“Where is she moving?” Jessica asked slowly. Tiffany stopped choking and was now rinsing out quickly to talk.

“She just says she’s going to Japan…” Yoona said slowly, holding the note up in her hand again. Tiffany dried her face quickly and moved to Yoona to take a look at the note. Before she could take it from Yoona’s hands she was interrupted.

“Who do you think you guys are? Why are you in the Elites’...?” Yuri charged through the door yelled loudly but slowly trailed off when she saw Yoona, Tiffany, Jessica and SeoHyun standing inside. She rubbed her eyes roughly and opened them again, blinking a few times and turning her head back and forth a few times.

“Yes Yuri. It is us.” Yoona sighed sarcastically. Sooyoung walked in after Yuri and stood there with the same expression as Yuri. A full ten seconds of silence passed through the bathroom as no one uttered a single word. Yoona then shook her head and immediately moved to Yuri’s side.

“Taeyeon’s moving.” Yoona said bluntly. She then passed Yuri the note that Taeyeon had written and waited whilst Yuri was reading it. The paper slowly started slipping through her hand slightly before Sooyoung grabbed the paper and started reading it herself. Yuri then whipped back to Yoona and stared at her accusingly.

“What is it?” Yoona said slowly. Yuri lifted up her hand slowly and pinched on Yoona’s cheek and pulled on it.

“Ow! Yuri!” Yoona whined as Yuri continued pulling with a serious expression.

“Let me go Yuri! It hurts!” Yoona complained. Yuri didn’t stop as she kept on holding on Yoona’s cheek. Yoona started to slowly turn into her dark personality and stared back at Yuri. She then snapped and slapped Yuri’s hand away from her.

“What do you think you’re doing?! Do you know how much that hurts?!” Yoona complained with a growl. Yuri lost her serious expression and instantly smiled when she saw Yoona’s dark personality.

“I thought you were another imposter. I don’t know who’s who anymore.” Yuri sighed with relief. Yoona raised up her eyebrow at Yuri before she was interrupted with Sooyoung tearing the pieces of paper up.

“Where is Taeyeon now?” Sooyoung asked seriously. Yoona looked back at Sooyoung and gave a small shrug.

“Doesn’t the note tell us?” Tiffany asked hopefully. Sooyoung shook her head and sighed dejectedly. Yuri pursed her lips together and started pacing up and down inside the bathroom. She stopped when she caught sight of Jessica and took a few steps away from her and facing her back towards her. Jessica smiled sadly at Yuri’s reaction but couldn’t help but feel relieved.

“This is good news” Yuri suddenly called out. Everyone looked back at her with their eyebrows raised, wondering what was wrong with Yuri. Yuri just smiled back brightly and held up her thumb in approval.

“We have until the festival of lights. That means Taeyeon is still hesitating about something in Korea. Knowing Taeyeon, if she wanted to move she would move right away. There is something holding her back here and we can use that to keep her here.” Yuri explained briefly. Yoona crossed her arms and rested her hand against her chin, considering Yuri’s logic.

“It really is good news. We were worried that she had already left already. This gives us time to plan how we can attack Taeyeon’s weak spot.” Sooyoung said quietly.

“Why are we attacking Taeyeon? Aren’t we supposed to be saving her?” Tiffany asked in a concerned tone.

“Taeyeon is in no danger for the moment. It was when she reaches Japan that she will be in danger. That gives us three days to get her to stay…” Sooyoung took a step towards the girls inside the room.

“How did you guys escape anyway? From what I heard Sooyeon was guarding you.” Sooyoung asked curiously. Jessica and Tiffany glanced at each other and smiled slightly.

“Sooyeon accidently forgot to lock the doors up… And gave us the keys to her car.” Jessica smiled at Sooyeon’s actions. Yuri and Sooyoung raised their eyebrows curiously.

“Blood runs thicker than water… Sooyeon requested that we bring Taeyeon back safe for her… and to pass on a message.” Tiffany continued.

“So she did end up doing it” Yuri chuckled from the side.

“What do you mean?” Yoona asked as she stood beside Yuri.

“She left me a few miles away from SM College instead of dumping me in the middle of nowhere. While she was leaving me I confronted her. I could see hesitation in her eyes. She ended up following her heart in the end… So I’m proud of that.” Yuri smiled.

“Following her heart huh?” Jessica chuckled. Yuri ignored Jessica’s remark and took a step towards Tiffany.

“You will be our weapon.” Yuri pointed towards Tiffany with a slight smile. Sooyoung stepped up and stood in front of Tiffany as well.

“First off though. We need you to practice seeing yourself.” Sooyoung smiled. Yuri nodded in agreement and clapped her hands.

“Okay everyone. Let’s start getting Taeyeon back. We can’t have that dork running off without putting up a fight now, can we?” Yuri cheered. Everyone cheered in unison except for Jessica who was standing on the side by herself again. She kept her eyes fixed on Yuri as she started talking to Yoona with a bright hopeful smile on her face.

‘She ended up following her heart in the end… So I’m proud of that.’ Yuri’s words played in Jessica’s again.

‘I wonder if I should follow my heart… And if I do, will she be proud of it?’ She thought hopefully. Jessica then looked back at Yuri who was now talking to Tiffany explain about what Sooyeon did at the cell. She then started moving her legs and walked up behind Yuri.

“Yuri?” Jessica’s timid voice interrupted them slightly. Tiffany looked behind at the timid Jessica and smiled before continuing the conversation with Sooyoung. Yuri turned around, startled by Jessica behind her.

“Can I please talk to you in private?” Jessica asked quietly. Yuri felt like she had experienced déjà vu again, remembering the time during the fencing match against Taeyeon.

“I know you said you don’t need me… But I’m still going to be part of this no matter what.” Yuri turned around and answered Jessica coldly. She then turned around and was about to walk back to Sooyoung when a hand gripped onto her shirt behind her and stopped her. She then looked back to see Jessica shaking her head slightly.

“Can we please talk in private” Jessica’s voice quivered. Her hand gripped onto Yuri’s shirt even tighter as her hand started to shake slightly. Yuri let out a long sigh and started to move at the other end of the room, keeping her distance away from Jessica.

“If you are going to ask me to stay away from you and your friends, I will. But only after Taeyeon is safe and sound again. Once Taeyeon is back I will not bother you or the others again.” Yuri said sternly before Jessica could even start. Jessica looked up quickly with alarm in her eyes as her hand reached out to grab onto Yuri’s shirt. Yuri looked down at Jessica’s shaking hand and moved back away from it.

“Please don’t…” Jessica whispered softly. Yuri looked at Jessica’s bowed head and shivering hands and sighed.

“Don’t do this to me…” Jessica continued a little louder. Yuri tilted her head to the side slightly to get a glance at Jessica’s face but Jessica turned her head down even lower to hide it.

“Why do you do this to me? Why?” Jessica gripped her hands tighter as Yuri saw her body shaking slightly.

“I should be staying away from you. Scared of you. Ignoring you… But why? Why can’t I do all that?” Jessica lifted her head up and stared into Yuri’s eyes to reveal her slightly wet eyes. Yuri froze for a moment, taken aback by the threatening tears on Jessica’s eyes.

“Instead, I’m drawn to you more… When you had the chance to go free, I felt myself feel relieved. But when you declined it, it made my heart ache. So to stop the ache, I pushed you away. I pushed you away with the thought that you may be safe. I didn’t care for Tiffany or SeoHyun for that moment…” Jessica admitted as she took a step closer to Yuri. Yuri remained still and allowed Jessica to grip onto her arm.

“Why do you do this to me Yuri? My heart beat changes every time I think of you… And right now, I feel like it’s going to rip out of my chest. Why do you make me put your safety in front of Tiffany’s and SeoHyun’s even though I know they are more vulnerable than you?” Jessica pleaded letting one lone tear fall from her eyes.

“I…” Yuri started off a little confused. From behind, the other four girls were staring at the two in the corner of the private bathroom. Sooyoung furrowed her eyebrows slightly when she saw Jessica holding onto Yuri. Yoona and Tiffany however, smiled at the sight. Tiffany then hushed them to talk outside and leave the two by themselves. Yoona slowly closed the door behind them, not forgetting to give a small cry of encouragement to Jessica.

“You know me don’t you Yuri? You know what I’m feeling before I even do and you helped me confirm it. What am I feeling now Yuri? Why am I acting like this?” Jessica continued. Yuri stared back in Jessica’s eyes to see confusion in her eyes. She then felt Jessica’s heartbeat against her arm coming from her hand gripping onto her own tightly. It was beating faster than an average human’s and didn’t show any signs of calming down anytime soon.

“I may know…” Yuri said slowly, taking a step back away from Jessica. Jessica took a step with her this time, determined to stay close to Yuri.

“But I don’t think you can accept it… and neither can I.” Yuri sighed.

“Then what is it Yuri? Tell me. I don’t know what’s happening anymore.” Jessica shook Yuri’s arm slightly. Yuri felt her insides ache when she saw Jessica pleading against her with the confused expression.

“I can’t tell you.” Yuri finally deciding that it was best not to say anything. Jessica stopped shaking Yuri’s arm and paused. Only the low breathing of Jessica’s raspy voice could be heard.

“I should get going now” Yuri finished off. She bowed slightly towards Jessica before turning around and heading out. She was shortly stopped when a pair of hands wrapped around her waist and a weight was pressed against her back.

“Why can’t you tell me Yuri? Is it because you can’t accept it?” Jessica’s voice was stifled against the cloth of Yuri’s clothes but it still was understandable to Yuri’s ears. Yuri turned her head to the side to take a look at Jessica, but all she saw was her shoulders rising and falling slightly.

“I know what I’m feeling Yuri… It’s nowhere near what I felt for Taeyeon in the beginning… You told me what I felt for Taeyeon was sisterly love… So that means what I feel for you is much more. Much more Yuri-ah…” She continued rubbing her head against Yuri’s back slightly. Yuri held her breath as Jessica dug further into her back.

“I don’t think that would be best right Jessica. I’m not human like what you thought I was. I can’t give you the satisfaction of a normal life you deserve” Yuri lifted her hands up to Jessica’s and gripped them slightly before prying them away. Jessica remained stubborn and tightened her grip even more.

“Why does Tiffany get the chance then? Tiffany knew about the Elites… Yet she is still allowed to go after Taeyeon. Why don’t I get the chance to go after you?” Jessica asked unsteadily. Yuri stopped prying Jessica’s hands away and paused.

“I won’t be able to move on from you. The fact that you are not human was supposed to scare me. I told myself I should stay away. But it hurts even more… the time we spent together trying to get Taeyeon and Tiffany together, the time you spent with me teaching me about my studies and myself. I can’t go on without you Yuri…” Jessica paused again before taking a deep breath.

“At least tell me how I can stop falling for an immortal if you are not going to accept it. Tell me how to get rid of all of this, my unsteady heartbeat, my thoughts, everything that makes me fall for you.” Jessica was suddenly stopped when the torso in her arms turned around and two arms engulfed her. She stood there for a while still trying to register what was happening but a calm voice interrupted her.

“It’s not that I don’t accept it. I will accept your feelings and return them to you fully with my own. But there are a lot of things you don’t know about me. For one, I won’t be able to grow old with you. Do you really find it satisfying to stay with someone who will forever remain the same whilst you are still aging?” Yuri asked back in a calm voice. Jessica blinked a few times and hugged Yuri again.

“I can learn about the things I don’t know. I don’t care if I can’t grow old with you. I would rather that than spend the rest of my life without you. Tiffany accepts that fact. So why can’t I?” Jessica nodded against Yuri’s chest. Yuri took a deep breath and pulled away slightly, keeping on hand around Jessica and using her other hand to pull Jessica’s face up.

“This is not about Tiffany accepting it. It’s about you. Can you accept it?” Yuri asked back. Jessica looked back into Yuri’s eyes to see a bit of red flash against her eyes.

“I ca-” Before Jessica could finish off her sentence, Yuri used her finger to silence Jessica.

“Don’t rush yourself. Think about it first before you agree to anything. When everything is over, I will ask the question again. Think about it Jessica. Your answer will change the course of your life. Either with me or without me.” Yuri hushed. Jessica was about to retaliate again but Yuri stopped her again with her finger.

“When everything is over.” Yuri repeated. Jessica closed and gave Yuri a pained expression, wanting to agree to everything right then and there. Yuri chuckled slightly and used her hand to push Jessica’s hair away from her forehead. She then leaned in and pressed her lips against her forehead gently. Jessica’s breath hitched and her heart skipped a beat. When Yuri pulled away, she noticed Jessica’s face a bright pink shade.

“Breathe” Yuri hushed in Jessica’s ear with a slight chuckle. Jessica then let out all the air she was holding in and quickly fumbled to put her hands on her forehead where Yuri’s lips were before.

“Until the end, we will act like none of this happened. No feelings, no arguments, just average friends who are fighting for the same cause. When Taeyeon is safely home, I will ask you again.” Yuri smiled at Jessica. Jessica’s cheeks were still flushed pink as she looked back up to Yuri with both her hands still on her forehead.

“Come. The others are probably planning already” Yuri flashed a bright smile. She then raised her hand up slightly and used her thumb to wipe away Jessica’s tears before moving her hand to pull Jessica’s hand down from her forehead. Yuri then started pulling Jessica out of the private bathroom and towards the stairs which would lead them to the exit of the building.

Jessica followed unwillingly behind Yuri but she couldn’t help but feel the warmth of Yuri’s hand spread throughout her body.

‘I already have my answer… I will follow my heart and accept everything about you Yuri. Just watch’ Jessica thought determinedly with a smile. Yuri looked back to see Jessica’s confident smile and couldn’t help but smile along.

‘Maybe accepting her feelings won’t be so bad. Spending a few decades with her would be worth a few hundred years of pain, right?’ Yuri thought curiously as they reached the exit of the building.

~”~”~”~”~”~”~”~”~

“We have until this Saturday right?” Leeteuk reconfirmed. Yuri and Yoona nodded in unison. SeoHyun was sitting on the side of the table watching the three converse without her. Jessica and Tiffany were in the next room with Sooyoung who had called them out to have a small talk with them.

“I’m going to get straight to the point. Yuri has told me both of you know about the Elite’s secret?” Sooyoung said bluntly once the door was closed. Jessica and Tiffany jumped slightly at Sooyoung’s voice and the slamming door. Tiffany turned around to see Sooyoung standing there with her arms crossed and a stern expression on her face.

“Ah… Yeah… Kinda…” Tiffany answered back hesitantly. Sooyoung took a step towards Tiffany. Both Jessica and Tiffany jumped when Sooyoung’s heels clicked against the wooden floors.

“What are you going to do about it?” Sooyoung’s voice softened slightly. Tiffany scrambled back a few steps and lowered her head slightly. Jessica stood her ground but also lowered her head towards Sooyoung.

“Jessica? Why don’t you tell me first?” Sooyoung turned her attention to Jessica. Jessica winced slightly when the attention was diverted to her.

“I-I… I’m going after Yuri…” Jessica answered back nervously. Tiffany then jumped when she heard something snap from Sooyoung’s hands. She saw that Sooyoung was holding her hand into a fist and was sure that the snap came from the sound of Sooyoung’s knuckles.

“N-Not like that. I swear” Jessica suddenly burst, sensing Sooyoung’s mood. Tiffany bit her lower lip when she saw Jessica scrambling to find her words again.

“I mean I’m not going to hurt her or anything. I’m going after her to… I just… I don’t care about what she is… I just” Jessica stuttered nervously when Sooyoung took another step forward. Sooyoung then snapped her head up to Tiffany.

“What about you?” her voice came out unstable. Tiffany felt her lips dry immediately when Sooyoung glanced at her.

“I… I’m trying to g-get her…” Tiffany stuttered. Sooyoung took a side step away from Jessica and faced Tiffany.

“I’m trying to g-get her to f-f-fall… for m-me” Tiffany finished off nervously. Sooyoung raised her eyebrow up at Tiffany curiously. She then took three steps back and looked at the cowering under her glance.

“So, instead of running away or coming at them with weapons… You’re trying to get them to fall for you?” Sooyoung asked seriously. Jessica and Tiffany gave each other a glance first before turning back to Sooyoung. They nod gave a meek nod and held their breath, waiting for their punishment.

“And do you know anything about how they live?” Sooyoung continued. Tiffany raised her hand up obediently as if asking for permission to speak before she explained.

“I learnt from Yoona and Yuri quite a lot already… including the eating, sleeping and aging patterns.” Tiffany admitted. Sooyoung nodded slightly before turning over to Jessica.

“I… just found out r-recently…” Jessica admitted sheepishly. Sooyoung then let out a long tired sigh as she changed her posture to putting her hands against her waist.

“Well… I’m not going to interfere this time. Last time I did, it caused all this to happen. However I am going to warn you. I am not going to allow Taeyeon to get hurt again or let Yuri or Yoona experience that type of hurt.” Sooyoung pointed at the two sternly. Jessica jumped slightly when the finger was pointed to her but Tiffany was rather confused.

“Again?” Tiffany questioned. Sooyoung lowered her hand and raised her eyebrow up at Tiffany.

“Yeah, again.” Sooyoung confirmed slowly. Tiffany paused for a moment, trying to comprehend what Sooyoung had meant.

“With the upcoming struggles, you two will have to remain the strongest. Jessica, you have met Sooyeon already so you should be fine. But Tiffany, I warn you. Be prepared to face Taeyeon’s past. Be prepared to face some truths behind Taeyeon’s actions and most of all, be prepared to prove your confidence with Taeyeon. We will try our best to help you, but ultimately… you are the only one who can bring Taeyeon back to the present. I trust you can handle that?” Sooyoung looked at Tiffany expectantly. Tiffany was a little confused in the moment and only replied with a small nod of the head.

“If we were to tell you everything now, you wouldn’t believe us. We do not want you to be too shocked when you face the troubles. Leeteuk and I will try our best to prepare you for that moment. The other four will try to gather information about the flights and all that, just in case we need the last line of defence.” Sooyoung finished off. Jessica gave a confident nod whilst Tiffany gripped onto her fists confidently.

“We should get back to the others. We can’t risk anything happening to any of you right now.” Sooyoung turned around and opened the door. Jessica walked over to Tiffany and held onto her hand nervously. Tiffany smiled back reassuringly but she could feel the pressure building up inside her.

“I know you can do it. You’re the strongest out of all of us. It will all work out” Jessica reassured. Tiffany nodded in response and took a deep breath. She then turned to Jessica and nudged her arm playfully.

“So, you’re going after Yuri huh?” Tiffany mused. Jessica stiffened when Tiffany mentioned Yuri before turning slowly towards her.

“And here was the Jessica who thought that the Elites were a snobby bunch of people. But now, she’s fallen for one of them. Tsk” Tiffany teased. Jessica furrowed her eyebrows at Tiffany and lightly slapped her arm.

“You influenced me. I should really watch how much time I spend with you. I don’t want to end up like you” Jessica retaliated. Tiffany’s jaw dropped slightly at Jessica’s remark.

“Ouch Jess. That’s harsh.” Tiffany feigned a hurt tone. Jessica just shrugged and started walking towards the other room again. Tiffany then ran up and hugged Jessica from behind with a smile plastered against her face.

“I can share the information I have about the Elites with you if you want. Did you know that they are over a hundred years old?” Tiffany asked with a giggle. Jessica turned her head to the side and raised her eyebrow at her.

“Really? Over a hundred?” Jessica asked with a slight shock. Tiffany nodded confidently and held up Jessica’s two hands.

“It’s more than the fingers on your hand Jessica. So don’t bother counting.” Tiffany mused. Jessica lifted up one of her hands and knocked her knuckles against her forehead. The two stopped in the middle of the hallway when Tiffany stopped walking and held Jessica back.

“What was that for?” Tiffany whined. Jessica rolled her eyes at Tiffany and started walking off again without her. Tiffany smiled to herself as she felt the sore area on her forehead before skipping to Jessica’s side. Yuri then came out to check on the two from the other room. Tiffany used this chance and landed a kiss against Jessica’s cheek, making sure that Yuri could see.

Jessica saw Yuri down the hall looking at the two with slightly shocked eyes. She immediately turned over to Tiffany and slapped her arm.

“What was that for?” Jessica complained. Tiffany just stuck her tongue out at Jessica before bolting to the safety of Yoona and SeoHyun. Yuri chuckled at the playfulness of the two before it slowly disappeared into a depressing sigh.

‘I don’t know how much longer we will be able to enjoy this calm carefree aura.’ Yuri thought sadly. She then saw Jessica awkwardly shuffling towards her, purposely avoiding eye contact. She could see that there was still some lip gloss from Tiffany’s kiss on her cheek and smiled slightly.

“Jessica?” Yuri called her back. Jessica paused for a moment before taking a deep breath and turning to face Yuri. The immortal reached her hand out to Jessica’s cheek slowly, causing Jessica to hold her breath quickly when Yuri’s warm fingers touched her cheek. Yuri then wiped away the remaining lip gloss and chuckled.

“You got some lip gloss on your cheek” Yuri explained as she held her hand up as if to prove it to Jessica. Jessica responded quickly by using her hand to touch her cheek. She then looked up at Yuri to see a teasing gaze on Yuri’s face. Jessica furrowed her eyebrows at Yuri and huffed loudly.

“You should have just told me. You didn’t need to get it off for me” Jessica complained as she gave Yuri a slap against the arm.

“Now there’s the ice princess I know” Yuri laughed loudly at the enraged Jessica.

“Eish” Jessica exclaimed, pushing Yuri aside and walking into the room where the others were. Once she was inside she put her hand over her chest where her heart was still hammering away.

‘Just friends until all of this is over…’ Jessica reminded herself. She slapped her cheeks slightly to wake herself up slightly before opening her eyes to have four pairs of eyes staring at her curiously.

“Is… something wrong Jessica?” Leeteuk asked cautiously. Jessica started to feel embarrassed when the door behind her opened again. Yuri stepped in with a wide grin as she raised her hand up to pat Jessica’s hair.

“The princess didn’t have her beauty nap so she’s a little cranky.” Yuri shrugged. Jessica quickly knocked Yuri’s hand off her head and pushed her away slightly.

“Tsk. I can’t believe I like you.” Jessica mumbled to herself. Yuri chuckled at Jessica’s remark and pinched her cheek playfully.

“I can” Yuri mused cheerfully. The whole room snickered at the two’s antics whilst Jessica blew onto her messed up hair with annoyance.

 

 

 

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Sorry about the failed marathon >~<

Life was a total pain in the and got in the way with it's usual kick of reality :\

Oh credits to ShadowKnight for this chapter~

She gave me her first hug which made me motivated to update again :]

I feel so special <3333 ^^

 

 

Bubbles out~

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