Waking up was like struggling through a bog of darkness bent on him in – damn near impossible, in other words.

Still, a nagging worry in the back of his head made him toss and turn around and a frown appeared between his closed eyes, making his youthful, rather pretty features look fearsome. Images flashed through his head and it was like he was seeing everything through a veil – kind of blurred and foggy.

Something was bothering him, something associated with these frightening images and he struggled to open his eyes, to see what it was.

His lids parted unwillingly, sticking together. Light shone brightly, filling the room with warmth as he slowly blinked, feeling dazed and disoriented. A yawn escaped his mouth and he stretched, wanting to snuggle back into the warm covers and go back to sleep.

But of course, the nagging worry wouldn't leave him and he sat up with an annoyed huff.

Dizziness hit him hard, making him sway as he sat and he held his head until it settled down before moving gingerly and putting his feet on the floor. It was cold, unlike the warm sunlight and he shivered, quickly getting up and moving to wash sleep away.

He'd reached the door when worry breached him again, lancing painfully through his head and horrifying images, filled with death and gore, moved before his eyes.

Mei, getting almost hit by that fast moving van, nearly dead as she collapsed in his arms…

Fear swamped him – surely that was a bad dream – he would know if something happened to Mei, right? Still, it wasn't until he'd pushed against his link with his mate and gotten a sleepy response in return that he relaxed. It was just a bad dream.

Other, more horrifying images nearly blocked out his vision as they overpowered him again and something howled in the back of his head.

Images where he was the one doling out death, splattering the roads with brains and painting them with the blood of the creatures of Abyss who, per his dream-vision, had been the ones to injure Mei, the cuts on her body barely bleeding as blackness, decaying and eating through her flesh, spread over her skin.

Irrational rage build rapidly inside of him and as the lights began to turn too bright, he realized he was engaging his beast form, growling low in his throat. But just the thought of even a cut marring her beautiful, silken skin was enough to make him lose sanity.

He wished he had killed each and every one of those filthy monsters for even thinking to harm her. But as the images kept flashing, he got a little confused.

It all felt too real and the nagging worry in the back of his head was screaming louder, not satisfied even by the knowledge that his mate was safe. It was something baser, something almost as important for him – if not more so – than Mei.

Impossible.

And yet, the worry was almost overpowering, churning his stomach and making him feel like he would throw up. Accompanied with a pained sense of guilt, overwhelming guilt, it was beginning to scare him.

The images continued their rapid movement over his mind's eye, getting more and more detailed as he focused on them and his stomach churned even more at the violence in his acts, the sheer – he was like a crazed beast as he moved – and the rage that was so intense, it made the atmosphere tremble with his fury.

To Luhan, it all seemed like he was seeing someone – something, for how could such a beast qualify for anything rational or sane? – else doing all this; the sense of depersonalization only increased when he turned and saw Kai crouching near Mei, obviously bent to pick her up, take her to safety but in his demented state, all he perceived was a threat to his mate. He winced as he saw himself land a hit that made Kai fly through the air, obviously not expecting his attack.

He watched with that same sense of sickening detachment as he attacked the Abyss hound and tore it apart with his bare hands, roaring in anger.

Fear and guilt, now making terrible sense, overwhelmed him as he saw Kai appear once again, nearly crouching because of the power pressing down on him, intent on getting Mei to safety. He managed to avoid his attack the first time but Luhan winced as his kick landed on Kai's face, all but dislocating his jaw, then swallowed the bile rising up in his throat as he saw himself yank his head back, exposing his throat, the intent to tear it out clear in his mind; he shook his head as if that would undo what had already been done, looking into Kai's pleading eyes.

'Luhan…' Blood coated his lips, voice choked. 'Mei needs help, Luhan.'

To his horror, even that statement wasn't enough to make him back off, only primal rage controlling him. As he lifted Kai high, he struggled and Luhan shuddered as he felt, clearly like it was happening now, his fingers breaking through the skin, touching his windpipe.

Horror and helplessness swamped him as he saw himself tearing his brother's throat out, his own aching in phantom pain, in rememberance. He slumped against the door, sweat coating his forehead as he panted, recalling his panic afterwards.

Oh god, Kai…

He moaned, burying his face in his hands. What had he done? What had happened? He remembered landing in the living room and crying for help but that was the last thing he recalled. Had Lay healed him? Was he alright???

The groan made him straighten quickly and then, he was on his brother in a flash, smothering him in a bear hug, probably choking the hell out of him but dammit, he was too relieved to care.

'Thank goodness you're alright…' he sobbed in Kai's hair, relief making him weak, 'Thank goodness!'

'Ya…' Kai struggled to sit up straight or ease the death grip around his neck but Luhan only hugged him tighter. Kai patted at the arm holding him forcefully in place, 'Let me go!'

Luhan shook his head, burying into Kai's neck and waiting for his heart to settle down.

Geez, the cub had him scared.

The sound of door opening made him react instinctively and his power spread around in a circle, covering himself and Kai in a protective shield as he bared his teeth and growled at the intruder, his eyes flashing red.

'Calm down!'

Luhan blinked, coming to his senses. They were at the HQs, of course there wasn't any threat.

'Sorry, my bad.' He let the Legend down, gently easing the force off him so he'd slide down slowly instead of crashing down. Going over, he helped him stand, 'You okay?'

D.O nodded, then looked at the remains of food on the floor. Luhan rubbed his neck sheepishly, 'I'll pick that up, why don't you go get some more?'

Nodding again, D.O went outside and Luhan picked up the broken plates, throwing them in the bin before going back, standing beside Kai's bed and twisting his fingers nervously. How did you apologize after almost killing your brother in a fit of primitive frenzy?

Kai rolled his eyes, hearing his thoughts and shifted, patting the place beside him. Luhan sank beside him, throwing an arm around his shoulder and hugging him close.

'I'm sorry.' He muttered, feeling so guilty.

Lay, as usual, had done excellent work with his healing and there was only a faint scar to remind them of the terrible ordeal but to Luhan, it was worse than all the stictches and cuts in the world because he had inflicted them.

'It's not your fault…' Kai spoke up, sensing his remorse, 'Mei was in trouble, of course you lost it.'

Luhan stared at his hands, which had been bathed in his Shadows blood, and shook his head. 'That's no excuse.'

'I'm trying not to hold a grudge here,' Kai rolled his eyes, backing up a little to give Luhan a straight look, 'so accept it while I'm willing to forgive. I'm sure I'll regret it later.'

Luhan laughed, feeling the warmth and reassurance flooding into him via his Shadow link, and ruffled his hair, 'Aish, this cub! Trying to sass me now?'

Kai grinned cheekily and might've said something back but the door burst open just then and every one crowded inside.

'You woke up!!!' Raina was sobbing into Kai's neck, hugging him so tightly, he'd fallen back. 'I thought you'd died!'

Kai was blinking, unable to breath or speak, because Raina wasn't letting him go and everyone else was just hugging them both, landing slaps on his back and in general, making enough noise to rouse the dead.

Funnily enough, none of them came within touching distance of Luhan, who'd backed into the wall to make room for others. They nodded at him, waved at him from the distance but all of them were keeping carefully away from him. He thought he knew the reason and it was confirmed when his hand accidentally landed on Baekhyun's .

The Legend screamed and jumped into Chanyeol's lap, making him stumble and crash into the people behind him, all of whom landed on Kai, squashing him underneath them.

Luhan sighed, 'I'm not going to attack you.'

Baekhyun put a hand to his chest, not even pretending he hadn't been considering exactly that. 'Thank goodness for that. Don’t ever do that kind of thing again, okay? D.O is enough. Really.'

Shaking his head, he headed outside. Mei was fine; he was sure of it because she'd responded to his contact, but that urge to see her, now that he was sure about Kai, was overwhelming.

He bumped into Suho as he was stepping out from Chen's room. He nodded at Luhan, glancing over his shoulder at the loud voices emerging from behind, 'Kai's awake?'

Luhan nodded. 'A few minutes ago.'

'Good to hear,' Suho rubbed his eyes, looking a bit ragged. 'Looking for Mei?'

'Yeah, she's inside?'

Suho nodded again, stepping aside and opening the door for him. 'Just… don't make too much noise, I don't want to wake Lay up – he just fell asleep. In fact,' he whispered as Luhan entered the dark room, the curtains pulled down to make it dim, 'if she's awake, bring her outside. That'd be better.'

'Okay.' Luhan muttered and waited for his eyes to adjust in the dimness before glancing around. He walked past Chen, tiptoed quietly by a panting Lay as he tossed and turned feverishly and quietly sank on the edge of Mei's bed.

Her face was pale in the dim light but it was thankfully free of scratches and her neck was clean too, no finger marks marring her beautiful skin. He sagged in relief and leaned over, gently kissing her forehead.

She muttered something sleepily, making him smile against her skin and he traced his lips down to her nose, pecking it lightly before softly kissing her lips.

Her eyes opened slowly when he let go, like she was sleeping beauty, kissed to wakefulness by her prince. He smiled softly as her confused gaze landed on his face. 'Luhan…?' she mumbled sleepily.

'Princess.'

She blinked a little more, awareness of her surroundings slowly registering in her brain. She sat up slowly, pulling the sheets up self-consciously and looked around. 'Where am I?'

Lay's healing could, in massive doses, could leave a person heavily disoriented, among other things. He caught hold of her hand, drawing her up so she could get out of bed. 'At my place.'

She looked a little confused, shaking her head as memories of the night before tried to barge in on her mind. 'How?'

Luhan didn’t think recalling the terrible ordeal would be helpful – she'd remember it eventually, so why rush it?

'We can talk after you've freshened up,' He helped her out of the sheet and realized why she'd been holding it up like that. Her nightsuit was in tatters, literally… and none of his brothers had dared to change her for fear he'd kill them afterwards. Smart move.

He looked around to make sure Chen and Lay were indeed asleep before draping the cover over her shoulders, wrapping her up thoroughly and lifting her up in his arms because why walk when he could carry her around? She yelped at the sudden movement but with her hands trapped in the sheets, she couldn't even hug him.

He smiled down at her reassuringly, 'I'm taking you to my room, where you can shower and change into something else, okay? Don't worry, I won't let you fall.'

She nodded, looking cute as a button with her face buried almost up to her nose in her makeshift robes and her hair messed up, framing her large eyes prettily. She looked well-rested and full of life, healthy – she'd never looked more beautiful.

She didn't part her lips when he kissed again – I haven't even brushed my teeth, he heard her mortifed thoughts inside his head – but he didn’t care. She was alive and well and in his arms – where she belonged – and he'd be damned if he let her go.

Sadly, he had to do exactly that because she wouldn't let him accompany her in the toilet while she relieved herself and she had to push him out forcefully because he was insisting he help her brush her teeth. 'I’m not a baby!' she glared, foam coating her face and the sheet wrapped around her head like she was a Halloween ghost, completely contradicting her statement.

His peck on her nose wasn't appreciated, neither was his insistence that he sit outside the curtains while she had a bath. 'I won't peek, swear!' He lifted his pinkie for a promise.

'Leave!' She pushed him out again but he leaned against the door and stuck his foot inside, not letting her close it all the way. What if she fell and hurt herself? He wasn't taking any more chances.

Finally, they compromised. She'd keep the door unlocked and call for help if she needed anything at all. He placed a seat right outside the door and waited, getting up, sitting down, pacing around while she took her time in the shower.

'Luhan!!!' Her sudden call made him jump and bump into the door as he tried to run straight through it. The sight of her, hair covered in foam and eyes closed, peeking her face out from behind the curtains – he did his best not to glance down – made affection rise in a huge swell.

'I can't find the showerhead!' she sounded panicked and he realized the foam was slowly dripping down her forehead, probably getting into her eyes.

And then she insisted she wasn't a baby.

'I’m not.' She pouted, as he helped her find the detachable showerhead and turned it on so she could finish. He didn't leave when she resumed, keeping an eye on her shadow as she moved behind the curtain and tried very, very hard not to let it affect him. He was in here for her safety, not any nefarious designs and his body had better understand it.

Still, he was breathing hard – and that wasn't the only thing hard on him – by the time she ended. She snuck a hand out for her towel and he handed it to her. 'Thanks…' she spoke distractedly before letting out a scream so loud it rang inside his head afterwards.

'You promised you'd stay outside!!!' She was still hiding behind the curtain, holding the towel up to her chest as he tried to explain that he was, technically, outside since he hadn't joined her in the shower.

She opened to counter that, then closed it. 'Go away.'

'Your clothes are…'

'Leave them here.'

'On the bed.' He smiled at her gaping face. 'Come out when you're done, I'll help you change.'

He didn't wait to hear her sputtering, indignant protests as he went to his closet and looked for clothes – his clothes – she could put on. Settling for an oversized shirt that was sure to cover all her curves, not even a hint showing through and one of his older pants – they were a bit tight for his liking but unlike shirts, oversized pants didn’t stay in place, he laid it all out on the bed and waited for her to come out.

She peeked her head out cautiously then yelped at the sight of him. 'Ya, seriously, I can change on my own.'

'I won't peek, so don't worry.' He turned his head to the side, holding up the shirt so she could slide into it. 'Come on.'

'Luhan…' she whined, getting cold after the shower but not really wanting to come out. Well too bad. He wasn't leaving.

'Mei, come on. You'll catch a cold if you stay like that.'

Grumbling, she made her way outside, unwrapping her hair to tie the towel around herself. He smiled at her grumpiness and pulled her into his lap so he could help her put on the shirt.

If she'd been shocked before, she was downright scandalized now but he wanted to dote on her right now, after almost losing her to Evil. So, he locked his legs around her and put a warning hand on her waist, squeezing it lightly. 'Stay still.'

She stilled and obediently lifted her arms up so he could slide shirt down over her head; then he made her stand, placing her hands on his shoulders and offering the pants so she could step into them. She caught his eyes, flushing and a bit embarrassed but he merely nodded. 'Go on.'

Sighing, she slipped inside and didn’t stop him when he started buttoning it up for her. His hands slipped inside the oversized shirt, loosening the knot and pulling the towel away and she shivered at the sudden loss of warmth. So he pulled her back into his lap and hugged her until she felt warm again.

Then, picking up the towel, he started drying her hair, making sure to rub and massage her scalp and smiled when she sighed softly in pleasure, pulling her legs up to rest on the bed. Her toes, cute and pink, wiggled when he tickled behind her ears, so he did it again before tilting her chin up and kissing her lips.

She smiled up at him, obviously happy with his loving attention before frowning, 'What's wrong? Why're you being like this?'

She'd sensed his worry and his need to make sure she was indeed okay. He shook his head, smiling lightly, 'I can't dote on you?'

She shook her head, 'Of course you can. Now, spill. What's wrong?'

Luhan looked into her eyes, remembering the horrifying night from her text message to his final collapse at the HQs, and shook his head again. 'You're okay, that's all that matters.'

'Luhan.' Her voice held warning but he stood up, carrying her with him. She squealed, throwing her arms around his head and burying her head in his neck. 'Let's get some breakfast, okay? Everyone's waiting.'

And ignoring her demands that he put her down, he marched outside.

…………………………….

A/N

Wow, will you look at that! Kai is alright! Yay! 

Well honestly, I played around with the idea of messing with his powers but Mei threatened me with broken bones if I dared to hurt him further... which was fine by me because its not like I enjoy it, okay? STOP JUDGING ME!

Ah well, fear not - Kai has recovered fully and his powers haven't been messed with and all in all, I think this is the best I have treated him so far... I think that's depressing T__T I'm sorry baby, swear I'll make it up to you T___T

Oh and of course, after the scare I gave them, neither Mei, nor Luhan like me very much and just want to spend their time cuddling, so here we have it - a nauseatingly cute chapter for them. Hope you're satisfied, Mei :P Don't worry, there's more to come :)

I feel like it's only fair that I should warn you guys that the story will soon take a turn for the serious (or as serious I can manage without lapsing into crack), so have fun while you can... heuheuheu (I just love giving dramatic warnings hehe)

Alright then, I'll leave you guys to it. Have fun and don't forget to comment, okay? Later