#but please keep in mind I was fucking six when P1 came out

[cookinguptales]

Why are Persona 1 + 2 not popular? It's always 3-4-5 that get attention.

I mean, I think it’s a lot of things. I can only talk about North American fandom, but…

P1&2 were on a different system and came out like 5-10 years before P3, plus they didn’t have the social link aspect that I think people really like about the series. They’ve got different fighting systems, to some degree… P1 and P2 had a plot shared between them, and then P3 started off fresh, which made it attractive to people who hadn’t played any of the games and only had a PS2. (Which was common in the period when P3 came out.)

I mean, to give you my own experience, I’d never heard of any of the Persona games when P3 got popular. My family couldn’t afford a Playstation growing up, and P1&2 were pretty hard to find. P3 didn’t have much to do with P1/2 other than some gameplay elements, so most people just started fresh.

The JRPG community was different in like…1996 when P1 came out, and fandom was different. I feel like a lot of the JRPG franchises didn’t really gain a permanent foothold, at least in North America. I feel like the only extended franchise with strong, serious staying power was Final Fantasy. P1 was directly competing with FFVII (ridiculously cultish fandom even still) and P2 came out just before FFX and Kingdom Hearts – and it came out right as the Playstation was being phased out in favor of the PS2.

When P3 came out, it really had a vibe to it that was unlike the other JRPGs at the time, and it was very well-received. It had very stylish aesthetics, the social links melded with dungeon crawling, the tarot-themed…almost pokemon-catching mechanic, the modern day mysteries… People were impressed because it felt refreshingly new, even if it was actually a reboot of a much more extensive series. (Note also that dating sims in general really hadn’t reached a wide audience in NA at this point, so everyone had a lot of fun with the social links.) P4 was when things started to get really popular, though, and that was very unlike other contemporaneous JRPGs. The bizarre murder mystery really helped bump it up, I think. I’m not sure people would have hung on so long for P5 if people hadn’t loved P4 so damn much. Like they certainly didn’t hang on between P2 and P3, and the gap between P4 and P5 was longer.

Honestly, I feel like P3-5 have a different feel to them and they hit on a melange of familiar (and well-loved) video game components that really went over well with an audience that was particularly receptive at the time. And then, since P1 and both P2s were on a system that was by then super outdated (not sure you could even buy it at that point; I think they ported it to the PSP at one point too but no one I knew had one), no one went back and played them.

Like I’ll be honest with you, I’ve only ever watched someone else play one of the older Persona games and that was like a decade ago. At the time, at least, they were really hard to find. Only “serious” JRPG gamers tended to have them.

Also, just… I think more people had video game consoles (especially non-Nintendo ones, which were seen as more family-friendly) by the time P3 came out. Like again, I definitely didn’t have a console growing up, and only my more affluent friends did. They weren’t as pervasive as they are now. (Probably partially because you can do a lot more with a console now; it’s easier to justify an expense like that if you can also use it for blu-ray, dvds, Netflix, exercise, etc. I know that was why we eventually got one. My family’s first DVD player was a PS2, lol.)

It’s odd… I feel like as home consoles became more and more ubiquitous, JRPGs got less popular. I guess P3 really got into that sweet spot when we all had consoles and we all still loved JRPGs more than American games. lol

[adelindschade]

The Great Stockholm Adventure, P1

Caroline awoke to two things: blinding light & aroma of delicious hot coco.

She rose with a groan, focusing her eyes on the familiar figure sitting on the bed side and to the steaming cup she held out. Caroline happily intercepted the mug, enjoying both the warmth and the richness it radiated.

“Thank you. You’re a God-sent,” she mumbled on the rim, savoring the concoction. It tasted like heaven. “Where are we?” She finally asked, utterly confused as she took in their surroundings.

The hotel room was huge. And that was just the bedroom! Hell, there was a chandelier hanging above them. Were ceilings usually that high? Besides the point. A freaking chandelier! A glitzy, gold, very antique looking one, and oh so beautiful. Ah, she could cry. If that wasn’t fancy enough, the view was to die for. The heavy drapes were pulled apart to revealing an ocean view.  Was that an ocean? It was some sort of harbor, with plenty of boats docked by the street – and she had never seen so many old buildings like the ones she was seeing. They were huge, probably uber historic, too. She could see everything – the windows were huge. They touched the floor and the ceiling! Once her eyes could adjust to the light, she could definitely appreciate the view.

Shit – was that a balcony, too!?

She was tempted to scramble out of bed, just to pry the doors apart to fully appreciate the city, but Katherine blocked her. Caroline’s eyes wandered to the other part of the room. Past Katherine were a set of very tall, French-looking doors that led into an even bigger room.

It looked luxurious. It smelled expensive. It was definitely way beyond Caroline’s budget.

“How’d we get here?” Caroline stammered as the realization dawned. “How did we pay for this?”

“Not sure,” Katherine bit her bottom lip. However, the elder vampire had a twinkle in her devilish eyes. “I know we’re in Stockholm. I have no idea how we got here though.”

“How drunk did we get?” Caroline asked, more so to herself.

“Drunk enough to… steal passports,” Katherine reached over to the table and plucked the two booklets. She started to chuckled and grinned. “We must have compelled our way through the airport because there is no way this is legitimate.”

Her laughter was contagious as Caroline looked at the photo identifications.

“No way,” Caroline joined. “Oh no, how on earth did we get our hands on this? Are these… are these the passports Stefan forged? Because that’s definitely meant for Elena but, really, Rebecca? Really, Stefan? How original,” she couldn’t help but grin, shaking with laughter. “You must have claimed this one. What’s the other one?”

Katherine smirked. “This one belongs to,” she snorted, “Miss. Barbara Wolf.”

“How much you want to bet Damon had something to do with that one?” Caroline raised a brow. “I don’t even look like that. He had to pull that photo off some generic Stock Photos site. Ugh. As if.”

“Well, it got us here!” Katherine boasted, very much amused.

Caroline joined in, laughing along.

“How drunk did we have to get to steal passports, book a flight across the ocean, and snag a dream of a room? By the way, how the hell did we manage that? Did we steal someone’s card? Oh God, please no. Ugh.” She discarded her cup onto the table and covered her face with both hands.

That’d get someone hot on their trail.

“Nope,” Katherine reassured. “We must have taken Stefan’s emergency stash, too. I counted what’s left of it. Wanna hit the shops later?”

“Seriously?” Caroline didn’t bother to fight the smile on her face. “This is amazing.”

“We must have been plastered,” Katherine shook her head in disbelief.

“It must have taken us… I remember raiding Damon’s stash at, like, midnight…”

“The flight is easily twelve hours,” Katherine contributed.

“Twelve hours?? Half a day??” Caroline gawked.

“Don’t forget, we have a six-hour difference here. We’re…” she leaned over to look at the clock, “six hours ahead. Right now, it’s almost noon.”

“So, it’s six-am back home,” Caroline reclined back into the pillows. “Give or take the half-day we killed, we probably left… okay, no, I can’t compute any of that yet. Ugh. My head is still reeling.”

“Either way. We here. Not there. We have sufficient funds to kill. We stole their stuff. All in all, we made out like bandits.” Katherine grinned broadly.

“We did, didn’t we?” Caroline giggled.

“We certainly did,” Katherine gloated. “We’re going to use this opportunity to test your new knowledge on Villainy. Considering this a field trip for Villain 101. How does it feel to be on the bad side for once?”

“The view is great,” Caroline joked. “I don’t mind field experience. Ooh – did we bring clothes? I can’t exactly go out like this,” Caroline gestured to her pajama set.

Katherine nodded to the duffle bag discarded by the dresser. “Even when you’re drunk, you came prepared. You brought extra luggage, too. It’s in the living room.”

“We have a living room?” Caroline exclaimed incredulously.

“Oh, by the way. Our phones are dead. I have them charged in the kitchen. I’m not sure if we should turn them on.” Katherine looked weary.

“Oh,” Caroline cringed. She already anticipated the onslaught of messages.

“Wanna play a game?” Katherine enticed.

“What kind of game?”

“To see who got the most calls,” Katherine shrugged.

“Oh, I’d definitely win,” Caroline asserted confidently. “Stefan is probably losing his mind. Klaus…. Klaus would know by now because neither Stefan or Damon can keep their lips shut for once moment. Oh, Klaus…. Fuck my life! He’s going to blow up my phone. Then he’s going to send his little spies to find me. Then… oh God, he’s never going to let up! Fuck my life. I just have to pick them, don’t I? Then Bonnie… Bonnie will be just as bad. Elena, eh, I don’t think she’d be the worst of them. MOM! HOLY – Oh God, my mom is going to be worried sick! Shit! Shit! Shit!”

“Elijah will be nosy. ‘Where are you, Katerina?’ ‘Answer me, Katerina. I won’t ask twice.’ ‘Katerina, if you don’t respond within the next hour…’ Ugh, you’d think I’d get peace from the man after he broke up with me! Stefan will be infuriated, obviously. I stole his stash and his best friend. I’m not the least bit remorseful,” Katherine winked.

“Ugh, okay, let’s get this over with,” Caroline rose, ignoring the drop of her stomach. Now was not the time to be anxious. She shook off her blanket and slid out the other side of the bed. “I’m going to need all the coffee I can get my hands on while we wait out the phone-apocalypse.”

“There’s a charming little shop in the lobby,” Katherine chirped. “By the time we get back, our phones will be positively full. How about it?”

“Extra expresso, please,” Caroline pouted.

“I can buy you all the expresso,” Katherine grinned. She waved a wad of cash she had grabbed from the dresser. “Maybe even some strudel.”

“I would love some strudel,” Caroline smiled.

Before leaving the room, Katherine had grabbed the key card and turned on both phones resting by the sink. They closed the heavy door behind them before the incessant bell of notifications erupted from either device.

The women looped arms and took their time canvassing the hall.

“Ooh! You should see their pool! I saw it earlier when I was grabbing breakfast! It’s gorgeous. It just like, a room, just full of water, that you walk into! You just right in and they have live fire above the water’s surface in the corners! Remind me to book a spa treatment before we leave. Their facility is to die for.”

“How did you wake up earlier than me?” Caroline retorted. “Did we pack bathing suits?”

“You packed four. I don’t know what we planned but you took care of everything.” Katherine chuckled. “Also, I’m older, and I have a greater tolerance. Hey, I let you sleep in. Be grateful.”

“I am grateful,” Caroline preened. She leaned into Katherine. “Thank you, Katherine, for pulling me into your deviancy. Aren’t I such a good student?”

“The best one. You’re going to excel Villain 101.” Katherine patted her head. “Ooh, you need to brush this out.” She played with a loose curl.

“Hey! Coffee first,” Caroline stuck out her tongue out.

“Coffee first,” Katherine agreed.

The girls were met cheerfully at the coffee stand. The barista amazed them with his speediness and Caroline thanked him profusely for the delicious product. He spoke loose English. Katherine, in turn, thanked him in his native tongue, earning a beaming smile from the young man. Of course, Katherine knew Swedish. What didn’t she know? At least Caroline was comforted she had a fluent translator.

Caroline made a note to self to buy some sort of book. She would try to pick up some of language during her stay.

They took their time returning to their room. Both were hesitant to be greeted by what waited on their phones.

“Here goes nothing,” Caroline groaned unexcitedly.

The pair was met with silence.

“Maybe there aren’t that many messages,” Caroline smiled meekly. They approached the counter hesitantly and simultaneously lifted their phones. Their stomachs churned.

“Alright, we should count missed calls first,” Katherine pitched.

“Collectively? Or per person?” Caroline inquired.

“Collectively,” Katherine replied after a moment’s pondering.

“One… Two… Three… On!” Caroline lead.

Their home screens lit up brightly.

“I have fourteen missed calls,” Katherine announced. “Eight from Stefan, three from Damon, two from Elijah – wow – just two? Asshole… and one from Little Miss Perfect.”

Caroline gawked at her screen. “Yeah, this in insane. Seventy-seven missed calls. Just calls! Holy shit! nineteen from my mother alone…. Since yesterday! Oh God, she’s going to be a mess. Okay, um, eighteen from Stefan, eleven from Bonnie, four from Elena, three from Damon, and – are you fucking kidding me – get this, Katherine – twenty-two from Mystic Fall’s least favorite Hybrid.”

“Alright, you won the phone call category. What about voice mail?”

“This is not going to be pretty,” Caroline cringed.

“I’ll go and then you go. Let’s choose…. This one,” Katherine decided. “This is from our favorite Bunny-eater.”

“’Katherine, where are you? Is Caroline okay? Why won’t she answer the phone? Call me back as soon as you can. We’re worried sick.’ Well, that one was mild. I’m guessing that was before he lost his sanity. Okay, you go.”

“Let’s… I’m not ready to hear my mom quite yet… neither am I ready to hear Bonnie… and Stefan is probably going to say the same thing… ugh, okay, Damon only left one, so let’s click that one. ‘Hey blondie, what the hell were you thinking? Get your ass back here! Stefan is going crazy, Bonnie is on a rampage, your mother is in a panic, and you know what? The faster the you get back here, the less trouble you’re going to be in. Everyone is pissed. I’m so close to calling the Big Baddy.’”

“I have six more,” Katherine read from her screen.

“I have twenty-nine,” Caroline deadpanned.

“You’re a popular girl,” Katherine sniggered.

“How about you play Elijah’s?” Caroline teased.

“If only you play Klaus’s,” Katherine was game.

“Pick which one,” she showed her screen, listing the dozen he had left in her mailbox. Katherine boomed with laughter.

“Well, Elijah, let’s hear what you have to say.” Katherine sneered. “’Katerina, what have you done with Caroline? My brother is upset. The misfits are out for your head. What have you gotten yourself into now? I’m not happy. I expect an answer.’”

“Direct,” Caroline noted.

“Ironic,” Katherine rolled her eyes. “He told me he wanted nothing to do with me.”

“But he insists on knowing about your whereabouts,” Caroline smirked. “Actions speak louder than words.”

“He’s a prick. Just like his brother. Speaking about that bastard, let’s hear what he has to say. In fact, since you have so many to choose from…. here, let me pick one.” Caroline obliged Katherine and extended her phone. Katherine mused for a second before selecting a random choice.

“’Caroline, answer your phone! I am not amused. Katherine is not someone you should be associating yourself with! I understand you have a particular habit of forgiving certain breeds, but she is a pedigree bitch that will have no qualms about disposing you should she grow bored!  You can see how that concerns me. I need to know where you’re at. We will be having words about your choice of company when I find you.’”

“Wow,” Katherine swallowed. “That was a bit much.”

“Pedigree bitch? Now sure if you should be insulted or flattered,” Caroline snorted.

“Disposable? Please, you’re one of my first, true friends. I wouldn’t get rid of you that easily,” Katherine scrunched her nose. “See’s how little he knows.”

“Aww, you care,” Caroline teased.

“Sounds like so does he,” Katherine pointed. “You have him wrapped around that little finger of yours. Can we play the rest?”

“Uh, no. I need to call my mom ASAP. She should know I’m safe.”

“Oh, by the way, twenty-three text messages.” Katherine read aloud.

“Ha, beat you again. I have fifty-eight. It’s been less than twenty-four hours. What the hell…”

Caroline found her mother’s number and hit the CALL button without hesitation. She barley had to wait for it to ring before her mother’s voice all but shrieked.

“Caroline! Is that you? Are you okay? Where are you? Caroline? Are you there?”

Caroline grimaced. “I’m fine, Mom. I’m so sorry for making you worried. I’m totally fine. Trust me. I just… took a sporadic trip. I was kind of drunk but honestly, I don’t regret it. It’s beautiful here. I won’t say where because I know someone is going to follow us here. Just know we’re fine and enjoying the scenery.”

“Caroline!” Her mother scolded. She sighed. “I’m glad. Please don’t do that again. I was worried sick. You’re not hurt?”

“Nope. Just a little hungover. We have coffee though and going to shop a bit. Do you want anything?”

“Caroline,” her mother groaned. “I just want you back home, safe and sound. We’re worried about you.”

“Tell them I’m fine. I just needed to get away. The drama was getting a bit too much. I’m in good hands.”

“Alright…” her mother sounded skeptical. “You should let the others know yourself. They called reinforcements.”

“Let me guess, Klaus?”

“He’s really angry, Caroline. It’d do us a favor if you could reassure him. He already snapped Damon’s neck three times.”

“Not that he didn’t deserve it,” Caroline grinned. Katherine chuckled.

“Caroline, please.”

“Fine, mom. I’ll call them. I have to go. I love you.”

“I love you, too. When will you be home?”

“Not sure. I’ll let you know when I decide.”

“Okay, sweetheart. Take care. Be safe.”

“Always. Bye, Mom.”

“Talk to you later, Caroline.”

Caroline disconnected the call and let out a heavy sigh.

“One person down, so many others to go. Who’s next…”

“I’d say Stefan, or Klaus. They’re both losing their heads.”

“Err, you make a good point. How about this? You call Stefan, tell him we’re okay, and I’ll call Klaus. Two birds, one stone!”

“Fine,” Katherine agreed disgruntledly. “You call Klaus first. I want to hear this.”

“Fine, then we’ll put Stefan on speaker.”

“Stop stalling, call the son-of-a-bitch.”

“Fine, pushy,” Caroline growled. She ignored the flop of her stomach and highlight his name in her contacts. “This is going to be so much fun,” she whined as the call initiated. It rung two times before the call was picked up. Both girls perked.

“Caroline?”

Klaus was pissed. Katherine winced. Caroline wanted to crawl into a hole.

“Hi,” she meekly replied.

“Hello,” he returned stiffly. “Would you care to inform me about your recent whereabouts? I’d rather not hear from your friends you disappeared with a known psychopath. I’ve spent the last day trying to follow your tracks, but I admit, much to your talent, I cannot trace you. Let’s rectify that. Now, Caroline.”

Caroline instantly felt defiant.

“Excuse me, bossy, but she’s not the only psychopath I know! You tried to kill my friends, too. Second, I like my little vacation, and I’m going to make the most of it. So, no, I won’t tell you where we are, because you’re going to ruin it. I only called to let you know that I’m fine, I’m happy, and you can stop terrorizing my friends. Thanks!”

“This is not a game, Caroline! You could get hurt or killed! I won’t allow that.”

“You can’t really have much of a say about that if you don’t know where I am anyways,” Caroline retorted smartly.

“Now is not the time to play games, love.”

“Really? Because I thought those were your favorite pastime,” Caroline chirped. Katherine sniggered silently. “You spent hundreds of years tracking Katherine. Why am I any different?”

“Caroline, tell me now!”

“Nope,” Caroline grinned. “I’m liking this. It’s driving you insane.”

“You’re going to regret this, love. It’s for your safety you tell me where you’re at. Now.”

“I’m going to regret this over much needed retail therapy and chocolate delights. I’ll take my chances.”

“When I find you, you’re going to mark my words.”

“Oh, you’re right – small town life, small town boy? Soo over that.”

“Not the words I was referring to but I’m glad you took some of my advice. You’re timing isn’t as convenient.

“Oh boo-hoo,” Caroline mocked. “I’m a big girl, Klaus. I’m going to be okay. I have a translator and more cash than I know what to do with.”

“If you want me to chase you, Caroline, you know I will. You better hope I don’t catch you.”

“I’m counting on it,” Caroline grinned. “Good luck, Klaus.”

She hung up the call and squealed.

“I did that!” Caroline bounced. “I totally just did that!”

“Living life on the edge? Taunting the big-bad? Extra points to you, Forbes,” Katherine applauded. “You know he won’t give up. He’s not going to stop until he gets his hands on you. Good luck, my friend. You don’t know what you got yourself into.”

“Oh, whatever. Okay, call Stefan.”

“Already on it,” Katherine replied. Stefan took longer to answer.

“Katherine, where’s Caroline?” Stefan didn’t skip a beat.

“I’m right here. Calm your protective ass down,” Caroline replied aloud.

“Yeah, I even bought her coffee and woke her up with hot chocolate. I’ve been a wonderful host.” Katherine scowled.

“She truly has,” Caroline confirmed. Both women shared smile.

“Where are you?” Stefan demanded.

“Australia,” Caroline sarcastically chipped.

“Iceland,” Katherine replied simultaneously.

“Seriously, guys! Why would you go MIA like that?” Stefan seethed.

“Because… we were drunk and bored?” Caroline offered.

“Not good enough of an answer, Caroline!” Stefan yelled.

“Good enough for us,” Katherine disagreed cheekily.

“We called Klaus because we thought the worst!”

“I know,” Caroline deadpanned. “I have his crazy ass harassing my phone. Thanks for that. I won’t shake him off. It’s going to ruin the mood.”

“The mood!? Caroline! I thought you were dead!”

“Be honest, Stefan,” Katherine interrupted. “You didn’t notice we were gone until we were out of Virginia. You were too wrapped up with Elena and her newest stalker. It’s getting old. I’m treating Caroline like a real friend. Speaking of such, time is short, so we’re gonna go.”

“Don’t you dare!” Stefan shouted. Katherine had disconnected the call before he could finish his sentence.

“I’m gonna call Bonnie and get dressed. I want to see what Stockholm has to offer,” Caroline smiled.

“I’ll be ignoring Elijah and deciding what shoes to wear.”

“Okay!”

Caroline had brushed her hair into a messy bun, shifted through her clothes for a pair of sunglasses, settled for jeans and a red halter top. A pair of black boots sealed the outfit.

“What do you mean you won’t tell me where you’re at? You tell me everything!”

“And you’ll tell Elena, or Stefan, or anyone, and then my fun will be ruined. Bonnie, I’m somewhere new and exciting! I want to enjoy it, even if it’s with Katherine, who whether you believe it or not, is decent company! We spent the whole night bonding over our bad choices in guys and decided it was time to reclaim our lives. Let me enjoy this, Bonnie, without Mystic Falls meddling, please?”

“Fine,” Bonnie relented, “but you’ll tell me updates! All the time!”

“Of course,” Caroline clapped. “Ah, I’m so excited. I’m going to send you pictures but you can’t show anyone! With my luck, they’re going to be intercepted and I’ll have Klaus on my ass to drag me back home. I’m not ready for that. I’m going to go now. I love you, Bon-Bon!”

“I love you, too, Care-Bear. Be safe!”

“Always,” Caroline assured before closing the call.  She yelled out to her companion. “I’m good to go! You ready, Kat?”

“Yeah! Come on, the day is short.”

“Stockholm, here we come!”

TO BE CONTINUED Klaroline/Kalijah/KOL/and so much more to come.

[clevernewdimension]

Inhumans Part Thirteen

Parts: One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten, Eleven, Twelve, Thirteen, Epilogue P1.

Genre: A/U, Angst, Violence, Fluff, Romance, more in the future.

Pairing: Yixing x Reader

Word Count: 4.4K

AN: Let me know how you feel after reading this part. I’d love to hear it!

“Alright,” Baekhyun says, sitting at his desk. Luhan took another one of the spare chairs, sitting close enough to see but still between Baek and the door. The younger of the two hands him a headset so he could hear them. “In fifteen minutes, the siege will start. I’ll tell you when it does, and then I’ll hack into their systems. Wait until I tell you that I’m in before you all do anything, am I clear?” “Yes,” Junmyeon says, standing along the dark and wet abandoned tunnel. They arrived at the door, waiting to see what happens. Everyone is standing, waiting for Baekhyun’s signal. “I think I’m going to head back,” Neon says, looking at everyone. “I just… I’m pretty useless, honestly. I’d just be in the way.” Yixing looks at her, nodding, “Thank you. I… I could never repay you for your help.” Neon nods, putting her hands in her jean pockets nervously. “I… Xing, just… make sure you don’t kill yourself trying to do this. Help Y/N, but don’t get yourself killed doing it.” She nods, “Same goes for all of you. When this is over… I’m going home and I’d really like to see you all again, so if you all could not die that would be great.” Jongdae smiles, placing a hand on her shoulder. “Don’t worry,” He says with a grin, “We’ll visit and annoy the hell out of you for sure!” “I’ll take it if it means you’re all OK,” Neon says with a small smile. “And when you all visit… call me Zoey. It’ll be nice to have my actual name again.” “Will do,” Chanyeol says with a huge smile. Sehun places his head on top of Junmyeon’s, leaning against him. He nervously taps his fingers which are wrapped around the leader now. “It’ll be OK,” Junmyeon whispers so that only Sehun hears, attempting to comfort the youngest man he’s had to drag out of the darkest of thoughts. He feels Sehun’s fingers stop for a moment, before continuing even faster. With a sigh, he reaches up, taking hold of one of his hands. Sehun was like a little brother to him. Most of them were his brothers, but he felt especially protective over Sehun. “Any minute now,” Baekhyun says, typing away at his computer. Luhan sat there, juggling pens with his power, trying not to think of the danger they were all about to be in. He was listening out for any noises that didn't come from them. Luhan couldn’t help but feel like he’s forgotten something important. Every now and again he’ll get a flash from his memories when he was being controlled, and he remembers seeing something that, in his own thoughts, had him extremely upset. Baekhyun could sense that Luhan was tense about something, but thought it was best to let him work it out unless he spoke about it. After all, how are you supposed to comfort a person who was being controlled to do things they regret? A loud bang on the computer screen caught Baekhyun’s attention. In a split-second, he started typing away. His fingers moving fast across the keys, the security feeds from Kiyoung’s labs popping up on the screen. The hidden door opens, the mechanical lock coming undone as it opens inward. “Alright,” Junmyeon says as Sehun lets him go. “We don’t know what we’re walking into, if they have any Inhumans in there to keep us back. Anything you see, you tell everyone else. We also have to try to free the other Inhumans as well.” “Got it,” Minseok says. “Chanyeol, you lead the group and Jongdae, you follow behind and watch our backs,” Junmyeon says, “If you see anything that seems unusual, tell the rest of us. The only way we’ll make it out is if we communicate.” Chanyeol lead the group, fire crackling in his hands. Sehun after him, then Jongin. Junmyeon and Yixing after, Then Kyungsoo, Minseok and Jongdae bringing up the back.

A loud bang, the room shaking. My eyes open wide, wondering if I actually did it. I looked back at the small gun in my hand. I bring a hand to the side of my head, feeling no hole or blood. Wiping my tears away, I throw the gun onto the mattress. I watch as people are rushing around, moving to two separate parts of the labs. I look ahead, seeing my mother standing completely still with a gun. She was still, not moving at all.

My hands shaking, I close my eyes, trying to remember all that's recently happened. “I know you're still in there,” I say out loud, lying back down, trying to stop myself from getting sick from the memories as my body throbs in pain.

A small girl was running, dressed in completely white. She looked scared and terrified. She came to a cross section of halls, running into someone.

“Hey,” Jongin says, catching the small girl, “Hey, it’s OK, we’re not going to hurt you!” “Ahead,” Chanyeol says, “Another one!” Fire was leaving his palms in a stream, roasting another man. It was like dragon’s fire, hot and dangerous. Sehun reached forward, his face in a frown. He could feel the bit of air he wanted, pulling it out. He watched as the new man gashed, the air leaving his lungs. Sehun creates a tornado around his head, making it impossible for him to breathe in. It didn’t take long for the man to die of suffocation. “Please,” The small girl said, tears running down her face. “Help me! They want to hurt me!” She had a cut on her forehead, limping now as the adrenaline is running low. “Hey,” Yixing says, “It’s OK.” He crouches down, placing his hands on her shoulders. He let the healing energy flow, feeling her wounds heal, but there was something still off about her. Yixing put it together a second too late as the girl reaches back, slamming a needle into his neck.

A loud bang comes from the entrance. Luhan stops spinning the pens in the air, pointing them to the door. It opens, and he sees Neon standing there, gasping for air. “It’s me,” She says in English, slipping out of Korean for a moment, before remembering to use it again. “It’s a fucking war zone out there!” Baekhyun didn’t look away from the computer as he attempts to find the one in Y/N’s cell. His eyes watering from his lack of blinking. He gasps, “There, I found her!” He locates the cameras around her cell, “Who is that outside her cell?” Neon looks over as Luhan peaks at the person. He gasps as if he was punched in the stomach. Suddenly, memories flash in his mind as he sees Nayeon being tortured. He hears her screams as she’s finally killed. He remembers helping her death look like an accident, slamming the two cars together with his power. Luhan remembers them bringing her back like they did him, making her be their nurse. The hand on his shoulder pulls him out of his memories, tears coming from his eyes. “What is it,” Baekhyun asks, looking him in the eyes. “Nayeon,” Luhan gasps, “That’s Nayeon!”

Neon jumps back, the door slamming open that she just came through. The pens Luhan had rush forward, stabbing one of the men as the other raises his gun. Baekhyun pulls Neon to him, bullets hitting the computer. The ones that were going to hit them, Luhan stopped in midair. “If you could do that,” Baekhyun starts. “A sniper shot is significantly faster,” Luhan explain, sending the bullets back into the man before them. “And I didn’t know it was coming!” “No,” Baekhyun says, looking towards the computer. “NO!” He slams his fists down angry that it was completely dead before them. “We have to go,” Neon says, pulling him. “No,” Baekhyun says, “I’m not letting them run us from the one place we felt safe!” He looks over at Luhan, “We can’t let them destroy this place.” Luhan nods, “Alright… but it may get bad.”

Yixing shoves her back with all his might, feeling the warm liquid spread under his skin. He braces himself against the wall, the world becoming a blur. “Yixing,” Minseok yells, moving to him as Kyungsoo quickly grabs the small girl, holding her so she can’t escape. Jongin picks up the needle, looking at it. He frowns, throwing it against the ground, making it shatter. “She used the thing that blocks his power!” “Why,” Kyungsoo asks, holding her as she trashed against him. “She’s being controlled,” Yixing mutters, “Don’t hurt her, she’s… she’s not in control of herself!” “Are you alright,” Sehun asks, looking at him as he regains composure, the medicine’s side effect going away. “Yeah,” Yixing answers, “But what are we going to do about her?” Their ear pieces squeal, Baekhyun’s voice coming through, but breaking up with static. “Gu… there’s a per… it’s...eon!” “We can’t hear you,” Kyungsoo said, looking around at the empty cell. He places the small girl in it, pushing the button on the outside, and closing the door as the small kids slams her fists against the clear wall. The pieces in their ear squeal loudly, causing them to take it out of their ears. The pieces now completely silent. “Fuck,” Junmyeon says, cursing loudly. “Without Baekhyun telling us where to go, we’ll never find her in these huge labs!” “Then it’s simple, isn’t it,” Minseok says, looking at them all, “We split up.” “How will we get back to each other and out,” Jongdae asks, shooting lightning towards another guard that came rushing up. The sparks hitting the man, the electricity humming loudly. “I can picture people and go to them,” Jongin offers, “But the problem is I can���t do it a bunch. We’ll have to find a new way to communicate.” “The guards have walkie-talkies,” Sehun says, picking up the one from the guard he killed. “Next one to show up, don’t roast him or do anything that will ruin it.” It didn't take them long to run into another guard. Minseok grabs the second walkie-talkie, freezing the man completely after taking it. “I’ll be one group. Junmyeon another. When we find her, we’ll say it over this. Channel four.” “I’ll go with Minseok,” Chanyeol says. Jongdae puts an arm around Junmyeon, “Looks like I’m with you.” “I don’t care what team I’m on,” Sehun says, “But I’m not leaving Yixing, so I’ll go with whoever he does.” “I’m going with Junmyeon,” Yixing says, “Just… I can’t heal you all if something happens. We don’t know how long this stuff works. Be careful, please.” There was a moment of them not saying anything as they all hug one another, silently wishing that they all come out of this fine. They took a moment to look at one another, knowing this could be the last time they see each other alive. As they kept searching, the knot in Yixing's stomach began to grow as he started feeling ill. Turning the corner, he sees a cell with a woman outside of it, as he looks in, sitting there, her back to the wall, was the person he was willing to sacrifice everything for. He yelled out, sprinting ahead of everyone as Sehun followed closely behind. He glances in an audible gasp comes from his mouth as he looks at her. She had bandages all over. Her arms, her legs, her neck, her face, anywhere that could be seen there was a bandage. Her hair was a mess, like she fell asleep with it wet. She was thinner than before, with dark circles under her eyes. Yixing’s eyes filled with tears, a sense of overwhelming joy that she was still alive. He bangs on the wall, but her eyes don’t move as she stares blankly ahead. He looks to the woman, grabbing her arm, “Open this door now!” With robotic movements, she moves and opens the wall. Yixing was looking ahead at her as Sehun finally caught up, just in time to see the woman pull a gun and hold it directly to Yixing’s temple.

The walls started to move, I noticed, as it took everything in my power to move my head to look forward. My eyes widen, seeing Yixing standing there as I try to tell myself that this can’t be a dream. That he’s really here, just as I see my mother pull the gun at him. “No,” I try to yell, but it comes out barely above a whisper, “Please! I know you’re in there!” Jongdae glares at the woman in front of him, “Let him go!” His hands have an electrical current running between them, sparks flying off. “No,” I scream, Sitting up, painfully. Tears fill my eyes as I try to fight against the exhaustion. “You can’t kill her!” “Why not,” Junmyeon asks, glaring at the woman. Sehun glances at me, seeing how desperate I was to stop not only her from hurting Yixing, but from them hurting her, send a gust of wind up, knocking the red visor off. His heart freezes for a moment, seeing Nayeon standing there, blinking but completely unfazed. “Please,” Junmyeon says, placing a hand on Jongdae’s shoulder. “We don’t want to hurt you!” “We’ll that’s a shame, really,” A voice says, walking up confidently behind Nayeon, “Because, If I want her to, she will most certainly hurt you.” Stepping forward from his hiding spot around the corner or a wall, Kiyoung strides confidently. He smirks at the four men in front of him, reaching and placing a hand on my mother’s shoulder. His eyes full of worry as more gunshots could be heard around us. I reach over for the small gun beside me, holding it in shaky hands. Kiyoung notices, pulling my mother so that she was a shield from me, too. “You all couldn’t leave well enough alone, could you,” Kiyoung says, glaring at the four men. Yixing’s hands clench into fists. “Oh, you’re angry? What, That’ I took her,” He asks, gesturing toward me. He smirks, “Well, your anger is misplaced. You see, I didn’t do anything to her. All those injuries were provided by Mommy dearest,” He says with a laugh, looking like an absolute snake. “I’ll kill you,” Yixing says, his hands still shaking. “You either leave now, or you’ll be dead!” “A man with a gun to his head has no room to make demands,” Kiyoung laughs. “Then I’ll make them,” Sehun says, taking a step forward. I take a look at everyone, seeming them really for the first time. They all looked tired and angry. Some had a few cuts, and I notice Junmyeon keeping his weight off one leg. The gun in my hand shakes as I wipe tears from my eyes. Kiyoung smirks, “I honestly just came here to tell you all I’m leaving. You see, I’ve decided to take my interests elsewhere.” He turns on his foot, “Nayeon, if any of them make a move to stop me, kill the one you have a gun on. Once I’m gone… well, kill him anyways, I suppose.” Kiyoung turned and started to walk away. Sehun moved, Junmyeon takes his shoulder and kills him back, but my Mom’s finger goes tense on the trigger, almost pulling it, but hesitating for a moment. “Mom please,” I scream, begging. “Don’t kill him! You know Yixing! You know all of them! Please, you can’t kill him!” I watch as her face goes to confusion as her hand starts to shake. Kiyoung was now completely out of sight. I raise the gun, pointing it at my mom. “Please,” I yell, tears falling from my eyes, “Don’t make me do this!” She looked like she was having a huge internal battle as Jongdae was also begging her not to do anything. Yixing just looked at me, “Y/N…” “No,” I yell, looking at him, “Don’t say anything!” My mother’s face goes back to robotic and I knew she was going to kill him. A loud bang goes off. A bit of smoke in the air, the smell of a fired gun. I watch as there is more red than I’ve seen in week come forth, pouring to the floor as a body falls limply. I look at the gun in my hands as they still sting from the shot. Ignoring my pain, I get up and run over, tears falling down my face. “Mom,” I yell, my hands covering the spot on her stomach where I shot her. “Mom please, I… I’m sorry!” For the first time since I’ve seen her alive again, she smiled, “Y/N, my sweet girl… you did the right thing.” I could feel myself quickly become hysterical, “Mom please don’t die!” The amount of blood coming from her, the bullet must have hit an artery. If something didn’t happen quickly, she was going to die. I could sense someone crouches beside me, a hand on my shoulder. I look up into Yixing’s eyes. They are wide with terror, thinking for a moment he had been shot. “Yixing,” I gasp out, “You… you can heal! Heal her!” “I can’t,” He whispers, shaking his head as he looked away from me back at my mom. “What do you mean you can’t! Yixing please, she's dying! Why won’t you heal her?!” I scream, taking one hand off my mom’s wound, grabbing his arm, blood completely coating my hand. “Why won’t you help her?!” “I can’t,” He yells, looking up at me, his eyes filled with tears. “They injected me with something! I. Can’t.” My mother reached up, touching his face, “Don’t blame yourselves… Y/N, I love you… I love them too but you are the light of my life and I… I’m so sorry for what he made me do!” “Mom, I don’t blame you,” I say, looking into her eyes, seeing them well up with tears at my words. I turn, looking up at Junmyeon, “We have to get her somewhere!” “Y/N,” Yixing mutters, putting a hand on my back. “If we can get Jongin here, we can get her to a hospital and I can-” “Y/N,” Yixing yells, sorrow making his voice crack. The sound of how broken he sounded was something I was never going to forget. Looking down, I see my mother’s lifeless eyes staring up. “No,” I say, leaning forward, “Mom, wake up. You’re still there! Wake up! Please!” A loud bang happened, making Junmyeon looks at Sehun. “We have to go,” He yells, getting the walkie-talkie. Yixing stands, taking my arm in his hand. I pull back, “I’m not leaving her!” “Y/N,” He says, his voice strained. His hand was grasping my arm is trembling. “No, there has to be something!.” I say, trying hard to see through my tears. “I’m sorry, Y/N,” He says, his voice tense and hard. Suddenly, he forcibly yanks me to my feet and picks me up over his shoulder. My screams make my raw throat hurt more as I kept yelling everything and anything I could. My fists pounding against his back as I try to convince him to turn back around. I fight against his grip as we start to get further and further from my mother. I scream and yell until my voice is hoarse, until I no longer see her anymore. My sobs were uncontrollable once I couldn’t see her. I tried to speak but all the words were unintelligible, even to myself. The next few hours were a blur. I don’t remember what happened after the death of my mother. We got out of there, getting back to the old hide out. My eyes opened, looking around, seeing myself covered in bright colors. The pieces started to fall back together. I remember being teleported here by Jongin, being forced into the shower by Sehun… I remember Baekhyun trying to get me to eat, but I refused. I remember trying to stay away in Yixing’s arms as he carried me somewhere, before seeing me down and kissing my forehead softly. But that’s where my memory ends.

I sit up, realizing that I was in Yixing’s clock tower, but the person beside me wasn’t Yixing. Sehun glanced over, nodding. He looked tired as he sat there, his legs pulled to his chest. His eyes were red, but his face looked calm. He reaches over, grabbing a bag of fast food, setting it between us. “Eat,” He demands, “You need to eat. You will die of starvation if you keep this up. We all didn’t risk our lives for you so that you could die like this.” My throat was sore as I spoke, “Is everyone… are you all fine?” He laughs sadly, “Fine? If you mean to ask if we’re all alive, then yes. Once the serum wore off of Yixing, He healed all of our wounds. He has a pretty nasty cut on his side he didn’t even realize he had, but Baek took care of that. Before he healed us, The only one of us that got hurt were Minseok. Got a new scar across his back he’s quite proud of.” I open the bag and eat silently for the next few minutes as Sehun tells me what’s going on. The government has been overthrown and other countries are opening their borders to Inhumans who no longer wish to live here anymore. All of those who killed and tested on Inhumans who were not killed have been taken into custody, except Kiyoung. “That snake manages to get away just in time,” Sehun growls as I finish the last bite of my cheeseburger. “You hinted at you’re all not fine,” I say, looking down at my hands. Sehun pulls me to him, an arm over my shoulder. He just pats me gently, comforting like a friend. “He’s… He’s not fine at all.” “Take me to him,” I say, looking up at him. “Take me to Yixing!” The look of guilt flashed in his eyes, “Y/N… He’s not here.” “Then where is he? Take me to see him, I need to help him!” I argue, getting out of his grasp, looking at him in the eyes. He reaches over, grabbing a laptop, setting it in front of me. I ask him what’s going on, he just types in the password, put in an external drive before pressing on something, before quickly going down stairs. I hear the door close, leaving me with the laptop. Looking back at the screen, I see it was a video. I press play. The camera was focused on a wall, before Yixing moved it and it was pointing at him sitting in a chair. His hair was a mess and he had dark circles under his eyes, even darker than before. He looks at the camera, “I… I know you’re going to be angry once you see this. You may even hate me but… I just. I’m sorry, Y/N.” He runs his hand through his hair, not even looking at the camera. “I just need some time. I know you’ll be upset but I just can’t. I can’t be next to you knowing that, at the moment when you needed me most, I failed you.” It hurt watching tears fall from his eyes in the video as I remained still, not moving, not even blinking. “When you looked at me, after shooting your own mother to save me, asking why I wouldn’t help you… I can’t get that out of my head.” Yixing wipes his eyes, head in his hands, “I’m sorry. God, I’m so sorry. I know she said not to blame myself but how could I not? If I wasn’t stupid, I could have saved her. You wouldn’t have to suffer like this… Like I did with my mother. It reminded me of my mom and I…,” His voice cracks as he takes a moment to regain his composure. “I can’t look at myself in the mirror without hating myself. I can’t look at you without hating myself. I can’t look at anyone there without despising everything about me.” My tears started to fall as I kept silent. “Don’t blame any of the guys, they didn’t know I was doing this. They found out in a similar way, too.” His voice calming down as he played with the necklace my mother gave me, which is in his hands. “I’m sorry I took this. I left something precious of mine on the bedside table for you too. I… I left you that so that you could know that we’ll see each other again. Sort of as an insurance. That ring was my mother’s. She had it since she was a girl. I kept it safe in the box under my bed. I just wanted something to remember you by while I’m gone.” “I don’t know how long I will be gone. I just need some time alone. To sort out myself… to fix myself.” He finally looks into the camera, tears still falling from his face. “You deserve someone who isn’t completely broken. So, I’m fixing myself, and when I do, I’ll be back.” He smiles sadly, “I love you, Y/N. I love you more than anything and anyone. I know I said I’ll always be there for you, but… I have to do this for myself. I wouldn’t have left you if it meant you’d be alone, but you’re not going to be.” He smiles to himself, “Take care of them for me. They always manage to get themselves into trouble.” The joking tone of his voice doesn’t make me smile at all as tears fell silently down my face. My heart was beating so loud as I found it hard to breathe. “I’m so sorry, Y/N. I wouldn’t do this if I didn’t need it. I don’t expect anything, and I’ll understand if you decide to stop waiting for me for however long it will be or if you move on. I will always love you. Nothing will ever change that.” He smiles at the camera one last time before the video ends. I stare at the screen blankly, taking the drive out, knowing the video was in there. I yell resentfully, throwing the laptop against the wall, seeing the screen shatter and the power turn off. My tears turn into sobs which turn into scream of agony. I hear the door downstairs open, feet rushing up at this time, when I looked over, seeing Minseok there. He calmly takes me in his arms, trying to comfort me as I spend what feels like an eternity sobbing and crying out for Yixing.