✔ blue-coloured beginnings 「 khunbam 」

a

"You dare hurt Aguero, when you were aiming for me?"

Bam's head hung low, but his whole demeanor changed into one of an awakened predator. Gone was the boy who seemed meek and small, cowering behind his teammates on a throne he isn't befitting for him to sit upon, wearing a crown so golden he does not deserve. Now, he was the spitting image of the young Khun offspring he was sitting with earlier. Just less stealthy, but obviously a lot more destructive. Like an inevitable hurricane.

"What did you even expect? That every single person in this stage would follow the same rules as you?" The brunet could hear her scoff as she swung her staff, aiming to slam it on his temple to which Bam blocked with the Black March's hilt. "This isn't a game, pretty boy. We all have something to die for- isn't that why we entered the Tower in the first place?"

The woman simpered and smirked, as if trying to examine his microexpressions as soon as the gap between them closed, blades pressed together and almost cutting their skin. "Unless, you got inside through a special access?"

Was she implying that she knew of the possibly of him being an irregular? Does this woman have and know something which can be used to lure him into their trap, much like how both Maria and Rachel did? Is he about to walk in onto another thorny and unpredictable path once more? Bam does not know anymore.

Bam's golden amber hues sharpened, his jaw tense as he shifted his body to thrust the needle on the redhead's foot, causing her to scream and stagger backwards clumsily on her feet, falling down the throne's pedestal. He watched as another hooded lady, most probably from the same team as her, came to her aid and glared at him. It was nothing short of familiar (as everything was, at this point of time), and that was it. Bam was extremely tired- exhausted of everything that's ruining his last ounce of expectation for a normal life.

"It doesn't really concern you, does it?" Bam's eyes glinted deviously as he held his ground, repelling the newly arrived brunette's attacks. "Didn't you just say that the actions do not matter as long as the ends are justified?"

"You should have settled with targetting me, but no!" he exclaimed, releasing a twist of shinsu in a fit of anger, directly hitting the brunette's stomach which sent her flying off mid-air.

The redhead immediately caught her by the hip and they regained balance, changing their formations as they sought after him. Rak appeared from above, creating an impact which not only forced a distance between the two parties, but also between Bam and the throne. But it was none the matter.

As long as he had the crown, he can return to that throne with his eyes closed, in less than a minute.

Rak declared that he'd match with the brunette because she reminded him of his warrior of a mom back home, so the retainer sped back to his initial position, racing against time and the redhead in the body suit. The woman managed to land a blow to his ribs, yet the brunet reciprocated, kicking her face and bashing her head against the suspendium columns.

'You just had to hurt him, my Aguero,' he thought, bitterly as he remembered the bluenet being taken away by the medics.

The redhead let out a low, mocking chuckle, lifting her face so that their eyes met. As if finally coming to a conclusion to something Bam doesn't want to know, a sly smirk formed amid her bloodied face as she whispered. "I finally found you, my god."

Bam's blood boiled, his vision dimming as he grabbed her by the neck, a wave of shinsu emanating from his body which caused a deeper slash on her face. The voices inside and outside of his head screaming for him to stop and be rational, all dying down in his subconscious.

"Hey, you're going overboard! Cut it out, you bastard!"

"You're killing her! Isn't this violating a rule or something?!"

"You, test administrator! Aren't you going to get involved?!"

Rak prevented the rest of the regulars from reaching his back, while he watched the woman in his hands gasp for air. "Black Turtle, if the Blue Turtle meant so much to you, you need to stop!"

"No! I will never forgive her!" Bam growled, a sinister glint clouding his eyes.

"That's enough, Bam-ssi. The test is over."

However, before the worst came, he felt a shinsu technique coursing through his veins, preventing any movement in his body.

"Listen up, regulars! Any fighting from here on out will immediately result to expulsion!" Lero Ro, the test administrator, feigned an amused grin masked over a look of uncertainty before knocking him out, lightly chopping Bam's nape. "The Crown Game has already declared a victor!"

The brunet felt himself being lifted so cautiously, like a doll made of the finest porcelain, as well as a heavy feeling burdening his whole body, forcing his consciousness and the fury that sat deep in his system to shut down. The sound of his brown locks forcibly cut unevenly, droplets of crimson fluid trickling down his arms, the searing pain of his insides burning and air brushing past the holes on his flesh, bones breaking at every impact. It all came crashing down on him, but he didn't have the strength left to muster even a light groan. Yet, what probably haunted him the most was the image of Khun being carried to a safe zone, like a corpse.

In the few years of childhood they have spent together (or maybe even before that), Bam had witnessed Khun's different sides. But this- the vulnerable and passive side, it was rarely brought up on the table, and it scared Bam so much. That maybe he did not really know Khun as much as he thought he did, or maybe he hadn't placed the same amount of effort.

"Do not falter, because this time, we need to win."

"The winners of the bonus test: The Crown Game, TEAM BAM!"

Bam's chest felt empty as he heard in muffled noises each of their names being called out, but Khun was not there to see it happen.

A warm embrace would've been nice by now.

'Did I do well this time, Aguero?'

ー・ー

Khun awoke hours later with his pounding head wrapped around with a tight-knit gauze.

It took a while to adjust to the light, but he knew that he could recognize this place even after centuries had come and go. Well, at least for him. After all, this was where he had to hurt Bam and comfort him with a lie. If he had done things differently before, if he told him the truth- about Rachel and how she didn't want him to keep chasing after her every move- would he have prevented his death?

In the midst of his overthinking, a bundle of wildflowers tied around a deep chestnut brown colored bow resting on the table beside him caught his attention along with a small scroll strung on one of the stems. Now that he thought about it, his part of the infirmary definitely had some ornaments or packaged food laying around. Whether they were meant to be some sort of welcoming gift or not, remains unclear.

'This was definitely Bam's doing,' he thought, a subtle chuckle escaping his lips as he untangled the knot on the scroll.

'I still hate you, Aguero. So come back to me already, won't you?'

"I see that you're awake."

After a short moment of amusement, an almost inaudible knock broke the silence.

"I believe we have a lot to discuss about, Khun Aguero Agnis."