Saviour & Captor.

A quick sighting of the thunderbolt somewhere within the gloomy clouds was the slash of Jungkook's sword under the dark sky. Swift were his moves with feet heavily planted on the ground as he dodged a hit, one after another, by bending his waist front and left.

Tsuki clan's assassins were best known for their fast footwork and rapid movements in contrast to the Taiyo clan's sharp aim and Herculean strength.

When one assassin managed to get past Taehyung, Laira swiped her dagger from his right shoulder to his left lower abdomen resulting in coloring his white clothes into rosy red

Her very first kill. That being one of her own people.

Master Namjoon should've been here.

A shout came from Jungkook, alerting Laira to duck, which she did when a shower of star-shaped metal blades passed above her. She caught the leg of the assassin in front of her, pulling it with force that he was now on the ground, and she stomped her dagger into his chest.

Amid the chaos, a groan left Taehyung's lips when he got an arrow in his shoulder. Jungkook was there a second later, slashing his blade through the assassin's neck who shot his friend.

The duo stood back to back, swarmed by a group of white-masked men. Laira stepped forward, trying to break in through the assassins to reach the duo and help them.

She probably shouldn't.

Jimin ordered the killing of Taehyung. It would be a bonus if Jungkook went along right? However, she couldn't stop the moving of her feet until a hand held her shoulder.

Hoseok hissed, pulling her behind him. "Too dangerous."

"They need help," she muttered, throwing a blade in the left direction aimed at the assassin who was about to kick Jungkook.

"Which they will get," he said. "In a minute."

Hoseok's eyes were bloody red which seemed like a comical occurrence to Laira because he looked unlike when she first saw him.

It was like his anger spiked the blood into his eyes and caused the flushing of his neck. She didn't know the man was capable of anger.

"Look," he muttered again, pointing in the direction of bushes.

A group of black-masked men were in her view, gradually closing off the distance between them and their enemies.

"Taiyo clan's assassins," Laira spoke in shock. "Where did they come from?"

"They are to follow me all the time," he sighed. "I wonder what took them so long."

The tables were turned now. Hoseok's men were cornering the Tsuki clan's assassins.

Laira was left a little stunned, thinking why the possibility of highly-trained armed assassins protecting Hoseok everywhere he went did not occur to her.

It was all too sudden, she gasped when her arm was pulled with such force that she could hear a crack in her bone. A strong kick to her stomach followed that. Her head hit the ground with an ugly smash and at that very moment, she heard Hoseok's groan, which was loud and painful.

She could catch Taehyung running off in his direction from her peripheral vision all the while an assassin shoved his boot in her shoulder. An inhuman scream left her lips when she felt the blade attached to his boot pierce her sleeve and then her skin.

She was too induced in pain to register what went on but that assassin was pushed back from her, stumbling on his feet, and then crashed to the floor with a loud thud.

Bracing her wound, she stood up and the only thing she was able to grasp was the short and shadowed glimpse of a white-masked assassin disappearing behind the wooden walls of a closed store.

It happened so fast and barely made sense, but she swore she saw his silver hair candescent under the moonlight, peeking out from his white cloak before he vanished in the dark and thick shadows.

Master Jimin.

Did he kill one of his men to save me?

*

"Seokjin!" Namjoon's voice thundered in the quiet basement. "Seokjin-"

"Would you stop yelling my name? I'm right here."

"He escaped. That darn intruder managed to escape from the cell," he said, panting.

"You couldn't handle a tiny boy? I don't understand why Jimin trusts you more than me." Seokjin sighed, fixing his hair in the mirror.

"That tiny boy's name is Min Yoongi who is an expert at picking locks, and he somehow dusted the guards."

"He was shot in his leg for goodness sake!" The sniper exasperated. "And why are you here? Go find him."

"My men are searching for him, but we have another important matter, and I need your help." He sat on the chair, watching Seokjin's attention snapping back to him.

"Grace's Night," he said in sudden realization. "But, we don't need to worry about that. My team told me Jung Hoseok and his knights were spotted in Kyoto, so I sent our 2nd unit there to deal with them."

Namjoon felt his breath snatched out of him. "What?!"

Laira is there! Among our enemies, dressed as them.

"Why?" Seokjin frowned. "Don't tell me you are jealous because you couldn't think of that before me."

"Seok- oh, God!" He ducked his head down, elbows on the knees, and fingers anxiously gripping the hair. "This is bad, this is bad."

"What are you mumbling about? C'mon, I'll give you half the credit, good now?"

Namjoon calmed his mind. Logically thinking, The Knights were skilled enough to deal with half the unit, and then Hoseok would not be lurking in the town without proper protection.

The chances of the 2nd unit's success were very low. Hence, Laira was safe.

But what if she was not? What if Hoseok had left her alone and now she was surrounded by her own people trying to decapitate her?

"I can't believe what I'm about to do," Namjoon meekly sighed. "Can you babysit?"

Seokjin sputtered the water he was drinking. "Me?"

Namjoon nodded.

His house was close to The Sniper's basement, so he opted for a walk. He had three important things and that's all his mind could think about.

Laira's safety, Jimin's wrath after being informed about the 2nd unit's involvement, and finding Min Yoongi.

He was climbing the stairs of his apartment when he spotted her standing outside the door.

"Chloe?"

She was started, probably not expecting him to show up out of nowhere.

"Master? I didn't realize you weren't home."

"I was out for some work. Why are you here?" he asked.

"Yesterday..." she softly said, unable to finish the whole sentence.

"Ah!" He remembered then. "I told you to come. Right-"

"You seem troubled?" her face quickly changed to concern, abandoning the look of nervousness.

"I'm in a hurry. I'm leaving the city right now, and I won't be home for a while."

She stepped aside so he could unlock the door and followed him inside.

"Where are you going?" she asked as she watched him gather a few things to pack in the living room.

"Ah...I can't tell." He shot an apologetic smile at her. "Not allowed to."

"Where's Ben?" she inquired when she couldn't find him in his room.

"At the headquarters."

"You left him at the headquarters alone at this time?"

He turned around to face her, fixing her an offended look. "I'm not an irresponsible father. I left him with Max and now Seokjin is going to pick him up from there and take care of him while I'm away."

"What could be so important that you're leaving Ben with The Sniper? Wait, is Master Jimin in danger?"

"No, but someone else I care about is."

"Is that someone Laira?"

Namjoon looked up from his crouched position by his carrier and then averted his gaze.

"Is it her?" She questioned again. "I know you sent her on a mission somewhere, but why are there no updates from her? I care about her too and I need to know where she is."

"Clo, I can't tell you that."

"Then don't. Just take me with you. You said she is in trouble then let me come along with you. I can't stay behind if she's in danger. Please."

He took a moment to think and then sighed. "Alright. Go back to the center and pack what you need. I'll be there to pick you up soon."

*

Later that night when Laira came back to the training center, more than the wounds on her body her heart was hurting. She understood nobody around her nor her own heart.

The moments replayed in her head of how a single hint of threat bestowing upon Taehyung and Jungkook alerted her. It was so natural, deeply rooted in her instincts.

Who was she fooling?

Yes, being abducted and being trained for over 9 years, there was a burning need inside of her to prove something, something out of hate and grief. She wanted to show that even after everything she is just fine.

She wanted to prove that she was strong.

More than to herself, she wanted to prove to Jimin that she was a strong woman now, not the 9-year-old girl he had found crying and shaking in her living room. His clan was her home now, and she wanted to show him that she was living there out of her own will.

However, she cannot kill the people she has come to be friends with just to prove herself.

She muffled her face in the pillow, cautious of how easily the sound travels in the center, and let her years of frustration flow out in the form of tears. The Knights were in the next room. She could hear them laughing and teasing each other about their injuries.

Her body was also covered in wounds, but she couldn't feel them when her heart was overwhelmed with confusion and desperation. She wanted to be honest with herself, at least just this time.

I can't do this. I don't want to do this. I want to go home.

However, the irony was that when she thought of home, only the Tsuki clan's training center would show up in her mind. She could not picture anywhere else being her home.

He made me this way. This is his fault.

Then do you blame him? Do you hate him?

She didn't. To her, the life she had led so far was not a punishment or a jail. She met great people and had kind people to love and who loved her. Although she was dragged into everything against her will, she did not hate anything or anyone. Moreover, she did not hate him.

She should.

But he saved her life today, didn't he? Does that mean he cared for her?

Saying that she was confused would be an understatement, but for sure she was moved. When others had their priorities, such as the Taiyo clan's assassins protecting The Knights and their master and Taehyung protecting Hoseok, she was all by herself.

She was all alone, but he had his eyes on her. Has he been following her around to protect her? Was he always there for her?

Don't let yourself get swayed by this. He just wants you to be alive to kill his enemies, she thought to herself.

However, she was certain about one thing, and she would make it clear to Jimin as soon as she met him.

A knock on the wooden frame of the door startled her out of her thoughts. She sat up and wiped away all the remnants of trouble from her face.

However, sadness and hurt cannot be wiped away by mere caressing of hands. She should have known.

"Are you okay?" Taehyung asked, wide-eyed. His hands held a plastic bag that seemed to contain ointments and bandages.

"I'm fine," she bit her lips, uneasy about her feelings lurking at the seams to burst. "Do you need me for something?"

"I came to check up on your wounds." He invited himself in and kneeled next to the mattress she was sitting on. He reached for her bloody knee which was peeking out from her torn clothes. "You must have been startled."

By the attack? No, she wasn't. However, the realization of her true feelings did leave her pretty startled. She opted to stay silent, watching him carefully clean the blood and then apply the ointment.

"You can do the shoulder one yourself, right?" he asked eyeing her injury to which she just nodded.

He looked up once again to check her face before putting a bandage in place then he put his hand out for her. She stared at him in confusion, and he broke out in a smile. "Your hand," he said.

"Oh." She showed him her palm which he gently held in his big one and started cleaning it before applying the cream.

"It is okay if you were scared," he stated as his thumb stroked her knuckles. "You are too young to see things like that."

"You think 18 is young?"

She didn't know that tears had started streaming down her face until he moved his free hand to wipe them off her cheeks.

"18 or 30, you are young until your heart is innocent, and a girl with an innocent and soft heart like you would be scared. There is nothing wrong with that."

It was painful for her to hear him say that. What about when she was 9? Was she not young and innocent-hearted then?

"I-I just don't like it." She was choking on her words given that she had never spoken the truth to anyone before, not even herself. "I killed someone today."

"I know how you feel, but if you hadn't then he would've killed you."

"I know and I was fine," she sobbed. "I was fine a while ago, but now my hands feel so heavy and my heart is- Taehyung I, I killed someone-"

He was quick to engulf her in his embrace, his hand gently stroking her head. "Shh, it will be fine, I promise."

He let her cry her heart out and once she stopped he leaned back to sit on the floor in front of her. "Jungkook was just like you," he said with a soft smile. "You once asked us how we came to Japan right? Would you like to hear that story?"

"Yes, please," she sniffed, "If you don't mind."

Taehyung raised his brow before chuckling to himself. "I didn't know you could be so well-mannered and considerate."

"I've never spoken to you without honorifics!" she whined at his accusation.

"Is that so? But you always call me by my name," he said amusedly.

"Apart from that," she looked away with flushed cheeks.

"That is the basic manners though," he mumbled to himself. "Anyways, Jungkook and I met in an orphanage in Busan."

Laira looked back at him in genuine shock. She wasn't expecting the story to start like that.

"He was a very young, shy, and sweet boy who would sit in the corner all by himself. That orphanage provided us with nothing but a shelter to sleep under. The rest was up to us to manage. Therefore, he would go on for days without food before I joined in because he was afraid to go out and ask for work, but I befriended.him and would take him along with me to earn some money."

Laira noticed his moist eyes as he spoke with his gaze fixed in the distance. "You don't have to tell me everything."

He nodded with a light-lipped smile, and she could see a sad young boy in him.

"Right, so a few years later, a new boy joined us. His name was Jung Hoseok who was a year older than me."

"Master Hoseok?"

"Yes. He was like a ray of light in the blinding darkness. Right after he joined the orphanage, he made living easier. He was a part of a small clan in Korea, and through those connections, he was able to make more money compared to me and Jungkook combined."

"A businessman right from the start."

Taehyung shrugged. "He was born with that. Well, we were doing good since he had started taking care of us, buying food and clothes to wear in winter, but then a new security guard was appointed to look after that place who would take our money and beat us out of frustration of receiving a low salary."

"How could he? Wasn't there anyone to ensure the children's protection?"

"That was the guard's job. Apart from him, nobody would show up to check in on anyone. They just built a roof and let a bunch of kids sleep in it. That's all. We were holding on well until that man laid his hands on Jungkook."

Laira didn't realize when but her fists were red in anger. "I swear I will punch the teeth out of that man-"

Taehyung ducked his head and laughed. "That's been taken care of. I punched and kicked the life out of him before we left that orphanage. My first kill."

"You don't have anything to regret."

"Sure, I don't. I would have done anything to protect Jungkook. I still would."

"I'm sure he'd say the same thing for you." The softness in Taehyung's smile told me my conclusion was right. "Where did you go after leaving the orphanage?"

"Since Hoseok hyung had too many connections, he was able to get us work and a place to stay before he let us join the clan he was working for. Over time, he built a name for himself and was appointed the leader."

"That's how the Taiyo clan was formed," Laira mumbled to herself.

"It wasn't known as Taiyo clan at that time, but hyung built it up and named it 'Taiyo' which means 'The Sun' because it brightened our dark lives."

"Now, I see why Jungkook calls him hyung and why you all are so close."

He grinned. "I call him hyung too. Just not a lot when he is around."

She mirrored his grin. "Is that because you don't do as told?"

He clicked his tongue. "Ah, young lady, I think we are drifting away from our conversation."

She scoffed. "When did you come to Japan?"

"Taiyo clan was in its initial stages when we received a partnership offer from a Japanese silversmith and through his contacts we established our clan in this country and left Korea. Well, there is a reason why we did that, but it's too late for another bedtime story."

"That reason must be a big one. People don't just leave their home country for nothing."

"You are right. Now that makes me curious why you left yours." He smirked. "Let's also save that story for someday."

Laira smiled. "My story is not that heart-touching or emotional, but I do think I will let you know someday."

"I expect it to be more than just about the passion for fighting and blah, blah, blah."

"Hey! People can do things out of pure passion, alright?"

He faked a shiver. "Don't speak Jungkook to me!"

She burst out in laughter. "What does 'speak Jungkook' mean ?"

He was also laughing as he stood up and slid the door open. "Good night," he said and left the room.

"Good night."

She had a sincere smile and a familiar warmth blooming in her chest. By now, she was used to this feeling. This was the feeling she had when she would stay up talking to Chloe all night, visit Master Namjoon's apartment to look after Ben, or have meals with Jungkook and Taehyung.

The feeling of a family.

Author's note: Firstly, I apologize for the late update. I was dragged to Mars and back by my other responsibilities. It might also take a long time for the next update, but I will make sure to make it lengthy. Also, today's chapter is more than 3K words to make up for the late update.

Thank you so much for reading!