*Sighs* Half of this was written in 10 minutes. The other half took more than a week… *Sighs*

Part 2: A Hidden Person

Leo is woken up by the unmistakable sound of a puppy trying to jump up on the bed. His ears flick around to point in the direction the annoying scratching is coming from but other than that he makes no attempt to get up. When Sanghyuk finally manages to get up his response to being ignored is to bound his way across the bed and throw himself down on top of the lump that is cat-Leo.

Sanghyuk’s dog form was definitely getting bigger – approaching the adolescent stage now – and he seemed to forget that sometimes. The combination of Sanghyuk’s weight and the sound of the dog’s tail thumping incessantly against a pillow makes it impossible for Leo to ignore him anymore.

He really hadn’t expected to be as exhausted as he’d turned out to be and had spent the last four days asleep, only stirring to eat what food Hakyeon brings him. After so long in bed and away from the others he supposes he should at least try to get up. Luckily he doesn’t have to growl at Sanghyuk to get him to leave because Hakyeon comes to his rescue.

“Oi,” the eldest scolds from the doorway, he’d only stepped out for a minute. “Don’t sit on him.”

Sanghyuk barely looks at Hakyeon but he does as he’s told. The Anyethi stretches and gets out from under the blankets, casting a questioning look at Sanghyuk as he does.

All of them had noticed that Sanghyuk was not himself lately. In fact, he hadn’t been himself since Hakyeon had sat them all down the night he’d had his magic taken to discuss what they were going to do now. While he still had moments where he’d play around with Hongbin and Ravi there was no denying that he was practically avoiding Hakyeon. Even now he avoids Hakyeon’s offered hand – the promise of a tummy rub – and jumps off the bed towards the open door.

“Do you know what’s going on with him?” Hakyeon asks sadly once the Anyegi is out the room.

Leo does in fact have his suspicions about what’s wrong but he’d chosen not to voice them. He treats the question as rhetorical, stretching again with a huge yawn.

“How are you feeling today, anyway?”

Leo meows.

“We were thinking of heading out today. If we can hire someone to give us a lift we can be on the other side of the city before tonight.”

Leo meows again and he begins to change forms while Hakyeon starts to pack their shared bags.

“What’s your issue?” Jaehwan wonders when Sanghyuk reappears in their room. He’d sprinted from the room only minutes earlier when they’d heard Hakyeon talking to Hongbin and Ravi in the next room.

The puppy ignores him, trying to concentrate long enough to change. Jaehwan will never not be amazed by Leo and Sanghyuk changing forms, but watching them do so feels incredibly weird and invasive – even though they never said anything – so once he realises what Sanghyuk is trying to do he looks away.

“I don’t have an issue,” Sanghyuk grumbles once he’s in his human form.

Jaehwan slowly looks over, noting the Anyegi’s wrinkled clothes and messy hair. “Uh huh.”

After awkwardly thanking Jaehwan for pulling him out of Yeongsik’s basement the two hadn’t really had much to say to each other. Jaehwan had slotted into their group like he’d always been there – surprising them with how close he and Ravi were – but Sanghyuk couldn’t really bring himself to try get closer. What was the point, after all, since he was leaving them anyway?

Thinking about it pisses him off, the way Hakyeon was practically shipping him off back to the family he didn’t even know, back to the family that had probably put him in this situation to begin with. Tutting his annoyance and hurt Sanghyuk throws himself face down onto the bed.

“Um, you know you need to pack, right? That’s what Hakyeon came to say before.”

The Anyegi’s muffled answer is lost to the pillows but Jaehwan simply sighs. He’s not sure how to get to know Sanghyuk better. He’d thought that in the four days they’d roomed together there would be at least some progress. However, the fact that Sanghyuk had taken to going on long walks alone, spending more time in his dog form, and that they all spent their time in a group meant that that hadn’t happened. Even when Hakyeon had been going out alone the Anyegi hadn’t returned to being himself.

Sighing again, exaggeratedly this time, the ex-guard picks up Sanghyuk’s bags and opens them. He’s halfway through packing the teen’s stuff – which had somehow made good progress at escaping the bags in the few days they’d been here – when he looks over and sees Sanghyuk with tears in his eyes.

“Whoa, why are you crying?” Jaehwan asks, taken by surprise.

“I’m not,” the Anyegi mumbles, covering his face with an arm, he hadn’t meant to cry, he hadn’t even realised he was.

Jaehwan hovers awkwardly near Sanghyuk, unsure of what to do. Should he reach out and pat the younger man’s shoulder? Should he try ask what’s wrong again? Maybe he should go get Hakyeon? He’s just about to do eenie meenie minie moe to decide when Sanghyuk interrupts his thoughts.

“I’m sorry. Forget it,” he says, wiping at his face.

Before Jaehwan can do anything Sanghyuk is standing up and shoving things into his bag. He’s out the door in seconds and Jaehwan is left standing lost in the middle of the room.

”Look who’s finally out of bed,” Jaehwan teases when Leo and Hakyeon finally come out of the hotel.

Except for Hakyeon they haven’t seen Leo for days, giving him the time to rest. They’d spent their time exploring the area and trying to learn what kind of countries these were. It was needless to say that they were ready to move on.

Hongbin and Ravi had been the first ready but had occupied themselves by being disgustingly cute in the lobby. Even now Jaehwan can’t stand how they’re clinging to each other, smiling ridiculously at whispered words in ears.

“Where’s Sanghyukkie?” Hakyeon asks with a frown.

Nobody really has an answer and they’re just about to go look for the Anyegi when he shows up. He dodges Hakyeon’s questions and instead chooses to stare at Hongbin. The fact that Sanghyuk hasn’t made a comment about the couple is concerning but at least he wasn’t crying anymore. Jaehwan is really tempted to ask him what that had all been about – and where he’d gone after running off earlier – but he holds off. No doubt Sanghyuk didn’t want the whole group to know he’d been crying.

“How long is it going to take to get across the city?” Hongbin questions.

“I asked the receptionist,” Hakyeon replies. “She said that it should take about four hours.”

“On foot?!” Jaehwan demands.

“By cart. There’s a taxi bay not too far from here so we might be able to get a long distance one. If not we’ll have to keep swapping.”

After a ten minute walk they find the taxi bay and, after a bit of negotiation, a driver that will take them to the other side of the city. It’s squashy with all of them in one carriage with their bags but they do fit. Leo falls asleep almost instantly – Jaehwan quips that it would have been roomier if he’d remained a cat – and Sanghyuk does his best to avoid Hakyeon by sticking his head out the window and then later pretending to be asleep against Hongbin’s shoulder.

“Are you sure this is where she said she lives?” Hakyeon asks when they finally – finally – get off the stupid taxi. “This doesn’t seem very Chunja-ish.”

They were definitely in the suburbs just outside the city, fairly close the border of the next country over. The taxi driver had assured them that this was the place mentioned in the letter Ravi still had from his mother, pointing out a corner shop that shared the name.

“Even if this is the place, how are we supposed to find her?” Jaehwan questions. “Also I don’t think there are any hotels around here so we better find her before it gets dark.”

“I suppose we could ask around in shops?” Ravi suggests.

“I doubt there are many shops around here besides this one,” Hongbin says. “But we can try.”

Ravi doesn’t think it’s going to work either but he doesn’t have anything else to go on. All he knows is that his mother lives in this area, maybe, there was also a huge possibility that she didn’t.

“Ravi, go check that little shop first then before we make any more decisions.”

Hongbin and Ravi nod and make their way into the shop.

“Maybe we should ask if this is where we’re supposed to be first,” Hongbin mutters when they enter.

Ravi nods and approaches the counter. “Is this area known as ‘M street’?”

The old man behind the till nods. “Whole area is just named after letters. They thought it was clever when they planned it, now it’s just a nuisance.”

“Okay then,” Ravi mumbles, not expecting that much unnecessary information. “Do you happen to know Kim Chunja?”

The man smiles kindly. “She lives about a block that way,” he says pointing. “Look for an older house with an orange roof. Good house, even if it is one of the oldest around here. Used to be–”

Ravi is too shocked to listen to what the old man has to say or thank him properly. He leaves that to Hongbin and lets his feet take him outside.

“Well?” Jaehwan calls from the other side of the road.

Ravi blinks dumbly, standing out the front of the store. This had been much, much easier than he’d thought it would be. He’d thought they would be looking around for months before getting even close to where his mum was. He hadn’t thought she’d actually be where she told him she would be, much less that someone would just point them in her direction, literally.

He’s not sure how to feel. One part of him is relieved and happy but another is nervous and worried. It’s been more than seven years since he saw his mother.

“Well?” Jaehwan asks again when the group had crossed the road.

Hongbin catches up then and the giant grin on his face is answer enough. He doesn’t say anything, he just grabs Ravi and starts pulling him in the direction they’d been directed to go.

“No way, did you find her already?” Hakyeon enquires, following eagerly.

The others start following too but Sanghyuk freezes where he is. This meant that they were now even closer to going to look for his family. He’s starting to sink down into his thoughts – thoughts he doesn’t want to consider, that have been plaguing him for the last two weeks – when suddenly Leo is beside him.

“I was coming,” Sanghyuk grumbles despite the fact that everybody else was already down the street. He hadn’t wanted to draw any attention – he hadn’t even realised they’d gotten so far away – but he still lets Leo take his hand and teleport them up the road to join the others.

They don’t talk as they walk down the street, the only sound is of Hakyeon and Jaehwan’s wheelie bags and their feet on pavement. When they get to the house the old man had described Ravi and Hongbin freeze and Hakyeon walks into them.

“Is this it?” he asks.

It’s an incredibly normal looking house. Two stories – probably a little big for one person – with a little gate. Ravi has tensed up. He’s staring at the house so hard he doesn’t even notice when Leo and Sanghyuk teleport next to him.

He feels Hongbin’s hand on his back give a light push and without a word he reaches out to open the gate. There are about six stairs before the front door but to Ravi each step feels like an entire flight. At the same time he actually can’t believe it when he finally knocks on the door.

The first thing Kim Chunja says is, “Your hair is still blue,” and then she pulls Ravi into a tight hug.

He seriously thinks he’s going to cry but Chunja jabs him in the ribs before he can. “Don’t leave your friends standing outside. What bad manners.”

Instead of crying he just scoffs. “I wonder where I got them from then.”

Chunja rolls her eyes and waves the group into the house, patting Hakyeon’s shoulder as he walks past. They’re directed to put their bags against the wall and then sit so they do just that.

“How did you get here so fast? I heard the news yesterday that the borders aren’t opening until next month.”

“Well, we may have broken the law to get here. I doubt you’ll care though because you’ve done it before,” Hakyeon states.

It is only then that Chunja really looks at the others. At first she’d thought Leo was Anyegi but now that she can see his ears clearly she can’t help the weird excitement that rises at seeing an Anyethi. Maybe it was because she’d been a sorcerer her whole life but there was always something exciting about Anyethi. They were the most desired ingredient, after all.

Leo does not like the way he’s being stared at – it stirs up memories of being in a cage, of being nothing more than a material to be used – and Hakyeon doesn’t like it either.

“Do you still do magic?” he demands.

Chunja’s eyebrows shoot upward. “No. And going by your state, Hakyeon,” she nods at his hands, “you probably shouldn’t either.”

“I don’t. In fact, I can’t.”

“Can’t?”

It takes a long time to explain everything that had happened in the last seven years. Chunja is especially fascinated by Hakyeon’s work with magic and the level of control Ravi and Hakyeon had had over their intuitive magic. By the time they’ve finished talking about it it’s getting late.

“I’ll cook you boys something to eat, shall I?”

They eat what they’re fed – except Sanghyuk who really just picks at his until Leo eats it for him – and then Chunja reappears to announce that she’d cleaned up the spare bedrooms for them.

“Thank you so much,” Hakyeon smiles.

“Of course,” Chunja smiles back, patting his cheek. “Stay as long as you want.”

They make their way up to their rooms – to Sanghyuk’s delight he gets one to himself – and start to settle down for the night. Ravi stays up, taking the time to reconnect with his mum, and Hongbin and Jaehwan use the moment to try get to know each other a little better.

Leo is practically asleep before his head hits the pillow, he hopes this is the last time he ever has to teleport that far ever again. Never before had he considered that he had limits to what he could do, but now he knows that he does.

Hakyeon sighs at his lump of a boyfriend and changes into his pyjamas. He’d been busy the last few days, trying to find out any information that he can about where different kinds of creatures were located in the countries. He’d found out a lot about Anyegi but no luck so far with Anyethi.

Sighing again Hakyeon slides into bed. Leo’s arms close around him in seconds and the ex-sorcerer can’t help the small smile from appearing on his lips.

It doesn’t stay for long, sliding off his face at the thought that this wasn’t his bed. His bed was back home.

“Do you miss home?” he whispers.

“Home is with you,” Leo mutters sleepily, hugging himself closer.

Sometimes he still thinks about how things used to be, when he was locked up and constrained in the palace. Back then he’d never entertained the thought of having a home, it was too foreign to him. But now all that mattered to him was being with Hakyeon and it didn’t matter where they were as long as they were safe.

Hakyeon had only half expected an answer, what with Leo in the state he is in, but the response is more than enough. The smile is back and he nestles his face into the Anyethi’s hair. Despite how tired Hakyeon feels and how calming Leo’s purring is, he takes a long time to fall asleep, troubled now by the situation with Sanghyuk.

Yes, things are happening fast. It is very much deliberate on my part. Hopefully it’s still enough to not feel like it’s rushed. How convenient that guy knew Chunja, ey?
Uploading this so that I don't give myself an extra day of procrastination. Next chapter will be up tomorrow... or the day after. (Holidays have ruined me).