Feng Jiao Xue's small, thin form was roughly thrown back to their "room".
As the door closed, Lou Xi ran to her, engulfing her in a warm, and yet awkward hug.
They got back drained and full body aching, she was embraced by Lou Xi, crying, and apologizing for being useless this morning, his head buried in her hair.
Tiredly, they drag their small bodies in the corner. Like two small, wounded and wary animals.
In the echoes of screams of pain and terror, they sat like that for what felt like hours, seeking comfort in each other's arms as silent tears streamed down Feng Jiao Xue's face while Lou Xi cried loudly on behalf of his friend's pain. Wishing, hoping, that the other's pain become theirs to bare alone.
For the 6th month they were always dragged to a different area where they had to exercise and train under the scorching sun and if they failed, they would be harshly punished.
Codependence. In a place where they are unfamiliar with anyone, that is what they developed. They sought solace and stability... of comfort and security, to the one they can hold onto.
Lou Xi engulfed Feng Jiao Xue's smaller form.
Although Feng Jiao Xue already had a certain maturity despite her age, her strength is still no different than the rest of the young girls since she had never practiced or exercised as rigorously as this.
Even the most mature of children, in the end, are still just that, children.
So, for her to end up battered and bruised badly by the end of the day was a common occurrence, and slowly, it took a chipped on her tender soul.
Lou Xi on the other hand, fared worse than her since his physical strength was pretty much as low as it can get. Fortunately, he gained the attention of the higher ups with his retention of information and intelligence. Thus, he was seen with great potential since his father was actually a mad scientist and had already started training him earlier on before he was shot down that is. Things like this were, on some level, already 'normal' for him.
In this month, the once big group gradually lessened and by the end of the 6th month the once 316 females only 28 remained while the boys had 136 from the original 374.
Afterwards the two-group merged, and their training became harder. Lou Xi who became the number protégé had always looked after Feng Jiao Xue and whoever bullied her had to go through him.
In a hellish environment, he stood firm and steadfast, albeit scared, he unwaveringly protected her. No matter how many hits he recieves, how many times he was dosed in water, both freezing cold or burning hot, he stood infront of her with no hesitation or regret. And by the end of the day, he will smile at her cheerfully to hide his pain.
The rest knew that he had gained the attention of their capturer, so they dared not go against him at some point.
Feng Jiao Xue can feel the glares of jealousy, the hatred born out of indignance, and the harsh whispers whenever they are gathered.
However, since the two groups merged their training became harder and harder and Lou Xi couldn't save Feng Jiao Xue from being punished for every shortcoming.
All he can do is to be there to comfort her and train alongside her in their cell whenever she wants to. He promised to himself to be with her, to stick by her side no matter what because in this darkness they found each other.
They only have each other.
They were not aware of the strings attached to their limbs, craftily manipulating everything in the shadows to cultivate pairs of weapons. A blade and a hilt. One to cut and another to ensure prolonged utility.
The sun rises and falls outside the always dimmed place.
As time passed, she slowly managed to catch up to Lou Xi in terms of importance. He was valued for his intelligence while she was praised for her fighting talent. They trained for 5 years, and the ending of the training did not mean that the nightmare was over.
The image cracks and shatters and she is back, safe in their home, their safe haven.
Feng Jiao Xue snapped out of her dazed as she tried to stop herself from remembering. It's over now and she doesn't need to dig up what is already in the past. A past that is better off buried deep within her consciousness.
"Xue-Chan?" Lou Xi asked, trying to bring her back from her daydream worriedly.
"Sorry, I am fine, just fine. It's a little bit... no it is so hard to believe that we finally achieved the freedom we dreamed of" She replied with a warm smile.
Lou Xi looked at her expression and his soft gaze matched the pure, small smile that forms in his.
However, such a dream was short-lived.
"Crash!!!" The glass wall shatters, a physical manifestation of what is to come to their world.
Lou Xi's eyes widened as he twirled them around in a flash, protecting Feng Jiao Xue and for a moment, time froze before the single bullet became a rain of metal.
Feng Jiao Xue had already reached for her own gun, having reacted immediately and turned the couch around to be used as a cover.
"Are you alright? What the hell were you thinking?!" She asked the other worriedly checking him over injuries before cursing and tearing her skirt and using it to bandage his shoulder to temporarily stop the bleeding.
She had reacted fast enough but Lou Xi's protective nature acted first. His first thought wasn't to fight back but to protect her while she had already moved to cover and attack before she was pulled by him and the bullet had grazed his shoulder deeply as his action had momentarily taken seconds of delay before they fully took cover.
"I'll be fine. How did they find this place?! We have set up a contract! The Organization can't do anything to us anymore!" Lou Xi furiously said, gritting his teeth.
She pushed her gun to him, ripping the couch's cover with swift movement. She took another gun meant for longer range hidden inside the couch but could not see the enemies due to the lack of light. However, her eyes narrowed at the onslaught of bullets. It took a few moments but still managed to calculate some areas by pinpointing which direction the bullets were coming from.
"We gave them too much faith. Stay here, Lou Xi" She firmly told the other before firing back, disabling the other to respond. When that no longer works, she rolled over and hid behind a pillar occasionally firing to where she knew the others were hidden in the trees. It may not be one hundred percent accurate, but she had confidence in her marksmanship.
True to her thoughts, most of her bullets landed on their target despite the random position. Their enemy was wise enough to not get close knowing that she can take their life like a reaper if they appear close enough to her.
Lou Xi, despite being more adept at supporting her as a doctor, supplier, spy and tech guy, was no amateur either.
He calculated the trajectories faster than Feng Jiao Xue allowing him to have more accurate shots.
"Clack, clack!" The gun sounded, barrels empty. Feng Jiao Xue threw her gun away in frustration. "Darn it!" She cursed when she ran out of bullets.
Her eyes meet Lou Xi who shook his head at her near one of the hidden exit. All passages has been blocked. Their enemy infiltrated and trapped them already. It was clear that this assassination have long been planned and slowly acted upon.
Feng Jiao Xue face darkened further and instantly rolls on the floor to a pillar, Lou Xi kicking a table from the opposite wall that slides beside her to give her cover as he continues to shoot. Feng Jiao Xue didn't pause as she immediately went running towards the closest painting and took out one of Lou Xi's most prized gun creation.
Tearing the painting down and taking the gun, she loaded the weapon and Feng Jiao Xue did not waste a single second before firing back again, this time more fiercely.
Lou Xi takes shots one at a time, not a bullet wasted while Feng Jiao Xue aggressively rains bullets upon the general direction of the infiltrators.
The bullet was as fast as light, taking down the hidden enemies one after the other. Even the branches could not hinder the silver flashes and each bullet fired, was sure to bloom a flower of blood on its target.
One by one, the bullets stopped but she did not relax and went bravely to the shattered floor to ceiling glass window overlooking the forest. Making sure that she is covered.
Like the grim reaper standing tall illuminated by the moon, she shot every suspicious movement, be it the movement from wind, the twitch from an animal or the fleeing enemy, she did not care but as she shot what she supposed as the last enemy, she heard clicks all around the room this time before she could react, she was falling down.
She looked wide eyed as Lou Xi smiled sadly at the final attempt to save her life before he was engulfed by blazing fire after a loud bang.
However, his effort was futile as the explosion still threw her away midair and hit the tree instead of the soft grass below.
She struggled to keep her eyes open only to see their safe haven, engulfed in flames.
She stared in disbelief unable to comprehend how they finally managed to crawl up to their heaven only to crash and burn in a matter of a single moment.
"No!!!!No! No! No! No! No!!! Lou Xi!!!!" She screamed in utter fear and disbelief.
They believed that if they managed to make great contributions just like those before them, the organization would keep their word and allow them to live a normal life.
She never thought, they never would have thought that this was how they, and probably the others who left had ended.
How foolish, how ridiculous.
She felt her wounds sting on her face as bitter tears fell from her eyes.
They never should have hoped. They never should have dreamed.
"Lou Xi... I'm... Sorry... Brother" She tried to say before her vision started to fade with black spots but before they could fully darken, she saw in a haze, a blurry figure approaching before she felt weightless and fully blacked out.