;;;;;

Taeyeon and Yoona stopped at the bottom of the steps and turned to watch Junsu stomp up the steps to his room angrily.

“What’s with him?” Yoona asked.

Taeyeon shrugged hoping that nothing else had happened. When they walked toward the living room her good hopes dropped when she noticed a bloody Zhoumi and a pale Leeteuk. And what caught her eye most was that Leeteuk’s clothes were wet.

“What happened?” Yoona broke the silence between the others.

“Oh…Yoona, where were you?” questioned Siwon walking to meet with her.

“We were upstairs talking,” Yoona explained then turned to glance at both Zhoumi and Leeteuk.

“Oh…” Siwon followed her gaze then returned to look at her, “it was just a fight. We don’t know what went wrong.”

“Why?” Yoona asked.

Siwon shrugged, “Junsu says Zhoumi tried to kill Leeteuk.”

“Zhoumi?” Taeyeon and Yoona repeated together. Yoona sounded more surprised, but Taeyeon sounded more concerned.

The two of them turned to look at her and Taeyeon immediately moved back a little as if to deny the worry she was showing.

“Zhoumi’s pretty much harmless,” Yoona pointed out.

“Yea, that’s why no one believes him,” Siwon explained.

“Is that why Junsu’s so angry?” asked Yoona.

Siwon nodded. Yoona turned to glance at Taeyeon to see if she had anything to say or add on.

“Do you think it could be the truth?” Yoona whispered.

Taeyeon quickly turned to look at her alarmed. She didn’t want Yoona dwelling into the other side. Taeyeon did not wish to see another lost Yoona. She didn’t want to witness Yoona fall into a mysterious coma again. If she pretended that she didn’t want to have anything to do with it she’d just get Yoona suspicious toward her. In the first place, Yoona knew that she felt the mansion was weird and Yoona was, after all, her good friend. Lying to her would only create more unwanted problems.

“Don’t twist your mind over it.”

“What do you mean by that?” Yoona questioned persistently.

“Not much. Who knows, maybe it was just a drag fight, something boys do,” suggested Taeyeon.

“I guess…” Yoona slightly agreed.

“I’m going to go get my phone upstairs,” Taeyeon told. “I’ll be back.”

Stopping at the top of the stairs Taeyeon stared down the hallway feeling her phone in her pockets. Zhoumi tried to kill Leeteuk? In what way did that make sense? To go into her bedroom or to go talk to the injured Junsu? After a few hesitations Taeyeon found herself walking down the hallway toward Junsu’s bedroom.

The white door was closed and Taeyeon knocked on it waiting for him to allow her to go in. It opened half a minute later and Junsu still looked angry when he saw that it was her.

“So you’re just going to leave this incident be?” Taeyeon asked.

“If you’re just going to talk smack to me, get out of my face.”

He was about to close the door but Taeyeon pushed against it with her hand stopping him.

“Tell me what happened,” Taeyeon said in a low tough whisper. “I’ll listen.”

Junsu’s glare turned into a suspicious stare before he released the doorknob from his grip. Without glancing at him Taeyeon made her way into the room, smirked, then turned around.

“I guess you’re not disorderly as your mind is,” Taeyeon joked, “I would never have guessed your room would be so shiny clean. Do you have OCD?”

“OCD?” Junsu repeated in a nasty manner.

“Never mind,” Taeyeon shook her head. She walked to the window then took a seat at the desk nearby his bed, “Siwon said you swear Zhoumi tried to kill Leeteuk.”

“It’s not a lie like they make it out to be,” Junsu uttered.

“Ok, I’ll believe you,” Taeyeon quickly replied.

Junsu stared at her strangely, “You’re not a normal one if you say that.”

“Then would you rather I join with the others and kick you out of this mansion?”

“I could care less,” Junsu said. “I’d leave if I get the chance.”

“Ok,” Taeyeon tilted her head up to look at him. “Then tell me what happened.”

He looked like a 5 year old upset that his parents had taken his toys and had given him a time out as he slightly kicked at the ground, hands in pockets.

Junsu stared at her for a long time again wondering what was up with her, “I don’t know. Gyuri found Leeteuk by the front doorsteps. He was soaked, like he’d been swimming in his clothes or something.” Junsu sat down on the bed with his arms resting on his thighs, “So, I brought him to his room and was told to change his clothes because he’d out but after she closed the door Leeteuk started being weird. He woke up after a loud shriek and he called out a girl’s name then all of a sudden the door was unable to open. I was pretty sure that it wasn’t locked at all. After Gyuri walked away Zhoumi came by and the door magically opened. He looked weird, he had this look in his eyes like he was pissed off, and I had a bad feeling then all of a sudden he strangled Leeteuk.” Noticing her unmoving facial expression he got up to his feet, “Look, if you don’t believe me you can go ask Leeteuk after his throat gets better because seriously, if I didn’t try to interfere, Leeteuk’s throat would have been crushed.”

“I didn’t say anything, so don’t assume how I feel.” Taeyeon told first of all.

“You don’t need to be so itchy,” Junsu pouted.

“You said Leeteuk called out someone’s name. A girl.” Taeyeon stated.

“Yes? What about it?”

“What was her name?”

“Don’t remember.”

Taeyeon raised one of her eyebrows at him to show that she wasn’t taking his attitude with her.  

He let out a loud flustered sigh, “It was Shin something!”

Taeyeon looked surprised yet dumbfounded at the same moment.

“Did he say anything else about her? Did he see her?!” Taeyeon sounded over-concerned.

The confused Junsu could only feel confused with the way she was, “Why would I know?! Unless it’s some girl he’s secretly seeing but why would I care?! I don’t give a damn about anything that has to do with them at all!” He took a deep breath. “You’re weird. You and Leeteuk and the others are all weird.” Junsu commented.    

“Cool, it’s nice to know,” Taeyeon nodded.

“Can you leave my room now?” Junsu questioned with falling shoulders.

Without rejecting his order Taeyeon got up and walked out.

;;;;;

“It’s going to bruise,” Gyuri told while glancing at Zhoumi’s face.

“Leeteuk’s throat’s going to be sore for a few days,” Siwon added. “His throat feels a bit too soft. Should we give him a checkup?”

Leeteuk quickly shook his head no furiously.

“Oppa, how do you explain how Leeteuk got hurt?” Yoona wondered. “I mean you found Junsu angrily beating Zhoumi up…but where’s the explanation for Leeteuk’s injury?”

Siwon turned around to explain but found, “Uh…” coming out from his mouth.

“Maybe he got hurt when he was out,” Gyuri jumped in.

“Did you?” Yoona asked turning to Leeteuk, who seemed lost and could only shrug unable to recall anything.

“Zhoumi, do you remember doing what Junsu says?” questioned Seungho leaning across the arm rest of the chair.

Zhoumi slightly massaged his cheek, “I’m sorry, I don’t really know.”

Jang Hyuk frowned, “Dude, man. What do you mean by that? It’s just an answer to: Did you walk into Leeteuk’s room and do what Junsu claims you did?”

“I’m sorry, I really don’t know,” Zhoumi told.

“You have to have walked in there with your own two legs. It’s not possible for you to sleep walk, right?” Jang Hyuk pressed on.

“Look, why are you pressuring him?” Gyuri defended. “He can’t recall anything.”

“That doesn’t make sense. Zhoumi’s memory is completely normal,” Seungho started.

“Why are you upset with him?” Gyuri questioned.

“I’m not,” Jang Hyuk said. “It’s just…I’m thinking we shouldn’t have accused Junsu like that.”

“So, what I saw was wrong?” Gyuri sounded angry. “You’re saying I lied about what I saw? Well, then you can ask Siwon, he was standing right there with me!”

“Don’t get angry,” Seungho tried.

“I’m not!” Gyuri almost stomped her foot.

“Because even though Junsu’s a bit annoying and likes to create trouble he could have been telling the truth,” Jang Hyuk pointed out, “have you ever heard of the boy that cried wolf?”

“Since when has Junsu been innocent?” Gyuri exclaimed. “He’s full of insults and lies!”

“You hold a grudge against him because of that?” Jang Hyuk continued unable to stop at her unfairness. “I thought you were more mature than that, Gyuri.”

“That gives you no right to insult me! I never said that!”

“That’s wasn’t an insult! I’m just helping you wake up to the death of reality!”

“Stop it! Calm down, you guys!” Siwon’s loud voice boomed throughout the room.

Gyuri, Seungho, and Jang Hyuk turned to look at him with glaring eyes.

“Look, since the both of them can’t remember anything just leave the matter alone. Pressuring Zhoumi or blaming Junsu for all of this won’t settle anything. At this age, you guys should be able to handle this maturely,” Siwon coaxed.

Gyuri swept pass Siwon and Yoona with a wind of fury trailing behind her.

“Oppa,” Yoona called, “I don’t think things are going to get any better.”

“It’ll be fine.” Siwon assured.

Yoona, however, could not lay her trust down on his words.

;;;;;

Leeteuk’s mind was a blur as he laid down on his bed. His throat felt crushed and pained. The only things that slid through his mind wasn’t why he’d pointed to Zhoumi in order to clear Junsu’s blame, but the dream that had come to him. Kang Shin Ae had really existed in his past, but why was it that he couldn’t remember a thing about her? Why couldn’t he remember her when he remembered Changmin? Why had he never returned to the village or to his grandmother’s mansion? What was the gap that was missing in his memory?

;;;;;

The anger hadn’t dispersed. The flaming anger that made his blood rush, the blood that he could literally feel. His heart raced and his hands shook. Why…was this happening? After everyone left, why was this scary feeling coming back to him? Did he really hurt Leeteuk like Junsu claimed he did? If he hadn’t like Gyuri had defended, why was his memory blank? Why couldn’t he recall it? What if he did hurt Leeteuk? All the scary thoughts came flying to him. He couldn’t stand the fact that he could have hurt someone, and it was someone who had been nice to him all along.

Zhoumi glanced around the living room to find it empty at first before a cold air suddenly came to him. An immediate flashback of seeing the lonely figure stand before the window in his room nights ago came into his memory. By the large rectangular window to his left was an almost invisible figure, a pretty woman. Her back faced him before she slowly turned around acknowledging his existence. The lonely, sad, distant look that had been in her eyes the first he’d seen her still remained engraved into her glossy eyes.

“Who are you?” he asked getting up to his feet staring at her amazed.

“What do I do? I want him.”

After a silent dinner with everyone else being moody Zhoumi returned to his room laid down and seemed to have gone to sleep.

His feet shuffled his body forward down the blank, dark hallway immersed in silence. With mind blank and concentration nowhere to be found he slowly walked down the stairs one feet at a time. His footsteps were so light that even a mouse wouldn’t notice him approaching. The corridors called out his name behind him for him to turn around and go back to bed. But his name was nowhere recognizable in his head. There was only one goal, one destination revolving around his heart.

The door that had been locked before Leeteuk had gone to bed miraculously opened when Zhoumi stopped before it. All the lights in the mansion had been turned off and only the security lights outside the house had been . Therefore, no eye would be able to see the shadows lurking about in the night waiting and waiting.

The moment was still, everything silent with Leeteuk laying on the bed dreaming peacefully. As Zhoumi stood in front of the open door Leeteuk moved in bed re-positioning himself. His eyes half opened and he closed them again quickly drifting off into dreamland. Zhoumi’s feet began moving forward, each step so light, so swift. In just moments he was staring down at Leeteuk’s face, his face barely inches away.

Leeteuk moved a bit in bed re-positioning himself again before his eyes opened this time fluttering ever-so slowly. His eyes landed on Zhoumi’s bare face with a scared and surprised expression before Zhoumi smiled, grinning widely.

*** Sorry guys for the late update. I haven't been feeling so great (emotionally that is) the past few weeks and I've been studying like heck so I've been staying on campus till 10-11ish or so, and because of that I haven't really had the time or the will to update. But I made some time today. There might be a lot of grammer errors so I'm sorry if you have to read those. One of these days when I reread Forever Chingu I will fix the errors. Anyhow, good luck in school guys! We're all going to be on Thanksgiving break soon and then there's also Black Friday shopping to do!!!