"Results as to who committed the heinous crime is currently inconclusive, but several Auxiliary squads are working diligently to find the murderer," an anchorwoman announced with a solemn tone. "The courageous Legion soldier's memorial will be held tonight..."
 
Youngjae paused just outside the control room, and peeked inside, curious as to what Yongguk was watching on the holoscreen in front of him. His entire attention was focused solely on it; his arms were crossed above his chest, and he leaned back in his seat, seemingly mulling over something in his head. The news still played above the table.
 
Suddenly, Yongguk turned around to look at the door. Youngjae flinched, stumbling backward. He thought he heard Yongguk laugh from the room.
 
"You can come inside, Youngjae," Yongguk called out.
 
Youngjae blinked, and eased the door open. He saw Yongguk relaxing into his chair again, his eyes on the holoscreen.
 
"Pull up a chair if you'd like," Yongguk said without turning to Youngjae.
 
Dragging a chair from nearby, Youngjae sat beside Yongguk.
 
"Is that...?" Youngjae found himself unable to finish, and his words hung in the heavy air. He knew the answer already, but he just needed to be sure.
 
"His name was Lee Kikwang," Yongguk replied.
 
Youngjae looked up at the holoscreen as a picture of the Legion soldier, Lee Kikwang, appeared. "So you knew him?"
 
Yongguk nodded. "He was in the Beast squad with five other men. I used to have drinks with them on days off with other people in my own squad. But that was a long time ago."
 
Youngjae stared, amazed and slightly terrified. Yongguk used to drink with those Legion soldiers, and yet...
 
"Rats are smarter than you think."
 
Youngjae remembered how Yongguk had shot Lee Kikwang so coldly. Youngjae knew it'd been a long time since Yongguk was a soldier, but was it possible that he still carried a trace of that...mercilessness in his mind? Did the Republic feed him so much of that drug that his mind wasn't as empathizing as it used to be?
 
"You're making a weird face," Yongguk said, and Youngjae turned his head.
 
"S-sorry, I just remembered... I have to go clean up some stuff," Youngjae stuttered in a hurry.
 
Yongguk wasn't that cruel, right?
 
//
 
Weeks passed. Then weeks turned into months. By mid-summer, Youngjae's life with Guernica had grown increasingly mundane. Breakfast in the morning, training with whoever wanted to join right afterward, chores in the afternoon, free time in the late afternoon, dinner in the evening, then sleep. Repeat. It wasn't that he was complaining or anything—he actually enjoyed it—the entire schedule was just a bit...tedious.
 
"You look incredibly enthusiastic today."
 
Youngjae focused his attention on Jongup. A bird chirped in the distance. The tree branches swayed above Jongup's head. The cool morning wind hit his heated skin; Youngjae relished the feeling because he knew it'd get humid later in the day.
 
"Sorry, Jongup, I was just, um, thinking," Youngjae replied.
 
Jongup tilted his head to the side slightly. "About what?"
 
"Nothing important," Youngjae reassured with a smile. Before Jongup could reply, Youngjae lifted up his katana. "One more round?"
 
Jongup smiled, and followed suit.
 
//
 
"Does this make us even now?" Youngjae asked, smirking slightly as he stood above Jongup, katana pressed gently against his neck.
 
Jongup's breaths came out in hard pants, but his eyes still held that playful glint. "You know, I'm pretty sure it's only 109 to 95 now."
 
Youngjae narrowed his eyes as he withdrew the sword, and stepped back. "You made that up."
 
Shrugging, Jongup stood up. "Probably."
 
A faint, rhythmic thudding sounded in the distance, and Youngjae froze, as did Jongup; they locked eyes and the exact same thought ran through their minds: Republic helicopter. Within seconds, they were darting into the dense greenery surrounding the clearing. They hid behind a tree, diving into the hollowed ground underneath the roots. The thumping grew louder and louder with each passing second, and Youngjae felt his heart beat in time with the thumps. Jongup sat beside him, their backs pressed against the dirt.
 
In moments, the thumping was so loud, Youngjae was sure the helicopter was right above them. The helicopter seemed to linger for the longest time, and Youngjae wondered why. He glanced at Jongup, and the other shrugged. He glanced outside, and saw the plants swaying violently.
 
They sat and waited for the helicopter to pass, and by the time it did, Youngjae was ready to head back to the bunker. He began to stand up, but Jongup held him back, shaking his head. When Youngjae stared at him weirdly, he just shook his head again and signaled for Youngjae to sit back down.
 
As Youngjae opened his mouth to ask Jongup to clarify, he heard footsteps moving slowly. It was so faint Youngjae almost didn't hear it, but if he listened closely, he could hear the sharp crunching of twigs underneath heavy boots.
 
Youngjae turned to Jongup, his eyes wide, but Jongup's expression mirrored Youngjae's own. It was a Legion soldier. There was a Legion soldier in District 9. Why? Was he or she scouting the area? What for?
 
The footsteps paused, and Youngjae heard the soldier pick up a katana. They were in the clearing. Youngjae closed his eyes, praying to some greater being that he and Jongup wouldn't be caught.
 
"I'm going," Jongup whispered. When Youngjae shook his head, his eyes pleading, Jongup simply smiled. "I'll be fine, but I'll send you a signal if I'm in trouble."
 
Youngjae nodded as Jongup slowly headed out of the shelter, feeling a weight of cold anxiety build up in his stomach.
 
It wasn't long until Youngjae heard Jongup speak.
 
"E-excuse me. I... I, uh, I got lost. Th-there was a trail, and then—"

"Do you know Yoo Youngjae?" the soldier asked, interrupting Jongup. It was a woman. Her voice was muffled by something, presumably a helmet.

Jongup paused. "W-who?"
 
"What's your name?" the soldier asked.
 
"J-Jonghwan."
 
"No, you're not..."
 
A pause. Youngjae's breath sped up, and he covered his mouth to quiet the sound. He didn't know what was happening out there, and he hated it.
 
There was a shot.
 
Youngjae gasped. That sounded nothing like the brash eruption of a gunshot, but a quiet lasershot. No, no, no, no nonononono. There was no way. Jongup was faster than that. Better than that. He was more than capable of avoiding a laser.
 
Grabbing his ray gun from behind his back, Youngjae cautiously emerged from underneath the tree. He held his ray gun out in front of him, peeking around the tree. The soldier was there, standing above Jongup's limp body and inspecting him. She had full camouflage armor on; Youngjae was definitely sure now that she was out here for reconaissance purposes.
 
Youngjae took shallow breaths as he pressed himself against the rough bark of the tree, trying his best to keep himself out of sight. Jongup was injured. He wasn't dead. No. He couldn't be dead. But... If Youngjae continued to stall... Jongup didn't have a lot of time left.
 
The soldier began walking again, her boots pressing softly against the ground. She knew where Youngjae was. He could barely breathe, too terrified to move. If only he could get to the clearing and get his hands on a katana. The crunch of twigs had gotten louder.
 
Come on, Youngjae, if you can kill a rabid bear, you can take on a Legion soldier.
 
Youngjae took in an inaudible, shaky breath.
 
Right?
 
"Whoever else is here, I won't hurt you," the soldier announced. "I just need to ask some questions."
 
Youngjae tucked his ray gun behind his back, and slowly stepped out from behind the tree, holding his hands up. The soldier appeared tense, and stood about ten feet away. Her helmet's tinted screen suddenly turned transparent, and Youngjae was able to make out her features. There was a certain hardness in her eyes that Youngjae remembered seeing in Yongguk's.
 
"Are you Yoo Youngjae?" the soldier asked.
 
Youngjae nodded. Jongup lied and he got shot; Youngjae didn't want to take that same risk.
 
The soldier was silent for a moment, and Youngjae bit his lip, feeling the sudden urge to throw up his breakfast. The soldier nodded in approval, and approached Youngjae as if he was a fearful mouse.
 
"You'll have to come with me, Yoo Youngjae," she declared, holding out her hand.

Youngjae hesitated, lowering his arms to his sides.

The soldier smiled kindly, drawing back the glass of her helmet and leaving her absolutely vulnerable. She was either completely confident in her abilities or a complete idiot. "Your family is worried about you."
 
Youngjae blinked, his anxiousness quickly turning into shame and loneliness. His family? Were they really worried? Youngjae imagined his parents welcoming him home with tears in their eyes, love in their arms, and apologies spilling from his tongue.

Without even thinking, Youngjae reached out to the Legion soldier's hand, taking one tentative step after another.

But...

Youngjae stopped a few steps away form the soldier. Jongup. Jongup needed help. There was no way Youngjae would be able to return to his old life so effortlessly. That was impossible.

"Yoo Youngjae?" the soldier asked. "What's wrong?"

Youngjae shook his head, and resumed walking towards the soldier. He'd go along with her, then shoot her, and if she was still alive, he'd run and get the katana. That was good, right? He needed to shoot her weak spots in the armor.

The soldier smiled as Youngjae took her gloved hand, and they began to walk towards the clearing; his eyes quickly darted to where Jongup lay, trying his best to inspect Jongup's injuries from the distance. Blood seeped out of his side, soaking the dirt and pooling around him. It didn't seem to be coming from a vital spot, but there was still a substantial amount of blood. When they passed by Jongup, Youngjae couldn't help but stare, hoping Jongup would be okay.

Once Jongup was out of the soldier's peripherals, he opened his eyes, and Youngjae nearly yelped in surprise. Then, Jongup's lips began moving. Youngjae blinked, but didn't dare stop. What was Jongup saying?

"You'll be fine."

Taking a deep breath, Youngjae reached behind him to grab his ray gun. No more stalling. He needed to act now.

Youngjae aimed at the soldier's neck where there was a chink in her armor, and pulled the trigger.

A spray of blood spurted from her neck, and she let go of Youngjae's hand to stop the bleeding. Gasps escaped , and she spun around to face Youngjae.

"You––"

Without hesitation, Youngjae shot another laser at the soldier's unguarded face. She fell to the ground with a gaping hole in her forehead, and Youngjae rushed to Jongup's side.

"You did good, man," Jongup commented as he began to sit up. He groaned, and Youngjae gently urged Jongup to lay down again.

"You shouldn't be moving," Youngjae instructed. "You've lost a lot of blood. We need to get back to the bunker."

Jongup laughed, but winced at the effort. "She just clipped my side, really. Honestly, any closer and I really would have been unconscious."

"That's not funny, Jongup." Youngjae jogged to the clearing to grab a towel, and pressed it to Jongup's side. "Keep that there to stop the bleeding."

"God, you're becoming just like Himchan," Jongup joked, and Youngjae wondered if this was Jongup's way of coping with the pain. "Nag, nag, nag."

Youngjae carefully lifted Jongup to his feet, grunting at the effort. "Can you walk?"

Jongup snorted. "Ye––" He stumbled after a couple steps, and Youngjae quickly grabbed Jongup's shoulders. "Okay, maybe not."

//

"What the hell happened?" Himchan exclaimed, following Youngjae down the corridor and into the control room where Jongup laid on one of the many tables. The towel was soaked with blood now, and Jongup had gotten considerably paler; his breaths had gotten shallower too.

Junhong scurried in some moments after, carrying a multitude of bandages and first aid kits in his arms.

"It was a Legion soldier," Youngjae replied, quickly moving out of the way as Himchan rushed to Jongup's side.

"What?!" Himchan asked, spinning around to face Youngjae.

"Himchan...," Junhong said, trying to make Himchan focus on Jongup again.

Himchan took a deep breath, and removed the towel from Jongup's side. The room was engulfed in silence as Himchan began working, his hands repeatedly flying from the kit to Jongup's wound. Junhong stood beside Himchan, assisting and handing supplies to Himchan.

Feeling useless, Youngjae headed towards the ladder to fetch the rest of their things back in the clearing.

"Hyung?" Junhong called out. "Where are you going?"

"We, uh, left the katanas in the clearing," Youngjae explained. "I need to go get them."

Junhong nodded. "You should bring someone with you. It's bad to go outside alone."

"Okay," Youngjae replied, turning around to head out in the hall. He'd bring Daehyun.

As Youngjae walked down the corridor to search for Daehyun, the scent of blood had begun to fill the bunker––at least the area surrounding the control room. The metallic scent stung Youngjae's nose slightly, and he resisted the urge to bring the collar of his shirt up to cover his nose.

Youngjae found Daehyun as they rounded a corner, and they nearly shoved each other to the ground.

"What happened to Jongup?" Daehyun demanded, grabbing Youngjae by the shoulders to balance him.

"He was shot," Youngjae replied shakily.

Daehyun's eyes widened, almost automatically grabbing Youngjae's hand, and dragged him back to the control room. His pace was brisk, and Youngjae nearly tripped over his own feet trying to match it for a second.

"Himchan's treating him right now," Youngjae said, but he wasn't sure if Daehyun heard him. "I need to get the weapons still in the forest before they're found."

"Alright," Daehyun said. His voice was devoid of any emotion, and Youngjae wondered what was going through Daehyun's mind.

//

"So what exactly happened?" Daehyun asked as he and Youngjae emerged into the clearing.

Youngjae was quiet for a moment, but when Daehyun turned to look at him, he replied, "A Republic helicopter dropped off a soldier, presumably for reconaissance purposes. Jongup and I hid before we were seen. Jongup headed out, and he was shot. I came out, and followed the soldier. Then, I...killed her."

"Hmm," Daehyun mumbled as he picked up a katana. "Good job."

"Are you being sarcastic?" Youngjae asked as he picked up the other katana, and slid it into its scabbard.

Daehyun let out a laugh. "No."

Narrowing his eyes, Youngjae poked Daehyun's side with the sheathed sword, and Daehyun let out a yelp.

"Stop! I'm ticklish!" Daehyun exclaimed, skittering away from Youngjae. He walked towards the edge of the clearing, scanning the area. "So, where's the soldier? She's probably still here, right?"

"Go more to the right, I think?" Youngjae replied.

Daehyun turned to his right, glancing at Youngjae, but stopped, his eyes wide with shock and fear. "Youngjae. Run."

Youngjae furrowed his eyebrows, thinking Daehyun was playing another prank on him. "Wh––"

Then, a sharp pain stung Youngjae's neck, and he crumpled to the ground, his limbs quickly losing all feeling. He thought he heard Daehyun shout something, and he began to run to Youngjae, but his limbs seemingly gave up on him too.

Before Youngjae's vision was flooded completely with black, he saw familiar boots come into view.

"You don't know how much trouble we had to go through to find you, Yoo Youngjae."

A/N: Ah yes, finally. An update. The product of late night spaghetti and unnecessary feelings at 3 am. The dog days are indeed over.

Also, the Legion armor is heavily based on the Pacific Rim uniforms when they're piloting jaegers, but with more protection around the joints because it looks like the uniform wasn't exactly made for direct combat. Although maybe something from the Halo video games would be more appropriate, but it doesn't seem to provide as much realistic mobility as the Pacific Rim one does????? Well, whatever, I can trust you guys to form some idea of what the armor looks like.

Thanks for reading / subscribing / commenting~