Hi!

An update. I am in serious need of some sleep after my night duty... so here is just a greeting. ^.^

Things may get a little complicated and even confusing... so please bear with me! I'm just getting started! *bows*

Thank you again for all your kind comments and subscriptions! *bows*

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Junho?” The other smaller cloaked figure saw his comrade looking around over his shoulders with a lost expression on his face and inquired.

“It’s nothing. I thought I heard… nevermind.” The man had disappointment written all over his face as he spoke. Thinking that he most certainly heard a voice he found so similar to Junsu's, yet being unable to identify the source, the man is betting that the pining is getting to him. Unfortunately for Junsu, just as Junho was about to spot him a few seconds ago, a horse had galloped pass with it's carriage stacked up with dried straw, overshadowing the boy’s small frame and throwing him off the main path to reunion altogether.

The other cloaked figure kept observing Junho with a serious expression on his face. He is not one to ask questions, or to probe for that matter, but he can tell that the man is affected. “It’s time to leave. Get your act together. We can’t be seen.” “… We will find him for sure.” The man said coldly, but reassuringly.

“We will find him wouldn’t we?” The man repeated dejectedly. The other figure nodded. Casting his surroundings a few more quick glances, Junho signaled the other three man to take off.

Then, digging their heel into their steed’s sides, the four men disappeared in a cloud of dust, much to Junsu anguish. “HYUNG!!!” He tried again, but they were out of sight before he could even say another word. Sinking into despair, Junsu flopped onto the ground, sobbing loudly as he tries desperately to dry his eyes.

Finally, the sandy and uneven road is vacated of people and horses alike, and as if unaware of his surrounding, the boy sat there, still bawling his eyes out. He knows he can never outrun the horses, he knows he cannot even mount or straddle a horse in the state he is in, and he knows that he wouldn’t be able to find his brother since he doesn't have a single clue about the man's whereabouts.

Junho being alive also meant he is a wanted outlaw, nationwide, a renegade that the king’s man will kill or capture on sight. The worst part is that Junsu can never ask for Yunho’s help to search for his brother. He will have to do it alone, yet he knows his time might be up soon, since he can feel that the baby is about to be due.

Junsu missed his brother badly. Having the chance to see the man once more, the boy’s forlorn heart aches with longing even more intolerably. The accidental realization that Junho is still alive only reignited his will to stay alive.

Pushing himself up from the ground, Junsu isn’t exceptionally surprised to find the dry sandy ground stained with droplets of blood. He knows he had over-exerted himself. Controlling his breathing, the boy grabbed onto anything he can use as support and steadied his footsteps while he looked around himself wearily, studying the alien surrounding.

Junsu found himself stranded, out in a quiet part of the countryside where not much activity takes place. Trying to recall the route he took earlier, the boy could not see anything else other than stretches of roads after more roads. The footpaths are all sandy and appeared identical to him.

Dragging his feet with much effort, Junsu could feel another episode of contractions coursing through his abdomen, radiating down to his thighs as he screams out in agony. Sagging down to the ground again, Junsu realised that the bottom of his clothes are now drenched in both dried and fresh blood. He could feel more blood literally pouring, seeping down his inner thighs like torrents.

“Hyung!! Please come back!!” Junsu shouted in between cries of distress.

“Agassi! Are you alright?!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

POV from Yunho

It’s been four months since I last came here.

Then I met him here as well. The healer… or should I say… the mysterious physician.

I managed to chase him down before he escaped that time… and we did talk about how to treat Junsu. He gave me a lot of insights… which eventually helped the boy… but then he disappeared right after that evening. I never saw him again.

I was hoping I did see him again on this trip… since I’m already here with Junsu. Not on a professional level… more for leisure. He seems like a really knowledgeable person. I really admired him… and it’s not just because of the pretty face.

This trip is straightforward... we head North; we stay there for a day or so then return before Chun does. Nothing is supposed to happen… since Junsu is always accompanied by a couple of servants… but it looks like I am direly mistaken.

While having a long work related chat with general Choi, who is placed in-charge of the fort, one of Junsu’s escorts came up to us, muttering gibberish. According to the man, Junsu is nowhere to be found. My aneurysm almost burst upon reception of the meaning of his words. NOWHERE TO BE FOUND.

As if drums sticks were rolling along the back of my neck, I bolted for the main door as fast as I could and mounted my horse, charging off into the night. I don’t even know what or where to look… I just know I need to do something. Find someone. Starting a search is at the top most of my priority list.

Chun is SO going to kill me for real!! His threat will not be empty if he returns to a vacant room. Just from imagining his reaction, I get the urge to retire into the mountains, never to be heard of again.

Brat!! Where in the world are you?! How far can you actually run to be considered missing?!

Oh god. And he is due anytime now!!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

POV from Jaejoong

I relocated… after that bastard came knocking on my door. I don’t need someone disturbing my peace again.

It has been a busy year. My hands hadn’t stopped for months and still counting... my feet are also constantly bringing me to places.

There are many ongoing plans… and they are falling into place nicely… but why am I experiencing such unrest?

Just as I was meditating to restore my previous calmness, I received a knock on my door. Not many of the villagers know of my new location since I will show up at the public centre for consultation... but there are still a rare few that really needed help to be at arm’s length. What might be the matter? Is someone gravely ill? Last I checked, everyone was still in the pink of heath.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Jaejoong ah!!” “Are you asleep already?” Jaejoong heard the husky voice of the old man he had known for years, and slipped out from the comfort of his bed to check out the commotion. He could also hear the voice saying something in the background, faintly, as if reassuring someone.

“Ahjussi?”

“Aigoo! Jaejoong ah!! Thank god you are in!!” “I have a agassi on my cart that needs your help really badly. It's critical!”

“… Where is she?” Jaejoong quickly grabbed the small flame resting on his table and exited his house. Taking a few steps forward to check out the old man’s horse cart, Jaejoong is stumped to find a small figure, unconscious, and bleeding to death on the already emptied wooden box.

“I found her on the way back from trading the herbs. She looks sick doesn’t she?” The old man bent over as well and stared at Junsu while Jaejoong carried out his visual examinations.

With a barely audible gasp indicating recognition, but without a single word, the healer got to work. Gathering the boy into his arms gently, Jaejoong struggled with the weight but managed to transfer Junsu back through his doorway onto his work area. “You need help?” The old man offered. Jaejoong shook his head. The old man is worried for the healer, since the man is not that much bigger in stature when compared to Junsu.

“I will manage.” Jaejoong said quietly as he ferried Junsu to a corner of his room and placed the boy onto a spare bedding. The healer's new home has that facility to aid his job. “I will handle it from here.” Jaejoong then got up to prepare his requisites.

The old man knows what he means by that, Jaejoong wanted to be left alone.

Making his way to the door hesitantly, the old man looked back at the silently working Jaejoong before leaving, closing the door behind him. Jaejoong followed shortly after to secure the lock, before returning to work again.

Hastily filling up the brass basins with water from his vat, Jaejoong took a piece of clean cloth and proceeded to clean up the boy, expressionless the whole time. Even though he knows he has just encountered the impossible, the man is unfazed.

Then, stopping to grind a small mortar of herbs and adding it to the already brewing concoction, Jaejoong set it to cool and massaged Junsu's abdomen gently and skillfully, waiting for the hemorrhaging to stop. Junsu stirred.

“Junsu.”

The boy did not respond. A frown formed on Jaejoong's pretty forehead as he tightened the knot around his own loosened ponytail. Quickly slipping on another layer of cloth, the man got to work.

“Junsu. You are due. We have to get this abomination out before you die. You with me?”

The boy's eyelids fluttered open as he looked at Jaejoong drowsily, wearing a look of curiosity on his face as Jaejoong smiled at him encouragingly. Junsu wondered to himself, how this person in front of him would know his name, but he didn't have any spare energy to start a conversation.

TBC

Please do comment and subscribe! *bows*