We Are Just Meant To Be

Chapter Thirty Six

It was tough, staying mad at your mate.

Hee Chul was still pouting over the fact that he couldn’t seem to change Siwon’s mind, but here he was, wrapped in his mates arms, back to their home. Even though the tight hold offered comfort, his mind was restless with thoughts of what could happen. Sure, probably it wouldn’t, but that there was a possibility for it to happen left him unable to completely relax. “If Ji Yong really isn’t the one for Seung Hyun, wouldn’t it be better for Seung Hyun to figure it out and come up with that conclusion himself,” Hee Chul asked, squirming his way towards a pillow. Siwon groaned, rolling over and hiding his face under his arm. Hee Chul sighed, but kept a close eye on his mate.

“I told you, as his older brother is best I can teach and protect him.” He muttered. His voice was sore from previous activities.

Hee Chul scowled, laying his head on his pillow. “Then… no one ever helped you. How did you know I was the right one? How did you know I wasn’t playing games and trying to hurt you?” his snap resounded with Siwon. He knew all that. Seung Hyun also up to now had been living life as an only child. Perhaps something in his own instincts just wanted to make sure his brother was safe and happy. He was the eldest. He was supposed to know better. Besides that, he was possessive over his siblings. That was a given, even if aloud he wouldn’t even admit it to himself.

“Tch,” Siwon scoffed. “That is because I know you, and I know that you would never do something like that,”

“And you don’t think that Seung Hyun must know at least that much about Ji Yong?”

Siwon sat up, “Ji Yong is a model, he’s part of a world where people only care about looks. He’s gotta be a complete fake,”

“Siwon, you don’t know.” Hee Chul hissed, “You’ve never taken the time to properly talk and get to know Ji Yong, which you probably should since he is your brother’s mate.”

Siwon sighed, looking at Hee Chul with distress. “Okay. What is it that you wish my love?” he asked, turning to Hee Chul, and nuzzling into him. Hee Chul shivered with pleasure as he felt his mates hands on the bare skin of his back, gently caressing.

“I want you to get to know the both of them before deciding that you know what is best” Hee Chuln firmly stated, “and I want you to stop disregarding our relationship, I don’t ever want you to gamble with it!”

Siwon felt his heart wrench painfully at the insecurity that he saw in his mates eyes. It was his duty as a dominant to make sure that his mate shined with confidence. His job to make sure that his mate was always someone to envy, because he was taking good care of him. With the way things were going it seemed like he was the one to hurt his own mate. “I’m sorry that I have made you worry needlessly,
 He whispered into the sensitive ear of his mate, “I won’t do it again. I’ll take back my words.”

Although, not so quickly with the others. It was better if they still feared and thought that they had to seriously fight. It would amuse him for a bit. “You promise, no more?” Hee Chul asked, just to be sure.

Siwon kissed the tip of his nose, “definitely, I promise, no more.”

Hee Chul smiled brightly, “You better, or I’ll get mad at you again,” he yawned and cuddled himself closer to Siwon.

Siwon blinked, definitely not happy at the thought of having Hee Chul mad at him once more. He’d just barely gotten him back from his parent’s home. “I’ll make things right,” he murmured. Hee Chul wasn’t listening anymore; he was very well, and peacefully asleep. Sighing at how cute his mate is, Siwon finally pulled the covers of their bed over them and decided to join his mate in sleep.

He still had to figure out what was going to happen tomorrow. He had not been keeping track of the battles, and he wasn’t sure if his brothers had made it to the end by now. Something inside of him didn’t doubt that Minki and that dominant of his had made it to the finals easily. He would call Dong wook later to ask who the unlucky couple that they would be facing was.

A smirk crossed his lips as he closed his eyes, relaxing himself around his mate.

“So what is the last challenge going to be like?” Seungri asked as he sipped on his cup of warm milk. It was now late afternoon. Everyone was well rested. Minzy and her newborn kittens were asleep. Daesung was also feeling relaxed now that the birthing was done with and his kits were all healthy, and his mate was as well. You could literally see the stress and worry melt to complete happiness, and that made everyone around the new parents happy as well. The only thing that they had to worry about now was the battle tomorrow, and helping Ji Yong and Seung Hyun prepare for it. After all, it was going to be the final battle.

Yet, both Ji Yong and Seung Hyun were proving to be difficult the way that they acted as if nothing  was wrong.

“It’s going to be a hard battle, they are going to change the field and circumstances when you least expect in the battle,” Young Bae said, “You might start with a field made of sand, and end with one of ice,” He frowned, “and there will be no breaks,”

“Do you two think you can handle it?” Daesung asked. “Last year they changed the field a total of three times, they could up the number this year or make things even more difficult,” 

Seung Hyun and Ji Yong nodded at the same time, not even turning to look at each other to confirm their answer. The others sighed. They could only hope that their brothers were going to be alright. With the way that they acted, it seemed like they just knew everything was going to be alright. Yet, it was that kind of attitude that made them worry about them a lot more than necessary. They wanted some reaction from them to show that they cared at least just a little.

“You two could show a bit more concern,” Young Bae muttered, taking a bite of his food. Seungri nodded in agreement.

“What can we do about it?” Ji Yong finally asked, his eyes flashing up to his brothers with slight irritation “The only other thing that we can do is back out, but Hyunie and I want to win this! We aren’t backing out, so there is no time for us to doubt either. We have to be confident and come in strong and end strong!” He firmly said. His brothers stared at him with surprised awe, before nodding in agreement, small smiles finally taking hold.

“Right, so make sure that you kick !” Seungri cheered, lifting his cup to throw the milk in the air. Everyone flinched as it landed on the floor behind him. Laughter suddenly filled the table and that tension also left them. Daesung smiled, despite how relaxed everyone was, h e was still feeling worried. He didn’t think he could stop worrying about either of his brothers, but he believed in them.

“We will!” Ji Yong grinned confidently, “Count on it!”

“We’re going to be the winners this year,” Seung Hyun confidently said.

“Yah! You two have to prove it first!” Seungri loudly yelled.

“All I want to do is sleep for weeks,” In another place in the city, in a nice big house, Minki murmured as he laid beside his mate. They had decided to take it easy for today, seeing as they were going to be facing a tough battle tomorrow. A part of them wanted to dismiss it as a simple battle, but Seung Hyun and Ji Yong had not made it that far by being a pushover couple. They were definitely going to be a strong match to beat.

“After we win the battle, I wouldn’t mind indulging you on that,” Dong Ho murmured in return, causing Minki to just press closer to him. Dong Ho opened his eyes, staring at the ceiling with worry for a moment before he asked. “Knowing Seung Hyun is your brother, are you going to be okay to battle tomorrow?”

Minki calmly nodded against Dong Ho. “Yes, I’ll be fine. I don’t know him that well anyways, so it’s not like I have any particular feelings like when battling Dong Wook.”

“You don’t really hold back when you are going up against Dong Wook though,” Dong Ho chuckled, his fingers caressing the short strands around his mate’s kitty ears.

“That’s because I know how much he can take, and the same around for him, but yeah” Minki grinned widely. “I’ll look forward to kicking another one of my brother’s !” Minki wasn’t too terribly attached to any of his brothers anyways. Ever since he met Dong Ho, he was the only one he clung to and cared about most.

He didn’t even think about feeling terrible that he didn’t care so much about his siblings. But he did live with the knowledge that they had been born a strong litter of kittens. There was nothing that they couldn’t face. He didn’t have to worry.

“Okay, don’t get to excited right now, we got to save that for tomorrow,” Dong Ho chuckled, trying to keep his submissive from starting something.

“I will,” Minki purred, “I’ll give it my best, so don’t worry about me. Let’s worry about how to expose the weakness in their relationship,”

Dong Ho leaned in and captured Minki’s lips in a soft kiss, “Already coming up with a mischievous plan, my love?”

Minki nodded his head, his eyes shining with all the wicked ideas running through his mind. Minki was the one that usually came up with their plans. Over the time they had been mated they had perfected several different strategies, and in the middle of battle they could always cue each other on when to switch up their strategy.

This battle wasn’t going to be any different and they were definitely going to give it their all. Especially because Minki had one little ability that not many possessed. And that was spotting another couple’s weakness. Then they would t are that couple from the inside out. It was an ability only used on strong couple, and Ji Yong and Seung Hyun were a very promising couple. It would be fun to tare their bond a little, and expose them. 

Later as evening fell, Hyun Sung found himself in the dark, thinking things over. Things from how the day had started for him and how he had ended up where he was now- and what he hoped for his future.

“What are you doing?” Hyuna softly asked when she entered the dark room, where Hyun Sung had been keeping himself. There were a lot of things running through her mind, and yet the fact that he seemed sad was the most upfront thought in her mind. She wanted to do something to help him be happy, and not so sore about the fact that they lost badly. What could they expect with such a powerful couple as their opponent?

Minki and Dong Ho hadn’t even let up. They had completely destroyed them and that little link that they had created as they battled and trusted each other. It had been a hard pill to swallow, but obviously they were nothing compared to a mated couple.

“I think that I am going to record it,” Hyun Sung finally said. This caused Hyuna to look at him oddly.

“What?

“The final battle,” Hyun Sung turned to her, “I want to have documentation on it, and to learn a bit more about the opponent that we faced,” his eyes reflected seriousness that she had never seen in him before.

“Oh,” she whispered, her eyes darting to floor as a blush threatened itself on her cheeks.

Hyun Sung nodded his head. He couldn’t help but to smile at her sweetly. Hyuna glanced up briefly, and seemed surprised by his expression, but returned the smile fully. Yet, she was not meeting his eyes and Hyun Sung wanted her attention fully.

Earlier that day they had gone to go see Ji Yong and Seung Hyun. There was something pressing on Hyun Seung’s mind. There was something that he felt that he still had to say to Ji Yong, but after seeing him with Seung Hyun things changed all of a sudden. He harshly realized that he didn’t have anything left to say and he found that his feelings had changed.

Whether he was stubborn to acknowledge it fully, he knew better now. It was like at that moment he realized that it was over. His game with Hyuna had long ago changed from just a game to something completely different.

It was like a rude wake up call, and he was wide awake now.

“Hyuna,” he harshly whispered, fear gripping his throat as he tried to speak his own words. She looked at him expectantly, her smile never faltering. Not until he finally said, “Hyuna… after all this time I’ve come to realize something.” He swallowed hard when he saw the confusion on her face, “I’m in love with you.”

Several emotions seemed to cross her face at once after his words had been uttered, and the most obvious one being realization mixed with fear as she turned around and ran out of the room. She didn’t say anything, but it hurt. The pain, it couldn’t compare to anything that he might have felt before. And although he wanted to run after her, he didn’t.

Because, he too was afraid.

“Hyuna,” he whispered longingly, feeling rejected once more. It seemed that whether you spoke your feelings on time, or never did—rejection was still a large possibility.

It was sunset when they got back to their villa. The day had felt long and a bit exhausting because of the worry, but they couldn’t wait to sleep the night away.

“How are you feeling for tomorrow?”Seung Hyun asked the moment that he and Ji Yong stepped inside of their home. Although they had spent practically the whole day in the hospital, they decided to go back home to get proper rest in their bed. Minzy and Daesung, sadly where going to have to stay longer as the doctor suggested that a first time mother would need to be checked first, and helped with any issues she felt she might have with a litter of five koneko-tachi. Both Daesung and Minzy accepted the help, because they wanted to both be great parents.

Daesung had said that they were going to be fine, and that they were going to be watching on the television and cheering for them.

Young Bae and Seungri on the other hand had decided to leave as well, so that they could meet with them before the battle. More likely than not, they were going to be their wakeup call early tomorrow morning because they wanted to wish them luck, and be in the audience to support them. Seungri even mentioned something about making a personal banner for them so that they could look their way and know that they had them on their side. Not like they would even have the chance to search for them in the crowd.

“I’m feeling so many things Hyun. I wouldn’t even be able to explain it,” Ji Yong took a deep breath before he made his way to the kitchen. Seung Hyun smiled at his mate, but didn’t say anything else on that matter. He simply followed his mate, watching him from head to toe. He wouldn’t mind checking his mate’s body thoroughly, with his hands, and perhaps his tongue.

Seung Hyun looked up when Ji Yong sighed.  “Looks like we might need to go shopping for food,” Seung Hyun commented as he got a glimpse of their empty refrigerator.  It had been some time since they last went out to get some food and they had been going out for their meals. Their last meal had been a hunt, and they had leftovers that had sufficed for them.

But now they needed to replenish.

“Let’s go now,” Ji Yong turned to Seung Hyun, looking at him eagerly. His dark ears perked and his tail swirled with interest.

“Okay,” Seung Hyun agreed. He figured the nervous energy that they were both feeling needed to be exhausted a bit more before they could go to sleep. 

Both of them headed out the door, locking it behind them.  The sky was looking extremely beautiful with tones of orange, gold, purples, pinks, and just a residue of blue that seemed to be fading completely. There was a sweet breeze, and it calmed them as they headed to the store in a slow pace. There was no doubt in their mind that soon the sky would be pitch black, and the stars would shine around like jewels twinkling against the eminent light of the moon.

“What are we going to get?” Ji Yong asked, his arm winding around Seung Hyun’s.

“Meat,” Seung Hyun grinned, making Ji Yong chuckle.

“It’s like you read my mind on what I wanted.”

“You know we have no limit, we can get anything that catches our eyes.” Seung Hyun said.

Ji Yong nodded his head in agreement. “True, but,” he sighed. “I guess it feels weird. The last battle is bugging me so much and I can’t stop thinking about it,” He finally said what he was feeling. Seung Hyun already knew though.

“Don’t worry, I’m here with you, and we can be troubled together,” Seung Hyun said, throwing his arm around his mate’s shoulders. Ji Yong nuzzled close to Seung Hyun, allowing his tail to seek his mates so that they would intertwine together.

“Guess it’s not the fear of who we are facing or a worry about that, it’s just that I want us to win so badly, and prove that we are an incredible couple,” Ji Yong admitted.

Seung Hyun looked at him in awe, “We are definitely perfect for each other, no doubt,” he smiled softly at his mate, reaching a hand to his. “Even if we lose, you and I both know that our bond is special, right?” Seung Hyun didn’t want to doubt, and he didn’t want Ji Yong to doubt them either. Ji Yong smiled, assuring Seung Hyun that doubt wasn’t really the case.

“It’s more than that,” Ji Yong puffed out his cheeks making Seung Hyun chuckle.

“I know, you want to show that we have a strong special bond that is rare, in a way.” Seung Hyun softly said, making Ji Yong turn to him with complete approval. Because that was exactly what he was feeling. Even if he and Seung Hyun just recently mated, even if they were new to the world, he wanted to prove that their bond was strong and was going to survive anything. He didn’t want anyone to doubt them anymore. Especially not his parents.

He felt that winning would prove that to others!

He didn’t know why he wanted to show that so badly, but he just did. Even though deep inside he knew that just he and Seung Hyun knowing was enough. Maybe he was just a show off. But honestly, who wouldn’t want to shout at the top of their lungs when they were happy?  When one was so irrevocably in love?

“I’m sure that it can be seen, and after this battle, we would have shown so much,” Seung Hyun murmured, “Whether they understand or not”

Yet it still bugged him that there were people like Siwon and his own parents questioning their bond and that ticked Ji Yong off. It was perhaps selfish and childish but he felt like it was his right to make sure that their relationship garnered respect. “We are definitely going there to win,” he said making Seung Hyun chuckle.

As the two of them were walking towards the store, they passed near the park. Both of them decided to walk around in the grassy area, hoping to get a glimpse of the pond. Ducks usually littered the area around this time of the year, but it wouldn’t be long before they were gone. Ji Yong shivered as a particularly cool breeze brushed over them, and Seung Hyun paused to hold him.

Ji Yong blushed, looking up at his mate with so much love in his eyes.

They stayed there together, looking towards the small lake but instead of seeing ducks, they caught a glimpse of something that perhaps they shouldn’t be seeing.  Just on the other side was a couple that they knew too well. “Is that Hyuna and Hyun Sung?” Seung Hyun asked.

Ji Yong nodded, “Yeah” he cleared his throat, reaching for Seung Hyun’s hand. “Come on, lets get going,” he said.

Seung Hyun nodded in agreement, and they went on their way.

Back on the other side of the lake stood Hyun Sung and Hyuna.

“I’m sorry about running off earlier, and then calling you out here. I needed air and a bit of time to think for myself.” Hyuna said, her eyes darting to the floor a lot more than staying on his face. Her ears were pressed flat against her skull, and she looked like she rather be anywhere but here. Hyun Sung on the other hand was just glad that she was willing to talk to him. Hyuna took a deep breath and continued. “I love you as well, but at the same time I feel like I am betraying my past love for loving you, and I don’t like that feeling,”

“What…who?” Hyun Sung looked taken aback. “Hyuna, I don’t want you feeling that way,” he murmured. The last thing that he wanted to do was make her feel horrible just because he confessed.

“He…He is dead,” There, she finally said it. The words that she had never wanted to speak aloud. It just made it feel that more real. “He was killed during the mating season and the thing we had going on, I went in with the intention of hurting other couples! All I’ve wanted to do is hurt others so they can feel my pain…and yet” She shook her head. “What am I doing?”

“Wha… you that was you?” he asked, and then shook his head. “Tha-that doesn’t sound like you. Why would you want to hurt anyone?” Hyun Sung asked. His mind quickly clicking to the sudden attacks that had happened, nekos hurt and some dead. He also remembered when it stopped, and knew that the police now thought that they had it under control. The problem was that the source of the attacks had never been found.

Hyuna dropped her head in shame. After all, she had other ideas in mind. She had been committing crimes. She had wanted to use Hyun Sung despite liking who he was when she met him—and now she was in love. “I brought in a couple of Creatures, and helped them attack where large amount of well known nekos would be just so it garners attention.” If she was going to let Hyun Sung be in love with her, he needed to know everything about her. Hyun Sung stared at her in shock, speechless.

“But you have stopped right?” he looked at her hopelessly.

Hyuna’s lips tightened flatly, and she started to shake as she forced a small laugh, “I guess that is not so bad, compared to the fact that the day that we decided to join the battles I made contact with the head of the creatures, and promised them that I would…that I would….”

“You would what?” Hyun Sung asked, fear gripping him. “What is going to happen Hyuna?” he asked her, his hands reaching to grip her shoulders.

She fell silent. She didn’t know what else to say. There was nothing that she could say to justify herself. She had messed up. She never thought that things were going to turn out this way. Back then she had not cared if everyone just died. But now, God. What was she going to do? “I told the head Creature how he can lead an army into the center of the city, they will attack, and…well, I don’t know when. What should I do!” she asked, looking at him with hope for an answer on how to correct things.

Hyun Sung thought hard. They could go to the police, but then Hyuna would be thrown in jail. The entire city though would go into lock down and everyone would be ready. But, he was going to lose her. Maybe, just maybe, “No one else knows right, we can keep it silent and we can stop this ourselves!” he said, looking at her. “We’re strong together and we can keep the creatures out of the city if we attack first,”

Hyuna looked scared.

Creatures enjoyed eating their kind. They lived to make meals out of them. And usually the weak came to test the boundaries, never the strong. The strong had been biding their time. They had wanted a main course, and thanks to her, they were going to get it. “Are we really strong enough to stop them?” she asked, “I…” She wished she could ask for more help and didn’t have to deal with this alone.

“I’m sure that we can do it,” he whispered to her, his eyes so serious and honest.

At that moment, right then and there, she wouldn’t have doubted him. She nodded her head. “Let’s mate first.” She said, her hands reaching for his. Hyun Sung pulled her close. “After we mate, we will have a solid bond and we can go, and we can win,” she smiled softly.

Hyun Sung nodded his head, smiling brightly. He knew they were in something serious, but his elation at getting Hyuna as his mate overshadowed that. He leaned down, and kissed her softly on the lips.

They were going to be stronger than ever. 

“Welcome! To the final and most exciting battle of the whole tournament!” The MC loudly called over his microphone causing the crowd to jump in an excited roar. There was excitement about a new budding couple, with Kwon Ji Yong as one of the mates, which seemed to stir a lot of expectations now. On the other hand, a couple that had proven to be powerful, perfect, and what every neko wished to aim for when they finally mated.

The day felt bubbling, an energy that promised something good was about to happen here and now. Something that no one would expect.

The crowd really went wild when Dong Ho and Minki entered the arena. The sound of it made their chest tighten as they stood at the center of the arena, drinking in the buzzing energy.

The MC hollered, “On the left we have the Kang-Choi couple, the winning couple of last year, will these two be able to keep their crown!!?” he asked, making the crowd shout. There were different responses, but in overall, it resounded like a huge YES!

After that introduction, Seung Hyun and Ji Yong entered the arena on the right, walking side by side, and feeling every bit of nervous. The sound of the crowds roar sounding numb to them as they glared at their opponents.

“And on the right we have the Choi-Kwon couple, a new budding couple who are planning to win this year, but will they be able to make it!?” The MC asked, the crowd nothing but a jumble.  Several people in the crowd shouted responses to that, but it was lost in the uproar of loud hollering from nekos who just wanted to battle to start.

The referee looked at each of them and stated the rules before pausing to regard both of couples. “Let’s make this good,” he gruffly said, and jumped right out of the arena after shouting “BEGIN!”

The match of the year had started. 

Well the batte is next. I'll try to update soon, but I want this to be good for you guys.