*This is a double update! Make sure to check out Chapter 18 as well ;)

Chapter Nineteen

“Yoomi,” Yifan said her name quietly with a deep sigh and the same stern tone he usually reserved for the boys when they did something stupid or caused too much trouble. Hearing that tone directed at her, she now understood why all of the boys tried to avoid it and hated being scolded by him. “I know that she’s been trying to mess with you- Luhan told us about it-, but you shouldn’t stoop to her level. Using violence will only make it worse. You should know better than that,” he lectured seriously.

“I-I know. I’m sorry,” Yoomi whispered, sincerely meaning it since she was disappointed in herself as well. When he didn’t respond after that, she began to fidget and get a little nervous. Finally, after a solid minute of uncomfortable silence, she worked up the courage to raise her head and meet his eyes, surprised to find that, even though he was scolding her, his expression was oddly more gentle than it usually was. It reminded her of the time he spent teaching her to fly- just like then, it was soft but vaguely exasperated. He also looked a little worried, like he was concerned for her and her behavior. She couldn’t blame him, really.

“Are you aware of our place in society, Yoomi?” Yifan inquired, though Yoomi felt like there was only one real right answer that he was willing to hear at the moment.

“...Yes.”

“Then you should’ve thought about your actions before you did it,” he chided, letting the girl know just how wrong her actions were. “Tell me, Yoomi. What is our role as S-ranks?”

Yoomi stayed quiet, not sure what the answer was. She glanced over at Yixing for help, only to be met with another pair of stern eyes, so she looked back down at her feet silently. She didn’t like the feeling of being put on the spot like she was at the moment, standing with her head down whilst the two upperclassmen loomed over her in disapproval. Yet she kept it in and forced herself to think of an answer because she knew she had done wrong.

When Yifan said her name again in his intimidating, commanding voice, Yoomi barely rushed out her answer in time, unintentionally stuttering in her speech. “W-we’re the strongest vaeli...a-and we have telepathy, and…”

“That’s enough,” Yixing spoke up, his voice soft and soothing against Yifan’s scolding tone. “Don’t be scared, Yoomi-ah. We’re just trying to help you understand what you did wrong. We understand that you’re still new to things,” he assured with his trademark gentleness now, though, despite the familiar softness of his tone, Yoomi still couldn’t bring herself to meet his eyes. “However, that won’t last as an excuse forever. You need to know these things.”

“We are S-ranks,” Yifan emphasized, taking over the explanation again in a calmer tone of voice, “the most gifted and most powerful of all vaeli. We’re the future of the vaeli world, as well as its protectors. We are the future Guardians. Hence, we can’t go around hurting people, Yoomi-ah. We’re supposed to protect them.”

“Guardians?” Yoomi repeated, her gaze now curious as she looked up at the two males once again, albeit with just slightly watery eyes.

“You… have not been told any of this?” Yifan asked quizzically. “I thought the headmaster would have explained it when you got transferred to S-class. Do they even teach you anything in history?” he muttered the last part under his breath, also grumbling a complaint about how Jongin and Sehun were also pretty ignorant and that the first years needed better professors.

“What are Guardians?” she inquired again, pressing for an answer and disregarding the older’s question for her own. Of course, his complaining went unacknowledged as well.

The two S-rank males gave each other a worried look, before turning back to Yoomi.

“Alright, Yoomi-ah, listen up well.” The girl nodded obediently at Yixing. She couldn’t wait to find out what this Guardian business was about, her curious nature getting the best of her.

Yifan, forever the strict one, seemed to have noticed her giddiness. He coughed in warning, not wanting the girl to think she got away scot-free and reminding her subtly that the topic was important and to be taken seriously. “Just because you were unaware of our purpose as S-ranks won’t let you off the hook, young lady. You have still broken a school rule as well as the S-class’s code of conduct. Hence, I shall discuss with Junmyeon to find a suitable punishment for you.”

Yoomi’s face paled as she heard the word punishment. She hated punishments! Especially those that confined her to some place, she absolutely loathed them!

“But-” the girl tried to protest, not liking the idea of her mate and leader giving her a punishment.

“No buts, Yoomi. Now be quiet and listen.” As she was met with the stern glare from Yifan, the girl quieted down. “In our world of vaeli, the Guardians are the peacekeepers. Warriors, knights, protectors- we are known by countless names.”

“Only S-ranks specially trained by Trillins Academy can become Guardians. However, it is not a full-time occupation if you don’t wish for it to be. If an S-rank student doesn’t want to be a full-time Guardian in the future they may still select a major in their second year of school and study to have careers in the human world. Like me, for instance. I have chosen to pursue a career as a neurologist instead of committing myself to be a full-time Guardian,” Yixing explained.

“At the same time,” Yifan interjected, “all S-rank students from Trillins are required to go through the necessary training to become Guardians. Meaning, everyone becomes a Guardian whether they like it not. Some just spend half the time working in their respective careers in the human world while others, like me, spend the whole time as a Guardian.”

“In times of crisis and emergency, all S-ranks trained as Guardians assemble for their original purpose as protectors of the vaeli world.”

“Which one of you guys are training as full-time Guardians?”

“There’s Yifan hyung, Minseok hyung, Kyungsoo, and Tao,” Yixing answered. Surprised, she tilted her head a little. Some of them were predictable and the role of warriors suited them, but at the same time, she was shocked. She shook her head to push those thoughts away, for the time being, knowing that she should get all of her questions out now while they were still willing to answer them and explain things thoroughly to her.

“Is the special S-class training three times a week a part of this Guardian training as well?” Yoomi asked, now curious if she had perhaps already started the training herself.

“Certainly, although you don’t get school classes on it until your second year. Trainer Ahn, our personal S-class trainer, is a Guardian himself. Like I said earlier, all S-ranks become Guardians.”

“That is why I can’t allow your actions to slide, Yoomi-ah. Guardians aren’t allowed to make these kinds of mistakes,” Yifan scolded in a voice both stern but also carrying some undertones of gentleness to let the girl know that he was only being harsh on her for her own good so that she would understand.

“Yoomi.” The voice that spoke was soft and gentle, feminine, yet firm. It came from a woman that wore a stern expression who was crouched in front of a little girl, though a flash of anxiety could be seen in her eyes. “You can’t cause trouble like that, okay? I let a lot of your behavior slide, but I can’t do that anymore now that we’ve discovered your power.”

The woman reached out and grasped the little girl’s shoulders tightly, her tone struggling to remain calm and motherly with the urgency she felt building inside her. It slipped through into her words and her slightly too hard grip. The girl looked ashamed at the scolding, but also confused, fear beginning to creep up in her eyes at the adult’s uncharacteristic behavior- children were amazing at picking up on tones and moods, after all. The girl knew that something was wrong.

At that moment, an elderly man came over, and twelve-year-old Yoomi glanced at him warily through the tears forming in her eyes.

“It is because of how much you spoil the child that she has such unacceptable behavior,” the man spoke with clear disapproval in his tone. “If she is to one day become a Guardian, then she must act like it.”

“Please, Father, she is merely a child. She does not know-”

“That’s no excuse,” he cut off the woman harshly with a statement of finality. “She has duties beyond those of even a simple Guardian. She’ll have to come to terms with it eventually and coddling her will lead to nothing good. I blame that soft husband of yours for-”

“Father, enough!” the woman finally lost her patience, the stress she was feeling evident in her voice. The grip on the girl’s shoulder tightened even further,  fingers digging into her skin, and the tears that threatened to leak from her eyes began to blur her vision.

Yoomi couldn’t understand what her mother and grandfather were talking about, but it sounded serious and she hated the fighting and arguments that often broke out whenever the elder visited them. She sniffled quietly to herself, not liking the tense atmosphere surrounding the two adults.

“Mom, what-”

Abruptly, the scene ended there and Yoomi was snapped back to reality, the flashback coming to an end. Finally, she remembered something about her biological mother. And had that really been her grandfather? He seemed to act so differently back then from the way he did when she met him again a few weeks ago. What had they been talking about? Years had passed, but even though she had grown, without the rest of her memories, she still couldn’t understand the important matter they had been dancing around discussing in front of her.

While Yoomi struggled to comprehend the moderately lengthy explanation they had given her on an S-rank’s true responsibility, as well as the memory that had hit her out of nowhere, both of the older boys decided to take pity on her, realizing that it must have been a lot to take in at once. Of course, they still weren’t going to excuse her behavior and Yifan was still going to talk to Junmyeon later about a punishment or setting some ground rules, but for now, they were going to let it go and not give her a hard time. Naturally, Yixing was the one that broke first and began to comfort Yoomi. He hesitantly opened his mouth and then closed it again, looking like he was struggling with himself on whether he should say something or not. In the end, he let out a long sigh and tried to relieve some of the tension by sympathizing with the girl about it all.

“I’m sure you’re still confused and more likely than not still upset about earlier,” he let his sentence trail off, heaving out another deep sigh before shaking his head and starting over again with a slightly different approach. “I don’t know what she said to you, but it must have been pretty bad for it to cause your eyes to flash like that.”

“W-what?” Yoomi blinked dumbly.

“Your eyes,” Yixing repeated, staring at her curiously, “they changed colors like you were trying to use your powers on her or something. I think Song Mina was shocked by it as well. I’ve never seen any color like it before.”

“R-really?” Yoomi stuttered, suddenly feeling light-headed at the information and still out of it a little from not only the situation itself and the dizzying emotions she had briefly felt at Mina’s taunting, but also the heavy responsibility she now felt at being an S-rank. She felt seriously overwhelmed and didn’t know what to make out of any of it.

“Anyway,” Yixing brushed it off for now, lightly placing his hand on one of her shoulders to give it a reassuring squeeze. “I’m sure that she was the one trying to provoke you, and I’m not saying that Mina was in the right at all and you were in the wrong, but if something like that happens again, then I want you to try and be the bigger person. Remember your role as an S-rank. You’re better than her, so don’t let her drag you down with her, okay?” Yoomi quickly nodded, not wanting to disappoint either of them any further.

“Also,” Yixing started again after taking in her dejected expression, and she looked up at him. “I understand more than anyone how it feels to be put down, Yoomi-ah. You can always come to me to talk about anything okay? As long as you don’t resort to violence. A Guardian protects, not hurt.”

Yoomi wondered what he meant by that when he said he understood how it felt. Had he been through this kind of thing before, too? She couldn’t imagine how or why anyone would look down on Yixing, especially since he was a literal angel in her eyes, and she wanted to ask him what he meant, but, for once, she decided not to voice out her curiosity the instant she felt it.

“Now, don’t look so sad anymore, kitten. You are most beautiful when you smile.” Yoomi felt a small pinch to both of her cheeks from Yixing’s gentle hands and a barely noticeable blush broke out across her face, but then she laughed out loud at his cheesy words.

“Alright, oppas,” she smiled at Yixing first while carefully swatting his hands away, and then at Yifan who was still standing to the side, “I understand. I promise that it won’t happen again.” They both nodded at her in approval and she felt just a little bit better.

Still though, despite her momentarily shaking it off, the flashback she had witnessed still bothered her and left her feeling rather unsettled.

***

“Tao oppa!” Yoomi called out to the tall guy standing at his locker next to hers. The last school bell had just sounded, but she had lagged behind everyone else when leaving to head home. She would’ve gone home with Junmyeon or usually tried to find one of the others that she talked to more often to walk home with, but her mate had student union duties and Yoomi needed to grab something from her locker anyway, so she told everyone else to go on ahead without her. There were a few other students loitering around in the hallway still as well, also getting things from their lockers, but she paid no attention to them, waiting for Tao to greet her back- if that was what she truly had been expecting, then she would be disappointed.

Tao gave her a sideways glance and dipped his head slightly in acknowledgment, but then turned right back to rummaging through his locker. Not minding the lack of attention, since that was pretty standard in all of her dealings with Tao, Yoomi walked up to her own locker and began grabbing her things. When she was done, the girl leaned against her closed locker and casually turned to face the second year, hoping to strike up a pleasant conversation since they still hadn’t talked together a lot yet.

“What are you doing?” His bored voice questioned, an eyebrow raised in suspicion at her. It amazed Yoomi how flat and toneless his voice was, surprising her so much that she forgot what she was even going to say to him in the first place.

“Huh?” She blinked up at him, not understanding his question, and he finally looked at her, although exasperatedly. His sharp, feline-like eyes were somehow both annoyed and bored at the same time.

“What are you still standing here for?”

“Oh, I’m waiting for you,” Yoomi replied in a matter-of-fact way.

“Why?”

“So we can go home together,” she smiled hopefully up at him, hoping her enthusiasm would convince him.

“Oh? Who said I was going home? And whoever said you were allowed to walk home with me or that I wanted your company?” Yoomi turned crestfallen at his reply and looked down at her feet dejectedly. It had been a long day and Yoomi hadn’t seen her mate once since lunchtime, and it was causing her to feel kind of down. But then she heard a little chuckle and looked up to find the male already walking off. After a few seconds of just staring at his back, he stopped and turned to look back at her almost expectantly, though his expression had never changed. “Well? Time is precious, little girl. Are you coming or not?”

Surprised to see that he was now waiting for her, Yoomi could do nothing but grin widely and jogged over to walk beside him. Even better, whether intentional or not on his part, she had realized that he had accidentally made a pun about his power and couldn’t help but giggle to herself as they walked together, gaining her another odd side glance from the silent boy. Honestly, she had probably been spending too much time with Baekhyun and Chanyeol if her humor was regressing like this.

The walk- well they actually flew- home from school wasn’t very long, Yoomi trying to fill the awkward silence by asking pointless questions. Her attempts to get Tao to open up generally fell flat with him replying in a short curt manner or, even more often, not at all. Simply put though, it wasn’t unpleasant and she did get to know him better, even if it was only the tiniest bit.

***

After taking a quick shower upon arriving home, Yoomi walked down from her room to see Yifan walking down the stairs to the first floor. Instantly, her mind flashed back to what had happened earlier and she felt the uncomfortable sensation of guilt twist in her stomach. She knew that there was no way out of her punishment, but she was still nowhere near fond of the idea- plus, she was genuinely sorry and did feel bad. Wanting to apologize again for her previous actions and also maybe kiss up a little so her punishment would be less harsh, she decided to follow him. Baekhyun tried to get her to hang out with him, but before she could think of an excuse to decline him with, Jongdae- with his strange rivalry for Yoomi with Baekhyun- had already cut in and dragged Baekhyun away from her. The girl didn’t mind at all since she was finally free to go follow Yifan around.

“What are you doing, Yoomi?” Yifan finally spoke up after Yoomi has followed him all the way from the living room on the second floor to their backyard on the first floor.

“Aren’t you thirsty, oppa? Do you want me to go fetch a glass of water for you?”

“No, Yoomi. Thank you.”

“What about some snacks?” she tried again, right on his heel as he left the backyard to go back into the house. “Kyungsoo oppa just finished a fresh batch of cookies earlier-”

“I’ve already had some.”

“Oh