It took no time for the assassin to fall asleep once the raven had come back with the good news. His sister was safe and sound. By the sounds of it, there wasn’t a hair on her body that had been touched. The relief had allowed Kyuhyun to finally relax his body and fall into the well needed slumber that his body was begging for. His stomach had yet to be filled but that could wait until his body had rested well enough. Sunggyu looked at Kyuhyun’s sleeping figure for a bit, a small smile coming to his face before finally leaving the assassin’s bedroom.  It will be over soon, he wanted to say but the words were left unspoken.

The eldest pulled the others to the side once they had tucked Kyuhyun into bed. They sat down in the living room with Sunggyu on the single sofa while Hoya, Sungjong and L sat down on the large sofa in that respected order. The leader had his hand covering his face, deep in thought as the three focused on him. It took some time for Sunggyu to piece together the correct words to say.

“I received word from Jaejoong hyung. The plan will commence in two days, 16:00. We will get Kyuhyun ssi and Victoria ssi out of HQ as well as wipe out the organisation once and for all.” It was a first for the elder to actually see L with any other expression other than emotionless or his famous work smile. Instead he was met with a face of shock but minimal compared to Sungjong’s seeing as they were sat right next to each other.

“So soon?” The raven replied after toning down his expression. Sunggyu nodded apologetically to the others from the short amount of time they were given to prepare. A day was definitely not enough to prepare for such a big operation but the leader had been given various missions over the past couple of days while guarding Kyuhyun, meaning that his and the other’s schedules couldn’t match up at all. Hoya had been the one to fill in during the times of his missions but he was still required to do his job as it was something the Master had given for him to do.

“I’m sorry. I was informed on Sunday but was unable to tell you guys until now. It’s my fault for being unable to manage my time.” The Leader stood up to bow but was stopped by the other three.

“It’s fine hyung. Please sit down.” Hoya spoke, pulling Sunggyu down into his seat he was the closed to him.

“The mission will require us to split up for the time being. L, you and Hoya will retrieve Victoria ssi while Sungjong and I will collect the hidden documents that will help us close down the organisation. We have finally managed to locate it after so long.  Jaejoong hyung will meet us at the back of Unit 4 where we’ll be collecting some extra equipment. During then, we’ll have Sungyeol look after Kyuhyun ssi.” He summarised, giving each of them a brown file containing their mission schedule by the hour as well as maps and other documents they needed to complete the mission. Talking too much about the mission meant there were more chances of getting caught. Sunggyu decided it was best to given them a round of up what was going to happen before giving them details in hard copy later on. They were to review it themselves and familiarise the details alone as they normally did as top assassins. It was the norm for them to only be given the outline of their missions before they were sent away to research by themselves or with their partners. The organisation was harsh in that way, allowing the assassins to train individually and counting on their own skills instead of spoon feeding them all the needed information. Only the best survived each mission and they were proud to have lived as that meant they were capable.

“Sungyeol hyung is coming too?” Sungjong asked with surprise. The other assassin had not been partnered with them much as was normally seen with other groups which was why the youngest had been so surprised at the joining of the man. He was loud and cheerful but that didn’t mean he wasn’t as good as everyone else. It was said that Sungyeol was just as skilled as Hoya, and that’s saying something (of course the latter denied it).

“I heard that there will be two others joining us on the mission. Would that be alright? I mean, they don’t have any experience, right? If anything were to go wrong, we cannot promise to keep them safe with just the 4 of us, especially since we’re going to be going up against the whole HQ. We cannot afford to look out for two others when we’re trying to fend off the others.” Hoya intervened, knowing that if the rumour was true, it would affect them greatly. Sunggyu sighed and nodded before opening his mouth to speak. His words were cut short by another’s voice.

“I’ll protect them. Whoever it is, I’ll look after them. Just please, take care of Victoria.” The four were startled by the voice. Simultaneously, they turned their heads toward the sound to see Kyuhyun standing there, clutching onto the hem of his night shirt. There was determination in his eyes, fire lit up like the sun which burned those who tried to get in his way. Sunggyu had never seen anything like it in the other as his constant observation of the skilled assassin had only shown Kyuhyun to be a stone figure without much emotion however his soft spot for Sungjong was evident.

There was something in Kyuhyun, as though he knew who the people were that were joining. One, he was uncertain but it was obvious who the other was. Kyuhyun had a good instinct and he was sure that one of them would be the last person he wanted to see, Shim Changmin. With that being said, he would do everything in his power to protect the said man. After all, he was his little sister’s boyfriend. Yes, his sister’s boyfriend and nothing else.

“Kyuhyun ssi, how long have you been the-“ Of course Sunggyu’s words would be cut off once again. It didn’t matter how long Kyuhyun had been standing there, eavesdropping on their conversation. All that mattered was that he was going to get Victoria out. They would finally be free.

“Just promise me Victoria’s safety and I’ll take care of everything else.”

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

Changmin tossed as turned as he lay uncomfortably on the bed. Two nights in a row of uneasiness, worry and nightmares plagued him. Maybe he wasn’t use to the mattress? Maybe he drank too much coffee this afternoon and the caffeine has only just kicked in? Maybe it was because he would be charging in a building of assassins with barely any experience in just a few days. Yeah, that probably was the correct answer to his insomnia.  

The student sighed, lifting his body up to a sitting position before running his hand through his hair. There was only two days left till the mission was supposable meant to happen. He wasn’t let on much; just that he was meant to follow a guy named L.

Yoochun had stopped talking to him after their conversation with Jaejoong and only Junsu would keep the younger up to date on the other. It was insane of them to do such a thing but Changmin did remind him many times that Yoochun didn’t need to come. Despite that, the elder would just sigh and leave for the kitchen or his room. Junsu however was forbidden from leaving the Cho’s house until they were to return from the mission by Yoochun. It was his way of protecting his loved one and Changmin knew that very well. Junsu on the other hand wasn’t so please about that.

‘NO! I’m coming!’ The shorter shouted, pulling his lover up by the collar of his shirt. Their faces were centimetres apart, enough to feel each other’s breath against their skin. Yoochun remained calm, only blinking at the other.

‘You’re not and that’s final.’ His voice reached a new low that neither Changmin nor Junsu had heard before. It was almost inaudible to them but Junsu picked up every word with annoyance. They kept their eyes locked with each other for a while until Junsu decided to break it up. Frustrated, Junsu left with a thump, running to a place where he could calm down. Jaejoong followed the other, knowing he’ll only get lost in the large Cho Mansion.

After a while, Yoochun decided to follow the two. Speaking things out were something the couple did whenever they had a fight and this time was no exception. Changmin and Yoochun exchanged a look before the elder went off. Silence had filled the room with only Changmin and Mr Kim.

‘I think you should get some rest, Changmin ssi. Jaejoong will be down to take you to your room. We will call you down from lunch once it is ready. If you wish to speak to me in regards to anything related to the Cho family, you will be able to find me in the right wing study.” And with that, Mr Kim stood up and left the university student. True to his words, Jaejoong came a few minutes afterwards to bring him to his room. They said nothing as they walked towards Changmin’s room but the silence was welcomed. It wasn’t until Jaejoong had dropped the student off that he finally opened his mouth to speak.

‘Your friends, they will be ok.’ That helped reassure Changmin to say the least.

“Two more days… What do I do?” He muttered to himself. Changmin looked up from his bed to see the clock. 4:20am it read. Still too early to wake but up too late to sleep. The former seemed a better choice so up he went to the bathroom. The whole house was dark as the sun wouldn’t be up for another couple of hours. He let his body take him to wherever as he wasn’t very use to the Cho’s residence.

The hallways were pitch black but it wasn’t creepy like what he thought it would be. Using his other senses, he managed to walk far enough to find light. He followed it, realising the light came from inside a room. Afraid of what he might find, he stood beside the wooden door, pressing his back on cold wall. Changmin took a deep breath before moving his head and looking into the room. There, he saw a large bedroom lit up by the moonlight. The balcony doors were wide open with the semi-transparent curtains moving with the wind. A figure stood at the balcony watching the moon as their hand rested on the brick fence of the balcony.

“Please, Changmin-ssi, come in.” The figure called out his name and immediately Changmin realised it was Jaejoong. His voice was the easiest to pick out as he could tell Yoochun’s and Junsu’s voice anywhere. There was no way it was Mr Kim’s as his was low and hoarse due to his age.

“Jaejoong ssi… I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to snoop around. I couldn’t sleep-“ A chuckle made Changmin stop his tracks as he stepped one foot into the unknown room. By now, Jaejoong had his body turned to look at the younger, a smile on his lips as he watched the other in panic,

“Don’t worry; I didn’t call you out to accuse you of anything. Please, come in, no one will shout at your for entering. Well, maybe my father but he’s asleep at the moment.” The student was wary but he had already taken the first step. He looked around, making sure there was no one else in the room before making his way to the balcony. His eyes stayed glued on his surroundings to make sure if anything were to happen, he could easily bolt out of the place. Once he had made it to the raven, he felt himself let go of the breath he had been keeping in.

“What’s got you up so late?” The question took Changmin by surprise as he didn’t think Jaejoong would care (no offence).

“I think it’s the pre-battle nerves. It’s like entering an exam knowing that you’ve done nothing to help you pass. Worse thing is this exam is the game changer, the one to put you through to University where your life will be unravelled from there. I think I’m just a little lost at the moment.” Jaejoong nodded as the younger spoke, taking in every word with an open mind. His smile didn’t falter as he listened to Changmin’s worries like a caring mother. Changmin didn’t mean to rant but the words came naturally to him.

“I don’t know what I’m doing is right but I feel like I need to do it, you know? This I mean. I don’t even know if I’ll come out of this alive and if I do; what would I do afterwards? Do I pretend that none of this ever happened?” A calm silence took over as Changmin stopped his little monologue. A sigh came out of Jaejoong’s lips but it wasn’t one of those annoyed sighs, it was a sigh of concern.

“What do you want to do after this ends?” Changmin shook his head over the question. All I want to do is to get Victoria back. All I want to do is to see her again.

“Is that all you want to do?” His head swung over to Jaejoong in record speed eyes widened.

“D-did I say that out loud?”

“Yes, you did.” He giggled a little. Things didn’t last long before Jaejoong was back to being serious again. The worried sigh left his lips again as he closed his eyes to speak.

“So, is that all you want to do? I don’t mean to pry but I heard from my father that you met Kyuhyun spent time with him. I wanted to know, what is your connection with him? I’ve been looking after him for years and even I, have yet to speak with him since the accident. However, you, you managed to see him, speak to him and spend time with him. That’s something that neither my father nor I would ever expect in a million years.” He was speechless. Part of him didn’t want to feel offended since Jaejoong was only looking out for someone he cared about but a little part of him did. Who was he to question me? Who was he to ask about my personal life? Who was he… maybe he was someone he needed right now.

“I…I don’t know. Victoria was taken and my mind tells me that I have to find her. However, part of me hopes to find Kyuhyun. He promised that we were going to see each other again but he didn’t show up that day. I don’t want to worry about him because I’ve got Victoria to worry about but my mind keeps coming back to him. Maybe it’s because he’s Victoria’s older brother? Maybe it’s because he’s still a mystery to me? I don’t know…but I want to know if he’s ok. I want to know that he’s not hurt.” He spoke truthfully. To be honest, his words scared him. He wasn’t meant to care for Kyuhyun but his heart kept coming back to him. His mind though of Victoria and his heart ached for Kyuhyun. He didn’t like this at all.

“Have you ever thought about Kyu… never mind, I’ve asked too much. Please Changmin ssi, get some rest. We have a long few days ahead of us. If possible, for all the things I said, I hope you don’t take it to heart. If needed, please forget about our conversation. For you, Victoria and Kyuhyun, its best things stay the way they are. ” Jaejoong left Changmin standing on the balcony as he made his way out of the room. He watched as Jaejoong left but his legs refused to move from his spot. Something about this room gave him peace and Jaejoong seemed to take notice of that.

“If you wish, you may stay in this room. I will tell my father that in case he chases you out.” Jaejoong turned around with his hand grabbing onto to door’s handle, ready to close the door behind him. With his back facing Changmin’s he spoke once again.

“I don’t know if you’ve noticed but this is the room Kyuhyun once reside in before the accident. Calming isn’t it? Like you, I too enjoy staying here during my sleepless nights. I hope you do not take this information as an insult and stay as long as you like.” The door closed with a soft thump. Again, Changmin was alone but this time he didn’t mind it so much. He let his legs take him away, moving over to the bed that Kyuhyun once slept in. Not knowing what took over him, he laid down, only taking up one side of the bed. He didn’t mean to but he closed his eyes and soon, fell asleep.