“Hey Jepp, what are you doing?” CL smiled brightly, poking her head into the ‘living room’ when she spied an almost white haired head peeking over the balustrade into the church below.

“Shhh,” Jepp placed a finger over his lips and motioned at her to come over, which she did promptly, flumping down on a cushion and peeping over the edge of the loft.

“What’s up?” she whispered into his ear.

“Just watch,” he whispered back, a gleeful look in his eyes. CL mimed zipping up her lips and nodded, a slight smile playing over her lips. The moonlight filtered through the huge windows of the church, drawing coloured patterns on the ground where the stained glass that hadn’t been broken or stolen still remained. CL wondered if anything could ever be so breathtakingly pretty, and she felt like she could sit there forever and be content. Voices sounded from behind the great timber doors. “Here they come,” Jepp intoned silently. “Don’t make a sound.”

The doors were scraped back, and CL wondered why he wasn’t making an effort to stop the hooligans that had come to vandalize the place or steal some things – not that there wasn’t much to steal anyway. A group of young boys entered cautiously, looking a little hesitant and unsure of themselves. CL glanced at Jepp, but his eyes were glued to the group.

“Hello?” a boy called out, his echo bouncing back and forth between pews. Silence.  The boys’ courage seemed to spike a little, and they started jeering and being more adventurous, running up the aisle towards the altar, where the statue of an unknown woman stood. No one was sure of who she was anymore, but some of the older ones still came to pray to her and light candles every once in a while. CL wasn’t sure how praying to a statue was supposed to save them all, but she liked lying in the loft and hearing the murmurs. There was something beautiful in the dim faith people in the Precinct still had.

“Now,” Jepp said in a voice barely above a whisper, and the candles placed on all the pillars along the sides of the church burst into flame. The boys froze in their tracks, unsure of how to react, and suddenly someone screamed. CL’s guard was up, and she almost shot to her feet, only to have Jepp press her back down. He shook his head at her, grinning.

“What? What? What’s going on?” the boys demanded, and the one who screamed raised a shaking finger to point at a certain pillar. CL moved her gaze there and felt her hair stand on end when she spotted a small girl dressed top to toe in black, her head bowed. In her right hand was a scythe, it’s blade gleaming in the candlelight. For a second the boys are transfixed, and then Min slowly began to raise her head. From her view on the loft, CL could see the dark streak running from the corner of her eye down her cheek. There were screams of fear, and in 5 seconds flat the whole group had turned tail and fled the church. Jepp vaulted over the edge of the loft and sprinted down the aisle to close the door. The minute the coast was clear, he doubled over with hysterical laughter. It sent erie echoes around the walls and ceiling, and Min poked him slightly with the edge of her weapon to make him shut up.

“Man, they fall for it all the time!” he hooted later when they regrouped in the kitchen, CL scrubbing at the black mark on Min’s cheek (“What did you use, permanent ink?!”) and he made hot chocolate for all of them.

“I really think you should stop using her as a ghost,” CL deadpanned, but ruined the effect by chuckling slightly. “Though I will admit it works really well.”

“I actually enjoy it, really,” the corners of Min’s lips twitched a little. CL and Jepp exchange a second’s glance. “It’s like a weekly fun thing.”

“See, no harm done,” Jepp smirked and took a big sip from his steaming mug. He hoisted himself on to the counter and swung his legs back and forth. “Except perhaps to those poor souls that I’ve frightened into next Sunday, but it’s really a harmless prank.”

“You mean I’ve frightened into next Sunday,” Min corrected him, watching CL drop two peppermints into her drink. “Too bad Sungkyu isn’t here. He’s missing out on some good drinks right now,” she slurped hers down, eyes flitting over the rim of her mug when she realized  CL and Jepp were staring at her. “Umm. Did I say something rude?”

“You’re starting to sound more human these days, ya know that?” Jepp’s eyes turned into upturned crescents and he rumpled her dark hair. “You’re coming along well. Soon you might even start talking to strangers! Or you might even give us a full blown smile!”

“Ahh, my little Min’s growing up!” CL threw her arms around the girl, mouth all smiles and eyes all teary. “What am I going to do when you start talking to strangers now?!” She sobbed and squeezed her tightly, and Min had to clutch on to her mug equally tightly to stop it from spilling all over herself. She sat on the kitchen counter with the blankest expression she could muster on her face as Jepp and CL – now her self-appointed parents – discussed how to help her decipher between the “good strangers and the bad ones”.

But really, on the inside she couldn’t help but give the biggest, cheesiest grin she could muster. Someday she’d able to show it on the outside. That she could be sure about.

-

Sungkyu sipped on his drink, gazing out of the window of the café. Even though he was frequently in and out of the Precinct on delivery jobs, it always surprised him how different the standard of living was in Level – even here in Edge, the area which wrapped around the outskirts of the slums. The sun was bright, and everything seemed a little clearer, the colours a little more vivid. Two children ran past the window, and Sungkyu marveled at how they contrasted with the Precinct children; these boys would not be living everyday fearing for the lives, waiting for the moment when they were snatched away forever.

Yes, the Precinct really was another world within a world.

He felt a presence to his right and looked at the girl who seated herself down beside him. She caught his eye and offered him a small smile before returning to her food. He watched her out of the corner of his eye for a few more seconds before turning away himself.

He liked the anonymity that being in a new place granted him. Here in Edge nobody knew who he was, what he had done, what he was capable of. In Edge he was simply another human being, another stranger that nobody cared about and would never have to care about again. It was one of the reasons why he considered leaving the Precinct to start a new life somewhere else. A place where he would never have to wield his guns again. “It’s okay to smile for yourself sometimes”, CL’s voice said. You can leave at any time, said another voice in his head, one that sounded like him. Even CL said it, it’s okay to be selfish once in a while. And then he remembered the children who were being taken, and he knew he couldn’t leave. You’re only using those kids as an excuse. You’re staying because you still want to atone for your sins.

“Shut up,” he growled to himself.

“Sorry?” asked a surprised voice, and he looked up to find the girl staring curiously at him.

“Ahh no, I didn’t mean you, I’m sorry, I was just -,” he started apologetically when a figure dressed entirely in black across the street caught his eye. He stood out from the brightly clothed crowd, and when the wind caught at his coat and flapped it open a little Sungkyu caught sight of the katana sheathed at his hip.

He jumped out of his seat and hurried out the door before finishing his sentence.

-

He followed L through the streets, pushing past people even though he knew he wouldn’t be losing the man any time soon. L turned a corner and he hurried up a little, earning a dirty look from a plump woman and a muttered curse from a suited man. Sungkyu turned into the alleyway, his hand already brushing against the gun holstered at his belt.

L was gone.

Sungkyu swore under his breath, then caught sight of a ladder going up one side of the building. If there was one place L could go from here, it would probably be up. Anyway, it might be easier to find him again from above.

He reached the roof of the building just in time to see the man fall to his knees, the dark figure standing over him with his back to Sungkyu.  Sungkyu watched the man pitch forward, and the figure’s sword fell to his side. Even at that distance he could see the blood glistening on the blade, drops falling to the floor from the tip. Sungkyu scrambled to his feet, and just as the figure turned he had already whipped out his black gun – Nero – and fired a round.

L swiftly blocked the bullet with his katana, gracefully back flipping over the fallen man just as Sungkyu fired another shot, pulling out his white gun – Weiss – and advancing on him. He chased him across another rooftop before L managed to retaliate. Sungkyu blocked the blade with the barrels of his guns, but the force sent him sliding backwards. This guy’s stronger than he looks. L straightened calmly, regarding him with an almost bored look. “Who are you?” he asked disinterestedly.

“You’re L aren’t you?” Sungkyu simply replied.

“I asked who you were,” L raised an eyebrow, his gaze cold and face expressionless. “I am well aware of who I am.”

“That’s all I needed to know,” Sungkyu narrowed his eyes and surged forward, shooting rapidly as L dodged each bullet, spinning and jumping in a nimble dance as he deflected some of the ammo with his blade, which Sungkyu himself had to avoid. He’s fast. Something clicked in Nero and he cursed – he had run out of bullets. L took the opportunity to attack, and he blocked it again with one hand. Before he could fire Weiss at him, L knocked the gun aside and planted a foot into Sungkyu’s stomach, sending him flying backwards. He rolled away swiftly as L flew forward, his blade stabbing through the concrete ground. Sungkyu scrambled to his feet, diving to the side and snatching up Weiss as L came at him again. He’s too fast. As L sliced the katana down again, he managed to catch the blade between the barrels, twisting the weapon out of L’s hands. It flew through the air and he managed to get another shot in as L spun away. Sungkyu took the opportunity to duck behind a large pipe, swiftly reloading both guns and catching his breath.

The next second he leapt away as the blade pierced through the steel where his head had been milliseconds before.

“You are faster than you look,” L regarded him with an amused look as he straightened, then sprang forward, his weapon raised above his head. Sungkyu somersaulted away, firing as he turned. He didn’t see L until the boy planted his feet on his chest and pushed away, landing on the wall of the stairwell behind them and projecting forward again. Even as Sungkyu fell to the ground he could feel the blade slicing into his skin, and he staggered, eyebrows knitted together as he clutched at his arm. “But you’re not as fast as you think.”

In response, he swiped a leg under L’s feet without warning and jumped up, kicking the katana out of the way. It slid to the side and disappeared out of sight. L glared up at him as he pressed a foot to his chest, aiming the gun at his head. “Cheek gets you nowhere in these parts boy,” he echoed Yunho, his eyes hard. “Why did you try to kill Min.”

There was a flicker of recognition in L’s eyes, and then it disappeared. “I see. This is a revenge attack, isn’t it?”

“You hurt people that I care about,” Sungkyu ignored him. “I want to know why. Who are you working for and what do you want.”

A cold smirk appeared on L’s face. “Ahh, a protection attack. I see. Interesting.”

“Shut up.”

“You personally know these people you are protecting? Every aspect of their lives? You’re sure that they would do the same for you, that they would risk their lives for you as you are for them?”

“I said shut up!” Sungkyu growled, stooping and pressing the barrel of this gun against L’s forehead, straddling him and grasping the front of his jacket. The boy started back, completely unfazed.

“You know nothing about the people you live with, about the people you think you are protecting.” He sneered. “You are a fool.” Before Sungkyu could react, he pulled a kunai out from his coat and plunged it into his hand. Sungkyu cried out, letting the boy go. L kicked him off, jumping lithely out of the way as Sungkyu sent a number of bullets at him, his hand dripping blood on to the ground, the kunai still protruding from his skin. He made to chase after the boy, but as he took a step forward something dull and heavy connected with the back of his head and everything turned black.