The sight of the dark clouds fast approaching the island had him launching full force into the air with the realization that his fears had been founded. Jin knew what they were and where they were headed. The winds whipped around him in a mad frenzy but they couldn't carry him any faster. With his heart lodged in his throat and his body thrumming with trepidation and anger, he raced towards the mountain. 

Behind him, the harsh cries and frantic beating of wings grated his nerves that he had them spinning so fast with his winds, their bodies crumbled into dust. The blasted harpies were sent as distraction and he fell for it. He roared in fury as he conjured another cyclone. He almost missed the army of Stymphalian birds approaching the island because of them.

He should have been with her, walking with her to school - albeit in secret - and not dealing with those foul-mouthed creatures. Despite her clear warning that cut him deep, he couldn't bring himself to stay away. Even before the incident at the beach, even when he pushed her away, he never left her, and he never planned on doing so in the near future. 

He was able to ward off the goblins and gremlins that were stalking her for days, without alerting her of the danger she was in. He didn't want her to live in fear; he didn't want her to leave the island. He didn't want her to hate him even more.

However, this morning, he spotted a flock of harpies wreaking havoc in the northern tip while he was on patrol duty. The old hags never posed a threat and so he didn't bother alerting his cousins. But the time he spent getting rid of them was enough for his enemies to get to her. 

He hoped and prayed and begged that he wasn't too late, that his poor judgment didn't cost him her life. Just the thought of losing her was enough to stop his heart from beating. 

The thick cloud of birds hovered just before the mountain and he could see them darting towards the ground, one after the other. And in the thick of it all, is his fallen mate slashing her bamboo sword above her. 

Jin launched hundreds of arrows, pinning her attackers to the ground. He didn't bother using his bow and just manipulated the wind to drive the arrows straight to their skulls. Anger wound him tight - his muscles tense and his eyes hard on them as he exacted his vengeance.  

Without second thoughts, he dove into the fray. He landed on his feet, with his back towards her. His name spilled from her lips and his heart clenched. He wanted to hold her and take her away, but one look at her and he was certain that he would come undone. He couldn't afford that for he still had a score to settle.

Steeling himself, he erected his wind barrier to surrounded her and the boy. Then, he let go what little bit of control he had and unleashed his fury.

No one hurts her and gets away with it alive.

It was a massacre.

 
Orange light filtered into the room, through the billowing curtains of the glass windows. Shadows formed and flitted across her face but she remained unconscious. Jin was sitting on a chair beside the bed, watching, praying. She was pale against his dark blue sheets and his bed swallowed her, made her appear so small and fragile. He never took his eyes off of her, his fright still fresh in his mind and his body still on edge.

After all of the birds had been disposed, he released the barrier and found her slumped on the ground. And he was transported back to that day at the beach - losing his mind, suffocating and heart breaking as he fell on his knees and pulled her in his arms. 

"No! No, no, no. Please. Please." 

It was only when he felt the rise and dip of her chest, that his mind cleared. His body shuddered in relief and air rushed into his lungs. He was able to breathe again. 

He arranged her body in his arms but his vision was blurred. He had been crying. 

Her wounds were not life-threatening. And the cuts marring her delicate skin would fade. He made sure that the healer use the best medicine available. Still, they were ingrained in his memory - the number of cuts, their length, width, depth and position - that even without the physical reminder, he would be forever reminded of his failure. 

Most importantly, she would remember how she almost lost her life for the second time because of him.

She told him to stay away the first time. What would she ask of him now? Tears came at the thought.

"Why are you crying?" 

Embarrassment had him rubbing his eyes with his sleeves.

"It's nothing," he replied hastily. "How are you feeling?"

She eyed him warily. "Sore. But that's what happens when you fight hundreds of birds with a bamboo sword."

He nodded, suddenly feeling stupid for even asking. "Is there anything you need?" He sat up, not exactly knowing what to do with himself, and looked around him.

"I need you to answer my question." Her unwavering gaze held his, anchoring him and his feelings. He sat back down.

"I... I am sorry...for getting you hurt and almost... killed... again." He choked on his words and his chest squeezed painfully but he soldiered on. This might be the only chance he would ever have. "I want to make it... right with you... but I know that nothing I could ever do... would." 

"Yes, it's your fault." He flinched and he turned away, as more tears came. "It's because I'm your..." 

His head lifted. She gestured in the air, by way of explanation. 

"You're my..." he mumbled dumbly, in a trance. His watery gaze saw the redness forming in her cheeks, as if it embarrassed her to continue. Heat rushed into his veins as it dawned on him.

"Yes, that." She nodded, eyes narrowed and looking so adorable, as she tamped down her emotions and struggled for some semblance of composure. 

He fought back a smile for he felt silly - crying and smiling at the same time. 

"I was really angry at you," she confessed, then swallowed. He reached for a glass but she waved him away. "And I blamed you but even then, I knew I was being unfair. That I was wrong."

He gaped at her. The tears had stopped. Outside, the sun continued its descent, the  waves rushed against the cliff and the birds called but somehow, everything in his world had shifted. And for the first time in months, he allowed himself to hope.