CODENAME: MICKY
NAME: PARK YOOCHUN
AGENCY: NJC
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I grunted instinctively as my body collided with the hard, metal floor. I've been gagged, blindfolded, and handcuffed once again - mirroring my first dilemma with the NIS. Time hasn't made itself known to me during my captivity: it could have been hours, days, even weeks and I wouldn't have known. The only thing that divided my time like the months in the year is Lee Hyosun's visits: Hyosun's constant visits.

Whether she came to comfort me, or lightly try to interrogate me, she'd always arrive with a smile on her face. I remember, on her sixteenth visit, she came to me clutching a large, colourful, rectangular box in her arms.

"Yoochun-shii!" she had called, "You must be bored, I'm bored too; why don't we play a game?" I gave her a questioning glance; throughout my imprisonment I hadn't said a single word, not even to Hyosun. But only for Hyosun would I ever show her more than just a blank face. "Let's play Monopoly!" she had cried, and dumped out all the pieces onto the table and sat the chair opposite of me. She began setting the board up, choosing her piece as the thimble and mine as the battleship. "I'll roll first, alright?" she had asked, thus, begun our very one-sided game. Though she had convinced Jaejoong and the rest of her comrades to release me during her fifth visit from being utterly bound in a chair, I remember, in the game, she moved the pieces and made the decisions for me.

"Do you want this property, Yoochun-shii?" she'd ask, pointing at a square on the board; then with a snap of her fingers, decided: "Of course you'd want it! It's a blue property!" And I remember, in that moment, I couldn't help but smile from her antics, she is too cheerful in front of the enemy, too innocent, too naive to be fighting such deadly and powerful organizations such as the NJC.

"Alright!" she had cried, reaching over to the neat pile of money she placed in front of me, "you landed on my property! So you owe me six hundred dollars!" she declared. I smiled. She rolled the dice again, and moved her piece; she had landed the property she decided was mine. "Oh, darn, I landed on your property, and now I owe you... twelve hundred?!" she cried, pouting at losing what she earned five seconds ago and double. My grin grew wider. And in that moment, I couldn’t help it: I reached out, flipped the dice to a smaller number, and moved Hyosun's piece back a few spaces to avoid the properties that would cost her. Hyosun mouth fell open in shock - no doubt because I deliberately touched something. Then, she said something that shocked me:

"Yoochun-oppa*! You can't do that, that's cheating!"

My smile fell in thought. Yoochun-oppa? Such a familiar honorific, she doesn't even call Jaejoong by it, do I deserve such a name? "Yoochun-oppa? Are you alright?" she had asked. I raised my eyes to meet hers. She didn't even realize the importance of her words. I tried to curve my lips to give her a reassuring smile.
And I remember, I remember, in that moment, I wished we met on different terms - on a different occasion.

However, none of that matters now; Hyosun, nor any other member of the NIS were able to pry any sort of information out of me; perhaps the NIS has managed to gain knowledge that could prove my guilt and put me on trial? At least now, I could stop the charade of being a mute captive. At least now, I wouldn’t have to sit in front of Hyosun wishing for different circumstances.

I tried to sit up; I didn't know where they where taking me, though I did know that I was in the back of a truck. The vehicle slammed to an alarming stop, and not having my arms to support myself, my face smashed into the floor. I cursed the heavens for the predicament and struggled to right myself.

Suddenly, harsh grinding and a streak of light notified me that the metal door of the truck was opening and someone was stepping inside: I froze and braced myself as footsteps approached: like a possum playing dead at the sight of a predator. Abruptly and cruelly, the person seized a handful of my hair and yanked me on my knees. They, then, rip the gag off my mouth and wretched the collar of my shirt so I faced them.

"So," the person asked, our faces close enough that I could feel their warm breath, their voice rang with masculinity: but there was a trill of a note was distinctively feminine. I met the person owning this voice before - and her harsh interrogation methods - Hyosun called her Alecto. Goddess of unceasing anger indeed, there were also a man that accompanied her during her interrogation with me. The man was alarmingly tall, and whose appearance resembled hers - siblings perhaps. Alecto had called him U-know. Without him, she'd probably had killed me. "What is your relation to Smith Rin? Or better known as Kimura Rin?" she asked, cutting through my memories.

Shock and alarm rushed through my veins and I struggle to conceal my emotions from detection. What is the meaning of this? How did the NIS learn of Styx's identity? And Styx's fake identity as well! My thoughts rushed through all the possibilities of what might have occurred. One: the NIS, without a doubt, knows I’m a member of the NJC. Two: the NIS is hinting at the fall of the NJC. Three: the NIS is deceiving me into believing the NJC has fallen and trying to pry information from me. Four: the NIS has no idea of my affiliation with Kimura Rin and is trying to monitor my reaction to her name. My silence was beginning to agitate Alecto; a dark aura began to seep from her skin. She yanked my collar up with both hands now; forcing me to my feet and slammed me against the truck wall. Alecto pushed her upper forearm against my neck and effectively cut off my supply of oxygen. I chocked involuntary and winced reflectively.

“Listen up, NJC vermin," Alecto hissed, "We may have let you get away with your silent responses to our questions before, but not today. I’m not like the rest, you know I'm not like the rest, I don’t care one little bit about how I manage to get answers as long as I get them.” As soon as she uttered the last words, she threw me back on the ground as I coughed and desperately tried to get oxygen into my lungs. "Got it?!" Alecto yelled commandingly; and even if I wanted to reply, my body was still trying to recover and won't let my vocal cords free. Unexpectedly, an abrupt amount of pain exploded in the side of my abdomen. "I said, do you get it?" Alecto repeated again, gritting the words through her teeth. She must have given me a sturdy kick - enough to almost break bones, however, bruising is the least of my worries.

"Yes," I grunted, grudgingly. The only thoughts that filled my mind now were not ones of escape, but ones of slicing Alecto's neck open and watching her die.

"Good. That's more like it." Alecto said, a slight hint of satisfaction in her voice. "Sato Ai, your 'cousin' has announced that Rin had committed suicide. Listen to this message." Astonishment blew away my thoughts of murder: Styx had committed suicide? Impossible. And even if she did, the NJC wouldn't announce it to the world!

A recorded message was played; I was suddenly grateful that there was a blindfold around my eyes: it concealed the smug look that had over taken my face. As soon as Ai had begun speaking, I knew exactly what was going on. When Styx entered the NJC, she had advised Hades to drill into his agents a large amount of unused codes; and now when she is in power, she continued the idiotic exercises. Thus now, they become of use!

Oh! I can feel it, escape is almost within reach! I can barely hide my smirk at victory; but I can't react like that now, it will assure the wrong connection to Rin. I must react like how Ai had set it up for me, I must get to the church.

"R-Rin?" I whispered, the pain in my side aiding the pain in my voice, "She's...dead? No! No! It’s all my fault!" I sobbed, screaming. "If only I hadn’t been separated from Ai, if I had fulfilled the duty she left me... What have I done?" My acting must have stunned Alecto, for she had nothing to say or do. Oh, flight is so close! Imagine! All the ways I can kill this member of the NIS when I'm free.
The light clacking of heels notified me of another presence approaching the back of the vehicle and stepping into the truck. Their silhouette under my blindfold was distinctively female...oh no, it can't be, it can't be –

"Yoochun-oppa! It's alright Yoochun-oppa." Hyosun's clear and benevolent voice called. You don't need to feel guilty anymore. The death Kimura Rin-shii isn't your fault." She reassured, mumbling something about it being 'her' fault. Hyosun was here? Why? How can that be? How can I pull off an escape with her here!?

I was beyond frustrated now. How on earth am I going to escape if the girl I once betrayed is watching my every move?! Oh, how I wished we meet in better terms, I wished Styx never sent me on this mission. It’s bad enough that Hyosun trusts me so dearly, but she also has shown me nothing but kindness. To likelihood of me having to kill her to escape is….. "You can grieve or mourn as much as you like, Yoochun-oppa: we are taking you to the Church. Kay?" she finished.

No, no matter what, I cannot kill Lee Hyosun. I won’t. I just won’t do it. God Dammit, now of all times my morals and ethics to return to me!? No, perhaps it’s more? Could I have….fallen in love?

"Come on," Alecto's voice called, ripping me out of a realization that would cause me much grief. She yanked me by the back of the lapel, this time distinctively lighter and less rough because Hyosun was here. In unconsciously spite of that, they refused to release my handcuffs or untie the blindfold. Alecto guided me out of the truck and what seems like the path down to the church. As I enter the doors of the holy sanctuary, Alecto and Hyosun make a move to follow but then –

"Halt!" an unfamiliar male voice called. The voice came from my left and was approaching swiftly. "Stop, I will not allow any disturbances in this holy sanctuary of mercy and peace! Why is this man bound?" he asked.

"That, Priest, is unnecessary information." Alecto hissed. Ah, so the third voice is the head of this Church.

"I will not allow a poor man to suffer such atrocious circumstances in my church, release him while he rests in this holy house." he cried. I heard Hyosun whisper something frantically to Alecto. Alecto growled in rebuttal, nevertheless, the jingling of keys signified Alecto's agreement. Roughly grabbing my arms, Alecto slammed the keys into the keyhole and undid the handcuffs. I rubbed my wrists unconsciously.

"Don't try anything funny, vermin." Alecto snapped.

"Now wait outside," the priest requested. I raised my arms to undo the blindfold as Hyosun and Alecto retreated outside. As soon as my vision returned to me, I was greeted with a man removing a priest's robe to reveal an attire of black skinny jeans and a black sweat shirt.

"They're gone," he said, grinning at me, "So are you the infamous mouse that got stuck under the cat's paw*?" he asked, mocking the English translation of my alias.

He knows my alias.

I couldn't help but let the puzzlement and confusion show on my face.

"You part of the NJC?" I whispered to the man. He grinned again, his smile too goofy to be a true agent of the NJC. Yet the knowledge he possesses about my identity seems to deem him as a worthy ally.

"Not quite." he said, winking; just as I thought, "Name's Daesung, but we'll go through formalities later. Quick, go to confession." he said, pointing towards a mahogany wooden door. I quickly walked towards it, trusting Daesung, "Once we're in the confession room, there is a hooked rope under the floorboard." Daesung instructed, "We'll climb up through the skylight. And once up there, a gun and motorcycle keys are set for you. Styx-sama is waiting at YangDong Market." he finished. Sama? He addressed Styx with a Japanese honourific...

"And you?" I asked wearily.

"I, on the other hand, will be waiting here for my partners to arrive and pick me up." Daesung said,
"But first, we got to take care of your 'bodyguards'." We both step into the room and shut the door swiftly.

Daesung pried open the floorboards while I opened the automatic latch to the skylight. Daesung handed me the rope and I quickly tossed it through the opening. After tugging on the rope to test its stability, I scaled up it; Daesung following in suit. Once I was up, I reached down to lend Daesung a hand, and then left him to hauling up the rope and closing the skylight.

"The equipment is in there," Daesung said, pointing towards an electrical box. I nodded and quickly opened the box to reveal two sniper rifles, a single hand gun, and a key. Snatching up the equipment, I tossed Daesung one of the riffles, shoved the keys into my pocket, and strapped the handgun to my hip. “Alright, are you ready?” he asked. Ready? “You get the chick, I’ll get the manly one,” he suggested, quickly snapping back and loading the chamber, then aiming at Alecto. I slowly and cautiously loaded the chamber of my gun; gradually and unwillingly lifted the rifle to eye level; then dully and hatefully aimed at the back of Hyosun’s head.

“Three,” Daesung whispered, counting down the moment to end lives of these two. My fingers shook; I never have felt the guilt or shame that I feel now. If I have truly fallen in love, would I commit the crime that I am doing now? And to the one I proclaimed my so-called-love to? “Two,” Daesung continued, I knew his finger itched to pull the trigger and kill Alecto. I, myself, would have done the same. But if Alecto dies, Hyosun will grieve; and I don’t want to be the cause of it. I can’t kill her. “One.”

I love Lee Hyosun.

I rapidly lashed out, knocking Daesung’s rifle out of aim. The gun shot rang clear.

“What the – what are you doing!?” Daesung demanded as my actions had caused him to miss. Taking advantage of his confusion, I grabbed his shirt, dragged him over to the skylight, hooked my leg around his, and flipped him over my back. In his shock, he went without protest, crashing through the skylight and landing with a heavy thump on the church floor. He won’t die, probably just windblown and a concussion.

“Park Yoochun!” Alecto cried. I spun around and saw that she had moved her position so that she can see me: she must have heard the gun shot and all the commotion Daesung made. Hyosun wasn’t in my line of vision yet. Alecto’s eyes travelled down to the rifle I still held in my fingers. Oh what a pose to be found in. Alecto quickly pointed her gun at me as soon as Hyosun appeared. Hyosun was confused, no less, as to why Alecto would be aiming at the roof. But as she turned around and saw me…..Alecto shot.
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Author's Note: Hello everyone! Hisoka would like to make the excuse that she just had a surgery for a torn ACL and a ripped meniscus, and thus, had no time to update “Deceiving the Gods”. And she would also like to announce that the periods between updates will become two weeks long instead of one week.
Obsidian Theatre would also like to present the poster created by both Amaya and Hisoka. We hope you all like it.
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| Always Keep the Faith |