"Is she home yet?" Umji's still somewhat quiet voice asked. She was sitting on Yuju's lap, arms tightly around her waist and her head tucked into the former gray kitten's shoulder. Yuju simply rocked the girl back and forth gently from where they were positioned on the floor. 

"Not yet." SinB sighed, glancing at her phone and then the window, pulling the curtain back to see outside. It had been more than a few hours since Sowon had left on a errand that morning. Umji had wanted to go with her and so had SinB, but the older girl had said that it was something she had to do alone. That had worried everyone again but Sowon had specified that it wasn't anything bad. She had said it was a surprise but what kind of surprise could possibly take this long? It was already afternoon and she was still no where to be seen.

"Umji! Say ah~" Yerin cooed, squatting down next to the cuddling pair and holding out a warmed up, left over dumpling for her to try. The former brown striped kitten hesitated, but gave in after a few moments thanks to how good the food smelled. Umji took a bite, chewing carefully.

"....It's good!" Umji smiled while she ate, which caused Yerin to smile back. 

"Don't worry too much, Umji." Yuju comforted, watching as Eunha joined SinB in looking outside expectantly. "She'll be back soon. She would never leave us."

"She really likes to take forever, huh?" SinB grunted, reaching into her pocket to take out her phone. No messages yet. Fingers tapping quickly, SinB selected Sowon's number and started to type out a message. 

[SinB]: where are u

Sowon's reply wasn't fast but eventually SinB's phone dinged with a reply.

[Sowon]: I'm almost home. Make sure everyone is dressed and ready to go. 

"Ready to go?" Eunha tilted her head, reading the text message over SinB's shoulder. Now both of them were even more confused. Sowon hadn't mentioned a trip or anything like that before she had left, the older girl only saying that she had left lunch in the refrigerator, the food ready to be warmed up in the microwave whenever the former kittens wanted to eat it.

"Go where?" Yerin asked, joining SinB and Eunha in looking at Sowon's reply. "Is there gonna be enough room for us all in Sowon's car?"

"I'm not going anywhere without Umji." Yuju squeezed Umji's shoulder, making sure the girl was comfortable against her still.

"Me either." Eunha said, crossing her arms. Yerin opened to say something as well but SinB had reached out and grabbed her wrist, gesturing to outside the window again. A van like car had pulled into Sowon's parking spot and it wasn't something that anyone recognized. SinB was on guard, standing defensively in front of Eunha and Yerin. But the sight of a familiar blonde exiting the drivers seat brought SinB out of her defense position at the window. 

"Sowon?!"

  Sowon had almost started laughing at the view from when she had pulled in to her apartment. SinB had looked like a spooked, angry cat from the window but when she had stepped out of the new SUV, the former black kitten looked like she was watching her walk out of a spaceship. Eunha and Yerin were peeking out from behind SinB now to get a good look at what was happening. Sowon waved at the group in the window with the brand new keys in hand, chuckling to herself at the cute sight. 

 Convincing her mom to let her get a new car had been easier than she had thought, her explanation that she wanted more room for friends working flawlessly. It had been quite a process but she had done it. Her previous car had too many bad attachments to it and Sowon was glad to see it go. It was time to make new memories. Plus, this meant that she didn't have to leave anyone at home alone anymore.

  Yerin and SinB bombarded Sowon with questions the second she entered the apartment, Umji and Yuju separating so that Umji could get to Sowon's side while Yuju was content in holding Eunha's hand instead. Umji had whispered a 'welcome home' before attaching herself to Sowon's waist. She was so cute, Sowon couldn't help but press a gentle kiss against the younger girl's head. 

"I can't answer you if you both talk over each other." Sowon pointed out, holding onto Umji while the duo finally calmed down with their overlapping questions. 

"Where are we going?" Eunha was the one to ask the question, beating Yerin and SinB to it. Sowon grinned. She figured that SinB would have showed everyone the text she had sent earlier. 

"It's a secret. But it'll be fun." Sowon twirled her new keys in her hand. "Let's go. Does everyone have everything that they wanna bring with them?"

"Can....Can I bring my fox?" Umji asked, looking over at where the stuffed toy sat on the couch. Yuju was quick to grab it, Umji's hair after giving it to her.

"Of course." Sowon nodded. "Is that the only thing you all want to bring?"

"Let's just go already." SinB interrupted, tapping her foot impatiently. Sowon laughed, opening the front door again and gesturing for all of them to follow her out. 

  "How come Yerin gets to sit in the front?" Eunha whined from behind Sowon's seat. Yuju and SinB were helping Umji get settled in the back, fastening her seatbelt. SinB took the seat directly behind Yerin and shut the door. Yuju was next to Umji again, holding her hand tightly to help sooth any nerves Umji might have about the car ride.

  "Because she won't play games instead of helping me with the instructions." Sowon connected her phone to the SUV's stereo before handing it to Yerin, making sure the directions were up so that Yerin could help her with navigation and change the music to whatever she wanted. The trip most likely would take close to an hour but with everyone together, Sowon wasn't too worried about how Umji would handle it. Though, she couldn't help but be a little worried at the same time. Turning the key, Sowon started the SUV and began the drive. Umji let out a startled yelp at the feeling of the car moving and held onto Yuju, hiding her face in the girl's sweater. 

"It's okay." Yuju whispered, both SinB and Eunha turning around in their seats to try and help the situation.

"Isn't it fun, Umji? We're all taking a trip together finally!" Eunha beamed, causing Umji to turn her head to stare at the short haired girl with wide eyes.

"Sowon is really good at driving. You don't have to worry." SinB chimed in, giving Umji and Yuju her best encouraging smile. Umji noticeably relaxed and moved back into a proper sitting position, still holding onto Yuju's hand. Yerin had selected a song in the front seat, the music playing through both the front and back seat speakers. 

"How do you all like the new car?" Sowon asked, keeping her eyes on the road. 

"It's great! I love it!" Eunha responded, flashing a thumbs up at the drivers seat. Sowon saw the gesture in the mirror and smiled, clicking on the turn signal to switch lanes. 

"It's not as cramped as your old one. Good job, Sowon." SinB agreed, still not taking her eyes off of Umji. Yuju was doing a good job of making sure Umji was calm and content but SinB couldn't help but feel protective of her. Honestly, everyone was probably feeling the same exact way. 

"How about we play a game?" Eunha had turned back to face Umji and Yuju again.

"A game?" Umji asked, tilting her head cutely. 

"Yeah! We can take turns guessing what each of us are thinking about. Or I can tell a fun story." Eunha mused, trying to think of more ways she could make the trip more fun for everyone.

"A story sounds nice." Yuju nodded.

"Yeah, Eunha. Lets hear it." SinB grinned. Even Yerin had turned around to listen. Sowon turned down the music on the radio, wanting to listen in too while she drove. 

Eunha then started to tell a story about six different animals, all of them lost in a mysterious world and trying to find their way out of the maze they found themselves wandering in. A bunny, tiger, panda, chick, fox and a puppy. The short haired girl told in detail the six animal's different adventures in the magical world. The animals would all be tempted by different things but each animal would ignore it, knowing that they were looking for something special that couldn't be replaced by magic. Even when they were all offered riches beyond their wildest dreams.

Sowon could tell that there was a hint of reality hidden in Eunha's story, the characteristics of each animal very similar to each of them. Umji's eyes were glittering with wonder as the story continued, unaware of how much time had passed. 

"....and then, they found it. A tree with butterflies circling around it. And once they had reached it, they saw each other for the first time. And it was then that the animals all realized what they had gained was better than money or all the power in the world. This was it. This is what they had been unknowingly searching for this whole time."

"What was it?" Umji asked, fixated on Eunha.

"Love." Eunha smiled. "Love and each other. All of the animals came together and the empty hole in their hearts were finally filled. They would all go home together, never forgetting what they all had been through. And they would all live together happily ever after!"

The sound of sniffling broke through the air and SinB turned to find the source of the noise. It was Yerin, the brown haired girl rubbing a few tears out of her eyes from the front seat.

".....Are you seriously crying?" SinB said, raising an eyebrow.

"Of course I am!" Yerin shot back, pouting. "How could I not? It was so touching." 

"It was a beautiful story, Eunha." Yuju complimented, a slight bit of moisture forming in her eyes too. SinB rolled her eyes, trying to ignore how everything in her chest was screaming out to let a few tears come out too. But she wasn't about to let Eunha or anyone else see that. Who knows how long she would for it.

"Thank you, Yuju!" Eunha was smiling from ear to ear still, happy that her story had been such a hit with everyone. "What about you, Umji? Did you like it?"

"I really liked it!" Umji nodded, returning the smile while leaning against Yuju, her stuffed fox secure in her arms. 

"Girls." Sowon's voice called out, the former kittens all turning to look up at the driver's seat. Sowon pulled into a parking spot and shut the engine off before turning to face everyone, a motherly smile on her lips. "We're here."

Yerin was the first one to take her seatbelt off and jump out of the car, mouth wide open in shock at the beautiful sight in front of her. It was the beach, the waves lapping at the sand with a crashing noise. There was barely anyone on the beach, leaving the whole area open for all of them to explore and play in. The sky was clear but it wasn't hot, the perfect weather for a trip like this. It would start getting cold out soon so this would be one of the last chances they all had to enjoy it for a while. 

"Wow!" Eunha yelled, running up to Yerin's side. "It's the ocean! It's so pretty!" 

"Don't run off yet." Sowon was quick to call out, taking a large colorful bag of various beach towels and snacks out of the trunk area. 

"But I wanna play in the sand!" Yerin whined, jumping in place like a little kid. 

"Me too!" Eunha joined in. The power of both Yerin and Eunha pouting at her was more than Sowon could handle.

"Fine. But stay next to each other, make sure to take off your shoes and keep your phones in my bag, okay? We'll join in a second." 

And like that, the duo was off after placing both shoes and phones in Sowon's beach bag, running full speed towards the sand and water