"Any luck with the animal?" Lee Seunghyun asked Choi Seunghyun as the two sat down for lunch. Choi Seunghyun just grunted as he shoved some potatoes into his mouth, brushing his dark brown hair out of his eyes. He looked into the door at the other end of the room.

"Is the kid still alive?" he asked. His young companion chuckled and nodded, tossing a small plate at the door. The tin disc clattered to the ground, and there was a small shuffling sound coming from the inside.

"Minho? Minho, is that you?" the voice asked weakly. Lee Seunghyun smirked as he listened to the pathetic pleading. This was fun to two sadists like the ones listening in at the moment.

"Why don't you just give in and eat already? We need you alive, you little ," Lee Seunghyun snapped. There was an angry shuffling sound from within the small prison, and the two men outside snickered as the little guy's voice flared up.

"No! I won't eat until you guys give me Minho! Give me back my Minho!" Taemin shouted. He was still cuffed, angrily kicking at the door, even if he was starving and weak and the food in the corner smelled really yummy. But no! He wasn't going to eat without Minho!

"Minho ate our food, you know. You should follow your little friend's example and eat up, or else you'll die," a different voice said. Choi Seunghyun smirked as he sat back and said this, waiting for the little kid's response.

"So what? He does all of the fighting, and he does all of the running around, and he's hungry, so he should eat! I don't want to eat! I want Minho!" Taemin shouted. His voice betrayed how weak he was, but he had to keep holding out.

"Your little friend isn't gong to see you unless you eat. You don't want to die before you guys meet again, do you?" Choi Seunghyun asked with a smirk. There was a moment of silence as Taemin deliberated this point. He didn't want to die, this was true... And he was really hungry...

"I hate you," he whimpered as he rolled off to the tray of food. He managed to push himself up and sniffed at the food, determining what was what. There was some sort of vegetable paste, and then there was bread, and some meat of some kind. He leaned down, his hands in shackled behind his back, and picked up the bread with his teeth. Slowly, he chewed it.

"Hey, Seunghyun-ah, do you think we should check on that Minho kid? I heard he started a huge brawl in the cafeteria," Lee Seunghyun said, loud enough for Taemin to hear. The boy froze, mid-chew, and listened in. He slowly ate some of the meat as the conversation kept going.

"Sure, Seunghyun-ah, but we should go check on the troops first. They're training above ground at the moment, right? Plus, I heard that Minho kid is in the hospital wing for at least a week," Choi Seunghyun said. Lee Seunghyun smirked as he got up and headed for the door, only to feel a hand grab him around the back of the neck.

"Y-yeah?" Lee Seunghyun asked nervously. He felt the hand constrict, and he started seeing a few colors that he didn't think he should be seeing. His companion pressed his lips to the trembling man's ear.

"Don't you ever call me Choi Seunghyun again. I'm TOP, and that's the end of it. Do you understand me?" he snarled softly. Lee Seunghyun nodded, eager to be released. He took a deep gasp of air as TOP released his neck.

"Geez, Mr. Sensitive over here," Seunghyun scoffed. TOP rolled his eyes and dragged Seunghyun after him as he headed for the elevator. They stood inside, adjusting their camouflaged outfits and brushing the dirt off of each other's padded shoulders. They went up, above their underground base, leaving Taemin to eat his meal guiltily.

"You smell like dog piss," Seunghyun observed. He looked down to see a dark spot on TOP's leg, the stain soaked thoroughly into the fabric of his pants and the army boots. TOP just scowled.

"Damned dog..." The elevator went up, and Taemin stopped to listen to the sound. He trembled. Minho in the hospital wing? Why? What had happened? Who had hurt his Minho?

"Minho, you're alright, right? N-no one hurt you, right?" Taemin whimpered. Minho had to be okay. He just had to.

In some other end of the underground base, Minho woke up groggily, rubbing his head as the fog cleared from his brain. Cat-boy was the first thing he saw, a face full of concern and curiosity. Minho tried to sit up, but a set of arms kept him down.

"Hey, you're very weak. You night want to take it easy for a few weeks, okay?" the soothing voice said. Minho groaned and turned his head to see a well-shaped face with spiky black hair and a smart grin. He groaned louder as his brain took a vacation for a moment and mistook the face for that of a puppy.

"Jonghyun-ah, stop putting pressure on his chest," Cat-boy ordered. Puppy-boy (aka Jonghyun) nodded and removed his broad arms, but kept his eyes on his patient. Minho tried weakly to say something, but his tongue was like sandpaper.

"Kibum, get him some water," Jonghyun said as Minho looked around. The walls of this large room were studded with IV bags and surgical equipment and syringes. Vials sat in a corner, resting next to a pile of bandages. Minho looked groggily at the rows of clean, white beds, at the bathroom-esque tiles that formed the walls, at the blue-tiled floor, and sighed.

"Where's Taemin?" he moaned softly, looking at Kibum with out-of-focus eyes. Kibum tipped his head to the side in confusion, clearly having no clue about anything coming out of Minho's mouth. The slowly-awakening boy reached out and grabbed Kibum's arm. He tried to drag himself up, but his eyes were blocked by a rainbow of colors.

"Woah, woah, you've got to take a little break, new kid. Here, drink this," Jonghyun said calmingly. Minho let the water slip into his mouth from the glass that was pressed to his lips. Cool, sweet water. Next was a little bit of bread, which Minho ate without arguing. His brain was rational now, and he knew that he needed food, no matter what.

"Where am I?" he asked finally, his eyes clearing up. Kibum chuckled and pressed his hand to Minho's forehead to feel for a fever as Jonghyun got some meat. Minho let himself be fed, chewing weakly.

"You're in the hospital wing. I'm the head doctor here, as well as one of the soldiers. Jonghyun's an egghead tank driver who helps me out," Kibum said with a mischievous look at the well-muscled man. Jonghyun looked at Kibum with the look of an alert dog.

"Yah! I'm not an egghead!" he barked, causing Kibum to laugh and Minho to crack a smile. Jonghyun reached over and grabbed a towel, snapping it at Kibum like a whip. The cat-eyed boy just grinned wider, grabbing the end of the towel and yanking. Jonghyun stumbled out of his seat and ended up chest-to-chest with the slim male, their eyes locking.

Minho felt a pain in his chest, missing Taemin more.

"U-um... Yah, egghead, go get some more food," Kibum said with shaky sterness. Jonghyun nodded and rushed out of the room, his face as red as a late sunset. Kibum watched him go, and Minho couldn't miss the way he sighed.

"How long have you two been together?" Minho asked as he picked up the meat that had landed on his chest. He resumed eating, his strength returning bit by bit, as Kibum's eyes widened at the question. The slim boy's body contorted as he coughed and choked and cleared his throat dramatically.

"Wow um wow we wow ahem," he said, hitting his chest and trying to clear some imaginary wad of phlegm from his throat. Minho watched the display with great interest. Finally, Kibum recovered. "We are, on many different levels, not a couple."

"I didn't even ask if you were a couple," Minho pointed out, smirking as Kibum's face turned pink, red, an then a funny magenta-type of color. Minho laughed as he finished off his food and watched Kibum squirm.

"W-well..." Kibum was cut off by Jonghyun entering the room with a couple of apples. Minho watched the shiny, luscious orbs as they rolled onto the bed, an he immediately grabbed one and sank his teeth into it. Jonghyun grinned proudly.

"There's never a shortage of apples, you know, or meat or anything. Since we're underground no zombies can get to us, and we can grow anything we want here," he said with a satisfied look at Kibum, who just blushed and looked away.

"Oh yeah! By the way, who's Taemin?" Kibum asked suddenly, looking up, "You were calling out for him in your sleep, and you kept reaching out for him." Minho stopped, mid-chew, and blinked slowly. He wiped the juice from the apple off his chin and looked down at the half-eaten fruit.

"He's... He's my friend," Minho mumbled softly. The room grew silent, and Minho could feel his heart clenching painfully. That's right. Taemin was still somewhere, scared and alone... And Minho couldn't do anything about it, except get off of his as fast as possible.

"Hey, are you okay?" Jonghyun asked softly. Minho let out a little snarl and bit down on the apple to hold it before trying to get out of bed despite the aching all over his body. He had to get Taemin back. He just... He had to.

"Hey, slow down! You're in no condition to move yet!" Kibum said urgently, but Minho pushed the slim boy back with his arm and jammed his feet into a pair of socks, and then combat boots. He was in a hospital gown, but he didn't care.

"Minho, you need at least a weak to heal up! Your systems are still really weak, and your muscles aren't properly rebuilt, and—" Minho cut off Jonghyun's yapping promptly by grabbing the apple and shoving it into his mouth. Minho tore out of the hospital wing, his body burning with fury. He didn't care that the only things he was wearing were a set of boxers and a hospital gown that flapped around his legs. He didn't care that his knees were shaking with every step. He didn't care that he was running down an unfamiliar hallway and was liable to end up anywhere.

All he cared about was Taemin.

He found a large set of metal doors with an "up" button and a "down" button. Reason would state that these were the doors to the elevator. Minho jammed the "up" button all the way in and watched the doors open for him. He dived in, hearing Kibum and Jonghyun shout out behind him. He punch the top floor, damned if it was his goal or not.

"Minho, you're not strong en—" Kibum's voice was cut off by the doors closing, and Minho let out a long breath of relief. He leaned against the cool elevator walls, panting for breath as the fabric of his hospital gown settled around him.

"What am I doing? Am I a complete idiot?" he chided himself, but he knew that he was already halfway there, and damn it, Taemin was worth it. He looked at the metal ceiling of the elevator, sighing as he ran his hands through his hair. Taemin was definitely worth this.

It'd just be nice to know what "this" was.

A sudden ding snapped Minho out of his stupor. Minho looked down at the doors, only to recoil from the sudden influx of light. He shielded his eyes with his arm and stepped out slowly into the outside world.

What was this? What were these obstacle courses, these racks of weapons, these crisply-pressed uniforms? Who were these people climbing poles, shooting at targets, throwing each other on the ground? Minho took each step steadily, his eyes watching the scene in front of him. He gradually lowered his arm, blinking as the sun filtered into his eyes.

"Hey! What are you doing out of the hospital room?" a voice shouted. Minho growled as someone grabbed him by the arm, and he punched a gut without thinking. He spun around to see a man, stature well-built, hair well-shaven on both sides to form a Mohawk. Minho's eyes narrowed.

"Leave me alone," he snarled, eyeing the man's well-padded camo-combat suit. The man circled him, and Minho turned to face him at all angles. The two men glared at each other, their fists clenched and ready.

"Get back where you belong," the man spat out. Minho snarled as he forced himself not to fight. He felt a whole crowd of eyes turn to him, and he sensed an enclosing hoard.

"I am where I belong," he hissed, and the man pounced. Minho caught him by the arms and flipped him onto the dirt. A few well-aimed blows to the stomach had the man coughing, but suddenly the man's foot was on Minho's chest and Minho was being flipped.

"Don't make me kill you," the man snarled. He reached behind him, pulling a knife from the back of his belt. Minho's eyes were fixed on the blade, and he lunged for it.

"Don't even try!" he roared as he grabbed the man's wrist. He tried to twist the man's arm, but his opponent was too strong. Minho felt himself pushed back, the knife now headed for his stomach. He barely managed to smack the man's arm away, exposing the broad chest. Using the heel of his palm, Minho shoved him and grabbed the hand holding the weapon.

"Damn you, little bastard!" Minho's adversary snarled, aiming a fist at Minho's gut. Minho barely managed to dodge, slipping to the side so that he was back-to-back with his opponent. Putting all of his strength into his legs, he threw the man onto the ground and started forcing the dagger towards the man's throat.

"... You..." Minho snarled out as he strained to get the weapon closer to the pulsing veins in his adversary's neck. The man's eyes filled with panic as he grabbed Minho's wrists, trying to hold back the weapon. Minho put his other hand onto the weapon's hilt and doubled his efforts. reason. He was pissed.

"Break it up!" a voice shouted, and Minho felt two hands on his shoulders, pulling him away. He snarled as he struggled to get back to his enemy, but he was being dragged off and there was nothing left for him to fight with. Nothing but anger, and even that was running low.

"Let me go! Let me go! I can take this guy on!" Mohawk-man was yelling as he was helped up by several camoflague-clad companions. Minho growled out a challenge as he was restrained by three pairs of arms.

"Youngbae! Control yourself!" a deep voice barked. Mohawk-man froze and glared at something over Minho's shoulder. Minho tried to twist his head around to see who it was, but his face was pushed down and he was staring at grass.

"S-Seunghyun..." Youngbae whispered. Minho felt a new anger surge through him, and he yanked his arms free, his dagger in front of his chest. He was panting, eyes narrowed, but he froze. No... No, this wasn't Seunghyun.

"Hey, what's with the attitude?" the other Seunghyun asked, brushing his hair from his eyes again. He grabbed Minho's wrist and, as the boy tried to comprehend a second Seunghyun, twisted the boy's arm until he was on the ground.

"L-let me go!" Minho grunted, struggling. Seunghyun number 2 jabbed the dagger into the ground by Minho's cheek, watching a small slit form on the boy's face, right under his eye. Minho hissed in pain, but kept wriggling under the man's strong grip.

"You must be thinking of Lee Seunghyun, my little feisty friend. Well, I'm not that Seunghyun. In fact, I prefer the name TOP, if you don't mind," the man whispered acidly into Minho's ear. The boy shivered as TOP lifted him and flipped him onto his back. Suddenly, he was looking at the sky, his whole body alight with trembles.

"S-sir, if you'll please release my patient," a familiar voice stammered. Minho looked to the side and saw Kibum, shadowed by Jonghyun, approach the tall man like a criminal approaching a jury.

"Why should I?" TOP snarled as he looked up at the doctor. Kibum's face was twitching with repressed anger, but before he could give an answer, Minho had hooked his leg around Seunghyun's arm and displaced it, swinging over the man an pressing his back to the ground. Minho sat on Seunghyun's chest, smirking.

"No need, I can do it myself," Minho snarled as Kibum rushed over. Minho felt Kibum's arms around his wrist, tugging on him to go, but Minho wasn't leaving. He was going to get Taemin back, and that task started with training. Well, he was here, and he was ready to train.

"Minho, you still need at least a week to recover," Kibum pleaded, but Minho brushed him off and glared at TOP, who was looking back with a mixture of anger and contemplation. Minho felt the man try to get up, and he felt the simultaneous pull of Kibum, and then he was tumbling onto the grass. He scrambled to his feet, not minding the grass stains on his hospital gown.

"Get this kid a uniform," Seunghyun ordered as he got to his feet. He smirked at Minho as the boy was dragged off. This was going to be a fun day.

~

It would have been nice to know that Youngbae, as well as being a prick, was also the general in charge of training the soldiers. However, Minho hadn't know that when he'd beat the crap out of the man. As a result, he was subjected to Hell for a day.

"Minho! Jump over the barbed wire faster! Come on, boy! I want to see your legs shaking!" Youngbae barked. Minho snarled as he crouched low to the dirt before springing at the one-and-a-half-foot high wall covered in the metal, prickly material. He felt his leg catch in the wires, but he managed to kick himself free and land on the grass below.

"Get up, come on," someone grunted, tugging on Minho's arm. Minho got up and felt some blood trickle into his new combat boots, but he was determined not to fall down. The man helping him patted the dirt from Minho's back. "I'm Daesung, by the way."

"Choi Minho," the boy said, shaking Daesung's hand. The man's smile was friendly, but Minho could see that his body was conditioned for a fight. Minho heard Youngbae's sharp order to get back to work, and he dashed off, trying to jump the fence again. He managed to clear it, meeting the ground with his back and rolling through the grass. Daesung landed next to him, body staunchly placed on the ground.

"Damn, kid, you're not riotous at this, are you?" Daesung laughed as he grabbed Minho by the shoulders and plopped him onto his feet. Minho snarled as he glared at Youngbae and then the barbed wire.

"I'm fine," Minho snarled. Daesung laughed and yanked Minho's shoulders back so that the boy was standing as straight as a pole. He pushed the boy a little lower, putting a bend in Minho's knees, and bent Minho's torso forward.

"Alright, put as much weight as you can in your chest, but as much strength as you can in your legs," Daesung murmured. Minho did as he was told, launching into the air at the wall. He cleared it by a mere inch, and he landed shakily on his feet. Daesung followed, smirking.

"Thanks," Minho said, steading himself as the whistle was blown and he had to jog off to the next station. Daesung was right beside him, looking at his bloodied leg with concern.

"You might want to bind that up," the man said. Minho nodded and paused to wrestle the bandages from his belt. He wrapped the cotton strip around his wounds. He sighed and looked at the seeping injury before standing up and yanking the leg of his pants over the white swath. Out of sight, out of mind.

"I'm ed," Minho sighed as he came to the edge of the next station. A deep pool, with bulging sacks of rice sitting at the edge. He could see Youngbae smirking as all of the soldiers lined up at the pool's edge.

"I don't want a single ing drop of water on these bags, do you hear me? If this bag was a baby, then it'd better not ing drown! Now, line up and dive in, you !" Youngbae roared. Minho was passed a sack, and he tossed it down the line. Again and again, until it was his turn to grab the heavy bag and pray.

Some tried to back- their way down the pool, but the weight of the bag caused their torsos to sink and the back to be immersed. Some tried to balance the bag on their head and wade through, but the pool was way too deep. They bobbed up and down, water seeping into the sack. Minho snarled with frustration before he held the bag tightly and waded into the pool on his bag. However, he held the back above his chest, his arms straight up, and kicked with his legs. Sure, he looked like an idiot, but he wasn't failing, and that was all that mattered. At the other end of the pool, the crowd watched in awe.

"Damn, the kid figured it out," Youngbae hissed, and Minho couldn't help but smirk. He already felt nothing but a deep hatred for the pompous bastard, and he flashed him a glare as he was pulled from the water by Daesung.

"Good job," the older male murmured as Minho shook himself out. Water scattered everywhere and troops gathered and clamored to pat the boy's soaking back.

If Taemin had been there, Minho would have been infinite times happier.

A/N—Good Pluffy, peeing on the big, bad TOP~

All of Big Bang is here :'D

Mini 2min reunion next chappie? Say yes or no~ ^-^

More to come, comments are love~!!! <3