When her body finally stopped torturing her she sat back and felt her back hit the hard wall. For some reason she felt drained of energy and utterly depressed. It wasn’t Man Sook or that she’d been forced out there against her will, she just felt sad for some unknown reason. With a heavy heart she hung her head forward and ran her hand up her face. Namjoo was scared and she was frightened of the strange things that she had suddenly been going through. Yet, she was afraid to talk about it. What if something was really wrong with her?

D—“:

This kind of absurd frown crossed Victoria’s face before she followed Namjoo out. What was happening? Why was she suddenly like that?

“Namjoo?” Victoria called and knocked on the door.

No one replied so she pressed her ear to the door and thought she could hear her throwing up.

“Namjoo? Are you ok!?” Victoria knocked on the door again.

It quieted for a long time before she heard Namjoo say, “I’m ok. I just want to be alone for a bit.”

She backed away from the door and couldn’t help but wonder if Kris and Luhan knew if something was wrong with Namjoo…if there was anything wrong at all.

D—“:

Nightfall had befallen them quicker than Kris had expected. He didn’t know what time it was but he knew it was late even when he stepped outside to get some air. In the depth of his mind he knew the Organization One members were either plotting something at the moment or they were out on their usual mission.

The stars heavily glittered in the sky and Kris turned when he paused before the stairs to see someone moving around in the dark. Slightly leaning forward he watched this person run back and forth ing his fists and legs into the air as if he were teaching himself defense tactics. Kris thought it was amusing and felt a smile fall over his lips. It disappeared when the person turned at his presence and stared. This person was tall with night dark hair. The moon shone a silvery white spotlight on him.

Kris watched him trudge toward him very slowly and stopped at the bottom of the steps. “You’re Namjoo’s friend from Organization One, right?”

“Oh…yea…” he felt startled by the soft voice.

An amused smile fell over his lips before he extended his hand, “My name’s Tao. Say, how is it there? I heard that you guys kill a lot.”

Kris shook his hand, “Oh…yea…”

“Since when have you been there?”

“When I was 15.”

“Whoa!” Tao exclaimed drawing his hand back before laughing. “Sorry, I was just really curious. We had this friend here. Man Sook, his brother’s in Organization One. He joined us to get his brother back…” then he went quiet leaving Kris curious about what he was going to say, but he no longer continued.

“What?” Kris asked. “What about him?”

“Ah…it’s just…I don’t know if I should talk about it with you.” He reached a hand up to scratch the back of his head.

“Go on.”

“Just…it has to do with Namjoo,” Tao went kind of quiet, “but knowing Man Sook…he wouldn’t have tried to hurt her or anything, and I don’t think Namjoo would want to kill anybody after she was attacked.”

Kris felt his mind swirl from the sudden information, but he remained patient in hopes of finding out more about Namjoo.

“I heard that she killed him,” Tao went on then quickly added, “but I don’t think she did it on purpose. Man Sook must have asked for it, he must have pleaded her or something, or else I can’t think of any reliable reasoning about why it happened.”

He turned away and saw Namjoo crying inside his mind.

“And you said something about an accident?” Kris reminded. “An attack or something?”

“Oh,” Tao blinked his eyes and seemed to turn his head as if looking upon a specific area to help recall the memories. “A smuggler attacked Namjoo one morning. They fell through that window over there,” Tao pointed toward a broken window now boarded up, “he stabbed her on the way out and it seems like she shot him dead during their fall. Anyway, Baekhyun thinks Namjoo’s suffering from some kind of head trauma because she landed head first that day. I heard him talking to Eunhyuk hyung about it a few days ago, but I don’t really know what’s going on.”

Kris found himself taking a step forward and stared up at the boarded window then to the hard ground below where Namjoo had landed. Then he remembered the symptoms she’d been experiencing and his heart sunk in worry.

When he headed back inside he paused in front of Namjoo’s door and wondered if she was sleeping. She’d had a rough day yesterday so maybe she was tired by now. However, when he opened the door he discovered Namjoo sitting on her bed staring straight out the window. A dark shadow casted itself over her and she didn’t move for a long time. Then she lowered her head to look at something before she eventually turned. Her back looked lonely and desolate. It seemed as if she were sitting at the edge of a cliff staring out beyond the stars to see if there were really a heaven or hell out there.  

“What are you doing over there?” she questioned twisting around to look at him as if she knew he was there all along.

Kris straightened up and walked in. Sitting beside her on the bed he turned to look at her.

“You’re not asleep.”

“I haven’t slept at this hour for a week now.” she explained before firmly smiling. “Why are you still up?”

“Just…” he looked away then back at her, “because.”

That smile stayed on her lips and she lowered her head as if to get a better look at her hands.

“Are you thinking about something?” he wondered.

He watched her her ring finger and said, “I’m thinking about what used to be here.”

In his mind he saw the ring around Luhan’s neck. That silver necklace, that silver ring that he always kept hidden inside his shirt.  

“Come to think of it, I’ve known Luhan for about half my life,” Namjoo lifted her head up, “yet, after the divorce I was happy to be separated from him.” A smug smile crossed her lips resentfully. “I hated him. He was like the worst existence I knew of and I thought about him that way for a long time before I eventually got over it.” She sounded regretful. There was this deep tone to her voice that held all the emotions she’d bottled up. “He’s like a best friend to me. We did a lot of stuff together. Couple clothes, holding hands, the ferris wheel, picnics, fishing, reading, shopping, talking all night, kissing, and getting married.”

She turned to look at him with this bounty smile on her lips that spoke of all the happiness she’d once experienced, and honestly, he felt jealous. Why did she have to remember these things and talk to him about it? Kris didn’t want to know about her and Luhan. He didn’t want to know of the things they’d done together or the kind of life they’ve lived anymore.

“If I wasn’t impulsive, I wouldn’t have signed those papers.” Namjoo turned away and tilted her head to the side a little. “And now, I think Luhan is pouring himself into regret. It’s sad to see such a happy man like that.”

“What about you?” Kris wondered. Her head slightly shifted, but she didn’t turn to him. “Don’t you think it’s sad to see you like this?”

Namjoo turned to look at him, “Like what?”

“Thinking about the divorce.” He found himself saying.  

She took a glance at him and turned away. He wanted those eyes back on him.  

“Is that…why you cry a lot?” he asked a little sadly.  

“No.”

This sense of relief flooded him and yet, when he looked at her he saw all this sadness cooped up inside her. Kris recalled those screams of help that night and how she’d walked away from him to lie down on the bed and cried herself to sleep. If Namjoo cried for help, he’d give it all to her. Instead of watching her cry herself to sleep, he wanted to hold her to sleep so that she would know she wasn’t alone. And he suddenly wondered about all the things she’d gone through after the divorce.  

His eyes never left her. “Namjoo, I heard…about your friend.”

The mention of it made Namjoo lift her eyes up from the ground and stared straight ahead at the moon. Then he saw all the conflict on her face again. The guilt that crushed her and the other things she didn’t talk about.

“I’m sorry you had to go through that.”

Namjoo made no movement and his eyes slid down to her hand before he reached for it and entwined his fingers through hers.

D—“:

Eunhyuk paused in the dark of the hallway and peered into the foyer. He recognized Victoria standing in front of the window. She looked like she was leaning forward as if trying to spot something in the sky. Watching her made him curious so he stood there and tried to figure out what exactly it was she was doing. A minute passed by and Victoria still didn’t seem to sense his presence so he stepped into the dark room.

The large moonlight was his nightlight and surprisingly shone in through the square window like a large spotlight for some musical. Eunhyuk walked pass the furniture and made sure not to bump into them. For some reason, he felt like he shouldn’t surprise her. He paused somewhat behind her and felt his eyebrows furrow.

“Star gazing?” he asked.

Victoria didn’t jump at the sound of his voice and he assumed he shouldn’t be surprised. Right in front of him was someone who’d learned to kill while walking around like a mouse in the middle of the night. She would have learned to listen for even the slightest noise possible, and how she remained so calm through it all made him shiver a little.

“I was trying to see if they’re the same stars I’ve seen before.” Victoria said without turning around.

This left him puzzled about what she actually meant.

“It’s not like the sky’s a blanket you can remove and replace,” Eunhyuk said, “it’s the same as any other day, any night.”

“Then how come it shines differently every night?” Victoria wondered before she turned around to look at him. “Like how the smiles on people’s faces change. Smiles aren’t the same, so the sky that takes place every night must be a different sky.”

“Are you making a riddle?” he asked.

Victoria’s eyes shifted to the ground as if disappointed that she didn’t get an answer. She then replied, “Up to you,” before walking away.

The moment her footsteps disappeared down the hallway Eunhyuk turned to look outside the window.

D—“:

Luhan walked up to the long table dressed in green table cloth overfilled with clear plastic cups of cool water. In front of him was the three sets of bleachers and students chatting loudly around him. Behind him was the long track field newly marked with white chalking, a vast soccer field beyond it, and a basketball court outside the track field.

Thirsty after his long run he picked up a cup and chugged down the cold water. A loud gasp relieved him when he swallowed it all and he shook the remaining ice in the cup before turning to look at the girl who’d suddenly appeared beside him. He then realized that she wasn’t staring at him, but at the cup.

“Oh? That was mine.” She pointed to the cup. He tilted his head to look down at the drained cup of water and looked back at the girl who had her hair tied back into a messy ponytail.

“Ah…I’m sorry.” He apologized.

“Nevermind, it’s ok,” she said before she stepped to the side and leaned to her right as if to look for something.

Confused, he slightly turned to look around. “Why?”

“Luhan,” she read the name off his back, “ah…the soccer star.”

His eyes fluttered before he glanced at her shirt and saw a number 9 on the back of her shirt, but no name.

As if noticing, she flashed him a smile, “Then, I’ll see you around, Luhan.”

She put up a hand to wave before walking off. Amused and curious he hurried after her.

“Miss Nine!” he called before catching up to her. “What about you? What’s your name?” She looked caught off guard by his sudden approach before he suggested, “How about a soccer match with me?”

“What?”

“If you lose, I get your name, but if you win, I’ll get it myself.”

A smirk hung over her lips before she said, “Deal.”

After finding an empty court and with the soccer ball in between them he glanced at her before smugly grinning. She peered into his face before kicking the ball aside and passed him. He turned surprised and quickly followed her lead. Once he caught up, he slid his foot between hers and kicked it behind her where he quickly dribbled it with his feet. Turning around he circled her just for the fun of it and he watched her spin around to keep up with him.

“Yah!” she shouted before the corner of his lips curbed up and he let the ball slide by her feet. She reached her foot out for it, but before she could even touch it he took it again. He heard her snort before she spun around to follow him and impulsive grabbed onto his arm with her head tilted down, eyes locked on the ball.

Luhan felt his nose brush against her silky hair and took a whiff of the fruity scented shampoo she used. They were so close. He wondered if she even knew. Swiftly turning her to the side he kicked the ball out of her feet and took a step around her before high kicking the ball into the goal post they’d neared without realizing. A smile brightened his face before he turned to look at her.

She snorted at him, “I knew you’d do that.”

Triumphantly smiling he declared, “So, Miss Nine, your name?”

“Maybe another time,” she’d said before starting to turn around.

“Namjoo! We’re up!” someone screamed from the track field.

They turned to look at each other and he laughed with a smile. “Bye, Miss Nine.”

Then he’d waited for her at the school gates that following Monday and they naturally clicked. It was so weird how they’d worked right away. Then it was college then marriage. Luhan shifted onto his side and stared at the empty cold spot beside him where Namjoo could be laying. Reaching his hand forward he let it lay on the cold spot.

Namjoo was asleep when he’d turned around. They’d had a bitter day and Namjoo had gotten angry with him. She was so angry that she barely talked to him when they returned to their home. Scooting nearer he wrapped an arm around her and pressed his lips against her face. She didn’t move, but tried to push him away a second later.

“Stop it,” she muttered.

He pulled her closer and turned so that he shifted her atop of him. Namjoo’s face landed beside his before she turned and he felt her hair lie in a mess against his face.

“I’m sorry,” he apologized, “so don’t ignore me, ok?”

She still didn’t turn and after a second she pushed herself off him. Luhan turned to see her back and put his hand on her arm.

“Namjoo…” he whined.

“Can you shut up?” she asked turning her head around.

His eyebrows dug into his face before he pulled her toward him. “Ok, I’m sorry. I won’t let them talk to you like that again. You know I care about your opinion too.”

Resting his chin above her head he hugged her closer.

That was right. His parents had tried pressuring her into getting pregnant that day and he hadn’t said anything in her defense. After that, they hadn’t talked about having children again. Their timing to an agreement was always off. When he felt like having one, she didn’t, and when she felt like having one, he didn’t. What would have been like if they’d had their own little Luhan or little Namjoo? He was sure they wouldn’t have split if they’d had a child. Why was he thinking about it now?

Sitting up in bed he waited for a second before starting toward the door. He wouldn’t be able to sleep if he didn’t see her first. And he regretted it even more when he opened the door. 

***It's sooo late ;A; It's almost 4 AM and I'm still on campus ;~; 

***Well, I was somewhat productive. Finished one of my papers and started on my 10 page one. Now I'm waiting for my friend to finish hers so I can go home and sleep then wake up and work on my papers and study for my essay exam tomorrow. ;A; Being a college student is so hard. 

***Heh! Well, I like Luhan's flashbacks xDD Maybe I'll have some more later. We'll see. 

***And EunToria moment! They're one of my favorite crackships xDD

***P.S. I think I found you, Misseumong, on twitter LOL

***Oh by the way, I have a twitter, I just rarely ever tweet or touch it. it's minifantasy1