After a refreshing shower and a new change of clothes (to Kyungsoo’s surprise, their technology was the same as in his house), he was feeling a thousand times better. Except for his numb arm, of course. He sighed and rubbed his shoulder achingly, which had been hastily wrapped in bandages.

He was given a room, with Sehun just next door. It was far from what Kyungsoo had expected- it was sleek, polished, and looked like a freaking house that a billionaire would live in. Not that he was complaining though. It just made him wonder where all the money came from.

There was a knock on his door, and Kyungsoo sat upright on his bed, wondering who it was. “Come in!”

He was even more surprised when Kai walked in, holding a box that looked like a first aid kit. He gazed at Kyungsoo, holding it up. “Treatment for your shoulder?”

“Oh, uh, sure,” Kyungsoo spluttered, hastily clearing his things. Kai sat down next to him on the bed, opening the box and rubbing ointment onto his fingers. Kyungsoo watched in slight fascination, staring at Kai’s face.

“Erm, you need to take your shirt off,” Kai said, amusement in his voice. Kyungsoo flushed pink, before hurriedly stripping free of his shirt, tossing it onto the floor. Kai leaned in carefully, unwrapping the bandages from his shoulder. Kyungsoo gasped lightly as he ran his fingers over the wound, sparks emitting from his touch.

“It’s not too deep,” Kai said, rubbing the lotion onto the wound. “It should heal in a few days.”

Kyungsoo turned his head slowly, Kai’s face just a few inches from his. His gaze was like fire burning into Kyungsoo’s skin, and he swallowed thickly.

“Thanks for saving me twice,” Kyungsoo mumbled lamely, averting his eyes. Kai smiled and sat back, inspecting his work.

“You’re like a magnet for trouble,” Kai replied, putting the lotion back into the box. Kyungsoo sighed as Kai retied the bandages on.

“How did you know where to find me?” he asked curiously. Kai his lips nervously.

“I kind of.... followed you.” Kai stared down at the floor, then sneaked a glance at Kyungsoo. “I was worried.”

“You were worried?” Kyungsoo laughed. “No one ever worries about me.”

“It’s nice to have someone worry about you,” Kai said, his tone wistful. “I haven’t felt like that in such a long time.”

“That can’t be true,” Kyungsoo protested. “You have so many allies.”

“I doubt they worry about me,” Kai laughed, the sound like bells tinkling. “Most of the time, we’re too busy worrying about ourselves than to worry about others.”

Kyungsoo pursed his lips. The boy sitting in front of him was barely his age. Yet he was leading a terrorist group, has a strange teleportation skill, and can die at any moment. Somehow, he felt that Kai was similar to him, being burdened with such a duty at a young age.

“You’re an Outcast,” Kyungsoo murmured quietly. “Those teleportation skills, they–“

“That’s right,” Kai interrupted, his tone suddenly hard. “I’ve had them ever since I was young.”

Kyungsoo shifted uncomfortably in his spot. “I’ve been told that Outcasts can go beserk, losing control of their powers.”

“Really?” Kai’s eyes were suddenly holding his gaze, a flicker of uncertainty in them. “Are you afraid of me, Kyungsoo?” He leaned in until their faces were only a few inches apart. He felt Kai’s breath ghost across his lips.

“I’m not afraid of you.” More than afraid, he was fascinated by this mysterious boy. Kai paused for while, his eyes searching Kyungsoo’s face. Then he leaned back and sighed, standing up.

“I really don’t know how to deal with you sometimes,” he muttered, shaking his head as he took the first aid kit and walked out. Kyungsoo heard the door open and close, and he fell back on his bed, wincing a little as his shoulder throbbed with pain.

What did he mean by that?

~+~

Over the next few days as his shoulder had healed, Kyungsoo tried to investigate, but Charles kept dragging him around, saying that he and Sehun required “special training” if they were to join the group. He was introduced to a man with smoky eyes by the name of Tao, who looked at Kyungsoo as if he was his mortal enemy for life. Kyungsoo gulped while Sehun grinned cheerily.

“Tao’s an experienced martial arts master. He’s half Chinese, if you haven’t figured it out,” Charles introduced him to Kyungsoo. “This guy’s Kyungsoo, and that’s Sehun.”

“Hey there, so you’re going to–“ Charles slapped Sehun’s hand away before he could touch Tao’s hand. “Not you. You’re going to be training with Luhan.”

“Ehh?” Sehun exclaimed, craning his head around to look at the other boy. “How come I don’t get the kung-fu master?

“That’s just too bad. Now get out of my way,” Charles snapped. “And Luhan isn’t as soft as he looks; you’re underestimating him.”

Luhan narrowed his eyes at Sehun and reached out to grab his arm. “Not here. We’ll be training in the other room.” They walked out together, Sehun still smirking.

Kyungsoo looked back at Tao, who glared at him like daggers.

Great. How am I supposed to find this Jongin when I’m stuck here?

However, he soon found himself enjoying this kind of life that he never had before in the Republic. The Inferiors weren’t bad people at all, and Tao had actually opened up to him. To his surprise, he found out that the boy was only seventeen, two years younger than he was.

“Why are you looking so surprised?” Tao had said while munching on a piece of cake happily. “Kai’s only a year older than me.”

Kai had somehow taken a liking to tease Kyungsoo everyday. Of course, it made him annoyed, but as time went by, so did his affection for the younger boy. He was obviously too young to be leading such a group, yet sometimes he acted like he was older than Kyungsoo was. But he didn’t miss the lonely, sad expressions that Kai had when he was alone. His heart would somehow feel tight in his chest whenever he saw Kai like that, and it bothered him.

Who the hell was he kidding. They were freaking enemies for god’s sake. He might even have to fight them one day. Kyungsoo repeated the words in his head everyday, the nightmare of his sister getting killed making him wake up again and again in cold sweat. His desire for revenge grew had grown stronger since he had left.

Kyungsoo sighed as he finished training for the day and walked back into his room, shifting to the balcony. The night sky was amazingly breathtaking, the only thing that Kyungsoo thought was nice in the dumps.

“It’s so beautiful,” Kyungsoo murmured to himself. The stars seemed to be twinkling at him.

“Isn’t it?” A voice said softly. Kyungsoo whirled around in surprise, spotting Kai standing there, smiling.

“How did you get inside?” Kyungsoo spluttered, taking a step back. Kai laughed gently.

“I can teleport?” He walked over to Kyungsoo, leaning against the balcony railing. “Sorry for intruding.”

“N-No,” Kyungsoo said, still slightly confused at why the boy was here. “It’s fine.” He looked down at the floor, trying to calm his frantic heart.

Darn it. He would somehow always be nervous when the boy was around. He couldn’t understand why.

Kai sighed, running a hand through his coal black hair, feeling the wind against his face. “Kyungsoo, do you think what we’re doing is right?”

“Eh?” Kyungsoo snapped his head up at the unexpected question. “What makes you say that?

“I don’t know,” Kai breathed out gently. “Sometimes, I just wish that all this fighting would end. But....”

“But?”

“The way the Republicans treat us make me sick,” Kai closed his eyes in disgust. “Did you know? Every month, they pick out ten people, and take them to the Republic. No one knows what they do with them, and they were never seen again.”

Kyungsoo narrowed his eyes at this piece of information. Never in his life had he heard about people being taken as hostages into the Republic. Something inside his mind clicked, and he opened his mouth.

“Was it the same for your friend?” He blurted out before thinking. Kai stiffened, and Kyungsoo winced at his own carelessness. The other boy abruptly turned around and walked back into the room, his footsteps sounding heavy on the floor.

“Who told you that?” Kai said quietly, stopping in his tracks. Kyungsoo squirmed uncomfortably in his spot, and Kai closed his eyes.

“We were only eight when the androids started to do their annual selection of ten people. Our parents were horrified. They would do anything to protect their children, and that’s what they did.” Kai laughed bitterly. “My dad went out to fight, while my mom died shielding me. My friend was the same, having lost his parents in a surprise attack. Suddenly, both of us were orphans. We only had each other.”

Kyungsoo kept his eyes on the boy before him and tried to keep calm. But inside, he was horrified. He had always been told that the attacks on the Inferiors were for defending purposes, not something like this.

“We were ten when my friend was taken away. I was there; I watched him get knocked out and carried away. But because I was a coward, I didn’t help him. I couldn’t help him.” Kai covered his face with his hands. “All of us were too weak to fight against the Republic. Even now, I don’t know if we can do this.”

“.....I don’t think what you’re doing is wrong.”

Kai looked up in surprise as Kyungsoo spoke calmly towards him. “I think...you should do what you think is right. Charles, Tao, Luhan­–they trust you. You shouldn’t doubt yourself.”

Kai looked dumbfounded for a while, then he stifled a laugh, covering his mouth. “You’re really a weird one.”

Kyungsoo felt his face heat up. “Excuse me, how am I–mmf.”

He was interrupted by Kai wrapping his arms around his waist in a warm embrace. “Thanks,” Kai whispered, a hint of smile in his words. “I feel much better now.”

Kyungsoo squirmed a little in his grip. “Um, Kai....”

“Do you dislike it?” Kai breathed into his ear. “If you do, you can push me away.”

Something gets caught in his throat, and for a while he stayed silent, feeling Kai’s heartbeat through his chest. Then the corners of Kai’s lips curve up as Kyungsoo slowly rests his head against his shoulder, closing his eyes in comfort.

“No....I don’t dislike it.”                

Author's Note

Some Kaisoo development in this chapter keke~ Next chapter will dig deep into more about the killer :D