Woo~!  Chapter 6!! ^_^  This is a continuation of the flashback from the previous chapter~  Enjoy!

It was late.  Very late.  Little Yuki was still limping around on the dark streets, shivering because of the chilly night air.  Yuki may have been intelligent for her age, but she was still only ten years old.  She didn't know what to do or where to go.  If she tried asking anyone for help, they'd probably just send her right back to the orphanage.  Yuki was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she walked right into the back of someone's leg.  Because she was already injured, Yuki couldn't support herself.  She fell onto the ground.

"Eh?  What was that?" the man Yuki ran into asked gruffly.  He turned around and his eyes found the little girl on the ground.  

"S-s-sorry," Yuki stuttered.  Up until that point, Yuki hadn't been paying attention to her surroundings.  She now realized that she was at the opening of an alleyway

"What's wrong dude?" another male voice asked.

"Yeah, something up?" yet another male voiced.

"Come take a look at this," the first man said, still staring at Yuki.  The girl gulped.  Her eyes scanned the area, looking for something, anything she could use to defend herself with.  Her eyes alighted on a metal pole not one foot away from her.  Two men emerged from behind the first man Yuki saw.  Yuki took a few seconds to look at the men in front of her.  Well. . . 'men' wasn't the right word.  These people looked like teenagers.  All three looked to be about 17 or 18 years old.  The teenager that Yuki had collided with had brown hair with a spiky hairdo and sharp features.  He was skinny, but looked toned.  The second boy Yuki looked at had a softer, more child-like face with smooth black hair.  He also shared the same toned looked.  The last boy had soft, brownish hair and soft eyes.  It seemed that the subtle muscular look was a shared trait among the three boys.

"And just what do you think you're doing out here?" the child-like boy asked.

"Don't you know it's dangerous for little girls to be out so late at night?" the boy with soft, brownish hair questioned.  Without answering, Yuki made a grab for the pole.  Once it was securely in her hand, the girl used it to stand up.

"S-stay away from me," Yuki said bravely, trying to keep the stutter out of her voice.  She had the pole pointed towards the men.  They simply smirked.  Yuki knew that with her ankle in the condition that it was in, fighting the three men would be hopeless.  She was small AND horribly disadvantaged.  Perhaps if I can scare them. . . Yuki thought.  Her parents had enrolled her in swordsfighting classes at the age of 6.  Those obviously came to an abrupt end once Yuki was forced into the orphanage.  All Yuki knew was the basics.  Still, it was worth a shot.  Careful not to move, the girl started to rapidly twirl the metal pole, switching it between her two hands and twirling it over her head.  After a few seconds, Yuki turned the twirl into a forceful jab towards the men, who stepped back immediately.

"Easy there tiger," the spiky-haired boy said, raising his hands, palms up, "we weren't going to try to do anything to you."  Yuki remained motionless, not relaxing her guard.

She's got potential, the three boys thought simultaneously, even as a girl.

"Why don't we try again?" the soft-featured boy spoke up, "again, we won't hurt you, but we respect your distrust.  Considering it's dark and all and we're in an alleyway and you have no idea who we are-"

"Okay, you can stop bro," the fluffy-haired boy said, rolling his eyes.  He turned towards Yuki and his eyes softened.  "Why don't we introduce ourselves first?"  Yuki raised an eyebrow.  Her curiosity was getting the best of her.  The spiky-haired boy approached Yuki slowly.  He knelt down a little ways away from her, staying out of reach of the pole's swinging length.

"Annyeong," he said, smiling, "Yoo Sihyun imnida!  I'm eighteen years old.  Nice to meet you."  Sihyun's attitude made Yuki relax slightly, but she was still wary.  Yuki nodded, showing that she understood.  The child-like boy came up next.

"Annyeong~" he said cutely, "Son Junghan imnida!  I'm eighteen years old as well.  You're such an adorable yet dangerous little kid!"  Yuki couldn't help but smile at the boy's comment.  The boys cheered silently in their heads, feeling accomplished at the fact that they were able to bring out a positive reaction from the little girl. 

"My turn," the fluffy-haired boy said wryly, kneeling in front of Yuki.  "Annyeong!" he said with a short wave, "Kyun Haru imnida!  Like the other two, I'm eighteen.  So. . . now it's your turn.  Like I said, we won't hurt you.  You're safe with us."  Haru offered Yuki a reassuring smile.  They say that a child simply just knows when they're being lied to.  Yuki felt as though these boys were being honest.  Slowly, she lowered the pole until she was only using it to support herself.  Seeing no harm, Yuki decided to introduce herself.

"A-annyeong," she said quietly, "Bul Yuki imnida. . ."

"Bul Yuki?" Sihyun said, smiling slightly at the paradoxical nature of Yuki's name [A/N:  Bul = Fire; Yuki = Snow; Courage].  Yuki nodded.

"That's a pretty name," Junghan said, "it suits you."

"Gamsahabnida," Yuki replied, bowing slightly. 

"So Yuki. . . what are you doing here exactly?  I wasn't joking when I said it was dangerous for little girls to be out this late at night.  Why aren't you with your parents?" Haru asked.  Yuki's eyes started swimming with tears again.  She sniffed.

"Th-they're not wi-with me anymo-more.  They we-went to live up th-there when I was s-s-seven," Yuki managed to stutter through her tears, pointing up at the stars in the night sky.  The boys' faces switched from curiosity to shock.

"Omo~ don't cry!" Junghan said.  None of the boys approached her for fear of being attacked, but their eyes glistened with sympathy. . . and empathy.  Finally, deciding to disregard the consequences of what could happen, Sihyun walked towards Yuki and kneeled down right in front of her.  Yuki stiffened, but didn't try to raise the pole again.  She was too overcome with grief.  Once Yuki's sobbing had calmed down to silent tears, Sihyun decided to speak.

"Hey. . ." he said softly.  Yuki looked up from the ground to look at Sihyun with red, puffy eyes.  "It's okay," he said, "I understand.  We all understand.  Your parents must have met ours somewhere up there."  Junghan and Haru nodded with small smiles.  They too came to kneel around Yuki.  Yuki's eyes widened.

"Y-you have no Umma or Appa anymore either?" she asked in wonder.  The boys shook their heads.

"They left us a long time ago.  That's how the three of us became friends," Haru said.

"You can trust us when we say that we know exactly how you feel," Jonghan continued. 

"I-I ran away," Yuki said abruptly.  The boys looked at her in confusion.  

"From where?" Sihyun asked.  With that, Yuki explained her time in the orphanage and her daring escape.  The boys stared at her, their mouths hanging open.  Haru was the first to recover.

"Yuki. . . where are you planning on going exactly?" he asked.

"Um. . .I. . .mollayo. . ." Yuki replied hesitantly.  The three boys exchanged looks.  Then, Sihyun turned to Yuki.

"Yuki-ah," he said, "we'll be right back.  Can you stay here and not move?  I just need to talk with these two."  Yuki nodded once.  Haru and Junghan followed Sihyun farther down into the alley a little ways from Yuki.

"Okay.  We obviously can't send her to the orphanage," Sihyun said, starting the conversation abruptly.

"I agree.  But where then. . .?" Junghan asked, his brows furrowing together.

"We can't just drop her off at someone's doorstep.  We would have no idea how she was being treated," Haru said, contemplating the possibilities.  There was a few minutes of complete silence.  Then. . .

"With us?" the three boys muttered simultaneously.   Their heads snapped up, realizing that they had all just voiced the same suggestion.

"Would we be able to support for her?" Junghan asked.

"Would we be able to raise her properly?" Haru wondered, "I mean. . . based on what we do to get by. . . I don't really think it would be the right environment for a little girl..."

"But she has the potential," Sihyun said, "we could train her.  You saw what she could do with the pole.  And she hasn't even properly trained in swordsmanship." 

"I just don't know..." Junghan said, "is it right to throw her into this kind of life Sihyun?  Really?"

"Perhaps we should ask her," Haru said, "she may be young, but she looks like she knows enough to make her own decisions and understand their consequences."  Sihyun and Junghan looked at each other.  Then the three of them nodded.

Meanwhile, Yuki had been standing by the alleyway patiently, waiting for the three boys to return.  She too was in deep thought about what she should do next.  She looked up at the sound of approaching footsteps.  "So Yuki..." Sihyun said, "we have a question for you."

"Neh?" Yuki said, looking at the boys.

"We were wondering... If you wanted to live with us," Haru said.  Yuki stared at the boys in shock.  They barely knew her, yet they wanted to help her.

"I... I couldn't do something like that.  I would just be a burden..." the girl said.

"Nonsense," Junghan cut in, "you have nowhere else to go.  Plus, we would train you."

"Train me...?" Yuki asked, "what do you guys do exactly?"  The boys looked at each other uncertainly.

"Might as well tell her," Haru said, "she needs to know so she can make her decision."  Junghan took a deep breath.

"Well. . . we're kinda like. . . a gang?" he said.

"A gang?!" Yuki said in shock.  Immediately, she limped a few steps away from the boys.

"No!  We're not really a 'gang' per se.  We're not bad!  I swear!" Haru exclaimed, "will you please listen?"  Yuki stopped and raised an eyebrow.

"Why should I?" she questioned.

"Well for one, if we were actually bad people, don't you think we'd have tried to hurt you by now?" Haru reasoned.  Yuki thought about that for a few seconds.

"I suppose so. . ." she mumbled, "okay.  I'll listen.  You said you weren't a gang exactly.  So. . . what are you?"

"Well. . . we're like. . . vigilantes," Sihyun explained.

"More like crooked vigilantes. . ." Junghan said.

"Vigi what?" Yuki asked, unable to pronounce the unfamiliar term.

"Vigilantes," Sihyun repeated, "vigilantes are basically people who aren't part of the police force that protect a city.  So. . . if we see someone getting mugged, we would intervene and help that person."  Yuki's mouth formed a small 'o' in understanding.

"So you guys aren't bad then," Yuki reasoned, "you help people."

"Well. . . we aren't ALL that bad," Junghan said, "we have to make money somehow, but we can't get jobs.  So. . . we do weapon and drug dealing with other gangs here in Seoul.  We DON'T actually do any drugs though.  It's just a way to get money."

"But it's still bad," Yuki protested.

"There are a lot of bad things in this world Yuki.  Nothing is in black and white.  There's a lot of grey area," Haru said, "we don't like it either, but we have to survive somehow."  Even though Yuki didn't understand everything that Haru told her, she knew that the boys had no bad thoughts in their heads.  They were just trying to survive. 

"Um. . .so what did you mean by training?" Yuki asked uncertainly. 

"Well," Sihyun started, "if you're going to stay with us, then you'll have to become a vigilante too.  You would help us patrol the streets of Seoul.  Since you're still really young, we'll train you for now.  We'll teach you martial arts, how to use certain weapons, and we'll even give you lessons in swordsmanship.  Eventually, we'll start teaching you more tech stuff, like computer hacking and code breaking.  We'll also try to educate you of course.  You know, maths, sciences, the works."

Yuki's eyes lit up at the thought of restarting her swordsmanship lessons and the new things she would learn.  "Would you really teach me all that stuff?" the girl asked in wonder.  

"Yep," Sihyun, Junghan, and Haru said.

"So?  What do you say Yuki?" Sihyun asked, "would you like to stay with us?"

Yuki thought about it.  The pros of staying with the boys far outweighed the cons.  Even though she was only ten, Yuki had her own set of morals thanks to her parents.  She would be able to tell right from wrong on her own.  On top of that, Yuki could become a protector of Seoul. . . just like her parents.  Yuki touched her dragon pendant.  Remember. . .you have a purpose.  After much contemplation, Yuki finally spoke.  "I would like to learn from you and stay with you all," Yuki said.  All three boys smiled brightly, causing a smile to form on Yuki's face as well.  It was the first genuine smile that had come on her face after a long, long time.  "Kamsahabnida Sihyun-ssi, Junghan-ssi and Haru-ssi for agreeing to take care of me.  I will do my best to excel in whatever you teach me," Yuki said formally, bowing.

"No, no.  There will be no formalities now Yuki-ah," Sihyun said, smiling, "you are a part of our family.  We are your brothers.  Please call us your Oppas."  Yuki fidgeted.

"C-can I call you 'Hyungs' instead?" she asked hesitantly.  The three boys started laughing.

"Why 'Hyung'?" Junghan asked, "are you a boy?"

"Aniyo," Yuki said, "but I like saying 'hyung' better than 'oppa'."

"You're one strange little girl, Yuki," Haru said, eyeing her.  Yuki shrugged.  She got that all the time.

"Arasso, you can call us your hyungs," Sihyun said, smiling in bemusement.  Yuki smiled and nodded eagerly.

"So Yuki. . . how old are you exactly?" Junghan asked.

"I just turned ten. . . today," Yuki answered.

"OMO REALLY?!" Haru exclaimed, "then we must celebrate!"  Yuki yawned.  She was very sleepy.  

Sihyun, noticing how tired she looked, decided to intervene.  "Um. . . maybe later in the day Haru," he said, "we should all get some sleep now."  Haru and Junghan both nodded.

"Kaja Yuki-ah!" Haru and Junghan said together, "we need to show your new home!"

Yuki's sleepiness temporarily left her and it was replaced with excitement.  She took a step forward without thinking.  The next second, she fell on the floor, crying out in pain.  Sihyun and the other two boys rushed to Yuki's side instantly.

"What happened?" Haru fretted.

"Ankle. . ." Yuki managed so say.

"Oh my. . . she must have hurt herself while escaping from the orphanage. . ." Junghan said.

"Let's take her home and treat her there.  The poor girl looks like she's about to collapse from exhaustion.  Um. . . Yuki?" Sihyun asked hesitantly.  Yuki looked up at Sihyun.  "Do. . . do you mind if I carry you?" he asked.  Yuki thought about it for a few seconds.  She really was too exhausted to think of another alternative.  She simply nodded, yawning again.

"Neh, Sihyun Hyung," she said in a cute, sleepy voice.  Sihyun smiled a bit at being addressed as a hyung and neatly picked up the little girl.  Yuki immediately rested her head on Sihyun's shoulder and fell asleep.

"She's a cute kid," Junghan remarked.

"That she is," Sihyun said, effortlessly supporting Yuki, "and she seems sharp too.  She'll learn quickly."

"She'll make an interesting addition to us," Haru commented, "especially because she isn't afraid to fight.  She's a tough one.  Very different from most other little girls I see."  The other two nodded in agreement.  Then, the three of them walked home with the new little addition to their family.

And so Yuki's new life begins as the story of her hidden past unravels :)  Thank you for reading!  

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~Yuki ❄