Chapter 9: Old Friends Found

"Please...please...please…Wooyoung wake up please." Kiyeon pleads shaking his shoulders hoping it will help. It's late in the evening and the two have finally washed up onto land.

Both being covered in deep cuts and bruises from the battle with the mermaids. However when kiyeon finally realizes what she really was they had to escape as fast as they could, but at the cost of being far away from the treasure and the younger being unconscious.

After shifting into her human form she dragged him up onto the shore making sure he was placed comfortably.

“Wooyoung please….please you have to wake up" she starts to panic from no response seeing that his chest was not moving proving he wasn't breathing.

"No no no...please" she says softly moving up to a CPR position her hands shaking trying to make them steady. After what felt hours she was ready to admit defeat, tears slowly forming in her eyes resting her head on the younger's chest. "please wake up…" she heard coughing looking up to see Wooyoung taking a deep breath of air.

"Oh thank the gods" Kiyeon mutters, wiping her tears panting heavily, sitting back. She looks up at the sky that used to be blue turning into a beautiful shade of pink, purple, and red's.

"Kiyeon…? W-Where are we…?" She looks back down after hearing his hoarse voice ask. Seeing his eyes slowly open and look around seeing that he was on land.

"I-I don't really know, I think in some island in the western seas." She responds before helping him sit up seeing that he was weak.

He nods trying to understand sitting up with Kiyeons help, but hisses him pain grabbing his stomach tightly.

She didn't notice the blood oozing from his stomach before, but now she can clearly see that he was in pain, the blood not stopping anytime soon."Shit are you ok I can try to find something to help your cut here let me see it Wooyoung." She gently moves his shirt up seeing the deep gash that was on his stomach thinking to herself on how to stop the bleeding.

"No, I'll be fine. I've dealt with way worse things than this here…" he points to his cut. "This is a scratch to me…" He explains hissing in pain, He takes a knife from his belt and uses it to cut off a part of his shirt, tying it to his stomach using it as a bandage. He stood up on his feet with the help of Kiyeon. They both start looking around hoping to remember the place they ended up on. "Do you think that we are the only ones here?" He asked as they slowly started making their way around the island.

She shakes her head looking up at him. "I saw some wooden planks floating in the water nearby along with a torn sail. With those as evidence there must be others around here somewhere." She says letting the younger lean on her for support. She thinks to herself if the people are friendly or if they will be aggressive hoping that they will be helpful and have a medic to help Wooyoung with his wounds she keeps walking

“It could be possible that another pirate crew was stranded here just like us. They must be here somewhere otherwise why will there be the ripped sai-” wooyoung starts off but the girl helping him walk quickly pulls him over to hide in the treeline. “Hiss...what the hell Kiyeon” he hissed in pain glaring at her.

“Shut up and look do you see that over there.” she states pointing a bit further down the shore where there was a group of men all surrounding a campfire.

The gunner slowly looks over to where she was pointing before a smile is plastered onto his face. “Stray kids!” he says his voice full of joy as he starts limping over to the group of men,holding his stomach making sure his gash is protected.Kiyeon quickly follows behind with a confused look on her face “Chan...Felix...Guys!” wooyoung shouts getting the attention of the group turning and seeing the two of them heading over to them/

“wait...Holy shit! Wooyoung?!” Changbin shouts quickly standing and running over to the two. The others quickly follow behind.

“Changbin hyung!” Wooyoung says as his smile grows as the two come together for a tight hug. Wooyoung clearly ignoring his wounds and more focused on his missing friend

Kiyeon stands off to the side watching the gunner reunite with his long lost friends, a smile plastered on her face watching how much they mean to each other.

Later that night Wooyoungs injuries were properly taken care of thanks to a crew member named Han Jisung. As they sit by the fire Wooyoung asks the leader, Chan, what actually happened to them and how they ended up stranded on this island.

“Well after being attacked by the mermaids we weren't bothered by the damage they caused at all. I'm pretty sure they lie and wait near the shore for ships to come through, we sailed and travelled for months but…” Chan trails off his face mixed with anger and disappointment.

The youngest member, Jeongin, speaks up after a good minute of silence. “We were betrayed...another ship approached us and wanted to take everything we had money, food, supplies, everything...we honestly thought we were stronger but due to...Woojin hyung...we were defeated and forced to leave our ship and sail on long boats. We came back to this island which we previously explored a while back and stayed here ever since. We never recovered from what our hyung did to us. We trusted him with our lives and for him to throw us out like we were NOTHING TO HIM...we...really trusted him…” He trails off tears forming in his eyes.

“Not even that he threw us away he tortured us while he was in our crew...he would abuse us non stop i felt like i was trapped that i had no one to talk to or even run away to. Chan did all he could to stop him but he would only continue...THE WAY WE TRUSTED HIM WAS NOT LIKE ANYTHING ELSE… we all gave him our trust we all gave him our love and what did he give in return...YEARS OF ABUSE AND HAVING NO ONE TO TALK TO…” has adds in looking down trying to cover us his tears that were falling non stop. Chan angrily stands up and heads over to the shore, his face full of guilt and anger.

“I was the only one trying to protect those who where getting mistreated...but no matter how hard i try or how good i hid them away he would just come back angry and hurt them worse...every...single..day...a hyung shouldn't treat his younger ones like there toys to be kicked, thrown around. But I swear on this crew and on my life that ill will get revenge for the pain and suffering that he has put on all of us. I WONT rest until I hear HIM pleading us to stop…'' Hyunjin adds, clearly pissed. In his eyes she could tell he was determined to hurt woojin even if it meant risking his life.

“ i never knew that you all have been through so much...im so sorry.” Wooyoung says feeling sorry for all they have been through. He never really trusted the oldest Woojin there was always a dark aura when meeting him and now that Wooyoung finally heard all that he has done he was happy he didn't get to know him well but also felt awful he couldn't help.

“Do you guys….happen to know a way out of this island?” Kiyeon asks after she waits for the rest to calm down after telling their story. She looked around a bit nervous since she still didn't know the group too well.

“We have a few long boats but that's really it, you see we really don't have a large amount of supplies but the island here has clean water, food and caves in case it rains hard here.” Changbin says looking over at her with a soft look trying not to be too intimidating to her.

“Wait, I remember you told us you're a siren right Kiyeon?” Seungmin asks looking at her as everyone else turns to look at the boy. She nods softly wondering what he is getting at. “Well, maybe you can go find the Treasure you guys couldn't have swam far away from here and them.” he suggests.

“ I don't even remember what direction we came from, what if I can't find the island again…?” she states frowning at the thought.

“Well you do have some knowledge of direction right, i'm sure you can remember just a small detail of your travels.” hyunjin points out looking at her

“ I do remember some details but without a compass i don't think i could get really far.” she says softly looking up at hyunjin.

“Well, if you leave sometime at night you can use the stars as a compass.” minhoe points out looking up at the sky. “As long as the sky is clear you can use the northern star to help you on your way back. When we were stranded at sea in longboats we used the Aries constellation.” he says guiding her eyes to the stars.

Her eyes follow upwords looking to the sky recognizing the constellation. A smile slowly made its way to her face as she remembered how Yeosang had taught her a bunch about the stars and constellations years ago. She always loved how bright the stars would shine in the night. “I'll need time to think about it, i'm not entirely sure about this plan.”

“Do sweat to much about it, its very possible that your crew will find us eventually.” han says smiling softly at Kiyeon

Wooyoung looked out into the sea loving how the water reflected the night sky thinking to himself about how san was doing knowinging that he was missing from the crew. “He must be so worried about me...san i miss you...please find us..” he was just remembering how san would hold him tightly in his arms making Wooyoung feel like he was floating.the way san made him feel at home when he first joined the crew after years of being torchered and feeling small. All he wanted now was for san to kiss his forehead and tell him that everything was going to be ok.

He got out of his thoughts as a hand was placed over his,Kiyeon wiped the tears that were falling on Wooyoung's face that he didn't notice till now. She gently placed her head on his shoulder whispering softly to him. “Don't worry, if they won't find us we will find them...you will see him again soon.”

He wraps an arm around her pulling her into a side hug as they both looked into the sea loving how beautiful it was at night. “I know...i'm just worried that he's scared…” he says just as softly.

"We can't stop until we find them!" San ran up to hongjoong grabbing onto his collar, his voice still shaky but full of desperation. The officers and crew have been working the whole day to find the lost two, having no luck so far.

"San we need to rest. The crew is exhausted and starving." Hongjoong gently took san's hands away from his collar, slightly backing up. "Just try and calm down" He tries to reason with him.

"So just because it is not your sister or your lover you aren't worried. Some captain you are." Yeosang snaps staring right at the captain dead in his eyes. The necklace has been pulsing all day as he and San have been working non stop.

"Both of you need to calm down. Let the crew take a break." Seonghwa said calmly as he went to the three, looking at Yeosang and San to give them a reassuring smile.

Yeosang glared at Seonghwa with a slight disgust then Hongjoong, scoffing off and leaving all three of them. They head back to the deck to see the maps Yeosang had been laying out the whole day trying to find the two.

The two oldest looked at every map before exchanging a look with each other. Hongjoong went back out to announce to the crew that they can now have a three hour break, thanking them for their work from these past hours. A sigh of relief can be heard all around, people walking everywhere to go to their beds, to eat, or just relax in general.

"I'm gonna go try to talk to them. They have been working themselves to the bone." Seonghwa said as he glanced back to the captain who nodded as a response. The oldest knows that Hongjoong is also worried just as much as everyone else, maybe even more. He has also been working hard with the crew.

Seonghwa slowly walks away from the captain to see the cook and navigator looking at the maps once again. "Which way haven't we gone yet?" San says running his fingers through his hair.

"We have been searching all day, you two. Go get some rest please. If we encounter anything dangerous we need both of you to be at the ready, ok." Seonghwa says walking closer to them, standing between both of them.

San turned to the side to hear what the oldest said. "Hyung please. We can't just give up-" san eyes were still watering at the thought of his lover but before he could finish his sentence, Seonghwa interrupted him.

"We are not giving up. We all are just extremely exhausted. Especially you two. Please you guys get some rest." Seonghwa says patting both their shoulders to comfort them. "I'm not ordering you, but I am asking you as your brother." He said softly to both of them with a smile.

Yeosang and san gave each other a glance before a soft sigh escaped the eldest lips, making them focus back onto the situation. "Ok hyung, we will go get some rest. Wake us up soon though" Yeosang said looking at both of them before walking out.

"Thank you." the eldest said while patting San's shoulder again, signaling him to go as well. After San walked out Seonghwa went back to the captain. "You need to rest as well Hongjoong." He said calmly, also giving him a small, soft smile.

"Alright hyung." A yawn passed through the captain's lips, stretching a bit as he slowly walked back to his room. He kicks off his shoes as soon as he enters and flopped right onto the bed. The problem was that he couldn't sleep, the thoughts of the two missing crewmates just kept increasing.

Seonghwa was looking at a map of the western sea that Yeosang had left out on the deck before leaving. "Maybe.." he mutters under his breath before an idea pops into his mind that may help. He placed his bag that was on his shoulder onto the ground to grab the spellbook he kept with him. Quickly flipping through the pages soon finding the one he wanted to try, the locator spell. "Show me wooyoung." he mutters again as his eyes slowly turn gold, looking around seeing he is on an island. "it worked."

He wasted no time to look around soon seeing Kiyeon and Wooyoung sitting near a dying fire with the crew members of StrayKidz! He blinked and was now back on the ship and rubbing his eyes a bit to adjust to the surroundings, soon seeing a small dot appear on the map. He smiles seeing that he finally found them, but the downside was it was at least a three day journey.

After everyone has woken up at different times, Hongjoong has been told by the eldest what he has discovered. "A three day journey? We can make it." He smiled with confidence. Announcing it to the crew everyone's spirits were enlightened, immediately going to work to start the journey. The officers have been taking a few shifts with each while working on their individual tasks, except for Yeosang and San who once again have been working all night without any breaks.

San walked to the edge of the boat staring at the never ending water passing by. "I'm on my way Wooyoung… please wait for me." He took one more glance at the water before leaving to go back to work.

"I'm coming for you sis." Yeosang said while also looking out in the water, fiddling with the amulet that was around his neck.

“Yeosang...i...i miss you so much right now…”Kiyeon says softly as she stands at the shoreline watching the waves hit her bare feet sending chills up her spine. She feels the wind hit her face as she rubs her arms to get herself warm, mostly focused on the water. She feels a jacket gently being placed over her shoulders.

“I see that your cold huh?” a deep raspy voice spoke from behind her. She turns around seeing the orange haired man looking at her with a soft look. A blush appears on her cheeks as she realizes how close he was to her noticing the small details she hasn't noticed before. The way his dark eyes sparkled just looking at her, the way his freckles makes his face even cuter close up.

“A-A bit ya…” she stutters a smile plastered on her face as she pulls the jacket closer to her chilling body. He smiles back at her placing an arm around her pulling her closer to him.

“Let me help you warm up then.” he moves over hugging her from behind holding her close, laying his head on her shoulder looking back at the waves.

Her smile only grew as she looked over at the younger male that was hugging her. “Thank you Felix.” she says softly looking back at the water.

They stand together in silents, listening to the sounds of the waves crashing onto the shore and the sounds of the ocean. “Are you doing alright?” he lifts his head up looking down at her.

She shrugs looking down “ i guess...i just miss Yeosang and discovering that i'm a siren...its just so much to handle as one person…” she says softly a sigh escaping her lips.

“I understand. Everyone goes through something whether it's painful, sad, happy,or traumatizing. And i feel like you've been through alot already and i don't want you to go through much more.” he responds gently putting his face on the crook of her neck debating if he should give her a small kiss there but decides against it.

A deep blush appears on her face feeling his nose glide across her skin. “Thank you..” she says looking over at the orange haired man as he lifts his head looking back at her.

He looks into her eyes not breaking eye contact. For what felt like years a blush appeared on the boy's face, quickly letting go of her and turning away trying to hide his face that was completely red now. “You should get some rest while the others are waiting for you. I'll take the night watch.”he says gently trying to calm down his face from overheating.

She nods softly giving back his jacket but he refuses “keep it, i don't want to find you out here freezing again... it can remind you of me, like a hug from me...like whenever your lonely or...ahah…” he stutters scratching the back of his head in embarrassment thinking to himself how stupid he must of sounded. Kiyeon smiles at how cute he was and thanks him before heading back to Wooyoung sleeping next to him still wearing the jacket. Felix couldn't take his eyes off her, he watched her head towards Wooyoung, smiling to himself.