“Jihu,” Hongbin asked, “can you smell anyone?”

“I can’t smell Hyuk,” the werewolf sighed sadly, “sorry.”

“I….I thought not,” Hongbin tried to smile, “we’re not close enough to the right wing. That’s where he should be, right? You don’t think he’s moved.”

“He might have,” Jihu replied, “depending on how things have gone in that area. Look, right now we need to get to Krystal, Taeyang, Tao, and Sehun. Yuri said that they were hurt and we need to help them. Just…..remember who’s with him. Leo, N, and D.O. They can keep him safe.”

“I know,” Hongbin whispered.

He knew. He knew that those with Hyuk would and could protect him. He was just being paranoid. He needed to focus on the task at hand; helping his friends so they could fight.

“Oh thank god,” they heard Tao cry as they entered a large room where the vampire was sitting beside Krystal and Taeyang.

“You’re a bit late to the party,” Taeyang sighed, “we’ve already taken care of everyone here.”

“Sehun isn’t with you?” Krystal asked, “have you…..have you seen him?”

“Maybe he just went elsewhere for help?” Tao suggested but he was clearly worried.

“I’ll find him,” Jihu decided, “Hongbin, stay here and heal them. I’ll come back with Sehun and then we’ll start looking for everyone else.”

“Alright,” Hongbin nodded, setting to work healing Krystal since she was the only one who couldn’t heal herself. He kind of wanted to ask Jihu to see if he could find Hyuk as well, but decided against it.

“Just focus on healing her,” Tao advised, “we can heal.”

“Yeah,” Taeyang nodded, “and out wounds aren’t that bad either. Best you spend your energy healing those who need healing.”

“They aren’t wrong,” Krystal sighed, “you’ve only got so much energy. Best to save it for more serious injuries. Which is why you should only heal me enough to stop the bleeding.”

“No,” Tao scolded her, “you get healed all the way or you don’t get to come. I will send you right back to the van with Yuri, Jaesun, and Luhan if you aren’t totally healed.”

“Fine,” Krystal sighed, deciding that the vampire was dead serious.

--

Heesun bit back a growl as she watched the armed men and women walking around the basement.

Unlike Chen, Kai, and Xiumin, she’d managed to wake up relatively unharmed. She’d also been blown close enough to the center of the room to discover the hole leading down to the many basement levels. While she had laid there on the floor, trying to wrap her head around what had happened, she’s witnessed Jihoo and a few of his people a couple of council members from several different councils through the hole.

Once she’d finally gathered her thoughts enough to move, she followed them. She realized how stupid she was being. She realized that going into enemy territory alone was foolish. It was even more foolish when she hadn’t told anyone where she was going. If she got into trouble…….

……..she was alone.

If she got herself caught, she was dead. And that was if she was lucky. She knew that if she got caught, she’d be taken to Jihoo. And Jihoo would do much worse than just kill her.

Heesun ducked behind a bunch of crates before she could be spotted by a group of enemies, silently hoping the her scent was hidden by all the blood and smoke smells.

--

“Hyuk?” Leo whispered, holding the young werewolf tightly, “you still with me?”

“Yeah,” Hyuk mumbled, fighting to keep his eyes open, “here.”

“Try to stay with me, ok?” Leo said, “Try to keep your eyes open until we get to Hongbin. He’ll fix you.”

“Hongbin,” Hyuk whined, “he……he’s going to be sad.”

“No,” Leo assured him, “he’ll be happy. He’ll be happy to see you.”

“He’s going to be mad at me,” Hyuk said, “he…….he’s not going to smile again.”

“He’ll smile again,” Leo said, tears starting to run down his face, “he’ll smile again so long as you’re still here.”

“I……I hate,” Hyuk tried to turn to face his hyung, but he got dizzy and ended p slumped beside the other with his head resting on Leo’s shoulder, “I hate goodbyes. I….remember my mom……saying good bye. She…..was crying. And she looked so broken.”

“You’ve never told me about your mom,” Leo said, hoping to get Hyuk talking. So long as Hyuk was talking, he was alive.

“Don’t remember much,” Hyuk whispered, “just her saying good bye…..and crying. Hyung?”

“Yeah,” Leo managed to say, trying to fight back to sobs already shaking his body and burying his face in Hyuk’s hair.

“Don’t say good bye,” Hyuk could feel tears wetting his hair and his cheeks, “please. If you don’t say good bye…..you aren’t really gone. You just aren’t here right now.”

“I won’t say good bye,” Leo promised, “so you don’t say it either, ok?”

“Ok.”

A/N: I’m……just……gonna…….*gone*

Just for the record (since I don’t want you all thinking I’m a heartless ‘bout this), I started tearing up a little bit myself at the end as I wrote this last part with Hyuk. I think that’s ‘cuz of the “don’t say good bye” line mostly. That line……it’s from the web-series ‘Red vs. Blue’. Specifically the final episode of season 10. Originally, the  line comes from one character talking to another about how her mom was never at home much ‘cuz she always had stuff to do elsewhere and how her mom would never say good bye because “if you don’t say good bye, then you aren’t really gone. You just aren’t here right now” (so didn’t describe this well, but I can’t go into more detail without spoiling stuff so…..). That line……I think all RvB fans realized how……special that line was the first time we heard it, but after the passing of the late, great Monty Oum…….that line was repeated so many times. It took on so much more meaning, so using it here…….