyance. He looked into Leeteuk expecting eyes, glanced at the smirking Katrina, and then slowly stood up and started to get into fighting position. At this gesture, the rest of the boys started to set up another betting session. Everyone scrambled to place their bets as Donghae rambled off the rules.

                “Alright gentlemen, the bet is between our champion, Kyuhyun the Headache, and the underdog, Katrina the Atomic Clock Bomb. Minimum bet is 5000 won. Winners split the pot. Please place your bets in two separate piles.” Donghae smiled as he threw 5000 won into Katrina’s pile. Shindong followed suit, placing 10,000 won into his new friend’s pile while Eunhyuk put 10,000 won on the opposition once more. With permission from Siwon, Sungmin ran over to the gathering and placed 5000 won on Kyuhyun. Everyone looked at him incredulously. Why would he bet against the girl who just beat him? Sungmin smiled.

                “Don’t get me wrong, she’s a great fighter, but she thinks about her actions too much; you can see it in her face. If she keeps that up, Kyuhyun will beat her for sure.” Sungmin explained as the others shrugged. As the betting was taking place, Ryeowook snuck out of the group and went over to Leeteuk. He tapped Leeteuk on the shoulder.

                “I need to talk to you. Yesung had a vision; a bad one.”  Ryeowook whispered, making Leeteuk’s eyes widen in alarm. Leeteuk nodded and motioned for Siwon to come over.

                “Referee the fight for me. Ryeowook and I will be having a meeting,” he instructed. Siwon bowed in obedience as Leeteuk and Ryeowook vanished to the leader’s office.

                Back at the impromptu gambling ring, it was Yesung’s turn to place his bet. He made quite a show of deciding which pile to put his 10,500 won into. He would start to place the cash wad into Katrina’s pile, then shook his head as he almost threw it into Kyuhyun’s, and continued this charade until Eunhyuk cried, “Yesung! Just place your bet already!”

                At that, Yesung firmly set his money exactly between the two piles. Everyone was confused.

                “So, you’re not making a bet Yesung?” Donghae asked. Yesung shook his head no. “Then you’re voting for Katrina?”

                No.

                “Kyuhyun?”

                Again, no.

                “Then who?” Donghae finally asked, puzzlement filling his face. Yesung held up two fingers. Donghae cocked his head, trying to figure out what message Yesung was trying to convey. Then it came to him. “Both? You think both of them will win?” Finally, Yesung nodded. Everyone stared at him. Why would the match end in a tie? Did he have another vision? However, no one expressed these questions as they turned to watch what was about to take place on the floor. Katrina and Kyuhyun stood across from each other in fighting position as Siwon was about to give the signal to start.

                “Alright, this fight will be one round only. First one to pin the other down wins. I expect the best from both of you. Good luck.” Siwon said as he raised his hand. A few seconds later, he snapped his fingers.

                “Begin!”

                Katrina immediately tried to kick Kyuhyun’s legs from under him, but he easily backed away before she could land a blow. He quickly punched towards Katrina’s face, but she slowed down his motions with her newly discovered power, buying her enough time to block the hit. She then grabbed Kyuhyun’s arm and pulled down, trying to force him off balance, but he knew what she was trying to do and pulled himself out of her grip. This exchange kept going for another ten minutes or so, and by this time, it was evident that they were evenly matched. No one had the upper hand, and both were getting tired.

                “What’s wrong Katrina?” Kyuhyun smirked, though it was hard to do so since all of his muscles were sore at this point. “You getting tired? Maybe you should forfeit. It would save you humiliation.”

                Katrina tried to kick Kyuhyun’s abdomen, but he dodged. “Over my dead body you shaggy-haired troll!” she replied as she kicked again.

                Siwon sighed. This is getting ridiculous. He thought. If they keep this up for much longer, I’m going to have to call this a tie.

                Just then, Leeteuk and Ryeowook materialized where they had previously vanished. Apparently they were done with their meeting. They both had grim looks on their faces, which worried Siwon. Leeteuk saw his friend’s concern and shook his head, as if saying, ‘We’ll talk about it later.’ Siwon nodded in understanding and continued to watch the match. Katrina and Kyuhyun were still at a standstill, punching then blocking, kicking then dodging, reading minds then slowing time.

                “They’re still at it?” Ryeowook asked, shaking his head. The rivalry between the two was ridiculous, and they had just met that day! Siwon nodded.

                “They’ve been at it for at least 20 minutes now.” He replied. Ryeowook looked at Leeteuk.

                “But we need to warn everybody. The match has to end soon!” Ryeowook exclaimed. However, it didn’t seem as though the two would stop fighting soon; sure, they were tired, but they were also determined to best the other in any way possible. Leeteuk nodded.

                “Yes, this match does need to end soon,” He raised his hand, focusing his power. “But it looks like we’ll have to end this ourselves.” He aimed his energy right at the couple and snapped his fingers. At that moment, Kyuhyun was reading Katrina’s mind, but all of a sudden, he couldn’t hear her thoughts anymore. It was like the connection had been severed somehow. Not knowing what was coming, he nearly got kicked in the face, but thankfully he was able to block Katrina’s foot just in time. Seeing that she had almost landed a blow, Katrina grew confident and went to sweep Kyuhyun’s legs. She figured she would slow him down again so he couldn’t escape, but try as she might, she couldn’t get time to slow down. Kyuhyun was able to dodge the kick in normal speed with no problem. They both looked at each other in surprise. What was going on? However, it only took a few seconds for Kyuhyun to figure out the answer.

                “Leeteuk! Stop draining our powers!” Kyuhyun yelled at their leader, only causing the dimpled man to smile.

                “Sorry Kyuhyun, but you two need a challenge.” He suddenly turned towards the others. “Free for all!” he yelled, and pulled Ryeowook as he rapidly backed up to the windows to get out of the way. Donghae, Eunhyuk, Shindong, and Sungmin suddenly scrambled recklessly to the floor and started attacking the now powerless Katrina and Kyuhyun.

Eunhyuk let out a cold breath, leaving the floor beneath the duo icy and slick. Katrina tried to attack, but she only slid and fell on her , leaving her defenseless as Sungmin went to kick her in the stomach. Fortunately, she was able to dodge his blows, but just barely. As she was struggling to get up without slipping, Kyuhyun was having his own troubles. Donghae had him helplessly levitating in the air as Shindong grabbed his friend.

“Sorry Kyuhyun,” Shindong smiled “But this is for your own good.” He held Kyuhyun by the legs and started to swing him around and around, about to hammer throw the younger one.

“How the hell is this for my own good?!” Kyuhyun yelled as Shindong finally released, throwing him against the wall with incredible power. Kyuhyun collided with the unforgiving wall at top speed, causing a crack to form in the concrete brick. He slowly slid down the wall, winded and not able to breathe. Thank goodness Shindong hadn’t thrown him with his full strength; otherwise he would have been a pile of broken bones. At this time, Katrina, who had managed to stand up, was pushed to the wall next to Kyuhyun thanks to Eunhyuk. The four attackers slowly advanced on their prey, forcing them against the wall. Katrina and Kyuhyun were trapped, and they were scared. Wide-eyed, Katrina looked around for options or escape routes but found none. She looked towards her previous adversary who happened to glance at her at the same moment.

“So, here’s the thing,” Katrina began. “I don’t like you.”

“That’s something we can agree on.” Kyuhyun replied seriously, dropping his sarcasm.

“But I don’t want to lose.” Katrina continued.

“So you’re suggesting we work together?” Kyuhyun cocked an eyebrow. “Drop the archenemy act?”

“Exactly,” Katrina nodded, relieved that he was being cooperative. However, Kyuhyun snorted in disdain.

“You just can’t think of anything to do.” Kyuhyun muttered, causing Katrina to explode.

“Well if YOU have an idea, I’d love to hear it!” she exclaimed as she watched the others stalk towards her. Kyuhyun stared at Leeteuk, who was still concentrating, making sure that Katrina and Kyuhyun were still drained of their powers.

That’s it! Kyuhyun mentally exclaimed. He pulled Katrina towards him and whispered so the others wouldn’t hear.

                “I’m about to attack. When I do, run past the others and straight for Leeteuk. If you distract him from using his powers, we’ll have ours back.” Kyuhyun explained. Katrina observed the area around Leeteuk. Leeteuk and Ryeowook were still in the window alcove which was currently guarded by Siwon.

“How will I get past Siwon?” Katrina asked. Kyuhyun smirked.

“You don’t.” he replied, smiling at his new partner. “Attack him first. I think he’ll actually help us turn the tables a bit.”

Katrina was still confused. “What? But isn’t he a good fighter since he’s second in command?” Her question was left unanswered however, because at that point, the four were almost on top of the duo. Without warning, Kyuhyun tackled Shindong, both of them sliding on the icy floor.

“Now Katrina!” Kyuhyun shouted, and with that, Katrina jumped over Shindong and headed towards the alcove. This was not an easy task however, because Eunhyuk’s ice was still thick on the floor, making her slide with every step, and with the other three now in pursuit, she was not feeling very confident. She finally slid straight for Siwon, who was now alerted to her approach. Katrina still thought this plan was crazy; Siwon was taller, stronger, and surely more powerful than herself. However, she didn’t have much of a choice at this point. She leaped towards the big man, who let out a powerful punch, but it didn’t hit her. Instead, a fiery blast of flames shot out of his fist, making their way straight towards Katrina. At the last second, she twisted in midair, dodging the flames which continued their path straight towards Sungmin, Eunhyuk, and Donghae. In a panic, they dodged out of the way, letting the fire land on the floor where it melted the ice.

Turn the tables Katrina recalled as she saw Kyuhyun escape from Shindong and head her way. Kyuhyun, you’re a genius! Returning back to the fight at hand, she swept Siwon’s legs from under him before he knew what hit him. I’m really getting good at this fighting thing! Katrina praised herself, sprinting towards Leeteuk, still in deep concentration. Ryeowook stared at Katrina, amazed. Katrina cocked her eyebrow.

“Please don’t tell me I have to fight you too.” She said. She didn’t want to hurt her new friend. Ryeowook held his hands up in surrender.

“He’s all yours.” He smiled as he stepped towards the side, giving Katrina a better vantage point. She grabbed Leeteuk’s hand, causing his head to shoot up in shock. She attempted to pin Leeteuk to the wall, but he was too quick, pulling out of her grip and jabbing Katrina in the stomach. Katrina slumped down, but not before dragging Leeteuk to the floor with her. With one swift movement, she twisted herself from under Leeteuk and landed on his back, pinning him down. Leeteuk no longer had control of his power, and Katrina could feel her time control magic seeping back into her being. She looked up and saw Kyuhyun trying to take down Sungmin, but he was using his body controlling powers to speed his movements again. Katrina slowed down Sungmin, allowing Kyuhyun to knock him down and take down the others in a flash. Kyuhyun stood victorious. They had won.  He smiled at Katrina.

Good job, Kyuhyun told Katrina mentally. Katrina smiled

Careful, your nice is showing Katrina replied, causing Kyuhyun to laugh. Leeteuk twisted his head so he could see Katrina.

“Nice job. Now, if you’d get off of me, that would be very much appreciated.”  He smiled. Katrina, realizing that she was still on top of the man, scrambled off of the leader and joined the others, who congratulated the two on their victory. Yesung, on the other hand, was still sitting on the sidelines, collecting his winnings from the bet. Both Katrina and Kyuhyun had won after all. Eunhyuk saw this and shook his head.

“This is the last time we let Yesung bet!” he exclaimed. Yesung merely met Eunhyuk’s stare and gave him a knowing grin, continuing to count the won. Chuckling at his friend, Ryeowook helped Yesung gather the money and led him towards the others, who were now called to attention by Leeteuk.

“Very good fighting today everyone.” Leeteuk smiled. “Tomorrow we’ll work on training your individual powers, but right now, I have an important announcement.” Katrina saw Leeteuk glance at Yesung.

Oh yeah, she remembered. The vision.

“Yesung had a vision while resting, and it seems as though the Valkyrie will attack the Haven soon.” At this, everyone’s eyes widened in panic. “I’ll be sure to strengthen the barrier around the area, but I can’t stop the inevitable. So for now, someone will need to be with Katrina at all times to make sure she is protected. Any questions?” Katrina steeped forward.

“Yeah, since when did I become helpless?” she protested, causing Eunhyuk to roll her eyes.

“Here she goes again.” He muttered to himself.

“I just showed you that I can defend myself perfectly fine! I don’t need a babysitter.” Katrina continued, only to be stopped by Leeteuk.

“It’s just for now Katrina.” He assured her.

“Besides,” Siwon added “We were going easy on you. If you were to fight like that facing the Valkyrie, you’d be crushed. You need to get the hang of your powers before we let you roam free.” Katrina was fuming mad, but she stepped back in line in defeat. He was right. There was no way she could fight powerful foes right now; she had to get stronger.

“Now,” Leeteuk continued, “Everyone should go get some rest before dinner.” Everyone nodded in agreement as Leeteuk and Siwon vanished. Everyone else except Ryeowook and Katrina followed suit. Ryeowook turned to Katrina.

“I’m the cook here, so would you like to help me make dinner?”  Ryeowook asked. Katrina gave him an exhausted smile.

“As long as I get to the bowl.”

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Finally, it is finished! Sorry it took so long to update. I'm graduating soon, and I sometimes get busy with the preparations and such :/ Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. The next update will be exploring the prophesy in more depth, so please stay tuned! ^^ Comments and subscriptions are very much appreciated, and thanks to everyone who has done so already! :D

~Justjoking <3