A/N: I'm sorry for the really late update but I actually wasn't going to update anytime soon. I've decided to go into a mini-hiatus because of an upcoming AP exam so I figured I should leave you guys with a parting gift~<3 Anyway thanks for the support and hope you like the chapter

III.

A petite sized figure flitted blindly through the poorly lit room trying to find the items she wanted. Her cheeks puffed out as she struggled to lift a wooden stool with shaking arms and placed it beside the counter. Grabbing the edge of the seat, she cautiously climbed on top of the stool. Small fingers trailed across the surface of the granite countertop, stuffing anything it touched into her ragged and ripped backpack.

"Sooyeon..?"

The said girl turned around at the sound of her name and saw MiYoung standing in the doorway, half of her face hidden by the shadows. Her hand was resting on top of the door frame while one foot was half way through the doorway, as if she was afraid to take another step.

"I told you to wait outside," whispered Sooyeon as she turned back around to rearrange the items in her backpack until they all fit.

A hand gripped the edge of the wooden furniture as the other reached up and Sooyeon looked down at the feeling of something tugging at the end of her shirt.

Zipping her backpack closed, Sooyeon slid off the stool and landed on the floor with a dull and hallow thud. The moment her feet touched the floor, two arms immediately found their way around her waist and MiYoung rested her cheek against Sooyeon's beating chest.

"You promised you wouldn't leave me alone.."

MiYoung's vulnerability had every single wall that Sooyeon had ever built cracking and crumbling to pieces.

"I'm sorry," Sooyeon apologized.

Putting her hands on MiYoung's shoulders, she gently pushed the younger girl away but laced their fingers together before she could protest.

A delighted grin formed on the young girl's face as her eyes curved upwards until they disappeared.

"Thank you Sooyeon.."

The latter peeked at MiYoung through her messy fringe but immediately averted her gaze at the sight of the eye smile that always made her feel uncomfortable in the pit of her stomach.

Slinging a strap over her right shoulder, she refused to speak as she quietly guided MiYoung through the building to the front door, careful not to cause any sort of commotion that would wake the other residents in the building.

MiYoung frantically stepped forward when Sooyeon retracted her fingers from their intertwined hands to face the younger girl.

"Are you ready?"

Sooyeon stared right into her eyes, trying to find any trace of hesitation or regret in MiYoung's eyes but gave a soft smile when she found none.

Chills crept along her skin when she twisted the metal doorknob and held the door open for MiYoung.

In a feeble attempt to suppress her laughter, MiYoung pressed both of her palms against but failed miserably when giggles escaped through her lips. Sooyeon immediately dropped her gaze to the floor in embarrassment but flushed even more when MiYoung stood on her tip toes to plant a kiss against her neck for the gentleman-like act.

"You're really cute.. Did you know that, Sooyeon?"

Instead of receiving an answer, MiYoung was left to watch Sooyeon's embarrassed, retreating figure as the older girl walked past her.

"Wait Sooyeon!"

Sooyeon's pace gradually slowed down until it came to a complete stop as she spun around towards the desperate and pitiful voice. Her lips gradually lifted as she watched the smile on MiYoung's face grow bigger as the younger girl got closer.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

"Aren't you kids a little young to be out so late?"

Both Sooyeon's and MiYoung's necks ached from having to look up at the bewildered bus driver that towered over them.

"Who-"

Sooyeon exhaled loudly through her nose when MiYoung's thumb pressed against the inside of her wrist.

"We're going to the carnival!" Tiffany beamed.

The bus driver adjusted his falling hat and placed a hand on the steering wheel before leaning down towards them, causing them to cautiously lean back.

"The carnival?"

He looked at them skeptically.

"Where are your-..."

His words trailed off as he watched the two young girls visibly tense up at his unfinished question.

"W-We.." MiYoung began as she fiddled with the bottom of her ragged shirt.

"I told you guys not the run off like that again!"

All three of their heads turned towards the unfamiliar voice at the bus's double door entrance, confused.

"Are these your children," asked the bus driver while scrutinizing the baby faced woman standing behind them.

She was wearing a white, collared shirt under a neatly ironed black blazer while holding a steaming cup of Starbucks. The white chord of her music player was wrapped around the nape of her neck while the earphones dangled loosely against her chest. Despite her formal clothing and the maturity in her voice, the bus driver could not help but glance at this baby faced woman who could be in elementary school herself claim that these two girls were her children.

"Yes they are, they must've ran off while I was buying my coffee."

She bowed her head slightly in apology and gave a gentle smile to Sooyeon and MiYoung.

"Oh.. Um.. Well.. Just take your seats then," the flustered driver managed to stutter out after witnessing the sight of the woman's curled lips.

She smiled one last time in gratitude before guiding Sooyeon and MiYoung to the back of the bus by placing a palm on both of their backs.

Once they were out of ear shot of the bus driver and the few other passengers, Sooyeon immediately shook the woman's offending hand off her back and pulled MiYoung behind her, concealing her from the woman's eyes.

"Don't touch her."

Unfazed by Sooyeon's cold attitude, the woman merely patted the crown of her head affectionately before she withdrew her head, barely escaping Sooyeon's trembling fury.

MiYoung forcefully dragged Sooyeon by the hand towards the empty seats one row in front of the woman, but it wasn't forcefully if Sooyeon was willing to follow her anywhere.

The second that Sooyeon's body met the cold material of the bus seats, she laid the side of her head against the window and watched as the city she barely knew pass before her eyes.

The foam seats dipped under a new weight and Sooyeon's eyes fluttered close when a hand tentatively caressed her cheek. MiYoung couldn't tear her eyes away from Sooyeon's face as it glowed and darkened with each passing streetlight.

"Sooyeon..?"

The older girl was at a lost for words and she could already imagine the sullen look on MiYoung's face when she didn't answer. It wasn't that she was intentionally ignoring MiYoung, but it was like an invisible force had its fingers locked around and she simply could not speak.

She knew that she was scared, but of what?

The seconds ticked by and Sooyeon was too afraid to open her eyes in the case that MiYoung was watching her. She didn't want to see the wounded expression on the young girl's face if she knew the truth, how weak Sooyeon really was. And it wasn't until she heard MiYoung's voice from the row behind her that she let out the breathe she was holding.

"Umm..."

MiYoung hesitantly tapped the woman on the arm.

The baby faced woman was deftly planning the next time she was going to come back to America with the help of the soothing music flowing in her ears until a subtle poke disrupted her train of thoughts.

The older woman pulled her earphones out and wrapped them around the nape of her neck as if her fingers automatically knew what to do.

She leaned down and tenderly placed her hand on the crown of MiYoung's head.

"Whats wrong?" She asked with a tilt of her head.

The woman watched as MiYoung weakly shook her lowered head and just as she was about to protest, MiYoung softly requested, her voice so low that the woman had to strain her neck down just to hear.

"Can I sit with you?"

A million questions formed in her head that all revolved around a certain brunette, but she pushed her curiosity away and patted the seat beside her.

"Of course."

It was difficult due to the obvious difference in height but MiYoung eventually managed to pull herself up, settling herself beside the unknown woman. The young girl nervously fidgeted in her seat until she found a comfortable position, unknowingly leaning against the older woman's arm.

"What's your name?"

MiYoung looked up in surprise but immediately dropped her gaze to the floor when she caught what looked like Sooyeon's eyes staring at her in the window's reflection.

She wondered if it was just her imagination when she saw the pain and longing in Sooyeon's brown eyes. Maybe it was just her immense desire for Sooyeon to open her eyes because when she glanced back at the window, the brunette had her eyes closed with no trace that they were ever open.

A lone tear trickled down to the tip of her nose, pitifully lingering there for a few seconds before it dropped and stained her tightly clasped hands.

Although she had only known the older girl for a few hours, she didn't know why she felt like ripping her aching heart right out of her chest. MiYoung knew that Sooyeon was listening and just pretending to be asleep, but why did it affect her so much when Sooyeon ignored her?

A thumb lightly pressed against her tear stained cheeks, ridding her skin of the offending liquid before enveloping her into a much needed embrace. MiYoung could only see a curtain of auburn through her blurry vision but the feeling of someone else's presence was enough to sooth her screaming heart.

"W-Why... Why does it hurt so much..." MiYoung whispered while desperately clutching her shirt where her heart rested beneath her fingers, the organ painfully beating against her rips as if trying to break free from its prison.

The woman, baffled on what to do, merely the back of the young girl's head and  leaned down to softly sing into MiYoung's ears, hoping to ease her pain.

..........

A single tear trickled down her pale cheek as she rested her palm against the window's reflection, watching MiYoung endlessly sob in the arms of a stranger.

"That should be me.." Sooyeon whispered as she watched the woman comfort the young girl.

One by one, tears continuously fell from her eyes until it seemed endless. She curled her fingers inward on the cold glass until a ghastly white was splayed across her flexing knuckles, nails digging into her palm deep enough to draw blood.

"That should be me holding her.."

Why am I so afraid of my own feelings?

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

"Now Arriving at San Francisco Airport.."

The bus driver's voice rang out throughout the silent vehicle. Everybody was either sleeping or on the verge of sleeping while others simply stared outside the window, watching as everything passed by.

Curling her arm around MiYoung's shoulders while the other s under MiYoung's legs, the woman achingly managed to lift the sleeping girl bridal style.

With unsteady steps, she walked towards the seat in front of her as the bus carefully maneuvered over uneven road.

Placing MiYoung on the seat besides Sooyeon, a smile adorned her lips as she watched both unconscious girls wrap their arms around each other as if they could sense each others presence.

MiYoung had wrapped one arm over Sooyeon's abdomen and placed her flushed cheek against the base of the brunette's neck, indulging in the warmth. The woman watched in amusement as Sooyeon's eyebrows furrowed together and lips dropped into a grimace at the uncomfortable weight on top of her. She silently giggled when Sooyeon encircled her arms around MiYoung's upper body, her lips immediately curling upwards in delight as if she knew it was her friend.

Reaching into the bag slung over her shoulder, she pulled out a soft pink colored blanket and draped it over the young girls. Tucking the blanket beneath their chins, she only leaned back once she confirmed that the girls were securely bundled in the blankets.

Lifting her hand, she delicately Sooyeon's blond hair, frowning at the glistening water along her cheeks. She brushed the brunette colored bangs away from Sooyeon's forehead, pressing her lips against it in a chaste kiss before apologizing into Sooyeon's ear.

"I'm so sorry for making you go through this alone but I will always be taking care of you and your sister. So please be strong.. because I know you can get through this pain. Promise me you'll take care of this girl.. I can already tell that she will become someone special to you in the future. I love you Sooyeon as if you were my own.."

She placed another kiss on each of their foreheads, letting her lips linger for a few seconds. As difficult as it was, she turned her back to the sleeping girls and walked out of the bus with one last request before disappearing into a mass of bodies all trying to escape the cold winter night.

"Forgive me Sooyeon.."

A/N: Don't be afraid to leave a comment or criticize! I need the inspiration as well as how to make the story more likeable to you readers. Anyway thanks for reading ;D