"You..." Yoona whispered. Yuri's attention was on her. She looked at the girl under her with many thoughts running in her head. She wants to tell her. She wants to explain everything, to get it over with. Yuri wants to be with her right away but she decided against it.

She let her arms held herself up, her body still above the other girl. She inspected the girl from her head and down. She hadn't change a bit. Her eyes still like that of a doe's. Yoona has grown to be a very beautiful woman.  It was then did she notice the sword the girl had. She couldn't help but smile a sad smile. She didn't expect for the decision to present itself to her right away. She decided to act as if she never knew the girl. That way, she can live with Yoona even for a bit.

While Yuri was having internal decisions, Yoona was just looking at the girl. She has no idea who she was but Yoona was sure that this was the person in her dreams. This was the girl that miraculously gave her a sword without even approaching her. She could still remember the day her parents decided to let her train to be a soldier in the East palace. It was a morning that shocked her. She woke up from a dream, with Yuri in it, to find beside her the same sword she uses until now. She wanted to explore a lot of places, to be positioned in different areas. It was just so she could meet her, the girl in her dreams. Her thoughts were then broken by footsteps.

"If you're going to lie around all day, I'm leaving you to bring Tiffany back." A cold voice came and Yoona saw the girl standing up. She sat and got up herself and fixed her clothes.

"Don't be like that, Jessica. She broke Yuri's fall. You should be happy both of them weren't hurt." Yoona looked at the girl possibly called Tiffany and the other girl she assumed to be Jessica.

"Sorry about that. I'm Captain Hwang of the Kim Palace." Tiffany held out her hand. Yoona shook it politely and bowed.

"I'm Kwon Yuri and this one here is Jessica." Yoona nodded to them. She turned to Tiffany.

"I'm Sergeant Major Im. My name is Im Yoona of the East Palace. Pleased to finally meet you, Captain Hwang." Tiffany looked at her questioningly. It was then that Yoona remembered to send the message. She looked around, looking for the hawk and oddly enough, she saw the hawk on Jessica's shoulder. It was kind of cuddling with her.

"Seems like she knows you..." Yoona's voice trailed off, unsure what to call the girl. Jessica made eye contact for a bit before bringing up her finger to pet the hawk.

"She was a friend I made and someone else took care of her. This little one is Jae Shin." They saw Jessica smile at the hawk. In a little while, Jessica let Jae Shin to perch on Yoona's arm. Yoona placed a letter on its feet and let it go. Jae Shin flew up and headed west in direction of the Kim Palace. They all looked at each other.

"So, Yoona... What were you doing outside here?" Tiffany asked.

"I am on an assignment. Emperor Lee sent me to meet with you and take you back to the Palace. It is to prepare you to go back to the Kim’s because Emperor Kim had been worried. I was told to wait for you here and I did." Yoona pointed to the horses.

"We could go to the palace right away. I already sent umm... Jae Shin to pass on the message to the Kim’s. They should know that you got out by now." She untied the horses and led them to the group. She got on the horse first and looked at the others apologetically.

"I hope you don't mind riding in pairs... I could have brought more." Tiffany shook her head.

"We don't mind. Don't worry." Tiffany smiled. She climbed on the other horse and motioned for Jessica to get on. Jessica sat behind Tiffany and Yuri was seated in front of Yoona, her body facing the side. Tiffany looked at Jessica when she took the reins and settled near her. Before she could say anything, Jessica spoke.

"You should just rest. I know you're a bit tired." Tiffany couldn't help but smile at the girl's actions. Since it would be comfortable, she leaned back and let Jessica support her. She felt the girl flinch a bit but she didn't pull away. She felt something already before she completely rested: she is falling in love with Jessica. She smiled as she let herself relax in her embrace.

The ride back to the East palace was quiet and slow. It had a calm atmosphere, very safe. While Tiffany was resting, Jessica did her best to let the ride to go as smooth as possible. At the same time, she was thinking. She could feel that Tiffany was feeling something for her. Her mind went back to the time she first met Tiffany. When they first played in the forest, when she got her scar and lastly, when she realized as a child that she wanted this girl to be safe, to be out of harm's way. She wanted to love her because that meant that she could protect the girl but this would just bring sadness to the girl. She couldn't be selfish. It was this very time that she started devising a plan. A plan so that Tiffany would hate her and won't try to be with her because she will be gone soon. She will vanish for Tiffany and she had trained for this for a long time. She looked ahead, her expression remained stoic.

Meanwhile, Yuri was very conflicted. Although she didn't really wanted to lie to Yoona, she did because she wanted to spend time with her. She wanted her small time outside the forest to be with Yoona. She wanted to tell Yoona but she couldn't. Besides, the girl only met her now. It wouldn't be right to force something to her right away. Given the circumstances she is in now, she knows it’s impossible for Yoona to love her. The only thing for her to do is try to enjoy this opportunity. She unconsciously hugged the girl, tighter. This caused Yoona to look down at her. Yoona's heart pounded heavily in her chest. She let her left hand let go of the reins, now only her right securing it, and wrapped it around Yuri.

"Are you okay?" Yoona whispered while still looking at the road. Yuri looked up to see that Yoona had a blush on her face. She couldn't help but laugh a little. This caused Yoona to look down at her and smile as well and it placed a faint blush on her face. 

In a little more, they reached town and Tiffany woke up.

"Oh! We're here." She said in quite a loud voice. The village was a little noisier than her so it didn't cause much attention.

"The town is pretty busy at this time of day. Since I am stationed in the Palace walls, I'm not sure how often things happen around here." Yoona said. Tiffany looked at her and saw Yuri hugging the girl tightly, looking up to see the people around.

"Jessica, what happened while I was asleep? It looks like those two are closer than I've perceived." She whispered. Jessica sighed.

"Yuri knows the consequences of her decision. Seems to me that she'll use her time out of the forest to be with Yoona. Nothing happened while you were asleep. The ride went smoothly." They stopped in front of the palace and Yoona showed her pass. They went in and they were met with a bubbly princess.

"Yoona! You're back."

"I'm back, Sunny unnie." Yoona greeted Sunny as she led the horse to the stables. Yuri let go of Yoona and got down from the horse. Tiffany and Jessica did the same. They introduced themselves again and Sunny showed them around the palace.

In the Kim’s Palace

Taeyeon was outside her father's room. She had questions. So many questions that needed answering. She got near the door.

"Father. Can I talk to you?" She saw her father look out from the door. He beckoned her to come in. She could see the nervousness in his face. It looks like he already knows what she will ask him. They sat in silence. Emperor Kim spoke.

"You want answers now, don't you?" Taeyeon nodded. He sighed.

"You saw the underground path, didn't you? Do you remember Sunny now?" Again, he received a nod.

"Why didn't you tell me about that pathway? We could've just used that instead of going through the palace. We didn't need to bother Jessica. If you had wanted Krystal and Tiffany to meet her, you could've just asked her to come out. Instead, you had to risk the both of them and now, Tiffany has entered that forest."

"Taeyeon, you know pretty well that Jessica won't come out of the forest."

"She always came out to watch over Krystal. Even if we sent her the reports, I know she went out to look at Krystal and see how she was doing. Why would you think that she won't come out to meet them?" There was silence.

"She was fine with just observing them from a far. She told me before that she didn't want them to see her, to know she existed because if they did, it would just hurt them."

"What do you mean?"

"Taeyeon, she's going to die soon." Shock was written on Taeyeon's face.

"What?"

"She's going to sacrifice herself. Do you remember about the Hwang’s and the Jung’s?"

"They died a long time ago..."

"Jessica and Krystal's father was a guardian of the forest. When he met their mother, he fell in love. They held a little marriage ceremony. Thus, Jessica was born. She inherited the power of her father, the last Jung guardian before it was handed to the Kwon’s. Krystal didn't have to worry about that because she was not the first child. She only inherited her father’s ability to control time. For Jessica, however, she inherited all of it but her abilities are still limited. She got wounded before by the shadows and this caused poison to enter her bloodstream. This prevents her from reaching her true form."

"So the poison is killing her? We could just remove it then." Emperor Kim shook his head.

"The poison can kill her but it’s pretty slow. What will kill her is if she tries to use her power to its full extent. Every time she uses her powers, her scar will bleed. But if she uses all of it, she could die."

"Then I'll tell her not to use it."

"That would be impossible since she already made up her mind. That was why I was going to meet with her."

"Why would she have the need to use that much power?"

"For Tiffany."

"What does Tiffany have anything to do with this?"

"The Hwangs met the Jung’s in the forest. They were talking while Tiffany and Jessica played. You were young then. I was there talking to them. But there was an attack by the shadows. Their parents fought them and they died."

"I don't understand... What's the connection if they died?"

"Tiffany's mother is still trapped. Her soul is trapped. And that's what Jessica will try to solve. She's going to die to remove her from imprisonment. So Tiffany could see her one last time." Taeyeon leaned back on her seat. She didn't move for a while.

"Taeyeon... I wanted to convince Jessica to not do it. I just wanted Jessica to stay by Tiffany's side but it looks like I can't do it anymore." Taeyeon didn't say anything. Then, she had a look of determination in her face. She got up.

"I'm going to convince her then and I'll help. After all, there is strength in numbers." She left the room. Her father had a faint smile.

"I'll let you decide it. You can do it. I know you can."

Outside

Taeyeon was running back to her room. She immediately changed her dress to a more comfortable wear: her riding clothes with some light armor. She took her sword and when she opened her door, she saw Krystal in the courtyard. Krystal saw her and came running to her with a smile.

"Unnie! It’s here." Taeyeon saw the hawk flying around near Krystal. She smiled when she saw the note.

This is Im Yoona of the East Palace. Captain Hwang and the others are here.

Taeyeon wrote on a piece of paper again. She held out her arm and Jae Shin perched on it.

"Give this back." It flew up and went. Taeyeon looked at Krystal.

"Krystal, go to your room. We can go now. We can meet them in the other palace. Bring your sword just in case we ran into some trouble. Meet me at the stables. I'll do something first." Krystal nodded happily and headed to her room. Taeyeon went to the other direction. She was looking for an attendant. When she finally saw one, she gave an order.

"Send for Sowi Choi, Kim and Seo. Tell them to meet me at the stables as fast as they can. On second thought, tell them to go ahead to the East Palace. I'll meet them there tomorrow." The attendant bowed and left. Taeyeon started for the stables.

In the East Palace

Jessica stopped walking. She looked up and back.

"What's wrong?" Tiffany asked.

"Jae Shin is back." Jessica allowed Jae Shin to stay at her shoulder this time after she took the note it brought. Tiffany saw Jessica frown. Jessica gave her the note.

Stay there. That's an order.

"Looks like you are staying for a bit. I'll take you to our guest room." Tiffany jumped to see Sunny behind her with Yoona. Yoona smiled and laughed. This caused the whole group to explode into laughter, all except for Jessica. Jessica turned to her back and headed for the courtyard.

"Where are you going?" Tiffany asked.

"She told us to stay here. It’s still pretty early to turn in. I'm going to the courtyard to see how their guards train." Sunny and Yoona looked at each other.

"We'll meet you there Jessica. I'll just show them the rooms." Sunny informed. Jessica didn't give any signals and just kept going. Yuri stopped.

"I'll watch too. You can just help us later, Tiffany." Yuri ran back and walked along with Jessica.

After a while...

Yuri and Jessica reached the court and they could see the trainees. They were noticed by the them but they still kept doing their training. This showed proper amounts of discipline. Then, they started sparring with each other. Both Yuri and Jessica observed their movements and their techniques. Some were still distracted but the majority did well. Some forgot the basics, others stuck to it. Jessica went up the roof and sat there, Yuri soon followed.

"You know Yoona." It wasn't a question. Yuri nodded.

"I chose her."

"You want her to liberate you... Why didn't you just ask me? It would have been easier for you."

"You... You are not her, I guess. That's why I didn't ask you. I became the guardian two years ago, right? In my animal form before I became a guardian, I started spiritually travelling to look for someone to remove my seal. At first, it was only like that. I was only looking for someone to free me. But, when I met Yoona, she was still a child, a young, innocent child. My curiosity was stronger than I thought so instead of looking for people, I started watching her." She paused.

"She was perfect. She was a sweet child. Her heart is beautiful. Even now, she still is. All those years, I knew she is the one I want to be with. Now that I met her, I don't have the heart to go with the plan I have constructed for years. I wasn't supposed to care for her but I ended up falling for her. If I still go with my plan, it means I will cause her pain. Because to free me, she has to strike me with that sword. The swords both of us make can kill shadows but the one I specially made for Yoona is one that can kill me. One can make me mortal. One that can make both of us human." Jessica didn't speak. She knew someone who did the same.

"That's what your father did, too, didn't he?" Jessica just stared ahead. Yuri sighed.

"He gave her a sword with her name engraved on it."

"How did you know this?" Jessica's cold voice was heard.

"It’s your father's legend. He is well-known..."

"Are you telling me you would rather be with Yoona for this short while instead of trying to be free? If you get freed by her, you could spend more time with her."

"You know, right? That if a guardian is killed; there is a possibility of never returning. Your father was very lucky. He was able to come back. I made her that sword so she'll have a memory of me when I'm gone." There was silence again, this time a very long one.

"Jessica! Yuri! Where are you?" Tiffany's voice was heard. Yuri stood up on the roof and shouted.

"Tiffany! We're up here." Tiffany looked up and saw the two on the roof, Yuri was waving her hands. Suddenly, she saw Yuri slip.

"Ah!" Yuri slid down the roof. Tiffany was panicking inside. She was about to go and try to catch Yuri but she saw Yoona on her way already. By the time she got there, Yuri was in Yoona's arms. She could see the blush in Yuri's face. Yuri looked up and started cursing Jessica. Jessica just shrugged.

"Ya! You didn't even try to help me."

"Yoona can save you." Both Yuri and Yoona blushed. Yuri got down from Yoona's arms and stood on her own. Jessica was thinking. She spoke up.

"Hey, who wants to have a spar?" The others looked at her.

"I haven't had anyone tangible to fight with. I promise we stop at disarming. Then the next pair can start." Jessica proposed. Yuri, who was still a bit annoyed at the girl's indifference a while ago, raised her hand.

"I'll spar with you. I'll see how you've improved."

"Oh, are you going to use your true form?" Yuri just smirked. Yoona was interested with the exchange. She knew the minute Yuri came through the forest, she was a guardian because only guardians can stay in the forest. She was curious about the girl's true form. However, she doesn't know anything other than that.

Yuri stepped up in the middle. The court was wide and spacious because the trainees were out in the posts. Once again, a magic insignia appeared under her and light wrapped around her. On the space she was at was now a white fox with two tails. Jessica jumped from the roof and stood before Yuri. Before they start, an attendant came near the group and talked to Sunny.

"Princess. It seems like a group of people have come from the stables. They said you are a friend of them. Would you please come with me to meet them?" Sunny nodded.

"Jessica, Yuri. I have something to attend to so I'll be back in a bit. When I come back, this place better not be destroyed or marked." Sunny left with the attendant. Yoona and Tiffany were watching.

"Yuri! Is that all you are using? Just two tails? That's not a challenge for me." Jessica complained.

"Ya! You know very well this is only what I'm supposed to use. I can't you with all of them! It’s too tiring." Yuri made the first move. Being in her guardian form, she was faster and more able than any average human. She rushed towards Jessica and struck. Jessica easily deflected the attack, using only her scabbard so she won't hurt the girl. She jumped back to gain space and immediately rushed forward. Yuri, seeing as Jessica will try to hit her with the scabbard, jumped high to avoid the attack. Tiffany could see the smile in Jessica's face as she sparred with Yuri. It showed that she was enjoying it. It was like a child's smile. Tiffany could feel her face heat up. Yoona saw this.

"Are you alright, Tiffany unnie? You look red." Tiffany just nodded her head.

"It’s nothing. Don't worry about it."

"If you say so." They looked back and watch the spar. The two were very fast and they looked like dots from perspective. Then, both stopped.

Both were just standing there and it looked like Yuri was going to use magic. The insignia appeared under her again. They saw Jessica take a stance. A ball of light formed in front of Yuri. In a split second, it flew straight for Jessica. Jessica, at the last second, used her sword to slice the attack. When everything was once again calm, they could see some destroyed tiles that went two ways; at the middle was where Jessica stood. Yuri was human again and evident in her face was annoyance and fear?

"Ah! What am I going to do? You planned this didn't you! How dare you mark the tiles?"

"Don't blame me that you left a mark on the tiles!" They started bickering. Tiffany and Yoona decided to break the possibly impending fight.

"Don't start another fight. If you start another one, who knows how badly the whole court will be?" Tiffany told both Yuri and Jessica; she was between the two, facing Jessica. Yoona was behind Yuri, holding the girl by her arms. When both of them calmed down, Yoona and Tiffany stepped back.

"Okay. That's better." Tiffany breathed deeply, likely showing relief.

"Your turn." Jessica said to Tiffany and Yoona.

"What?" Tiffany asked.

"You heard me. Try to spar with Yoona. She's a better sparring partner than those shadows." Tiffany and Yoona looked at each other. They both nodded at the same time.

"What are the rules?" Yoona asked.

"Just disarm your opponent. No cheating, of course." Tiffany and Yoona stood opposite of each other, between them was a large space. Since both were humans and neither have the ability to transform, they decided to settle it the usual way. They withdrew their swords. It was this time did Jessica thought she made a mistake. Yuri looked at both their swords. She looked back at Jessica.

Before the two could start, they heard explosions. They looked back at the two to see the two arguing.

"You idiot! Hypocrite! You made her one, too. Why is it that you were trying to convince me that I made the wrong decision to make one a while ago?" Yuri was throwing balls from her hand continuously. More small craters were forming on the court. Jessica was just avoiding them. Yoona hurried to Yuri's side and calmed the girl. Tiffany went over to Jessica to start a lecture when a voice was heard.

"Ah! What happened to my court?" Four heads turned to an obviously shocked princess. They all looked worried, even Jessica looked a bit.

"Sorry, Sunny unnie. It’s just that Jessica and Yuri had a little bit of fun and..." Yoona's voice trailed off. Sunny couldn't help but sigh.

"I'll let it go this time. In the mean time, I want you guys to meet more of mine and Taeyeon's friend." She stepped back, revealing three more guards. They stepped up and introduced themselves one by one. A tall one went first.

"I'm Choi Sooyoung, Second Lieutenant of the 10th Army Division." She was followed by what everyone perceived to be the youngest.

"I'm Seo Juhyun, also a Second Lieutenant. I'm from the 11th Strategy Division." Lastly, she was followed by who seemed to be a very bubbly one.

"And also Second Lieutenant, I'm Kim Hyoyeon of the 10th Training Division. Pleased to meet you." The three bowed.

(A/N: Hey guys! Sorry for the late update. This week was very busy than usual. I had things to do so I only started this Friday night. I also went some scheduling for the rest of the year so I couldn't work on it right away. This week I also went under an independent counseling. This story is longer. In Microsoft's word, this should be more than 4, 000 words so it should compensate for the lateness. I also didn’t proof read so I’m not sure if all are right grammar. Since it was Hyoyeon’s birthday this Saturday, even if the update is late by one day, Happy Birthday Kim Hyoyeon! Thank you for the comments and new subscribers. I feel blessed. ^///^ This chapter is a bit more detailed than usual so I encourage you to ask questions. Leave comments or send a message. I haven't had time to answer some comments since I only have limited computer access when it comes to this and AFF so I'll definitely try to schedule for it. What did you guys think on this one? Drama will happen soon. Probably just a few chapters until I finish this story. See you guys next time! ^-^v)