It seemed I must have fallen back asleep because the next thing I remembered was waking to the sound of arguing.  I groggily opened my eyes, a bit surprised to find that the room was now dim.  My ears perked up as they caught the faint sound of yelling coming from behind the door.

I hesitantly sat up, momentarily pleased that I was able to do so without sharp pain running through my head and body.  Seeing as I was strong enough to sit up, I took a chance and attempted to stand.  It was an awkward battle, my legs still being weak and shaky.

Eventually, I triumphed and I slowly made my way closer to the door, curious to see what was going on.  I leaned against the door for support as I pressed my ear to the small crack where hinges met wall.  The muffled words I had previously been struggling to make out, were not crystal clear and I was a little startled by the volume.

“I AM HIS MASTER, AND WHAT’S MORE, I AM THE CROWN PRINCE!  YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO BARR ME FROM HIS SICK ROOM!” I flinched as I recognized the voice as Yesung’s, I frowned as I remembered that I was supposed to deliver his lunch long ago.

A second, calmer voice answered back,

“He is very ill, he is also highly contagious.  I would be committing a great crime if I exposed you to such a debilitating sickness.  It is my duty to keep you safe, and I would be disobeying both my orders and my conscience if I were to let you see him.  I’m sorry, but I cannot allow that” I rolled my eyes as I recognized Kyuhyun’s voice. 

I knew that I should have entered the room and assured my master that I was fine, but for some reason I didn’t.  I slid away from the door and crept back towards the bed, acting as if I was oblivious to the whole scene that was occurring in the next room.

It appeared that Yesung had gotten fed up with Kyuhyun’s righteous act, and the sound of a slamming door told me that my master had left the room.  I quickly curled up and feigned sleep as I heard the bedroom door creak open.

“Stop faking, I know you’re awake” Kyuhyun’s voice was amused.

I sat up, slightly embarrassed at having been caught.

“Why did you lie to him?” I asked, genuinely curious.

“Why didn’t you go out and tell him you were fine?” he shot back, his eyebrow arched in challenge.  I looked away, and bit my lip, deciding whether or not I should explain my reasoning.

“I didn’t want to worry him, he needs to focus on these negotiations and I can’t distract him” I told him, trying to convince both him and myself that this was my real intent. 

Kyuhyun sent me a knowing look and snorted,

“Bull”

I narrowed my eyes, slightly annoyed at being interrogated,

“Well, why did you keep him away?” I asked, trying to divert the conversation away from myself.  He shrugged impassively and answered easily,

“I didn’t think you wanted to go with him.  I knew if he saw you were fine he’d take you”

I didn’t know how to respond to that.  Part of me was touched, warmed by the thought that he was actually looking out for me.  However, another part of me remained skeptical, wondering why he wanted me to stay.

“Relax” he said, rolling his eyes, “I don’t want your presence for pleasure.  I’m simply using this time to understand you, be thankful”

I nodded, deciding it best not to fight against it.  If all he wanted was to talk, I wouldn’t oppose him.  I was still tired and stubbornly refusing him might bring injury to myself in the long run.  I sighed, and decided to simply answer the question he had asked, this time truthfully.

“My master… he’s a good man.  He offers me protection, and he honestly seems to care for me.  But as much as he has done for me, it hurts to be with him.  He’s just a constant reminder of what I’ve lost…” I paused and glanced up to find Kyuhyun listening carefully.  I averted my eyes back to my lap and continued,

“It hurts to be around him… it’s even worse if I’m sick.  He dotes on me and I know I should care for him, but I can’t… I just can’t”

Kyuhyun seemed to be thinking about my answer seriously, and there was a long stretch of silence between the two of us.  I thought we were done with this talk, and I was relieved.  I hated thinking about these things and it was even more uncomfortable to talk about them.

Kyuhyun broke the long standing silence when he asked,

“Well if you can’t stand to be with him, then why do you want to be his ?” his voice was indelicate, but it wasn’t judgmental.  I bristled slightly as his word choice, but I brushed it off as I shrugged,

“Being the prince’s lover would give me a permanent badge of protection.  No one would ever try to force me again”

“But you would service Yesung in return?” My stomach churned slightly at the thought, but I nodded curtly.

“Isn’t that just as bad?” he asked, his eyes boring into mine.  I flinched slightly under his intense look and simply sighed.

“It’s bad, but I’m trying to focus on the benefits.  I can endure it if my safety is my reward”

Kyuhyun continued to study me, but I no longer felt compelled to explain myself.  I stared straight ahead, my mind drifting as he remained in his state of contemplation.

I was jolted from my idle thoughts as Kyuhyun cleared his throat meaningfully, obviously trying to gain my attention.

“This isn’t a good idea” he stated calmly and decisively.  I snorted and rolled my eyes, showing him that his opinion meant little to me.  He raised an eyebrow and defended,

“I’m telling you not to agree… I can only foresee unfavorable outcomes”

“Wow, so you’re a fortune teller now?” I bit back, sarcasm dripping from every word.  Now it was his turn to roll his eyes and he shot back self-importantly,

“Need I remind you I am the future head general?  Strategy and planning is my forte, and I think I can judge more accurately than you can”

“Just because you can analyze data and cold facts, doesn’t mean you are a better judge.  People like you only focus on the logical, you never take into account feelings or emotional motivations.  A detached person could never understand something like this.  A person like you has lived their life without even the basic understanding of the word ‘hardship’, and yet you think you can predict?”

Something flashed in Kyuhyun’s eyes, but it was gone so quickly I wondered if I had imagined it.  His smirk was now replaced with a serious look and he replied solemnly,

“Now who’s making assumptions?  But this time, you really should listen to me.  No good will come from this… trust me…”

I shot him an irritated look and replied caustically,

“Well excuse me if I don’t jump onto the Kyuhyun band-wagon, I have trust issues!”

With that I turned over in the bed so my back was facing him.  I glared at the wall, making it quite obvious that I was done with this conversation.  I heard him sigh softly and heard the faint pattering of footsteps.  I released the breath I had been holding, and relaxed, thinking this was over.  However, Kyuhyun had to have the last word.

I could practically see the smirk on his lips as he shot back in an overly sweet voice,

“Someone with trust issues should never turn their back to their opponent… not if they want to survive anyway”

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Mianhe for not updating yesterday, I hope this chappie will make it up to you guys!

Hope you guys are liking this so far, I know it's sort of confusing but please bear with me.  Kyuhyun's personality is supposed to be sort of cryptic... hopefully it will all make sense later...

Thanks for reading and subscribing!

Music: "Break Down" by Super Junior- M (because it's ing awesome!! ^^)