*Not beta read 

"Maddox?"

Seonghwa stood frozen as he took in the sight of the man he hadn't seen in over a year. He almost couldn't believe his eyes and for a moment thought about pinching himself to prove he wasn't dreaming. Was this actually happening?

"Ah, Seonghwa," Maddox said smoothly with a tilt of his head. "Long time no see. You've hardly changed a bit."

"Is-is it really you?" The agent spoke, his voice cracking. He shuffled a step forward and raised his hand as if to reach out but stopped as a hand clapped down heavily on his shoulder. Seonghwa turned his head to see Eden standing next to him, his jaw clenched and mouth set in a firm line.

"Eden?" The younger agent said almost in a daze. The older didn't react as he took another step forward, closer to where Maddox was standing. There was a clicking sound and Seonghwa looked down to see that Eden had pulled out another collapsible metal spike, as if he were going to attack.

"Wait, Eden," Seonghwa suddenly felt his heart rate speed up as he took in the weapons as he gazed on in confusion. "What are you doing? Can't you see that's Maddox!"

The older agent stopped moving. "Seonghwa," The man said, his tone mixed with something indistinguishable. "Take a look at the man standing before you. That is not the Maddox you knew."

The young leader did as he was told and turned his head forward at the words. His eyes scanned the other and he took a deep breath to focus and tried to look past the fact he was staring at Maddox in the flesh and registering some of his other features.

The man was dressed in a white robe that was tattered and blood spattered from a fight. His dark hair was cropped shorter than Seonghwa had ever seen it before but it was his face that the agent's eyes had locked on. Maddox's lips were set in a kind of smug smirk expression that the younger couldn't recall the other man ever making, his eyes twinkling with something sinister.

A twinkle that was present in one Ghoulish eye.

"What-" Seonghwa dropped the hand he had on Eden to stare. "How-?"

"Eden," The man in white drawled with a tilt of his head, his scorpion-like tail swaying behind him. "Always a pleasure."

"Maddox," The elder agent responded back, emotionless. "I honestly can't say the same if it means seeing you like this."

Seonghwa felt his mind whirring in a million different directions as his eyes darted between the two. He could feel a headache coming on as a thought flashed in his mind. Images of victim's taped to the board, all young women. DNA samples confirming death only to confront the same victim days later as part of a cult. The meeting in the office and the question he had posed at night: "Do you think it is possible to make Ghouls?"

His eyes locked on Eden as he stood coolly in the face of his former subordinate. The man was tense, typical for battle, but his face didn't seem to convey any emotion and he seemed as calm and unfazed as ever while looking at a man who was supposed to be dead. A thought clicked.

"You knew," Seonghwa nearly whispered, voice cracking. He didn't know what had possessed him to speak but now that the words were out, he knew it was true. Yes Eden had a lot of experience, more so than most agents active today, but nothing could prepare for an unexpected confrontation such as this.

Not unless you knew all along.

"Seonghwa," Eden started tersely. "Now is not the time for this-"

"Bullshit!" The younger couldn't help but explode, his emotions getting the better of him. His mind was a mess and a building fury squeezed at his chest. He had a hundred different questions swirling around and he didn't know which one to ask first but he also knew that it was a battle field and that this wasn't the place to ask questions but he was just so confused and- "He's alive! He is alive and you knew-"

The young leader didn't get to finish his heart broken ramblings as Maddox suddenly appeared between the two, catching them by surprise. Using his scorpion Kagune tail, he managed to send Seonghwa flying back and into a row of theater seats while launching a punch at Eden who managed to block the strike with one of his spikes. The two struggled to gain the before the older agent managed to push the Ghoul back just slightly.

"Snap out of it, Seonghwa!" Eden huffed as Maddox attempted to attack again. His Kagune and Eden's metal spike collided a second time as small sparks ignited from the weapons. He grunted. "You can't think of him as the Maddox you knew!"

Seonghwa sat stunned against the theater seats as he watched two people he was very familiar with engaged in combat. It wasn't unusual to see agents spare against one another but he knew that this wasn't a typical, friendly training session. Eden was grunting as sweat dripped down his temple as he was forced to stay on the defensive. Maddox had a crazed grin as he used his Kagune as a weapon over and over, just waiting for the other agent to slip.

The younger agent didn't know what to do. How was he supposed to be expected to fight his brother? He had wished almost every day since the incident for the other to return to him but he never wanted it to be like this. Never like this. It was like a cruel twist of fate, seeing someone once so kind attacking with such viciousness.

Amidst the chaos, Seonghwa heard a small groan. Whipping his gaze away from the fight in front of him, the young agent spotted something against the row of seats that he himself had been tossed into. A familiar head of dusty brown greeted him.

"Yeosang!" The agent cried as he tried to crawl closer. The rookie agent groaned again in pain as Seonghwa reached him. Crouching beside his subordinate, the CCG leader gently lifted him up from where he was positioned and guided Yeosang to lean more comfortably against the wall.

"Seonghwa...?" Yeosang spoke blearily, voice cracking. He hissed and clutched at his side as his body was jostled. "What are you doing here?"

"I should ask you the same thing." The dark haired male joked with a wry smile. It only lasted a moment before his lips turned down while his gaze swept over the other. He was covered in dust and sweat from his earlier fight. A few specks of blood dirtied his collar. "What about you? Are you alright? What exactly happened?"

"No time," Yeosang gasped as he shifted his leg to try and stand. Seonghwa held out an arm to keep him in place. "Are the other's here too?" He wheezed.

Seonghwa nodded with pursed lips as he assessed the situation. Eden seemed to be handling things at the moment but who knows how long that would last. At this point, any previous plan they had was shot to hell. His priority now was getting the injured Yeosang out of here. Any free agents he ran into from that point he would direct them back to the theater for back up. There was one thing that did bug him though.

"What happened to the guy chasing you across the stage? He still around?" The older agent asked, in case another enemy decided to come out of nowhere. The last thing they needed right now was some more surprises.

Yeosang didn't even comment on how Seonghwa knew he was fighting someone earlier in a room full of Ghouls asking for his head. Instead, he just lifted a finger and pointed to where the fatty mass lay, still unconscious. Seonghwa's eyes followed where the brunette was pointing but his gaze locked on something else first.

A man stood on shaky legs, his hand pressing against his gut as a bloodied hand held onto the wall for balance. He was dressed rather nicely in a clean cut suit that was now sullied with debris and blood stained. He was staring right in their direction with trepidation in his eyes and a hint of fear. Seonghwa would recognize the shock of red hair anywhere.

'Hongjoong?'

XxX

Eden glanced over as he saw Seonghwa move further away and through the row of seats he had been thrown in, relieved that he was distancing himself from the current situation. The look didn't last long, however, as an object came flying at his face. Quickly bringing up both of his spikes, he made an 'X' in front of his body, narrowly saving his eye from being slashed as the scorpion's tail made contact with his weapon.

"You seem distracted, Eden." Maddox mocked. "How uncharacteristic of you." The metal of Eden's spikes creaked from the pressure but the agent didn't let up and instead pushed forward and made the Ghoul jump back.

"Well, you would know." Eden grunted, darting forward. Like a shot, the two traded blows back and forth, sparks flying from the metal at the friction of the strikes.

For every attack Eden made, Maddox was just as quick to parry. The Ghoul didn't seem phased by any of the strikes and instead to be enjoying the scrimmage as he grinned widely, his lips spread thin as another one of Eden's spikes was blocked by his scorpion tail. Finally seeing an opening, Maddox switched from the defensive. As one of Eden's spikes sailed forward towards his shoulder, he swept to the side and grabbed the weapon, causing the agent to freeze.

"Too slow," The Ghoul smirked maliciously as he brought his elbow down hard onto Eden's forearm. The agent cried out in pain as his grip loosened on the spike and it clattered to the ground. Eden stumbled to the floor as he held his arm close to his chest with a hiss.

"Tsk, tsk, Eden," Maddox tutted with a tilt of his head as he took a step closer. "Don't make it too easy on me now."

As soon as the Ghoul shuffled forward Eden whipped around and tossed some dust he had gathered from the previous explosion that had shaken loose. Maddox cried out as he was momentarily blinded and he stepped back. The agent didn't waste time as he pressed forward and lunged upward, shoving his remaining spike into the Ghoul's gut with a wet piercing sound. Maddox coughed a dribble of blood falling from his lips and down his chin as his mouth filled with it. Eden's face remained stoic with determination as he looked the Ghoul in the eyes.

A flicker. Just for a moment Eden thought he saw something pass through Maddox's eyes that made him pause and the grip on his weapon to slacken for just a moment in surprise. Sadness? Regret? As quickly as the look appeared, it was gone, replaced with a sinister bloody smile.

He felt something pierce his shoulder.

XxX

Eden swirled the champagne in his glass as he brought it towards his lips, the bubbles tickling the edge of his nose, as his eyes swept over the party goers dressed up for the occasion. It was rather typical to have these types of gatherings after the squad placement ceremonies. He himself was never much of a fan for these types of get togethers and often found himself drinking while pressed against a wall and waiting for an acceptable time to slip away.

Unfortunately, relief wouldn't be coming so quickly tonight as this ceremony wasn't just for any squad, but for his own, which made escape that much harder.

Eden sighed into his champagne glass as he watched a young man in a clean white uniform walk onto the dance floor. A shining, newly donned gold '88' badge was pinned to his lapel. The man was dragging a younger boy with long black bangs and the formal academy uniform out of the crowd despite their protests.

"Eden," A voice from beside the seasoned agent spoke. He turned his head to spot a middle aged man with dark hair and dressed in a neatly tailored suit fitting of the occasion. As per custom, his lapel was decorated with all of his medals and accomplishments. "I'm surprised to see you've stuck around. You're usually long gone by now."

"Mr. Kim," Eden nodded in acknowledgment before his eyes shifted back to the dance floor. There were more people out now with the change of music and it was hard to see anyone through the crowd. "I heard congratulations are in order."

"Ah, don't get stiff with me now, boy!" Mr. Kim exclaimed with a hearty pat to the other agent's shoulder. Eden jerked with the impact and some of the liquid in his glass sloshed over and made his fingers sticky. "Can't say I'm too terribly excited to take over Director Shin's position but I figure it's only a matter of time before you replace me. Us old guard don't have much left in us."

Eden just hummed noncommittally, his eyes never leaving the group of people. Suddenly, the crowd parted and the young man in his new, bare white coat was visible again as he danced happily with another who seemed embarrassed by his friend's moves. Mr. Kim, wondering why his companion was so silent, followed the other's gaze.

"It's a good class this year," The older man grunted as he swiveled his glass of sherry. "Heard that one has a lot of promise based on the academy but not a lot of field experience. Surprised to see you take on such a fresh face. Think he will make it?"

"I don't know," Eden didn't bother coming up with an excuse. He never took his eyes off of the boy in the white coat as he twirled clumsily on the dance floor. "Just had a good feeling about him."

"Hmm," The soon to be director hummed as he finally brought the glass up to his lips, his gaze sharp and sparkling with an unnamed emotion. "Let's hope you are right about that."

---

"HA!" Maddox hollered as he swung his sword-like Quinque at the oncoming Ghoul. The blade ran cleanly through the middle of his target before the agent turned around to face a new opponent. Just as his weapon was about to make contact, the Ghoul started to pixelate and disappear as the lights grew brighter.

Panting, the young agent stood up straight as he turned to face his superior who had one hand on the simulation board and another on his hip. Maddox smiled.

"Hey, Eden!" The agent chirped brightly as he wiped some sweat off his brow. "What's going on?"

"You're at it quite early," The older agent remarked dryly with a raised eyebrow. "Any particular reason?"

"Can't have everyone else on the squad show me up now, can I?" Maddox shrugged as he walked over to the side of the simulation room. He bent down and picked up a towel to dry his forehead and took a sip from a water bottle. "I know I've already been here a few months but I know I'm less experienced than everyone else. A little extra training makes sure I won't fall behind."

"Well, as long as you don't over do it." Eden nodded. It was always nice to see dedication. It was something he hadn't really seen to this caliber in a long time. "By the way, the director wanted me to check and see if you've gone to the medical bay yet or not."

"Oh yeah!" Maddox said excitedly. He stepped closer to his squad leader and rolled up the sleeve of his training shirt. Underneath was a small blue bandaid. "I should be all set to go the next time we go out on assignment. Say, do you think this stuff will really work? Will it really help us fight better against Ghouls?"

"Can't say for sure," Eden shrugged. "Only our squad has been approved as a test run but it's supposed to work like a steroid and up our strength in battle. Once we report back from the field then we can see about rolling it out to the other agents."

"Awesome!" Maddox cheered, his excitement infectious. "I can already feel myself getting stronger but maybe that is a placebo effect." He chuckled while rubbing the back of his head. "I'll be glad once we can actually start fighting back against these Ghoul's for real!"

Eden could only stand there and bask in the warmth of Maddox's smile.

---

"Eden!" The agent turned at the sound of his name to be faced with a smiling Maddox as he jogged up the hallway to catch up with his superior. Once he was close enough, the younger man placed his hands on his knees to catch his breath. "I finally caught up to you!"

"Geez, Maddox," Eden scolded mildly but there was still a hint of amusement present. "Didn't they ever teach you in school not to run in the halls?"

After gaining his wits about him, the young man stood and shot the other a sharp look. "Really? The age gap between us isn't that big, y'know?"

"What did you want?" Eden rolled his eyes as he turned on his heel to continue walking with Maddox following.

"Oh yeah!" The young man started. Like a switch, his annoyed demeanor turned pleasant and it almost seemed as if someone looked, there would be a tail wagging behind him. "I told you my brother is in the academy right? Well, not really my brother, but we basically did everything together and-"

"Slow down, slow down!" Eden chuckled at the over-exuberant attitude his subordinate was presenting. "If you keep talking that fast you're going to bite your tongue."

"But I'm excited!" Maddox said, his voice just short of a whine. "He's graduating next month, top of his class, and I just know he will be a great addition to the team! We have an opening especially after-" The young man cut himself off at that, his shoulders suddenly deflating like a popped balloon.

Eden noticed the change and frowned. It had been a month since they lost Hanbin. Young and inexperienced but he tried his hardest and was a nice addition to the team. It was a solo patrol, one of an increasing amount lately since they were short so many agents. It was why lots of young ones were being promoted from the academy early to fill slots. A fact that had never quite sat right with the more experienced squad leader.

Not wanting to dwell on the sour, Eden just smiled and clapped the other on the back of the shoulder sharply. "Well, a month you say?" The man pretended to ponder his options for a moment. "I guess I can take a look at his file but I can't say I'll make any promises."

"Really?" Maddox asked and you could nearly see the stars in his eyes. At Eden's nod, he cheered and ran all the way to the hall where he had come from.

The squad leader didn't lose his smile for the rest of the day.

---

Eden felt his body jerk but he couldn't bring himself to tear his eyes away from the collapsing building before him. His squad. He had just sent half of his squad in that building....

"Why are you just standing there!?"

The agent shakily moved his gaze away from the chaos to stare into tear streaked brown eyes of a young boy, his hands fisted tightly into his uniform. A young man, newly graduated from the academy, with only half a year's worth of field work stood before him in matching operation fatigues. Dirt and ash streaked his cheeks from fighting and his hair was a mess but no one cared for vanity at that moment. Absently, Eden was reminded of the first time he had laid eyes on the other at the day of Maddox's squad assignment ceremony, always so serious. He had cut his long bangs since then.

He had never seen the other look more like a young boy than in that moment.

Eden felt his own eyes sting but he closed them to keep any water from falling. He wrapped his hands over the other's and pulled them away. He had failed them both.

"I'm sorry, Seonghwa."

XxX

Seonghwa sat frozen as he took in the sight of the man before him, all thoughts and sounds of the fight raging on forgotten and replaced with some kind of white noise. What was he doing here? His eyes trailed down and noticed the man's formal attire. Was he attending the auction? Had he been here to bid?

Just as the dark haired man went forward to question him, a hand gripped the edge of his sleeve. Looking down, he spotted Yeosang from his position on the floor.

"He saved me."

The dark haired agent froze at those words, his eyes going back and forth between the two. "What?" He exhaled.

"I don't know why," Yeosang shook his head, as if knowing all the questions currently running through the other's head. "But he did and I'm still alive because of it."

Seonghwa bit his lip as he stared warily at the Ghoul on the other side of the room. If he was at the auction, why help a human? Let alone an agent? Hongjoong and Yeosang had never met each other before so there was no way the red-head knew that there was a connection between the sandy brunette and himself, yet he helped anyway.

As Seonghwa's mind was racing, there must have been something in the agent's eye that reassured Hongjoong it would be safe to approach for the moment. Hearing the battle on the other side of the theater intensify, he quickly dashed over.

"You have to get out of here," Hongjoong spoke to the both of them but his gaze never left Seonghwa. "Your friend is hurt and I have no idea who that guy is or what he is capable of. It's too dangerous to be here right now."

"Why are you here?" Seonghwa couldn't resist the urge to blurt.

"Probably not for the reasons you think," Hongjoong answered vaguely with a frown. "Come on, we can get your friend to the door faster with the two of us."

"Why are you doing this? Why help an agent?" Seonghwa kept asking questions skeptically. It was almost as if he were looking for reasons to distrust the Ghoul. Part of him wanted the other to confirm every thought he had on Ghouls and to not be challenged on what he was taught and knew to be right but another part, deep in his soul, was crying out for Hongjoong to debunk and disprove everything. He needed to know. He needed to know if the Hongjoong he was seeing right now, the one who helped his friend, was the real one or just some kind of phony persona.

Hongjoong didn't seem phased by the question as he moved to help pull one of Yeosang's arms over his shoulder to stand. He looked over at the agent and just smiled. One of the most pure, and genuine one's he had had in awhile.

"Because, to me, you were a friend first."

XxX

Yunho blinked as he felt something wet spatter across his face. Reaching up, he swiped at his cheek only to pull his fingers down and find them stained red. An anguished roar pulled the blonde out of his daze and he looked back up.

'Wooyoung'

The other blonde snarled, looking like a beast, as Ghouls ran at him one at a time. The ones that they had taken out earlier seemed to have regained themselves and charged at the request of their employer who was still screeching her head off and barking orders as she clutched at her bleeding shoulder. Wooyoung himself had splatters of blood on himself and some running down his chin.

'Oh god, had he bitten them?'

"Yunho!" A voice called out and the barista turned his head as a figure crouched next to him. He would recognize that mask and voice anywhere.

"San?" The young man asked in mild confusion. "Why are you here? Where are the others?"

"The others are still outside fighting." The former Shiba leader said. "Things weren't sounding good in here so I came to find you guys."

"But how?" The barista raised an eyebrow. "We're in a bunker or something. I doubt there was signal."

San turned his head away. Even from under the mask, Yunho could tell the man was embarrassed by something as the tips of his ears turned red. "I...may have hid a GPS tracker in Wooyoung's new mask."

The barista chuckled at hearing this and raised an eyebrow. "You know he is going to kill you when he finds out right?"

"That's for later, this is now." The tattooed Ghoul dismissed. Just as he was helping Yunho stand, another loud cry of anger reached their ears, followed by a ripping sound. The two Ghouls looked over and spotted Wooyoung with his arms spread as an arch of blood splattered on a wall in front of him.

At his feet fell Madame A's head.

"Wooyoung!" San cried out, spotting the man for the first time. Immediately he could tell the other wasn't being himself. "What happened?"

"He was knocked into some crates," Yunho frowned with pinched brows. "I think they had the drug in them. He's losing it."

San grit his teeth as he watched the other rampage. They didn't know much about the drug but they knew they had to stop the blonde before anything else could happen. Without thinking, the tattooed Ghoul darted forward.

"Wait, San!" Yunho cried out as he watched his friend move. They didn't even know how to stop Wooyoung, let alone what the drug was really capable of, especially that much. Going in blindly was dangerous, not to mention stupid. What if both of them get hurt? With a roll of his eyes, the barista ran forward to try and help his stupid friend.

The former gang leader ignored the cry of his name as he approached Wooyoung who had just tossed aside Madame A's body like a rag doll. His face was still pinched in a snarl. Hearing footsteps coming from behind, the blonde straightened up and flexed his wing-like Kagune. In the blink of an eye, Wooyoung had spun around and launched his crystalized spikes at the new target.

San cursed as he saw the spikes coming for him. With a leap, he jumped out of the way of the weapons. Most landed into the bunker floor but because of the sudden change in momentum, he wasn't fast enough to escape them all. Throwing up his forearm, he hissed as two lodged themselves in the skin.

Yunho, taking advantage of the distraction, came up from behind Wooyoung and wrapped his Kagune around the other's waist while looping his arms underneath the blonde's armpits and pulling him back by the shoulders to lay against his chest, immobile. The rampaging Ghoul didn't seem to like his movement being restricted. He thrashed harshly against Yunho's hold with a vicious snarl.

"San!" The barista called for the other through gritted teeth. He knew Wooyoung was strong but this seemed like another level. He wouldn't be able to hold the blonde much longer.

The Shiba winced as he pulled out the two spikes. He stepped forward towards Wooyoung as he dropped the spikes on the ground with a hollow sound and pulled off his mask. They didn't have to worry about anyone seeing their faces at the moment. Everyone else in the room was now dead.

"What should we do?" San asked wearily. Once close enough the tattooed Ghoul held out a hand and looked like he was trying to touch Wooyoung's face. The blonde didn't seem to recognize the person in front of him and lunged forward, snapping his teeth and just narrowly missing the tip of San's fingers. The Shiba hastily pulled back his hand and tried to mask the hurt look in his eyes as he looked up towards Yunho.

"We're going to have to knock him out." The blonde huffed. "I don't know how he will be when he wakes up but it's the only way to stop him for now."

A conflicted emotion passed over the other's face. Did they really need to do this? When he woke up would he be the same? One look at the thick black veins around Wooyoung's eyes and the near feral gaze, however, the other knew what he had to do.

"San!" Yunho snapped in warning as his grip began to slip. The voice was enough to draw the other Ghoul out of his musing and he cast a quick glance back towards the flailing blonde.

"Sorry about this Woo," The tattooed Ghoul apologized before grabbing onto a moving arm. As soon as San had a grip, Yunho let go and the former gang leader turned on his heel, flipping Wooyoung over his shoulder and sending the Ghoul flying into the back wall with his head facing downward. The blonde hit hard and gasped, the wind surely knocked clean out of him. Sliding down, Wooyoung's body peeled itself off of the wall and onto the floor.

"Was that really necessary?" Yunho dead panned as he took a step up beside his companion.

"You try to knock out a rabid Ghoul and let's see what you do?" San looked at the other out of the corner of his eye. "It worked didn't it?"

"Apparently not," Yunho said, pointing towards where Wooyoung had landed. Snapping his eyes back forward, San saw the previously defeated Ghoul shuffling up onto all fours with a growl deep in his chest. Wooyoung couldn't seem to exactly get his balance as he swayed on his knees but it was only a matter of time before he got back up.

"What should we do?" San asked, a bit worried and alarmed that the other was still conscious. He didn't know what else he could do to take the other down without potentially hurting him. Ghouls were notorious for being tough and the line between being able to knock someone out and actually killing them was rather thin. That was one line San wasn't willing to cross.

"I have an idea," Yunho pursed his lips into a fine line. "But you aren't going to like it."

By the time Wooyoung was standing again, the barista had finished relaying his plan. He had been right when he said that the Shiba wasn't going to like it. When the drugged Ghoul finally turned and charged, he was swiftly met with a harsh fist to the gut, causing the blonde to choke, a small dribble of blood escaping his mouth. Wooyoung looked up and met San's gaze, a flicker of recognition went through it.

"S-Sa-" Wooyoung slumped as Yunho stood behind him with his arm raised in the air from where he had struck the other in the neck.

"Is he out now?" The barista asked curiously as he tried to peek around to see the blonde's face.

"I think so," San shook the Ghoul in his arms lightly and he did not stir. "Did you really have to 'neck chop' him though? I think he might have been coming around."

"Better safe than sorry," Yunho shrugged. "You grab him and we can get out of here."

Not wasting any time, San nodded and looked at the other with a bit of sadness and concern. He adjusted Wooyoung's weight and shifted him around so he could be propped up on his back in a sort of piggy back. It was a little difficult due to the blonde's dead weight but it would be easiest to carry him this way. Thankfully, his Kagune had disappeared now that he was unconscious.

While San was doing that, Yunho took a quick look around the small bunker they were in for the easiest exit to avoid the CCG agents that were still left outside. Seeing a tunnel big enough for a getaway van at the far end, the barista figured that was their best bet for a way out. Taking a step forward, the Ghoul's foot tapped something with a small clack. Looking down, he noticed the small vials from before. His gaze trailed back towards the broken crates that Wooyoung had landed in.

Bending down, he grabbed a vial and pocketed it.

XxX

Eden had smirked seeing that his trick had managed to catch Maddox off guard but winced as the tables were turned and Maddox's Kagune managed to get him in the shoulder. This wasn't good as it put them both in a locked position while he still had an injured arm.

Thinking quickly, the agent brought his foot up between them and kicked Maddox in the midsection while pulling his arm holding the spike back. Eden cried out as the Kagune was pulled from his shoulder but it was the only way he could think of getting out of this situation without losing his only other weapon. One consolation to the bloody wound in his shoulder was that Maddox was almost equally wounded and there was no way he would heal that quickly since the weapon had gone clean through.

The tricky part with getting into a fight with Maddox is that he was actually trained to fight. Most Ghouls relied heavily on their Kagune in combat so it was easier to exploit their blind spots and dodge attacks. Because the other was a former agent, he knew how to move his body and that made for an even tougher opponent.

"It seems you haven't lost much of your edge," Wheezed Maddox with a bloody grin. He cradled his stomach gently where the hole was but it didn't seem to really bother him that much.

Eden clicked his tongue. The situation wasn't to his advantage. While they were both hurt, the agent definitely had the worst of it. Maddox could heal much faster but Eden was bleeding from the shoulder and potentially had a broken forearm while missing one of his weapons. He had to figure out a way to end this or retreat soon.

Just then, there was a shake in Eden's hand holding the weapon. He cursed as he cradled the arm as best he could against his body. Not now...

Ignoring the tremors, Eden charged forward once again. Hopefully Seonghwa was smart and escaped. If he could just buy enough time for other agents to arrive, that would be ideal.

Maddox, seeing the incoming strike, dodged low and managed to avoid getting head bashed in. Coming up from below, the Ghoul took advantage of the opening that the agent unknowingly created. He reached up and managed to grab at Eden's throat, his fingers circling firmly.

"Then again, it looks like I could be wrong." The Ghoul grinned while tightening his grip. The shaking in Eden's hand hadn't stopped and the grasp caused the agent to drop his weapon as he reached up to pry the hand away as he choked for air. Internally, he cursed. He should have known better than to allow the other to get the best of him like this.

"Maddox," Eden pushed out to the best of his ability. "Don't do this."

"Funny," The Ghoul tilted his head as if he heard something interesting. "I seem to be getting called that name a lot today. Can't say that it sounds right."

"I never stopped." The agent continued, hoping that he could say something to trigger a reaction from his former subordinate despite it getting more difficult. What he had said must have been interesting as Maddox's hand loosened a fraction. "I never stopped trying to figure out what happened that day. That building wasn't set to be demolished. It had been cleared before entry. There shouldn't have been anything in the building besides the Ghoul we were hunting-"

Eden had apparently said something that triggered a reaction from Maddox. The grip tightened even more and the black veins around his one Ghoulish eye grew darker. "It's a lie! They told me the truth! A lie! You lie!"

Eden looked on with a mixture of concern and fear as Maddox suddenly started to grow a bit more hysterical. What was happening? The Ghoul was having such a visceral reaction but he had no idea why. The cool calm that Maddox had been exhibiting up until that point had flipped like a switch and he reached for his head as if to stave off an oncoming headache.

Whatever Eden had said, it was doing something so he decided to keep rolling with it. Maybe he could distract the other enough to let him go. "It is true! I'm sorry I failed you that day. I failed Seonghwa. I should have been a better squad leader and your death haunted me every day-"

"Enough!" Maddox suddenly roared. Unable to handle some kind of mental stress that was being inflicted to him, he tossed Eden with a mighty arm and the agent was helpless as he sailed across the room, his back colliding with the haggard stage floor. He rolled a few feet upon impact and his momentum was only stopped when he harshly collided against some debris, blood trickling down his temple.

"You lie!" Maddox continued to roar, despite Eden no longer listening due to unconsciousness. "They told me-they told me that-!" The Ghoul reached for his head and began to tear through the strands on his head as a horrible pain wracked through him, his roars suddenly reduced to whimpers. "No-stop! I-I can't!"

"Eden!" A voice called from across the theater. Blindly, like a mannequin, Maddox felt his back go ramrod straight as if all previous mind numbing pain had suddenly vanished from his body in an instant. Twisting his head, he locked on his new target, eyes dilating in hunger.

XxX

Seonghwa stared at Hongjoong blankly as if he had just been sucker punched to the gut. A friend. He really thought of him as a friend? Despite probably knowing the whole time he was a CCG agent whose sole mission was to eradicate and hunt down his very existence, he believed that they were genuinely friends. The agent felt as if his heart had stopped before it regained beating in a new, rapid fire rhythm.

"Um, guys?" Yeosang piped up from between the two, effectively breaking the moment as their eyes moved down to look at the injured party. "Hate to interrupt the mood but, we're kind of in a situation here." He said dryly.

Both boy's cheeks immediately flushed at the words but they quickly shook it off realizing that now really wasn't the time. Yeosang was hurt and they had a fight not ten feet from where they had been crouched hiding. Seonghwa made a mental note to thank the other for the help later if they made it out.

Just as the group was about to move to sneak out as best they could, a crash and a roar caused them to pause. Turning their heads they watched as the older agent that had been fighting the Ghoul from before sail into a pile of debris.

"Eden!" Seonghwa cried out, recognizing the figure. This seemed to be a bad idea as the previously thrashing Ghoul suddenly stopped moving and went as still as marble. At that moment, everyone seemed to freeze and hold their breath to see what would happen next.

The Ghoul's head moved and Hongjoong bit his lip to keep from crying out. The look in the man's eyes was something he had never seen before. It was like a wild animal. All traces of humanity and sanity had left and all that remained was the Ghoul left behind.

He moved.

"Get down!" Hongjoong vaguely heard himself say as he pulled Yeosang down with him. Apparently the other agent with them wasn't fast enough and soon found his body slammed into the wall with an arm thrown over his neck. "Seonghwa!"

Said agent struggled against the arm pinning him down as he stared into the eyes of the man who was once believed to be his brother but this was not him. The Maddox he knew had died in that building and what replaced it was something entirely different. The eyes, though angry, almost seemed vacant and incapable of any deeper emotion.

Reaching as best as he could, Seonghwa tried to grab his gun when Maddox suddenly released him and moved away quickly. Sliding to the floor, the agent looked up to see Hongjoong with his Kagune out and engaging Maddox. Yeosang was safely propped in a theater seat as the student tried to lead the attacker away from the two agents.

Getting up, Seonghwa watched as the two engaged each other. Hongjoong was already defending himself but it was clear that the other was on another level, especially since the wound that the student had wasn't fully healed. Maddox's movements were less controlled than before but didn't lack ferocity. In fact, they almost seemed stronger with the unrestrained attacks.

Thinking he had to do something, Seonghwa considered reaching for his gun but decided that it would be too risky. He didn't have many Q-bullets left and there wasn't an opportunity for a clean shot. He could end up hitting Hongjoong or even Yeosang if Maddox circled back. Looking around, he spotted a sharp piece of a theater seat that had been broken and ripped from the ground.

Perfect.

Hongjoong brought up his arms and Kagune to block the strike from the scorpion tail coming from his left but was unable to dodge the blow to the face that came from Maddox's fist. Gritting his teeth, the student managed to twist his Kagune around the other's and pulled. Maddox lifted in the air slightly but Hongjoong only managed to toss him away a small distance. It wasn't much, but it was something.

"Maddox!" The two Ghoul's heads turned to spy Seonghwa running at them with his make-shift weapon. He threw it like a boomerang, presumably aimed at the Ghoul's head, but missed as it went too high.

This seemed to be the agent's plan for as Maddox was following the weapon with his eye, he pulled out his gun. Taking aim, his index finger hovered over the trigger. Just as he was about to pull it, he hesitated. Could he really do this? Was this really his only option?

"Seonghwa!"

The rest happened so fast. Movement. A gunshot. At first, he was standing before his lost brother, about to do something he could take back, and the next, he felt something push him and his back collide against the ground followed by a sound.

There was something on his face. It was dripping, warm and wet. Scrunching his eyes a little he groaned as pain settled into the back of his head. Blinking, he tried to reorient himself as the world came back into focus.

He wished he hadn't opened his eyes.

"Thank god you're ok," A voice rasped as the dim light from above cast shadows on the other's face.

"Hongjoong?" The agent said in disbelief as he continued to stare at the man on top of him. The student smiled at down at him serenely at the sound of his name. More wet stuff dripped onto Seonghwa's face and he realized it was blood.

Hongjoong's blood.

Terrified eyes trembled downward as he noticed something sticking straight through the man's back and through his gut, stopping just before it reached Seonghwa. A piece of debris. The same one that the agent had thrown. Maddox must have caught it when the other was battling with himself. The Ghoul had pushed him out of the way of harm. Belatedly, the agent got a flash of a young man in a one-eyed mask nervously and belligerently standing with his arms thrown wide in a protective stance as he tried to block one of the women in white from attacking him and then again when trying to help his friend.

This. This was the real Hongjoong. Ghoul or man, it didn't matter. He cared for and protected those who meant something to him, and apparently, Seonghwa was- is -still one of those people.

"Hongjoong!" Seonghwa said again, this time in a realized panic. No, this wasn't happening. This was all a dream. The dark haired man tried to sit up but the movement must have jostled the other too much and he hissed in pain.

"You have-" a small cough, more blood dripping out of the corners of his mouth. "You have to go. Your shot hit-" Another cough- "but I don't think he will be down for long. Take your friend."

That was when Seonghwa's eyes looked over Hongjoong's shoulder to see Maddox's prone body but his chest was still moving. He was still breathing, though irregularly, and he was shifting as if to gather strength to get back up. He moved his eyes back.

"You're coming too," The agent denied the other's plan. He felt a throbbing on the back of his head and a sudden wave of exhaustion but tried to push through it. "You helped us. We will get you out too."

Hongjoong, the whole time Seonghwa spoke, just shook his head. "I'll manage. Just go." He spoke feebly.

"But-" Seonghwa could feel his vision start to tunnel as he laid there. The stress and fatigue seemed to hit him all at once and he was considering the possibility of having a concussion now. He could barely keep his eyes open. From somewhere he was starting to hear the sounds of multiple running footsteps. Backup will be here soon.

Hongjoong just smiled. "Goodbye, Seonghwa."

The agent's eyes slipped closed as the theater doors burst open.

Notes: 

F I N A L L Y!!! I'm sorry for the long wait for this but let me tell you, I HATED writing the auction chapters. Yes, all the action was necessary and many important details were revealed but they were so boring and annoying to write. I've been in such a burnt out slump and have had no desire to write and these chapters made it worse. Also, these chapters did not really come out how I wanted them too but I don't know what else to do so I apologize for how crappy this whole section was and if there were weird character things or interactions that didn't seem to fit, specifically with Eden and Maddox but things will be brought to light sooner or later. 

And don't worry, I haven't forgotten about my other story either but like I said, this one is priority and hopefully I can write a new chapter for that one soon.

Some things that I thought to mention:

I've been getting comments regarding Seonghwa and Hongjoong and their relationship with Seonghwa not letting Hongjoong explain when he found out about Hongjoong being a Ghoul. Let me remind you, he is an AGENT. He has been train and taught to kill Ghoul's for years and idolized agents. The reason he wanted to become one was because he thought they were like superheros. Not to mention, he previously believed that Maddox had been killed by Ghouls. Wouldn't that mess you up a little?

He acknowledged his relationship by just allowing Hongjoong to leave. He could have just turned around and killed him, but no, he let him leave to have time to process. Also, he just had crazy news dropped on him. If you found out your significant other cheated on you, would you calmly sit there right after and go "huh, why don't we sit down and talk about that over some tea?" NO. You probably walk away for a bit to calm down and sort yourself, just like Mingi distanced himself when he found out about Yunho. I didn't do it to cause drama, I did it because that is how humans react to things like this. I try to portray relationships as realistically as I can in this world despite there being the element of supernatural in the form of Ghouls. Hope you all understand. 

Anyway, see you next chapter as we enter into kind of another arc. Hope it isn't boring or repetitive by now.