16. Post Hostium Acies

 

Post Hostium Acies: "Behind Enemy Lines"

 

 

 

"Many things are happening beyond..."

 

 

Let's look post hostium acies.

 

 

"... what you see from your side."

 

 

 

= = = Soundtrack: EXO-K - History = = =

 

You will never know the whole truth until you see the two sides of the story.

 

If you are always on the defense but have no idea regarding offense, then you don't know battle at all.

 

No movie is transparent without the behind-the-scenes footage.

 

No fight is fair if you don't know both opponents.

 

 

Rushed footsteps.

 

Knives poised in the air.

 

Two men huffing for breath.

 

"Haiyah!" a blonde young man exclaimed while charging at his opponent... a dark haired young man who looks exactly like him.

 

Clinks and clashes of knives are the only things heard by the two, and their minds were whirling with strategies on how to outwit the other.

 

Every swipe one made was blocked as swiftly as the other, and the fight they had only relied on who was the quicker.

 

In the end, the blonde had his opponent by the throat.

 

But his eyes widened upon the cold metal by his back, which luckily hasn't punctured him yet.

 

"Youngmin Hyung, how many times do I need to tell you that your blind spot during hand-to-hand combat is your back? If I was a ReapedSoul member, I would've killed you already." The dark haired young man said, releasing his opponent.

 

"Yeah yeah, I get it. I'll remember that in our next spar. Thanks for reminding me, though, Kwangmin-ah. I'm pretty glad you're my twin." The blonde replied, tapping his sparring partner on his back. They began their walk out of their training area inside the SkullBeater grouphouse.

 

"Whatever, Hyung. I'm up for another round of training later on. You game?" Kwangmin rolled his eyes playfully before asking Youngmin, who just nodded in understanding.

 

"Sure. But I guess we should ask Myungsoo Hyung first. I think he's assigning us something." Youngmin answered, momentarily stopping his strides.

 

The two men just looked at each other seriously for a few moments, and just like magic, both of them smirked.

 

"I like what went through our head for that one moment." Youngmin admitted before cocking his head slightly to the side, beckoning the younger twin to follow him.

 

Kwangmin just chuckled softly as he broke out into a jog to go to another part of the grouphouse, where he was sure he'll see someone.

 

"Before Myungsoo Hyung, let's see how L.joe Hyung is doing."

 

= = =

 

"Aaaahhh!"

 

A woman breathlessly moaned as firm, wet muscle slid down from her neck to her shoulders. Hands were feeling her up, and only a white sheet was the cloth she was feeling. Kisses down her bare stomach sent her to the edge, and she released another moan as warm breath trickled near her ear.

 

"Such a y Noona..." A smooth masculine voice invaded her system, which made her pull the man who spoke closer to her figure.

 

Lips met after that, and hands explored even more.

 

The woman was already straddling the younger male, her back facing the door of the room, when...

 

"L.JOE HYU----OMONA! Hyuna Noona!" Youngmin exclaimed in surprise as he saw the two bodies partially covered with a white blanket. His twin only gaped in utter surprise as he looked on at the scene, hand still holding the doorknob.

 

At this, the younger male released a frustrated groan before gently moving the woman away from her straddled position.

 

"CAN'T YOU BASTARDS LEARN HOW TO KNOCK?!" He screamed at the two with evident anger in his expression. He then huffed a deep breath before looking at the lady beside him, just giggling softly and leaning forward to whisper to his ear.

 

"Hey... L.Joe-yah... Don't be so hot-headed. Why don't you let Youngmin-ah join us? It could be fun..." She seductively stated, a smirk crawling to the corners of her lips when he wrapped an arm around her waist.

 

This was when Kwangmin snapped out of his daze and comprehended the situation.

 

"Nice offer, Noona. But I believe Youngmin Hyung already has a girl. He's still with the one we got when we beat up that Choi Jonghyun guy." He said before managing two steps.

 

"I, on the other hand..." He began, but was cut off by a pillow hitting his face. Recovering from the shock the impact of the pillow gave him, he held it before throwing it back to the bed.

 

"Yah Hyung-ah! What was that for?!" He exclaimed amidst the chuckles echoing from everybody in the room. A soft 'tsk' escaped his lips when he saw that L.Joe smirked at him smugly. He pulled Hyuna even closer to him before speaking.

 

"Sorry, dude. The Noona is mine." He said in straight english, only letting his Korean tongue dominate at the word 'Noona', before letting his lips meet with the woman's. Upon pulling back, he continued staring playfully at his dongsaengs.

 

"If I were you, I'd give me some time alone to finish my business with Hyuna Noona. Head on to Myungsoo Hyung. Knowing him, he'd have something amusing for the two of you." He told them before going back to what he was previously doing with Hyuna.

 

The twins just playfully scoffed as they went out of the room before slamming the door shut behind them.

 

= = = 

 

Tock.

 

A dart hit the exact center of the cork board hanging on the door of an office, a distance of about ten feet from the office desk in the center of the room. Another dart followed it in less than three seconds, sliding just beside the previous one as it settled on the bull's eye.

 

The third dart was already making its way to the board when suddenly, the door opened and the twins behind it ducked in fear, only for the piece of sharp metal to stab the wall of the the corridor behind them. They had dodged the dart in the nick of time.

 

"Well, I guess your training is working. You could dodge those things already." Myungsoo said with an amused tone before motioning towards the dart still stuck on the wall. Kwangmin interpreted this as a signal and took the dart, bringing it back to the current leader of the SkullBeaters brotherhood.

 

"You had something to assign to us? I heard it from Youngmin Hyung." He said, placing the dart silently on the desk where his hyung was.

 

"Yeah. Reports had come in that the ReapedSouls bastards already got on the good side of the owner of Club Mirage. This will be a huge loss from us if he becomes allies with our enemies. I'm planning on scaring the punk silly, but things got interesting and I've found out earlier today that there are already about 20 men from the other side guarding the place. If this continues on, I'm pretty sure that another war will be coming up. I'm assigning you to the frontline this time, since you weren't able to come to the past war, which ended up bloody for us." Myungsoo discussed thoroughly, taking hold of the dart as he was speaking. The twins just nodded in total understanding.

 

"Oh. Arasso. We'll be training later on in the afternoon. If you wanna go and give us some more pointers... it would be nice." Youngmin said, which earned him a smile from the older male. The two younger men knew what it meant.

 

The leader's gonna join them in their sparring session later.

 

"If there's nothing else we have to know here, then... can we go?" Kwangmin asked Myungsoo, who just nodded.

 

The two were already getting hold of the doorknob when Myungsoo's voice halted their motions.

 

"Oh. And see how Kai-yah is holding up, could you? He's been quiet these past few days... unusually quiet, actually. Don't disturb him if he's doing anything. Just tell me where he is later when we see each other again."

 

= = =

 

A black purse was nestled in Kai's hands.

 

He opened it to find a small gun with an engraving on the handle which made him look fondly at it.

 

Shirin.

 

The first time he saw her, she looked like a fragile girl. But in her simplicity, she already had him yearning for more. He had attempted following her from school, simply because he just wanted to give her a little scare, trying sneakily to make a mark in her mind. He had wished for her to think of him, unconsciously and consciously. The fact that she actually is a sibling of the leaders of the brotherhood he despised most didn't matter to him. What was important when he followed her, was the fact that she will spend time just wondering who he is or what his intentions were. And that was enough for him.

 

The moment he saw her again in Club Mirage, though, his whole world stopped. She looked nothing less than how beautiful she was at the party or during the past war... nor when she scaredly ran away from him when he decided to play on her during her late walk home.

 

She was simply... amazing when she danced in the club, and somehow, he found himself wishing that she had come alone that night. Everytime he would spy a look on her as she walked towards her University gates, fresh from dismissal, from the window of his car, he would just catch himself smiling.

 

She has got him in a spell surely.

 

Her eyes were like Seo Jinhee. Her gaze was like hers. Shirin reminded him of her. But at the same time, he was cognizant that she was a different person.

 

And she charmed him more than she or himself could ever know.

 

He gripped the gun, relishing the feeling of warmth from the hand that had previously held it. She hadn't remembered to find it when she was still with him in his room in the other group 'house, which was something that he didn't expect. Even the effect of the gentle morning sunlight shining down on him right now in the house garden couldn't compare to the heaven he felt when his lips touched hers.

 

He had a thought once that what he was feeling is nothing more than obsession of the past. But how come when he looks at her... he sees not the girl he loved before but the face he keeps on seeing in his dreams?

 

What the heck was that feeling that's been eating him up when he saw Shirin get inside a car with another man holding the sterring wheel?

 

He was confused. But he never felt anything as exceptional as what he was feeling with her, not even with Jinhee.

 

He had to see her again. If it meant that he should stalk her during the war that was bound to come for Club Mirage.

 

Then so be it.

 

He stood up from the garden bench that he was sitting on and pointed the gun he was holding towards a bird that was perched on the branch of a tree in the distance. A sound was heard, and the same bird fell down to the ground, dead.

 

= = = = =

 

Important Note:

All pictures used are for the sake of clothing recognition and venue identification, which aids in better visualization of the story. The pictures are not mine, and I stake no claim on them. No copyright infringement intended. Were only re-uploaded for the sake of complation and assurance of long-lasting viewing activity. Thank you.