CHASING ADVANCEMENT 2 [III] (Ch. 146)

The lights shone with a blinding glare, ricocheting of the blood white floors with a vicious gleam, layed on a bed with heavily bandaged eyes is a middle aged woman, beside her bed is her sun blonde haired son, Daryun Won.

"Mom" he calls softly, 

"Son?" His mother calls back questioningly, her voice cracking, "Son?, Son!" She shouts again, "please speak to me!, I haven't heard from you in so long..." She pleads with a quivering voice.

"Mom" Daryun calls again, this time with some strength in his voice,

"My son!" She jolts flailing her hands grasping toward's the direction of his voice. Daryun takes her hand his eyes growing warm as he watches his mother clench hard as if in fear of him vanishing. 

"You'll be fine now mom, you'll see again, all you need to do now is rest" he states,

"I..." She begins chocking on her words as tears threaten their way out,

"We shouldn't be doing this now, crying can't be good for your eyes right now, get some rest i'll come see you later" he states. Her hands roam his face jaw and hair, her lips stretching into a beaming smile,

"You need a haircut young man" she states with in a chastising tone, the statement brings a smile to Daryun's face, becoming almost thankful she couldn't see his reddening eyes, 

"Well you can cut it for me when you're healed" he responds,

"I'll hold you to that" she chuckles. Daryun stares at the woman before him, his mother, the one he hadn't seen since hitting puberty, the woman so full of sanguine life, here she was again, as if haven been risen from the dead,

(Is good to have you back mom) he smiles,

"I love you son" she states after a moment of silence l, to that Daryun hesitates for the bearest of seconds,

"I love you too" he replies, a tear finally slipping pass.

Konan gazes upon the ruin that was once home to the RUNAWAYS,

"Why did you call us here" Nathan inquires with Warden and Elaine standing to his nine and three. 

"Do you all really intend to leave?" Konan questions, 

"We do" Elaine responds, "enough madness and drama for a few months hell! A year will do us some good" she responds,

"You're Shifters, wherever you go conflict follows, the only options are to deal with them or be strong enough or connected enough to deter them" Konan responds watching their faces, (not sold yet eyy), "do you really wish for Yerin to grow up a foreigner? What about the girls?, The UWA is all they know, re think this decision, help us fix this broken country" Konan declares passion burning in his gaze. He'd watched the struggle in Elaine's eyes, the ignited passion with Warden's, yet withing Nathan he sensed nothing, could see nothing, in a sense it was infinitely unnerving and viciously terrifying,

"I'm disappointed Konan, is this sorry attempt to play to emotion your best?" Nathan questions, ,cold rationality in full effect,

"Yes" Konan replies, "it was" he follows, "nevertheless i wasn't wrong" he states mirroring Nathan's calm, "think of it this way, if you join us and assist in our victory you will have a stake to the final..."

"You're wasting you're time, i know neighter Raven nor Yanick out you up to this, those two are far too straightforward to scheme this, still..." Warden drones, "we've had enough, if you guys had any lick of sense you'd leave this shit house" he concludes,

"For you family and friends are those you see here, for most of us it'd be impossible to move our family and friends, we have to stay, we have to fight and we have to win!" Konan replies, this time with real passion burning withing his eyes, "sorry for the inconvenience, i wish you all the best, i hope you find the peace you're looking for" Konan concludes before turning away, (it seems it wasn't meant to be, is there anything i could have done different?) He ponders furiously, (no, he probably knew we or rather i would attempt this, Nathan Smith, he's a lot more intelligent than one would believe" he mules, (now, we're else can a man find some muscle) Konan muses while humming a tune, with great coincidence his phone buzes, the same tune being his ring tone. A look to it's name and a grin blossoms on his face,

"Well well well, lemons and oranges i guess".

Konan arrives before a familiar restaurant, despite the person he's to meet being in their usual dull unenthusiastic colours their easy to spot,

(A matter of aura of a cause, or maybe he's just plain handsome judging by the scalding stares the countless boyfriends shot and the infactuated ones the girls did), Konan makes no move to speak, simply walking up, pulling a chair and taking a seat, the two hold silence, stretching into several minutes, by now the exchange had either repulsed some or creeped them out, nevertheless Daryun set his pride aside, even if he'd done the work and it had been a deal of mutual need, seeing his mother again, he felt obliged.

"Thank you" he calls,

"Me?" Konan questions,

"All of you" Daryun follows,

"Well you're welcome but take it as a gift from a friend of yours" Konan replies,

"...Who?" Daryun questions after a contemplative pause

"Raven" Konan states causing memories from their distant interaction to come forth, a small almost negligible smile forming to place,

"So, why exactly did you reach out to me?, Couldn't possibly have been to say this" Konan questions pleading to any higher power he was correct in his assumption,

"On paper i'm still apart of mercenary hall, they're a big organisation, what happens when my mother is healed an under my care?" he questions rethorically,

(It seems his loss to James...no, to life has finally taught him some maturity) Konan muses,

"Tell me, if i join you guys, will my mother be protected?" Daryun questions, his gaze trained on Konan's grinning face,

"I swear it on mine" he replies, seconds latter a call buzes through his phone again,

"Guess who they hit this time?" Raven questions,

"Who?" Konan inquires,

"Leonardo" he replies,

"I think he's the key, he's off the belief that MURAKAN have involved rouge members of his foreign emissaries" Raven grins well aware Konan would pick up on his point,

"If we can find proof" Konan grins, adrenaline pumping through his mind,

"This becomes an international dispute" Raven follows,

"And MURAKAN",

"Just gave us justification for similar imperatives, 'even a Gods must appease their subjects for they are the source of their powers'" Raven states mirroring Silver's words, 

"MURAKAN are desperate to silence him as well as the other members that chose our side, meaning..." Raven continues,

"They aren't quite ready for war, which gives more time to find a solution to their infinite combat breeding hack" Konan concludes,

"Rendezvous with us at the training sight, stay safe" Raven replies,

"I'll be there, and i've got a little gift for you" Konan grins cutting the call before Raven could give inquiry,

"Did you just designate me as 'little gift?'" Daryun questions with a fixed glare Konan despite the obvious intimation tactics feigns confusion,

"Huh?, Wait did 'you' just equate yourself to a gift?" Konan questions while sporting a flabbergasted expression,

"This..." Daryun draws in astonishment.