It was like walking through a wall of warm water- except for the fact that all I could see was darkness, darkness to the point where I felt like I could reach out and touch it. Yong’s hand was still holding mine, but that was where the semblance stopped- Yong was no longer in Yong’s real body. He was a moving form of shadow and smoke, and his hand was now a curled mass of energy, so warm that I could feel it pulse in my hand.  Fortunately, the trip didn’t last for long- I was then standing in what looked to be a large boarding house, complete with ancient furnishing and decorations galore. Taeyang and Junsu were here before us, and the former was laying his hyung down on a sofa.

“He’s finally lapsed into a coma…..he’s losing a lot more blood than we thought,” Tae said solemnly, “We need to do something- and quick.” Yong nodded, and then his eyes flashed black, “Hang on, the others are approaching.” Yong raised a finger, and various portals opened around us. Through one stepped Woo and Chan, another gave birth to Nick and Junho, and the last one revealed Seung and Daesung. Everyone looked singed/tired/bloody, but alive and well- Nick was clean, and still glowing slightly, but it wasn’t as bright as before. “I don’t quite know how to ask this, but…..are you guys alright?” I looked at everyone, and then with a sudden realization, “Where’s Taec? Jay and TOP?”

“They are on their way…..but Taren, you are covered in blood,” Nick stepped forward and put a hand on my shoulder- immediately my whole body shivered and my knees went weak. Nick quickly stepped back, “I’m sorry,” and before my eyes, this light around him began to fade out. I only waved a hand at him, “It’s alright….” Woo and Chan hobbled over to the sofa and collapsed around the prone form of Junsu. “It’s his, not mine….we need to get him to a hospital,” I wanted to sit down, but my knees refused to listen to me- they locked beneath me.

Seung just laid out on the floor, and Daesung sat down near him, “The others had to…dispense of the bodies in their own way,” the donsaeng of Big Bang informed the others, and I said, shakily, “Bodies…..more bodies…? As in, all of those people we just dealt with on the roof are….dead?” Junho reached out to me, “Taren, we had no choice…in a fight situation, it’s either them or us…” Taeyang reached out to touch me, but it turned into a catch instead- my legs finally unlocked, and he had to guide me to the loveseat. “Taren? Say something, please,” I shook my head, “Guys, people died here today, when the problem could’ve been resolved in another way…” I looked at everyone, “And you guys have powers- like, superhero powers and blasting and breathing fire and - when were you going to tell me?”  Seung lifted one hand from the ground, “Well, at least we’re not drug dealers, right?”

There was complete and utter silence for all of 15 seconds as we all looked at him sprawled out on the ground, and then, someone sneezed, and then-

-I couldn’t help it, I started to chuckle quietly, quivering between my shoulders, and then that grew louder as Yong bent over and popped Seung on the head, and then I was laughing out loud, cackling and wiping the tears away from my face. Everyone looked at me, but I couldn’t stop- after a while, it hurt to breathe and my bladder was weak. Woo suddenly saw the comedy of the situation, and he joined in, and the others followed. When everyone had gotten whatever the hell it was out of their systems, Yong’s eyes lit up again, and he pointed at the wall, were the last portal opened to reveal TOP, Jaebeom, and the large Werewolf  from before, and TOP and Jay looked relatively normal.

TOP kissed my forehead while making rounds to everyone, finally stopping at Junsu, “…” Jay did the same, but when he came to me Junho stood between us, “No, Jaebeom- you do not need to be standing near Taren at all,” Jay looked sorrowful, but he looked at me firmly, “I ate already- it’s fine.” I switched places with Junho gently, “He won’t hurt me, Junho- but where’s Taec?”

Jay smiled dimly, and pointed to the Werewolf padding forward, “Don’t you recognize our Beastly rapper?” My mouth went dry, “What…?” The Wolf whined as it breathed over my face, and without warning it my face, “Whoa~ down Old Yeller,” I giggled as it rumbled intently, rubbing its facial fur against my cheek gently before stepping back, a light surrounding its form not a second later to reveal a topless Taec, who looked relieved more than anything else. “...” I couldn’t speak, and there was no need to- he hugged me with all of his strength, “I’m glad….that you’re still here with us, Taren…”

“I know that this is a lot to take in, but right now….right now we’ve got to save Junsu,” Nick murmured gently, and we separated slowly. “Damn,” was all Dae could say as we surrounded Junsu’s body. “Please tell me you can do something, Nick,” TOP looked up at the Thai prince as he knelt at his best friend’s side. For the first time since I knew him, Nick looked worried, “I can heal him, of course- but he’s lost a lot of blood, and I don’t know where we can get blood on such short notice…”

I came forward, and held up an arm, “Take from me- it’s no problem, I’m O Positive- I can give to anybody,” Taec gripped my shoulder, “But your time of the month-“ I shook my head firmly, “I will be fine-we need to save Junsu, right?”

Nick held my shoulders, “Once I start, I cannot stop suddenly- let Yong know when it gets too much, okay?” I nodded, and Woo rounded everyone else out of the room, leaving me, Yong, TOP, and Nick around Junsu’s body. Yong flicked a finger, and a surgeon’s kit appeared in thin air-this he fished through to find transfer IV tubes. Yong laid me down on a recliner adjacent to Junsu’s postion, where he gently pricked a vein in my arm to hook up to the tube running out of Junsu’s chest. A hand squeezed mine, and I looked to see that it was TOP’s, but he only had eyes for his unconscious friend. The lights grew dim as Nick lit up, “ I call on you, Grandmother…”