"No."
The reaction was instantaneous, as Frankenstein and the three enhanced humans turned to stare at Rai disbelievingly.
"What? Why not?" Tao seemed more curious than concerned, as if he didn't really care one way or the other. Shinwoo could understand; he didn't know why Rai was refusing, either. Not that he wanted his memories erased, but he could see how it would make them – all of them – safer.
"Master?" Frankenstein asked, and the surprise was evident. Shinwoo held back a grin at that. It seemed that Rai often exasperated the blond, and yet it was equally obvious that Frankenstein would not go against his dark-haired master. Shinwoo might not know their history together, but it was apparent that they had been together for a long time, and had probably been through a lot together.
"It's not safe for him to know!" This was Regis. "He's a human! He shouldn't be involved in our fight!" Shinwoo had conflicting emotions about that. He had involved himself the moment he had decided to befriend Rai. But even with his strength, he wasn't as strong as the enemies these guys fought. Still, he felt that it should be his decision if he wanted to be involved or not.
Rai nodded in his direction, and Shinwoo blinked, confused. What was that about? It almost seemed like Rai was agreeing with him. He was pretty sure he hadn't spoken anything out loud, though. Could the Noblesse read minds or something? Rai glanced his way again, and Shinwoo couldn't be sure, but it seemed as if the other man was just a little unhappy. Shinwoo thought for a moment, then shrugged. He had no idea what was going on. All he could really do was wait and see if they could talk Rai out of it, of if his will would hold firm over theirs.
M-21 said nothing, and Shinwoo turned to look at the man standing next to him. M-21 didn't look his way, his face impassive, and Shinwoo realized that he would not voice an opinion either way, regardless of his own personal feelings on the matter. Considering how abrasive the other man could be when he chose to dislike someone, holding his tongue was quite a feat. But Shinwoo wanted to hear his opinion anyhow. If even M-21 agreed that his memory should be erased, then he'd allow it, regardless of Rai had said.
Reaching out, he touched M-21's arm lightly. Bright silver eyes turned to look at him. "What do you think, Ahjussi?" he asked, preferring to call him that rather than by his designation as an experiment. "If everyone here feels it would be safer for my memory to be erased, then it's okay." He tried to smile, but he knew he didn't look happy.
The other man shrugged. "That's your decision, isn't it? He is giving you a chance, so I'd suggest you take it." His words were blunt, but Shinwoo understood. This was nobody's decision but his. And even knowing that it might put him and the others in further danger, he found that he didn't want to lose these memories. They might be a little scary, but they had also made him feel closer to everybody in here, and he found that he didn't want to give that up.
"Then, I want to keep my memories," he said at last. He turned to meet Frankenstein's eyes. "I won't tell the others, and I know it might put you all in more danger, but I don't want to lose this. Not again."
Tao just chuckled, and Shinwoo turned to look at him. "The only one who's going to be in more danger is you!" he said. "A human knowing so many secrets about Nobles and the Union? If the enemy finds out, they won't let you escape. You'll be targeted for the rest of your life." Solemn now, he asked, "Are you prepared for that?"
Shinwoo didn't even hesitate. "I am. I've fought the monsters before, right? I'm pretty sure I lost, and badly, but it means that I've been targeted before, as have my friends, simply because we're linked to you. As non-enhanced humans, we're easy targets. And not knowing what's going on hasn't exactly done us a lot of good," he pointed out. "How much more danger will this put you all in?" he asked.
Tao glanced over at Frankenstein, who just sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose between his fingers. "You won't put us in more danger, as long as you don't reveal your knowledge of us. Even when we've erased your memories, you've remained friends with Master, so you are constantly targeted. Perhaps being aware of the danger, you'll be more cautious and cause us less trouble." He didn't sound terribly optimistic about that, though. Shinwoo recognized where he was coming from – he knew he was reckless, confident in his strength and ability to protect those dear to him. But as a regular human, he didn't have the ability to protect the people in this room. Unless he wasn't a regular human anymore, he realized.
Before he could say exactly that, a hand covered his mouth firmly. Shinwoo nipped at the hand, but M-21 just ignored it, glaring down at him. Shinwoo blinked, closing his mouth, and M-21 removed his hand. The others were staring at him oddly, except for Rai, who was staring at Shinwoo instead. The redhead just dropped his eyes to stare at the floor. He wasn't sure what the big deal was, but it was obvious that neither Rai nor M-21 approved of the idea. How they had both known what he was going to suggest, though, he didn't know.
"You're too straightforward," M-21 said, and his voice thrummed with anger. It was the most emotion Shinwoo had ever seen out of the other man, and he swallowed. "You need to learn to think before you say something that's going to get you in trouble." Shinwoo blinked; was M-21 worried about him? The anger was still there, but there was something else under that, too. The teenager paused, thinking back to M-21's story. He remembered M-24 vaguely. The bulky man was the only one, other than M-21, who had survived out of one hundred experiments. And Tao and Takeo had been nothing but cannon fodder, their lives forfeit from the first day. And here he was about to ask if Frankenstein could enhance him, too.
He nodded. "All right," he agreed easily. "Then there's no choice, is there? I'll just have to become stronger on my own." He grinned cockily up at M-21. "How about you spar me, then? After all, fighting humans isn't any good, right? Since I haven't found anyone that could beat me yet." He couldn't really help the fact that he sounded like he was bragging, because he was. He was remembering the men in black suits that had attacked him and his friends in front of his school. Those creeps had been given some sort of training, he knew, but they were obviously not on the same level as these guys. And he had kicked their asses rather spectacularly, so he felt safe in his confidence on that front.
Frankenstein chuckled, his eyes lit up with amusement. "That sounds like a wonderful idea," he agreed. M-21 just gave him an unhappy face, which only served to further entertain the blond. "In fact, maybe you should start now. We never know when the next attack will come, now do we?" Shinwoo glanced back and forth between the two men, noting that M-21 was fuming now. He wasn't sure what was going on, but he didn't want to be caught up in the middle of it regardless.
"Eh heh," he said, catching their attention again. He scratched the back of his head, not really sure what he wanted to say, but not wanting to watch the two men bait each other into a fight, either. Though it seemed like M-21 was wary of Frankenstein. Then again, seeing what he had during the fight, there was probably a good reason for that. Shinwoo didn't want anything to do with that black energy that had surrounded the blond during the battle. If he ever saw it coming after him, he'd probably turn tail and run.
Still, the idea of challenging an opponent that he couldn't beat - yet - left him feeling anxious, the anticipation coiling low in his stomach again. He had been forced to run away from the previous fight after being taken down so easily, but M-21 wouldn't be out to kill him. Hurt him, probably, but not kill him. He knew why neither Seira nor Regis could spar with him - their pride and sense of duty as Nobles would not allow them to use even a small amount of power against a human child. Tao and Takeo needed time to heal, and Frankenstein was obviously not intending to leave Rai alone for a while. Besides, taking on either Frankenstein or Rai was way above him right now. So M-21 it was.
Catching the looks of foreboding on Takeo and Tao's faces, Shinwoo felt his body hum with tension. Judging by their expressions, M-21 was stronger than either of them individually. The teenager hadn't seen much of the fight, occupied as he had been at the time, but he was observant. Of the three of them, M-21 was the only one still standing. And if Shinwoo wasn't mistaken, the older man's wounds had been healing, even as the redhead had cleaned and bandaged them. Shinwoo wondered if he'd get to see the other man's claws again. Maybe, if he forced the issue.
Shinwoo grinned in anticipation. In other words, he could go all out against the silver-haired man. It had been a while since he hadn't had to hold back in a fight. At least that he could remember. Erased memories didn't count, right?
M-21 looked at him, and Shinwoo's smile grew wider, his body practically vibrating. With a resigned sigh, M-21 visually checked over his comrades one more time, then strode towards the door, grabbing a shirt and jacket on his way out. Shinwoo slipped off the bed he had been sitting on, ignoring the creak of protesting ribs, and followed him out, waving cheerfully at the others as he followed the older man.
He followed the other man outside and down several blocks. It didn't take long for Shinwoo to figure out where they were going, and he chuckled. M-21 looked back at him irritably, and he smiled, eyes sparkling. "Is this your way of getting revenge, Ahjussi? Because you know he's gonna be pissed when he finds out," he pointed out. M-21's smirk told him all he needed to know. Principal Lee was not going to be happy if his school was damaged – again. The school walls had had more than one hole knocked into them recently, and now Shinwoo knew why. He shivered; that meant that the enemy had been practically on top of them, and they had been completely oblivious. There was nothing like having monsters knocking on your doorstep to give you a sudden wake-up call.
M-21 took him around to the back, where they were out of sight of the general public. Stopping in the middle of the courtyard, he turned to face Shinwoo, his stance relaxed as he watched the younger male, silver eyes completely indifferent, almost bored. Shinwoo's eyes narrowed; the man hadn't even bothered to take off his jacket! It was a blatant challenge if he had ever seen one.
Shinwoo tensed for a split second before darting forward, slipping to the left at the last moment and shooting his right fist upwards towards the other man's jaw. M-21 sidestepped him easily, and Shinwoo's right leg swung out, trying to catch him behind the knees. The older man avoided that, too, but had obviously been expecting Shinwoo to either finish his turn or back off. Instead, Shinwoo pivoted and threw himself forward, so that he was almost nose to nose with the silver-haired man. M-21 blinked, but managed to mostly avoid the punch to his ribs, Shinwoo's fist only grazing him as he stepped backwards. Shinwoo grinned manically, thoroughly enjoying himself. If M-21 thought that was all he had, he was going to be really surprised in a moment.
Shinwoo moved again, coming in low, straightening at the last second and aiming a high kick for M-21's jaw. The other man just grabbed his leg in one hand, stopping his forward momentum. Without even trying, he tossed the other boy away from him, and Shinwoo grunted as he hit the ground, the impact rough on his bandaged ribs. His knee hadn't appreciated being wrenched again either. Damn.
Back on his feet, Shinwoo watched the other man warily, calculating. M-21 remained unimpressed, allowing Shinwoo to circle behind him without even bothering to watch him. The redhead grinned. Ahjussi was a friend, and he wouldn't attack from behind. Not when he hadn't even managed to make the older man face him seriously. Still, that didn't mean that he couldn't play on the other man's weakness, right?
This time, when he swung his fist, he deliberately left his right side open. It should have been a red flag for M-21, but the older man wasn't taking him seriously, so he did what Shinwoo had expected him to, and took the opening. His fist slammed into Shinwoo's side, and the redhead recoiled as his ribs screamed in agony. M-21 realized what he had done, and guilt flashed through his eyes. Shinwoo staggered sideways, and when the older man reached for him, he kicked out, catching the other man in the stomach and sending him stumbling backwards.
M-21 stayed on his feet, but the look he gave Shinwoo was absolutely priceless. There was a lot of surprise, and a grudging amount of respect for the younger boy. Shinwoo scowled at him. "You're not taking me seriously," he accused. M-21 straightened up with a glare, but didn't disagree. Instead, he walked over towards a bench placed near the side doors in the shade. Taking off his jacket, he threw it over the top. Undoing the cuffs on his shirt sleeves, the silver-haired man turned to face Shinwoo again. No claws yet, but that was okay. The redhead didn't particularly fancy getting cut up right now.
Now that the other man was facing him properly, Shinwoo braced himself in anticipation of a good fight, determined to make the other man work for every strike he managed to get in. Seeing that the first move was up to him, Shinwoo darted in, and the fight was on.
Nearly forty minutes later, Shinwoo lay gasping on the ground, M-21 sitting next to him, not even winded. Shinwoo's whole body felt bruised and achy, and he knew he was bleeding, but it was too much effort to climb to his feet right now. "That's you holding back?" Shinwoo asked. M-21 nodded, watching him consideringly.
"That was a decent effort," he said at last. "Even holding back, I was using more power that I normally use against non-enhanced humans. That you lasted as long as you did is…impressive." Shinwoo tried not to appear smug, but he really couldn't help the wide grin on his face. It was rare that he got praised by any of the older men, so to hear that he had done well, even though he had been rather soundly trounced, pleased him.
"You were going to ask the Boss to make you an enhanced human," M-21 said suddenly, changing the topic. Shinwoo nodded warily. "Why?" It seemed like a simple question, but Shinwoo knew that it wasn't. Rolling over onto his side, wincing as stiff muscles shifted, he faced his friend seriously as he considered. His eyes were drawn again to the older man's hands, and he reached forward. M-21 didn't move as he ran his hand over his knuckles and fingers.
M-21 didn't speak as Shinwoo thought about it. He was very rarely serious, and usually just said whatever came to mind, but that wouldn't cut it today and would probably only serve to make Ahjussi mad at him. So he mulled it over for a moment before speaking, not really sure what he was saying. "Ever since elementary school, I've always been a fighter. It wasn't something that I wanted necessarily, but it just sort of happened. My hair coloring sort of drew bullies to me, so I learned to protect myself. Once I wasn't easy prey, they found others to bully. Ik-Han was the main one. I found him cornered by the bigger boys, and took them on. They won by numbers, but I made sure to pay them back everything they gave to me."
"While I was in the hospital, Ik-Han came to visit me," he said, his eyes lighting up in mirth at the memory. "He was so timid, but I didn't hold anything against him. Then he let me watch while he hacked into the school records and made some adjustments. Those boys never knew what hit them," he chuckled. "We became best friends after that."
He knew he still hadn't explained, but he paused for a moment, gathering his thoughts. "Anyhow, the bullies left us alone after that. And if they started in on someone new, and I found out about it, I put an end to it quickly. Between Ik-Han and I, they finally got the picture and realized that it just wasn't worth the trouble. We were always careful not to get caught, and they knew better than to say anything to any of the teachers."
"In middle school, I realized that the girls found my fighting ability to be both impressive and thrilling. They were attracted to the bad boy reputation I had. Which would have been perfect, except that it didn't work on the one girl that I actually wanted," he said ruefully, thinking back to his confession to the pretty Yuna. She had turned him down gently, but it had been all over school by the end of the day.
Rolling back over, Shinwoo tucked his left hand behind his head and stared up at the overcast sky. It would probably rain soon, as evening fell. "But that didn't matter. There was nobody who could take me on by that point. I was safe. And more importantly, my friends were safe, because I could protect them. I was strong enough to do at least that much." He smiled, but it wasn't happy this time. "I'm not much good at academics, or even sports," he said. "I'm sure you've noticed." He saw M-21 nod out of the corner of his eyes. "Yeah, well, none of that mattered as long as I could hold my own, and protect the others. Ik-Han and Yuna helped me maintain decent grades, at least."
"And then Rai showed up. I knew something was up with him the first time I saw him, but I couldn't figure him out. I mean, here was this new guy that I'd never seen before, dressed in the Ye Ran High uniform, and giving off this aura of…power." M-21 looked surprised, and Shinwoo scowled at him. "Look, I've been able to judge an opponent's strength for years now. But Rai was different. He was strong, but it was subtle, quiet, practically nonexistent. It was obvious that whatever he might've done before, he didn't want to fight anymore. And so I disregarded him as a threat."
"Then things started happening. Terrorist attacks and kidnappings and murder. You and your friend showed up, then the Hyungs. Even Regis and Seira. And things started getting worse. I've had dreams about some of those attacks," he admitted. "Nothing concrete, but I know that I've lost, that I've been protected by you and the others, and especially by Rai."
His right hand clenched into a fist. "I wasn't strong enough to protect even my friends. All that strength and fighting ability that I had been so proud of now meant nothing!" He caught M-21's look and glared right back. "Don't look at me like that! I know that I've been able to at least hold them off long enough for you all to get there, but it's not enough. And while my head tells me that I did everything I could, I don't believe it. So I thought that maybe, if my strength were enhanced, like yours, then I could protect the others. And not just Suyi and Yuna and Ik-Han. I want to be able to protect everybody. Even Rai."
Winding down, he stared back up at the sky, not wanting to see the other man's expression. "I know it sounds stupid now, but at the time, it seemed like the perfect solution. And…Principal Lee has been making enhancements to you and the others, right?" he asked. He felt more than saw M-21's hesitant nod. "I trust him to not hurt me, to not make me into just an experiment." And that was the crux of the matter, wasn't it? He trusted the blond – Frankenstein – to treat him as a human being, rather than as a thing, an object to be experimented upon.
Forcing himself into a sitting position, Shinwoo turned to face M-21. "Don't worry," he reassured the other man. "I won't ask again. Promise." And he meant it, but if Frankenstein offered on his own, he'd accept without any qualms. He met M-21's searching gaze, and apparently satisfied the other man, because he climbed to his feet, reaching down a hand to help Shinwoo do the same. Grinning, the redhead gripped his hand firmly and allowed himself to be pulled upright. His eyes were drawn once more to M-21's hand, and the other man just sighed.
Shinwoo watched as M-21 transformed his hand and arm, claws extending and coarse fur traveling up under his sleeve. Without waiting for permission, the redhead touched his arm, the fur ruffling under his palm. It was rough and tickled, and Shinwoo lifted up his arm at the wrist, examining the claws. They were long and hard, and Shinwoo could just imagine them slicing into the enemy. Prey, his mind supplied merrily.
"Thanks, Ahjussi," he said at last, allowing the other man's hand to drop. A mere second later, and M-21's arm was back to normal, slender and pale, but strong. M-21 hadn't relied solely on his enhancements, choosing to strengthen himself as if they didn't exist. After all, in the beginning, those enhancements had only caused him and his friends grief. He had no doubt expected that he'd die soon, just trash to be used and thrown away by the Union.
But here he was, surrounded by comrades, protecting children who had no idea what he was, or what he could do. Shinwoo had noticed that the other man had gradually seemed to grow more used to this life, that he had accepted that he had friends that cared about him. The loss of M-24 had been hard on him, but the man had died protecting Shinwoo and his friends. He had died doing what he wanted to, not what somebody else ordered him to do, and M-21 had taken comfort in that.
Shinwoo stumbled, his hand going to his ribs as he grimaced, his knee protesting. A hand gripped his elbow, steadying him, and he shot a grateful smile at M-21. "Thanks," he said, straightening himself up. Once the other man was certain he wasn't going to fall again, he released Shinwoo's arm. The boy stretched his arms above his head, arching his back and neck. As he did so, the first rain drops hit his upturned face, and he laughed at the cold shock. "Let's get out of here!" he said, taking off towards Principal Lee's home. The others were undoubtedly waiting for them; some worried, some indifferent, but all waiting nonetheless.
Shinwoo made a silent vow then. He wouldn't let a single one of them down. Even if he was only a human, he would do everything in his power to protect them. And, more importantly, he would never slow them down. If they died, it would not be because he was too weak, because he had needed rescuing. It would not be because the enemy saw him as a liability, as a potential hostage. And if he died, then it wouldn't be because he was weak. It would be simply that the enemy was stronger. There was a difference, even if he was the only one who understood it.
M-21 ran past him, outpacing him easily, and Shinwoo laughed at the challenge, picking up speed, ignoring his bruised body like usual, pushing his thoughts to the back of his head and allowing himself to enjoy the moment. There would be time for the rest later.
Reaching out, he slapped M-21's back. "Ahjussi's 'it'," he crowed, and the game was on. Shinwoo never stood a chance.