So guys, guess who's not dead?!  :D  I'm so so so sorry for being on hiatus for so long D,:  Unfortunately, it was a little more than necessary.  NEEDLESS TO SAY, Yuki is back and ready to write~!  Enjoy the chapter and the author's note at the end! <3

SIDENOTE:  5,183 views, 98 subscribers, 22 up-votes.  60 CHAPTERS.  I can't put into words how much each and ever single one of you mean to me for sticking with this story for so long.  It's because of you guys that I write and post.  I don't think the words "Thank You" are enough, but I'll say them anyways.  Thank you for everything, guys <3

"I need those papers now," Yuki hissed at the man in front of her, slamming her hands down on the table.

"Sorry, toots," the man replied, "no can do."

"And why the not?" 

The man smirked.  "Why are you in such a rush?" he asked, "you commit a murder or something?"

Patience expended, Yuki stood up abruptly, the chair she had been sitting on flying backwards.  She grabbed the man by the collar of his shirt and practically yanked him into a standing position.  "You don't need to ask any questions as long as you're getting your money, so I suggest you keep your mouth shut unless you're planning on answering my question."  

The man's pupils dialated in fear.  It was clear that he hadn't known what type of girl he was dealing with.  "Y-you have to understand," he said shakily, "these types of things take t-time."

"How much longer do I have to wait?!" Yuki demanded, giving the man's collar another tug.

"A-at least until tomorrow morning!" he shouted, "I'll have the I.D., passport, and driver's license delivered myself!"

Yuki abruptly let go of the man, causing him to fall right back into his seat.  "Good," she said, "I expect to find it in the mailbox by 8:00 a.m. sharp."

The man nodded quickly twice.  Without another word, Yuki walked out of the dark room and back towards Block B's house.

"You look happy today," P.O. commented sarcastically as Yuki stabbed at her food.

"Sometimes, Underworld business pisses me off," the girl replied.

"Ah, you said you went to check on your stuff today, didn't you?" Yukwon said, "how'd it go?"

"That was the problem," Yuki said in exasperation, "that ing idiot still doesn't have my papers done!"

"When did he say he'd have them done by, then?" Taeil asked, cocking his head to the side, "isn't your flight tomorrow?"

"Yeah," Yuki said, "but according to him, I'll get my stuff right before.  I expect to see it in the mailbox tomorrow morning."

"And when's your flight?" B-Bomb questioned.

"Around 7 tomorrow evening," came the response.

A tense silence followed Yuki's words.  Block B had done their level best to try to convince Yuki to stay in South Korea, but all to no avail.  The girl was unmoveable, stubborn, and determined.

"Well," Zico said, finally breaking the unnerving quiet, "I'm going to go ahead and shift the topic of conversation."  Yuki looked at the boy with an eyebrow raised.  "So. . ." Zico said, clearing his throat, "um. . . there's this. . . event we have to go to.  And. . . well. . ."

"Just spit it out, Zico," Yuki interrupted, rolling her eyes, "what's going on?"

All of the Block B boys looked at each other shiftily.  "Ehm. . . we want you to come with us," Zico finished.

Again, the girl looked at Zico oddly.  "Oookay. . . sure?  What is it?"

"It's a wpieuaaewiradeball," the boy mumbled unintelligibly.

"Come again?" Yuki asked, leaning forward.

"IT'S A MASQUERADE BALL!" Jaehyo shouted.

"No."

"Come onnnnn, Yuki~!" Kyung whined, "pleeeaaassseee~?"

"Kyung," Yuki said, glaring at the boy, "I don't do balls, or dresses, or dancing.  Why the hell would I want to go?"

"Because," P.O. replied, "it's your last night with us and we would be absolutely distressed if we didn't spend it together."

The harsh glare that Yuki gave the boys made them cower, but they continued pushing.

"PLLLLLLLEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAASSSSSSSS-"

"ARASSO!" Yuki finally shouted, inturrupting the chorus of begging that had erupted from the seven boys, "I'LL GO!"

"YES!!" 

"Stupid little s. . ." Yuki muttered under her breath as she watched Block B jump around like monkeys, "I can't believe I'm doing this. . ."

"Well, it's good that you said yes," B-Bomb said with a sigh of relief, "because your dress is sitting on the bed~"

"MINHYUK!!!"

Yuki huffed, blowing a loose curl from the front of her face, and frowned at the vanity mirror in front of her.  B-Bomb had insisted on helping Yuki get ready and was currently working on curling the girl's hair.  "B-Bomb," Yuki said, "there's really no need to go to all this trouble-"

"Nonsense," B-Bomb interrupted, "it's really no trouble at all.  Besides, you're attending the ball as a member of Block B.  We have to be very fashionably represented."

Yuki grumbled under her breath as B-Bomb finished curling the last strand of her hair.  Then, he pushed her curls to one side.  After grabbing a can and applying a chokingly-large amount of hairspray to Yuki's head, the boy straightened up and grinned.  "Finished," he said proudly, "now go put on your dress so I can start on the make-up."

"WHAT MAKE-UP?!" came the startled question.

"Shut up and go put on the dress, tomboy."

Yuki sent the boy a fierce glare and grabbed the garmet bag lying on her bed.  She made sure to flip B-Bomb off as she made her way to the bathroom.

"GOD, YOU'RE SO UNLADY-LIKE!"

"Like I give a !"

Yuki stepped out of the bathroom awkwardly.  She hadn't dared look at herself in the mirror, but from what she had seen of the dress, it looked nice.  At least, when she wasn't wearing it.  B-Bomb had at least done her the favor of picking her favorite color.  The smooth satin was comfortable and easy to move around in, so Yuki could act fast if anything went wrong at the ball.  But what could possibly happen? the girl asked herself, it's just a party.  You go in, stand around, leave.  Easy as 1, 2, 3.

B-Bomb, who had been sitting cross-legged on Yuki's bed, looked up when the bathroom door opened.  His jaw dropped.

"You look. . . gorgeous!" he exclaimed as he looked at Yuki's dress.

"Thanks. . ." Yuki said quietly, "just don't expect to see this often."

As soon as the words left , Yuki felt like someone had just landed a solid punch in her gut.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Once Yuki changed, she stepped out of the bathroom self-consciously.  At the sight of her, Kibum and Jonghyun's jaws dropped.

"You look. . ." Kibum said.

"Gorgeous," Jonghyun finished.

Yuki chuckled nervously.  "Thanks guys. . . Just don't expect to see this often," she said, tugging faintly at the skin-tight cloth.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

B-Bomb didn't seem to have taken notice of Yuki's sudden freeze.  Instead, he took her arm and lead her to one of the larger bathrooms in Block B's mansion.  Meanwhile, Yuki's mind was spiraling back to that time so long ago.  The one mission that had permanently altered her life.

No, Yuki.  Stop it.  Stop thinking about it.

Thankfully, the girl became distracted when B-Bomb pulled out the make-up.  "B-Bomb. . ."

"Shh. . . just let me do my thing.  You haven't looked in the mirror yet, right?"

"No. . ."

"Good."

Fortunately for Yuki, the boy kept the make-up light.  Powder and red lipstick.  He decided on eyeliner as well, making two small wings on the outer edges of both eyes.  [A/N:  Sorry guys, I with make-up terms and such.  I hope you have an idea of what I'm talking about?].  "Done," the boy said, grinning, "now let me ask Kyung to grab your mask and you'll be good to go.  KYUNG!!"

"Here!" Kyung said, popping his head through the door.  He walked in with a small box in his hand.  He opened it, took out Yuki's mask, and gave it to B-Bomb.  The male said his thanks and quickly tied the mask onto Yuki's face.  Then, he took a step back.

"Absolutely perfect," he muttered, "you'll be the show stopper of the entire ball, Yuki-yah."

Yuki rolled her eyes.  "Do I look in the mirror now?" she asked.

"Go ahead," B-Bomb said, standing aside so the girl could step in front of the floor length mirror.  The girl took one look at her reflection and gasped.  She didn't look like herself at all.  

"I feel like I'm looking at someone else. . ." Yuki mumbled, "someone that's NOT me."

Another punch to her gut.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Yuki, who had closed her eyes to allow Jonghyun to place the mask on her, opened her eyes to look in the mirror.  She stared at her reflection, feeling as though she was looking at someone else.  The person in the mirror was most definitely not the real Yuki.  The real Yuki was a spy.  Not like the other girls in S.M. who were trained to be temptresses.  Yuki was a trained killer.  A protector.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Yuki. . .?" Kyung asked uncertainly, "are you okay?"

Yuki blinked once and mentally shook herself.  "Of course, Kyung," she replied, "I'm just not used to this whole stupid dressing up thing."

Kyung and B-Bomb laughed, convinced.  "It's one night, Yuki," B-Bomb said, "just deal with it.  Okay, Kyung and I are going to go get ready. so just meet all of us downstairs, 'kay?"

"Got it."

The boys left, leaving Yuki to her own thoughts.  The girl sat down on the bed and stared at the wall.  Why am I thinking about all these things NOW?  I'm leaving tomorrow and my past is staying behind.  So why does it INSIST on harassing me?  I'm trying to let go. . . not hold on. . .  These memories. . . that make me think of them. . . they hurt.  Why?  Why does it hurt so badly?

Yuki touched her dragon pendant and frowned.  No, she had to be strong.  "We've been through this," Yuki growled to herself, gripping her dragon pendant harder, "you can't go back to S.M.  You're too easily tricked.  It just. . . it won't work out and you know it, so stop trying to convince yourself otherwise.  They tried, you held firm, they left.  That's it.  It's over.  You'll be out of Korea by tomorrow."

Suddenly, out of nowhere, one thought struck Yuki.  He wasn't there yesterday. . .

As soon as the thought came, Yuki stood up and shook her head violently.  "No," she said forcefully, "no, no, no, no, NO.  Stop yourself right there, Bul.  He means nothing to you.  Stop being stupid, brain.  Let's just get this stupid party over with. . ."

With that, Yuki made her way downstairs where Block B was waiting for her.  They were all dressed remarkably well.  The other members of Block B commented appreciatively on Yuki's outfit and Jaehyo even asked Yuki if he should cancel on his date and be her .  Yuki rolled her eyes and said "you wish," causing Jaehyo to pout and the other boys to laugh loudly.

"Well," Taeil said once everyone calmed down, "we should really get going.  It's getting a little late."  The others nodded and made their way out the front door towards the waiting car.

It's just one more night, Yuki.  Then. . . you're out of here for good.

"Wait wait wait wait wait," Minho said, staring at his teammates, "so you're telling me. . . that Ice Princess is here, in Ansan."

"Yes," came the unified reply.

"And you guys found her and talked to her."

"Yes."

"And she refused to go with you."

". . .yes."

"So you guys just gave up and left."

"That's right."

By now, the boy was practically fuming.  "WHY THE DID I NOT FIND OUT ABOUT THIS UNTIL JUST NOW?!"

"Because," Jinki said, "the boys and I just had an hour long debate about whether or not we should let you take a shot at it."  Key interrupted Minho before he could protest.

"Think about it," Key said, "at least for the time being, Yuki likes us A LOT more than she likes you.  So naturally, we would have the better chance of convincing her to come back.  Seeing as it didn't work for us. . . we didn't think it would be a good idea for you to try."

"GUYS!" Minho finally shouted, "COME ON!!  She's my GIRLFRIEND for crying out loud!  I should at least TRY!"

"Minho," Jonghyun said, "the last time you spoke to her, she almost ripped out your vocal cords.  Can you blame us for being wary?"

". . . not really."

"Exactly," Taemin said, "and hey, we're telling you now, right?  That means we're giving it a shot!  We'll take you to the café where she works and then you can talk to her in private.  Who knows?  Maybe she'll calm down enough to listen."

"Well then what are we waiting for?" Minho asked, reaching for his bike keys, "let's get going and finally set everything righ-"

The ringing of a cell phone interrupted the boy's speech.  Minho paused and reached into his pocket, pulling out his phone.  He grinned, seeing Soo Man's name flash on the screen, and immediately answer the call.

"Soo Man-ssi!" Minho said happily, "you'll never believe it!  We found Ice Prin-"

"Now's not the time, Agent Choi," Soo Man's voice said authoritatively, making Minho stop speaking out of surprise, "since you boys are in Ansan, I have a mission for you."

"Wh- what?" Minho said in shock, "but Soo Man-ssi, our time limit-"

"Agent Choi," Soo Man said forcefully, "forget about your personal issues and focus.  You will follow orders.  Am I understood?"

Minho said nothing for the next 10 seconds.  He was at war with himself.  

A mission?  But what about Ice Princess?

What about your duty towards your country?

But our time limit is up tomorrow!  She'll be hunted and killed!

What if this mission is crucial?  Tell me something.  Exactly how many innocent lives are you willing to sacrifice for the sake of your "Ice Princess"?

But-

LISTEN TO YOURSELF.  Do you think Ice Princess would WANT you to put a country in jeopardy for her?  No!  Now do your job as a spy.  Keep your emotions in check and follow orders.  Prove Soo Man-ssi wrong.

Soo Man had once explained that the reason he was so against spies in the agency dating was because they would let their emotions cloud their judgement and thus put countless lives in danger.

Minho pulled out his wallet and stared at the photo of Yuki he always carried around with him.  If she hadn't teared it to shreds or destroyed it in any other way, she had one of him as well.

Don't worry, Ice Princess.  I'll come get you after this mission is over.  I promise.

"Tell me what to do," Minho said into the phone.

"Good," Soo Man said, "now listen carefully."

Don't you love it when the author teases you? ;)  JK, I know all of you guys want to kill me on the inside xD  We've certainly got some ground to cover with this new development, now don't we?

I wonder if some of you guys are experiencing some of the nostalgia that I am with this "familiar" chapter ;P  Now, only the next chapters will tell us what awaits Yuki and Minho.  Things don't look too great, do they?

Anyways, I definitely need to thank all of you once again for all the support you've been giving me! It means wayyy to much!!! <33

THANK YOU FOR HELPING ME REACH A MILESTONE OF 5,183 VIEWS!  I wasn't ever expecting to see that number!  So WOW, thank you all SOOOOO much! <3 

Well, in terms of flurries, another was lost (which I don't blame because I know I took forever to update) but 3 more were gained!!!  THANK YOU <3  And welcome!! ^_^  NOW WE'RE JUST 2 FLURRIES AWAY FROM 100!!! :D

cantiqas 
 

CinderHeart 
 

Namayou 

And ANOTHER surprise:  A NEW UP-VOTER!!!!  YAYYYY~!  Thank you so so so much~! :D

Namayou

Well, that's about all I had to say for now.  The next update will be THIS SATURDAY for a very special reason!  I wonder if any of you can guess? ;D  Well, even if you can't, I'll tell you on Saturday!  Until then, have a great week everyone!! It feels good to be back :)

Please remember to subscribe, up-vote, and comment if you're enjoying the story!!! <3

~Yuki ❄