A Place We Call Home (Chapter 19)
CHAPTER 19
They had finished eating half a strawberry cake. The box sat behind them with their boots on the flat rock while they leaned back on their elbows and let their bare feet touch the water. The late afternoon sun did little to dry the parts of their uniforms that had come into contact with the water when Seohyun decided to go from making small waves to actually spraying some around. She was only aiming for Yoona but things got out of hand when the latter accidentally used her semblance and the lake bed rose, causing the water to bounce up toward them. Both of them gasped at the cold contact then laughed it off almost immediately. Yoona apologized and Seohyun responded with a shrug, their drenched hands finding one another in between their seated positions.
"What do you think would've happened if we ended up as partners?" said Yoona as she ran her thumb along Seohyun's knuckles.
"The thought has crossed my mind but I think the way things are now is better," Seohyun replied, smiling at the feeling of Yoona's fingers slowly fitting in between hers while she spoke.
"Why would you say that? You mean you like having to sneak away from Taeyeon unnie just so we can spend more time together? If we were partners, we wouldn't have to deal with that issue at all."
"I know but look at Yuri unnie and Jessica unnie's situation. It's so complicated."
Yoona had no argument against that. "Right. Good point. You're right as always." She looked down at her hand on top of Seohyun's and then toward Seohyun's eyes - those eyes that she could have met during initiation if only she was brave enough to take chances.
After they were launched from a mechanical spring-board at a cliff-side, the spring morning air met her cheeks and her eyes settled on the calmest scenery she had seen in years. The top view of Emerald Forest was something to behold but it was gone too fast, too soon. She let herself drop down with ease, her feet coming into contact with compressed space that popped like a bubble before she hit the ground. A few steps later, something zoomed past her from behind.
"What the hell?" she mumbled to herself. She followed what looked like a ball of light only with her eyes at first then she ran after it when it started getting farther away. At the end of the trail of trees and bushes, she saw a tall female and the ball of light from earlier perched on her shoulder like a bird on its master. She recalled seeing this girl briefly in the locker room but it was only at this moment that she noticed the important details. Like that face for one. Even from a distance, the rise of her cheeks when she smiled glowed visibly underneath the morning sun and her pink lips stretched into the simplest of smiles. And those eyes... Yoona saw those eyes and at that precise moment she wanted them to meet hers. She took a step forward, her limbs trembling slightly from both nervousness and excitement. Will she even want to be my partner though?
The question hung above her and it then it suddenly didn't matter anymore. The girl was already spoken for. Already partners with someone else. Even before all of this, they were already bound to one another and Yoona would later on find out that there was nothing she could do about it.
She followed the girl to a row of bushes where another figure was present, hunched forward and coughing.
"There you are!" she heard the girl say.
It didn't take her long to figure out that the girl sought the other person out on purpose. They know each other. Maybe they planned this all along. So she went back the way she came and eventually found a partner of her own.
Yoona watched the ripples in the water grow bigger as she wiggled her toes on the surface. She and Seohyun hadn't said anything in a while.
"Taeyeon unnie must be looking for you already. Do you want to go back now?" she asked.
Seohyun shook her head. "No, it's okay. Let's stay here a while longer. It's going to be some time before we'll be able to enjoy something like this again."
"Oooooh..." Yoona drawled, raising her eyebrows at Seohyun. "I don't get to see this rebellious side of you often so I'll cherish that too."
Seohyun smiled. That same smile that drew Yoona in and the one that she decided she would stick around for.
+
The only place she hadn't searched was their dorm room even though that would've been the most obvious choice. As she was about to enter, Tiffany was on her way out, all dolled up and smelling nicer than she usually did.
"Have you seen Seohyun anywhere?" Taeyeon asked.
Tiffany diverted her eyes to the ceiling. pretending to think, then she shrugged. "Don't you have anything else to do other than worry about where Seohyun is and, you know, being a pervert?"
There was that word again. Taeyeon scratched the back of her head in frustration. "How many times do you have keep saying that about me?!"
"What? You're really that offended?"
"YES! I can tolerate the height jokes from Yuri and everyone else better than your insults about me being a pervert! At least the height thing is true!"
"Fine, fine. I'm sorry." Tiffany placed a hand on Taeyeon's arm and smiled. Then her hand slid down to meet Taeyeon's and she pulled her down the hallway.
"What the hell? Where are you taking me?"
"We're going to have dinner with my parents," Tiffany said over her shoulder. Taeyeon was a few steps behind. "Think of it as an apology for repeatedly calling you a pervert."
"Yah! You said it again!"
"Whoops. Right. Anyway, let's go. I don't think Seohyun will be back soon so might as well get something to eat."
"Wait a minute!" Taeyeon pulled her hand back and came to a stop. "Your idea of an apology is putting me at the same dining table as your parents?! Are you kidding me? Right after you told them that I'm a pervert? Are you trying to make things worse?"
Tiffany waved off Taeyeon's concerns. "You're overreacting. Don't worry about whatever I said. They probably didn't take that seriously. Besides, my mom likes you! She thinks you're this harmless human paper."
"What does that even mean?"
Tiffany shrugged and got a hold of Taeyeon's hand once more. For someone who was so hesitant to come along, Taeyeon didn't make it too hard for Tiffany to restrain her. "You can ask her when we meet up with them, okay?" Then out went an eye smile.
Taeyeon shifted her eyes to the side, keeping herself from staring too long. "Never mind. Just lead the way then."
+
The water in between her toes hadn't dried yet and normally that would bother her but she was too preoccupied with unearthed memories and the new ones she just made to give it a second thought. She hid a few giggles as she walked back to her dorm room, her hands safely tucked away in her blazer pockets as if to preserve the warmth that enveloped them moments ago by the lake, and the blush on her cheeks seemingly eternal. She and Yoona had separated somewhere down the hall earlier and even though she detested parting ways, there was something about missing Yoona that made the next meeting all the more special. It had felt that way ever since they first met.
Back in Emerald Forest, she sensed someone following her but was too busy worrying about Taeyeon and her problem with flying. After the initiation, she met the same girl.
"Uhm... hi," she said. Not being one to start conversations, she was unsure of how to go about this. She relaxed into a smile when the girl greeted her back with a small wave.
"I saw you earlier, actually," the girl said.
Seohyun let out a small laugh. "Yeah, I know."
"You knew?!" The girl sounded a bit frantic but her curiosity shone through. "How did you see me? You didn't even turn around."
"Ah. Well, this little guy saw you." Seohyun conjured a small scout on her palm and the girl leaned in close to examine it.
"Woah... Do you mean that you can see anything that this thing can? No matter how far away?"
Seohyun nodded and dismissed the small scout. It disappeared with a fizzle. "Yeah, I can. At least, as far as I can manage."
"That's so cool!"
Seohyun's reply didn't make it out of her mouth when Taeyeon returned to her side. "Oh, this is my partner, Taeyeon unnie."
"Oh. Uh, hi. I'm Yoona." She extended a hand toward the shorter girl and the latter shook it briefly. "I don't think I got your name though," she told Seohyun.
"Ah! Of course. Sorry about that. I'm Seohyun. It's nice to meet you, Yoona."
They shook hands and Seohyun told Taeyeon about how she and Yoona almost met in Emerald Forest.
"I was gonna go up to her but she was with someone else already so..." Yoona trailed off. She looked at Seohyun and then at Taeyeon and then she held her tongue.
Seohyun turned to Taeyeon, sensing that her partner had something to do with Yoona's sudden muteness. Unsurprisingly, she found Taeyeon scowling at their acquaintance. She hid a sigh before facing Yoona again. "Taeyeon unnie is just a bit under the weather. Flying isn't really her thing."
"I see." Yoona let out a slight laugh, no longer daring to meet Taeyeon's gaze a second time. It was a good thing that
Professor Hyun Bin was about to start his speech for the orientation. They all faced forward and afterwards said their goodbyes.
"I'll see you around, Seohyun," said Yoona, waving while walking backwards.
Seohyun waved back. "Soon!"
Their goodbyes have evolved since then. Seohyun liked the hugs more and the hesitation that both of them feel when they have to let go of each other's hands before they part. And that forehead kiss. She was a light sleeper and even if she wasn't, she still would've woken up to that gentle warmth that reminded her of hot chocolate on a rainy morning. It also didn't hurt that Yoona constantly smelled like sweets.
She touched a finger to her lips and smiled, all too aware of where she would want that sweet warmth next. And before she could think farther than that, two figures approached from behind.
"Oh, where have you two been?" she asked as she turned around.
"I should be the one asking you that," Taeyeon replied. "Don't tell me you were with-"
"Anyway..." Tiffany got in between her teammates. She knew where Seohyun was and she agreed to keep it a secret. This was her following through with that promise. "Whatever you did, I hope you had fun, Seohyun. Me and TaeTae had early dinner with my parents." She turned to Taeyeon who had a seemingly permanent scowl etched on her face. "I told you that they didn't take that pervert joke seriously. They really do like you!"
Taeyeon released a breath and her shoulders fell. "Really? Wasn't it a bit awkward though?"
"No, it wasn't! That's all just in your head. Besides, if you really felt awkward with them you wouldn't have eaten that much ice cream in front of them!"
"Hm..."
Taeyeon thought back to how it started.
After she and Tiffany were seated across from the latter's parents, she fiddled with her hands underneath the tablecloth.
She met their eyes and smiled from time to time but she couldn't bear maintaining prolonged contact.
She left Tiffany to initiate conversations while she nodded and silently minded her food. After the usual introductory matters like where Taeyeon was from and what her parents did for a living, the Hwang spouses brought up some things from Tiffany's childhood, causing Tiffany to shy away and fake groans. Taeyeon watched her cringe from the corner of her eye and couldn't help but think that she wouldn't mind seeing this side of Tiffany more often.
Sure, there was something temptingly challenging about Tiffany's usual flair and she admittedly found that attractive, but she had enough hurdles in her life and she could honestly use something easier to handle. Something that she could fall back into and would never have to get up from. Some way to relieve herself from the many burdens that came from nowhere and were forced upon her. Somewhere safe to run to. Or someone.
Oh god, no. She mentally slapped herself in the face and sighed.
"TaeTae, what's wrong?"
"Nothing." Taeyeon cleared her throat and turned the door knob. "Let's all get some rest while we can." She turned to Seohyun who hadn't said anything in a while. She knew who her dongsaeng was with and that she was wrong to push the issue once again. She couldn't help it. Seohyun is her best friend and ever since she found out that Yoona almost got ahead of her during initiation, she guarded her position with a passion that burned like jealousy.
She knew that Yoona looked at Seohyun differently and that it was something beyond the friendship that she sought to protect. She respected that to some extent but her stubborn self was too caught up in the fear of losing her best friend in whatever way. Yoona was definitely on top of that list. Still, she must have needed more comforting. Poor kid.
"Unnie, what's wrong? Are you sick?" Seohyun asked as she rubbed Taeyeon's back.
Taeyeon shook her head. "No. I think I just ate too much ice cream."
Tiffany laughed and so did Seohyun a few seconds later when she got over her worry. Taeyeon let out a cackle and they laughed all the more when they got inside their dorm room.
+
Their beds were still joined and they didn't bother or remember to put them back the way they were. Yuri was lying on her bed but her head rested atop two of Jessica's pillows. Her head was killing her again. Whatever Mrs. Hwang did to her during the fight, it didn't want to go away. She closed her eyes in hopes of relieving some of the pain.
But that didn't last long. She opened her eyes the moment she heard Jessica move away from her side. "Wait." She caught
Jessica's wrist and she sat up. "Don't leave."
"Do you need anything from downstairs? More water?"
Yuri shook her head. She pulled Jessica toward her until they were both side by side on the bed, facing each other. Then she pulled Jessica even closer until Jessica's head was under her chin and she could feel Jessica's breaths on her neck. She closed her eyes, tired from thinking and from the splitting headache. She felt Jessica's arm settle on her waist and she held on even tighter... If that was even possible at this point where they were lying flush against each other.
Jessica pressed her forehead to Yuri's collarbone and sighed. A feeling of longing was wedged in her chest, telling her that this closeness wasn't enough. No matter how tightly Yuri held her or how long, she knew she would never be satisfied. And maybe that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. She relaxed into the bear hug and savored the silence that followed before Yuri spoke up.
Yuri told Jessica what happened during the sparring match with the Hwang spouses, how she and Sooyoung were doing so well until they started running out of aura too fast, and how she managed to decently use her semblance. "And if it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have lasted five seconds in that fight." She lowered herself to meet Jessica's eyes and touched their foreheads to one another. "So... thank you."
Jessica's brows rose and she smiled. "You should give yourself some credit too. You worked really hard to improve yourself. And I'm so proud of you."
I'm so proud of you, echoed the words in Yuri's thoughts. That's what she told me before she kissed me the first time. And just like how she lost the ability to speak all those days ago, she suddenly couldn't think of anything to reply with. She held Jessica tighter again and closed her eyes.
Both of them succumbed to slumber. Unusually, Jessica broke away from it first. She slowly moved her head from under Yuri's chin and saw that Yuri was still asleep. She kissed the exposed cheek and sat up, watching Yuri from the bedside.
The door opened a few seconds after and Yoona walked in. Had she gotten there a bit earlier, the timing would've been perfect. Jessica heaved a sigh, grateful that her dongsaeng wasn't fortunate enough to have seen the intimate moment.
"You're back," she said as she stood up. She was on her way to the bathroom only to be stopped by an ear-splitting noise.
"Yes unnie~~"
"Oh my god!" It was Yoona's squeaky baby voice. Jessica automatically groaned. "Why are you so annoyingly happy all of a sudden?"
"Cut me some slack. I was so fragile last night and now I'm not. So..." Yoona flashed a wide grin before she continued: "Just be happy for me unnie~~"
"Okay, okay! Just please stop using that voice." Jessica tugged on an ear and narrowed her eyes at her dongsaeng. "So... I'm guessing Seohyun has something to do with your good mood?"
Yoona shrugged. "Maybe. Maybe not. Do you really want to know?"
"Of course I do. That's why I asked."
"Well, how about this? I'll answer your question if you answer one of mine."
"Oh no. Why do I have a bad feeling about this?"
"Maybe because you're hiding something." Yoona wiggled her eyebrows at Jessica. "You and Yuri unnie that is."
Jessica shifted her weight on one foot and placed her hands on her hips. She kept a straight face - the one that their friends dubbed as her resting bitch face. "That's for me to know and you to find out."
Yoona raised her hands in surrender. "O-kaaaay. If you say so." She no longer got a reply from Jessica and the latter continued on her way to the bathroom. "Oh wait, unnie. Is it okay if I shower first? 'Cause I feel sticky from playing with Hyunnie all day." She finished with a sly, teasing, slightly evil smirk.
"Wait. What?!"
That definitely got Jessica's full attention. Yoona giggled to herself.
"What? What?! What does that-Where?! When? How? What do you mean?!" Jessica felt like a mother interrogating her child while the said child ignored her and shrugged her questions off. "Im Yoona! What do you mean you feel all sticky after playing with Seohyun?!!"
Yoona closed the bathroom door behind her and left Jessica tripping over her words, thinking: Heh. Your turn to deal with the suspense, unnie!
Outside, Jessica was thinking the exact same thing. She just stood there, dumbfounded, itching to find out what exactly Yoona meant by 'sticky' and 'playing with Seohyun.' A few ideas came to mind. Yah! What the fuck does she mean?!
She paced near Yuri's bedside, her eyes darting from Yuri's sleeping form to the wall and then back. Repeatedly. Too many times if she really counted. When she finally sat down, Yuri still didn't stir from her slumber. Yoona was still in the bathroom. She could hear the running water from the shower. She let another minute pass before gently shaking Yuri's shoulder.
"Yuri-yah, wake up."
"Mmnnn..." Yuri rolled onto her other side and hugged another one of Jessica's stray pillows.
Jessica let out a sigh. She could see that Yuri needed to rest some more and this probably wasn't the best time to discuss her exaggerated thoughts about what Yoona and Seohyun could have been doing all day.
"Never mind," she said in a mumble. She lied on her back next to Yuri and played with the ends of her hair. She couldn't fall back asleep even if she tried. She released a lungful of air instead and it came out louder than she expected.
"Sica?" went a lazy groan. Yuri sat up slightly, still hugging Jessica's pillow, and peeked through her disheveled hair. "What's wrong?"
"Tsk. Something's just bothering me. It might be nothing, though. I'm just a bit paranoid," Jessica admitted. She tucked the stray strands of Yuri's hair behind her ears then cupped Yuri's cheeks. "You should go back to sleep."
"What about you? Aren't you going to rest?"
"I'm okay. I'm not that sleepy."
Yuri laughed and she felt Jessica's hands leave her cheeks. "Now that's one sentence I never thought I'd hear from you."
Jessica pursed her lips and turned away.
"Hey, hey. I was just kidding." Yuri put the pillow aside and inched closer to the pouting Jessica. "Seriously, what's bothering you?"
It wasn't like Jessica could resist when Yuri looked at her like that. And at this very close distance. She told Yuri what Yoona said earlier about needing a shower because she felt sticky from playing with Seohyun all day. "So what do you think she meant?"
"I dunno. What kind of games get you sticky anyway?"
Jessica rolled her eyes. She didn't believe for a second that Yoona meant something as juvenile as a real game. "I don't think it's a game game, Yuri-yah . Maybe she meant... you know..."
"Huh?"
"Yuri-yah! Seriously..."
"Hee~" Yuri's wide grin dwindled into a smirk as she bit on her lip and snaked an arm around Jessica's waist. Her free hand fit against Jessica's jaw line and she lied back down, taking Jessica with her.
Jessica supported her weight with one hand on the pillow that Yuri set aside and a knee in between Yuri's legs. She felt Yuri's hand on the small of her back and with a prodding push she settled herself on top of her partner, leaving their faces the only parts of them not touching.
It didn't take Yuri long to fix that.
She ran a hand through Jessica's hair and pulled her down for their lips to meet in the ever-growing familiarity of each other's touch. She felt Jessica sigh into the kiss and the warmth from that breath reached all the way down to her abdomen where it turned into a quiver that ran to her toes. "Jessica..." she managed to say. Seconds later, the name got lost in a trail of soft kisses from her mouth to her cheek and down her neck. She heard herself moan and she felt Jessica pull away. She blinked, wondering if she had done something wrong. "What is it?"
Jessica shook her head as she tried to catch her breath. The heat inside the room was stifling. As she leaned forward to capture Yuri's lips once more, Yuri rolled them over and re-established the kiss herself. Jessica's hands came together behind Yuri's neck and she let Yuri melt into her, taking as much warmth as she could take no matter how breathless she felt. Yuri's lips were moist against hers and she tasted the same salty sweetness that she got the first time she kissed Yuri's cheek. That memorable sensation that she was starting to get addicted to.
"Are you feeling sticky yet?" Yuri whispered against Jessica's parted lips.
"A bit, yeah," Jessica whispered back. She could feel her uniform top sticking to her chest and her back, already drenched in sweat. She sat up and Yuri leaned back in reaction to the motion. She lowered her hands to Yuri's shoulders and breathed out, every bone in her body aching to continue whatever it was that she and Yuri were doing. Only a sliver of common sense kept her from doing so. Yoona was only a door away after all.
"So do you still think this is what Yoong meant?" Yuri asked in between breaths. Sweat clung to her like the plague and the throbbing in her head had moved elsewhere.
Jessica had long since forgotten about what she thought Yoona meant. All she knew was that she needed a long, cold shower. Fast.
+
They had arrived at the void.
It was as barren as she expected. She looked on and saw nothing but the expanse of darkness before her. That and the horde of Grimm that marched past her in the hundreds. Their now-black eyes glazed over her and she felt a tinge of guilt. She knew that they were mindless the beginning of their existence and it made no sense that she felt sorry for what she had helped do to them. If they were slaves to their nature before, now they were slaves to her will. To hers and Bob's that is. Whatever he did to them and how, she didn't bother finding out. For as long she got what she wanted for Remnant, the specifics didn't matter.
"But this wasn't what I expected," she muttered to herself. Beyond the hundreds of Grimm that she could see were thousands more and beyond those was a number that she knew didn't exist. When she turned away, she saw members of the White Fang huddled together around a small fire. They stopped talking when she approached.
"Is there something you need, ma'am?" one of them asked. The cat ears above her head twitched.
"No. And what did I say about calling me 'ma'am?'"
The female faunus bowed her head before responding: "You told us not to call you that. I apologize."
"There's no need for that. I just want to make sure that everyone remembers that I'm not doing this for a title or a position.
I'm not a headmaster or a CEO of a major company. Or a rebellion leader. Is that clear?"
"Yes."
Sunny gave the girl a small smile. The female faunus returned it and relaxed into a seated position by the fire, her ears twitching in time with the small, flickering flame. Sunny left the group and a random thought crossed her mind: Reminds me of Blake. She paused for a second to wonder where her upperclassman had gone. She knew Blake had a habit of running away from conflict and if she had to guess, the black-clad faunus must have made her escape to who-knows-where the moment Remnant fell into the void a year ago. She took another good look around her surroundings. Who wouldn't want to run away from this? This... emptiness. She hung her head low as she continued her walk. As if there's anything to run back to at this point.
Even her shadow was no longer an entity in itself. It laid flat on the ground, indistinguishable from this wasteland that lied beyond the four kingdoms, unmapped and unconquered.
Impenetrable.
For everyone else's sake, she hoped they wouldn't attempt to venture out to this unknown part of Remnant. There were already enough casualties weighing on her mind. If they just stopped trying to fight back then we would have peace again. It's not my fault that they're so insistent. She knew that Yuri and the others would be coming for her soon and if anyone was insistent, it was this particular group of friends. She sighed at the realization.
"Is something wrong?"
It was Bob. He came from behind as usual.
Sunny turned around to face the taller man, her grip on her buckler tight like always. "I was just thinking."
"About your friends again?"
"No," Sunny lied. "About how we're going to survive. I don't know if you've noticed but there's nothing here. Everything is dead. Or they weren't alive to begin with."
Bob scratched at his collar and turned away to let out a cough. "We won't be here long, Soonkyu. You know that." He scratched at his collar again and then down the left side of his chest.
Sunny noticed the strange motion and the rugged noise that came out when Bob scratched his chest. She didn't bother to ask. "I'll be off then. I won't be long," she said instead.
"You better not be. I need you here with me, Soonkyu. Until all of this is over."
Sunny had nothing to say to that. She knew her obligations to this man and it didn't reach the level of intimacy that he seemed to imply. She straddled an approaching Griffon and started to ride back to where the four kingdoms lied.
It's time to send everyone a message.