(A/N) WARNING: VERY, VERY GRAPHIC AND MIGHT EVEN BE A LITTLE TRIGGERING. PREPARE YOURSELVES!

“FIRE!”

All hell broke loose at that word. Loud shots of the bullets leaving the barrel of the hundreds of rifles there broke the peace that had once occupied the still air of Yongin. There were war cries and the sound of instructions being shouted from every direction. The situation became chaotic around Kibum, who was trapped in the middle of the crowd. Things were moving at such a flurry around him that Kibum only managed to notice the colour of the shirts people were wearing as they dashed past him.

Kibum hustled his way to get to a place where he could see better. The villagers were still standing back, getting in position and waiting for the right moment to pounce since they would only be able to do so in a close distance. They were, after all, only equipped with swords and bows.

Kibum found a raised area just at the side of the battle area and he stood on it to have a look. The British Army was doing quite well. The shots they were shooting were taking considerable amount of the soldiers out. The Japanese army was shooting as well, but they seemed to not be very effective in killing many British soldiers. Kibum had to admit that the British army was pretty resilient and skillful in strategizing because even though they were at a disadvantage by number, they were still able to hold up so well.

Kibum noticed that there were already a few casualties at the front line. Between looking out from their hiding to shoot at the enemies and reloading their rifles when they were once again safe behind their cover, there a few men who were busy pulling their fallen comrades back into hiding and away from being dishonoured by the Japanese even after their death. Red littered the ground where they lay, serving as a reminder for the soldiers of what they had just lost and pushing them to fight harder.

The British army, as Kibum realized right now, consisted of men who wanted to die with the utmost respected and of men who wanted to make sure their comrades died the same way.

There was a loud commotion over the imaginary border that was still keeping the British army and the Japanese separated. Kibum tried to focus over the hectic movement and saw the Japanese Admiral shouting orders. Kibum didn’t know what it was but whatever it was, it made the Japanese army shout that much louder in burning spirit and all of a sudden, there was a huge wall of khaki uniformed men barraging towards them.

The British were taken aback by the sudden change in tactics and they were beginning to move back, finding new spots to hide while continuously firing at the enemy. Kibum was astonished by the sudden change in their tactics as well, not because the sudden attack came as a shock to him. It was rather because of how stupid this attack was.

Didn’t they already know?

Just as Kibum was thinking that, the first line of the Japanese men on foot neared the gorge that has been disguised as level ground by a simple structure made out of wood, hay and sand. It looked solid but it was very, very unstable and it was designed to cave in at the slightest pressure.

It all happened as if in slow motion. The ground began to crumble inwards beneath the feet of the Japanese men and a giant chasm opened up. Kibum watched as the men sunk into the ground, being swallowed by Mother Earth. One by one, they disappeared, fear and confusion the only expression on their faces before they met their end.

And to think that that is the last thing they were going to feel before they died- it was cruel.

“Shoot!”

The loud command of the head archer was all it took to shake Kibum out of his reverie. He turned around and saw the archers positioned high up in trees and towers they had built poised with their arrows ready to be released at any moment. Some of them were already taking aim and shooting.

It was only perfect that the archers would shoot now. Over at the Japanese front line, chaos had erupted. What with the sudden collapse of the ground and dust rising everywhere, they were too busy trying to figure out what the matter was before it was too late. Only the archers had a clear view of what was going on below. Even Kibum could not see much from all the sand that was being kicked up.

People began to cheer around Kibum. Their plan had worked. After the news of Jinki’s betrayal had spread around, everyone had been certain that the guerilla strategy that they had poured so much effort into would be no obstacle to the Japanese. Yet, here they were still watching the Japanese men fall one-by-one into the chasm filled with sharp spears meant to take lives.

Kibum allowed a dark smile to grow on his face. All is not yet lost. There was still hope.

“They’re pulling back!” someone shouted and the cheering grew louder. However, as if to prove that very statement wrong, a Japanese soldier on one of the stallions appeared from the cloud of sand, taking a swing at the British soldiers and villagers alike. More appeared from behind him. The archers became busy in taking these men out while the British soldiers were preventing more men on horses from leaping over the chasm as easily.

Like a bolt of lightning out of nowhere, suddenly there was a horse galloping right towards Kibum. The man perched atop looked vicious, his lips curled up in a snarl and his sword in position to drive through an opponent’s heart. As he neared, Kibum chose to act instinctively instead of panicking and he raised his sword with his right hand, ready to fight back.

It all happened so fast. Before Kibum knew it, he had allowed his wrist to maneuver in such a way that he was able to deflect the enemy sword away from him and his own sword was instead in position to kill. The soldier practically ran into his own death as the horse carried him forward and into the blade. Kibum watched, horrified as the man fell from his horse that simply galloped away in some direction.

Kibum met the man’s eyes one last time before it fell shut, his brain forever engraved with the memory of the fear of death in the other’s eyes. Blood gushed out of the open wound and it was all Kibum could do to keep himself calm as he pulled his sword out with a sickeningly squelching noise. Tainted in the blood of the enemy, Kibum’s sword was ready for more blood.

While he was nowhere near as skilled as the swords men from Suwon, Kibum was good enough to fight. And at the moment, as he moved amongst the chaotic crowd with no other thoughts but to survive and to win, even Kibum’s mediocre skills proved to be deathly against the enemy.

Kibum helped men around him fend off the enemy. Two or three of them would fight together to take one of the men on horses and Kibum was almost beginning to become numb to seeing the throats of his fellow villagers getting slit open when the timing is just so horrible. But for every life they lost, they took another two, seeing how the number of men on horses were decreasing. It became clear that they were indeed helping a lot.

“Soldiers, fall back!” Kibum heard the General command to his men and he finished helping another man push a Japanese soldier off his horse before ending his life. Then, he turned around to see through the settling sand that the Japanese army was retreating while the British army remained in their ready position although they were moving back now. Looking around, Kibum noticed that there were quite a number of men on horses that have been abandoned by their own army. Noticing the situation at hand, they began to retreat as well but the archers showed no mercy and shot down each and every one of them.

The Japanese army was no longer in sight. There were bodies everywhere on the ground. Severed limbs, disembodied heads, fresh crimson liquid everywhere Kibum turned. It was a picture out of Kibum’s worst nightmare and suddenly all of his courage from before was gone. He was left shuddering at the hideous, cruel sight left behind. The horses, now without their riders, ran amok loudly, scaring some villagers before eventually disappearing into the words.

“It is not over yet. We may have scared them away for today. But they will come back tomorrow, more prepared for surprises. It is not yet time for us to let our guards down. Fix up your wounds, learn to deal with the pain, prepare yourselves for the worst! Tomorrow we fight again!” the General reminded the villagers solemnly, putting a damper mood on what was beginning to be a sense of relief.

Of course the Japanese wouldn’t be done yet. They haven’t even pulled out the big guns yet. They probably thought that this would be easy, just a bunch of villagers retaliating pointlessly. Now that they had been proven wrong, they would definitely come back with the determination to win more than ever. Like dogs whose pride had been hurt, they will be back to bite harder.

And this time, Kibum was not sure that they would be able to make it out alive.

“I told you, Kibum! I t- ssss….- I told you!” Jonghyun said, in between sharply hissing out of pain and struggling to breathe normally out of his anxiousness in getting his wound stitched up. Kibum sat on the opposite side to where the traditional medicine doctor was sitting, allowing Jonghyun to be crushing his right hand in his tight grip as the slash across his stomach was being tended to. His left hand was covered in a fresh bandage, stinging from some medicine that the doctor had applied on it.

“Hyung, just shut up before you end up biting your own tongue off…” Kibum warned the other, which effectively shut him up but only for a while. Park-ahjusshi was quick with his treatment- disinfecting and wrapping the wound in a layer of bandage- before he moved on to tend to the dozens that were still waiting to be treated in this temporary shelter they built near the doctor’s house.

“Kibum, I to-“

“Yes, I know. But that doesn’t make him a good guy, hyung. A traitor is still a traitor…” Kibum said in exasperation. Jonghyun has been at it again, his mood swings that is. Not a few hours ago, Jonghyun would have been moping around like a lost puppy. But right now, he seemed so optimistic, so full of hope.

Kibum did not like it. Jonghyun was paving his path to his own inevitable depression. He was beginning to trust Jinki again after what happened today that proved that Jinki may not be the heartless treacherous bastard he was assumed to be. He had just done Yongin a huge favour by not revealing to the Japanese about the gorge. Had the Japanese known, Kibum knew for a fact that they would not have stood a chance in distracting the enemy.

This knowledge, however, only left Kibum in a predicament as he did not know what to think of Jinki, as confusing as the elder was.

“It doesn’t. But it tells me that he was hiding something from me after all. Still hiding it, in fact. I’m going to find out, Kibum…” Jonghyun said, reaching for his discarded shirt and slipping it on, not bothering to button up all the way as he stood up.

Kibum stood as well, frowning at his best friend.

“What do you mean, hyung?”Kibum asked, already predicting what he was about to hear. Jonghyun only began to make his way out of the shelter wordlessly, Kibum right on his heels.

“HYUNG!” Kibum pressed impatiently when he received no verbal answer. When even that didn’t work, Kibum yanked Jonghyun back by his wrist and forced him to face him.

“I’ve been talking to Jinyeok. We came to this decision after a long time of thinking. After seeing what happened today, I’m not sure our village can endure any more of this war,” Jonghyun said finally. Kibum blinked, confused. What has Jonghyun been discussing with the boy who led one of the smaller troops consisting of villagers from Suwon?

Jonghyun pulled Kibum further away from the bustling crowd into a quieter area before continuing.

“We’re going after the Admiral. No head, no tail. Just like Minho said. We’re going to end this cleanly,” Jonghyun said expressionlessly.

“Are you out of your mind? You are needed here, hyung. This is not the time for you to be going out there on a mission of your own. Besides, that is what Minho is out there to do and he’ll get it done. Don’t act rashly, hyung…” Kibum told him off for this plan. What is with all these men around Kibum that felt the need to put themselves personally in the line of fire?

“It’s kind of obvious that Minho’s team failed, Kibum, the prove being the Admiral you saw today. We have to do this. We already have men out there scouting the Japanese base camp for us now. As soon as they get back, the seven of us will sneak into their base camp…”

“Minho’s team just needs some time, hyung. They have not failed! Don’t do this. I know that the real reason you’re going out there is to find Jinki hyung. How do you even know he’s alive?! He could’ve been discovered by the Japanese to be the two-faced liar he is…” Kibum asked, feeling the need to stand up for Minho in this situation which had caused him to step a little over the line.

Jonghyun’s face fell a little. A forlorn look crossed his downcast eyes and Kibum regretted speaking too thoughtlessly.

“How do you know Minho’s still alive, Kibum?” Jonghyun asked, looking back up at him. Kibum swallowed thickly, preparing his voice to not break as he spoke but he never got the chance to.

“Faith. That’s how. It’s the same for me. You told me that yourself…” Jonghyun answered in Kibum’s stead, turning to walk away. Kibum allowed Jonghyun to walk away, keeping his eyes fixed on the other’s retreating back as he came to a decision himself.

A decision that will ensure that he will no longer be the one left behind.

The Japanese base camp was just a little east off Osan’s border. After claiming the land just a couple of days ago, they have a set up a place here to rejuvenate at night before they woke up to battle again in the morning. They have already ransacked houses around the area for provisions. This much was clear from the broken down doors and the things that belonged in homes thrown all over the streets. The village was dead but the base camp was always alive with watchful eyes waiting to catch anyone that might even try to trespass.

It was not ethical for enemies to attack each other in the middle of the night when the other party is unprepared, Kibum recalled Minho telling him. Something about winning the cowardly way and being put down in history that way that kept armies of all nationality from not doing so. Kibum has always wondered what about war was ever ethical.

They say that all’s fair in love and war. Kibum disagreed strongly with this statement. For example in war, what is fair about claiming the lives of the innocent for personal victory? While in love, what is fair about leaving the ones you love behind to suffer, even if it was just emotionally? Kibum believed it with all his heart when he thought that no, not all’s fair in love and war. Kibum of all people would know, for he was one that has both those affairs twisted around each other in his life.

“Alright, the guards over at their medicine camp over there are lesser and scattered. We can enter easily through only this area,” Jinyeok briefed to the other seven of them that consisted of Kibum, Jonghyun, two other swords men, an archer and a British army man that somehow found himself included in this group (Kibum couldn’t recognize him so he must be one of those men the General called for in the last moment.)

“According to the boys, the Admiral’s tent is closest to the first aid tent and it is surrounded by just a couple of other tents. Getting in would be the hardest but once we’re in, it should be easy to finish this…” he continued, eyeing Kibum constantly. Kibum ignored it. He knew why he was being stared at. For following these men out secretly, only to be discovered halfway by the too attentive army man. Jonghyun had been furious with him (still is, in fact) but they still carried on, an important task at hand.

After discussing the basic strategy, they began moving in to infiltrate the Japanese army. Truth be told, Kibum had never been as anxious as this before in his life. Still, he tried to remain as calm as possible to follow through with their plan. Kibum had no right to complain anyway since he got himself into this.

Crouching behind trees in the darkness, they observed the pattern of soldiers moving about at this end of the base camp. The reconnaissance was right. There were only two men guarding this part, although a third or a fourth would pass by once in a while. They waited just for one of the passing man to disappear before Jinyeok and another sword man snuck up behind them and without even that much effort, ended the lives of the Japanese man.

The rest of them were motioned to follow them and after hiding the bodies back in the bushes, they crept behind one of the tents. With tents sheltering them, they moved quietly through this maze of sorts, each of them keeping an eye out in different directions to watch for possible threats.

They came so close to getting discovered more than a couple of times. The first time it happened was when they moved from behind one tent to another with a small gap in between. A few army men were sitting in front of the tents with a perfect view of this gap and Kibum thought he saw one of them glance their way just as the last one of them was taking cover. Holding their breaths, they waited for someone to come after them. But no one came and they continued even more carefully.

The second time it happened, everything moved too quickly. One second, Jinyeok was turning a corner and the next, there was one armed Japanese man staring straight at them. Thanks to the British army man’s quick reflex, the Japanese man was silenced with just a twist of his neck before he managed to call for back-up. They hid his body as well, grabbing his weapon from his hands.

However, in the rush of the moment, the group got split into two (each hiding behind different tents as a few other Japanese men walked by, caught up in their own conversations.) Kibum, Jonghyun and the archer were in one group while the other five were in the other.

Using hand signals, Jinyeok told the tree of them to take a different path while they took the one in their original plan.

“We’ll meet there” Jinyeok mouthed to them.

So that was how the three of them ended up taking the route closest to the woods to get around the base camp to the Admiral’s tent. They were able to see the large number of men standing guard, facing the forest there and it served as a reminder to them that this could end their lives if they made even the slightest mistake.

“Hyung, it’s this way. I can almost see the first aid tent from here,” Kibum whispered, eyeing the tent around the corner. Beside the tent, he could also see a couple of stallions, tied to something rooted in the ground. There was no answer from the back so Kibum turned around to see what Jonghyun was doing.

Jonghyun was staring wide-eyed in the opposite direction of what Kibum had been pointing at just now. Kibum followed his eyes and was only able to see the darkness of the forest and a part of certain wooden structure. There were voices coming from there but it was uncharacteristically soft.

“Hyung, we better move before they co-“

“Ssshhh… Wait, Kibum,” Jonghyun started to move behind the shadow of the opposite tent as if to get a clearer view of something. By the way that his eyes grew so much wider, Kibum figured that he had found whatever it was that he was looking for.

“What’s he doing?” the archer hissed from behind Kibum and Kibum was only able to shrug as he moved towards his hyung as well.

The sight that awaited Kibum’s eyes was something he could not have even prepared himself for. It lodged a heavy stone right in the pit of his stomach and if Kibum hadn’t already seen worst off horrors, this would have definitely engraved itself into his memory to haunt him forever.

Jinki. It was Jinki, though he almost looked unrecognizable now with all the blood and swelling bruises.

His hands were tied up to the wooden structure Kibum had seen earlier and he was kneeling on the ground. His head hung lifelessly, his chin on his chest, drool and blood pouring out of his open mouth. Ugly purple swells marked his torso where the blood hadn’t already painted itself. Gross looking gashes that looked fresh with blood lined his chest and from this angle, Kibum could predict there were more on his back. His pants were ripped and also soaked in some kind of liquid (Kibum assumed that it was his blood as well.) There were two Japanese men standing in front of him, snarling down at him obviously.

Jinki looked like he was already dead, save for the weak rise and fall of his chest. It was amazing that he was still holding on in this condition.

“We’ve gotta save him. We’ve gotta save Jinki-hyung!” Jonghyun whispered harshly before he scrambled onto his feet, heading out into the opening before Kibum could even stop him.

The closest Japanese man sensed the sudden movement behind him and he turned just as Jonghyun pulled his sword out to drive it into the man’s chest ruthlessly. The other Japanese man turned around, barely getting one sentence out in his language loudly before the archer shot his arrow right into his throat with precision.

Jonghyun didn’t even a spare a glance back at Kibum before he was heading over to Jinki.  With a scary amount of force, Jonghyun swung his sword at the ropes that bound the older’s hands. When both ropes were severed, Jinki’s arms fell limp by his sides and his entire body gave away. Before he fell face first, however, Jonghyun caught him by his waist, he himself kneeling before the other.

“Hyung! Hyung, look at me!” Jonghyun said, dropping his sword to take a hold of the older’s shoulder. He shook him gently and Jinki stirred a little in his hold.

Kibum kept glancing around them because surely someone would have heard the Japanese man’s shout, right? He really didn’t have the heart to pressure Jonghyun when he was in this state of distress over his hyung, but they really had to get moving if they didn’t want to be discovered.

“Hyung, we have to g-“ Kibum was cut off.

“J-Jo-Jong?” Kibum heard Jinki’s weak whimper.

“Hyung! Oh my god! Hyung, can you walk?!” Jonghyun asked, barely keeping his volume down.

Jinki seemed to regain more motor functions at that and he seemed to pull away from Jonghyun a little.

“What the hell are you doing here? Go, Jong! Run!” Jinki said, struggling a little in Jonghyun’s hold.

Kibum was reminded of an almost similar incident in his past, watching this interaction between Jonghyun and Jinki. How he was told to run for his own safety, how he never saw the person who told him to run after that…

“I won’t leave you, hyung!” Jonghyun said, making a move to get Jinki onto his back. But Jinki only struggled further and suddenly he lost balance of himself as he fell back onto the ground. Jonghyun immediately started checking if he was alright.

“HOI!” a shrill shout came and Kibum turned to find an unarmed Japanese man charging towards them. Instinctively Kibum moved his hands up and slashed the other across his chest. The man fell to his knees and Kibum kicked him onto the ground before plunging his sword through his heart.

“Hyung, we really need to move!” Kibum called back to Jonghyun who was leaning over Jinki on all fours. He glanced briefly back at Kibum and the terror in his eyes was so maddeningly obvious.

“Jong, I ca-can’t run. Th-they castrated me and left me to die a slow death here. I won’t be able to take even a step…” Jinki said, the action of speaking seemingly tiring him to no end. Kibum’s heart dropped at hearing just what they had done to Jinki.

“Then I’ll carry you! Get up hyung!” Jonghyun shouted in his face and Kibum saw the drops of tears falling on Jinki’s face.

Kibum and the archer became busy again when a couple of army men discovered them and in the short battle that followed, Kibum was not able to hear what the other two were talking about.

“Jonghyunnie… My beautiful, beautiful baby… You have to run, alright? You have to leave me cause there’s no hope left for me. You have to go because you have a long, happy life to live ahead of you…” Jinki was saying in low whisper when Kibum finally got around to looking back at the two. Jinki was running a shaky, bloody hand over Jonghyun’s face.

Kibum swallowed back the lump that rose in his throat, the amount of affection and love in those words overwhelming even him.

Kibum barely heard Jonghyun let out a pained cry before he was called by the archer to warn him about an approaching enemy. He did not turn fast enough and the sharp sound of a bullet shot pierced through the air. Kibum barely felt something graze over his left shoulder before he was swinging with his right hand to fight the enemy. He didn’t have to, though, as the archer skillfully shot him down.

The sound of the bullet caused a stir in the base camp that they could hear from even here. Kibum had only short amount of time to turn back and look at the two on the ground, blood and saliva mixing between their mouths in a passionate kiss, before his attention had to be returned to the coming footsteps.

Kibum started retreating a little when the shadows of a few men came approaching and all too soon both he and the archer became engaged in a battle with the four or five Japanese army men, carrying a sword instead of a gun. Kibum had expected more to come but it seemed like there was chaos on the other side of the camp as well that most of them were running towards.

Kibum was in the middle of disarming a third man after receiving multiple harmless scratches on his front when he heard the archer let out a yell as his bow fell from his hand after being cut across his wrist. Finishing off with this man, Kibum hurried to help the other.

In his haste, Kibum failed to notice the last man had targeted straight for Jonghyun, who was still on the ground above Jinki, trying to pull him up.

“JONGHYUN HYUNG!” Kibum screamed in horror as he watched the man run towards Jonghyun with his sword positioned to kill. He was not fast enough in pulling his own sword out of the dead man’s thigh to go save his best friend.

He didn’t have to. Jinki, in a final exert of super human energy, rolled the both of them over, taking the sword right through his back before he fell, dead, on top of Jonghyun.

An arrow passed through the side of the last enemy and he too fell dead beside the other two.

Jonghyun let out a heart-wrenching, shrill cry of his lover’s name that Kibum would remember for the rest of his life.

More footsteps approached them. Kibum pulled himself out of his trance of watching his best friend’s agony and approached him. He rolled Jinki off of Jonghyun and grabbed Jonghyun’s hand, pulling him away from Jinki as reluctant as he was to let go. The archer was already running ahead of them into the forest.

“He’s gone, hyung! Don’t let his death be in vain. Come with me!” Kibum said, using every ounce of energy left in him to drag Jonghyun away, to save his life.

(A/N) I'm back!!! Meeting you guys for the first time in 2013!!! With a chapter that I know you are all going to hate me for... :(

I am truly sorry if I shocked anyone a bit too much with Jinki's death because I know character deaths are not something everyone can stomach... Really, truly sorry!!!

This not checked for grammar and spelling mistakes so please kindly overlook them, I've been so busy and lately, sick that I couldn't come around to updating. So sorry for that. To make up for it- Remember that oneshot I promised? Well, HERE you go!!! XD

Thank you for your patience and for still reading my story!!! I love you guys so much!!!

Have a great day ahead people!!! <3