It was way past midnight and the three Dragon Ninjas were still waiting for signs of their fellow clan member and friend. Sooyoung was last sighted by a little boy living at the village nearby the waterfall. After three days’ worth of travel on horseback, they arrived at place the boy told them about. For about two days, Taeyeon, Yuri and Soonkyu have camped and stayed, waiting for even the smallest glimpse of the tall ninja. Out of the three, Soonkyu was the most enthusiastic about finding their clan brother. Right before she was exiled by Siwon, they became lovers and promised to find eachother no matter how long it took. Given the circumstances of their current lives, both of them could not manage to start searching. Her chance finally came when Taeyeon and Yuri found her and asked her to join in the fight against their treacherous brother. Hours more have passed, and still there was not even a whisper. Just when they were about to call it a night, a shadowy figure appeared from west of where they were camped. Soonkyu was first to respond and quickly apprehended the unknown perpetrator. The two young men followed right behind her, prepared for any confrontation.

“Yah! Is that how you greet your own namchin?!” The person shouted, shocking the girl that was holding him down on the forest ground.

“S-sooyoung?!” Soonkyu was stunned silent when she realized who that voice belonged to. She stood up and walked back, still shocked to see her beloved.

“Did you expect anyone else, my dear Soonkyu~?” Sooyoung was lying back down on the ground even before he could stand up. A hard punch landed right on his face. “Yah, what was that fo—MMPH!”

“Shut up for one second and let me kiss you, pabo-yah~.” Soonkyu mumbled against his lips. How she missed him so. The pain of her punch faded as they kissed. “I missed you, Sooyoung-ah~.”

“I missed you too, Soonkyu-ah~.” He returned the girl’s sweet kisses. “I knew you would find me, although I did not expect it would take this long~.”

“Ah, joyonghae~! Do not ruin the moment!” She smiled as she saw him freeze under her cold voice. “You can thank our clan brothers for that~. They helped me find you~.”

And just as Soonkyu mentioned the word “brothers”, Taeyeon and Yuri arrived with weapons in their hands and took full battle stances. Upon seeing who the “perpetrator” that their sister had under her hold really was, both young men felt such embarrassment. Such a fuss over the fellow clan member they were searching for, but they were nonetheless relieved that Sooyoung had finally shown up. A catching-up of details followed as Taeyeon explained everything to his brother. Sooyoung was enraged at the fact that Siwon, his own cousin and family member had been hatching a plan to take over the entire Dragon clan, and in full extent, the entire country. The new member of the group made his choice to fight against his relative without hesitation as the gathering was finished. Sooyoung then asked the three of them to come stay at his hut rather than to camp out in the forest. A feast was prepared to commemorate their reunion. With another one of his clan members found, Taeyeon had his hopes up and firmly believed that they now had a fighting chance. Only one more person needed finding. He told his friends he would stay behind after the feast. Thoughts of the girl he loved circled around his head as he sat alone by the fire.

“I wonder, when and how will I be able to tell you? About my true self and about my true origins? Miyoung-ah…”

Just as the young Dragon ninja was deep in his thoughts, on the opposite side of the vast country, the girl he thought about was also thinking about him. After being away for almost two weeks, Miyoung kept on waiting for time to pass until her beloved Taeyeon came back to her arms. She found herself doing this every night, right before she fell asleep. The bolster in her bedroom had been a good substitute for the warm hugs the young man gave but soon, the difference between the real thing would obviously become evident. The girl shuffled in her bed while trying to get some sleep, but the loneliness she had in heart was too overwhelming. She wanted to see her “Taetae.” And he wanted to see his “Crescent Moon Princess.” Taeyeon had given her the nickname as he took note of her bright smiles while they were spending time together. Those smiles where her eyes would seemingly disappear. Those smiles that would make his heart flutter whenever he saw them. And those exact same smiles that he looked forward to seeing once he returned home.

“I miss you, Taetae… I wish you were right here with me, right here in my arms… Please, come back safely…”

Another night ends for the two lovers, both of them silently praying that each one would be kept safe from harm. As the bonfire used for cooking dimmed out, a mysterious figure was lurking above the tall trees, stalking out the prey below. Taeyeon had an eerie feeling travel down his spine and looked to where the figure was. The shadows made it difficult to see his surroundings and eventually forced the young ninja to dismiss it as wind. Though the night’s natural cover had saved him from being spotted, Donghae knew that it would not be safe to stay. Morning arrived and so did another new day. Sooyoung was the first to get up and he quickly prepared to hunt this morning’s meal. He found and good spot and placed a trap. Now came the hard part of waiting for something to take the bait. The line went taut. Something triggered the trap and was harshly pulled off the ground. Sooyoung checked his quarry and was surprised as he saw something very unexpected. Rather than catching a boar or a small wild cat, a human struggled to get his leg loose. The tall ninja approached cautiously and removed the man’s mask.

“Well, well. Here I was hoping to catch a huge boar but instead I catch a sneaky rat.” He recognized Donghae as the said person had taken his place as the new head of the shadow sect. “What the hell are you doing here, Donghae? Did Siwon send to come and spy on us?”

“Tch! You will not get anything from me, you traitor! I will die before you make me talk!” Donghae kept struggling, only to exhaust himself in the end. He was humiliated as he saw Sooyoung watch him in such a pitiful state. “I do not want to do this but, will you please let me down?”

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