(Shen's pov)

I sat on my bed letting my thoughts take over me. Everything from the past few years crossed my mind. I thought about everyone that I had killed. I remembered the enjoyment I got from it. It feel sick thinking about it now. I couldn't even remember how many lives I had taken. What were their names? I can't believe that she would just take up for me like that. After everything I've done. My whole world has turned upside-down. Heck, the girl I wanted to kill yesterday, the girl I used to hate with a passion, is now my friend. I remembered the years spent thinking about how I would kill her. Why would I even think about that? To please Xieie? "heh." I laughed out loud to break the silence that was making my ears ring. Now I couldn't even think about doing anything for him. All those years serving him. All those years following his orders. How could I come clean after all those years? "You can start out by coming to terms with your past years. It's the first and hardest step. It's going to take a long time and it's going to be hard" I smiled as I remembered her words. "But I'll be there for you. You're going to get through it just like I did." 'I promise.' He thought to himself. 'I promise that I will come clean. I will leave my past behind me.' "For you, sis." I said out loud. I let myself fall onto my bed, satisfied and fueled by my new promise.

(normal Pov)

You found yourself leaning against Upa's shoulder as you tried to wrap your head around all of this. There were so many contradicting things. Xieie was coming after you, but you got your brother back. 'My brother' you thought, smiling. You didn't remember the last time you had thought of him as your brother. You shifted your sling trying to get it into a more comfortable position. An eerie silence seemed to have fallen over the cell. No one could quiet comprehend what had happened. No one but Upa knew any more information that what they had just found out, which wasn't much. "How can you forgive him after all he has taken from you?" asked Upa, breaking the silence. You sighed, "The fact that my parents loved him and not me isn't his fault. He ended up falling into the wrong hands. It wasn't his fault. I want him to have a chance at the life I have." "How'd you convince him so quickly?" "He might not look at it, but he's just a kid. He just needs someone to guide him in the right direction, and I just happened to be the one willing to do that." You paused to think for a second. "I don't think he truly wanted to harm others. After leaving our parents, he wanted someone to love him for him, not for his power. Xieie convinced him of that, so Shen was willing to do anything to keep his admiration. He ignored it, but he knew that he didn't really care for him. He saw that I was willing to, so he jumped at the chance." Silence. "I admire you." Said Liang suddenly. You looked at him with a confused expression. "You were able to bounce back from everything. You're so caring and kind despite all of the stuff you've gone through. You've forgiven a person who tried to kill you." He stood up, "Someone is coming after you, right?" You nodded. "I strive to be like you. And I want to fight with you." He walked up to you, "Will you let me fight for you?" "Liang I-" "Me too." Said Qi suddenly. "I like you, kid. Whoever this guy is, I'll stand by you." Now both Liang and Qi were standing in front of you. Upa got up and stood with them. They all awaited your answer. "You'll get hurt. What if-" "(y/n). Do you think we have any chance of a life outside here? We know nothing outside of the mafia and prison. We came here to redeem ourselves." "You'll be killed." "Then so be it. Even if we do get out one day, we'll never be normal enough to fit into a regular society. Like Liang said, we don't know anything besides mafia and prison" Said Upa, "If I die while fighting for you, I'd be fine with it." "Me too." Said Liang. "Same here." Said Qi. You sighed. "Why are all my friends such stubborn idiots?" You said, laughing. You got up and hugged Liang who was in the middle of the group. Upa and Qi joined in. "I swear if any one of you dies I'm ganna kill you." You stepped out of the hug, sitting back down on the bed. Qi got something out of his pocket and handed it to you. It was a small pill. You looked up and gave him a quizzical look. "It'll strengthen the bond in your shoulder. You'll be able to take off your sling by tomorrow." You smiled, "Thanks" you popped the pill in your mouth and swallowed it. You looked at the time on your phone. "You guys better get in your bed. It's almost-" "LIGHTS OUT" yelled a guard. The lights shut off, leaving the cell in complete darkness. You said your goodnights and shuffled to your bed. You hadn't realized how tired you were. You fell asleep quickly.

(timeskip)

You woke up with a start. You didn't know why you woke up. You sat up, throwing your hair out of your face. You moved your shoulder around. As Qi said, it was fine. You threw the sling off and got out of bed. After fighting with your hair you managed to (brush it/put it in a ponytail/put it up.) You changed quickly, making sure no one was looking. You picked up your earbuds and phone. The screen read '5:13' It had been a rough few days. You wanted to listen to your music and sit on that swing in the training area. Not yours, but the public one. It was deserted at this hour. You walked through the halls quietly. With everyone asleep, every noise seemed to be magnified. You opened the doors, cringing as the hinges squeaked, seeming to complain about being disturbed this early. The still rising sun made the sky look like a painting, turning the sky vibrant shades of orange, yellow, pink and blue. The air was fresh and crisp and just the right temperature. The ground felt cool against your bare feet as you padded your way across the field. You jumped up onto the swing. The swing had obviously been put there for someone taller than you as your feet didn't even skim the ground. You slipped your earbuds in and scrolled through your songs. You picked (a song you like), and, for the first time in what felt like ages, allowed yourself to drift into your own little world. You knew that it was dangerous to do that, especially now, but you wanted just one moment of peace before everything went sour. As you leaned against the cool chains of the swing, Upa walked out of the doors. He looked around and saw you lounging on the swing. You seemed to be in some kind of trance. Your eyes were gently shut and your chest rose and fell slowly and calmly. Your hair flowed as you swayed slowly from side to side on the swing. The sun shone in your (h/c) hair, making it seem as if it were alive. He noticed that you had your ear buds in, so he didn't try to be quiet as he made his way to you. You had a slight smile on your face as you bounced your foot to the beat of the music. Upa found himself starting. He couldn't help it. You looked so peaceful and happy. 'and beautiful' thought Upa, surprising himself. He felt heat rise to his pale cheeks as he watched you. You must have sensed his presence as you opened your (e/c) eyes. Upa stared into them. They reflected the sun, (for blue eyes) making them look like an ocean, deep and calm. (for brown eyes) making them look like warm orbs of honey. You pulled your earbuds, "What are you doing up?" He shrugged, "I heard you get up." "Sorry for waking you." He shook his head, "I was already up" he remembered why he followed you and couldn't help but blush.

(flashback)

As much as he hated it, after the lights went out he made his way to Qi's bed, waking him up. "What happened?" He asked groggily. "I have a question." Qi sat up, yawning, "And it couldn't wait till the morning?" Upa shook his head. "What ya got?" Asked Qi. Upa was glad that the lights were off as his cheeks were red. "Do you... do you think (y/n) likes me?" He frowned as he heard Qi chuckle. "I thought you knew?" Upa looked at Qi, "How would I know?" Qi rolled his eyes, "And you say I'm an idiot."

(back to present time)

"I wanted to tell you something." You looked up curiously at him. He held out his hand. You took it and let him pull you off of the swing. He didn't let go of your hands. He knew that something was coming. Something big. He knew that you would be willing to sacrifice yourself to protect them, so he wanted to tell you. If you ended up not making it, he needed to know. He took a deep breath in before beginning, "You are incredibly kind and strong and... resilient. I smile every time I look at you and-" He dropped the small cards that had what he planned to say on accident. He started to panic, "I-I umm." He looked into your eyes uncertainly. You realized what he was trying to say. You had managed to fall for the stubborn Qi-gong user despite his tusundere-ish ways. You stopped his stuttering with a kiss. It was light and timid but it was still there. He gets over his shock and kisses you back. A flash interrupts your moment. You pull apart, your face on fire. You look over to see Kiji almost in tears holding a camera. "KIJI I SWEAR" you yelled as you started to chase him, leaving behind a stunned Upa. As he watched you chase Kiji around a goofy smile spread across his face. 'I swear it feels like this has happened before' you thought as you chased Kiji, trying to get back a picture form him (I wander when this has happened before *cough cough*Hesinnocent*cough cough*)

I managed to post this one a little earlier, so I'm ganna do a bit of a longer outro to make up for the last few rushed ones. It makes me kind of sad that this book is  coming to an end. There's only four more chapters left. I'm just going to warn you guys that I might post the last chapters a few days late because I want to edit the fight scene. I didn't really like the way it turned out plus the ending was kind of rushed. I want this book to have a proper ending, so I'm probably going completely re-do all of them. I know this book isn't as popular as my other ones due to this book being centered around a lesser-known character, but he's my favorite character and I'm sure there's a few people out there that love him too and can't find anything on him. Anyway, I'm going to get on editing those last few chapters. I hope that you enjoyed and see you in the next chapter (whenever that will be). So YEET.