Hello! Greetings! As always don't get your hopes up and- BEEEP BEEEP BEEEEEEEP
I interrupt this scheduled a/n for an important announcement:
I want to take a moment to appreciate you, yes you... the reader. Even if you are a silent reader (you sneaky one you) I appreciate you even taking a portion out of your day, your life, your afterlife to read this story. The comments, views, votes, anything really, they all motivate me to write more. So thank you. :) that is all my good people ~enjoy (๑˃̵ᴗ˂̵)~ 

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As soon as the group entered the water tribe, Seokjin bid them farewell and headed to the leader's room. He needed to talk to the chief about everything. He needed guidance.
He stood in front of the large blue doors and lightly knocked. From the barely audible 'come in', he made his entrance.

"Ah, Seokjin, you're back! You should've told me ahead of time so I could've prepared a banquet," the older man smiled, but it soon faded as he took in the other's expression,"is something wrong?"

"I have a lot to tell you and I need your guidance."

"Then don't just stand there my boy, come in, come in," the man waved over, standing from his seat and shuffling over,"what's it about?"

"The Shadows."

------

"I don't know what he found out to make him want to come all the way over here, but until he gets back what should we do?" Taehyung asked, obviously bored.

"We could go penguin sledding," Namjoon offered,"I heard one of the kids talking about it."

Taehyung quickly perked up,"penguin sledding? Sounds fun! Let's go!"

"I don't know," Yoongi spoke with nonchalance,"sounds dumb."

"Don't be a stick in the mud. It won't be fun unless we all go. Come on Yoongi," Jungkook tried.

"I'd much rather be sleeping than doing something so foolish," he crossed his arms, already heading in the opposite direction when he was suddenly lifted off the ground.

"Don't worry, I've got him. Lead the way Taehyungie!"

"Jimin! Put me down!"

"Not unless you willingly go with us."

"Of course I won't."

"Then looks like you're staying up there. You can just ride with me so your blindness doesn't give you an excuse."

Yoongi tried wriggling around to no avail, instead giving up halfway and slumping over the other's shoulder in defeat.

~*         ~*

"Wah! Look at all the Penguin Otters!" Hoseok exclaimed when they reached a clan of them,"I bet I could catch one first."

"Please, if anyone is going to get one it'll be me," Jungkook boasted, running after him.

"Nu-uh, it'll be me," Taehyung yelled, following behind.

"Should I tell them the locals said it was impossible to catch one without a fish," Namjoon whispered.

Jimin shook his head, smirking,"no, I think it'll be funner this way."

And indeed it had been, as Hoseok attempted to tackle one, barely missing and landing face first in a pile of snow. Jungkook on the other hand stayed low to the ground, sneaking up behind one and trying to grab it only for it to dodge at the last minute. Meanwhile, Taehyung went wild, chasing after every one that so much as looked his way, yelling at the top of his lungs that he was their friend and meant no harm. It was amusing to say the least.
Namjoon and Jimin, after watching for a few minutes, decided it was best to end the others' pointless squabbling. 
Namjoon opened his bag, pulling out a single piece of fish, and held it out to the animals. Chuckling, they quickly froze when a chill ran down their spines, and as they looked around they noticed all eyes on them. Every penguin in the vicinity's attention was on that small fish. In an instant they were completely swarmed. Beaks, and feathers everywhere.

"Gah, what's happening," Yoongi yelled as he was pulled down with Jimin into the swarm of penguins.

"Nothing, don't worry Yoongs, I've got you," Jimin assured, placing him down and snatching one of the penguins before haphazardly throwing another piece of fish in a random direction. The group immediately dispersed and they were able to breathe again. 

"See?" He smiled but stopped when a loud shriek cut through the air. He glanced over to see the piece he threw, stuck to Hoseok's head as he ran away from the oncoming cluster of penguins.

"Whoops," he nervously chuckled, the other boy's screams echoing around them.

~

The group had finally managed to gather one penguin each and climbed the top of the mountain with Hoseok grumbling behind. He was covered head to toe in small indents from the first class pecking he endured. 

"So what do we do exactly?" Taehyung broke the ice, staring down at the adorable penguin in his arms.

"The kids said you're just supposed to sit on them and use them as a board."

"Like this?" Hoseok asked as he sat on the creature, looking back in question,"then how do I steer?"

Namjoon lifted his finger to explain but froze when he noticed Hoseok's penguin sliding forward.
"Wait! Put your feet down or you'll-"

It was too late as Hoseok's usual screams emanated from downhill. They watched him pick up speed down the steep slope before hitting a bump. He tumbled down for awhile, gathering snow on his journey. They looked on amusedly as he gradually turned into an oversized snowball. 

"I thought this kind of thing only happened in stories," Jimin curiously noted, giving Yoongi an account of what was currently happening.
Eventually the boy reached the bottom and the ball burst, shooting him face first into a pile of snow. Glancing over, he noticed the penguin he had been riding smoothly coming to a stop and waddling off to join his clan.

"Alright who's next?" Namjoon clapped his hands.

They all stepped back gesturing for Namjoon to go on first as if it were a privilege. The tall male sighed, placing his penguin down and sitting on it. He looked one last time at the group who replied with a half assed thumbs up before pushing off. His journey was a lot smoother, managing to maneuver it past incoming objects. The wind was icy cold, but the ride was exhilarating. He came to a halt at the bottom and got up, laughing at the pure excitement of it all.
The group above took it as a good sign, all lining up their penguins. Yoongi was more than just a little paranoid at the thought of freely traveling down a slope, but Jimin's warmth reassured him otherwise.
Jimin was something Yoongi was starting to grow fond of. Their initial encounter had been one full of flirting and as their journey continued, he found himself falling more and more for him. He basked in the way Jimin's smile made his heart thump out of his chest, and found himself staring at the male more than the average person, but he could never bring himself to tell him. It was one thing to confess to a crush and it was another to confess to someone who he didn't even know was gay or not, let alone to someone who he has to save the world with.
'Oh sorry, I don't like you, but let's get along even though I broke your heart because we have to stop the shadows together.' 
It'd be the perfect way to end his life. Their journey was hard as it is without the inclusion of romance. It'd just mess everything up and cause a burden. He instead opted for holding it in, no matter how many times Yoongi wanted to kiss the lips that made his heart flutter or wanted to hear the voice that became his lullaby. The voice of angelic whispers talking to him. To him. 
He snapped out of his trance and gave the younger a questioning expression.

"I asked if you were ready," Jimin repeated, making Yoongi nod, unsure if the other could see it or not.
Jimin grabbed the older's arms and firmly gripped them around his waist before pushing off the ground. Yoongi felt his heart drop to his stomach and back as it churned, making him squeeze his eyes shut and cling to the boy in front of him tighter. He was terrified by the speed and the sheer amount of wind blowing in his face.
While Yoongi was scared less, Jimin was absolutely thrilled, smiling as brightly as can be. He checked behind him and chuckled at the older boy. He had just turned back around when he noticed the outline of a female halfway down the slope. She was gorgeous, with long pink hair, slanted eyes, and skin as white as snow. He was immediately infatuated by her, wanting nothing more than to look at her all day. He couldn't put his finger on it, but she was most definitely his type of girl. Jimin had been staring at her for so long he failed to see the rock in front of them until it was too late. 
The penguin dipped down before flying up and launching them off. Jimin's eyes widened at the feeling of weightlessness, floating into the sky until gravity caught up to them. Luckily they were near the end of the hill but the scared gasp Yoongi let out was enough to make Jimin feel bad. 
As soon as he landed, he ran over and pulled the older, who was lodged into the ground, out of the snow, apologizing profusely.

"What the hell was that?! We were fine and next thing I know your mind is out in space and then we were flying."

"I'm so sorry hyung. There was this girl..." he trailed off, realizing how dumb it sounded.

Yoongi, on the other hand, widened his eyes. His heart sank and suddenly he didn't want to be talking to the male anymore. 

"Did I hear something about a girl?" Taehyung ran over, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

"Yeah! She was so beautiful it was ethereal with her long hair, gorgeous eyes, pale skin, and big s."

Yoongi frowned, conjuring up an image of himself based off the last time he'd seen himself in a mirror. He had the pale skin, but his hair wasn't long and he was far from having s. He instinctively placed his arms over his chest in a self conscious motion. 
He felt saddened, yet relieved to know that he had made the right choice by not mentioning anything. Apparently, Jimin was straight, and confessing his feelings would've been a disaster.

"I'm going back," he suddenly announced.

Jimin immediately popped up,"I'll go with you so you don't get lost."

Yoongi instantly shook his head,"uh no. I'm fine alone... Actually, I'd rather be alone."

Before Jimin could protest, Yoongi was already running toward the tribe. As he left he could hear the faint chattering of the others talking about the woman Jimin had seen. He wasn't jealous, he swore to himself, feeling the way he seethed. He was pretty sure he was melting the snow beneath him through pure rage, but he was perfectly fine, he convinced himself, as his eyesight flickered, eventually providing him vision. Pure coincidence, he thought, nothing to do with his emotions.

~

"I just don't understand how the scrolls could possibly help us find the key to the shadows. They contain nothing but useless information."

"You must remember, not all answers are handed to you, and not everything is as it seems. I'm sure what you've found is meant to help in one way or another. Try looking at things from another view."

Seokjin frowned,"I don't understand."

The man shook his head with a grin,"if it seems like useless pieces of paper at first glance then try looking deeper into it. Do they connect? Do they stand for something? Ask yourself these questions."

"I- I don't know."

"Then use that big brain of yours and look at it again. I know you'll figure it out. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a penguin sledding tournament to watch."

Seokjin watched his father slip out of the room with a look of concern.

"Well that was no help. Can't anyone give advice without making it a big moral journey nowadays?" He shook his head with a sigh, grabbing the scrolls and leaving through the large doors. 

He had just walked passed the Spiritual Oasis when he bumped into an oddly familiar orange haired bender.

"Oh, Seokjin! Is your meeting finally over?"

"Yeah..." The oldest slowly started, glancing around,"where's the others?"

"Well Jimin is off chasing after some imaginary girl, I think Namjoon entered that kids penguin tournament, Yoongi is in the cabin sulking, Hoseok is with the healers, and Jungkook had been with Jimin earlier but I saw the latter storm off."

"Where to start with this... okay, so Jimin and an imaginary girl?"
Judging from the grin on Taehyung's face, Seokjin could tell this was going to be an interesting story.

~

The next time Yoongi saw part of the group was at lunch time, they were still on the topic Yoongi wanted nothing to do with. He turned to his side, throwing a pillow over his head to block out the noise, but failing miserably.

"-so apparently he's in love or something," Yoongi heard Taehyung explain to Seokjin from nearby. He rolled his eyes in an attempt to calm himself down but found it only made him seethe more as he rolled to his other side.

"Then where is this mystery woman?"

"Who knows, but Jimin made us spend the entire morning searching for her. I'm starting to wonder if she was just a figment of his imagination. It'd be a let down if she was, but at least we know Jimin's type."

"So a pale busty woman is his fix... great. I'll add it to my list of useless knowledge."

"It may come in handy one day. What if he's super stressed out? We can hire a beautiful vixen to calm him down," Taehyung laughed.

"Or if we ever need to distract him. 'Hey Jimin, look! Big s'," Seokjin joked, making Taehyung laugh louder.

Whether they were joking or not, Yoongi had enough of it. He pushed the pillow off his head as he got up. He grabbed his coat and snuck out through one of the many windows. Luckily his boiling rage meant his vision hadn't left him so he was able to find his way around on his own. 
He eventually climbed up one of the tribe's many bridges and stared down into the illuminated water. The sun's reflection was vibrant against the light waves and he was sure if he looked hard enough he could see his own expression. He, on the other hand, didn't want to look at himself at all, so he turned around and leaned back. 
Who was he to compare to the so called beauty Jimin hasn't stopped talking about? Looking at his reflection would only make him feel worse. He pushed off the bridge and was about to go back inside when he saw a figure run by. In the faint sunlight, he could make out the outline of Jimin. Curious, he followed it until coming across a small cabin. He cautiously made his way closer, and just as he was about to peer inside, his vision diminished. 
He bit back a curse as he instead pressed his ear against the door.

"What's your name?"

There was silence.

"What a beautiful name. You're so gorgeous. Why do you appear in front of me?"

Yoongi frowned when once again there was no response. Who on earth was Jimin talking to?

"Me? I'm Jimin... no of course I'm not dating. I'm not even interested in anyone. Nobody compares to you."

Yoongi pushed closer to the door, face scrunched in concentration as he tried to get a glimpse of a voice or indication of another presence, but instead the door creaked open and he fell face first out onto the floor. 

"Yoongi? What are you doing here?"

"I should be asking the same thing. I was going on a walk and heard you talking. Who are you even conversing with?" Yoongi coolly responded, acting as though he hadn't been eavesdropping on the boy, while wiping the dirt from his coat.

"With Luna. The girl right in front of you."

"In front of me?" Yoongi asked confusedly.

He could sense Jimin's shift in the room,"yes. You're right in front of her, how can you not sense her? It's rude to ignore someone Yoongs. She's even trying to talk to you."

"But Jimin I don't feel anyone here nor can I hear anyone."

Jimin grimaced,"I don't know what you and Jungkook are up to, but if this is your idea of a joke, it's not funny. Come on Luna."

"Wait!" Yoongi grabbed the younger,"I'm being serious."

"That's exactly what Jungkook said. Fine, then apologize to the other person in this room."

"Jimin, there's nobody here," Yoongi frowned, hanging onto Jimin's arm, not sensing a single person around,"it's just us."

"Are you calling me crazy? I know what I'm seeing! I can see the most beautiful person I've ever laid my eyes on right behind you. If anyone has a problem it'd be you. Get your so called eyes fixed," Jimin growled, pulling his arm away. 

It wasn't much, but the tone of Jimin's voice and the subtle message behind his words hurt him more than he thought it would. He felt like leaving, like he suddenly  realized he didn't belong there. Why did he even chase after the younger in the first place? 

"I've already tried," Yoongi spat, pushing passed the younger and storming out of the cabin. 

Stupid Jimin with his stupid fantasy female. How was he supposed to converse with something he couldn't hear nor see?! And the nerve of him! To bring up his eyesight of all things. To say Yoongi was upset was an understatement. His blood boiled and he wanted nothing more than to punch the kid, but then he felt his heart ache. He unclenched his fists and let out a long sigh as he collapsed into the snow. Why was life so unkind? What did he do to deserve this? 
He suddenly felt like crying, but he knew better than to do something so foolish. He looked up and looked at the stars... looked. Yoongi sighed, his emotions have been nothing but all over the place since they set foot in the water tribe, and it was making him sick. While his vision returned at intervals, the reasoning ruined the happiness. He quickly glanced around to realize he had no idea where he was. To his left, stood mountains and his right was no better. Just where had he managed to get lost at? 
He was sure he only ran straight for a moment and yet he was in the middle of nowhere. His eyebrows furrowed as he noticed a faint glow in the distance. He squinted while following it. The light became visible as a small fox appeared in front of him.
Spirits, he concluded. No wonder he ended up here, it was a trick.

"You know it's not very nice to trick people... especially blind people."

The fox only turned its head at his words, curiosity written on its face.

"Don't play dumb, sly fox. You're probably a child, but that doesn't excuse you from scaring or confusing people," he scolded causing the fox's ears to fall flat.

"I'm not mad, just a bit upset. You shouldn't take advantage of such a sacred time to cause mischief. The winter solstice is meant for us to appreciate a day in harmony amongst two worlds. Now I wouldn't want you to get bunched up with the evil spirits."

The fox only stared at him, closing its eyes and lowering its head.
Yoongi smirked, coming closer to rest his hand on the spirit's head. He stopped momentarily as a light bulb lit up in his head. The winter solstice, he had completely forgotten about it. Maybe the thing Jimin keeps talking to, is a spirit... and from the looks of things it couldn't possibly be a good one.
He quickly looked at the fox,"How do I get back to the tribe?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"He hasn't come back?"

"For the millionth time, no Jimin he hasn't. Why?"

"Because i told him something I shouldn't have, and now I'm worried," he bit his nails.

"What could you have possibly said to make Yoongi runaway? The kid doesn't give two socks about anything," Seokjin rolled his eyes.

"I told him to get his eyes checked," Jimin sheepishly mumbled.

"You what?! Why on earth would you tell him that?" 

"I don't know, I just... he told me Luna wasn't in the room and it made something in me tick, and then I was seeing red."

"Luna?"

"Luna is the name of the girl I keep seeing. She was in the cabin earlier. Jungkook and Yoongi, they're playing some kind of prank but I don't think it's all that funny and if anything, it irritates me even more."

Jungkook was the next to speak, emerging from the room next door,"but I wasn't lying. When we were in the room I didn't see anyone, and I haven't talked to Yoongi since the penguin thing this morning. There's no way we could've conspired for some twisted prank."

Jimin eyed the youngest before letting out a deep sigh, rubbing his head,"I feel like I'm going crazy. I can see her as clear as day. She whispers things with her velvety soft voice, tells me these strange words and then I'm not me anymore. I see myself do these things but I can't stop it... what is she? What's happening?"

The group was silent until a sudden "aha!" Startled them as all eyes landed on Taehyung.
"The winter solstice!"

"Tae that's-" Seokjin's eyes widened,"that's it! Sh-"

"She's a spirit!" Yoongi shouted as he burst through the door.
The others stared at him amusedly, a gesture Yoongi could feel.

"Which I'm guessing you already know, or just figured out... but she's not just any spirit, she's the Vixen!"

"The Vixen?" Seokjin frowned before snapping his fingers,"you're right! How could I not have noticed?!"

"But the Vixen is nothing more than a tale parents tell. A simple campfire story," Hoseok lowered,"its silly to think it's real."

"Is it though? They say she takes after a man's underlying desires. She's like the mythical Sirens, luring men to their deaths with their undying beauty. Jimin, you need to be careful."

"Easier said than done when the minute I see her I'm stuck in a trance."

"Maybe we should set up watch times. We each keep watch over him throughout the day until the end of the solstice," Jungkook suggested, offering up a sheet of paper for them to choose shifts,"it shouldn't be hard, the days almost over anyway."

Everyone went down the line as each picked hour shifts with the male for the remainder of the day.

"Alright so I go first, and Yoongi is last," Namjoon informed.

"That's pretty late for you though grandpa," Jungkook teased.

Yoongi sighed,"whatever, it's not like I ever sleep anyway."

"Now how far are we supposed to take this? If he attempts to leave are we allowed to use lethal force to bring him back? Kind of been meaning to take revenge for the penguin incident," Hoseok smirked, cracking his knuckles and glaring daggers at the younger.

All eyes landed on Namjoon for guidance, with Jimin's pleading with him.
He thought about it for a moment before shrugging,"I don't see why not."

Jimin sunk in defeat, he really hoped the female would lose interest. He didn't need to wake up with a mysterious bruise or head injury.
Unfortunately for him, during Hoseok's shift, the other took the opportunity to ambush him every chance he had. When the younger entered the bathroom, he nearly peed himself when Hoseok popped out from the other side. When he sat on the bridge, the other shot up behind him and nearly made him fall in. When he tried losing him, Hoseok tackled him from around the corner. Jimin knew for a fact the other knew he wasn't in a trance but it didn't stop him from doing a variety of under the table tactics, so when the shift ended, he was relieved. 
That was until he realized the last shift was with Yoongi, the one he needed to apologize to. Jimin never did find direct confrontation very appealing, and so here he sat in complete awkward silence with the older in their shared room.

"Just go to sleep. I'll sit here by the fire until midnight then I'll join you."

"That wouldn't be very fair though. I wouldn't feel right going to sleep when you have to stay up."

"It's fine. I'd rather be left to my own thoughts anyway."

"Yoongi-"

"I said it's okay," Yoongi asserted, gritting his teeth.

"No it's not," Jimin insisted,"I'm sorry. I don't know why I said what I said, but I did and I'm sorry. There's nothing wrong with you and there never will be. I didn't mean to make you mad."

Yoongi frowned, taking a glance at the other, but looked away when his eyes met the younger's intense ones.
"I wasn't mad."

"Then why did you storm away?"

"B-because it hurt. I wasn't mad, I was-"

"Sad?"

"Yeah... something like that. It's just that, out of everyone here, I never thought you'd be the one to say something like that."

"I really am sorry Yoongi. There's absolutely nothing wrong with you, you're perfect."

"Right, as if anybody wants a cripple."

"That's not true, I-" Jimin stopped mid sentence, making Yoongi curiously glance over in his direction. His sight had unfortunately left him for the time being as it seemed to be doing a lot lately.

"Goodnight," the younger suddenly said, shifting around.

Yoongi lifted an eyebrow," okay?... goodnight, I guess?"

It was strange to say the least, but when Yoongi finally realized what happened, it was too late. He shot up, trying to sense the younger, but failing.

", , . How the hell did I not notice him leave?! He went to lay down and yet- ! I need to find him. I need to... okay, think Yoongi, think. If you were a spirit where would you take your victims?.... THE SPIRIT OASIS!"

He took off in the direction of the spiritual landscape, running as fast as he could, trying not to trip on the path. 
His heart was beating a mile a minute, but it didn't matter, not when Jimin's life was at stake. He ran over the bridge and straight into the oasis until he smacked into another body. He wrapped his arms around the other's torso and pulled back, trying to stop him from walking forward.

"Jimin! Snap out of it! This isn't you!"

The younger's face contorted,"get off me! Let me go!"

"I can't! I won't!"

Jimin threw back an arm, managing to hit Yoongi's cheek, but he didn't let go.

"You can't do this! I'm keeping you out of this water if it's the last thing I do."

"Oh yeah? And how can you do that when you couldn't even see me leave?"

"That-"

"What? What excuse do you have now? It's always the same. Your lack of sight is a nuisance."

"Why would you say that?"

"Because Luna tells me too! We're happy together. Much happier than I'd be with someone like you."

"Fine, you don't have to be with me, but I won't let you be with her."

"Why?!"

"I just can't!"

Jimin's face changed again,"It's because you're jealous! You just don't want me to be happy with Luna!"

Yoongi froze, grip slightly loosening before his resolve hardened and he started yanking the other back,"you're right. I am jealous! I'm extremely jealous. I don't want you to be with Luna because I want you to be with me. Jimin, I like you... I have since we met. Seeing you fawn over some girl, I didn't like it... I don't like it. I'm not sad that you poked at my vision, I'm sad that you did it because of her. You can't leave me like this. Jimin, please don't go."

Yoongi would've loved to say his confession had brought a sort of relief to his growing anxiety, but instead it worried him more. How was Jimin going to react, was he even mentally there? All he knew was that he was surprised when the brunette stopped struggling and moved around. 

"Yoongi?" Jimin weakly asked in a sort of daze," I- like you too. I'm sorry for everything- you- it-," Jimin stumbled over his words before collapsing in the older's arms.
Yoongi fell slightly over at the sudden weight but managed to keep them upward as he heard the distant yells of their friends, while he tried to figure out what had just happened.

~ 

"What happened?!"

"I lowered my guard," Yoongi spat,"he slipped away and I came running after him."

"How'd you get him out of his trance?"

"I- uh- just talked him out of it. We said a few personal things, but I think it all worked out for the better," Yoongi's bitter expression morphed into a smirk, earning an eyebrow lift from Seokjin,"right Jimin?"

Yoongi smiled at the younger with a bit of excitement, but his happiness soon faded when he caught the other's confused face. 

"Jimin?"

 Jimin rubbed his temple with a frown while looking up at the older.

"I- I don't remember."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Bing! Oh nu~ a cliffhanger! But is it really?? Surprise! It's a double update ^.^ check the next chapter for more :) and Have a Happy Halloween (even if it's almost over)