By the time they reached Chaeyoung’s house, Mina was barely conscious. Her weight was supported mostly by the human girl now as her legs were on the verge of giving up. That was when she heard the girl say something about “home” and something odd was rising from the pit of her stomach. There she was, wounded and weak, but the warmth from Chaeyoung’s coat and the heat from the human girl’s body wrapped around her had lit something inside Mina, something she had thought to go out so long ago. Was it hope? Her previous master never used the word “home”, instead, they only referred to that place as “my house”, where Mina never truly belonged. There was no “home” that brought so much pain and agony in her life. Could she ever have a home? Did she deserve one?

Her body followed Chaeyoung’s guidance automatically, despite the state of her consciousness. She felt herself being led to go up a few steps before being put down to sit on the cold tile. And then, panic overran through her mind when the warmth that was Chaeyoung left her side for a moment. Although not wanting to follow the human girl in the first place, she knew she would surely die if she’s left alone now. Dying in her cage was one thing, she had accepted her fate, but now, when the tiniest hope was just lit up inside her, she found out she didn’t want to die here, on some random doorstep like a pathetic stray.

Luckily, the separation was brief. She heard keys jiggling and lock turning; and then, the warmth was back.

“We are home, Mina. Let’s come inside. I’ll clean you up and then you can rest on a warm bed. I promise. Hang in there.”

The girl’s voice was alluring and soothing at the same time that Mina let herself be led through the doorstep and into the house.

Chaeyoung was thankful that there was a bathroom on the first floor. She doubted she could carry the girl up the stairs in this state. Carefully, she lowered Mina down to sit on the low stool, back leaning against the wall.

“I’m going to get the first aid kit and clean clothes real quick, wait for me.” Chaeyoung soothed, seeing Mina wince at the contact with the cold tile.

But other than that, the hybrid didn’t seem to be conscious. She quickly the bathroom heater before dashing out. Conscious or not, she didn’t want to leave Mina alone for long, not in this state.

She was sure Mina was unconscious when she’s back with the bandages and clothes. It’s fine. At least in this state, the cat couldn’t bite her if she did something wrong. She wasn’t a professional at bandaging after all. After disinfecting the wound on Mina’s neck and bandaging it up, Chaeyoung soaked a clean towel with warm water and set on to clean the hybrid’s whole body. But when she got to Mina’s torso, she couldn’t help but gasping at the smaller wounds and bruises on her body. How could a thin, fragile girl like Mina endured such torture? How did she manage to hold up with so many wounds?

Chaeyoung sighed, hoping her first aid kit had enough dressings to cover all these wounds. She set to work, silently promised that she would never let Mina in this situation again, not on her watch.

***

Light was the first feeling when Mina came to her senses again. The next thing she noticed was her arms and legs were stretching out, not curling up in that tight cage anymore. And she felt warm surrounding her body, actual warm, not the fake one she had to imagine on the coldest days of winter, when she had nothing but a dirty rag to sleep on. She opened her eyes to scan the surroundings, half of her brain convinced her that she’s gone to heaven and been laid on the clouds.

She’s sleeping on a bed, an actual bed, with a soft cotton sheet and a thick and fluffy blanket. It’s been so long since she’s been in one that she had forgotten the feel of it. Still doubting herself, she stretched her arm ou