They stood before the two with heads bowed like errant children and hands clasped solemnly behind them. They had expected the repercussions, having known that they were coming. What they hadn't expected, however, was for the leaders to get involved.

Suji cast a resentful glance Luhan's way and the blonde, as though able to feel her condescending stare, ducked his head lower between his shoulders; hiding his burning face from the others.

Xiumin would only scold us a little and Lay would just sigh, he had assured them, They wouldn't actually punish us.

What they hadn't counted on, however, was that there would be two more dictators standing before them with their arms crossed and feet apart. And a furious Suho, although more than a foot shorter than his counterpart, was a frightening sight indeed. There was something about the shadow across his usually pale and gentle countenance and his eyes gleaming with something other than laughter that struck Suji with a sense of déjà vu.

She wasn't too concerned about him; feeling as though she were being told off by a haughty brother playing parent. Instead she had her eye on the full grown male beside him.

Of course it had to be Kris. With the always angry blonde now in the scene, even Minseok and Yixing seemed to stand a little further than necessary, as though unwilling to get involved. So now they were the sacrificial lambs, thrown to meet Kris' ire. Although, even Suji had to admit, they did deserve some form of punishment.

However, Kris' idea of discipline was taking things a little too far.

"Why the mountain? What mountain? How in the world am I going to climb a mountain!?"

"Calm down Suji." Minseok murmured at her reassuringly, "The mountain's not that far away. It's just a train ride away, really."

"It's a mountain!" She was so close to tearing her hair out in frustration at getting it into these aliens' heads that climbing a mountain for humans wasn't like the pleasant stroll it posed for their kind. Where in the world did they adopt these ridiculous ideas? She had been all set to be grounded for a day or so as she had read in books.

Kim Suji had never been punished before. Her antics have always been tolerated in the past; her parents, supervisors and teachers turning a blind eye for their love or fear of her. To be presented with a punishment so severe so suddenly tempted her to turn right around and leave, no longer willing to put up with their antics.

"Why do I have to be the one running off into the wilderness!? Luhan approved it! Therefore, it's mostly his fault." She stabbed the air with her finger, pointing at the startled boy, readily throwing away any sense of loyalty at the thought of heaving herself up a mountain. "Make him and Sehun go instead. Why do they get to stay at home?"

Suho raised a skeptical brow, "Technically it was your idea, Suji. Anyway, they'll be counting out every single grain of rice in our storage by separating them into piles of ten. With their toes. Even with our kind's speed, they may not even be halfway through by the time you return."

"Well… still!" She refused to cave in.

"I'll swap!" Sehun raised his hand, casting a disgruntled look at Suho, brows knitted together; a perfect replica of Kris' current expression, "Luhan and I will go to the mountain!"

"How many times must I tell you all?" Kris bit out impatiently, "Suji has to be the one to go. On the mountainside is one of the few remote villages that Shin Corporation had planted spies into, albeit being for another of their projects altogether. If Suji allows herself to be seen, the company will be diverted into concentrating in that area, thus buying us more time until the Blood Moon arrives."

Suji stared imploringly at Suho, widening her eyes and allowing her lower lip to jut out slightly in an attempt to win him over. He was her brother. No, Suji thought firmly, He IS my brother. And all brothers must protect their sisters, right? She could almost see his resolve break down before her very eyes as the shadow disappeared from his face and he tilted his head to one side, wavering. He had always had a soft spot for her. She would test how far their bond extended.

"Suho ya." She whined cutely in a high nasal tone, internally cheering as his brows twitched together with confusion. Yes! She could possibly nail this with one more word! "Suho opp-"

"No!" Kris snapped, cutting her off rudely as he wrapped his arm around the shorter boy's head and dragged him close despite the muffled cries from under the crook of his arm, "Don't fall for her human tricks Suho. She's playing you. Taking advantage of you." He ignored the insulted look Suji shot him, opting instead to squeeze the young leader tighter and giving him a disciplinary noogie.

She watched her upright, always calm and charismatic brother receive a painful twisting fist to the top of his head, and sighed, shoulders visibly drooping with resignation.

If Suho couldn't win in a match with Kris, how could she?

As she had expected, the blonde was the true leader when it came to physical prowess.

She wasn't really sure exactly how she had ended up on an express train to Busan with only the clothes on her back and a ticket in her pocket. No doubt this trip had been intended as a quick stint on the mountain for her to draw as much attention to herself as possible and leave in time for dinner at home. It seemed that the aliens' logic had somehow evaded them as they planned this out, having forgotten that she needed three square meals a day and that she had not the energy to walk all the way from Busan up a mountain in search of an elusive village of which she knew nothing but its name.

At least she had Chanyeol with her.

Not that he made much of a difference as he sat beside Suji; head slowly lolling down onto her shoulder which, due to his long upper body, would have resulted in a stiff neck by the time they reached Busan. She gazed at his sleeping face with a curious intensity she would never have dared had he been awake.

His new haircut really did match his face; the red complimenting his pale, smooth complexion and the edges of his lips twitching upwards as though even in his sleep, he was laughing that contagious laugh and smiling that bright twinkling smile which never failed to leave her mesmerised. He suddenly shifted in his seat, curling up against her like a giant monkey, oblivious to her nervous stiffening, and pushed his face further up her shoulder; breathing in deeply and letting out a soft breathy sigh, causing the hairs at the nape of her neck to flutter.

The train wasn't full, with nearly all the seats in their compartment unattended, but it wasn't exactly empty either and she had had to withstand the curious glances of people passing their cubicle on their way to the refreshment area in the compartment adjoining theirs'.

Suji had never been particularly sensitive to others' opinions of her, but something about the way their eyes drank in the sight of Chanyeol and herself entwined so closely made her feel as though they were doing something other than just resting on one another.

It made her feel as though they weren't just brother and sister on a trip. They made her feel nervous. Apprehensive. Aware. And, to a certain extent, though they were in no way doing anything wrong; they made her feel guilty.

What would Minhyun think?

The thought crossed Suji's mind without any warning and she started at the unexpected question. Why would Minhyun care what Suji was doing with Chanyeol? He was just her brother. Her oppa of two years. They weren't anything to each other.

The sky was beginning to brighten as the sun peeked out from beyond the endless montage of rolling hills. They had left so early in the morning that the sky had been pitch black when they departed, the moon still high in the sky. It was now a solid hour into their trip and dawn was finally breaking.

She woke up to a strangely comforting sensation along her arm; the gentle brushing up and down tickling her slightly and causing her to feel a hot tightening in the pit of her stomach and a cold shiver run up her spine.

"Hey." Chanyeol whispered softly as he peeked down at her, fingers trailing along her bare arm with feather light touches, and broke into his signature grin which seemed to stretch from ear to ear, "The train's stopped."

S