Hi! 

An update for today!

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

Do stay and read!

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

Back in the hideout… earlier on that day…

Junho woke up that morning to an empty hut, where Jaejoong and Junsu used to share. On the table lay a letter, indicating that the duo is migrating somewhere to hide while the man spends some time reflecting on his actions.

The man is oblivious to the fact that the boy is already back home while the healer is captured.

Spending his day brooding over how he is betrayed, the man concluded that Jaejoong is right, and it would be better that way. He has no idea that, just across the horizon, marching into the northern region, is a strong army of thousands. Three in command have combined their forces and there is no way Junho will be able to beat them.

“Junho hyung. Don’t you think we should leave too? The king might return with more man… and we will be annihilated if he does.” Junho himself have been considering his next step, since he knows that there is a chance that the king and his advisor would have already found his hideout by now.

Depressed, the man hung his head low as he pondered about his options. He is sure that he is more or less stuck, since he hadn’t learnt his lesson from the first time. Once bitten twice shine, but twice bitten, he is just being dim witted. He hopes Jaejoong will find it somewhere deep in his heart, to forgive his impulsiveness.

Recalling how Jaejoong was so insistent that they have been tricked, he sees the point that the healer is trying to make now, but all is too late. He had been so sure that Yoochun is just being a jerk, but even he is starting to doubt himself. He was mad and didn’t think rationally, but again, he isn’t the composed type?

“Disperse them. Send them back. Those that want to stay can stay… but those that want out can leave as well.” The general took a swig at his wine cup and buried his face into his folded arms.

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

Back in the capital… the same day…

Inside a room, now dark as the bright skies in the day makes way for night. Cold, but still conserving enough heat from the heater below the ground, a lone figure dangles his head and shoulders dangerously at the edge of his bed, pushing himself forward with his abdominal muscles, like a snake.

“Oow!!” With a loud thud and a groan, the person finally reaches the ground, but spraining his slender long neck in the process, left ear hitting the ground first. Unable to break his fall from the considerably tall bed, since the person’s hands are tightly bounded behind his back, and his feet stuck together with a single piece of restrain as well, the man groaned as he twists his sore wrists to attempt freeing them from the bounds again.

The fierce red inflammations on the skin, slightly abraded since earlier on, are slowly making way for a skin tear, as blood trickles down along the gaps between the binds. The pain is more excruciating than ever, especially at the moment when the coarse surface of the material rubs into the already bleeding lesion. Sighing dramatically as he bites his lower lip, the man gave up yet again, allowing the broken skin to rest first.

Choosing to wriggle across the floor with his hips and belly, the man successfully makes his way out of the room, but he will not go further than that, since the main door is locked.

Thinking fast on his ‘belly’, the man quickly rolled over to the table where his blunt mincing blades are kept. Then, the person pushes himself till his back is leaning against the wall, employing the use of all ten fingers, scaling them against the wall behind him as he stands up, almost toppling over because of the lack of balance and centre of gravity.

Steadying himself before hopping over, the man turned around after spotting his blade camouflaged within the pile of herbs, probing the area with his fingers. Inching backwards bit by bit, the table shifted as well, finally overturning after he applies more weight on it. “UUHHHH!!!” The man cursed as he lands on the table, shoulder almost dislocating as he lands on the edge of the table.

However, undaunted by the burning pain, the man flipped himself onto his belly again and caught the blade between his lips, before crawling out from the mess made by the overturned table. Dropping the knife onto the spot beside him, the man turned himself around as was about to grab the blade at last when it is seized from him.

With a rough yank by the collar, the man inhaled sharply upon being lifted off the ground. His captor is back with the medicine, as well as the poison.

“Let go of me!!! Jung Yunho!! Don’t push it!!” The man cursed as he snaps his head sideways, hoping to get a chunk of the man. The said man simply wrapped an arm around his slim waist and brought him back to the bed again, wasting all his prior effort for an escape attempt.

“Go away!! Stay back!!” A desperate airy voice resounded off the silent four walls of his prison as the man, Yunho, advances towards him and sets the bowl of nasty looking stuff on the stool he had pulled over. Weakened a fair bit by the febrile symptoms and the wasting of so much energy earlier, the man lay on his side, panting. He is very exhausted and Yunho can tell.

“Kim Jaejoong. What is it with you and self mutilation?” The other said, staring icily at the mentioned man. Jaejoong, the prisoner, looks away, lips tightly sealed.

Holding Jaejoong up, Yunho placed him against the wall once again, and swirled the contents in the bowl a few more times, even bothering blowing to cool it further. The healer stared at the man angrily, contemplating tipping it over, but he is not capable of even moving an inch as he sat slouched.

Yunho seem to be able to sense that the other will not go down without a fight and decided that he will not go easy on him. Gripping the healer by the jaw, the advisor pried his mouth apart with bruising force while the man clenches his teeth stubbornly. A slap landed square across his jaw again, yet he is unwavering.

Tilting Jaejoong’s head upwards with his forearm, pressing the healer’s head against the wall, the advisor used another hand to squeeze the healer’s buccinators furiously and makes an opening for himself, before pouring the liquid down the small gap. Then, cupping the healer’s mouth before he can spit anything out, the man pinched the healer’s nose, forcing poor Jaejoong to gulp down the liquid in an attempt to breathe.

Coughing violently, and trying to stimulate a gag reflex, the advisor deterred that by sitting him up straight and patting him on the back gently, gripping the side of his throat to prevent regurgitation. Satisfied that Jaejoong has the medicine in his system, the advisor left him on the bed and just sat in a corner, watching him.

“You can’t do this to me!! Let me go!!” Jaejoong cannot fathom why the way Yunho is treating him is amounting to torture, but he is too stubborn to bow his head. Yunho only shook his head in response. The usual chatty man is gone, replaced with a determined, as well as equally stubborn and icy person. Nevertheless, Jaejoong is never going to beg, and even if that’s the last thing he must do to stay alive.

Curling up into a ball, the healer buried his face into the sheets, biting it as he sobs tears of despair and anger, thin shoulders shuddering pitifully though he does not make a sound. Yunho is a little affected, but he continued sitting there, watching.

Not long after, the healer is consumed by exhaustion, face wet with tears and staining the linen with blood from the lips he was gnawing on earlier, he sleeps in an uncomfortable position.

Sawing the restraint off the healer’s hands and feet, the advisor gave the sleeping healer a soft push and the healer stirred, but remained limp as the sensation and muscular control at his limbs dwindles gradually. Leaning in to look at the healer, the advisor saw the person staring daggers at him as his eyelids flutters. That did turn Yunho on, but he will refrain from doing anymore trauma to the healer, for now.

Stripping the healer, the advisor wiped him down with a wet towel and replaced the dirtied clothes on his back with a fresh set. Trying to suppress the urge to help himself to the delicious dinner served on the bed as he runs his hands along Jaejoong’s smooth long thighs to slide on his garments, Yunho looked away and took a deep breath.

The healer is slipping in and out of consciousness, simply slumping to any side the advisor positions him in. Wearing a blank expression whenever he wakes, and grimacing in pain whenever he drifts of to sleep. The advisor also took the time to dress the third degree abrasions on his delicate wrists and ankles. Reapplying the ointment to the bruising now present over his shoulders, face and neck, both new and old, massaging them gently.

Like a living doll, the healer is trapped in his immobilized body, and he is in distress. The advisor than tucks him in before slipping in beside him, using his arm as a pillow for the limp person. Jaejoong’s fever provided enough warmth for the both of them as the advisor keeps both arms possessively on his doll.

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

Back in the northern region…

“Your majesty! The troops are here, at your command.” Yoochun is having his meal with Junsu when the general of the fort approaches him. Junsu immediately stiffens up upon hearing the news, fingers scratching against his palms as he observes Yoochun’s reaction silently. Now that the king’s massive group of soldiers has arrived, the defining moment for his brother is here as well.

“What did Yun tell you about tackling the rebels?” The king asks the other man while he chews on his food.

“Instructions have been given for the troops to take them down.” The general replied. Gasping, Junsu excused himself to the room while Yoochun watches him. The boy is half walking half running as he slows down every time the pain in his rear end gets too unbearable for him.

“Let’s talk elsewhere.” The king ushered the general into another room where they can discuss the details.

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

POV from Yoochun

That stupid friend of mine is never there when I need to consult him nowadays. What is the job of an advisor when he is just going to go home to his parents every time he is done with the job? We use to hang out more often… but now, he would just vanish without even leaving me a greeting.

I never knew he had so many errands to run back home! His parents must really be getting old! I can’t complain though. Filial piety is a must. I have that drilled into me since I even knew what a appa or umma was. I will train my son the same way too.

I think I will check on his parents once they are available… when I return.

Anyhow, I am in a fix now. Apparently, part of the plan was to wipe out the rebels… and since the troops have been activated, the show can start… but there are people there who are closed to my Junsu. I hate to be stuck in this fix…

According to general Choi, Yun had specifically told instructed them to take down the safe house, but I can’t exactly allow that to happen. I have to intervene at some point… but how much leniency am I going to show them, I don’t know. To grant them mercy or not?

Also, my Junsu, he seems to know what is in store for his hyungie… Should I promise him that his hyungie will not be hurt? I can’t guarantee anything at this point.

If his brother puts up too fierce a struggle, I might end up hurting him. This is war… our statuses have changed once again. He is a rebel and I am the warlord he is up against. No doubt that I can spare his life, but if he does not want to be spared… always doing stupid things like that, then I can’t be compassionate either.

Just look at that man! He is crazy enough to court his own death... Time and again! I told Junsu as well as him before that he will not be spared the next time… yet I spared him twice in a row. I have my principles too… though it is true that I will not hesitate to bend my own rules as long as my Junsu is involved. I simply don’t if I can do it one more time. There is a limit to everything.

I sort of have a vague idea how things are going to end… and it will not be pretty. The man will definitely choose death over surrender. What do I do if it comes to that?!

I have the veto for this decision. I call it shots this time…

TBC

Please do comment and subscribe! *bows*