After Daehyun finally made it to the Red Tigers’ base, he texted Yongguk to figure out where everyone was.  Yongguk texted back telling him to quickly make his way to the Red Tiger’s meeting room.  Daehyun sighed as he headed there.  It was finally the time, and all he could think about was how Youngjae was coping.

 

“It’s about damn time!” Zico shouted when Daehyun entered the room and closed the door behind him.  Zico was sitting in what seemed to be his favorite chair with Kyung to his left and Taeil sitting away from the table, wrapped up in a thick blanket, hardly being noticed.  Yongguk and Zelo were sitting across from Zico and Kyung, as usual.  Daehyun chose to sit on the other side of Yongguk.

 

“Okay, time to get down to business,” Kyung said, rubbing his hands together.

 

Zico rolled his eyes and responded, “I really don’t think we need a plan.  Let’s just go in and kill ‘em all.”

 

Yongguk snorted.  “That’s how we get killed.  It’s better to make a plan so we know what to expect and what to do,” he told the Red Tiger leader.

 

Zico just rolled his eyes again and frowned.  He sat back and gestured for Kyung to start.

 

“Okay, so after some careful observations,” Kyung stated, “I’ve realized that there are six of them and six of us, so that means…”

 

“We each get one person,” Yongguk concluded, nodding.

 

“Just one!?” Taeil asked, jumping out of his chair, the blanket falling to the floor.  “Is that all!?”

 

“See?  Even the baby is upset about this stupid plan,” Zico told Kyung, who ignored the two bloodthirsty Red Tigers, the older of the two, grumbling about being called a baby.

 

“But because we aren’t going to just all stay together, I have to assume that they won’t either,” Kyung continued.  “We don’t know who we’ll stumble upon, so it’s pointless in picking out who we want to fight with.”

 

“What!?” Zico shouted, standing up suddenly and glaring down at everyone.  “That , Ahn Jaehyo is mine, and if any one of you bastards kill him, then I’ll kill you!”  Zico was looking pointedly at Yongguk, Daehyun, and Zelo, but he sent a quick glare Taeil’s way as well.  The oldest Red Tiger only rolled his eyes and wrapped his blanket back around him.

 

“Fine!” Kyung said loudly, clearly displeased at Zico’s stubbornness.  “Everyone just take out whomever you come across, but leave Jaehyo for Zico.”

 

Zico sat back down and leaned back in his chair, smiling smugly and contently.

 

“What about Himchannie-hyung and Jonguppie-hyung?” Zelo asked.  Everyone was silent, and Kyung looked at the youngest sadly.  “We aren’t going to kill them too are we?”  Zelo looked pointedly at Yongguk, but the older refused to look his way.  Even Daehyun looked at Yongguk questioningly, wondering why the older seemed to get so quiet and nonresponsive all of a sudden.  Daehyun hadn’t really been aware of the happenings between the others, too busy with Youngjae.

 

Zico snorted, drawing Zelo’s attention.  The maknae shouted, “You can’t kill Jonguppie-hyung!”

 

“That ‘hyung’ of yours broke one of my ribs!” Zico shouted back, glaring at the memory.

 

“Because you were trying to kill him!” Zelo replied.

 

“Wait!  What!?” Daehyun asked, looking back and forth between Zico and Zelo, he looked at Yongguk too, but the older seemed like he wasn’t even paying attention.  “When did this happen?”

 

“Yeah I tried to kill that !” Zico said, standing once again.  “You’d know about it if you weren’t always sneaking off to go your lame boyfriend!”

 

“Youngjae is not lame!” Daehyun yelled, also standing up.  “And I don’t sneak off to him, not that it’s any of your business!”

 

“Damn right it’s my business!  You’re always leaving and could be giving away all sorts of information about the Red Tigers!"

 

“You’re such an idiot!”

 

“What!?” Zico yelled, trying to jump across the table, but Kyung stood and pulled him back.

 

“A paranoid !” Daehyun added before Yongguk pulled him back down into his seat.

 

“That’s enough,” Yongguk said quietly.

 

“Maybe we should move on to pairings,” Kyung said cautiously as he got Zico to sit back down.  Both Zico and Daehyun were breathing heavily and glaring at each other.  “I don’t think that we should all separate, so we can group up- pairs, maybe.”

 

“I work alone,” Zico quickly said.

 

Kyung opened his mouth to disagree, but Taeil spoke up first.

 

“I don’t need a partner either,” the Red Tiger in the bundle of blankets said.

 

“Aish!  You two are making this difficult,” Kyung said as he sat back down, defeated.

 

Everyone just sat there in silence.  Zico was still glaring, Kyung was pouting, Taeil’s face was hidden behind the blanket, Yongguk seemed emotionless, and Daehyun was frowning.  Zelo still was curious about what would happen to Himchan and Jongup.  He didn’t want them dead.  He was going to ask about them again, despite knowing that Zico would be pissed off, but he didn’t care.

 

“What about…?” he started to ask.

 

“I’ll partner up with Zelo,” Daehyun said, interrupting the maknae.

 

“Oh… okay,” Kyung responded, shocked from somebody cooperating.  “Then I guess I’ll be with Yongguk-hyung, if that’s okay.”  Yongguk slowly nodded, causing Kyung to grin.

 

Zico glared even more after that.  “You better not let anything happen to him,” Zico grumbled to Yongguk.  “Just one scratch and you’re dead.”

 

“Don’t worry,” Kyung said, rubbing Zico’s arm, “we’ll be okay.”

 

Zico nodded at Kyung before he looked sharply at Yongguk and added, “And don’t try anything with him either or you’ll wish you were dead.”

 

“Gah, is that all you can do?  Threaten and scare people?” Kyung asked, pulling on Zico’s ear.

 

“That’s not all that I can do,” Zico whispered, arching his eyebrows suggestively.

 

Kyung blushed and lightly shoved at Zico. "Shut up!” Kyung whispered quite loudly.  “We're supposed to be talking about beating the Black Dragons."

 

"Well maybe there is something else I want to beat," Zico said mischievously, "our more accurately, pound into."  Zico was now pulling on Kyung’s arm as if he was trying to get the other to move closer to him.

 

Blushing even more, Kyung replied, "Shh!  They'll hear you."

 

"Since the two lovebirds have gotten off subject," Taeil said, standing up and stretching his arms, "I think it's safe to say that the meeting is over."

 

"Oh!" Kyung gasped realizing that everyone was in fact aware of his and Zico conversation. "Um... yeah, the meeting is over, everyone just go do whatever you want now." Kyung quickly got up and practically ran from the room, hiding his red face in his hands.  Zico just chuckled at Kyung’s reactions.

 

Yongguk, Daehyun, and Zelo also went to leave. Taeil was following them after gathering his blanket.

 

"Wait, Taeil-hyung," Zico said, pulling the older back into the room. "I want to talk to you about something."

 

"Don't you want to go beat, oh I'm sorry, pound into Kyung?" Taeil asked sarcastically, disgusted at the idea.

 

Zico chuckled nervously and scratched at the back of his head. "I was only trying to get a rise out of Kyungie."

 

"Hmm, oh," Taeil responded, nodding his head, not really interested.

 

"So...," Zico said, trailing off as if he were nervous.

 

Taeil sighed, frustrated. "Don't worry. I won't kill Jaehyo. If I come across him, I'll just send him your way."  Taeil was a bit pissed at this, but he knew how badly Zico wanted to be the one to kill Jaehyo, so he’d give in.

 

"You better!" Zico said menacingly before laughing and adding, "Gomawo, hyung."

 

Taeil nodded and headed towards the door.

 

"That's not what I wanted to say, though." Zico said, stopping Taeil from leaving the room again.

 

"Well what is it?" Taeil asked, stomping his foot, getting impatient. "Just spit it out already."

 

"You're going to be by yourself," Zico said quietly as if it was a private conversation that someone might overhear.

 

"Yeah, and so are you," Taeil replied, not understanding where Zico was going.

 

"But I'm the leader of the Red Tigers. I have more experience."

 

Taeil rolled his eyes and frowned.  "Ugh! Will you stop treating me like a baby?! I'm older than you, and I have experience too!"

 

Zico looked down at the floor and slowly smiled.  "I know. I know, but baby or not… older or not… I'm still allowed to worry about you, aren't I?" he asked.

 

Taeil just looked the other way and pouted. Zico smiled, thinking how ironic it was that Taeil gets so upset over being called a baby, and yet makes faces that only make others want to call him a baby even more.

 

"I know you can kick some ,” Zico said, lightly hitting Taeil on the arm.

 

"Damn right," Taeil mumbled.

 

Zico chuckled.  "Hell, you nearly killed me before."

 

"You deserved it," Taeil replied nonchalantly, shrugging.

 

"I know you can hold your own. I just worry is all. I want you to be safe."

 

Taeil sighed and finally looked at Zico. "I'm so used to your bullting that when you're so honest it's kind of freaky. Shouldn’t you be worrying about Kyung instead.”

 

“I am worried about Kyung, but I don’t plan on letting anything happen to him,” Zico replied matter of factly.

 

“What the hell does that mean?  You said that you work alone, so how are you going to protect Kyung?” Taeil asked.  “Don’t tell me that you’re actually going to follow him around like a stalker.  You’ll never get to kill Jaehyo that way.”

 

“Kyung doesn’t need protecting like that.  He can handle himself,” Zico said more to himself than to Taeil.

 

“What do you take me for?  If Kyung can protect himself, why the hell can’t I?”

 

Zico smiled and replied, “I still see a babyish hyung who acts sneaky and has a weird fish .”

 

“Fish ?!” Taeil shrieked.  Zico winced and regretted saying that, only because he figured that it would bring back the memory of how Zico accidentally killed Taeil’s pet fish.  Taeil sighed loudly before looking at Zico seriously.  “I know that I’m not that tall, and I can seem a little lazy, and maybe even…  Dammit!  I’m not calling myself a baby!”  Zico smirked.  “Look, I'll be okay. Araso?  The one to really worry about is you."

 

"Me?" Zico asked, pointing at himself. "How do you figure?"

 

"Well I'm not going to be the one running onto the field like Rambo, with eyes set specifically on Ahn Jaehyo. Don't forget that there will be others out there who will want to kill you too."

 

"Ha! Don't worry. I'm killing anything that moves."  Zico had a look on his face that was a cross between determination and pure bloodthirstiness.

 

Taeil shook his head and mumbled, "Remind me not to go anywhere near you when this starts."

 

Zico laughed. "Like you won't be the same way, I know what you've been working on in your room."

 

Taeil gasped and took a step back.  "How do you know?" he asked, looking at Zico accusingly.

 

"Tch!  I'm the leader, I'm supposed to know."  Zico took on an ‘I’m smarter than you’ kind of attitude that irritated Taeil.

 

"Whatever!" the older responded, crossing his arms over his chest.  “Just know that you shouldn’t be anywhere near me on the field either.”

 

Zico grinned and nodded.  He wished that he could be near, only so he could see the damage that Taeil would inflict.  Zico nodded again before chuckling and asking, "Do you think that Kyungie is right? Do you think that we're sadists?"

 

Taeil looked to be considering the possibility before he shrugged and replied, "I'm only taking out my frustrations of my brother's death on other people. What's your excuse?"

 

Zico gaped.  “That happened years ago!”

 

“And I still have plenty more years worth of anger to take out on others,” Taeil said, giving the leader a look that said ‘just accept what I say.’

 

“Whatever,” Zico mumbled before confidently saying, “I’m the leader of a bad gang.  I can’t look soft or my members won’t take me seriously, and other gangs will think that they can just walk right up in here and take over.  I have to be the way that I am.”

 

“Well there you go,” Taeil said, slowly nodding, “we both have legitimate reasons.”

 

“Yeah, Kyung is just crazy… thinking we’re sadistic,” Zico said mostly to himself before he grinned again.  “I bet I kill more of those Black Dragon rats than you do.”

 

Taeil snorted.  “Yeah right!  I have plenty of steam to blow off from all of the years that you wouldn’t let me do anything.”

 

Zico rolled his eyes.  “Is the baby stuck on that?”  Taeil scowled.  “Come on, let’s put money to it.  Make a bet.”

 

“What are you two talking about?” Kyung asked as he came running back into the room, breathing heavily as if he just ran a marathon.  “What are you betting on?”

 

Zico just smiled, quite guiltily, and ignored Kyung’s question.  “Why are you so out of breath?” he asked his lover.

 

“I forgot to talk about the gun selections with Yongguk and the others,” Kyung said, finally catching his breath.

 

Zico growled.  “Ugh!  Again with Bang Yongguk?!  He’s out of the room, across the base for all I care, so I don’t want to hear his name,” Zico grumbled.

 

Taeil tutted and turned towards Kyung, saying, “I’m going to just leave and let you deal with this one’s,” Taeil looked back at a frowning Zico, “jealousy issues.”

 

“I’m not jealous of that !” Zico shouted out after Taeil’s retreating form.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~One Half of B.A.P~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Yongguk was in his room, sitting on his bed and randomly shuffling through his things, when Daehyun came in, pulling a reluctant looking Zelo in behind him.

 

“What’s going on?” he asked after Daehyun stopped right in front of him, glaring down at him.

 

“Zelo told me what happened with Jongup,” Daehyun said, voice shaky.  He sounded like he wanted to yell, but it was obvious he was trying to keep his anger under control.  “What the hell is going on?”

 

“Nothing,” Yongguk replied, shrugging.  “Zico just tried to kill Jongup.”

 

“Nothing!” Daehyun finally shouted.  “How is that nothing?!  And- and you just stood there!”

 

Zelo stayed by the door.  He was feeling conflicted.  On one hand, he wanted to be right there next to Daehyun chastising Yongguk for just standing by while Jongup got hurt.  On the other hand, Yongguk was always there for him.  He had never gone against anything Yongguk had said or done, and he didn’t know if he could now.

 

“You can’t kill them,” Daehyun said pleadingly, his voice losing its anger and instead taking on despair.  He fell down to his knees.  “Please, hyung!  I know that things have been – mostly between you, Himchan-hyung, and even Jonguppie – but we can’t kill them.  They’re family.”

 

“Ne,” Zelo mumbled quietly, not even aware that he said anything.

 

Seeing that Yongguk was struggling with his feelings about the others, Daehyun figured that he should give the older some time.  “Just think about, hyung,” Daehyun said quietly, standing up, “before you do anything that you’ll regret.”

 

_________________________________________________________________________________________

A/N:  So there was a TaeCo moment in this, but I just felt like I needed to add a bit more of Taeil into this, so this is what came out.

Anyway, there was a playful Zico, a pissed off Zico, and eager to fight Zico, a blushing Kyung, a pissed off Baby Taeil, a confused Daehyun, a pissed off Daehyun, a pleading Daehyun, a conflicted Zelo, a conflicted Yongguk, and a silent Yongguk.

 

What did you guys think?

 

Oh, also, I realized that I kept accidentally typing Jaehyo's name where it should be Kyung.  I was doing that before in a previous chapter with Youngjae.  Anyway, I believe I fixed it all, but if you do see an out of place name, please let me know so that I can fix it. :)

 

There's a war coming.  Expect it soon... or soonish ;)