Jungeun was both, excited and a little nervous, when she met Haseul at the ship’s garage. Going out in secret wasn’t exactly her original plan when she decided to ask Jo about Osaka, however, when the brunette proposed it she couldn’t bring herself to give up the opportunity, even if it put them both at risk of getting scolded by the whole crew.

After spend the first few days visiting the places that the crew suggest her, everyone was expecting her to start making her own choices. But the weird thing in situations like this, was that you rarely can think about all the things you once wished for. She had imagined going to so many places and suddenly she could do it all, yet she couldn’t recall the locations – perhaps, she just dreamt of freedom, and now that she had it even if conditionally, it didn’t matter much where they were heading. Kim loved seeing new places and watching the diverse beauty with her own eyes, so anywhere they visited seemed like a dream.  However, for the first time she had decided on a place on her own.

Japan could seem like a boring option since it was so close from their original location, especially when the country was basically only interesting for the technology now – something she never cared about –, still, she had a good reason to visit it. Hopefully, it would be worth all the trouble to reach the place.

Haseul had a green coat on and black pants, a small backpack over her shoulder and cheeky smile on her face. “Are you ready? You look great!” She asked, her eyes giving her a once over before nodding in approval. Jungeun was wearing comfortable warm pants, a grey sweater and black jacket over it, while her hair was up in a ponytail. Her eyes, without the lenses were back to their bright red color. It was tempting to cover herself with her cape, but Jo had told her no one lived there and the people on board were already asleep, so what was the point of hiding?

“Yes. We can go now.” Kim replied with a determined nod. Somewhat, not having to hide herself made her feel a bit vulnerable, but confident at the same time. Haseul’s bright eyes staring at her with pride made her feel comfortable.

“So let me introduce you Baby Raven!” The excitement in Haseul’s tone made sense once Jungeun spotted the smaller ship waiting for them. Jungeun had never paid attention to this part of the spaceship, moreover to this aircraft that looked like a much smaller version of Raven – of course it did, she should’ve known by the name. Biting back a smile at Haseul’s childish excitement, she follow the girl inside, taking the free seat as Jo took over the command of the machine.

“Since we’re not carrying anything, open and closing the compartment won’t be a problem. I programed Raven to rover over the field while she waits for us to comeback,” As usual Jo referred to the ship as if it was a living being – that dorky side of hers was showing itself more and more often. “Vivi is aware we’ll be out, so if we need anything, we can just call her.” As expected, dork or not, the pilot was a very reliable person and had made sure they would be as safe as possible.

Nodding, she gave the brunette a smile. “I get it. And what will we do when we reach it there?”

“Now that…Well, I guess we’ll have to figure out later.” With a soft chuckle, Jo shrugged. “Don’t worry, we won’t go down unless it’s safe.”

Jungeun had always been the type that prefers having a clear plan than going head first into a situation, but in this case they didn’t have much choice and she trusted Haseul’s good judgment.

Baby Raven wasn’t very big, there was more than enough space for them both and if it was needed they could probably squeeze in the rest of the crew inside. But since it was just the two of them, it seemed rather comfortable. Kim watched as Haseul pressed a sequence of buttons as the ‘big Raven’ compartment opened up to let them out. “Pay attention, I’ll tell you how things work here. It’s good that you know, just in case.” The pilot’s words were said in a calm tone, yet the instruction that she gave after, explaining with detail how to control the aircraft and even how she was supposed to make it land safely, were said in a much serious tone that made Jungeun feel uneasy. “I always do that. I don’t think anything bad will happen, but if it does, knowledge is the one thing that can make the difference.”

For this, Jungeun’s answer was just a quiet “Understood.”. Suddenly she was wondering how dangerous the abandoned city could be.

The rest of the trip was surprisingly quiet.

Baby Raven, albeit small, was a very fast ship and Haseul controlled it with ease, make the journey so short that it was hard to believe that they were in another city – or it would’ve been, if Jungeun hadn’t sneaked a peek through the window and noticed the darkness below where Osaka was supposed to be at. Even her Saeg eyes were having a hard time determining where the ocean ended and the ruins begin.

Slowly, Jo hovered over the city, looking for a suitable place to land. She ended up picking a place near the growing forest, from where abandoned buildings and an old bridge were visible, standing there like the skeleton of what was once a very busy city.

“This is it?” Jungeun asked, more to herself than to the brunette, when the landed and Haseul opened the cabin so they could get out of the ship. Blinking so her eyes could adjust to the dim light, her pupils grew bigger as everything become clear to her: Haseul was right, there wasn’t much to see there. Osaka was a ghost city now and they were alone there. The moon was illuminating what was left of Osaka, the dark blue sky punctuated by stars was like a cloak over the grey city, the soft sound of waves crashing on the distance could be heard, but she could only see the dark water of the sea into the distance.

“Well, it’s what left. This part of the city wasn’t destroyed, but people went away long ago, so now it’s just…” Haseul shrugged, gesturing the fragile state of the constructions. If her eyes could barely see anything savable, Haseul probably couldn’t see more than just junk. “You didn’t tell me why you want to come here.”

Without much think, Kim took a hold of the human’s hand as she came closer, making sure Haseul was right beside her as they started to walk. “I…I heard someone say that if you see the town at night you can see it being illuminated by the light spirits.”

Jo frowned slightly, but her lips didn’t turn into a mocking smile, instead she just nodded. “Light spirits…Hm, I guess we can see them. We just have to know where to look.” Squeezing her hand lightly, she pointed the green line of trees that lead to a mountain, a couple of hundred of meters away. “I don’t really like hiking, but well, my gut feeling says we might see something if we go up there.”

Hesitating for a second, Jungie nodded. She couldn’t see much more than trees, but the ground was more stable under her feet as she approached the place, Haseul’s warm hands keeping a tight grip on hers – familiar and comforting, even if the girl would once in a while trip over a stone due to her poor eyesight, in these occasions she would just pull her a little closer and walk a little slower.

“It must be here somewhere…Oh, there! Are those steps?” The brunette pointed out, she was squinting her eyes to try to take a better look in what Jungeun could define as white-ish old stone steps sided by two huge red pilasters that Haseul probably couldn’t see since they blended well with the trees. 

Bringing their own steps to a stop, she looked over her shoulder to face the human. “Yes. What is there?”

“If the map is right, there’s a temple up the mountain. It’s pretty small and must be ruined by now, but I guess is a good place to fir, er, light spirits.” Haseul’s little stutter didn’t go unnoticed by Jungeun, making the girl wonder if go up there was a good idea. She trusted Haseul, at least enough to know she probably wouldn’t try to hurt her, but not enough to believe she wouldn’t pull up a prank if she thought it could be fun. Yet, the look on Jo’s brown orbs wasn’t mischievous, there was indeed something she was hiding, but she looked almost eager to go up there.

With careful steps, the princess proceeded, only stopping when they reached the red pillars that guarded the entry like the old and tired guards of the castle. The path was fairly clean of obstacles, beside the green vegetation that was slowly taking over the stone steps, making cracks on it. “Didn’t you bring a flashlight or something?” She finally asked what had been bothering her all the way. Yes, her eyes were adapted to see well in the dark – after all the Saeg had come from a planet where light growing weaker by the day and they had to face long periods of darkness, what made their colored eyes very useful, even if on Earth they were more of a frailty –, but for Haseul would be much easier to rely on a source of light of her own than on Jungeun’s eyes.

 “I actually did. I have been a nuisance, haven’t I?” Jo gave her a tight lipped smile, a glimpse of guilty on her face. “But can’t you guide us to the top? I can make the way down on my own. I swear I have a good reason to not use it!”

Jungeun blinked, not expecting such reaction. She only then noticed how close they were since Haseul had to clingy onto her to start climbing the narrow steps, relying on her vision. She felt her cheeks growing a little warm, but it wasn’t uncomfortable, actually it was quite the opposite, hadn’t Haseul being with her she probably would feel scared now. “No! No, I mean, I can take you there. I was just…Just wondering.” Avoiding the brunette's gaze, she focused on the steps, keeping her grip on Haseul’s hand all the way.

The temple wasn’t very far away, only four rows of steps up – enough to make Jo’s breath uneven and Jungeun feel hot inside her jacket, but not enough to force them to make a second stop. Reaching the very top, the first thing they did was to watch the surroundings, making sure they were alone there and there wasn’t anyone waiting in the dark to surprise them. “Pickpockets, junkies, purists…All kind of weirdos can be found in this kind of places.” Haseul had explained, although most of these words were foreign to Jungeun, she didn’t doubt her words when she saw the girl getting an electric gun from her backpack. “Just in case.”

Kim was starting to hate that expression, but she didn’t say anything, only taking a deep breath as she followed Haseul around the place. Once more Jo was right, luckily not about junkies or any kind of enemy being there, but about the fact that the temple was very small and there wasn’t much left of it – the walls had crumbed with time, leaving only a pile of bricks on the floor and a small well, full of dirty rain water. With a relieved sigh, they took a sit at the very first step, the one right at the top of the stairway.

“So why couldn’t we use the flashlight?” Jungeun couldn’t help but ask, filling a bit disappointed that all they could find was that place after so much effort to come all the way there.

This time Haseul’s grin was evident, the brunette finally adopting a more relaxed postured as she leaning back on her hands, observing the view in front of them. “Because…See for yourself.”

Raising her brow slightly, Jungeun followed Haseul’s gaze and when she spotted it, it took her breath away. She hadn’t noticed how beautiful, even if decadent, the view was. The temple was located high enough to allow them to see all the city – the little that was left of it – and the vast ocean below, from there it was possible to notice the way the moon turned the water silver, the buildings looked so small that it wasn’t possible to notice their condition, the silhouettes casting pretty shadows that gave it a mystic touch. This would’ve been enough to impress her, but there was more, the small lights that seem to slowly flout to the sky, farther and farther, until the whole place was illuminated by hundreds, or maybe even thousands, of bright spots that twinkled.

Jungeun gasped, her voice small and shaky. “Fireflies. She was talking about fireflies.” She muttered, feeling her chest heavy with a mix of happiness and sorrow.

The brunette’s smile trembled as her ears picked the odd tone on Jungeun’s voice, making her change her focus from the fireflies to the girl beside her. “She? Jungeun, are you fine?”

“I…I don’t know.” A humorless chuckle left the blonde’s lips, tears glossing her eyes and turning the white around her red irises into light pink. “You asked why I wanted to come here, it’s because of her. My mother told me she came here once and that the light spirits illuminated her path…” She fought back a sob. It was bizarre that she could recall the stories her mom would tell her before bed and it could affect her so much, when it happened so long ago. “Light spirits, what a joke.” Her voice cracked, making the sarcasm in it not as effective. She covered her face with her hands, afraid Haseul would see the tears that were finally making her way down her face.

Why she had even asked to come all the way there for a silly memory? That place was dead just like her mother, she should’ve have known it would only bring more pain than comfort.

A pair of slender, warm arms that hugged her, however, was very much the definition of comfort. Haseul pulled her into the embrace before she could fight it, her hands caressing her back in circular motions, the touch was so light, yet so effective that it made her sigh and rest her head into the older girl’s shoulder.

Jungeun couldn’t recall having hugged anyone other than her mother and Yerim, but it didn’t feel awkward or made her self-conscious about her vulnerability, it just felt…Right. It was different from Yerim’s energetic hugs or the tight embraces her mother gave her, it was lighter, tentative, as they both testing their limits and Jungeun slowly accepted the contact, hugging Haseul back with shaky hands. Mint scent filled her lungs, just like warmth spread to her, involving her like a blanket in a cold night. The beats of her heart grew slower as she calmed down in the safety of the embrace.

“Why do I even remember it?” Her whisperer was almost inaudible and would have gone unnoticed if she didn’t spoke so close to Haseul’s ear.

The answer didn’t come quickly. Jo’s breath hitched, a gentle shiver running through her as a direct effect of Jungeun’s hot breath against her neck. Automatically her hands gripped a little tight on the Kim’s jacket, bringing her closer. “It must be important to you.” She wanted to ask her why the memory of her mother was something to feel upset, instead of happy over, but she didn’t. Haseul had many questions regarding Jungeun’s life and what was the reason she had to leave her home now, yet she knew better than asking. Kim always avoided talking about anything personal, and even if now there was only the two of them there and the blonde had finally spoken, Haseul didn’t want to push her further. She loved seeing Jungeun fighting a smile, not tears, her role here was to make her happy, not sad.

 “At least is a pretty view. Vivi told me about it and I thought we should give it a shot.” The pilot tried to shy a better light on the situation. Haseul pulled back slightly, with a small, reassuring smile on her face to encourage Jungeun to back.

Jungeun tried to straighten herself, regaining her composure, but the brunette’s hands were still on her shoulders. “Are you okay now?” Haseul’s voice was sweet and low, not trying to hide her honest concern.

Somehow, noticing her sincerity was enough to make Kim decide to open up and tell her about one of the things that had been haunting her.  Nodding, the blonde took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. “She is dead. She left me behind when I was four.” The tears didn’t roll down her cheeks, albeit still burning her eyes and making themselves present in her words. Maybe because Jungeun had loved very few people in her life, it was hard to accept that the one she loved the most had simply left her to a father she didn’t even know. “You know what red means. I was a mistake for her, for both of them.”

Jungeun’s eyes were heavy when they reached the huge house that she had never seen before, the construction casting its menacing shadow over them. Her mother’s breath was uneven, and although she was feeling sleepy, Jungie couldn’t ignore how hard the beats of Yuju’s heart were against her sensitive ears. “Mom?”

The older blonde pursed her lips into a thin line, her blue eyes looking as dark as indigo now. “Keep your head down until I say so, understand? Please, Jungeun.” The seriousness in her tone was enough to make Jungeun tense up, she batted her eyelids, trying to get rid of the sleep so she could stare properly at her mother. “Mom, where are we? I want to go home.”

 “I told you, you’re coming home now.” Her mom tried to force a smile, one that didn’t look like any other she had ever given her and even her naïve mind registered that it didn’t seem right. Jungeun rested both hands on the sides of Yuju’s face, her red eyes fixed on the woman’s blue ones. “Mom, please. I don’t like it here.” The little girl risked a look over her shoulder, spotting the imposing construction getting closer with every step her mother took. It wasn’t like their small house, it seemed cold and too big, she felt like she could get lost inside it.

The woman hugged the child a little tighter, her steps coming to a stop. For a long moment she didn’t say or do anything besides hugging her daughter to the point it was a little hard to breath for Jungeun – she didn’t complain, she was scared and insecure and her mother had always being her heroine that would keep her safe and love her. Back then, she never had a reason to think Yuju would ever not be by her side.

“Listen, honey. I’ll always, no matter what, be with you somehow. You’re a gift in my life and I love you more than anything.” She kissed Jungeun’s hair and cheeks, so many kisses that made the kid a little dizzy and her chest full with love, although her heart clenched when she noticed the tears in her mom’s eyes. “Remember it, Jungeun. Mom loves you.”

Jungeun wanted to tell how much she loved her too. She wanted to hug her more and go back to their small house where they would lay on Yuju’s small bed and fall asleep together to the sound of rain. Nevertheless, her mother was already moving before she could say anything, advancing through the gates of the castle and going inside, walking to meet a tall men with black hair and red eyes just like the ones Jungeun have.

The young girl remembered her mom’s words, keeping her eyes down and snuggling closer into the woman to hide away of the stranger’s stares. However, Yuju tried to make her go down, undoing the tight embrace the child kept on her. “Jungeun, let go of me. You can look up now. Your dad is here, he’ll look after you and protect you from now on.” Her mom’s voice was deep, a coldness so atypical of her that it could only have the reverse effect on the child, making her clingy to her leg instead of running away. “Mommy, I don’t want to! I love you! Please, I want to go home now.” Ignoring completely the man in the room, she pleaded to Yuju, tears forming in her eyes. She didn’t want a dad, she just wanted to be with her mom and her little body was shaking due to the pain on her chest that only grew more intense as her mother refused to take her back.

“Let go of me, Jungeun. Do as mom say.” Yuju’s lips quivered, betraying her real feelings, yet the blonde fought the urge of picking up her child and leave the place. Glaring at the King in front of her, she waited for him to approach and take Jungeun in his arms – he didn’t, when he approached he simply pulled her away of her mother, resting his heavy hands on the tiny shoulders to prevent her of going back. 

“Stay put, kid. You’re home now, you’ll be safe here while your mom is away.” His deep voice was so nonchalant that it only made Jungeun cry more, extending her small arms to the maximum as she tried to reach her mother. “Mom! Please, mom, I want to stay with you!” 

Yuju looked at her, the sclera of her eyes painted in a sick reddish color that made her blue eyes stand out even more, she had her fists clenched and her breath was purposely slow, so heavy that it seem to carry with it all her troubled feelings. “You can’t come back with me today, Jungeun. Mom is…Mom is very sick. I’ll be back once I’m better, so you have to be a good girl and behave while I’m away.”

“Mom!” Jungeun’s screams only grew louder, ignoring her mother’s pleading as she tried to bite her father’s hand and kick him – Jungeun was a small child, but she was putting all her might into it and the King was forced to take her into his arms to keep her under control. Different from his voice, the man’s touch was more gentle, he didn’t simple grab her, instead he held her in a tight embrace that should be comforting, but couldn’t when all she could think about was the fact that her mother had just turned away and was leaving without even giving her a goodnight kiss.

Jungeun was only 4 years old, too small and weak to free herself. Too naïve to understand what was happening. Too young to comprehend the pain that followed her for years after this event when she was locked in her room.

She never saw her mother again, the only thing she received was a short notice informing she had passed away when she was eight. That day what was left of Jungeun’s heart was broken, leaving her with nothing other than loneliness and pain until Yerim came into her life years later.

For so many years she waited in vain for her mother, even after she received the bad news she still stubbornly tried to lie to herself that it wasn’t real and her mom would come back for her. Her dad kept her isolated, except for himself and a number of teachers and nannies. Her dad wasn’t cruel or anything like that, the most accurate word for him would probably be ‘distant’. He always made sure she had the best education, clothing and food, toys and all sort of thing, but he never really paid her much attention, he was always too busy with his royal duties and hiding her existence to do so. “I guess my dad finally got tired of having to hide me in the castle, so he thought I’d be better off somewhere else.”

Haseul already expected something like this, but hearing from Jungeun made things much worse. She had grew up with a loving family, even if they didn’t have much, her parents were always loving and she couldn’t even imagine how it would be to lose one of them and go through all Kim had experienced. It didn’t seem fair someone had to suffer like this only for being born into the wrong family. Squeezing her hand, the brunette looked up to meet her eyes. “I’m sorry, Jungeun. I can’t even imagine how you feel.” Words seem to care very little wright in moments like this, unable to heals the wounds that were deeply carved into the blondes heart. Yet, it was all Haseul could offer her now. “But now you’re free! At least while you’re with me…With us, I want to feel like you can be free.” Now Mr. Kim’s words seem to make more sense, that trip was much more important than she had thought.

“For 3 weeks?” Jungeun replied with a soft chuckle that didn’t carry as much sarcasm. Haseul wasn’t the one to blame for her situation, instead she probably should be thankful for being in such nice company even if only for a little while. “There is no real freedom when you’re born with this, but without a title to protect you.” She gestured her own eyes with her free hand. The lenses were great, but she would still have to live her life under a façade, she wished she could just be like everyone else and don’t need to hide.

The human refrained from sighing. Jungeun was right, the freedom that she offered was merely a temporary illusion and she couldn’t argue about it. It was crazy that something as simple as the color of one’s eyes could define their whole life. She was at a loss of words, her instinct was to hug the girl again and show her some comfort through the touch, but now Jungeun looked so distant even if they were barely a feet apart.

“You said they were pretty, but they are a curse.” The blonde said before she could do anything. Her tone was bitter just like her words, revealing the grudge she had developed for something that was part of her.

“Maybe.” Haseul interjected, her brown orbs staring at the younger woman. “Maybe they can be seen like this to some people. But I don’t see it like this.” This time there was no hesitation in her tone, her open expression showing her honesty.  “There is nothing about you that is bad for me and I wish you could see it too.”

Jungeun averted her gaze, embarrassment and a glimpse of hope growing on her chest. “You don’t know me well enough to say it.”

“I know you well enough to know you are more than a title, more than the color of your eyes no matter how pretty they are.” She risked a smile, getting a little closer. “You’re resilient and brave, sensitive and gentle. You’re someone is worth knowing.” Jo looked for her eyes, the brown ones full of a special glint Jungeun had never seen before, but she couldn’t avoid but look. “So I’d like to do it, if you let me.”

Haseul didn’t push, she didn’t insist or let her smile waver, she only waited patiently. Part of Jungeun was still afraid of opening up to someone like this, sharing her own secrets made her feel weak and vulnerable, but sharing about her true wishes and dream, and maybe even her fears while learning about Haseul seem something far more dangerous. It seemed like something that could make her attached and…She looked into Jo’s eyes that smiled at her with a new fondness and her heart grew a little softer. Perhaps she was already attached.

The red eyed girl nodded ever so slightly, she still felt vulnerable but safe at the same time. Haseul made her feel like this and she realized she wanted to feel like this more often.

With a large smile, the brunette searched for something on her backpack, passing Kim a small of cookies. “Here, if you’re anything like Yeojin, it will make you feel better.” The pilots voice had recovered its usual tone, her shoulders becoming more relaxed as her arm gently brushed against Jungeun’s due to their proximity. “I’ll tell you about where I grew up, since you told me about yourself. And then we can see if we have much in common, huh? I guess it’s a good start.”

Biting into one of the delicious cookies that was probably from Hyunjin’s bakery back in Seoul, she closed her eyes allowing herself to enjoy the sweetness of it and the butter like tone of Haseul’s voice as she spoke, a calming combination that could chase away even her old demons.

“So, I grew up in this little farm. We didn’t have much money, so Yeojin slept with me and we helped our parents in the farm, but I always knew it wasn’t the right place for me…”

A/N: Hi there. I'm right on time for once lol I guess this chapter isn't what some of you predicted, but hopefully you guys liked it as much as I like writing it. 

I'm sorry for any mistakes, thank you for reading and see you next week!