Tears of the Poor 6/?
Title: Tears of the Poor 6/?
Pairing: Yunho/Jaejoong/Junsu, Siwon/Hangeng/Heechul, Yoochun/Nichkhun/Chansung,
Rating: NC-17
Disclaimer: They are not mine to run through space, sabotage governments and overthrow evil politicians with.
Summary: With his life threatened on ShinKi, Yunho heads to Doushite, the underdeveloped planet Jaejoong and Changmin are from. The atmosphere is tense, at best. ShinKi is destroying the Doushiten way of life just because of the deep veins of gold running through the picturesque mountains. They don't know who they can trust when it comes to trying to free Doushite from the clutches of a greedy empire.
This is a sequel to the fic: Pleasures of the Mighty.
The pleasures of the mighty, are the tears of the poor. A song will outlive the sermons in the memory. = Kim Jaejoong's tattoos
Poster credit goes to 0xkaiia0x
Part 6: The Terrain
The sun was shining brightly when they finally were free of the caves. It sparkled off the snow around them and blinded them no matter where they looked. Yunho stopped at the entrance to the cave and stared in awe at the scenery before him. He’d only seen such wilderness in books or on television or on the computer. Never had he dreamed to actually step in so much snow. The side of the mountain sloped sharply down. Evergreen trees and the bare white trunks of other trees shot up from the snow. The white expanse was only interrupted by animal tracks and small trails formed by rolling snow.
Changmin said something to Jaejoong in Doushiten and Jaejoong nodded. “We’ll be careful.”
“What?” Junsu asked.
“The biggest danger out here isn’t wild bear,” Jaejoong said. “It’s … I don’t know the word for it in Shinki. But a lot of snow falling all the once and sliding down the mountain.”
“An avalanche,” Yesung said. “They’re very common in the mountains of Inhyung.”
“We’ll walk diagonal, the horses first,” Jaejoong said, “so we can follow in the path they make. We’ll use ropes again, just in case we need to pull someone out of the snow. But first, Changmin, clear some snow and see if you can find some wood dry enough for a fire. I’ll be back in ten minutes.”
Yunho grabbed his arm. “Where are you going?”
Jaejoong smirked and pulled an arrow from his quiver. The sharp stone at the end almost gleamed in the sun. “Hunting.”
“Be careful,” Yunho whispered.
Jaejoong nodded, pressed their lips together and headed down the mountain. Snow gathered together and tumbled down the hill. Even though the snow came up to Jaejoong’s knees, it barely impeded him. Yunho smiled and reminded himself again that Jaejoong was in his element.
Changmin pulled Chansung away from Yoochun and handed him one of the torches. The light had flared in the oxygen rich air. Changmin showed him how to hold the flame to the snow and melt enough of it off to form a flat surface. He sent Nichkhun, Yesung, Shindong, Hyunseung and Yoseob into the cave to search for slightly dry wood. He sent Dongwoon and Siwon and Hangeng into the forest to search for dry evergreen branches that would serve as kindling.
“At least it’s not nearly as cold and damp,” Yoona said, clutching her coat more tightly around her.
Junsu smiled, and said nothing. He’d done nothing more than shut his eyes, head tilted back, soaking up the sun. Yunho kept a hold of his hand, and he squeezed it every now and again.
“Will you ever tell me what Yoochun did to you?” Yunho whispered.
Junsu stiffened and shook his head. “You’ll kill him, if you know.”
“I already have a pretty good idea. And I might kill him anyway.”
“Details aren’t always a good thing,” Junsu said. “Jaejoong … Jaejoong said that living in the past upsets your future. It’s hard not to think of it when I’m in the dark like that cavern, but here with you next to me and the sun on my face, I don’t think about it at all.”
“Good,” Yunho pulled him close and their lips met. Lust stirred low in his stomach. It’d been awhile since he’d gone more than a couple days without sharing a bed with his lovers.
“You need to shave,” Junsu whispered, rubbing his cheek along Yunho’s.
“You, too,” Yunho said, though Junsu’s scruff wasn’t nearly as long as Yunho’s.
“What do you use to shave in this world?” Junsu asked.
Changmin smirked. “A knife.”
“Huh?”
“That’s all a razor is,” Changmin reminded him.
“I volunteer to shave Yoochun’s neck,” Heechul said.
“I volunteer to shave your balls,” Yoochun shot back. “Seonhee doesn’t need them.”
“Soenhee has a bigger set of balls than you ever will,” Heechul said. “So does Yoona.”
“Fuck you!”
Yunho wondered if he should intervene; instead, he looked down at Junsu and kissed him again. “I miss you in bed, love.”
“Hm, same here. But we have enough blankets, maybe we can roll up together in a few of them and generate some body warmth.”
Yunho laughed. “If we’re lucky.”
A few minutes later, Changmin had the beginnings of a fire going, and blankets were put in a circle around it. Yunho sat with Junsu on one side and Yoona on the other, wrapped up in furs and blankets.
Changmin took three sticks and put two of them into the snow on either side of the fire. He built up more snow around them and tested the give on each one to make sure they were steady. The third one, he stripped of bark and then ran it through the flames quickly. It smoked just a little and he nodded in satisfaction.
In a twist of incredible speed, Changmin had his bow up and an arrow nocked and pointed to the trees. A moment later, Jaejoong appeared. He had something flung over his shoulder and was dragging something else. Changmin lowered his bow and moved to help him.
“Those with weak stomachs may not want to watch this,” Changmin said. “I need a knife.”
Jaejoong held up what looked like a big, fat rabbit. Using a sharp stone, he dug into its body and cut it open. The inside sloshed out and stained the snow red.
“Oh gross,” Yoona whispered and buried her face in Yunho’s shoulder.
Yunho stopped watching too, and instead looked in the flames. He remembered the burning pain in his throat and stomach when he drank that poison. Technically, he wasn’t “fully recovered” just yet. Seungri had wanted him to rest for at least three months before doing anything strenuous. That was part of their master plan on going on the honeymoon: convalescence.
Yunho did not regret it though. If he’d stayed on Shinki, he’d be dead. And if he’d gone to SHINee, would soldiers had waited for them? Arrested them? Separated him from Jaejoong and Changmin? He wasn’t sure. He didn’t want to find out.
An chunk of meat was suddenly thrust over the fire, speared on the stick Changmin had cleaned. Yunho wasn’t sure he could eat it after watching its insides slop out of its body. And then he smelled it and his mouth watered. It’d been too many days without real food, without sweet meat. Junsu’s stomach rumbled, and Yoona laughed.
After few minutes, Jaejoong sat next to Junsu and pressed a kiss to his cheek. Jaejoong’s skin was flushed pink and he had a huge smile on his face.
“What’s that happy face for?” Junsu asked.
Jaejoong laughed and rubbed their noses together. “You, for one.”
Junsu’s cheeks went almost as pink as Jaejoong’s.
Jaejoong wrapped his arms around Junsu and tucked him under his chin. “And it’s good to be home, good to be out hunting and under the sky and sun. I didn’t realize how much I’ve missed this.”
Yunho stretched his arm around Jaejoong’s shoulders, pulling them both back toward him. “And it’s good to see you smiling.”
Jaejoong’s smile widened and their lips met for a moment. “You need to shave.”
“So do you.”
Changmin laughed. “Does the womanly prince have a few chin hairs?”
“Shut up, Legs,” Jaejoong muttered and rubbed his chin. “My hair is lighter, so you can’t see it.”
“Even after seven years, that’s still your excuse?”
Jaejoong muttered something in Doushiten.
Between the two of them, Changmin definitely had more facial hair, though it was centered around his lips and chin.
Yunho smiled, and then remembered something Changmin had said in the cave. “This isn’t your land?” he said. “Changmin said we were in his kingdom.”
Changmin nodded as he rotated the spit over the fire. “This mountain ridge is the border between our lands. None of you probably saw it, but there was a marker about halfway through the cave system. This is the Shim Kingdom.”
Jaejoong watched Changmin carefully before saying, “Before … well, at this vantage point, you would have been able to see the Shim Castle on the opposite side of this valley. It’s still a four day journey.”
“Before the Shinki bastards blew it up,” Changmin muttered.
“Is that where we’re headed?” Yoona asked.
Changmin inhaled and said, “No. We’re going further North. There is a stronghold at the edge of my kingdom. If there are a group of rebels, they’re probably holed up there.”
“Or they’re in Han,” Jaejoong said, looking at Hangeng.
Changmin shook his head. “That’s too far away. When we flew over, everything looked fine until we got to your castle. It didn’t look like anyone was here. I have two theories about this. One, that the gold they are after is heaviest in the Jumon Mountains.”
“Or?”
Changmin smirked. “They underestimated us, and it’s the only place they have control of.”
Jaejoong nodded.
“There wasn’t a single, non-Shinki person at your castle,” Yunho said.
“That we saw, or that saw us,” Jaejoong said. “When I was walking through the tunnels, I saw a few. They’re servants, and I’m sure you know what that means in Shinki standards.”
Yunho nodded.
“If there are so many rebels,” Yoochun said, spitting out the word, “how come we haven’t seen any yet?”
“We’re too close to the Kim Castle,” Changmin said. “And just because we haven’t seen them, doesn’t mean they haven’t seen us. We’re a big group, and two or three master trackers could easily be watching us right now without us knowing.”
Yoochun and a few others looked around the trees. The sky was darkening quickly, and the temperature dropping.
“We’ll stay here after we eat,” Changmin said, “and then head out in the morning.”
“Good idea.”
“This place is kind of scary,” Shindong whispered from across the fire.
“Only because you’re used to the lights of a city,” Yesung said. “It’s almost like home.”
“What is Inhyung like?” Junsu asked.
Yesung smiled and waved his hand around. “Like this, but a bit more technologically advanced. Between here and ShinKi. I love being outdoors. My family had a home on a mountain like this, and walking and playing in the snow was one of my favorite things. In the summer, it was cool, not hot, and we fished and hunted in the woods.”
“With bows?” Hangeng asked.
Yesung shook his head. “Sometimes. I preferred knives. I could hit a rabbit before it even knew it was no longer alone.”
Changmin, Jaejoong and Hangeng all smiled, like they knew exactly what that was like, and Yunho figured they did.
“Is that food done yet?” Yoochun whined.
Changmin scowled at him. “The only reason why we’re going to feed you is because we don’t want to listen to you bitch if you’re hungry.”
“Cut out his tongue,” Heechul muttered sleepily, barely lifting his head from where it rested on Siwon’s shoulder.
-}|{-
Yunho woke up to whispered conversations in Doushiten. He groaned, back stiff and shifted. The conversation broke off for a moment, and then started up again. Fingers trailed along the scruff at his jaw and down his neck. Everything ached, and he was cold.
“Yunho?”
He grunted in response.
Jaejoong chuckled. “Time to get up.” Lips pressed against his forehead. The other body next to his shifted, and Junsu whimpered, burying his face deeper into Yunho’s body.
“Is there coffee yet?”
Jaejoong laughed again. “No, pabo.”
“Then I’m not waking up.”
“Are you suddenly channeling Yoochun?” Heechul demanded.
Yunho smiled. He took a deep breath and carefully sat up. The bones in his back readjusted and snapped. He moaned, stretching above him. Junsu rearranged with his head in Yunho’s lap, lips in a pout.
“Come on,” Jaejoong said. “We’re getting started early. We can’t waste daylight.”
Yunho nodded. Every morning since they’d left the caverns they’d started as early as possible. Jaejoong said they were lucky they hadn’t been hit by a storm yet, and Changmin had muttered something that sounded like death. Yunho hadn’t replied, because he knew that they wouldn’t survive the cold. So far, the weather had been cooperative.
More than Yoochun anyway. Chansung and Nichkhun stayed by him, but the alcohol withdrawals left him sweaty, pale and nauseous most days. Which meant he was an utter bitch to everyone, including the two people who actually seemed to care.
Changmin had said it would take a week to get the compound, but they weren’t moving very fast with so many of them not used to snow. They stayed tied together on the steep, snow-covered slopes. And at least once a day, one of them lost their footing and pulled them all down the hill.
Yunho loved the snow, but he was so tired of it already. He wanted to be warm and in a bed and a bath with more to eat than just meat. Without Jaejoong, Changmin and Hangeng’s hunting skills, they all would have starved.
Junsu whined, and Yunho smiled down at him, running his fingers over the light dusting of hair on his cheeks. Junsu opened his eyes and turned his head, blinking up at Yunho. With a smile, Yunho bent down and kissed him. Junsu whimpered again, but followed the tug on his arms and sat up. He almost eagerly climbed into Yunho’s lap, forgetting the fact that he didn’t want to get up two seconds ago. Yunho laughed and kissed him deeply, arms around his waist. Fingers trailed through his hair, tugging lightly, and Yunho turned his face to kiss Jaejoong, too.
“Come on, sarang-deul,” Jaejoong whispered.
Junsu faced scrunched into an adorable, irritated pout. “I’m horny.”
“So am I,” Jaejoong said. “But we can’t until we’re alone.”
“We could,” Junsu said and looked around the circle. “I’m horny enough that I don’t care who’s watching.”
“Soon, love,” Jaejoong said, and kissed him softly. “We’re almost there, and then, hopefully, we’ll have some privacy.”
Junsu nodded and let their lips linger.
Changmin said something in Doushite, and Jaejoong pulled away and nodded. He stood up and continued their conversation.
Yunho let himself hold Junsu for a few more moments before standing up. Jaejoong pressed a quick kiss to his lips, and then turned around to shout something at Changmin in Doushiten. Junsu yawned as he took Yunho’s offered hand to stand up. He curled into Yunho’s embrace, shivering.
The air was cool with the sun barely peeking over the eastern mountains. The snow and the sky were tinged pink by the sunlight. White puffy clouds filled the sky to the west.
“It is so beautiful here,” Yoona whispered next to him.
Yunho smiled down at her. “Cold, but yes, it is.” He moved closer to the fire and accepted a slab of meet from Yesung with a nod of thanks.
Jaejoong, Changmin and Hangeng talked quickly and quietly. He couldn’t understand the vocabulary they were using, and even Heechul and Siwon were frowning at them in confusing.
Heechul caught Yunho’s gaze and shrugged. “Don’t know. Something about watching.”
Changmin broke from the trio and started shoving those still asleep with his feet to wake them up. He kicked Yoochun a little harder than necessary. Jaejoong called everyone to break camp. It was almost routine now: folding blankets, putting out the fire, securing themselves with ropes. It was tiring. Yunho hoped they arrived at the outpost soon.
“How much farther?” Yoseob asked.
Changmin and Jaejoong met each others’ eyes across the dying fire. “Two days, maybe three.”
Jaejoong opened his mouth and then shut it.
Yunho had a feeling they were hiding something, and when Jaejoong met his eyes, Yunho knew he was right.
But he trusted Jaejoong, and if no one else did, at least they knew that without him and Changmin and Hangeng, they’d all be dead.
Yoochun could barely move anything more than he mouth. He cussed out Chansung and Nichkhun when they touched him and after a heated debate in Doushiten that Heechul interjected with, “Just leave him here” occasionally, Jaejoong and Changmin decided to create a makeshift gurney from blankets and wood. It wasn’t comfortable (as Yoochun consistently pointed out), but it was easy for Chansung and Nichkhun to take turns dragging through the snow.
After the eighth time that Yoochun snapped at them for jarring it on purpose, Changmin said, “We can tie you to the back of a horse and pull you through its shit.”
Yoochun glared at him, but kept his mouth shut.
Yunho squinted against the sun glistening on the snow. A gust of wind tossed powder at their faces, and then continued to blow. It was only a breeze, but coming off the mountain tops, it blew cold. Yunho tried to huddle deeper in his coat. Junsu’s teeth chattered, and Yunho wished he could pull him closer to keep him warm.
The sun rose steadily, but the wind stole its warmth. Up, forever moving up. Yunho’s legs burned from the exertion.
Jaejoong made an executive decision not to stop for lunch and rest, fearing that a storm would overtake them while they slept.
They crested a hill and stopped for a moment. On the horizon were dark, gray clouds, billowing over a far mountain top.
Jaejoong swore in Doushiten, but didn’t stop and led them along the ridge of the mountain. Both sides sloped down sharply, one side covered in dense trees, the other in scraggly, brown vegetation and snow drifts. A frozen river cut through the valley.
The temperature dropped again, wind gusting snow at them and over the ridge. They plowed through snow drifts and slipped over loose rocks. Yunho felt half frozen by the time the ridge ended and tapered down a steep slope. Jaejoong kept going, unrelenting down the steep incline. Yoona stumbled into Yunho and half of them lost their footing and slid through the snow. Heavy sheets fell off in front of them, cascading down the side.
“Jaejoong!” Changmin shouted.
Jaejoong held up his hand and stopped only long enough for them to get back to their feet. He led them up the next incline at the same pace. The sun climbed through the sky, light wavering through the blowing snow. Over the next ridge, the trees thickened, providing a bit of relief from the wind, but casting shadows over the snow. They had to stop soon; Yunho wasn’t sure how much longer he could withstand the cold, and he was strong compared to Chansung and Nichkhun who refused to let anyone help them with Yoochun’s gurney.
The horses whinnied and balked. Changmin cursed, but Jaejoong had stopped. He looked around them, through the trees. In the next moment, he bow was up, an arrow pointed to the left. Everyone froze.
A whistle cut through the air, followed by a dull thwack.
Jaejoong did not flinch, even though an arrow had embedded itself in the tree right next to him. At eye level.
Hangeng had his bow up, as did Changmin. All pointed different directions.
Another arrow cut through the air, hitting near Yoona. She yelped and jumped against Yunho.
Deep laughter echoed around them, and then six figures melted from the trees. They were all dressed warmly with thick, white, fur-lined coats with hoods, and boots up to their knees. They all carried bows, pointed at Jaejoong, Hangeng, and Changmin.
“Who are you?” one asked, in Doushiten.
Jaejoong said his name.
All six of them stared at him with wide eyes. And then the first that had spoken hardened his face, pulled the arrow back and said, “Kim Jaejoong is dead. You will join him now.”
Part 7: The Tribe
Part 5: The Trail
Part 4: The Transformation
Part 3: The Tunnels
Part 2: The Trap
Part 1: The Trip
.
Pairing: Yunho/Jaejoong/Junsu, Siwon/Hangeng/Heechul, Yoochun/Nichkhun/Chansung,
Rating: NC-17
Disclaimer: They are not mine to run through space, sabotage governments and overthrow evil politicians with.
Summary: With his life threatened on ShinKi, Yunho heads to Doushite, the underdeveloped planet Jaejoong and Changmin are from. The atmosphere is tense, at best. ShinKi is destroying the Doushiten way of life just because of the deep veins of gold running through the picturesque mountains. They don't know who they can trust when it comes to trying to free Doushite from the clutches of a greedy empire.
This is a sequel to the fic: Pleasures of the Mighty.
The pleasures of the mighty, are the tears of the poor. A song will outlive the sermons in the memory. = Kim Jaejoong's tattoos
Poster credit goes to 0xkaiia0x
Part 6: The Terrain
The sun was shining brightly when they finally were free of the caves. It sparkled off the snow around them and blinded them no matter where they looked. Yunho stopped at the entrance to the cave and stared in awe at the scenery before him. He’d only seen such wilderness in books or on television or on the computer. Never had he dreamed to actually step in so much snow. The side of the mountain sloped sharply down. Evergreen trees and the bare white trunks of other trees shot up from the snow. The white expanse was only interrupted by animal tracks and small trails formed by rolling snow.
Changmin said something to Jaejoong in Doushiten and Jaejoong nodded. “We’ll be careful.”
“What?” Junsu asked.
“The biggest danger out here isn’t wild bear,” Jaejoong said. “It’s … I don’t know the word for it in Shinki. But a lot of snow falling all the once and sliding down the mountain.”
“An avalanche,” Yesung said. “They’re very common in the mountains of Inhyung.”
“We’ll walk diagonal, the horses first,” Jaejoong said, “so we can follow in the path they make. We’ll use ropes again, just in case we need to pull someone out of the snow. But first, Changmin, clear some snow and see if you can find some wood dry enough for a fire. I’ll be back in ten minutes.”
Yunho grabbed his arm. “Where are you going?”
Jaejoong smirked and pulled an arrow from his quiver. The sharp stone at the end almost gleamed in the sun. “Hunting.”
“Be careful,” Yunho whispered.
Jaejoong nodded, pressed their lips together and headed down the mountain. Snow gathered together and tumbled down the hill. Even though the snow came up to Jaejoong’s knees, it barely impeded him. Yunho smiled and reminded himself again that Jaejoong was in his element.
Changmin pulled Chansung away from Yoochun and handed him one of the torches. The light had flared in the oxygen rich air. Changmin showed him how to hold the flame to the snow and melt enough of it off to form a flat surface. He sent Nichkhun, Yesung, Shindong, Hyunseung and Yoseob into the cave to search for slightly dry wood. He sent Dongwoon and Siwon and Hangeng into the forest to search for dry evergreen branches that would serve as kindling.
“At least it’s not nearly as cold and damp,” Yoona said, clutching her coat more tightly around her.
Junsu smiled, and said nothing. He’d done nothing more than shut his eyes, head tilted back, soaking up the sun. Yunho kept a hold of his hand, and he squeezed it every now and again.
“Will you ever tell me what Yoochun did to you?” Yunho whispered.
Junsu stiffened and shook his head. “You’ll kill him, if you know.”
“I already have a pretty good idea. And I might kill him anyway.”
“Details aren’t always a good thing,” Junsu said. “Jaejoong … Jaejoong said that living in the past upsets your future. It’s hard not to think of it when I’m in the dark like that cavern, but here with you next to me and the sun on my face, I don’t think about it at all.”
“Good,” Yunho pulled him close and their lips met. Lust stirred low in his stomach. It’d been awhile since he’d gone more than a couple days without sharing a bed with his lovers.
“You need to shave,” Junsu whispered, rubbing his cheek along Yunho’s.
“You, too,” Yunho said, though Junsu’s scruff wasn’t nearly as long as Yunho’s.
“What do you use to shave in this world?” Junsu asked.
Changmin smirked. “A knife.”
“Huh?”
“That’s all a razor is,” Changmin reminded him.
“I volunteer to shave Yoochun’s neck,” Heechul said.
“I volunteer to shave your balls,” Yoochun shot back. “Seonhee doesn’t need them.”
“Soenhee has a bigger set of balls than you ever will,” Heechul said. “So does Yoona.”
“Fuck you!”
Yunho wondered if he should intervene; instead, he looked down at Junsu and kissed him again. “I miss you in bed, love.”
“Hm, same here. But we have enough blankets, maybe we can roll up together in a few of them and generate some body warmth.”
Yunho laughed. “If we’re lucky.”
A few minutes later, Changmin had the beginnings of a fire going, and blankets were put in a circle around it. Yunho sat with Junsu on one side and Yoona on the other, wrapped up in furs and blankets.
Changmin took three sticks and put two of them into the snow on either side of the fire. He built up more snow around them and tested the give on each one to make sure they were steady. The third one, he stripped of bark and then ran it through the flames quickly. It smoked just a little and he nodded in satisfaction.
In a twist of incredible speed, Changmin had his bow up and an arrow nocked and pointed to the trees. A moment later, Jaejoong appeared. He had something flung over his shoulder and was dragging something else. Changmin lowered his bow and moved to help him.
“Those with weak stomachs may not want to watch this,” Changmin said. “I need a knife.”
Jaejoong held up what looked like a big, fat rabbit. Using a sharp stone, he dug into its body and cut it open. The inside sloshed out and stained the snow red.
“Oh gross,” Yoona whispered and buried her face in Yunho’s shoulder.
Yunho stopped watching too, and instead looked in the flames. He remembered the burning pain in his throat and stomach when he drank that poison. Technically, he wasn’t “fully recovered” just yet. Seungri had wanted him to rest for at least three months before doing anything strenuous. That was part of their master plan on going on the honeymoon: convalescence.
Yunho did not regret it though. If he’d stayed on Shinki, he’d be dead. And if he’d gone to SHINee, would soldiers had waited for them? Arrested them? Separated him from Jaejoong and Changmin? He wasn’t sure. He didn’t want to find out.
An chunk of meat was suddenly thrust over the fire, speared on the stick Changmin had cleaned. Yunho wasn’t sure he could eat it after watching its insides slop out of its body. And then he smelled it and his mouth watered. It’d been too many days without real food, without sweet meat. Junsu’s stomach rumbled, and Yoona laughed.
After few minutes, Jaejoong sat next to Junsu and pressed a kiss to his cheek. Jaejoong’s skin was flushed pink and he had a huge smile on his face.
“What’s that happy face for?” Junsu asked.
Jaejoong laughed and rubbed their noses together. “You, for one.”
Junsu’s cheeks went almost as pink as Jaejoong’s.
Jaejoong wrapped his arms around Junsu and tucked him under his chin. “And it’s good to be home, good to be out hunting and under the sky and sun. I didn’t realize how much I’ve missed this.”
Yunho stretched his arm around Jaejoong’s shoulders, pulling them both back toward him. “And it’s good to see you smiling.”
Jaejoong’s smile widened and their lips met for a moment. “You need to shave.”
“So do you.”
Changmin laughed. “Does the womanly prince have a few chin hairs?”
“Shut up, Legs,” Jaejoong muttered and rubbed his chin. “My hair is lighter, so you can’t see it.”
“Even after seven years, that’s still your excuse?”
Jaejoong muttered something in Doushiten.
Between the two of them, Changmin definitely had more facial hair, though it was centered around his lips and chin.
Yunho smiled, and then remembered something Changmin had said in the cave. “This isn’t your land?” he said. “Changmin said we were in his kingdom.”
Changmin nodded as he rotated the spit over the fire. “This mountain ridge is the border between our lands. None of you probably saw it, but there was a marker about halfway through the cave system. This is the Shim Kingdom.”
Jaejoong watched Changmin carefully before saying, “Before … well, at this vantage point, you would have been able to see the Shim Castle on the opposite side of this valley. It’s still a four day journey.”
“Before the Shinki bastards blew it up,” Changmin muttered.
“Is that where we’re headed?” Yoona asked.
Changmin inhaled and said, “No. We’re going further North. There is a stronghold at the edge of my kingdom. If there are a group of rebels, they’re probably holed up there.”
“Or they’re in Han,” Jaejoong said, looking at Hangeng.
Changmin shook his head. “That’s too far away. When we flew over, everything looked fine until we got to your castle. It didn’t look like anyone was here. I have two theories about this. One, that the gold they are after is heaviest in the Jumon Mountains.”
“Or?”
Changmin smirked. “They underestimated us, and it’s the only place they have control of.”
Jaejoong nodded.
“There wasn’t a single, non-Shinki person at your castle,” Yunho said.
“That we saw, or that saw us,” Jaejoong said. “When I was walking through the tunnels, I saw a few. They’re servants, and I’m sure you know what that means in Shinki standards.”
Yunho nodded.
“If there are so many rebels,” Yoochun said, spitting out the word, “how come we haven’t seen any yet?”
“We’re too close to the Kim Castle,” Changmin said. “And just because we haven’t seen them, doesn’t mean they haven’t seen us. We’re a big group, and two or three master trackers could easily be watching us right now without us knowing.”
Yoochun and a few others looked around the trees. The sky was darkening quickly, and the temperature dropping.
“We’ll stay here after we eat,” Changmin said, “and then head out in the morning.”
“Good idea.”
“This place is kind of scary,” Shindong whispered from across the fire.
“Only because you’re used to the lights of a city,” Yesung said. “It’s almost like home.”
“What is Inhyung like?” Junsu asked.
Yesung smiled and waved his hand around. “Like this, but a bit more technologically advanced. Between here and ShinKi. I love being outdoors. My family had a home on a mountain like this, and walking and playing in the snow was one of my favorite things. In the summer, it was cool, not hot, and we fished and hunted in the woods.”
“With bows?” Hangeng asked.
Yesung shook his head. “Sometimes. I preferred knives. I could hit a rabbit before it even knew it was no longer alone.”
Changmin, Jaejoong and Hangeng all smiled, like they knew exactly what that was like, and Yunho figured they did.
“Is that food done yet?” Yoochun whined.
Changmin scowled at him. “The only reason why we’re going to feed you is because we don’t want to listen to you bitch if you’re hungry.”
“Cut out his tongue,” Heechul muttered sleepily, barely lifting his head from where it rested on Siwon’s shoulder.
-}|{-
Yunho woke up to whispered conversations in Doushiten. He groaned, back stiff and shifted. The conversation broke off for a moment, and then started up again. Fingers trailed along the scruff at his jaw and down his neck. Everything ached, and he was cold.
“Yunho?”
He grunted in response.
Jaejoong chuckled. “Time to get up.” Lips pressed against his forehead. The other body next to his shifted, and Junsu whimpered, burying his face deeper into Yunho’s body.
“Is there coffee yet?”
Jaejoong laughed again. “No, pabo.”
“Then I’m not waking up.”
“Are you suddenly channeling Yoochun?” Heechul demanded.
Yunho smiled. He took a deep breath and carefully sat up. The bones in his back readjusted and snapped. He moaned, stretching above him. Junsu rearranged with his head in Yunho’s lap, lips in a pout.
“Come on,” Jaejoong said. “We’re getting started early. We can’t waste daylight.”
Yunho nodded. Every morning since they’d left the caverns they’d started as early as possible. Jaejoong said they were lucky they hadn’t been hit by a storm yet, and Changmin had muttered something that sounded like death. Yunho hadn’t replied, because he knew that they wouldn’t survive the cold. So far, the weather had been cooperative.
More than Yoochun anyway. Chansung and Nichkhun stayed by him, but the alcohol withdrawals left him sweaty, pale and nauseous most days. Which meant he was an utter bitch to everyone, including the two people who actually seemed to care.
Changmin had said it would take a week to get the compound, but they weren’t moving very fast with so many of them not used to snow. They stayed tied together on the steep, snow-covered slopes. And at least once a day, one of them lost their footing and pulled them all down the hill.
Yunho loved the snow, but he was so tired of it already. He wanted to be warm and in a bed and a bath with more to eat than just meat. Without Jaejoong, Changmin and Hangeng’s hunting skills, they all would have starved.
Junsu whined, and Yunho smiled down at him, running his fingers over the light dusting of hair on his cheeks. Junsu opened his eyes and turned his head, blinking up at Yunho. With a smile, Yunho bent down and kissed him. Junsu whimpered again, but followed the tug on his arms and sat up. He almost eagerly climbed into Yunho’s lap, forgetting the fact that he didn’t want to get up two seconds ago. Yunho laughed and kissed him deeply, arms around his waist. Fingers trailed through his hair, tugging lightly, and Yunho turned his face to kiss Jaejoong, too.
“Come on, sarang-deul,” Jaejoong whispered.
Junsu faced scrunched into an adorable, irritated pout. “I’m horny.”
“So am I,” Jaejoong said. “But we can’t until we’re alone.”
“We could,” Junsu said and looked around the circle. “I’m horny enough that I don’t care who’s watching.”
“Soon, love,” Jaejoong said, and kissed him softly. “We’re almost there, and then, hopefully, we’ll have some privacy.”
Junsu nodded and let their lips linger.
Changmin said something in Doushite, and Jaejoong pulled away and nodded. He stood up and continued their conversation.
Yunho let himself hold Junsu for a few more moments before standing up. Jaejoong pressed a quick kiss to his lips, and then turned around to shout something at Changmin in Doushiten. Junsu yawned as he took Yunho’s offered hand to stand up. He curled into Yunho’s embrace, shivering.
The air was cool with the sun barely peeking over the eastern mountains. The snow and the sky were tinged pink by the sunlight. White puffy clouds filled the sky to the west.
“It is so beautiful here,” Yoona whispered next to him.
Yunho smiled down at her. “Cold, but yes, it is.” He moved closer to the fire and accepted a slab of meet from Yesung with a nod of thanks.
Jaejoong, Changmin and Hangeng talked quickly and quietly. He couldn’t understand the vocabulary they were using, and even Heechul and Siwon were frowning at them in confusing.
Heechul caught Yunho’s gaze and shrugged. “Don’t know. Something about watching.”
Changmin broke from the trio and started shoving those still asleep with his feet to wake them up. He kicked Yoochun a little harder than necessary. Jaejoong called everyone to break camp. It was almost routine now: folding blankets, putting out the fire, securing themselves with ropes. It was tiring. Yunho hoped they arrived at the outpost soon.
“How much farther?” Yoseob asked.
Changmin and Jaejoong met each others’ eyes across the dying fire. “Two days, maybe three.”
Jaejoong opened his mouth and then shut it.
Yunho had a feeling they were hiding something, and when Jaejoong met his eyes, Yunho knew he was right.
But he trusted Jaejoong, and if no one else did, at least they knew that without him and Changmin and Hangeng, they’d all be dead.
Yoochun could barely move anything more than he mouth. He cussed out Chansung and Nichkhun when they touched him and after a heated debate in Doushiten that Heechul interjected with, “Just leave him here” occasionally, Jaejoong and Changmin decided to create a makeshift gurney from blankets and wood. It wasn’t comfortable (as Yoochun consistently pointed out), but it was easy for Chansung and Nichkhun to take turns dragging through the snow.
After the eighth time that Yoochun snapped at them for jarring it on purpose, Changmin said, “We can tie you to the back of a horse and pull you through its shit.”
Yoochun glared at him, but kept his mouth shut.
Yunho squinted against the sun glistening on the snow. A gust of wind tossed powder at their faces, and then continued to blow. It was only a breeze, but coming off the mountain tops, it blew cold. Yunho tried to huddle deeper in his coat. Junsu’s teeth chattered, and Yunho wished he could pull him closer to keep him warm.
The sun rose steadily, but the wind stole its warmth. Up, forever moving up. Yunho’s legs burned from the exertion.
Jaejoong made an executive decision not to stop for lunch and rest, fearing that a storm would overtake them while they slept.
They crested a hill and stopped for a moment. On the horizon were dark, gray clouds, billowing over a far mountain top.
Jaejoong swore in Doushiten, but didn’t stop and led them along the ridge of the mountain. Both sides sloped down sharply, one side covered in dense trees, the other in scraggly, brown vegetation and snow drifts. A frozen river cut through the valley.
The temperature dropped again, wind gusting snow at them and over the ridge. They plowed through snow drifts and slipped over loose rocks. Yunho felt half frozen by the time the ridge ended and tapered down a steep slope. Jaejoong kept going, unrelenting down the steep incline. Yoona stumbled into Yunho and half of them lost their footing and slid through the snow. Heavy sheets fell off in front of them, cascading down the side.
“Jaejoong!” Changmin shouted.
Jaejoong held up his hand and stopped only long enough for them to get back to their feet. He led them up the next incline at the same pace. The sun climbed through the sky, light wavering through the blowing snow. Over the next ridge, the trees thickened, providing a bit of relief from the wind, but casting shadows over the snow. They had to stop soon; Yunho wasn’t sure how much longer he could withstand the cold, and he was strong compared to Chansung and Nichkhun who refused to let anyone help them with Yoochun’s gurney.
The horses whinnied and balked. Changmin cursed, but Jaejoong had stopped. He looked around them, through the trees. In the next moment, he bow was up, an arrow pointed to the left. Everyone froze.
A whistle cut through the air, followed by a dull thwack.
Jaejoong did not flinch, even though an arrow had embedded itself in the tree right next to him. At eye level.
Hangeng had his bow up, as did Changmin. All pointed different directions.
Another arrow cut through the air, hitting near Yoona. She yelped and jumped against Yunho.
Deep laughter echoed around them, and then six figures melted from the trees. They were all dressed warmly with thick, white, fur-lined coats with hoods, and boots up to their knees. They all carried bows, pointed at Jaejoong, Hangeng, and Changmin.
“Who are you?” one asked, in Doushiten.
Jaejoong said his name.
All six of them stared at him with wide eyes. And then the first that had spoken hardened his face, pulled the arrow back and said, “Kim Jaejoong is dead. You will join him now.”
Part 7: The Tribe
Part 5: The Trail
Part 4: The Transformation
Part 3: The Tunnels
Part 2: The Trap
Part 1: The Trip
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