Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Chapter 1: How It's Done

Demons have always haunted our world, stealing our souls and channeling strength back to their leader, the demon king Gwi-ma. Held at bay only by the barrier over our land, our sacred Honmoon, strengthened anew by our Queen every generation. Each lifting their voice in courage and hope for our kingdom. And all those within.

Aided by specially selected, highly trained warriors. The hunters. Charged with banishing any demon who would dare slip through the cracks back to the forbidden land from whence they came.

“You two will be the next to uphold this crucial duty,” Celine addressed their new graduates in the empty throne room.

Magistrate and advisor to the royal family for decades, formerly a hunter in her own right before the tragic demise of the previous Sunlight Queen threw the kingdom into chaos. In the years that followed it fell to her to guide the royal princess, helping to keep the kingdom steady until such a time as her highness could take the throne and be the shining ruler she was always born to be.

Mira had known all this. Few in the kingdom didn’t, even those as young as she was when the last queen fell. Her noble family had met her desires to train for the position of a hunter with skepticism, citing a distinct lack of discipline for a role of such prestige and importance. But after years of training here she stood, ready to take up the mantle.

Zoey, on the other hand, was glad for the refresher. Born and raised half her life in a far off foreign land she had only recently returned to her mother's noble house here in the kingdom a decade ago. Slowly learning the finer points of traditions and customs, but deeply inspired by the tales of the former hunters. Her mother’s family was more than happy to see her prove herself, offering a letter of recommendation needed to apply for the testing and training that would solidify her as a part of their line they could be proud of.

“There is a second part to this duty I must bestow,” Celine continued, brushing her hand along the armrest of the long vacant throne. It was never hers to take, only to protect.

“Yes, Celine.” They both recited in unison.

“In addition to your hunter duties you will be stationed as the personal guards of her highness the royal princess.” Celine stated with certainty.

The pair did their best not to look taken aback, Mira managing a little more than Zoey who quickly had to catch her jaw and set it before Celine turned back to approach them.

“The time is fast approaching for her to take her place as Sunlight Queen, and we cannot risk Gwi-ma striking before she can perform the rites to replenish the barrier. It will fall to you to keep her safe should any attempts be made at her life.” Her expression never faltered, it never had in all the time they’d spent during their years training with her. “With your skills I know you will not fail.”

“No pressure, right?” Zoey chuckled uncomfortably as they walked the long palace halls.

Celine had finished their inauguration and laid out their new role in great detail for the last hour, finally dismissing them to their new post.

“Right, glorified babysitters as well as warriors standing against the gates of hell,” Mira groaned, thankful there weren’t others passing the halls with them.

It let them be more themselves, if for a brief moment.

“Don’t be that way, how hard could it be?” Zoey stepped closer to elbow her with a grin. “The royal princess never even leaves the palace grounds. And it won’t even be for long right? We’ve got this so handled.”

Mira let slip the faintest smile, unable to resist the endearment she’d developed for her partner despite all attempts to keep focused on her singular goal to stick her families doubts in her directly back up their asses. Zoey had that effect on people she'd noticed. Even she was not immune.

“Sure, sure… Weird guidelines for the job though, huh?”

On top of the royal princess’s daily schedule around the palace, including their assigned posts at each hour of said schedule, Celine had set a few imperative ground rules for interacting with her highness.

“I mean, she is royalty, so it seems pretty obvious we wouldn’t be permitted to touch her or her things.” Zoey shrugged.

“Yeah, but we’re not allowed to ‘gaze upon’ her either,” Mira scoffed.“How are we meant to watch someone we aren’t allowed to look at?”

“... play it by ear?” Zoey joked.

It got a sharp laugh from Mira before the warrior cleared her throat and regained her composure. Zoey was the only person who could surprise her enough to draw a laugh.

“Were the rules the same for the previous queen?”

Mira tilted her head at the question, then remembered Zoey hadn't been around for that time, “No actually, she--”

A loud bell rang from the front courtyard of the palace, distant shouts and screams in its wake.

A demon attack in the city.

Their introductions would have to wait.

The city was no stranger to demon attacks, even so few in recent years. Horrible faceless figures, gaunt and dark purple were the main type to slip through the barrier in any great number. They tended to be scrawny and mindless in their primal search for souls to steal. Occasionally a stronger one with more defined features like horns and fanged teeth would be counted among them, but never in greater count than two or three. This shambling, crawling mass was made up of the faceless ones and while weak, their numbers still caused a panic until the hunters could arrive.

“They're down this street,” Mira called with an easy confidence.

Her gok-do spun through her hands as she kicked off a wall and drove through a cluster. A glimmering swing of the spectral blade and the whole lot exploded into small puffs of red dust. Twisting into a duck she kept herself out of the way for Zoey to follow up on the next group now taking an interest in their brighter energy. Whistling shin-kal blades flew through the air to hit their mark every time in quick succession. The pair came back to back and Zoey flicked her wrists to fan three more blades in each hand.

“Don't see any stronger ones,” she rolled her shoulders and did a little hop to switch up her stance for another maneuver. “Let's clean them up.”

Mira nodded before starting a wide swing around to hit two coming for Zoey as the smaller girl put a hand on her shoulder to vault backwards out of the way. Hitting another three leaping down at them from the rooftops. This was the sort of challenge they could handle in their sleep by now.

“How rude,” a haughty voice sang out.

A figure slammed into Zoey before she could land, taking her to the ground for a moment before being kicked off. Mira saw a flash of pink coming her way in time to hold her gok-do in the way to only be pushed back by the impact of clawed human-sized hands meeting it. Coming face to face with a jeoseung-saja with long pink hair. The other one was growling as he squared back up to come at Zoey again. Lashing out with his claws and trading blows with her down the street.

There's two of them? At once? Mira grit her teeth and wrenched her weapon to one side to throw the saja off her, grabbing it lower for better reach as she swung it around in another arch to take out still more of those annoying shamblers too. This was more than usually got through. But they had to stay focused.

Even with the pink saja cracking his claws and stalking around her.

“Sounds like you're not taking this fight very seriously,” he tsked her. “I'm heartbroken~”

“Pft, like you have one,” Mira scoffed, lunging forward to stab at him.

He tilted his head out of the way, then dipped under her follow up swing.

“Well, figure of speech.”

Halfway through rocking himself into another forward motion a voice sang out a chord that reverberated down the street. The melody being one Mira and Zoey had learned from Celine to tap into the Honmoon when they wanted to ground themselves and form their weapons. All eyes scanned the area before locking onto a faint pink spectral blade forming on a nearby rooftop, held by a warrior dressed much like them in hunter gabot. With the noted addition of a hood and carved wooden mask keeping them entirely covered.

“A third?” Hissed the pink saja. “Our intel was off.”

A flourish of their saingeom and this new mystery hunter flipped off the roof to land heel first on a shambler, stabbing down through it then swinging once, twice, three times to clear out a group. It gave Mira and Zoey more breathing room, but the saja were already backing off. The growling saja took a parting swing at Zoey before darting around and vanishing down an alleyway with the other.

“Who--?” Mira was left baffled, turning in place to scan the street.

The saja were gone, the shamblers little more than dust in the wind, and the strange new hunter vanished as quick as they'd come onto the scene. She could at least take comfort in Zoey being unscathed.

“What just happened?” The maknae scratched her head as she jogged up. “Seriously.”

“Not sure…” Mira started before cheers of relief filled the street.

Civilians flooded out from the buildings they'd taken cover in, chests all lit up a soft blue as they happily praised and thanked the two hunters who'd saved them. Their hope sent ripples through the Honmoon, holding fast as ever with no other signs of weakness for the evening.

“Well, it worked out okay…” Zoey shrugged one shoulder and glanced to Mira between waving off the gratitude of their new fans.

“We should mention it to Celine. Let's get back, we've still got introductions,” Mira sighed, but still offered smiles and waves to the people they passed.

Standing in front of the large ornate doors to the royal princess's chambers was almost more intimidating than fighting demons. Almost. Zoey tapped the back of her hand to Mira's and gave her a smirk when she got her eye because of it. Mira chuffed and nodded as she reached up to rap her knuckles against the wood.

“Your highness? Permission to enter?” She spoke up.

The quiet that followed made the nerves start to build again before shuffling then a soft voice answered.

“Granted.”

The room beyond was mostly cordoned off, with only a thin rectangle acting as the immediate entryway. The sliding divider keeping them from the remainder of the space was made of a paper screen that turned everything--and everyone--on the other side into nothing more than a vaguely opaque silhouette. They gathered that anything coming or going from the princess's room would first be placed on the low table just before them. Like a filter.

On the other side of the center panel, sitting properly on a raised platform was the princess.

Guess Celine wasn't kidding about that whole no gazing upon her rule, Mira raised an eyebrow, but lowered to a kneel out of respect.

“Your highness,” she greeted her while Zoey followed her lead. “We're your new guards.”

“The hunters,” the princess confirmed. “You answered the alarm just now, correct?”

“Yes, we apologize for our tardiness--” Zoey spoke up.

“Were either of you injured?” The princess cut her off.

“Uh, no, your highness,” Mira replied with just a hint of surprise. “We're both unharmed. We just wanted to make our introductions.”

Judging by what she could see of her highness’ body language she was relieved by the answer. Settling into a more relaxed sitting position and holding a hand to her chest.

“Excellent. I'm already impressed by your skills.”

“Th-thank you, uh. My name is Zoey.”

“Mira. We'll be taking our first patrol. Please ring for us if you find yourself in need.”

Mira tapped Zoey subtly and they stood, offering a deep bow until they were dismissed.

“Oh I…” The princess hesitated only a moment before squaring her shoulders back. “Yes, of course. You may go.”

The moment the door shut Mira nodded pointedly down the hall and got them hurrying along. Only speaking again when they got a little distance.

“Wow, Celine wasn't kidding,” Zoey whispered enthusiastically.

“Right?” Mira nodded. “Talk about modest.”

“Good to know she cares about our health though, hm?”

“Hunters mean everything to the kingdom,” Mira brushed it off. “Not as much as herself of course… But yes, it's kind of her to ask.”

Chapter Text

Chapter 2: Strategy

In a bleak land bathed in muted darkness and sorrow the legion of demons gathered at the base of a set of cracked stone steps. Ancient to the point of timelessness, and imposing all the more as a result. One demon in particular, with small nubs for horns and wearing clothing like any regular human civilians in the kingdom tended to, had been summoned to climb those very steps to the platform above. They approached, hunched over in fear, hesitating to take the first step.

Only to have a force from within set the cursed patterns along their skin alight with pink neon, and a phantom force yank them through the air all the way to the top.

“Would you care to explain to me,” rumbled the voice from within a great burning flame engulfing the throne and shadowed figure at the center of the platform. Both frighteningly large. “Why it is that my generals were met with not two, but three hunters during our latest attempt on the city?”

The demon in the literal hot seat stood back as far from the flames as possible, heels hanging over the top step.

“W-we were unaware of this third hunter, lord Gwi-ma,” they stammered. “All gathered intel said only two had passed through the training… this new one was never spotted o-or even heard of--”

“And yet they appeared! Clearly possessing the training of a hunter!” The fire around Gwi-ma flared.

The demon yelped and cowered in the face of their master's rage. The congregation below started murmuring gossip about the whole situation.

“Surely one more hunter makes little difference.”

“Can we not just send more generals?”

“No, more of the weak in greater number to overwhelm them.”

“Silence!” Gwi-ma barked.

A column of fire engulfed the demon before him entirely as he slammed a fist on the arm of his throne. He got what he asked for. Always.

“Tsk tsk, such petulance does not become the mighty demon king~” a smooth voice sang.

The soft twang of a bipa echoed over the crowd as a jeoseung-saja appeared casually playing atop one of the dilapidated shrine gates littering the barren landscape. The demons below tensed in the face of such lack of reverence for their king.

“Jinu…” the lord sat forward to prop his chin on his fist as he watched the saja float down through the parting crowd. “Is there a reason you feel justified in mocking me?”

“Oh no mockery here, my lord, only a gentle reminder,” Jinu chuckled, steadily pacing towards the steps while still gently plucking away.

“Then let me remind you of your place.”

The next note came out flat as Jinu was accosted by memories of agonized screams and faces twisted in pain. Still he forced calm to float up the steps to his king.

“Right you are, sire,” he paced the top step and tuned his strings. “Would it please you more to hear I have a proposition for you?”

Gwi-ma sat back again. “Go on then.”

“It's been over two decades since the fall of the previous queen.” Jinu said, though everyone knew this already. “The time for the royal princess to take her place on the throne is fast approaching now. Despite our best efforts the barrier remains in place. And you, my lord, grow weaker by the day--”

“This sounds less like a proposition and more like impudence,” the fire around Gwi-ma crackled and grew hotter.

“I only draw attention to highlight the stakes of our next moves,” Jinu let his bipa drop away and vanish in smoke, holding his arms out. “So the hunters saw fit to use surprise against us. They wish to keep their secrets to catch us off guard, I wish to infiltrate the city to uncover every last one of them.”

Silence. Nobody below dared speak as their king mulled over this proposal.

“And you think you can do better than the last one I sent in this endeavour?” He asked slowly.

Jinu toed at the little pile of ash in question. “I have the marked advantage of familiarity with my target audience, as you're well aware.”

“I am, yes,” Gwi-ma droned. “And I'm also aware that your offer isn't made with the intention of charity… What do you want?”

Jinu chuckled and threw his arms wide before bending into a deep bow. “That's the beauty, my lord. My wish is only for my slate to be wiped clean.”

“Only? You wish to cut ties, when we had a deal.”

The searing of Jinu's patterns did not waver his resolve.

“I have all the skills to properly handle this delicate task, and all the incentive to perform it to the letter… You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar, my lord. And should it happen that I do fail, one of the two involved parties will swiftly deal with me. I'll no longer be your problem.”

Gwi-ma sat quietly for a moment, only the crackle of the fire echoing across the realm.

“… If you fail, the hunters will kill you, if I don't get to you first. If you succeed, I get everything I want, and I'm rid of you still?”

“A win-win for you, don't you think?”

The fire flickered as Gwi-ma narrowed his eyes. Pinpricks of light within his silhouette through the roiling blaze. “I could choose to be rid of you at any time.”

“But this way you stand to benefit, rather than have your past investments wasted.”

Another prolonged pause as the demon crowd held a collective breath in anticipation. Finally the fire calmed back to a manageable smolder.

“Very well. Go. Should I see no progress in the next two days I will have another pile of ash to clean from my steps.”

Jinu smirked under the wide brim of his hat. “May I spare you the annoyance, my lord.”

In a puff of red smoke he vanished.

“This is really the last record of them?” Zoey asked.

She and Mira had stopped by the palace library during one of their patrols. Shelves and shelves of books and scrolls with scholars bustling about organizing or reading. Doing their scholarly duties. Mira had located a scroll with a painted portrait of the former queen and bonus baby princess when she tired of Zoey trying to theorize what her royal highness might look like.

“Shh,” she reminded her maknae gently while leaning over the table on one arm. “This was painted just after the royal princess's birth. Once the queen had died Celine apparently insisted it was safer for as few people as possible to know what the princess looks like.”

“Wow…” Zoey sighed sadly. “It must have been hard for her.”

The painter had captured the queen's pride and happiness beautifully. The little princess smiling with her big brown eyes and shock of purple hair.

“Watch what you say,” Mira chided, flicking Zoey in the temple to get her to stop making such a sad face. “Our radiant royal princess is of course strong in the face of adversity… Though I've not not wondered that before.”

The last bit she mumbled to avoid being overheard, surprised by a sudden tap on the shoulder.

“Might you be her highness's guard?” A gentleman scholar with a thin mustache and round friendly face asked.

They jumped to attention and Mira nodded, “Yes. And you are?”

“Bobby, assistant to the magistrate and schedule keeper,” he smiled, bowing respectfully. “The royal princess requested some reading materials and I wonder if you would be able to deliver them to her?”

Zoey met him with equal enthusiasm while Mira rolled up the scroll they'd been looking at. “Of course! Happy to help.”

“Wonderful.”

He snapped his fingers and four scholars all with arms loaded stepped out from the shelves. Zoey eyed the lot and slowly looked back to Mira, but there was no backing out now.

Determined to make the delivery in one trip they each ended up with stacks of books well past their heads and scrolls stuffed under each arm. Zoey kept quietly apologizing for getting them into such a position but Mira just shrugged it off.

“We can handle this much, Zo. Don't worry,” she adjusted her grip. “Plus this is part of the job. Bobby said if it wasn't us the delivery would've had to wait til dinner, hours from now.”

“I guess. Gosh this is a lot to read though. It must get dull sitting around her room.”

In the week they'd been on the job they never saw the royal princess leave her chambers. From memory of the palace layout there was a small hidden garden just off from the chamber veranda. Lush with bamboo and red pine against the stone wall to keep prying eyes from looking too far in. Mira thought she'd seen the top of a persimmon tree from the palace walls once, but she'd never been close enough for a good look. As it was meant to be. Even still there didn't seem much else to occupy the princess in her solitude. They came to the familiar double doors and Mira cursed quietly before tapping them with the toe of her boot.

“Your highness, we've brought the books you requested from the palace library,” she spoke up.

“And scrolls.” Zoey added.

A moment of shuffling as usual, followed like clockwork by the familiar voice, “Enter.”

It sounded a little more chipper this time, Mira noted as she backed into one of the doors to push it open. The figure behind the screen was standing for once, bouncing on heels of excitement just beyond their proper sight.

“Excellent! Thank you so much for bringing them.” She seemed to remember herself and cleared her throat before calming down. “If you could set them just there, I'll collect them.”

Zoey bit her lip behind her armload of books to keep from laughing at the attempt to act casual. They did as asked, bowing and quickly heading back out to let their lady collect her books. Standing a moment against the closed doors they smiled at each other listening to the murmured excitement and shuffling rush of action.

Cute, Zoey mouthed up to Mira.

A nod and they continued to take their afternoon patrol of the halls.

“Next time we get some time off we should visit the hot springs,” Zoey rolled her shoulders until they popped. “We deserve a chance to unwind.”

“Sounds good to me.”

The general’s next target was the city hot springs. Jinu gave them credit for the low visibility. The water demons managed to snatch a couple souls in the steam cover before the shouts carried enough to reach the city watch. A bell clanged in the distance and he strolled around in his new casual disguise before allowing himself to be caught up in the panic. Patrons running for their lives, grasping towels to conserve just a little of their modesty in their rush. Him with his shirt partially undone to look properly disheveled copying their mannerisms when coming face to face with one of the other jeoseung-saja acting as Gwi-ma's generals. A tall, muscular one who was happy to add to his act by grabbing him by the collar and lifting him into the air. Until a blade swiped up between them and he dropped heavily to the ground. On purpose, of course.

The buff saja backed off to avoid the hunter with the gok-do, bearing his fangs in a sneer and throwing himself at her. Jinu scrambled backward while noting he did have the size advantage even if she was quite tall. But this wasn't the one hiding.

“We definitely jinxed it!” The other hunter shouted as she came through the steam and cut down water demons looming over him almost as an afterthought.

They're definitely strong, Jinu thought, moving low through the battlefield and keeping his eyes out. The third one had to show up.

A younger looking jeoseung-saja darted towards him and scoffed before running past like he didn't notice him. Two generals had to be plenty to draw her out again. A harmonic note passed over the space and he stuck his head up to search for the source. Come on, where are you?

Question answered as a flash of pink came through the steam, the mystery hunter brandishing her saingeom as she threw herself into the fray. Jinu hunkered down against the wall of the hot spring and watched intently as the fight continued. Flashes of spectral light bouncing off the hot steam and occasional glimpses of the hunters clashing with the water demons and trading blows with the other sajas. He wouldn't get the best view unless he got closer.

Only things had gotten dizzying and confusing as the fighting got heated. In the middle of his approach the buff saja caught him mid-swing trying to hit the taller hunter, knocking him heavily to the ground. Not on purpose this time.

“Careful,” a light voice said.

He looked up just as the mystery hunter took a stance above him to deflect the water demons leaping blindly through pink tears in the Honmoon. One managed to cut through the sleeve between her gabot with a lucky stray swing before she reduced it to dust.

Jinu almost thought nothing of it, just the nauseating heroism hunters were known for… but then he noticed what lay beneath.

“... patterns?” He breathed, eyes locked on the muted purple marks, so familiar, painted across her skin. “A hunter with… patterns?”

She took notice when he spoke, quickly covering the tear with her hand and losing composure. Leaving Jinu to make some calculated decisions in seconds. Settling on a risky one, but ultimately a play he gambled on.

“Here.”

Up to his feet he whipped the sash keeping his shirt closed around the tear to close it, leaving his shirt open and his torso visible. Banking on her getting a close enough look to see briefly through his disguise before backing off and slipping away. There was a hesitance there, a moment of shock before the hunter regained her composure to rejoin the fight. This he watched from a safe distance before leaving the area completely.

Interesting.

The fight finally started to die down once the saja generals backed off. The smaller one first, bitching about being outnumbered and dragging the buff one away amid another wave of water demons. With a last flourish the trio wiped them out, and took stock in the quiet that followed.

“Those saja guys always slip away! It's such a pain,” Zoey stomped her foot as she paced around checking the Honmoon for any further tears.

Mira was determined to get a word in with their mysterious third.

“Hey. Any chance you wanna stick around for intro… are you hurt?” Her abrasiveness quickly faded when she saw the torn fabric hanging loose from a tight wrap of fabric on the hunter’s arm.

As she started to approach they held a hand up and shook their head, offering only a quick bow before hurrying off again.

“Come on,” Mira grumbled, giving chase this time.

But the moment she crossed through the steam and over the wall behind them they seemed to have vanished.

Back at the palace she marched through the halls with Zoey at her heels.

“What's the hurry, Mira?” She had to jog to keep up.

“I have a bad feeling, something's just… off,” Mira waved her hand to accentuate the vague statement. “We'll check in quick then talk to Celine.”

They came to the princess's door, but just as she went to knock there was a chorus of thuds and soft cursing. As if something heavy had hit the floor. Mira didn't wait for more invitation. She threw one door open and scanned the screen wall to find an unfamiliar silhouette on the other side, standing over where the princess's bed was.

“Stop!” She barked.

Throwing open the sliding paper screen door roughly along its track she felt Zoey close behind her. Both sets of eyes locked on their mystery hunter frozen in shock at their entrance for a split second before holding a hand up to ask them to wait.

Once Mira clocked a high quality hanbok haphazardly discarded on the edge of the bed and no sign of the princess though there was no hope of waiting.

“Where is she?” Her already low voice dropped dangerously into a new register as she advanced.

The traitor backed away, clearly intimidated as they shook their head and waved her off. Flinching as Zoey dipped around from their blind spot and swung a punch at them.

“What have you done?”

“... I--” they dodged but made the mistake of taking their eyes off Mira for too long.

Her hand grasped the shoulder of their shirt and lifted them just enough to slam them back into the wall with her arm held up under their chin.

“You--” Mira growled.

The sudden force was enough to wind them for a second, scrambling to pull and push at her. Finally fumbling with their mask before Mira grabbed and pinned their hand to the wall. Still the fiddling had been enough to loosen it and the impact enough to let it drop away, leaving the two girls speechless as they found big brown eyes blinking at them, and a long purple braid draped around the hunter's shoulders within the hood.

Her highness, the royal princess, Rumi. All of the above. In Mira's grasp.

“... oh shit,” Zoey muttered.

Chapter Text

Chapter 3: Golden

The patterns. Those cursed marks of shame began burning an angry red. From fingers to wrist, up past the elbow all the way to the shoulder before Jinu was suddenly yanked to the ground.

Through the ground.

Falling for seconds before slamming at full velocity into stone bathed in similarly red light.

“That didn’t take long.”

Gwi-ma’s disappointment was palpable as the heat began to grow around Jinu before he flipped and pushed himself up into the air.

“Wait, wait--”

The patterns burned again as Gwi-ma’s will yanked him right back down. Fire licking up the side of his face.

“When I gave you two days I expected you to at least last that long, but you willingly blew your cover in hours.”

“Wait wait wait now, my lord,” Jinu chuckled uncomfortably as he craned his neck back to keep his face from the flames. “You said two days to make progress, and I did find you something interesting.”

“A hunter who bears my mark… but I have no control over her. Interesting, but not useful.”

“Oh I beg to differ,” Jinu raised an eyebrow. “It’s a secret to exploit. It’s a crawling shame to be weaponized… I can definitely make use of this.”

Again Gwi-ma hesitated to think the reasoning over, leaving Jinu to hold his breath inches from immolation. Even this close, the demon king's face was nothing but roiling shadow backlit in vibrant flames, with the flickering white eyes the only indication of his mood. Finally his relief came as he was tossed away.

“Very well. I’ll even extend your allotted time if she doesn’t slay you the next time she sees you.” The king relented. At least this was more entertaining than his conquest had been in recent years. “Ten days. The Honmoon had better come down by then.”

“... Your confidence is inspired, my lord.”

“Please stop that.”

Rumi stood anxiously fidgeting as the partners she’d been covertly working with for the past week kowtowed on the floor in front of her. Just this small bit of exposure and it was amazing how much tension and discomfort could settle on her shoulders.

“We offer our deepest apologies,” Mira said. Again. Feeling like her hand should be burning from the transgression of assaulting the royal princess in her own room.

Neither she nor Zoey would lift their heads to look at her even now that they’d already broken the biggest rule Celine had set for them. Both of the big ones, Mira realized, in her case at least. Maybe Zoey would get off with a warning and banishment, Mira would face much worse. Boots clicked along the hardwood floor and they could feel in the vibrations when the princess knelt before them.

“You’re forgiven. Now please sit up so we can talk about this properly.” she sighed.

Mira snapped up to a seated position, but kept her eyes to the floor. Mostly. Okay she peeked. Knowing Zoey would too. Both too curious for their own good. But they’d already broken the rule, so how much worse could it get?

“You’re both owed an explanation,” Rumi certainly had no reservations about looking them directly in the eyes.

Thinking back on the painting they'd seen, Zoey could see a lot of the late queen in her features. Even if they seemed so influenced by anxiety at the moment.

“Uh, pretty sure the royal princess would be the last person to owe us anything,” Zoey squeaked out, masking her own nerves with a lilt in her voice.

Rumi furrowed her brow and scoffed, “Now that’s hardly true. The whole kingdom owes a debt of gratitude to its hunters… Regardless.” She waved her hand and pinched the bridge of her nose to get back on track. “The duty we’ve been upholding is one requiring trust, and I’ve been lacking in showing you as much… What just happened was a direct consequence of that, and thus the blame is not on either of you.”

Mira began to relax. Such awkward mannerisms from such a high station. But seemed so perfectly fitting based on what she’d noticed of the princess’s body language and cadences. Even with a screen usually filtering them.

“Soooo… Celine isn’t going to kill us?” Zoey asked slowly.

“No! Well, uh, technically I have final say, so I could overrule her if she tried,” Rumi held both hands out and drummed her fingers together, then fiddled with them in her lap. “I’m just going to request you not tell her anyway, and I won’t say anything.”

“Right… Then, she doesn’t know you’re doing any of this, right?” Mira probed, one rebel to another it seemed.

“She does not.”

“So we hide it.” Mira and Zoey both said in unison.

Rumi held back a laugh, hand instinctively moving to cover her smile. “That would be preferable.”

They sat with that prospect. Keeping a huge secret from Celine. But reasoned the princess had been the one to ask it, and technically she was their superior. As they started coming to terms with the matter it occurred to them that this was the royal princess they were casually sitting with. They were probably the first people to see her in decades, outside of Celine herself.

“Can we ask why you’re doing all this?” Zoey finally broached the question floating between them.

“Also how?” Mira added.

The regal posture overtook Rumi as she breathed deeply, “Celine trained me to protect myself, and hunter forms and stances are fundamentally the base of the replenishing ritual… Tapping into the Honmoon came naturally to me. Practicing gave me something to do.” To demonstrate she reached out and strummed the blue energy like strings, pulling away to form her saingeom momentarily. Then letting it fade back into the energy. “As for why… It started to feel a waste to sit around ignoring the demon attacks while the city suffered. My mother would never…”

Her voice quieted. They hadn’t meant to bring up bad memories.

“I didn’t know the um, your mother was a hunter too… That’s pretty impressive,” Zoey said. “And, I mean, you’ve been amazing in all the times we’ve worked together.”

“Now that you’re not going to be so stoic and running off maybe we could work out some team attacks,” Mira considered the possibilities.

The princess perked back up and looked between them, “Really?”

“Yeah, it’ll be way easier to harmonize now,” Zoey nodded enthusiastically. “And we could--!”

A soft knocking cut off their planning. “Dinner, your highness.”

All three snapped to look at the door, but the princess moved the fastest. Jumping to her feet and swiping the long hanbok coat from her bed to throw it over her gabot. “One moment!”

She grabbed Mira and Zoey each under the arm to pull them towards the garden. Shoving them ahead and pointing to a persimmon tree that had a branch growing over the enclosing wall.

“That way. Come by later and we can talk more,” she whispered.

“Yes, your highness,” they affirmed.

Mira braced her back to the tree and cupped her hands so she could boost Zoey up, but both froze for a moment when they glanced back to find the princess offering them a parting smile.

“Just Rumi is fine.”

Like a bolt of lightning to both their chests they ended up staggered watching her continue on back into her chambers. The rustle of leaves in their ears and the slide of the screen door closing as Rumi’s distant voice confirmed it was alright for the servant to enter knocked them back to their task of sneaking out. Mira turned and leapt up to grab Zoey’s offered hand before both silently jumped the wall and slipped back to their patrol route to act totally natural. Completely cool. And not like they were both trying to calm their hearts from going a mile a minute.

Rumi felt invigorated. Finally she could talk with someone face to face, besides Celine of course. She moved through her drills with fresh energy, bursting with excitement. Her usual exit over the garden wall, down a slope, and through a rarely used breezeway took her off the palace grounds and into the woods at the very edge of the Honmoon's reach. In a clearing where she'd set up wooden targets and straw dummies to practice her strikes in privacy. Always covered still, she never dared to leave her room without her disguise. Just because she was breaking one rule didn't mean she could risk breaking the other. The arguably more dire one to be kept.

Your faults and fears must never be seen.

Celine's reminder echoed through her head as she swung around to strike the dummy. But she was keeping to that. Her efforts weren't a fault and she had no fear in battle. This she knew with certainty. Even the kind words from her fellow hunters echoed the same. This was her chance to work as part of a team. Just like her mother. For the good of the Honmoon and the kingdom.

“We are hunters, voices strong,” she hummed. “Slaying demons with our song--”

A loud bird call surprised her as a strange little magpie landed on an adjacent dummy. And made her double take when she noticed the tiny hat it was wearing.

“... what?”

She looked closer as two more sets of eyes opened down its neck. A demon? But she'd never seen or read about one like this. It cooed softly as it stamped along the dummy's shoulders then fluttered into the shadows of the trees at the clearing's edge. When Rumi tried to follow, she found two huge orange eyes lighting up in the dark, surprising her into jumping back as a blue tiger with a curved tooth smile slowly stepped into the moonlight. The bird sat contently on its head, utterly unbothered by events. With agonizing slowness the tiger looked her up and down, then just turned and started pacing back into the woods.

Leaving Rumi further at a loss. “Hold on.”

Against better judgement she started marching after them. Keeping a distance at least, watching with curiosity as the tiger would get distracted then pecked by the bird to return its attention to their walk. She'd never seen demons like these. Or demons acting like this. So docile… maybe a little dumb? The amusement quickly flipped back to guard as the faint twang of a bipa echoed through the trees.

And will he let the fire go out?
Is this the end of him now?

Haunting singing rose in accompaniment, drawing Rumi and the tiger north. She picked her steps through the brush with care, moving deathly silent for the remainder of her approach.

Dying king with a crumbling crown?
Will he let the fire go… out?

The last note held, then silence. Rumi noticed the tiger stop, and did the same. Surprised when it turned and hopped through the Honmoon rippling against the side of the closest tree. Taking the bird with it and leaving her alone to that oppressive quiet.

“What do you think? I wrote it myself.”

She zeroed in on the soft plucking that accompanied the question and found a young man sitting on a tree branch above her. He held a bipa with great care as he casually played and smiled.

“Not much of an audience to appreciate it so--”

Tension locked Rumi's shoulders as she put face and voice together. This was the demon from the hot springs, the one in disguise, the one who'd seen her patterns. Without another thought spared she launched herself at him, swinging from a lower branch to fling herself within striking distance.

“Whoa, hold on--” he dodged, movements floaty as he effortlessly jumped from one branch to another. “If you didn't like the song just say so.”

Not a word as her attacks continued just missing him.

“Can you just wait a second? I'm only here to talk.”

Her weight came down hard on a branch at the same time he landed, bowing it down from under him as she stabbed her sword forward. Hoping to catch him midair. But his hand braced on her outstretched arm as he lifted himself up to balance above her.

“Please give me five, no no two minutes. I just want to understand.” He pushed off to land gently on the ground below. “How do you do it?”

Rumi followed and kept her form practiced even as she kept missing her strikes. “Hold still and I'll show you.”

“Not that. How do you resist his voice?”

“Voice?” Rumi tilted her head.

“You don't hear him at all? Gwi-ma? Whispering in your ear. Controlling you… How lucky you are.”

“Why would I hear the demon king?”

Jinu caught her arm on her next swing. His patterns lit up on otherwise human skin and she felt hers warm to match under her sleeve. It scared her enough to pull back. They'd never done that before.

“The patterns.” He held his hands out so she could see them. “The mark of every demon's shame. You really don't feel it too.”

Her patterns returned to normal once she'd distanced herself, “Demons don't feel.”

She swung the sword down at rest, still ready to attack but less willing to close the distance. He had the nerve to tsk her.

“Oh very wrong, that's all we do. It's how Gwi-ma controls us… but not you?”

“Of course not. I'm a hunter, not a demon like you.”

“I wasn't always,” Jinu frowned, closing his hands against the faint haunting shouts at the back of his mind. “My family was poor, we were starving… I was desperate. He feeds on that, makes promises and deals. My choice saved us, but it didn't last. Soon enough Gwi-ma came to collect…”

He dropped his arms to his sides and looked at her. Trying to get a read when he couldn't see her face was difficult, but she wasn't interrupting yet.

“Now all I have is his voice, and these to remind me every day what I did.” He took a bold step closer. “If you can help me understand what you do to keep him out, maybe I--”

Her sword stopped him, pointed at his chest then slowly rose to his neck.

“I get it. I'm sorry, that's selfish to ask… If you ever need to talk about them I'll be--”

“Dead!” She made a decisive strike, but passed through red smoke as he vanished.

Natural sounds of the forest faded back in as she waited and listened for any sign he was still near, but nothing came. Only a tension as she scratched at her arm in discomfort. She wanted to be rid of the feeling. Banish even the memory of it. Pulling her sleeve up she removed the wrappings from her wrist to check the marks, just to be sure.

Still that faint purple. No glow or warmth. That couldn't happen again.

“Do you think she meant we could chat face to face again?” Zoey asked on their way for an afternoon strategy meeting. “Or is it gonna be with the screens?”

It was just after lunch a few days following the revelation. Rumi had proposed the meeting on their first pass around in the morning, noting that the area would be empty after her lunch was brought. Mira shrugged one shoulder as she wondered as well.

“Either way works.”

Though she would prefer the face to face… Definitely for team building reasons. Not just because she wanted to be able to see their princess again. No.

Zoey seemed just as excited at the prospect, light on her feet and skipping to a stop to knock as they reached the door. She reminded herself to stay professional, it was part of her duty and her training. Being so casual was unbecoming of a hunter.

“Yes?”

“It's us, your highness,” they answered.

“Oh! Come right in.”

Zoey tried to convince herself she didn't actually hear the excitement in her voice, but that became impossible when Mira pushed the door in to find the princess dressed casually and throwing the screen divider open to greet them.

“Perfect timing,” she smiled, beckoning them while turning to step back into the main part of her chambers. “I have some ideas we could maybe run through. But we can sit a moment first. How was your patrol?”

“Uh, quiet, your highness,” Mira shut the door and they hesitated to follow her.

This was on her order, it would be fine.

“I told you before, didn't I?” She stopped and turned with her hands on her hips. “Just Rumi. At least while we're alone.”

“Right, Rumi!” Zoey saluted cheerfully.

“Good, thank you. Now come sit, I have tea and snacks.”

A low table was set with little cakes and a fresh pot of tea with a subtle scent. Three cushions, or well two cushions and a folded quilt to stand in for a third, were set around it for them to use. Zoey had an easier time dropping formalities than Mira, hopping over and pouring for all three of them before taking a cake to try.

Mira guessed Rumi never needed more than two cushions if Celine was the only one who visited. Looking around the room more on her slow approach to the table it was fairly sparse otherwise for such a large space. And she recognized the books they'd brought in neat piles next to the bed.

“Everything alright, Mira?” Rumi asked.

“Yeah-yes, your--uh yes. Sorry, just thinking,” she caught herself and sat with them.

“Right, you both must still have questions,” Rumi nodded.

“I mean, not really. You pretty much covered your reasons for doing what you're doing,” Mira said.

“And with you in hiding it's obvious why you wear the mask while doing so.” Zoey said past a mouthful of cake.

“I suppose… is there nothing else you wish to ask?” Rumi offered.

Mira could tell from her fidgeting and pinched expression she probably wanted them to. A moment more to consider the circumstances had her realize their princess likely didn't get much opportunity for small talk. Especially with people near her own age. Mira wondered if she ever did in fact.

“What sort of books did you borrow from the library? I didn't check them before we dropped them off.” She finally asked, reaching over to snatch a cake before Zoey could eat them all.

The lift in Rumi's expression said this was the right call as she dove into an impassioned tear discussing all of the history scrolls and novels she'd been reading. Some of the later Zoey had also read. The back and forth between them was endearing enough to make the snacks and time all the sweeter for Mira.

The strategy meeting ended up less strategy than intended, but the next few demon attacks allowed more effective hands on practice.

This time a cluster of horned demons was causing havoc in the market as the sun began to set. Smashing stalls with huge clubs and chasing merchants and patrons down when the trio arrived on the scene. Mira and Zoey on their own but quickly joined by Rumi in her usual disguise. It had rapidly become easier for them to maneuver in sync with each other and the Honmoon and civilians alike were all the better for it.

Their synergy was more than apparent to the demons as well, sending them running quickly lest they be picked off without mercy.

“No saja this time,” Mira noted, bringing her gok-do to a comfortable rest position as they gave the area a last pass.

“Maybe it's been harder for them to come through?” Zoey theorized. “The Honmoon seems sturdier than usual lately.”

Rumi wondered. But a clattering down an alley and a scream didn't give her the chance to dwell on it.

“I've got it,” she called, taking off to follow the sounds of distress.

Zoey and Mira weren't far behind as the winding alleys slowed her approach. Just as she was considering trying from above she came to the scene of a mother and daughter cornered by a horned demon. She picked up her pace, fearing she still wouldn't make it in time as the creature raised a clawed hand.

Only for a bucket to come flying down from a rooftop to smash into the side of its head, giving just that extra moment for her to cut it down into a burst of shimmering red dust. Checking in with the mother and daughter should've been her first priority but her eyes caught movement above as a familiar figure made his hasty exit from the rooftops. The demon from the woods.

“Everything okay?” Mira asked as she and Zoey caught up.

“Thank you! Thank you so much!” The woman sobbed, crouched and holding her daughter close.

“Oh, no need for--” Rumi turned to tend to them instead.

“Thank you miss hunter,” the little girl had stars in her eyes looking up at her.

Rumi wasn't sure how to calm them down, but Mira and Zoey made sure she didn't have to stress over it for long.

“It's part of the job,” Mira said confidently, throwing an arm around Rumi's shoulders and pulling her down into a small bow. “No need to fear, we're here to help.”

“Exactly. How about we see you both home, ajumeoni?” Zoey crouched down and offered her hand to the young girl while looking to her mother. “The danger's passed but we'd feel better knowing you got in okay.”

The woman continued to profusely thank them and offer them payment in some form or another as they made the walk. Zoey held the little girl's hand the whole way, easily chatting with her while Mira gently turned down the woman's insistence and managed to have her calmed by the time they reached their home. Rumi felt her shortcomings pointedly in the moment, but also a deep sense of admiration for their kindness. It was something to work towards, and she was determined to learn. She joined them in bidding the pair goodbye and continued to practice such interactions mentally as they did a last sweep of the streets.

The Honmoon was now solidly in place with no signs of tears or demons rearing their heads as they checked in with the stalls and merchants. Soft rabble of comfort filled the market, bathed in flickering lantern light. It was beautiful even given the events previous leaving the space in disarray. The grateful, smiling faces and faint blue lights of life in the chests of her subjects left a sense of relief Rumi chose to focus on instead. They'd succeeded in keeping them safe. The rest could be fixed. In time.

I'll have to send guards from the palace to help organize rebuilding tomorrow, she noted. Bobby can help with logistics. I'll mention at dinner or breakfast for him to visit--

“Hunters! Miss hunters!” A woman beckoned them to a shop front as they were about to take their leave. “Over here!”

The closer they got Rumi noticed the smell of food from inside. A restaurant?

“Is something the matter?” Zoey asked.

The broken window had already been temporarily covered. Secured well enough to last til the morning when it could be looked at in the light of day.

“No no, not at all,” the woman waved off her concern. “I wanted to offer you three a meal before you go, to thank you.”

“Oh we couldn't possibly--” Rumi tried to politely refuse.

The woman's insistence was not to be trifled with, “Nonsense! You've been working hard for us. This is the least we can do. Come now.”

Stepping up through the doorway she held the curtain aside and a waft of delicious smells hit them. Zoey turned back to give Rumi and Mira her best pleading face and the matter was quickly settled. Mira nodded in defeat and nudged Rumi's elbow.

“You can just lift the mask above your mouth,” she whispered as Zoey cheered and stepped in ahead of them. “It'll be fine. We've got your back.”

Her thoughtfulness once again had a brief wave of warmth pass through Rumi's chest. Replaced swiftly by a hum of excitement for the new experience she was about to have.

They were quickly seen to a quiet corner. A young man swept up lingering debris from the front window while the woman got them a wide assortment with impressive expedience. Only a few other patrons drifted through, but none intruded on their meal.

“How is it?” Mira asked past her glass of peach soju.

Rumi had just eaten one of the dumplings from their very generously decked out table and hummed happily at the taste.

“It's amazing~” she smiled.

“Try this!” Zoey piped up, holding out a slice of pork belly with her chopsticks. “The marinade is sweet.”

Rumi hesitated, but hid it under the guise of finishing chewing. Unable to deny the maknae in the end and opening her mouth to be fed. She sensed this was a pattern with them. Zoey making a cute face and getting her way.

“Mm! It is,” she said behind her hand as the moment passed.

“So good,” Zoey grabbed a few more slices for herself.

“You okay to drink?” Mira asked her, filling her glass again before offering to fill one for Rumi too.

“Well... if it's just one I should be fine,” she relented, pleased by the satisfaction in Mira's little nod of approval. “... it's been a while since I've had this.”

“Soju? This is a good reintroduction in my opinion,” Mira grinned and took her glass in one swig.

“I'll have one too!” Zoey held her own glass out for Mira to fill next.

“No. I mean, yes, but I meant this. A nice meal,” Rumi clarified, holding her glass at the ready. “with other people. It's fun.”

She drank, enjoying the sweet peach flavor before the usual burn and setting her empty glass aside. Halfway to another bite of food before noticing Mira and Zoey had stopped to watch her.

“What's wrong?”

“Nothing.” Zoey covered, quickly filling a plate with various side dishes to hand over to her. “Try these next.”

“This is fun,” Mira confirmed, nonchalant while setting the soju down to continue eating her own meal. “We should do it again.”

“Oooo yeah! Definitely we should… if you want to, Rumi.”

“... I'd love to.” she smiled, more of that admiration filling her chest as she pointed to the pickled radish. “I definitely need more of this.”

By the time they were back to the palace Rumi didn't want the evening to end. She tried a play from Zoey's book, removing her mask and giving them her best guess at a sad face to get them to wait back in the garden while she made up an excuse for not needing the dinner they'd had to rush back for. It worked, surprisingly. Knowing the two were currently tucked away, not far from her as she sat in her usual position to address the servant delivering her meal felt comforting. Less lonely.

Something she fleetingly thought she could get used to.

The gentleman inquired if she was feeling unwell, but she laid blame on a large lunch and too many sweets. Nothing to be worried over. And just like that he took his leave and they had the rest of the evening to themselves. She waited until his footsteps retreated far enough down the halls to be sure, then hurried to the garden to let them know the cost was clear. Smiling as first Mira then Zoey dropped silently from the persimmon tree and came into her room. Far more relaxed than the first few times. Like they felt they belonged there.

“Sounds like we'll have to wait a bit for the next outing,” Mira pointed out as she came to sit at the same table they'd spoken at before. “It'll make people worry if you don't eat when you're supposed to.”

“Yeah… It was sooo good though,” Zoey bemoaned, stretching halfway across the table then resting her head on her arms.

“I'll just have to look forward to the next chance that much more,” Rumi said, used to such patience. Having something to look forward to at all was special. “Excuse me a moment, we can keep talking.”

She walked past them while undoing the fasteners on her gabot, gathering each piece in one hand. The talking didn't continue right away as she set it all away in a secret compartment beneath the floor. When they did start chatting she was already behind a folding screen changing from the cloth part of the uniform to something lighter, but equally concealing. Not even giving thought to the trust her actions put in the other two.

“Maaaybe we could still eat together,” Zoey finally cleared her throat to venture forth. “Without being sneaky or getting in trouble.”

“You've got a plan for this?” Mira asked with genuine interest couched in fondness.

“I'm listening,” Rumi spoke over her shoulder as she made sure her outfit was in place like she always did.

Neck to toe to wrist. All covered.

“I don't remember there being a rule saying we can't take our meals on the other side of the screen from you,” Zoey pointed out. “And as your guards it's only natural we stay close by. Who would question it if you asked?”

“... that's a good point,” Mira said.

“That's brilliant,” Rumi raved as she came back around the screen while undoing her hair from its long braid. “I'd be happy to have you.”

“Oh. My. Goodness, Rumi!” Zoey pushed herself up over the table, leaning in her direction with stars in her eyes.

“What?”

“Your hair is so pretty~ Can I brush it for you?”

Again, that same feeling filled her chest. She was beginning to wonder if it was still admiration this time. Though Zoey's enthusiasm was something to be admired.

“Thank you… I suppose, if you really want to.”

“I do! Mira never lets me do hers.” Zoey leaned all the way over the table to grab the other cushion, setting it in front of her and eagerly patting it.

“That's not true. I just don't let you every time you ask,” Mira scoffed.

Rumi brought a brush and handed it to Zoey as she sat with her back to her. I wonder where they stay in the evening. Maybe together then? She thought.

“Have you known each other a long time?” She managed to ask.

No sooner finishing the question then feeling the gentle care of Zoey's fingers running through her hair to bring it completely loose. It was meditative, rhythmic in repetition as she made sure to not pull while brushing it from the shape the braid left it in.

“We met while training,” Mira's voice snapped her back. “Didn't get along the best at first, but clearly that didn't last.”

“By your own admission--and proudly so at that--you make pretty unfortunate first impressions,” Zoey said. “But your subsequent impressions tend to be better.”

“You just didn't know how badly I was behaving, since you're not from here,” Mira leaned over to rest on the table.

“Oh I knew," Zoey snickered. "You just couldn't resist my charm, admit it.”

“I guess not. Tragic,” Mira dramatically held her arm over her eyes. “Now you're stuck with me.”

“Not at all, you're both wonderful,” Rumi waved a hand at her scoldingly. “It's very clear how close you are, however it came about.”

She wouldn't stand for such talk, even as a joke.

“... you're wonderful too,” Mira raised an eyebrow, dramatics forgotten.

“Yeah! And I'm not just saying that because you let me play with your hair,” Zoey insisted.

Somehow she'd already gotten the long purple locks tamed and was gathering them to set aside. Leaning around Rumi's shoulder to smile at her.

“You're strong and caring, Rumi. We're lucky to be able to be around you like this.”

“Even if I had to pin you to a wall for it to shake out that way,” Mira muttered under her breath. She cleared her throat to speak up. “Plus having you want to keep this up is flattering. I'm used to a worse reception from nobles at the best of times.”

“Really?”

Rumi sounded so utterly shocked it made Mira laugh.

“Uh yeah. My whole family even made a big deal about me lacking the decorum needed to hold the distinguished position of hunter. Showed them though. Like demons care about decorum.”

“It was the opposite for me, my mother's family couldn't get me recommended fast enough for this position once they knew I was interested… Pretty sure they just want me to integrate so thoroughly nobody can even stop to think about my father.” Zoey opened up, leaning on the table beside them again. “Even me.”

It was a heavier topic for such an energetic evening but Rumi had asked. It wasn't anything secret either. She might've already known depending on what sort of reports on them she'd gotten before they took their position.

So her hand finding one of theirs each came as a surprise.

“I'm the one who's fortunate enough to have the two of you. Truly.” She poured all of the warmth from her chest into her words. “I can't imagine anyone else would've done what you have for me. Or made it so enjoyable.”

“Awww, Rumiiiiii…” Zoey whined.

Touched by such compliments she threw her weight against Rumi's back, hooking her chin over her shoulder to press their cheeks together. Ceremony be damned. Rumi wasn't about to judge the freedom of closeness. Especially not when she noticed Mira equally caught up in the sentiment too.

“You are too sweet for your own good,” the taller girl lifted their hands and proceeded to give Rumi's a gentle squeeze.

Glowering at her sternly didn't carry the same intimidation factor when she also had gratitude written all over her face. All Rumi could think to do with all the physical contact and emotion was smile. But even she herself couldn't help getting choked up because of it. That and beginning to realize what else that persistent warmth could be other than admiration.

Before real panic could set in about it they released her to go back to lounging and small talk. Something about hot springs and telling her how relaxing they were when they realized she'd never been able to go to one. At least out of uniform. She grinned and nodded and got herself to answer in a way that showed interest but the distraction in her head was robbing her of sitting in the moment. What to do with these feelings? What label to put on them? Maybe she was mistaken, surely they couldn't be that serious.

“Are you feeling tired? Want us to let you sleep?” Mira asked finally.

The sudden surge of desperation for that not to happen cut through the haze as she refused to let their night reach its close. Not in this way.

“No I'm… Just lost in thought. Um, did Celine tell you she's making plans for me to perform the replenishing ritual soon?” She asked them.

“No!” “Really?” They each reacted with the same enthusiasm in different ways.

“She says since the Honmoon has been so harmonic lately the timing is best for it to succeed.”

“You'll do great.” Mira said firmly.

“We'll definitely be there.” Zoey cheered.

For her. They would be there.

“Would you like to see?” She didn't wait for an answer before standing. “Just a part.”

They turned in their seats to watch her. To share this with them, she barely needed a reason.

“First I match harmony with the Honmoon,” she explained, humming softly as she stood in the starting position she knew better than the back of her hand. “Then I sing the hunter’s mantra while moving through the proper forms. Like a dance.”

Soft steps over the wood took her in a small circle, then a twirl at the close. Her hair and loose clothes lifted and settled as she held her arms just right and moved through each step.

We are hunters, voices strong
Slaying demons with our song…

The Honmoon around her thrummed, blue light rippling from each step as she slowed to a stop. If she went through the whole thing now with the wrong timing it could displace things. She was satisfied to share just a small piece with them.

Speaking of.

“I nearly forgot, I have something for you,” still riding the excitement she rushed to a chest of drawers next to her bed and started looking through the back of the topmost one. “I wasn't sure if you had them already, if you do you don't have to wear these too.”

Her rummaging finally turned up two little parcels of cloth. Each no bigger than the palm of her hand. She came back to her spot at the table while examining them to make sure her gifts were properly wrapped so as not to spoil the surprise.

“Here, here. I hope you like--”

When she finally wasn't focused on something else, something silly and unimportant, she chastised herself for ignoring the uncharacteristic silence. They hadn't said a word since she started her performance, it should've stood out. Now they were both just staring at her. Souls aglow a soft blue in their chests. That alone was troubling, but the faintest hint of yellow flecks at the center of them sent Rumi into a panic.

“Are you alright?!” She dropped to her place between them, gifts discarded on the table as she fussed over them. “Zoey… Mira?”

One hand squeezed Mira's shoulder, the other lightly touched the light at Zoey's chest. Already contemplating running for help when the touch alone grounded them back to the present, leaving them blinking at her and rushing catch their words up with their thoughts.

“It's fine!” “Totally fine!” “We were just--” “That was so beautiful.” “You were amazing.”

Their words all jumbled together as they acted like themselves again. Mostly. It was fine. Rumi could breath. She could ignore the subtle prickling itch traveling up her forearm.

“You scared me,” she exhaled and sank down a bit in her seat.

Her hands still clutching their clothing to ground herself now.

“Sorry,” Zoey laughed softly as she took Rumi's hand in both of hers.

“Anyway… you said you got us gifts?” Mira asked.

She slipped her fingers up through Rumi's to encourage her to let go of her, intending on offering better grounding through real touch. Rumi felt her nerves rising, but didn't pull away from either of them.

“Right, yes,” she nodded to the parcels on the table, unable to pick them up and present them properly now. “I made them.”

“You made us gifts?!”

Again she was overwhelmed by their enthusiasm, watching in anticipation as they picked up the bundles of cloth to unwrap them. Gently running her fingers over her hands now that she had them back, unconsciously self soothing and remembering the feeling of them being held.

From within the cloth they both lifted norigaes, braided charms made with colored cords. Mira's a reddish pink ending with twin tassels hanging down to either side of beads colored purple and blue in the middle. Zoey's a bright yellow with one big bushy tassel hanging as the base and pink and purple beads attached in the middle.

“They're for protection but like I said you don't have to--”

The words were knocked away as both girls slammed into her, Mira hugging around her shoulders and Zoey around her ribs. Catching her so off guard she toppled back under them and almost cracked her knees before throwing her legs out from under herself. Kicking the table in the process.

“... owww.” The protest was quiet, and quickly forgotten in the amusement and relief at their reactions. “Y-you like them that much?”

“Yes!” They both sobbed.

Lifting back from her just enough to look at her with tears in their eyes, then releasing her to keep admiring the gifts. She could only blink in confusion. It was just a gift. They were that touched by it? The familiar warmth kindled itself into a fire as she felt it creeping up the back of her throat. Tears started to fill her own eyes while they gushed about thank yous and all the little details in the charms only they would care enough to notice.

“The colors are perfect,” Mira said.

“Wait, are the beads us? That's so cute!” Zoey squealed. “Did you make one for yourself too? We have to make you one too!”

Rumi had yet to get up, still blinking at the ceiling as the blur of their movements filled her peripheral vision. Their excited voices becoming more distant yet so absolutely filling her mind.

Yes. This definitely went beyond admiration.

And that was terrifying.

The soft squeak of wood settling carried from beneath her and everything was snapped back into hyper clarity. She lurched back into a sitting position and stared panicked at the door.

“Someone's coming,” she hushed them. “Go. Over the wall.”

Maybe their hunter training accounted for the practiced flip to professionalism, but they were serious, quick, and silent as they rushed to the garden with Rumi right behind them. Constantly looking back trying to gauge by hearing alone how much time they had. They surprised her once again when they chanced the extra seconds to hug her goodbye, sneaking a quick kiss on the cheek before vanishing up the tree and beyond the garden wall.

Your faults and fears must never be seen.

All she had to do, everything she needed to focus on. Celine had always emphasized the importance of avoiding distraction, and until just this moment she'd never thought it would be a problem. Then there was whatever the ritual had done, and not even the full ritual. Had she done it wrong? No, she followed the steps exactly. Her hand moved to itch at her arm as a crawling set through her skin.

Only the gentle knock to her door could bring her back around to hurry inside.

“Your highness?” Celine's voice.

“Yes, sorry. I was just… walking the garden.”

Mira and Zoey found themselves far less graceful as they came down on the other side of the wall. What would normally be a deft landing on soft grassy hills ended with the both of them tumbling until they could slide to a stop at the bottom of the small slope. Dazed and in some level of shock staring up at the starry night sky. Holding their new gifts protectively to their hearts and replaying everything that had just happened.

They'd been so overly familiar with the royal princess, in her own room, and that was before the kiss goodbye. A matter made that much worse by her not showing any disdain for it.

But the biggest issue, or the most invigorating development if they wanted to do as Zoey always said and look on the bright side, was the one fact they'd avoided since sitting down to dinner with her.

They, very shamelessly, had caught feelings for Rumi.

Chapter Text

Chapter 4: Free

“Should I tell them?”

Jinu kept to his usual distance up one of the trees surrounding the little hunter's private training grounds. He'd had to put in a lot of work to get this close without having her attack him on sight, but she mostly ignored his presence now.

Mostly.

“All this talk of us being similar and wanting to find common ground and now you're threatening to expose me?” She met his teasing with incredulity, pausing mid drill to turn toward him.

“Huh? Oh no, not that,” he laughed, gently playing his bipa as usual. “I'm talking about your little… crush~”

A small rock cracked off the tree trunk right beside his head, drawing a flat twang as he looked down at her.

“Don't you dare,” she brushed her hands off and went right back to training.

The large blue tiger and magpie stirred from their napping spot beneath the tree, but rolled over to go back to sleep without getting involved. She was more forgiving of their presence than his. Very unfair.

“You're not denying it then?” Jinu asked carefully, rolling off the branch to a lower one and folding one leg over his lap to settle in. “Not that I would believe you, after your adorable outing the other night.”

“Spying doesn't do much to inspire trust,” she sighed.

“You three weren't exactly hiding,” he chuckled. “So? Why not tell them?”

“... it's complicated,” she relented sadly.

Her swings held more tension as she struck her straw dummy from different angles, twisting and moving with flourish. Jinu gave up on playing in favor of this conversation.

“I didn't expect the kingdom to have issues with the personal lives of its esteemed protectors.”

His eyebrow twitched upwards when her instant reaction was a heavy enough strike to leave her sword stuck in the training dummy's shoulder.

“What do you suppose might happen should I become… intimate with even one other person?”

She was glad for her mask as the memory of their last evening together was enough to make her cheeks flush. It hadn't been that. Still not trusting herself to be more descriptive she simply grabbed the cuff of her sleeve to pull it up far enough for a peek at her patterns.

“Ah… point taken,” Jinu sighed.

This was the most information he'd gotten out of her all week. If he poked a little more--

“That woman and her daughter before, the ones you stepped in for,” she asked him, brushing her sleeve back down. “Were they… the mother and sister you mentioned?”

Oh, she remembered that.

“No no,” he laughed weakly. His eyes darkened with the memories, but he had appearances to keep up. “They're long gone now. It was before the Honmoon when I…”

Building screams grew from somewhere long ago in his ears. So real he turned to look over his shoulder like they were chasing him. The hunter stopped what she was doing to watch. He could feel her pity even without being able to see her face.

“Oh, don't be that way. I'll think you've gone soft on me… Besides, the city is so much safer now.”

They sat with that for a few moments. Maybe he was overdoing it. He didn't need to get so sentimental.

“I should--”

The branch he was on shook as she landed beside him, holding another branch above to steady herself.

“You're looking for a way to divest yourself from Gwi-ma, you said?” Her voice was stern, but the compassion wasn't completely hidden. “To break this deal you made?”

He backed up to stand on her level.

“... I am. Though I'm… not sure I deserve to.”

“You made a mistake. You were human, it happens every day… At least you weren't born a mistake.” She let her thoughts drift again. “They'd never be able to love me like this.”

Nothing can change until your patterns are gone.

The crawling made its way along her collar. They might not even be safe getting so close to her.

Jinu scoffed, reaching over to rap his knuckles against her shoulder, “You never know. If you really think there's hope for me, what's stopping you from thinking the same of yourself?”

She barely moved at his touch, but the flicker in his patterns meant hers were reacting beneath her gabot.

“Because… How about this then? Once I--When the royal princess completes the replenishment ritual for the Honmoon barrier, if you happen to be securely on this side when it happens, I'm sure it'll cut you off from Gwi-ma. My patterns will disappear… Then I'll tell them everything. We can both have a fresh start. If you're willing to help.”

“You're sure--?” he asked cautiously.

“Yes.” She was quick to answer. “I have to be.”

He might even call it desperation. Something he was more than familiar with. A low chuffing sound from below and they found the tiger stretched up to paw at the tree trunk. Trying to reach them with a soulful expression in its big usually vacant eyes. The magpie chirped as it landed on the hunter's shoulder and picked at her clothes.

“Are they yours, by the way?” She asked him, running her finger gently over the magpie's beak.

The heavy air began to disperse from around them.

“I wouldn't say mine,” he stepped sideways and landed below, scratching the tiger behind the ears. “They come and go as they please.”

“Kindred spirits then.” She jumped down to land beside him.

His longer canines showed when he laughed. She'd given him some good intel to bring back to Gwi-ma… Maybe he could return the favor a little. It would help his act.

“I heard the generals are making another move. Soon.” He offered. “Not sure when but something is coming. Gwi-ma's getting anxious about the ritual.”

He stopped himself from saying more, holding his arm behind his back as his patterns began to burn. The hunter didn't seem eager to stick around and leave that possibility uninvestigated after hearing as much. She did place a hand on his shoulder and face him directly.

“Thank you. And think about the offer.” She said.

He didn't respond, didn't agree or give any indication he would, but she took off and left him with the thought. The slightest possibility. Another way out, forward. Maybe a chance to forgive himself.

The tiger growled softly to warn him of the pain about to come, pressed to his side as the patterns burned to life up both his arms. And the force of nature that was Gwi-ma's influence yanked him through the ground again.

Back to the hellish waste, feeling the hard cracked stone beneath him only a moment before he was lifted back up and spun around. Determined not to give the demon king the satisfaction of showing how painful it felt to be thrown around like a ragdoll.

“I'm beginning to wonder if your acting is really getting better, Jinu,” Gwi-ma was standing this time, hands folded behind his back. “Surely it can't be that you actually believe what that hunter is saying…”

The patterns burned hotter, twisting up his shoulders and around his neck to force his head back, drawing a strained laugh.

“Of course not,” he choked. “I'm flattered my… performance is so convincing, my lord. It does sound like the ritual is gearing up though. You weren't mistaken.”

“You also told her of our upcoming attack.”

Again the patterns seared at his skin, all the way up the side of his face to his eye. He breathed quickly to keep as much composure as possible.

“I thought I was sufficiently vague about it,” his voice cracked. “I didn't exactly give her details. And now she trusts me that much more. I hold all the cards.”

The burning began to wane, giving him a moment to breathe before he was pulled right up to Gwi-ma's face. The fire parting just enough to avoid him as the empty white pinpricks of light that were the demon king's eyes narrowed.

“If they really intend to hold the ritual soon, you'd better put those cards on the table. Sooner.” He growled. “Am I clear?”

“... as glass,” Jinu forced a smile.

With a dismissive wave he was tossed across the gathering space into the murky waters at the base of one of the shrine gates. Only deep enough for him to submerge momentarily before he could sit up and try to gather his composure under the judgmental gazes and murmurs of the other demons. The tiger appeared to settle between him and all of them, nudging gently at his shoulder. Such a caring thing for what it was. For who he was.

“Since you've so kindly announced our next move… we'll have to show up in full force so we don't disappoint.” Gwi-ma's voice carried over the distance between them. “I’d hate to make you a liar, Jinu.”

The alarm rang out as it always did, but the gathering grey clouds and smell of coming rain laid a terrible shroud over the city. Rumi couldn't comment on why she treated the response with such urgency or unease. She felt wrong to be keeping her talks with the demon secret, but it felt like another step to keeping her patterns hidden. How could she explain one without the other?

And maybe the recent attempts to quietly keep her heart detached from the meetings with Mira and Zoey made her still more guilty. They were so perceptive, she kept expecting them to notice. If they started asking questions, really asking…

Now wasn't the time to dwell.

Following in step with them as they set upon the wave of shamblers crashing through the street, she reminded herself of the job they had to do. Without needing to exchange a word the three of them mowed their way along the block with deadly precision. Swaths of demons easily turned to dust.

Too easily.

Just as they hit the nearest crossroads they found themselves set upon by all four of the saja generals they'd seen previously.

“Miss us?” The pink saja smirked as he came in low and lashed out at Mira.

She leaned back to avoid him, only for the buff saja to come at her heavily from her blindspot. Having to twist aside as she dropped back completely and stabbed up at him from below with that gok-do of hers. A rapid spin of the cursed weapon around herself forced both of them to back off her or risk getting a limb removed.

“Not in the least!” She roared.

Zoey whipped her arms to pull six shin-kal floating through the air in their wake. Each swift dart of her hand sent them shooting out to strike down the shamblers who were beginning to loom up in force again. And each time more crawled from the shadows to fill the gaps. This was bad. Clearly, none of them needed to be told as much. A hellish growl came from right behind her, giving her just enough warning to react with a back-flip as the growling saja lunged through the space where she'd just been.

“Such a pain,” the young saja came flying down from a rooftop with a kick towards her middle.

She put her hand to his leg and twisted to avoid the full force of the blow, managing to land and take position to face them. Both she and Mira noticed the warping mass of shamblers still forming around them in addition to these already uneven numbers.

Then a flash of blue light sheared a wedge in the small army. Rumi landed between them at the center of the new battlefield and spoke with confidence that fit her so well.

“Focus on them, I'll thin the rest!”

Just that was enough to set their resolve as she circled the fray around them. They could count on her to keep them from being overwhelmed and put their full focus on their own opponents.

The sajas could all feel the sickening hope building within the two of them, resounding through the Honmoon with vigor. Disgusting. They quickly found the tides turning against them from it, vexing as could be. The pink saja and buff saja couldn't get close enough to land a scratch on the hunter with the gok-do, she fought too well with her reach.

That bastard better be ready to make a move, pink saja thought as the long blade stabbed the air just beside his face.

The youngest of them and the growling saja both found the smaller hunter moving with fluidity to dodge their every blow. Having to move just the same to avoid shin-kal flying at them from every angle. How could the hunters be this strong?

“Help! My leg!”

Pink saja recognized the signal, eyes darting in the direction of a heavily cloaked figure collapsed on the ground in an alleyway. He scoffed at the hunter and made a dash for them, clearly telegraphing the intent to take some prize for their trouble. And she so predictably took the bait.

Mira moved the moment the pink saja made for the civilian helpless on the ground. Lunging into the alley with her gok-do aimed to stab his back but finding open air as he suddenly dropped to the ground. In that moment she saw the bulky shadow of the buff saja appearing to swing at her from the side. Sneaking in close in the confined space of the alley and leaving her very little space to maneuver such a long weapon properly. His claws were on track to catch her in the neck.

Shit!

She lifted her chin and leaned back, feeling the razor sharp nails hook the high collar of her gabot and shred it as her back came up against the wall too quickly. The pink saja was getting back up, she kicked the blunt end of her gok-do to send it levering around her hand and up to bash him in the chin. The buff one grabbed it on either end before she could rotate it back, forcing it across the front of her shoulders as he snapped his fangs at her neck.

“Mira!”

Zoey's warning shout cut through the thunder of battle and the distant rumble through the clouds all the same. A familiar whistle of multiple shin-kal flew through the tight area, several lodging into the side of the buff saja's neck and shoulder to burn away until he burst into dust like any other demon. A hush of shock fell over the street, and Mira turned to praise Zoey just as a massive horned demon lurched from the shambler wave just behind her.

With dawning horror Mira watched as the two saja Zoey had been fighting backed away at the same time the demon raised a club to bring down at her. Mira scrambled to get her feet back under her, already knowing she wasn't going to make it in time. Even before the pink saja's claws came around her waist and tackled her to the ground while she clumsily tried to launch her gok-do like a spear in a last ditch effort. Watching Zoey turning to finally see the demon's club coming.

It would have crushed her, her shin-kal were not made to block something so large. Even as she summoned more she wasn’t getting into throwing position fast enough. If you asked her later, it probably should have happened.

Had Rumi not come at her from the side and shouldered her out of the way.

Sound didn't reach either hunter in the time that followed. Only a dull panicked ringing as their hearts shattered the moment the demon's club connected with Rumi's sword while she was still mid air from her leap. Her arms buckled under the force that pushed right through the awkward defense and into her side. A shockwave passed through the Honmoon, discordant pink as the full force of the blow hit her all at once and rocketed her across the street and through a shop front. Splintering the wood and glass window wall to pieces.

Zoey flipped to land on her feet and brought both arms swinging upwards to launch ten blades up the side of the monster and through. Taking it and every shambler behind it out in one go. The growling saja made another go at her in that moment and found her vanished from in front of him, only to feel her boot swing up into the side of his head with another blade in its wake. He never saw it coming.

A blink later he was dusted.

Mira grit her teeth to lurch up from under the pink saja, rolling to one side and swinging her legs around to build momentum enough to launch herself up off the ground. With a guttural roar she resummoned her gok-do and brought the blunt end down to the ground with all her weight and fury behind it, clearing the whole street with a blast of blue Honmoon resonance in all directions.

As the dust settled the clouds split above them to begin pouring down rain. Insult to injury. The two remaining saja were nowhere to be found even before the curtain of weather lowered visibility in the street, but that wasn't Mira or Zoey's priority.

“Rumi!” Zoey sprinted across the empty dirt road.

Mira was right behind her. They lifted aside bits of wooden debris left by Rumi's rough landing, trying to reach her. Glass crunching under their boots. She was unresponsive, in a limp heap halfway through the wall when they finally cleared the way. A crack spiderwebbed through the waist of her gadot, her mask hung askew from her face.

“Rumi,” Mira tried to stay calm, supporting her head and reaching past her hood to feel for a pulse.

Finding one. Blessedly. She lifted under her knees and behind her back to scoop her up from the floor, needing no words to get Zoey running along with her. The moment they hit the street again their destination became the palace. Charging through sheets of rain. Celine would fix this. They would take whatever punishment it would earn them.

Jinu saw them leave from the mouth of the alley he'd been stationed in. Drawing the layers of cloth around himself against the rain and the risk of being noticed. No sooner feeling a pang of guilt and worry than he noticed the mask falling away from the mysterious hunter's face to clatter along the street behind them. Beneath the hood was a purple braid, and other features reminiscent of the previous queen of all people.

How about this then?

… she couldn't be, he told himself. Even as her words echoed through his brain.

Once I--When the royal princess completes the replenishment ritual for the Honmoon barrier…

At the back of his mind, he heard Gwi-ma laughing.

Mira was quick to get Rumi laid down in her bed once they came in from the garden. A trail of mud followed behind them on the veranda. Before she even needed to ask Zoey was out the door and rushing down the hall to fetch their master. That left her to tend to Rumi until they came back.

“Hold on,” she swallowed hard and undid the straps of the gabot around Rumi's torso. “Celine will be here soon.”

Lifting her to pull the damage halves from around her hurt Mira just to watch the way she flinched and pulled herself up by the collar of Mira’s shirt to get the task through with faster. As she moved to try and open her shirt to check the wound and help her change into something dry Rumi grabbed her hand to stop her. Her breathing was stilted and forced, like her lungs were trying to find space to expand in her chest.

“Don't… I'm fine,” she insisted despite the agony on her face. “Just winded--”

“You are absolutely not fine,” Mira argued. “Let me help you.”

She kept a desperate hold on Mira's hand to keep her from doing so, eyes barely lucid as she tried to shake her head.

“You can't-can't see… Celine will--agh!”

“Rules aren't as important as keeping you alive, Rumi.”

Rumi's back arched as she tried to hold back a painful growl. Her grip shook around Mira's hand, but didn't let up.

“Mira, please,” her voice broke under the weight of desperation. “Please don't…”

If after everything this was how it happened, Rumi would wish for death faster. She couldn't bear it. Hearing them so afraid for her, seeing the worry in Mira's eyes now. Having all of that flip to disgust and broken trust on top of it she feared would break her in an instant.

Mira's hand relaxed under hers. Rumi felt her shifting and tensed painfully before feeling her other hand moving her hair out of her face.

“Fine,” she relented. Clearly not happy about it, but still offering comfort as best she could. “I won't… We'll wait for Celine. Just breathe for me. I can at least get the rest of your armor off.”

Rumi pressed her face into Mira's touch and released the tension in small increments. Her hand moved to hold her own side once she took Mira at her word. Eyes closed as she steadied her breathing and waited. It might've felt like an eternity if Mira hadn't been there. With precise care undoing and stripping away each piece of armor to remove some of the constriction Rumi felt.

“Other arm…” she quietly indicated which piece she was doing next. “Can I get the boots?”

“That… that's fine,” Rumi choked out.

Her head went fuzzy a couple times, drifting into a blackout only for her panic to lurch her back to painful consciousness seconds later. Each time she found Mira had only done what she said. Of course. Rumi trusted her…

“... Mira,” she murmured.

“Hm?” Instantly her hand moved to Rumi's. “Did I hurt you?”

The next words caught in her throat. She couldn't… but she could do a little at least.

“Thank you… I'm sorry, I'll t-tell Celine--”

“Rumi,” there was a chuckle of disbelief in Mira's voice. “I told you, rules don't matter. All we care about is you being okay. We'll deal with the rest. Just relax and breathe. Let's take your hair down. I'm not as good as Zoey, so bear with me.”

Rumi didn't say anything else. She didn't trust herself to, how could she be expected to after hearing that? Swallowing the warmth coating her throat couldn't keep her from crying about it. Mira assumed it was the physical pain if her soft affirmations that Celine would be there soon were any indication. Rumi just went along with it, nodding her head as Mira took her hair out of its braid and tracked down a towel to dry it all. Her claiming to not be good at it felt like a lie because Rumi doubted she could have been more gentle.

Soon enough though the clatter of boots came from the hall and Zoey and Celine barged into the room.

“Is she awake?” Zoey asked, leaving Celine to close the door as she knelt on the other side of the bed. “Rumi?!”

“... I'm fine,” Rumi still tried to insist, and still wasn't very convincing.

Her hand found Zoey's arm and was quickly grabbed up to be held.

“How did this happen?” The anger in Celine's voice was barely contained. “Both of you out. In the hall. I'll deal with you after I take care of her.”

Mira nodded, sneaking a brief squeeze of Rumi's arm before almost dragging Zoey to her feet. She was distraught, and Mira understood since she was just managing to hold it together. But if they left, Celine could help.

The moment they were out of the room Celine set to work. Rumi let her help her sit up. Supporting her against her shoulder as she undid her shirt to bring it down around her waist and elbows, allowing Celine to see the angry red welt that took up her whole left side. Beginnings of bruises marking her back.

She tried not to look at the patterns, tried to ignore the way they filled Rumi's arms now and crept along her collarbone. Instead focusing on gently probing her fingers up the length of Rumi's side to check for breaks hidden beneath her skin. Thankfully she found none.

“Lay back and calm your breathing,” she instructed with all the care she'd shown whenever Rumi had been injured during training. “The tightness in your lungs will pass, the ache will take longer. I'll have something prepared for the pain.”

She went to get up and Rumi grabbed her wrist to stop her. Doing none of those things.

“Don't… blame them,” she meant it as a command, it came more as begging. “They… This was my fault. Not theirs…”

“They betrayed their duties. And broke every rule I set for them. It cannot go unpunish--”

“NO!”

Celine froze as something horrible loomed beneath the surface of Rumi's voice. The princess had her eyes tightly shut, and so missed the ripple of pink that passed through the Honmoon blanketing the room. The faint flickering along her patterns was too pronounced for Celine to ignore.

“Celine?!” Mira shouted through the door.

“Stay yourselves! Everything is under control,” she barked at them, at war with herself but quickly settling on damage control. As always, that duty fell to her. “... do they know?”

Rumi kept an arm around her waist as she slumped forward, shaking her head before managing to speak again. Her hand still stubbornly held Celine from leaving.

“They haven't seen. I haven't told them.” she took a deep, slow breath that still hitched on the way out. Managing to harden her voice to actually be firm as she lifted her head to continue. “I just… wanted to make her proud. That's not their fault… You will not punish them for my decisions.”

Celine set her jaw, knowing who she was referring to. This was all too familiar but Rumi couldn't have known just how much. Glancing at then quickly away from the patterns as the flicker thankfully did not happen again. It could not happen again. A deep sigh and she finally knelt back down to help Rumi change. Only satisfied when she was securely covered up once more. Since her highness seemed determined not to listen to her and she wasn't likely to keep the other two away.

“As you wish… Rest now. I'll bring something for the pain,” she said again. “We can discuss this further at a later time.”

This time Rumi let her leave. And she found the other two right outside the door. Eager to ask questions until she held up a hand to stop them. Another familiar sight. This time however, she couldn't afford to be as lenient. For their own good.

“She will be fine. She just needs time to recover,” she started with the part that would keep them calmest. Noting the relief that almost floored both of them and took a more stern tone. “Now. What happened?”

“It was my fault,” Zoey quickly spoke up before Mira had the chance. “I let my guard down and she got hurt protecting me. Any punishment should fall on me.”

She bowed to their master and waited to be stripped of her position, cast out, thrown in the dungeons, something fittingly terrible. Mira looked between them and almost spoke up to argue before a withering look from Celine stopped the words in her throat.

“Both if you have known, longer than just this incident, who you were fighting alongside.” It was a statement more than a question. Celine wasn't stupid.

“Yes,” Mira answered.

“You knew what was at stake, and yet you went along with this unauthorized arrangement all the same.” Celine kept her volume in check so she wouldn't disturb Rumi in the room behind her. “You broke every rule I set for you… and if not for our merciful royal princess being so insistent, and reckless in her own right, I would have your heads for all of it… But as it stands we are still in need of hunters. And her highness will continue to do as she pleases once she's recovered.”

They both stood at attention, waiting for the other shoe to drop.

“Zoey, every waking moment you are not slaying demons you will spend training, running drills, and sparring with me. For the next week you will do this.” She ordered. “You will perfect those skills so this never happens again. It cannot happen ever again. Understood?”

“Yes, Celine.” Zoey answered without hesitation.

“Good. We start immediately. Be at the training grounds within five…” Celine started walking off down the hall. Pausing without turning around and allowing just a drop of sentiment as she corrected herself over her shoulder. “Within ten minutes, or you will lose your position regardless of anyone else's wishes.”

“Yes.” Her voice practically chased Celine up the hall. “Thank you, Celine.”

Ten minutes would have to be enough. If anyone asked Mira it wasn't.

The second Celine turned a corner, all of Mira's carefully curated trappings of decorum broke, and she pulled Zoey into an embrace. The fear and desperation she'd felt seeing Zoey nearly crushed came back tenfold as she gathered up the maknae to hold her as tightly as possible. Using every point of contact to soothe that vision of the worst.

“Why? Why did you do that?” She choked past the lump in her throat.

Why let her guard down like that for Mira? Why take all of the blame? There was so little time to talk.

“... it should've been me,” Zoey's voice was so small, directly in her ear.

“Zoey,” Mira sounded like any member of her family did when she did something they found particularly distasteful.

She took Zoey by the arms and held her out to look at her face. She couldn't be serious, Mira didn't want to believe she could actually mean that. But there was a darkness cast over Zoey's expression that was so unlike her there was hardly doubt.

“I'm replaceable,” Zoey insisted, head sinking back into her shoulders as she fought so hard not to cry. “It should've been--”

Surprised to have Mira's hand cover her mouth. Her other had a vice grip on her arm and when Zoey could actually bring herself to look up she found nothing but pain on her face.

“Don't…” Mira breathed, dropping her head to rest on Zoey's shoulder. “You are not replaceable, don't ever say that again.”

The hug that followed was so warm Zoey couldn't help but melt into it. Whatever hopelessness and guilt she'd felt to that moment gave way to weeping under such care.

“But… Rumi…”

“Nobody can replace either of you.” Mira's breath hitched as she clung to Zoey for dear life. “Nobody could ever…”

“... Mira.”

“We'll both work harder,” Mira said, voice drenched in promise. “We'll train our asses off. We won't let this happen again. We'll handle it together.”

She couldn't lose the best family she had, the only one she actually wanted. The two people she loved most. Deep down, somewhere at the very back of her mind where the thought could never meet the light of day, Mira was willing to lose everything else first.

“Okay,” Zoey spoke up with conviction. With the energy Mira knew. “I'll work hard with Celine… It sounds like she won't let me see Rumi for a while, so I'll leave her to you.”

Her arms came up and around Mira to squeeze her back just as tightly. Feeling some of the desperate tension relaxing from her until she finally let up to step back. Zoey smiled like she usually did, back to herself even through the tears. She grabbed Mira's face before she could move away fully, and in a forward display that should've been obvious she pressed the softest kiss to Mira's lips.

“Don't let our girl push herself,” she smirked, squishing Mira's cheeks until she laughed.

Mira pulled her hands down to free herself from the silliness. Even if it cheered her up. Holding both Zoey's hands and leaning down to kiss her forehead.

“I think I got the harder orders,” she sighed. “C'mon. You've got seven minutes left to meet Celine. That's six and a half minutes to check in on Rumi.”

They pushed the door in and stepped through, intent on doing just that.

Chapter Text

Chapter 5: Takedown

“Thank you for sitting with me,” Rumi said, for maybe the hundredth time in the past week.

She was sitting up on her own and breathing normally now. Recovering under the watchful eye and near forced care of Mira and Celine. She'd protested Zoey's punishment at first, but the sweetheart brushed it off as a refresher course more than a real punishment. Mira didn't call her out for downplaying things, instead adding that it was Zoey's job, and watching over Rumi was hers.

“So if you want us not to get in trouble, you'll have to let yourself be taken care of.”

And it had worked. Despite how much it seemed to annoy their princess she forced herself to relax. She even let Mira feed her the first few days when she was in the most pain. Though Celine was always the one to handle other aspects of her care that would have Mira further breaking the rules.

“Of course,” Mira assured her, as she did every time Rumi thanked her. “You don't have to thank me, I told you I want to help.”

She was using a little paring knife to cut up an apple for her, handing it over piece by piece for her to snack on. Cakes weren't healthy enough for someone in recovery but Zoey had insisted she should be allowed a treat. So Mira made sure she got both. This time Celine had won out and it was an apple.

“How has Zoey been?” Rumi asked, not for the first time either.

“Celine puts her through her paces, but I make sure she rests too,” Mira grinned. “She misses you.”

That usually got Rumi to smile. Softly, if a little sad.

“I'll be able to see her soon. I'm feeling much better.”

“Good. I'll tell her,” Mira focused on her hands, the sharp glide of the knife through fruit. “You're sure you want to go back out?”

“Of course,” Rumi didn't hesitate.

It was unfair to ask. Mira smiled and handed her another slice of apple.

“I figured. Just curious. Keep relaxing for now though, it's been pretty calm the past week.”

Nothing they couldn't handle.

As usual, she told Zoey everything when the young hunter dragged herself back to their quarters in the evening. In stark contrast to Rumi, Zoey had no reservations about letting Mira help her change and feed herself before collapsing into bed. It made Mira wonder.

“Do you think we've been too casual with her?” She asked softly in the dark.

Moonlight filtered through the high windows and let her see Zoey roll over to face her. Only inches away. Now that they knew about each other's feelings there was no reason not to be close like this.

“With Rumi? Why do you ask?” Zoey yawned into the blanket. “Did she say something?”

“No… I just wonder. All this ceremony over the rules. I understand I suppose but sometimes it really seems like…” Mira fretted at the cuff of her sleeve. “She wouldn't even let me check her injury when you went to get Celine. If it had been something really bad, waiting like that might've made it worse.”

Zoey propped herself up on her arms to think better.

“Mmmaybe she realized it wasn't serious, so she wanted to spare us getting in more trouble.”

“Or, maybe… maybe she doesn't feel the same for us as we do for her,” it felt like ash on her tongue to propose such a thing. “Maybe she doesn't trust us.”

She breathed deeply through her nose and pressed both palms into her eyes. What was she even saying? Like any of this mattered when they were talking about the future Sunlight Queen. They were just hunters. She trusted them as much as was needed.

“... would you care for her any less if she didn't feel the same?”

Pulling her hands away she turned to find Zoey settling back down to rest her chin on her hands. Her usual energy faded into something more somber and resigned. Smiling without it reaching her eyes.

“I think she does trust us… I'm not convinced she doesn't care for us,” she listed off her answers with confidence. “But, even if she doesn't in the same way, I don't see these feelings going away either.”

She laid her head down so she was looking directly at Mira, and this time her smile had its usual brightness.

“Nobody could replace you two in my heart, after all.”

Mira grinned and folded her arms over her eyes to hide, “You're teasing me again. Are you ever going to let me live that down?”

“Absolutely not,” Zoey scooted closer and draped her arm over Mira. “Not when it was so dashing and romantic of you.”

She pressed a kiss to Mira's bicep and relaxed against her. It felt like their own personal Honmoon keeping the doubts from overwhelming. More valuable than gold.

“If you think about it,” Zoey mumbled, clearly halfway to falling asleep already. “Unless there was some secret forbidden romance going on with her, maybe Rumi hasn't ever felt any sort of way about somebody… So we should be patient, and give her some time to figure it out.”

Mira shifted so she could get her arm under Zoey and draw her in close.

“Maybe… I guess we can handle that.” She agreed.

“Mhm… We've got this so handled.”

The week came to a close. Zoey passed her punishment training and was back to her regular patrols and visits. She was happy to see Rumi up and about around the same time. Though she still held back a bit when giving her a hug to celebrate. Just in case. Everything was back to normal…

Which, unfortunately, meant the demon attacks started to ramp up again. Mira thought it was strangely fortunate they didn't do so until after all of them were back, but did remember Gwi-ma lost two of his stronger demons that night as well. She put it out of mind, determined not to be distracted.

“Another pack of water demons,” she called out as they traced the tear in the Honmoon.

It sprung from a park in the east corner of the city, with small ponds connected by man-made streams. Beautiful gingko and red pine trees grew around to offer shade to people as they strolled the banks. But now people ran screaming as lanky creatures rose up from the water to grab them in an attempt to drag them down.

Rumi cut through the first one she came across as it was pulling a man towards the waters edge. When she went to help him to his feet Mira and Zoey flew past her to mow their way through half the rest of the horde each. Aggressively clearing the area with ease and leaving her equal parts impressed and surprised.

“Wow… That refresher training really paid off,” she offered.

“Sure did,” Zoey flexed. “Let's do one more sweep and check on everyone. Then we can grab tteokbokki at the market~”

“Lemme guess, you've been craving it all week?” Mira smiled.

“Who wouldn't?!”

“I could've gotten you some for when you got in.”

“It’s not the same as fresh though.”

Rumi watched them walking away and chatting so casually. It felt strange, like something had shifted between them. Maybe between them and her?

“Miss?” The man she'd rescued tapped her on the shoulder. “Is something wrong?”

“Oh. It's nothing. Are you alright?” She asked.

She was getting better at talking to the people they saved. Owed entirely to the good influence Mira and Zoey had on her. The gentleman thanked her profusely with his soul aglow and went on his way. She needed to be on hers. Splitting the difference and circling from the other direction on their patrol of the park.

Everything was fine.

Clack!

Day after day things went the same for every alarm they answered. They would trace the tear, Mira and Zoey would rush in and clear as many of the demons as possible before Rumi could get too involved, then they would move right along to whatever next errand or patrol they had like it was no big deal.

Clack!

Rumi considered their behavior as she worked her training dummy with her most basic swings. A motion she could do in her sleep. It was meditative, and easier to think things through when she also gave her body something to do.

What's there to think about? She kept up a rhythm. Swing, connect, recover, reset. Again and again.

Clack!

They trained hard. She knew Mira had been doing so on her own while Zoey was working through her punishment with Celine. Just like she knew it was a punishment and not a refresher. And all while also watching over her. Rumi felt too strange even wanting to mention it. It felt ungrateful. Why criticize them for doing their job well?

Clack!

Of course she would fall behind if they were working hard while she was recovering. Even if just for a week. Even if she felt fine now.

Clack!

They were working hard. Without her.

Clack! Clack!

Running ahead. Without her.

Clack! Clack!

Bonding. Without--

Snap!

A ripple in the Honmoon made her saingeom flash sharper as her swing took the dummy's head clean off. The break in her rhythm brought her back out of her own head, and let her feel the incessant crawling under her skin. It had been happening more now, not quite burning, but near enough for discomfort. Enough to get her heart to start racing.

Your faults and fears must never be seen.

Celine's voice echoed in her head as she rubbed her arms to chase the feeling away. Pacing a loop in the clearing.

“... I'm trying,” her voice was small. “I'm fine, everything is fine…”

She wasn't sure who she was trying to convince.

It's the only way to protect the Honmoon.

“I know…”

Of course she knew.

It's your responsibility. If you see it through, your patterns will be gone--

“I'm TRYING!”

The shout ripped through her throat with a foreign reverb that sounded blasphemous. She felt the way it tore through the Honmoon before her eyes even caught the fading glimpse of pink passing through the trees. Her hands flew to cover her mouth, like she was afraid it would happen again just by breathing. Wide-eyed and horrified as the burning moved all the way up her arms to her shoulders. Spreading quicker this time. Pulsing like a heartbeat. Not her own, that was too sporadic to match in the moment. The fear wasn't letting it settle for even a beat.

Like it never happened.

“W-we are hunters, voices strong,” she choked on her own words, dropping to balance on the balls of her feet with her knees crushed against her chest. “Slaying demons with our song.”

It was creeping over her collar, her breathing started coming faster. She clamped her hands around the back of her neck and screwed her eyes shut.

“Fix the world… and make it right,” she kept going, curling in on herself tightly. “When darkness finally meets the light…”

The constricting did her lungs no favors, but if she made herself as small as possible she could contain it. At least she told herself as much. It didn't make it true. What would she know about telling the truth?

Soft fur brushed up against the back of her hand, then her whole right side. She flinched and found the tiger purring gently as it rested its chin against her back. The deep rumble passed straight through to her chest, rattling her ribs in a gentle way her heart could learn from. It was grounding. As she settled, the burning faded. As it faded, her muscles relaxed. Her hand trembled as she reached up to scratch around its whiskers. The magpie stamped its way along her arm to her shoulder, where it hunkered down in a huff.

“... thank you,” she sighed.

This couldn't go on any longer. It was getting worse, harder to hide. She had to fix it. Then everything would be fine, everyone would be safe. She just had to reach that one goal. And she was so close already. A deeper breath and her skin felt normal, hers again. Not some creeping monster threatening to overwhelm her from within. She stood up and just let herself breathe.

“It can't wait anymore,” she resolved, lifting the magpie back onto the tiger. “Stay on this side. Warn your friend.”

She was putting an end to this.

Zoey and Mira spotted Rumi as she was making her way back to the garden wall. Catching up to drop into the secluded space just behind her.

“Rumi,” Mira greeted her warmly.

She stopped at the veranda and turned back to them, still in her disguise but with something heavy settled over her shoulders. When she spoke it felt urgent.

“I need to speak with Celine, please get her for me.”

When she kept going into her room they followed.

“Is everything alright?” Zoey asked.

“Everything is fine…” her resolve slipped slightly, letting a softness sneak into her voice. “Please just have her come here.”

Mira watched her. Noted every wrongness in her mannerisms from weeks now of watching. Before she could push the matter, because of course something wasn't fine, Zoey put a hand on her arm.

It only took a look for her to relent. They needed to approach her in the right way. And forcing questions on her probably wasn't it.

“I'll be right back with her,” Mira agreed.

She let Zoey be the one to try this time, hurrying across the room and out the door.

Whatever energy related to whatever ‘wasn't wrong’ was enough to get Rumi to start pacing the floor. Zoey had never seen her so impatient.

“... do you want to talk about it?” She asked carefully as she meandered closer to the path Rumi walked.

Over and over. Back and forth. It was something that Zoey noticed her doing before, a habit that seemed to help her think, but she hadn't even removed her mask yet.

“I will when they get back. I'm fine, just… I need to--”

That tension was only winding tighter. Just as she reached a peak she stopped and gripped her hands into fists. Held. Opened her hands and closed them, over and over. Trying to let some of the energy out. Though it didn't look like it was working.

“Rumi,” Zoey softened her voice as she came closer. “Can I touch your arm?”

She didn't turn to answer, but she nodded. Zoey splayed her palm carefully against the underside of her forearm. Even through the fabric of her sleeve Zoey could feel all of her muscles tense. Her fingers came around in the loosest hold. Then she massaged that hold up and passed Rumi's elbow to rest against her bicep.

“Can we take your mask off?” She asked next. “I think it'll be easier for you to breathe if we do.”

No response. No indication either way. If she was still trying to insist she was fine she wasn't doing the best job at it. Zoey stepped sideways to stand in front of her, watching, keeping that hand on her arm.

“Rumi…”

She telegraphed her intentions, slowly reaching her other hand towards Rumi's face. Still no reaction. Zoey traced the back of her fingers along the mask’s cheek, and heard Rumi breath in behind it. In the fading daylight she couldn’t see Rumi’s eyes even so close, or even much beyond the shadow of the hood, so she had to go by touch. The soft scrape of her nails dropped past the mask, coming within a hair’s breadth of Rumi’s ear before hooking around the edge.

“Wait.” she pleaded, hand snapping up to grab Zoey's wrist and stop her.

This wasn't something she could share. This wasn't something Zoey or Mira could fix. She had to be the one. Zoey froze at her touch, but when Rumi met her eyes she just found patience.

“We can hear what you have to say when Mira and Celine come back,” she reassured. “I promise not to ask again. Let me try to help how I can now… okay?”

Painful patience. If she wasn't so sure it would ruin everything, she might've lost all of her resolve. This wasn't the first time she'd felt as much. All the more reason for her to do what needed to be done. Her grip did loosen but didn't fully leave Zoey's arm. It just defeatedly followed the movement as she took the mask down to finally see her face.

And whatever expression Rumi might've managed, Zoey still met it with patience.

“There,” she grinned. “It'll be alright, Rumi. Whatever it is.”

I wish I could tell you… Rumi tipped towards her just barely. She had more than one wish, and so many involved Zoey and Mira both.

The door opened then, drawing both their attention as Mira let Celine walk in first then closed the door.

“You wished to see me, your highness,” Celine asked with a judgemental glance at the pair. One half at least.

Rumi squared back her shoulders and steeled herself. All vulnerability push deep down and away. No faults, no fears.

“Make preparations. I'll be performing the replenishing ritual,” she spoke with authority. “Tonight.”

“Tonight?” Celine seemed mildly caught off guard.

“You're sure, Rumi?” Mira asked. “You only just…”

A glance at her posturing and expression gave her pause enough to swallow the rest of her words. It had been so long since Rumi acted this formally around them, even with Celine around.

“I'm sure. Gwi-ma has suffered major losses recently, the sooner we act the better advantage we can take,” Rumi reasoned.

“As you wish,” Celine was already running the statistics of how to prepare so quickly. “I'll have Bobby help arrange the materials. It can certainly be done.”

“And we'll be with you,” Mira crossed the room to stand on Rumi's other side.

“Like we promised.” Zoey confirmed.

Rumi didn't look at them right away, but looked still more serious when she did.

“I need you both in the city,” she explained quickly, before they could argue. Because they looked like they would. “Gwi-ma may be weaker, but I doubt he'll take this lying down. If he acts out of desperation the city could be in grave danger until the ritual finishes. And I won't be able to leave the palace.”

She saw Mira tense, but their training won out as she gave in. Standing more at attention, “If that's where you need us to be.”

“Oh! I know,” Zoey raised her hand and fiddled around her belt.

Taking Rumi's hand she put her norigae in it. She pushed Rumi's fingers to fold around it and clasped both hands around that to hold, making a very focused face with her eyes closed.

“There. Now I'll be with you and in the city,” she smiled up at Rumi when the mini ritual was finished. “Mira?”

“Mhm.”

No sooner had she said so then Mira came to do the same with her other hand and her own norigae. Only she lifted the whole affair high enough to touch the back of her hand to her lips.

“We're with you. Just focus on the ritual, leave the city to us.” She nodded.

“We'll be back for them once the Honmoon is replenished!”

“... right,” Rumi managed a real smile. But not for the reasons they might've thought. “No better hands… Stay safe.”

Celine tried not to dwell on the deja vu she felt watching the display before her pupils went off to war. Of all the trainees for her to end up with, it would have to be two who happened to fall for their princess. Despite how she'd drilled in the importance of discretion to one, the importance of duty and discipline to the other two. Despite the stakes…

Of all the similarities to have, she mused to herself as she carried a long resin box back to Rumi's chambers. It had to be the most troublesome one.

It wouldn't matter after tonight. There wouldn't be anything left to hide, the danger in the kingdom would vanish. It would only take a few moments to end years worth of pain. Then maybe real healing could begin.

She didn't bother knocking as she arrived, Rumi was waiting beyond the screens and nobody else from the palace would be permitted near her wing during the ritual. She and Rumi had made all other necessary preparations in the space. Clearing away the table, lighting candles and incense and arranging them just right around the outside of a wide ring on the floor. The box she brought contained the final piece.

The Sunlight Queen's regalia. A long silken sash that Rumi would wear draped around her arms and behind her back. Inlaid with a celestial design that matched what adorned Rumi's saingeom when summoned.

The princess herself was already dressed for the occasion, in a hanbok with a white top trimmed in gold and a long pink skirt. She turned from her seat at the center of the ring when Celine entered, looking poised and ready to begin. The only thing out of place was the two norigae hanging from the sash tied around her waist.

Celine thought better than to comment on it.

“Are you ready? Do you need another moment?” She asked, helping Rumi with the regalia.

She looked so much like her mother.

“I'm ready.”

The sooner the better.

Celine stood back to the wall to watch over the events to follow. Proud to see Rumi expertly take her starting position. A hum and slow wave of her arm tapped quickly into the Honmoon and lit the room in ripples of blue. With a graceful circle into a quick twirl and the whole space began to pulse.

We are hunters, voices strong

Rumi's voice was harmonic and clear, drawing the Honmoon to rise like a tide and fall back under her direction. Her thoughts were singularly focused on this performance she had practiced her entire life for.

Slaying demons with our song

She let herself revel in the feeling of purpose it brought, to be doing exactly what she had been expected to. Her body in motion, steps she could perform in her sleep.

Fix the world and make it right

A golden shade began bleeding through the Honmoon, radiating from her like the rays of the sun as she hit just the right steps, moved her body in perfect form.

When darkness finally meets--

The alarm bell clanged in the distance, and Rumi's step faltered just a brief moment. The Honmoon wavered but she quickly recovered. Remaining the moon to hold it locked in proper ebb and tide, even if it took her stretching the dance.

“Stay focused,” Celine spoke up. “You're almost finished.”

Rumi nodded. No distractions. She bent at the waist to draw the flow upward… and glimpsed the norigae hanging there.

They don't have them, her mind wandered.

Her heart began racing as a buzz traveled every nerve under her skin. She'd known there was a chance of this, a very real chance.

They don't have me, the tension was returning as she pushed her body to move properly. Through the steps she'd studied since she was a girl.

But do they really need you?

The gold of the Honmoon dimmed. Celine watched in building distress as flickering pink tears started spreading through the room.

“Rumi! Focus!”

Just as before, Rumi's skin began to burn. Her lungs constricted like she'd been sent through a wall again. The pain was unbearable and she squeezed herself as she stumbled to a stop. Letting the Honmoon fall away from her in a crash like waves upon a rocky shore.

“They're fine…” she breathed. “They're fine. I have to…”

Are they?

Do you want them to be fine?

Without you?

She passed from the ring, every step leaving a line of pink along the ground like the cut of a practiced blade.

Go.

“Rumi!”

Celine went ignored as Rumi took off. The regalia drifted to the veranda behind her as she was up and over the wall in seconds. And gone.

The alarm bell continued to ring as Rumi flew from the palace. Or maybe it was the faint ringing that had filled her ears, since no other sound was making it through them. Besides maybe the rush of her breathing. Mira and Zoey remained her singular focus now. She shouldn't have sent them away, but she didn't want a repeat of last time they'd seen her do the ritual. Now it was a failure, she was a failure. All of her choices seemed wrong. Even now. But if she lost them…

As she reached the boundaries of the city a skirmish exploded from one of the nearby buildings. A group of larger horned demons tripping over themselves as they frantically ran from Mira and Zoey giving chase. She slid across the grass and nearly tripped over herself as she changed course to follow them into the woods. They must've been heading for a break in the Honmoon near the edge where it was weaker.

Rumi refused to acknowledge the edges of her skirt catching at branches or the way the uneven forest floor scraped her bare feet as she charged ahead through the trees. None of that mattered.

“Zoey!” She called out, voice cracking. “Mira!”

She reached out for the Honmoon and drew her sword from it. Though it felt different in the moment, she kept her eyes forward. Trained on their backs as they struck out at the demons they were chasing, rendering them puffs of smoke before coming to a stop in a clearing. Allowing her to finally catch up.

“Thank goodness,” she caught her breath.

The relief settled in her chest as she continued forward at a staggered march and reached out for them.

Only for them to turn on her with expressions she'd never seen their faces wear before.

“What are you doing?” Mira asked, outrage building.

Rumi was so taken aback she immediately came to a stop. “I… I heard the alarm and--”

“We've been handling things for days now without you, you don't trust us alone for ten minutes? For something so important?” Zoey clicked her tongue in annoyance.

Rumi flinched. “I do, I do trust you I just--”

Mira menaced up into her space, “Do you? Really?”

Rumi never really thought about how tall Mira was until she was backing away to try and keep eye contact without being bumped into.

“Y-yes. Of course I do.”

While she'd had her attention on Mira, Zoey had snuck in closer. She only noticed when the shoulder of her hanbok jacket was grabbed.

“Then why didn't you tell us?” Zoey yanked down. “About these?”

Rumi felt cold night air hit the bare skin of her arm and reacted immediately to cover it. Not doing much now that her patterns were so extensive. Her sword discarded to unravel before even hitting the ground.

“You're a demon,” Mira grimaced. "And you hid it from us."

She traced two fingers down Rumi's throat to hook the collar of her shirt and yank it loose, then shoved her at the collar hard enough for her to wheel backwards into a tree. Fear took over completely as she caught herself from falling and followed them with her eyes.

“I'm-I’m sorry, it's not--I'm not a demon,” she stammered. “I'll explain everything, I promise.”

“What's to explain?” Mira scoffed. “What good’s your promise?”

They came closer, cornering her and grabbing handfuls of her jacket to pull more of it away. She heard the fabric tearing.

“You're just a monster,” Zoey sneered. “A mistake. No feelings at all for the kingdom you doomed with your lies.”

All of Rumi lit on fire. She tried to shrink away but Mira held her right where she was, gripping the collar of her shirt. The patterns were spreading, Rumi felt them moving down every limb now, caught peeks of the red glow from the corner of her eyes as her worst nightmare came to life around her. Pounding through her head until she couldn't take the pain anymore.

“We see what you are.”

“What you've always been.”

“Since the day you were born--”

“NOOO!”

A shockwave of pink strummed through the Honmoon, leaving smoldering pieces blown wide open. And Mira and Zoey didn't look surprised.

Not until a guttural roar hit them next. And even in her state of shock and misery, Rumi felt fear so deep her stomach sank into it as the familiar blue tiger took Mira to the ground. Even staggered when the impact didn’t leave Mira time to let go of her. Voice dead in her throat she reached out to grab at the tigers fur in desperate panic until she saw ‘Mira’ explode into red dust beneath its claws.

‘Zoey’ turned to run, but the tiger was faster. Taking her out in much the same way before pacing around and coming to nudge its head under Rumi's arm.

It… wasn't… her thoughts came slowly, haze clearing with each purr against her waist. But clearing that much quicker when she heard a familiar whistle coming in their direction.

Pure instinct fueled her as she rolled over the tiger's back and summoned her saingeom, striking out to collide with the shin-kal flying towards them. The sound both weapons made against each other was as foreign and distressing as glass shattering.

“... Rumi?” Zoey asked hesitantly, disbelieving.

Mira was right behind her with her own weapon at the ready, holding it less so as she realized who they'd come up against.

“Don't-don't hurt it,” Rumi rushed her words, holding out an arm to block their path. “It's safe. It was just protecting me.”

Confused to find Mira stepping forward to mirror the gesture in front of Zoey.

“I-I know how that sounds, how it looks, I promise it's harmless.” Rumi continued, trying to take a step forward.

Only for them to take a step back. The magpie circled overhead with a crackling call.

“… how do you have patterns?” Mira asked slowly.

All of the color drained from Rumi's face as she looked down at her ruined clothes. The patterns had stopped glowing angrily across her skin, but their spread had not reversed. Her undershirt covered very little of it considering her whole right arm was now purple, her fingers instead ending in claws. She dropped her sword to the ground as she took a step back and grabbed at her hands. As if in doing so she could rub the marks away.

“No, no… they-they weren't this bad--they were supposed to be gone,” she whimpered. “The ritual--if I'd just finished it I--”

“Did you make all those cracks?” Zoey asked, voice wavering.

“C-cracks…?”

“There's a whole path torn through the Honmoon from the palace leading here, and spreading,” Mira accused.

“No I… I was trying to… to find you,” Rumi breathed. “I couldn’t have…”

She'd done that? Without even noticing?

“We were where you told us to be,” Mira spoke up. “Did you… did you send us away so you could do this?”

“No!” Rumi's eyes snapped up to them, desperate to be understood. “I wanted to protect you.”

Her head started pounding behind her left eye. She pressed her palm into it and grit her teeth.

“From what? The demons started tearing through the city almost as soon as you started the ritual.” Mira argued.

“I thought you wanted us to protect the city,” even Zoey's face took on an incredulous expression. “How would that protect--?”

“From ME!” Rumi's shout hit the Honmoon wrong.

It took on the reverberation that sent a sonic boom of pink out in all directions. And Rumi dug her fingers into her hair as everything fell apart around her. Every choice made wrong. Everything she was. The reverb stuck to her throat like a coating of honey, now audible on every haggard breath. But the worst was yet to come.

The sound of weapons being pulled from the Honmoon, and faint blue light held in the space between her and the two people she cared for most. She looked up to find the one sight she never wanted to see.

Mira and Zoey with their weapons held at the ready. Directed at her.

The last bit of her will that had held out tonight snuffed out. She grimaced and let her head drop down as her fingers and claws dug into her skin.

But she would spare them this task.

“... I wouldn't make you,” her demonic voice didn't sound like her, but it held all the love she had for them.

She tensed her shoulders and in a puff of red smoke she disappeared.

Chapter Text

Chapter 6: What It Sounds Like

Celine was doing her best to mend the cracks Rumi had left in the Honmoon, working her way through the garden even if it felt like a wasted effort. She couldn't tap into it the same way she used to. Even before it had started breaking. There had already been several more worrying flashes of pink through the night. Everything was so far beyond her scope anymore.

Just as she reached the persimmon tree and the wall a rustling came from above and she felt a presence lurking. Drawing a short blade from her belt she jumped back to defend herself. But the figure that dropped from the branches gave her pause.

“... Rumi?”

It had gotten worse. The patterns were everywhere. Flickering pink to outline an arm or highlight the side of her face. Her left eye was a reflective yellow that caught the moonlight instead of the natural brown it should be. She took a step closer and opened her mouth to reveal her canines had grown.

Everything about her was wrong.

“It's falling apart…”

Even her voice sounded wrong. Celine couldn't make herself move.

“Rumi,” she steadied her voice and closed her eyes. She just had to fix it. As usual, that duty fell to her. “You have to pull yourself together. Perform the ritual, nothing else matters. The Honmoon will--”

“I can't,” Rumi said, defeated. “I'm a failure… And you've always known it.”

“That's not--”

“You can't even look at me,” an edge slipped into Rumi's voice.

The Honmoon reacted. Lashing out to push Celine back a step.

“It hurts,” the aggression fell away as Rumi began begging. A clawed hand grasping at the left side of her chest and tearing her shirt. “Just do what you should've done a long time ago. The Honmoon will be better for it, the kingdom… everyone.”

Celine looked up finally to find Rumi on her knees in front of her. Her saingeom materialized from the air and clattered unceremoniously to the ground.

“I… can't,” she grit her teeth, trying not to look away.

“You could do the ritual. You would make a better Sunlight Queen.” Again a ripple passed through the Honmoon as Rumi raised her voice, “You're always preaching about a hunter's duty, so do yours and--”

“I can't.”

“Just do it! I'll make it easy for--”

“You're all I have left of her!”

Celine dropped to her knees and held her hands out just shy of touching Rumi. Unable to bring herself to do so. She was looking now, but right past Rumi to someone else. Straight through to the memory reflected in the brown of her still human eye.

“I'm sorry… I’ve tried to guide you, to accept all this. W-we can still fix it. You can still do the ritual--”

“They saw,” Rumi shook her head, feeling the heat building up behind her eyes. “They know… I keep breaking it more…”

That troublesome similarity reared its head again, but Celine pushed right ahead trying for damage control.

“We'll-we'll tell them it was all a trick. Th-that Gwi-ma is behind it, trying to drive us apart… You can still--”

The desperation in her eyes was not like anything Rumi had ever seen. But it wasn't for Rumi, and somehow that made it that much worse.

“I don't want to,” a crack split the Honmoon behind her as she slumped further. “I can't lie to them anymore… I can't.”

And she couldn't live with the memory of how they'd looked at her.

“I made a promise… I can't take the last piece of her.” Celine choked out.

But you would, if not for that. How many things would Rumi have to lose tonight? How many blows before she would cease to be on will alone? She dismissed her sword and stood up, looking down at the woman who raised her… loved her, in theory.

“... I know someone who can.”

Even reacting immediately Celine wasn't fast enough to stop her from vanishing the same way she'd come.

The sprint back to the city was a heavy one. Zoey felt like a rock had settled in her chest as the image of Rumi's broken expression burned its way into her heart as much as her mind. She should have noticed. Maybe if she'd pushed harder when they were talking in her room she could have convinced her to tell them. Surely she hadn't really been conspiring with the demons. But then how could she have patterns? It wasn't something Zoey had ever heard of but Mira would be the one she would usually ask and she was… not doing well either.

Zoey could tell just in the brief glances at her profile and the deep set grimace her face had been stuck in. But the city was in trouble, and they didn't have time to think about it.

As soon as they passed back into the city limits it became a matter of hitting ants with a hammer. Every street they worked their way down felt like it was overrun with shamblers again the moment they turned back to check it. People screamed and took shelter in any building they could reach the fastest, barricading doorways and windows in desperation.

“Maybe… maybe if everyone gets to the palace we can…” Zoey tried to figure out a solution.

Mira just rushed forward to keep at it as they had been. If Zoey didn't follow quickly enough she would lose her in the chaos.

She couldn't lose her too.

“Mira!” She shouted, fighting to catch up with her. “Wait, we need to--”

“What's the point?!” Mira rounded on her.

Zoey froze, eyes searching her face trying to find a shred of the usual composure Mira kept. But everyone had a breaking point, and she supposed this was to be expected. Of course there wasn't anything to be done now. Stupid of her to keep hoping…

“Music to my ears~”

The deep voice was not one they'd heard before. None of the saja, no other demon either. Realizing they were at the center of the city only as they turned to find the horde of demons pulling back to give them more space. Or rather, to make way for the nine foot figure in blackened red armor to step from a hole in the Honmoon.

“Finally, I'm able to meet our distinguished hunters in the flesh,” his tone was pure confidence. Making it known they weren't a threat. “Big admirer of your work.”

Zoey whipped her hand out to throw a cluster of shin-kal at him, but they were swatted right from the air like gnats. His approach continued while he surveyed the area with satisfaction. Folding his arms behind his back with his posture nice and straight.

“You'll have to excuse me, this is an endeavor centuries in the making,” he breathed deeply and the Honmoon smoldered around him. “I just want to drink it in for a moment.”

Mira was already rushing forward, swinging her gok-do around towards his neck. And having it clang with discordance against his gauntlet. The rebound traveled down her arms and rattled her teeth before he rotated his wrist to grab it by the blade and yank back to drag her with it. Swinging a punch into her ribs that continued into a force that drove her solidly into the ground. The whole chest piece of her gabot shattered on impact.

Zoey was already in motion by that point, mid aerial sweep when the last two saja crashed into her and dragged her down next. Her blades clattered to the ground as they wrangled her into a manageable position and kept her there. Once they had her pinned Gwi-ma stepped back to let the pink one get Mira in the same pose. Face down in the dirt with her arms behind her back.

“If you're going to be so rude about my welcome, I'll just destroy you first,” Gwi-ma said, already bored by this game. “Not that I can complain I suppose. Just a bit underwhelming.”

Zoey watched the pink saja lift Mira's head back and ready his claws at her throat, feeling the younger saja looming over her back. Something tugged at a piece of her that she couldn’t put words to, a string anchored in the very center of her chest that went taut. Beginning to fray.

Interrupted only by the lamenting note echoing through the Honmoon itself. Or what was left of it. Her heart skipped as she caught her breath against the ground, terrified what that feeling could have been. All eyes lifted and scanned the perimeter of the square to find the demons parting to allow a familiar figure to pass.

Excitement returned to Gwi-ma's voice and posture, “Well well, the Sunlight Queen herself graces us with her presence… Or, is that right? Forgive me, do failed royals still earn higher titles?”

He chuckled and held his arms wide as Rumi continued to steadily drag herself across the square towards them. No different than how they'd last seen her in the woods. Zoey squirmed and wrenched herself against the young saja pinning her down with more weight than she thought he should have. What is she doing?

“Forgive my thoughtlessness,” Gwi-ma continued. “I neglected to bring a gift on such an important day… And yet you've given me this substantial tribute.”

Zoey heard Mira starting to put some effort into getting free herself once she'd caught her breath again. Rumi still hadn't said anything. She was just walking up to the demon king, unarmed. What was this?

Gwi-ma stood quiet the last few moments, tilting his head when she just stopped and stood before him. Easily within reach and making no move to do anything. Just staring distantly at the ground at his feet. Waiting.

“Oh… oh I see,” he chuckled. “I almost feel spoiled for choice… Jinu.”

He turned to call back the way he'd come from. Another jeoseung-saja approached from a puff of smoke and bowed to the demon king.

“Sire?”

“Consider this a bonus,” Gwi-ma stepped back with a presenting wave of his arm. “I'll allow you the honors of finishing the last Sunlight Queen.”

Not a single muscle in Zoey's body was relaxed after hearing that. She twisted and resisted the saja pinning her down. Forced to watch as this new saja they'd never seen was presented with the morbid honors of executing Rumi. No matter their understanding of things, her heart was not willing to accept letting that come to pass quietly.

“Rumi…” she growled as she threw all of her weight to one side.

Judging by Mira's renewed struggle beside her, she wasn't the only one.

The saja--Jinu--stepped up and mostly blocked Rumi from their view. It was harder to see what was going on, but she leaned far enough to catch him taking her chin in his hand and tilting her head up to look at him. It was difficult to tell if Rumi actually saw anything with the thousand yard stare in her eyes. She really wasn't going to fight it. When Jinu leaned over her shoulder near her ear Zoey had bile burning up the back of her throat as she kicked at the ground behind her. Don't--!

“Don't… Touch. Her.” Mira forced her voice through her struggling. It was gruff, an octave lower than normal.

If Jinu heard it he didn't turn to acknowledge them. Instead he took a step back and raised his hand over his head, claws fully prepared…

“If you’ll permit me, my lord, I feel it would be a shame to waste an opportunity to rub it in a little more. This would be our last chance, after all.” He turned to look over his shoulder with a smirk as a bipa appeared from smoke in his hand. “Hunters do so enjoy their theatrics.”

The demon king actually rumbled a laugh, waving for him to go on. Zoey couldn't believe they were shameless enough to serenade them to their deaths. But Jinu was already tuning and finding his notes. The melody he settled on was slow and… strangely familiar.

Little hunters with your song
See the ways you've all done wrong

That was why! It was the hunter's mantra, the melody of the ritual song. He had the gall! Zoey's next growl built to a shout as she bucked her shoulders and promptly got her face shoved into the dirt. Tasting blood mixed with it. Bastard!

He chuckled as he played his refrain. Pacing closer to them and dropping his voice as he crouched between their heads.

One last chance to make things right
Take up your arms and prepare to fight

The last few plucked notes were agonizingly slow, then he stood back and hit a higher one. Picking up his tempo as the music echoed across the square. In the pause of confusion, where Zoey, Mira, and both their captors gave him a look of befuddlement, the Honmoon rippled open and the same blue tiger leapt through at full speed. Mira felt a tug as the pink saja was ripped off of her and in the split second she could move she was already summoning her gok-do mid swing to cut through the saja pinning Zoey down.

“Jinu!”

The call exploded from Gwi-ma in his rage and he reached a hand towards the last saja standing as he skipped backwards out of the fray while still diligently playing. Zoey skidded along the ground to build up momentum until she could leap through the demons closing in around them again. Flickers of blue started winking to life beyond the wave of enemies, faint and often eclipsed by the mass but she noticed them. She kept her blades flying and spinning around her to slice the horde to ribbons of red ash and help them shine through. Mira twirled her gok-do to make a path straight to the demon king.

A deft swing of his hand materialized a broadsword to meet her charge and forced her to kick into a twist sideways to avoid the heavy blow. He didn't even look at her as he closed his fist and yanked his arm towards the ground. Jinu came falling from the sky as a result, rolling mid air to land on his back and not smash his bipa beneath him. Stubbornly right on playing.

“Any time now, princess…” he grumbled so low Zoey almost didn't catch it.

To be fair she was very occupied. At the mention of Rumi though her focus corrected, and found she was still where she'd been. Still shell shocked, at least more aware as she scanned the fray. The moment their eyes met a hint of the anguish they'd seen in the woods threatened her features… but a shout from Mira snapped both of them to attention.

Gwi-ma had the broadsword in one hand, forcing her to kneel in a deadlock that she was dangerously close to losing. And as fast as Zoey moved, Rumi moved that much faster.

Flying across the square into a lunge she pierced her saingeom through his elbow while Zoey flipped over and behind him to bring a shin-kal down into either side of his collar with all her weight. Both twisting their blades with a growing roar as they forced him to step back and gave Mira the space to move away.

“Ah,” his voice showed no hint of real effort, more amusement than anything. “Feeling some fight again, little Sunlight Queen? Changed your mind?”

He pulled his arm off her sword and reached back to grab Zoey by the collar. Shoulder throwing her off to land in Mira's ready arms. His wounds wisped red ash before closing back up.

Rumi set her shoulders back and met his smoldering, empty eyes without a word as a pulse of light filled her chest. Her soul unabashedly on display a bright blue with little flecks of gold.

“There it is!” Jinu whistled, picking away at a steady tempo as he hopped from roof to roof to dodge the demons still giving chase.

The tiger darted around his path to help keep him safe. To allow him to keep playing. Blue lights blossomed and overlapped to surround the square in a halo as every demon in the city started converging in one space. And thus left the rest of the city alone, with a sliver of hope to hold onto as they heard the music.

“More entertainment for me,” Gwi-ma rolled his shoulders. “An easy victory is an unfulfilling one.”

Rumi's foot slid back as she held her sword at the ready. Her steps brought her lightly around the demon king in their build up to clash, and as he took the first swing she spun out of the way. Mira got Zoey steady on her feet while they watched a moment as the two traded blows.

We are hunters, voices strong

Only it didn't look like Rumi had any intention to make any aggressive strikes. She was keeping on the defensive, on the move, at best deflecting Gwi-ma's broadsword before shifting position to another step.

It looked less like a fight, more like…

“Oh she is insane,” Mira groaned. “Absolutely mad.”

And yet she was already on the move with Zoey as they rushed in to help. Especially given the Honmoon beginning to resonate with Rumi was obvious enough to give the gambit away. Gwi-ma's aggression flared and he swung a wide arc towards her waist. His sword spit colorful sparks as it hit the pole of Mira's gok-do and shoved her back while shearing down the length of it, off course. Zoey hit him with blade after blade thrown in quick succession trying to draw his attention but he knew the biggest threat.

Rumi didn't dare stop. Following the steps she'd studied since she was a girl. It was the most stressed she'd ever been but she'd never felt more tapped into the Honmoon as it swelled and moved around her. Again Gwi-ma threw his shoulders into a huge swing of his sword and again she dodged, with Mira getting right back in his face. Zoey dove behind him to slice at the back of his knees, but he just seemed to shrug it off. It was only his patience wearing down.

Slaying demons with our song

“Did you already forget what you are?” his voice growled as his sword melted and reformed in his palm mid swing. Becoming a bulky spear that he spun around much faster. “No matter what you do here, you'll never be able to hide! You can never go back!”

Mira's gok-do glanced off the similar but heavier weapon, sending her staggering. Only for Rumi to spin and meet her back to back. The light from her chest passed between them as she gave a little shove to steady Mira on her feet, both now brightly shining as Rumi continued right on through her performance.

I don't care, Rumi set her expression and pushed his words aside. I don't care! For them! I can't do it for me, so for them!

Zoey noticed her patterns seemed to resonate with the Honmoon around her. Changing from the sickly purple to a glimmering blue and gold with hints of green. They became her, rather than force themselves upon her.

“Stop them!” Gwi-ma roared as he got more desperate the longer the ritual went on.

A wave of shamblers and horned demons alike forced their way through the viscous Honmoon energy. Mira ducked beneath one of Rumi's flourishes to cut a swath of them down, turning in a similar motion to do the same from the other side. Weaving around Rumi fluidly like they'd practiced this routine.

Fix the world and make it right

“NO!” Gwi-ma reached out through another long step and caught the end of Rumi's braid.

Zoey dove in, spinning a shin-kal around for a reversed grip to cut the end off before he could pull. If it bothered Rumi she didn't show it. Her expression completely relaxed as she turned and grabbed Zoey to pull her into the next step and out of Gwi-ma's retaliation range before letting her go again. Setting her soul alight in turn.

Something in Rumi swelled to bursting, some growing warmth that lightened her expression further to confidence as she lifted her hand in the air and made direct eye contact with the demon king.

“This is what it sounds like,” her voice rang clear through the street, the Honmoon building and buzzing in anticipation to match it.

When darkness finally meets the light

“NOOOO!”

Gwi-ma swung his spear desperately towards her neck, but a hand grabbed her by each shoulder as Mira and Zoey threw themselves and her downward to drop below it. She brought both hands to meet the ground in an explosion of colored lights that filled the Honmoon. With the three of them at the epicenter a wave of radiant energy burst out before settling into place over the earth like a blanket. Warm and secure and chasing every demon endlessly until it could force them back down below.

Their last glimpse of Gwi-ma was him furiously reaching for them, clawing gauntlet inches from Rumi's face before being shunted through the ground in a cloud of smoke.

The city fell quiet.

The rising sun bathed the world around them in gold as they all released a breath held several beats too long. Rumi's hand--now a hand again and no longer clawed--hesitantly reached into their line of sight to strum the newly settled Honmoon. It hummed with a kaleidoscope of soft colors that resounded to every corner of the city and beyond. Well over the horizon.

Beneath their hands still on each of her shoulders they felt Rumi relax completely. She breathed out a laugh, then slumped under what little of their weight was actually on her.

“Thank you…” she told them.

She couldn't have done it without them. She couldn't possibly ask for more than this. Whatever happened now she could take comfort that they and the kingdom were safe. It was a small comfort to her broken heart, but it was everything to her peace of mind. In her exhausted stupor she felt herself scooped up off her knees. Hazily seeing Mira's bright magenta hair swaying at the corner of her vision and deft hands tucking a uniform coat around her as she passed out completely.

Mira kept a brisk pace back to the palace. For the second time having to carry Rumi home. The princess was draped in her uniform top--it was easier for her to take off with her gabot broken--leaving her down to the sleeveless fitted top beneath. This time there was no reason to be discrete, she didn't care who saw them. Any whispering or gawking eyes could be discouraged with a look from her right now. Otherwise she set their path for the most direct route through the gate, down the halls they'd been patrolling enough to memorize, and passed the familiar wooden doors and screen dividers while Zoey diligently opened anything in her way.

The remnants of the failed ritual lay scattered across the floor, but she just clenched her jaw and ignored it to set Rumi down in her bed.

“You brought her back!”

Celine's voice needled at her as she stood and gestured for Zoey to wait, turning to find their master hurrying in from the garden.

“Thank goodness she didn't… Excellent work, I'll see to--”

“No.”

Mira moved to stand at the foot of the bed, blocking Celine from getting closer. Their master was already more frazzled than they'd ever seen her but the backtalk still gave her pause.

“Excuse me?”

“I said no,” Mira began advancing to close the distance. “We'll be taking care of her this time.”

Off or otherwise, Celine still had the wherewithal to pull rank. Certainly enough not to back down from a subordinate.

“And what makes you think you can speak to me that way?”

Mira stopped with a foot between them, meeting her master's normally withering gaze with enough determination to cancel it out.

“She came here first, didn't she?” Her voice remained even as she asked, even as her fists clenched at her sides. Continuing when Celine seemed confused by a question rather than a direct answer. “The way she spoke before, and the way she was acting when she showed up again… she went to you first. She wanted you to kill her, right?”

The stunned look of recognition on Celine's face as the accusation finally hit told Mira all she needed to know.

“That's--”

Mira stepped in that one foot, forcing Celine to take one back.

“You didn't do it, so there's that at least,” she took another step, continuing to do so to effectively dog walk Celine away from Rumi. “But whatever did happen went so poorly she left herself to the mercy of the demon king instead.”

“I didn't--I tried to talk to her. To help her calm down--”

Mira grabbed the front of her collar and pushed her to the wall they were swiftly approaching. At her full height she was plenty imposing.

“You should've done more!” Her calm finally gave way to the turmoil beneath.

But it wasn't all anger. And it wasn't all directed at Celine.

“You've known the whole time…” she breathed, grip not faltering even if her voice did. “That's why she had to stay hidden. Alone. That's why she followed the rules… You were the one person who got to know… And when she… when she went to you for… You couldn't even talk her out of it.”

Why couldn't they've reacted better? Why didn't they stop and help her calm down? All that training, all that time having it drilled in that all demons were evil only to be destroyed, all from Celine who knew the whole time about whatever connection Rumi had to them. And even after all that time around her, and how they felt, they still reacted so poorly when they didn't understand right away what was happening.

They just followed orders. It made Mira sick.

“Mira.”

Zoey had come around and put a hand on her arm. Another moment to gather her composure and she let Celine go to take a step back.

“We'll take care of her,” Mira said again, her voice back to calm and her expression controlled.

“... I'll explain--” Celine tried.

“No, you won't,” Mira cut her off again, less aggressive at least as she shook her head. “If she wants to explain it, we'll hear it from her… If she wants to see you, we'll get you. Otherwise, I'm sure you're needed elsewhere.”

Another moment as Celine chewed the inside of her cheek. Clearly wanting to say more, finally deciding better of it. She pinched the bridge of her nose before folding her hands behind her back and giving them a nod.

“... Very well. I'll have everything brought that you'll need. Right away.”

Stepping past the screens and out the door.

Zoey kept a hand on Mira the whole time, even after. Watching as she hunched her shoulders and cursed under her breath. A few times.

“Mira… aein,” Zoey sighed, rubbing her shoulder as she stepped closer. “I know…”

“We shouldn't have…” Mira couldn't bring herself to look around.

She covered her mouth and tried to breathe through the bile and nausea churning up to her chest. Zoey kept at it, steadily giving her something else to put her focus on.

“I know. But, she's safe,” she tried softly. “She's safe, and she still needs us… All we can do is try to make it right. The rest is up to her.”

Mira furiously rubbed the tears from her eyes and nodded. Sucking in a breath when she finally let herself notice the scrape on Zoey's cheekbone, the smear of blood from her nose.

“God Zoey!” She took her face to examine it with care. “I'm so sorry, I didn't--”

Zoey's palm pressed just slightly against her ribs and Mira saw stars, lurching down to catch herself on her arm. More soft cursing.

“I think you've been running on adrenaline since Gwi-ma showed up,” Zoey said with a halfhearted chuckle as she held under Mira's elbow to support her. “Let's get out of our armor at least. We'll see to Rumi, then I'll see to you.”

Stubborn as ever, Mira forced herself to stand straight. She held the side of Zoey's head and used her thumb to brush the blood away from her nose.

“So much for having things handled…” she mumbled.

“Hey, we're not done yet.”

They each managed a smile before Mira pulled Zoey into a tight one armed hug and kissed the crown of her head. She'd said they would take care of Rumi, and she wasn't about to break her word. They would handle it. And whatever came after, they would handle that too. Somehow.

If I show you there’s hope for me… What would that mean for you?

The faint memory of Jinu's voice in her ear startled Rumi from unconsciousness. Scared for a moment that everything from the second he'd spoken those words to finishing the ritual had been a lie. Her waking up tense to the sensation of a soft bed beneath her and familiar voices gently chatting beside her didn't do much to convince her otherwise. It was so comfortable, too serene to be true. The first few seconds before her brain really began to register everything she was sure she'd just imagined their victory, and that this was the heaven she'd been bestowed after a lifetime being alone.

Until a warm hand slipped into hers.

“Rumi? Can you hear us?” Zoey asked.

She took a moment to answer, blinking her vision clear and shifting under her covers to push herself up to a sitting position. The long coat she'd been changed into slipped off one shoulder as she used her fingers to brush her hair up the middle and out of her face. Her hand resting hooked around her neck while her gaze drifted anywhere but Mira and Zoey’s faces. They sat on either side of her bed, not in uniform for once.

“Am I dead…?” She murmured, eyes finally resting on her lap. “Are you…?”

“... no. We're all alive,” Mira answered carefully.

“The Honmoon?” Again her voice was barely above a whisper.

“Good as new. Maybe better.” Zoey confirmed.

“The city? Everyone?”

“Recovering well,” Mira said. “Surprisingly few losses, but Gwi-ma was more focused on us.”

Rumi only had one question left then, the one she was most afraid to ask. She took a deep breath and stalled long enough to examine the traces left of her patterns. Almost ghosts along her skin now, but faintly iridescent enough to be noticed. All along her hands, and when she pushed her sleeve up they travelled her arm from there. As much as they'd spread the night before, they hadn't receded an inch. Only changed as she'd made them hers.

And accepted they would be. Forever. Learning to actually like them would be a task on its own.

So when she finally worked up the nerve to ask, her voice still cracked halfway through, “And you know about… my…?”

She couldn't bring herself to say the words. The question was left to interpretation and her fingers dug into her arms as she braced herself for the worst. For them to stand more on ceremony, to treat her formally like they first had, to act like guards and nothing more, or worse yet to resign their positions and leave. She couldn't bring herself to ask for more.

But she didn’t need to.

A hand slipped around her wrist to coax her to let go. Mira lifted it up and kissed the back of her fingers. The bed on Rumi's other side sank in as Zoey sat herself at her hip, wrapping her arms around her waist and pressing her face into the back of her shoulder. Rumi felt electric between the two of them, feeling them move with such deliberate care.

“Y-you…”

Mira gently pressed her thumb against the palm of Rumi's hand to turn it over so she could kiss her wrist. Zoey moved from her shoulder to bury her face into the side of her neck, all the while hugging her waist back to hers. This made nothing better. Everything better? Rumi was trying to make her brain work through the shiver under her skin.

That wouldn't happen if she stayed in this position.

She turned her hand in Mira's and covered her mouth before she could continue what she was doing. Her other hand grabbed Zoey's at her waist as she leaned forward so they had a little distance.

“Wh-what are you doing?” She asked. “I… thought…”

“What we should've done the first time you needed us,” Zoey rested her forehead against Rumi's shoulder.

“You should never have had to question how we feel for you,” Mira pulled the hand away from her mouth easily. Rumi didn't exactly fight it. “So we wanted to show you directly.”

“We don't want to leave any room for doubt,” Zoey nodded.

She hugged Rumi in a way that let her completely conform to the curve of her back. Fit perfectly together. Still in enough of a fog she forgot Mira had a second hand until it was moving past the side of her face into her hair and encouraging her to meet her eyes. Rather than staring dazed at the foot of her bed. Unable to string a damn sentence together for the life of her.

“But… I'm…”

“You're Rumi,” Mira said firmly. “You always have been. And we love you completely… We'll never make you doubt that again.”

“We'll listen to whatever you want to share with us, we promise,” Zoey's voice wavered in spite of herself. “If you'll have us.”

Rumi couldn't help the tightness in her chest, growing so overwhelming with each word they spoke until she grimaced and let the first sob break from her throat. She shook Mira's grip and grabbed the collar of her shirt, tugging her closer while grabbing Zoey's arm at her waist to keep her from moving away. Thankfully Mira didn't need any more invitation and quickly sat herself over Rumi's lap to pull both her and Zoey into her arms. Cracked ribs be damned.

Having them so thoroughly enclosing her felt warm and perfect. All of their openness and informality brought to its ultimate and obvious crescendo. Just as she was getting used to the feeling and starting to wish it would never stop they shifted again. First Mira, sitting back to smile at her as she brought her hands to hold either side of her face. Her thumbs brushed any stray tears away as Rumi leaned fully into the softness of her touch.

At the same time she felt Zoey's arms release her waist, but she kept her hands in constant contact as she drew them over her hips and up her back. The gentle scratch of her nails traced circles around her shoulder blades to encourage her to sit up straighter. Not hunched over under the weight of the relief this outcome brought.

“I never thought I'd… I'm sorry I kept something so big from you,” she finally managed. “I wanted to tell you so many times, I love you both so much--”

Whatever further declarations of adoration her brain had planned were left to scatter adrift when Mira kissed her. Rumi blinked in momentary shock but didn't dare let her disbelief linger long enough to rob her of enjoying what was happening right now. She was not about to question the blessing of being the Honmoon's favorite while she had Mira's lips on hers.

Fumbling to grab Mira's arms to make sure she knew she wanted her hands to stay where they were. That did leave Zoey free to do whatever she liked unimpeded. Which turned out to be turning her coat down at the collar. Whoever had redressed her had made no effort to tie her clothes as tightly as she usually wore them, so it was a foreign feeling to have a layer off her shoulders and hanging from her elbows. Not nearly as new, however, as the sensation of lips tracing bare skin.

Rumi sat up straighter, gasping and finding Mira quick to capitalize on the chance to deepen her kiss. Already sending Rumi lightheaded as one of Mira's hands left her face to hold the small of her back for support. It took Rumi an extra moment to realize she'd snaked her arm into the coat to do so, making sure they were that much closer. Degree by degree. Rumi began to resent any amount of layers between them.

So no surprise when her arms dropped back gladly as Zoey just took her coat off entirely behind her. Just as she tried to bring them back to hold Mira though she found them caught and positioned above her head as she was very pointedly not upright anymore. Catching her breath and hazily blinking up at the ceiling found Zoey above her while Mira kept hold of her hips.

“Relax,” Zoey's fingers traced all the way down her arm with a slowness that tested the absolute limits of Rumi's patience. “We've been wanting to take care of you. So let us.”

Her hands continued along Rumi's collar as she spoke, drawing her chest tight as a bowstring before finally kissing her. Earning a hum of gratitude for not teasing any longer. One of her hands finally came to rest holding the side of Rumi's neck, half her weight draped over Rumi to be able to do all of this. While Mira moved her hands up under her shirt to her stomach. Without even looking she could tell the shapes traced by her fingers were following the patterns there. Just like that they became a little easier to love. Every little gasp and groan Zoey devoured straight from her lips as she kissed her as long as either of their lungs would allow.

And even when they wouldn't anymore, Rumi instantly had Zoey's lips at her throat instead. Trying to catch up, head back and torso arching as she folded her arms over the top half of her face and whined when Mira pulled open her shirt in a way that felt she was making it personal.

All to freeze perfectly still when they heard a knock at the door.

“Your highness?” Bobby's voice carried through two walls.

Rumi swallowed whatever had been building in her chest with more difficulty than even their fight the night prior and whispered, “He knows you're in here with me?”

Zoey looked back and nodded.

“Good.”

She sat up and grabbed first Zoey, who was closest, then Mira to give them each a kiss and point down at the bed.

“Lay down. I'll be right back,” rolling to the side and throwing her shirt closed again she jogged across the room.

Through the screen, which she closed behind her, and opened the door to smile at Bobby with a finger to her lips.

“If you wouldn't mind, they both fell asleep watching over me,” she kept her voice low. “I don't want to wake them.”

“Oh of course, your highness,” he smiled brightly and kept his voice low. If her patterns bothered him at all he didn't show it. “After the battle last night you all need your rest. I'll see to it you aren't bothered but Celine asked me to remind you that it's safe for you to move about as you please now… Should you need any help with unfamiliar areas I or anyone else will always be available.”

Rumi hadn't considered that yet. The freedom to move about outside her room or the garden, without sneaking or a disguise. Her excitement was tamped a bit when she thought about the source though.

“Where is Celine?” She asked carefully.

“In her office. Seeing to official matters regarding the city's repair and preparing a statement about what happened, and has been happening.” He folded his hands behind his back. “She also wanted me to assure you she would ask for your input before officially announcing anything.”

“... alright. Thank you, Bobby.” She squared her shoulders back and nodded. “I appreciate everyone's hard work, once things are settled we'll arrange a proper celebration for everyone. All palace staff included of course.”

“You are too kind, your highness,” he stepped back and gave a low bow at the waist. “Now, please enjoy your rest.”

He tapped the side of his neck and gave a wink before hurrying off down the hall. Leaving her a bit confused, closing the door and going back to her room. As she tried to figure out what he meant her hand moved to rub at her neck… and it occurred to her.

“Zoey!” She looked to the bed where both of them had sat back up. “Did you leave a mark?”

Zoey couldn't keep from smiling as her eyes drifted guiltily towards the garden.

“I uh… maybe,” she coughed.

Mira broke down in laughter, falling back against the bed as Rumi buried her face in her hands and groaned.

“That's the first time I've met him face to face…” she whined.

“I couldn't help it,” Zoey's voice was on the move. Coming closer before Rumi felt her take hold of her arms. “It didn't sound so bad. You can barely even see it.”

She made the mistake of lowering her hands to find Zoey giving her the usual puppy eyes. And Mira setting her chin on top of Zoey's head to smirk at her.

“If it's such a problem we can just not do that again--” she feigned disappointment.

“You're both incorrigible,” Rumi cut her off. “It's not a problem, I just think it best I don't have that sort of thing on display when I'm about to be making public appearances for the first time in my life.”

It was far from a problem.

“Sooo…” Zoey wiggled her eyebrows. “We’ll just put them where nobody else will see~”

Rumi's face flushed, but she quickly started laughing. The teasing couldn't last seeing her like that. They'd never seen her so bright, the Honmoon couldn't hope to compare. Zoey stepped into her, tucking her head up under her chin and hugging her tight. Mira settled her arms around their shoulders, one hand up through Rumi's hair as she kissed the side of her head. Then her cheek, all efforts blessing them with more laughter.

She was free. She was theirs. They were hers. And it was all more perfect than any of them could ever have wished for. They'd certainly all earned it.

Just as the large purring pile of blue fur and the strange little bird with the hat earned their spot sleeping in the garden. Under the persimmon tree.

And miles away, a humble busker traveling to the tune of his bipa had earned the chance to move forward.