Kai sat there, blood drying on his hands as a battle raged around him. Yet, the only thing he could think of was the broken boy whose head lay in his lap. Kai reached down and took in the wounds, chest shredded, ribs broken, and a maroon liquid dribbling in a steady stream from his mouth. The boy’s eyes flickered open for half a beat and he painstakingly lifted his hand to Kai’s face. Kai leaned into it and pressed his own slightly larger one over it. 

“Kaikai...” The voice breathed.

“Sehun, please.” Kai almost begged with a stoic face, and soon it was pulled into a mask of emotion. 

“I can’t and neither can you, it’s over. Run.” Sehun said normally white teeth stained with blood. 

“No, Lay can fix this.” Kai responded cuttingly, his old resolve covering the despair.

“You’re wrong, but I’m glad.” 

Sehun let his eyes droop further and lifted his other hand and yanked as hard as his weakened state would allow him. A necklace came off in his fist, and Sehun pulled down Kai’s arm, pressing the pendent into his waiting hand. Kai reflexively closed his palm and looked down at Sehun, who nodded. Slowly, a wind stirred and whipped around, lifting the dust and circling before dissipating into the distance, calling for the rest of the group. 

“You have to do something, and I know I’m damned for asking you to do this. I-I-I’m sorry, it’s our only choice.” Sehun gasped tears, welling and running down his face. Kai leaned down, pressing his forehead against Sehun’s.

“I’m sorry, I-I-love,” he trailed off, then looked away and finished with: 

“Please forgive me,” Sehun sobbed, and Kai smiled, slowly bringing his lips to just between Sehun’s brow line, and tenderly kissed him.

“Forgiveness? Don’t you mean I love you?” Kai asked, chuckling unsteadily. 

Sehun smiled slightly, letting his hands drop to his sides, and avoiding his ruined chest. 

“Yes, of course, how stupid of me...I love you.” He whispered and let his deep eyes fall closed as Kai clutched him closer, almost begging what ever god there was to stop this. His Sehun was slipping away. 

“Yes, yes, I knew, I know I love you.” Kai said provoking one last smile out of the boy before the slight breath slipped past his lips, and no air was taken in to fill the breath lost.

“Sehun...Sehun...”

And for once there was no reply. Kai looked down and gripped the pendent so hard blood pooled from the sides of his hands. 

   Kai stopped, realizing that there were suddenly eyes on his back. Turning around he saw their once proud group reduced to a rag tag bunch of invalids and tired, sullen eyed ghosts of their former selves. 

Half the group was being supported by others. Luhan was missing an arm and could only walk with the help D.O., who had a bandage over one eye and was bleeding from his temple. Suho walked behind these two, limping, but keeping his eyes on D.O., who kept shooting him reassuring glances. 

 Kris was hovering close to the side of the group, just a few feet above the groud, his leg twisted brutally. Tao, who seemed to be missing fingers, padded along next to him, lacking his usual grace. Lay, who was unconscious, was being carried by Xiumin, who was not too worse for wear other than the burn on the right side of his face. 

Chanyeol supported Baekhyun, who’s eyes had been blinded by something. Chanyeol was bleeding from the side, but refused to show pain. Chen walked beside these two, holding his chest as blood seeped from a wound on his collar bone. 

They stopped when they saw Kai’s prone form, still holding the now cooling body of Sehun, Kai turned and looked at them, eyes cold and flat, almost as if the light behind them had been extinguished along with Sehun’s life. 

“I guess there’s no other choice then...” Kris said, landing and collapsing next to Kai, who barley spared him a glance. 

“Yes, no other choice,” Kai whispered, still grasping the necklace. Kris was the first to pull off his pendant, and soon the others followed suit. All the symbols glowed for a few seconds before they where placed in Kai’s open hand, along with the blood smeared one belonging to Sehun. 

Kai stood, slowly placing Sehun’s body on the ground, and looked at the group.

“You all know what this means. You all have decided.” Luhan stated, looking at the group. 

Everyone nodded, and Lay momentarily regained consciousness when the necklace had been removed by Xiumin. He nodded in agreement, and they all looked at Kai, who transferred his eyes to the chains he was gripping firmly in his hand. 

“In this, we are all in agreement,” Kai said, looking back, dark eyes filled with some unspoken emotion. As he turned his attention toward Sehun, who was laying there, cold, unmoving, and unlike in life, his quiet aloofness spoke measures in death. 

Kai glanced down, and then closed his eyes, snapping his fingers and vanishing in a flash of smoke and mist.