Hi! ^.^

An early update!

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

I made a poster-like thingy today after toying with photo editoring engines for half a day. So proud of myself!! *hugs self* Credit goes to the owner (@mjjeje6002max) for the photo! Yoochun looks so... HAWT... DARK!! RTP rocks!! I will just borrow your pic... Tehee ^.^

Signing off~ xoxo

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Withdrawing his arrow from the bow, the beautiful man, poised to kill, retreats up a tree while he waits for his prey to disappear further down the road.

Then, easing himself down, the man hurried back to the waiting horse and proceeded to take a long detour. He is headed back north, but there are many different routes back, so he will take his time, especially since he does not wish to run into Yunho at any point in time.

Sparing Yunho’s life, the man wondered if he had made a terrible mistake. Clutching his hand-made weapons tightly, the man vowed never to waver if he ever runs into the advisor again. He is sure he will not hesitate again. He had already failed himself twice.

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POV from Junho

I am so crushed. My world just spun out of control overnight. First it’s because of Junsu, then it became Jaejoong, then it became Junsu again. How in the world have this two become of utmost importance to me?

I have always been very sentimental by nature… and I really care about the people I love even though I have an unapproachable exterior. I hardly ever allow myself to invest too much emotion on a single person. Take my appa for example. My heart died many years ago and I gave up yearning for his affection and recognition.

I chose to channel all my affection towards my baby brother, teaching him as much as I could, how wonderful the world is, even though mine is pretty screwed up. Then I was devastated when I lost him. For eight months I went through sleepless nights, dreaming about how he would starve and suffer after finally getting a hang of how cruel and unforgiving this world can really be, to an innocent soul such as his.

I needed him to know that he can rely on me… and he depended on my desperately in return… yet I let him down. Those were terrible times for me… Wondering day and night, how he is surviving outside, away from everyone who adores and cares about him so much.

Now that I know where he was for the past months… I did not feel better. In fact, I felt worse! I have NEVER felt more awful! Just looking at what the ruthless creature have done to my little midget, I can feel my stomach churning, making me as queasy as I will ever get!

If only I know what I need to do now. I am so lost. I am going to lose it if this goes on!!

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A day later…

Dejected, Junho had returned to his hideout after a whole morning of wandering in the wilderness to ‘clear his head’. Returning the following day, the man went straight to dunk his head into a barrel of water, claiming to be literally ‘cooling his head off’ by soaking himself until his lungs feels like they are about to burst.

While he was voluntarily inflicting pain to distract himself from the exasperation and vexation that is threatening to consume him, the man ended up swallowing a mouthful of water when a comrade decided to pull him up and shake his sense back into him, before he really drowns.

“TSK.” The fuming man replied with a sulk when the person asked about his trip to the fortress while trying to calm him down. Unwilling to answer the man, the general stomped into the kitchen, rummaged through their food supply, pulled out a vat of wine before returning to his room and drinking himself into oblivion.

With his door locked and double sealed with a chair as barricade, the man did not even bother to dry his now soaking wet clothes. Soon, the man is aired dry after dousing himself with alcohol during a drunken stupor, resulting in a sticky mess of substances such as saliva and alcohol mixed with water.

“Junho hyung!! Open up!! Junho hyung!!” A loud urgent knocking woke the man from his unintended slumber as he naps with hands stretched out across the coarse surface of his table top. Jolting up, the still slightly inebriated man lost balance as he backs up against the stool his was on and topples to the ground, landing on his side as his arms fails to break his fall in time.

“WHAT!?” The man hollered in annoyance, struggling to stop his head from spinning along with the ceiling. Grabbing onto the side of his table to steady himself as he stands, he ended up bringing the table to the ground together with him as the lopsided structure is unable to withstand his weight. “YAH!!!” The man rolled himself off the ground again and smashed the furniture with a karate chop using his feet.

“Kim Junho!! That’s a table! Not your punching bag!!” An angry voice followed by a tight slap threw the man into such disarray that he stumbled backwards, tripping over the fallen stool and landing on the floor with a loud thud yet again. Rubbing his grogginess away from his eyes, the man gawked when he saw the vague silhouette of the person he was pining for all this while.

“Jaejoong?!” “Is that you?!” The man hyped up immediately and grabbed the nearest person he could reach to help himself up, staring more closely. Eyeing Jaejoong happily, the man swayed as he stabilizes himself by grabbing the healer’s shoulder. “WHERE WERE YOU?!!” “I WAS SO WORRIED!!” The slap did wonders, to his ‘reorganize’ the messy state he is in, emotionally and physically.

The healer did not speak as he bends down to pick up the chunks of splintered wood from the smashed furniture. However, before he is done cleaning up, Jaejoong is dropping the pieces in his hands as he grimaces, exiting the general’s room, hand on his erector-spinae. Junho followed, concerned.

“Are you alright? What happened to you?” the man stuck close to Jaejoong settles down on his bed and reaches for a new set of neatly folded garments nearby. Ignoring the man all these while, Jaejoong then makes his way into the outhouse nearby for a bath. The healer finds the gumminess of the grime leftover from the tryst with Yunho very unbearable. He hates the dirty feeling, and it’s not just because of the real dirt on his skin.

Shutting the latrine door in Junho’s face, the healer went on to do his things, not paying any attention to the general pacing outside. “Jaejoong! I’m worried!! Please tell me you are alright!!” The man continued knocking on the door, but only splashing sounds can be heard.

Assuming that Jaejoong is mad at him for what he did to the table, Junho quickly retreated back to fix the damage he had created. However, on his way back to the house, while walking past the stable, the man noticed his comrades attempting to tame the steed that Jaejoong had apparently re. Curious, the man forgot all about his initial agenda and approached them, joining them in reining the creature in.

Neighing loudly and almost out of control, the horse trampled the ground agressively as it protests against being dragged into an unfamiliar stable occupied by horses it has never met before. “YAHH!! This creature is getting on my nerves!!” “Where did Jae’s horse go to anyway?!” “This horse looks grand… you think Jae stole it?”

“From who?” “WAIT!!” “This symbol!! I have seen it before somewhere!!” “This… oh my god!!”

Interested by the conversations and people gathering behind him, Junho quickly subdues the stallion with one arm and ties the stallion’s restrains to the post nearby. Making his way over to the group waiting for him outside, the man is met with an exhibition of a plaque his man had plucked off the horse’s saddle earlier on. “This symbol? Whose symbol?” Junho asked and a few of the men’s eyes widened.

“That’s Yunho’s symbol!!” “I’ve seen it somewhere before…” It became the general’s turn to widen his eyes.

“Who?!” “Come again!”

“Yunho!! Jung Yunho!! His assistant shares the same symbol!” someone exclaimed.

“Are you sure?” Junho ask as he examines the heavy piece of metal. The word ‘Yunho’ engraved on the anterior surface is an obvious indication of the horse’s owner. Junho can feel his heart starting to race as he tries not to let his imagination run wild.

Just then, while everyone is still arguing over a single piece of metal plating, a thin hand reaches into the crowd, snatches the ornamental plate from Junho and throws it into the muddy ditch nearby. With this gesture, no one dared move a muscle as the person pulls his wet hair into a ponytail and tucks the loose rope into a knot in his hair with one hand. Then, straightening his garments, the person smiled a brief smile at the group and left them, while they gape.

“Jaejoong!! Jaejoong!!” Junho found himself running after the healer as the man strode back to his room, hands behind his back. He does that because his back is killing him, especially after the long ride back to his destination.

“Please! Jaejoong!! I know you don’t talk much, but you could at least tell me what the heck is going on!!” Junho accidentally grabs Jaejoong by the injured arm, causing the healer to wince barely visibly, but he does not tell Junho anything. The pain is no longer as intense, but the scar and the delayed union still cause him some pain and discomfort at times.

Noticing that Jaejoong is being weird, the general could not help but worry. The healer wouldn’t look at him no matter what. Jaejoong has reverted back to his mysterious mode, bottling everything up inside, not bothering to share his thoughts or confide in anyone. Junho is disturbed. He was never too approving of the healer doing that.

“Jaejoong. What happened?! You disappear for more than a month and suddenly turn up looking so…” Junho could not find the word to describe how Jaejoong looked. The man appears to be his usual beautiful self, full of confidence and elegant when carrying himself around, yet the vacant expression on his face is worsened. He looked melancholic, and Junho can see the zeal lost from his raven black eyes.

No doubt the healer isn’t the type to speak his mind so readily, Junho still wishes to know what he is thinking. As a friend and a comrade. Yet, no one can make Jaejoong open up if he doesn’t prefer to.

“I need some alone time.” Jaejoong retracted his injured arm from Junho and shut the door into the man’s face again, climbing back into his own nest for a long snooze, to hopefully forget whatever happened during his alleged kidnap.

“Junho hyung! You think something happened between the two? Jung Yunho and him?” one of their comrades came forward and peeped through the window with Junho.

“He spent an awfully long time with that bastard… maybe he was…” The person looked at Junho with a concerned expression, earning a smack on the forehead by the man.

“Have you seen what happened to those who tried to touch him? You liked him too right? How come you never tried?” Junho dissed the man.

“No thanks man. I’m afraid he might castrate me.”

“Exactly. Do you think that bastard can do anything to him?” Junho grinned. His relief is short lived.

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POV from Yunho

I can’t believe this!!!

I am here… in the north!! I haven’t even put on any proper armours for protection before coming all the way down here… not even stopping for water and food breaks… yet all I get is nothing!!

Where can he be?! He couldn’t have just evaporated into the thin air.

I searched everywhere along the northern border, trying to make sense of the terrain, but there is nothing that stands out. I even tried following his scent. Tracking the hooves prints… nothing.

This is so exasperating! I have never felt so compelled to find someone in my life! He is the only person who can force me up my horse and chase him half way around the world. Ever since the first time we met… up till now. It’s a cat and mouse chase whenever I’m with him… and I don’t even know enough about him to know where he might be… or where his usual haunts are.

He can’t be seen alive! But that is not the main reason I am hunting around so desperately for him… even though I truly hope it is. I just want to be around him again… I admit it. I can’t stand the thought of him disappearing from my life so abruptly… without even a goodbye kiss. He kind of enjoys pulling off this type of stunt doesn’t he?

It was my sentiment that if I had kept him close to me, he will eventually be more adapted and finally settle in somewhere… but I am mistaken. No matter where he is, he still has this certain duty that he needs to fulfill so desperately… so much so that it keeps him going back into hiding. I just don’t get what he is up to! Why does he need to put himself in the line of fire so repeatedly! Time and again!! What about the peaceful life I am offering him? Not attractive enough?

The precise reason why I kept him locked up, I’ve already told him. He listens and understands… but he never accepts the way you put this facts out so nicely for him. I am SO pissed with him for that!! How much sweat and energy I have wasted just to ensure he is safe!! All my efforts are about to be flushed down the drain ports thanks to that mulish personality of his!!

Right now, there is no other who can help me in the search… since you will not appear sound if you claim to be searching for a dead man. I can’t let anyone know he is missing, yet if no one is helping me, I might end up taking years… I don’t want that!!

What is the fastest way I can find him?

Think Yunho… think.

TBC

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