Hey guys! As you can see i am back and writing after a hiatus close to a year. I feel so indebted to all you subbers, all 8 of you, for waiting patiently for my update.. so i shall update with 2 chapters today! HORRAY! :D

Shout out to my 8 subbers : oppyagustina, fanof-fanfic, AyuASN, iLurveFishysx3, juju95lc, xODarkMistOx,
Hibikiri & _xUnbreakablex_! Thanks for being patient for the updates! I wish i could give you donuts but here's hearts for you!! ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

I editted the foreword of this series btw, in case you haven't noticed.. hehe just saying~

Okay so, without further ado, here goes! :)

               DaeHyun’s fringe flapped along with the cool wind of the night. He was sitting perched on the window by the living room after making dinner for him and JongUp. There was not a lot of ingredients left in the fridge and they were short on money. Only DaeHyun knew this because as much as he can, he made sure JongUp was comfortable. Already, DaeHyun was caught up with 2 different jobs. Just today, the bakery was closed because the owner had to attend a family event. Before, they were doing really well financially as he had worked as a waiter in a restaurant in the day and by night, he would go out on missions given by the clan. The reward money from the mission actually was sufficient to live by and he took on another ‘normal’ job as a waiter to look decent for JongUp. However, after that incident three years ago, he had left the clan and started a new.

                The incident of three years ago, it still haunts him until today. Even more so because one of the clan members had cornered him just yesterday. YongNam, yes, DaeHyun remembered now. YongNam, who had been promoted to second chief after DaeHyun had left the clan. YongNam who, like DaeHyun, lost a brother that unfortunate night.

                DaeHyun’s life as a ninja dated way back to his adolescent years. Back then, he was just curious who were the people who to him, ‘were like shadows’. He was just walking home from the library when he heard light tapping sounds on the zinc roof. He saw shadow flying really fast and he had thought that they were ghosts. Scared, he took out a sharp wooden pencil from his pocket and threw it at the fast shadow. As if caught by surprise, the shadow stopped accelerating and landed on the roof as a man holding the pencil. That was when he met his first ninja who turned out to be a chief. He was so impressed by DaeHyun that he took him in and taught him the art of defense. Once he was ready, he was introduced to the chief’s clan: the Kaji Clan. He was fifteen then.

                Being a fast learner, DaeHyun was promoted faster than anyone else who had first joined the clan and gained the reputation of “The Night child”. He was well received by the clan, but the worse had yet to come. A year after his recruitment, he was placed in charge of a top level mission – to steal the heritage scroll of their enemy clan, the Annam Clan. A born talent, DaeHyun succeeded at completing the mission but it came with a price.

               DaeHyun resisted the urge to turn to the living room behind him. That night after the successful mission, DaeHyun came home to a house literally washed in red- the red blood of his parents’ body lying limply in the middle of the living room. Fortunately, JongUp, who was six then, was in a school camp. DaeHyun managed to clean the house off its red with tears streaming down his face and then sent them to the hospital by the day after. He went home to wait for JongUp who was still oblivious to what happened. Strangely, JongUp did not cry as bad as he had expected. JongUp merely clung onto him dearly as DaeHyun poured his tears out, as if comforting him.

               DaeHyun remembered what JongUp had said then, “It’s okay, hyung. I still have you.”

               Such innocent words are what had warmed DaeHyun’s heart. With that, he swore to protect JongUp with all his life and beyond. There was no one else left in his world but him and JongUp.

               However, he could not sit still. DaeHyun had to seek revenge for his parents. The night when JongUp came home, after settling JongUp to sleep, DaeHyun went to Kaji clan’s base to report. To his dismay, he saw his ex-sensei burning the scroll. All that loss, just to burn the scroll. “You want to be a ninja? Accepting what is lost and past is what being a ninja is, “ he remembered his ex-sensei’s words like crystal.

               Furious, DaeHyun quit right there and left. Right after that, he surrendered himself to the Annam clan.

               DaeHyun chuckled at the memory. He was so afraid that the Annam clan would kill him then and there, just like they did his parents. He knew they were responsible for his parents because he had made a mistake of removing his mask to have a better look at the complex lock which held the scroll. It would not have been a wonder how they knew him. Other than that, he was totally worried what would happen to JongUp if he really did die. What will happen to his dear brother? He was the only one left to protect JongUp, and he did swore to do exactly that, but what would be achieved if he died there? Why was I so stupid?

               Fortunately, the Annam clan did not kill him. Instead, they let him state his cause of surrender. Hearing his pains and plans, the Annam clan actually took him in. Apparently, his reputation as the “Night Child” was spread thus far. DaeHyun had the skills and information of Annam’s arch enemy clan. Therefore, they had decided to keep him, but not without surveillance. That was when he met HimChan.

               HimChan was the same age as DaeHyun, seventeen then, and was the new second chief of Annam clan then. Everywhere HimChan went, DaeHyun had to follow and vice versa. HimChan was a nice guy. Although he was the second chief,  and had to keep DaeHyun under surveillance, he treated DaeHyun like his brother. Most probably because HimChan is new and still under training. Similarly, HimChan’ parents were murdered, but worse, in front of him, by the Kaji clan. It pained DaeHyun to tell him that he was indeed from Kaji clan and it was HimChan’s clan that killed his parents.

               “Then why are you here? Shouldn’t you be seeking revenge on this clan instead?” HimChan asked with his familiar rough voice.

               They were sitting on the roof of the clan house after reporting their completed mission to enjoy the breeze. “Well, it was complicated. If they hadn’t given me the mission knowing the consequence, my parents would not have died. They should not have acted so proud of my achievements and then turning away when my parents were murdered,” DaeHyun admitted. “That’s why I’ve decided to join this clan, their archenemy. I thought with the information I have, this clan would accept me and then slaughter the Kaji clan. I was right. All I have to do now is to wait for the final mission- exterminate Kaji Clan.”

               HimChan had nodded beside him. “Yeah, I guess all in all we both have the same goal,” HimChan concluded before glancing on this watch. “Hey, it’s close so sunrise. JongUp’s gona get up up up anytime soon!”

               HimChan was really close with DaeHyun to the extent that DaeHyun had allowed HimChan the knowledge of his last family member. It was quite inevitable, now that HimChan had to follow him and all. Besides, HimChan was family. JongUp really liked HimChan too and once in a while HimChan would join them for dinner or a ‘family activity’. Otherwise, HimChan would be training at the roof or out and about but still aware of DaeHyun’s whereabouts. Also, it was DaeHyun who helped HimChan perfect his ninjutsu, especially his grenade throws. His grenade throws were horrible.

               “Good strength but everything else, nope,” DaeHyun had commented to HimChan that one night of training after making sure JongUp went to bed. HimChan had the tendency to release the grenade from his hold earlier than supposed. This, DaeHyun helped him to perfect but old habits die hard. Yet, together, they trained hard and helped each other improve as they waited for that final mission to be announced.

               Sure enough, after seven years of rigorous training, the mission that they had been waiting for was finally mapped out. The twenty-four year-olds DaeHyun and HimChan were elated at the news, even more because HimChan was placed in charge of the mission. HimChan was especially excited. It was his first mission in charge and it was a mission he had been waiting for. Finally, he could seek the revenge he wanted.

               DaeHyun looked up to the sky and breathed in the night air. The moon was a crescent tonight, DaeHyun observed. In a week’s time, it would be just like that night three years ago. The moonless night when they had to carry out the mission.

               They had successfully infiltrated the perimeters of the Kaji clan and there was only one thing left to do-to throw the bomb that would eradicate the Kaji clan. HimChan was put responsible for that last step. Everybody was in position. DaeHyun was behind a tree, beside him was either YongNam or Yongguk, the twins, who was eyeing the other twin supporting HimChan from the side. Now, he knew the twin beside him was actually YongNam. HimChan stood up on the boulder to signal to the Annam ninjas around the hide out to stand-by. DaeHyun saw from where he was, that HimChan’s hands were shaking. He mentally cursed at HimChan, shouting to him to calm down, but it was impossible to do so. Weighting the grenade on his palms, he counted.

               One… two… Three! HimChan pelted the grenade to its target.

               It all went well up to this point. As if in slow motion, the grenade, that one grenade, happened to slip from HimChan’s hands and instead hit the wall beside the alley where the grenade was supposed to land, causing it to bounce back and-

               Daehyun shook his head at the dreadful memory. That was when he lost his brother, HimChan. That was when YongNam lost his brother, Yongguk, too. Strangely, YongNam had the sense to move and attempt to run to his brother but DaeHyun merely stood rooted to the ground, wide eyed, as the grenade came flying back. The grenade went off in mid-air, right in front of the boulder HimChan and Yongguk was on. The impact was so great that it killed the two of them on site and Yongguk’s knife flew out to YongNam’s face to slash his eye which thus made it useless.

               It was a very unfortunate night. Not only was the mission a total failure, but none of the Kaji clan was killed. The explosion was not even noticed by the Kaji clan. Furthermore, what that had ached DaeHyun so much that he decided to leave ninja all in all, was the loss of another family member. HimChan was lost to him. Once again, DaeHyun’s life was shattered and thrown into oblivion.

               After that day, he quit and disappeared entirely from the dark life of ninja. He started anew and took up more jobs in order to raise JongUp, just the two of them. With what was left from the missions, they managed to live by everyday as usual until lately, DaeHyun realized they were getting short of money.

               DaeHyun knew they needed money- and fast. The taxes on the unpaid bills were continuously rolling in if DaeHyun didn’t pay them up. DaeHyun sighed.

               Below, he heard footsteps walking towards the apartment. Standing up, he turned and retreated into the house.