"Owen?! Fenix?!" Kaedan was sprinting over to them before the car had even stopped, his husband right on his heels. As soon as Owen opened the door to the car and got out, Kaedan pulled him into a tight hug, almost lifting him off of his feet, "God, I was so scared—Are you okay? You as well Fenix, are you both alright? Hurt?"
Owen hugged him back tightly, giving room for Fenix to join the hug, "We're alright, but Val and Nia…"
Xander looked in the back of the car and cursed, pulling the door open, "Someone, get Mina and any other medical professionals we've got, right now, they're critically injured!" He yelled over his shoulder towards the other rebellion members who were ushering townspeople into the escape shuttles. One of them nodded and ran off.
"Be careful with their backs, that's where they're most injured. Nia has a huge gash on her back and Val's…The ceiling collapsed on them—Don't forget the baby!" Fenix said, quickly moving to take the basket from an unconscious Nia's hands.
Kaedan was almost speechless, "I'm sorry—A baby?!"
Owen looked down, "Remember Sam? He and his wife and spouse came to your wedding, they were the ones that helped get your cake. The owners of the pet store Fenix and I used to go down to…"
"...They had a baby with them at the wedding," Kaedan realized, "Oh no…Owen, I'm so sorry."
The younger boy let out a choked sob, "Val heard the crying first. We…Don't know what happened in there but Ariyasul came out of the building carrying Val and the basket, did they tell you what happened—"
"Wait, Ariya?" Kaedan pulled back at this, his hands on Owen's shoulders, "What do you mean? I haven't seen Ariyasul since the wedding."
"They said they would come here though…" Fenix trailed off.
All of them went quiet, looking at each other. Kaedan turned to Xander, "Xander, I—"
"It's okay, baobei," Xander smiled weakly, "Go. We'll cover for you. I know you need to find him."
Owen gripped his hand tightly, "No, wait, I'll go with you. I don't want you to go back in there alone. It's…Bad, in there."
Kaedan shook his head, "Owen if it was that bad, I don't want you going back in there. Look at you, sweetheart, you're exhausted…" Then it hit him, "Owen…Did something else happen?"
Owen seemed to be holding it together for only a few more moments before he was bawling, clinging to Kaedan tightly and burying his face in the man's chest, sobbing hysterically. Kaedan looked at Xander, who was looking back at him, extremely concerned. Kaedan continued to stroke Owen's hair as the boy cried, "A—Abuelita…She was alive when we found her but it…It was too late. I tried to stop the bleeding but…Kaedan, someone stabbed her. They looked at an innocent old lady and they just…"
"Oh no…" Kaedan had only met the old lady a few times, but she had been wonderfully sweet to him, and he always appreciated that she looked out for Owen when he was in town, giving him little snacks and talking to him. The last time he'd seen her was the day before his wedding when he'd gone to invite her. She had given her congratulations, of course, but due to her back pain, she decided not to go. More than anything, he had seen how attached Owen had gotten to the little old lady. Owen hadn't had a family growing up, not one that he could really remember, but he had taken to this old woman like she really was his own grandma. And she had died right in front of him, "Oh, pobre niño, I'm so sorry," He held the boy a little tighter, looking over at his shoulder to see Xander was comforting Fenix, trying to calm him down as the boy tried to recount what had happened to them.
At this point, Mina, Lumina, and a couple of other medics were by them, "What's wrong, what happened—Oh my God!" Mina exclaimed, running over, "Jesus Christ, they're in terrible shape, what happened—You know what, never mind. We don't have time to waste. Someone help carry them back to the escape shuttle, we can start working on their injuries there," She turned to see Owen practically collapsed on Kaedan, still shaking. She gently tapped him on the shoulder, "Hey, sweetie, it's just me. Do you want to stay here with Kaedan or do you want to come with Val and Nia?"
Owen looked up at her, his eyes red from crying, "I—" He seemed to want to say something, but then looked at Kaedan.
"I'm alright, Owen," Kaedan coaxed, gently, "You can go with them, I'll be fine, alright? I don't think you should go back into town right now."
"But…I don't want you to go alone…" Owen sniffled.
"I'll come," Fenix spoke up, and it seemed like Xander was able to calm him down a little bit, "You need as many people here as possible, and I'm alright to go back in there. I'll go with him, Owen."
Owen bit his lip, concerned, "Are you absolutely sure you're alright? I really feel like you're…You're compartmentalizing. A lot happened and you haven't…Reacted, at all. Not since we found Abuelita."
"I'm alright," Fenix said surely, "I need something to do. I'm really the only person we have to spare, since Risále, Hyunwoo, Bella, and Leon aren't back, and everyone else is needed to get more escape shuttles to direct all the local people into them. I can go."
Owen let out a breath, and then looked at Kaedan, "...Take care of him, alright? And yourself."
"I will," Kaedan promised, "We've got a motorcycle over here. Fenix and I will take that. While we're in town, we'll direct anyone who's still in town back over here. I just…I need to see Ariyasul."
Lumina overheard them speaking, "Wait, Ariyasul?" She turned to Xander, "Go."
"But—"
"No, you have to go. I know you like I know the back of my hand, Ge. If something happens to Ariyasul, you'll never forgive yourself. You have a track record that can't make me believe otherwise," She said sternly.
Xander sighed, "A'Li…"
"I'm not hearing otherwise," Lumina said, glaring at him and putting her hands on her waist, "If you don't go, you will regret this. I'm not going to stand by and let you blame yourself for something that wasn't your fault again. We have enough people, and I'm sure the other four will get here soon enough," Her voice softened, "Please, Xander. Go."
The older man was quiet and hesitant, "What if…What if they're…" He didn't want to finish the sentence. Deep down, that was why Kaedan wanted to go. He'd known Ariya since he was a kid since Ariya and Wyran had been together since they were really young. Ariya was like another older sibling to him. If something happened to Ariya…
He didn't want to have to find out someone he loved died from another person again.
"Alex," Kaedan said softly, "Come with us."
With both his husband and his sister ganging up on him, and Fenix's silent eyes pleading him to come too, Xander had no choice. He sighed, "Alright. Alright, let's go. I'll grab another motorcycle. Fenix, who do you want to go with?"
"I don't mind either way," Fenix said softly.
Kaedan hummed, "I'll take him if you go ahead of us?" He asked, and Xander nodded. By this time, two other rebellion members had brought motorcycles over. Xander swung his leg over the side of the motorcycle, getting ready. Kaedan got onto his own motorcycle as well, Fenix getting on behind him and putting his hands on Kaedan's shoulders to stabilize himself, "You can hold onto my waist if it's easier for you."
"Isn't it easier to keep your balance if I keep my hands on your shoulders?" Fenix asked, worried. Kaedan smiled and shook his head.
"If I were someone your height or without as much mass, then maybe, but I'm taller than you and weigh more than you. Plus, I'm pretty confident on a motorcycle. Just get comfortable, kiddo," He said, and Fenix nodded, wrapping his arms around Kaedan's waist.
Xander called over to them, "You both ready to go?" He asked. Kaedan gave him a thumbs up and his husband revved up the motorcycle engine. The three of them were off within an instant.
Chaewon and Elliot came up to Lumina, "What happened? We didn't really get a clear message, it was really hectic. Something about those three looking for someone and going back in?"
"It's Ariyasul," Lumina replied, "The kids saw them, but they didn't come here even though they told the kids they would. The three of them are going to look for them."
Elliot let out a sigh, "...I really hope they find them…Alive…"
Lumina sighed as well, "I really hope so, too."
Xander raced forward, overtaking Kaedan and Fenix, pulling out a handgun as he spotted a couple of royal guards and White Lotus members here and there, near the place they needed to stop at, "Stay behind me, I'll take care of these guys," He yelled back towards the other two.
The moment he looked back front, every member of the White Lotus present had a very similar thought, looking at the man on the motorcycle.
So, this is Xion, the man who used to be the top assassin of the White Lotus.
Even if he didn't have the same exact accuracy that Val had, especially at the distances that they had accuracy at, for someone who hadn't been a part of the assassination scene for a long time, his aim was scarily accurate. Within a few minutes, he had shot and killed at least ten people. He looked over to the side and winced as he saw that the pet store that Fenix and Owen often frequented had collapsed. He had an inkling of what may have happened and why Val had the child and kitten, but he…Didn't want to think it was true until it was confirmed.
He turned into the alleyway next to the pet store and slowed to a stop, parking the motorcycle. He turned to see Kaedan joining him, parking the motorcycle and getting off of it, helping Fenix as well, "Is this where you last saw them?" Kaedan asked as Xander approached him.
"They went into this alleyway, I don't know where they went after that…" Fenix said uncertainty. Kaedan rubbed his back.
"Hey, hey, listen to me. What you've told us is good enough, alright? Don't feel bad. Let's start looking around here, alright?" He comforted the younger. Fenix nodded, but Kaedan could tell that he wasn't convinced. He sighed and looked at Xander. His husband nodded, "Alright, how about Xander goes to the left, you and I go to the right, hm?"
Fenix agreed, and with that, all three of them set off. Kaedan and Fenix realized there were two alleys to the right and split up again. Within only a few seconds of them checking, they found something.
Or well, Fenix found something.
"Oh…" Kaedan wouldn't have even heard the younger boy's voice if he hadn't been paying attention. The tone and shakiness of his voice didn't give Kaedan any hope. He stepped over to Fenix but the boy quickly looked at him, "Don't…Don't come over here."
Kaedan's fears were confirmed. But that wasn't his focus right now. His focus was on the boy that looked like he was about to fall apart at any moment.
He shook his head, "Either I'm coming over there or you're coming over here," Fenix didn't move, it seemed like he couldn't move, so Kaedan took this as a confirmation for him to go over.
He didn't look into the alleyway. Not yet. If he wanted to be able to comfort Fenix, he couldn't be falling apart right now. So he didn't look inside. Instead, he walked over and swept the boy up into a hug, burying his face into Fenix's hair, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," Fenix whispered.
"It's okay, it's okay," Kaedan hushed him, "Just let it all out, it's okay. I'm here, alright? Just let it out," With just those words, a dam broke, and Fenix was clinging to him like a lifeline, sagging onto him while sobbing. Kaedan let out a pained noise, gently bringing them both to their knees and stroking his back, "That's it, you're doing so well, Fenix. You've been so strong till now, you're still strong for letting yourself be vulnerable. It's okay," He whispered.
"So many people," Fenix said hoarsely, "So many people we know are dead. How did this all happen so quickly? First, Abuelita, then probably Sam, Haven, and Lifen, and now…Now…I'm so sorry, Kaedan," His voice broke at the end.
Kaedan couldn't hold back the tears, "I'm sorry, too. I'm sorry you have to see all this. I'm sorry you have to go through all this. Maybe if we'd kept you guys back at the house…:
"No," Fenix sniffled, looking back at him, "If—If we hadn't been there, then Abuelita would have been all alone…No one would have gotten Xingxing and Alya out…" He wiped away his tears and stood up, pulling Kaedan up as well.
Now that Fenix seemed to have let out some of his emotions, Kaedan took a deep breath and turned around, looking into the alleyway.
Slumped against the wall, pale and lifeless, was Ariyasul. From the front, no wounds were really visible, but from the slight angle, Kaedan could see that their back was blood-soaked, riddled with bullet holes. He could feel the wetness against his cheeks and turned to look at Xander.
Xander was completely still, staring at the dead body. Looking closer, Kaedan realized his husband was trembling, He stepped forward, and hesitantly tapped Xander on the shoulder, "...Love?" He asked, his voice a bit raspy from the emotions flooding through him.
Xander turned, almost robotically, as if he was forcing himself to move. Within seconds, Kaedan was practically holding Xander up as the man whispered apologies into his ear, "I'm sorry, Kaedan. I'm so, so, so sorry."
"Why are you apologizing to me?" Kaedan asked softly, gently pushing Xander's head so it was resting on his shoulder, "You have nothing to be sorry for, my love. You don't need to apologize to me."
"Twice," Xander said hoarsely, "Two times, you've lost someone who was either a sibling or like a sibling to you, and I haven't been able to stop it."
Kaedan let out a wounded noise, stroking his back, "It's not your fault, it was never your fault," He said softly, "There was nothing you could have done, either time. But please, Alex, let yourself feel for yourself. Ariya…Ariya and Wyran were your best friends, too. It's okay, Xander."
Xander let out a sob, holding onto Kaedan tighter, "How many times do I have to watch my friends die?" He said, and Kaedan let his own tears flow. Ariyasul was like an older sibling to him, but they were also one of Xander's best friend, knowing him through Wyran. Both Ariyasul and Wyran had helped Xander try and pull away from the White Lotus, they had convinced him that perhaps there was another way for him to live and keep Lumina alive. They were the ones who came up with the idea of Xander going to law school to find a way that wasn't with the White Lotus to gain a livelihood. Xander had to watch Wyran die. He watched his best friends die, other people that he knew and loved, and even other people he knew who were blackmailed into joining the White Lotus Assassins.
After so long, it seemed Xander was getting quite tired of losing his friends.
"I'm sorry, love," Kaedan whispered, "I wish things had been different for you. I wish I had been there more to help you."
"I'm sorry, too," Xander responded quietly.
And Kaedan was tired of losing family as well.
He finally pulled away, breathing shakily as he approached Ariyasul's dead body. Moving closer, he gently lifted their body, turning them over, "It seems like they were…Shot multiple times in the back. They probably bled out to death…"
Fenix looked at the blood on the back of the backpack, and things seemed to click for him, "Oh. Oh, no," He said softly. Kaedan looked at him, questioningly. Fenix knelt down next to him, looking at the backpack, "I think…I think they may have been injured when they came to see us…They were wearing the backpack when they helped Val. I…I think they told us they'd join us later just so we wouldn't worry…" The boy looked down, "I'm sorry, both of you, I should have known—"
Xander knelt down and hugged Fenix, "Don't apologize. You couldn't have done anything about it. If we know anything about Ariyasul, it's that they always think four steps ahead. If they didn't want you to know, you wouldn't know," He soothed, "I suppose they didn't think we'd come back to look for them in this chaos…"
Kaedan stood up, taking a deep breath, "I...Guess this answers our question—"
He was cut off by the sound of screaming, gunfire, and possible explosions. The three of them turned towards where the sound came from, and their hearts dropped.
"Shit, it came from the escape shuttles!" Kaedan yelled.