Another night of partial sleep and a morning with Minzy being more finicky than usual about breakfast had Bom feeling further on edge than she already was with their proximity to the Yenega Clan grounds.  It was not what she needed right now, but there was little she could do to change it since she wasn’t going to sleep anymore and her companion couldn’t really help how the life inside her made her feel at any given moment.  Unfortunately, it was more than that too.  Bom knew it and Minzy did as well, which told the swordswoman more about how the day was likely to go than her companion could have suspected without just cause.

                “What’s the weather like this morning, Minzy?” Bom asked as she felt around for her pack and searched through the interior for her breakfast.  She could tell the sun wasn’t washing her with heat so she suspected it was cloudy, especially since she could smell what was likely to be rain on the breeze, though it was calm enough yet.

                A muted groan was her answer and Bom chuckled.  “It looks like it might rain later,” the younger woman explained after a brief pause, clearly unhappy with the idea.

                “It’s alright,” Bom assured her kindly, still paying attention to her current task.  “A little water never hurt anybody,” she added as she settled in to eat, fishing her own waterskin from nearby to take a sip, otherwise content for the moment.

                “No, but it is annoying,” Minzy huffed, following the swordswoman’s example, though she paused to shuffle about, wandering away from the campsite as Bom expected.

                Chewing slowly, the blind woman tried to get a handle on the nervous tension beginning to coil in her belly and she couldn’t yet.  They were halfway to Kwanju now and had a couple days more before they would reach their destination but even though the morning was just beginning, it felt… off.  Normally, she had no qualms about the rain and rather enjoyed the way it felt on her skin as the droplets spattered over her, but it made fighting considerably more difficult.  While no one could predict the weather, if they were going to make a move, today would be an ideal one in which to do so.

                Minzy’s return made her perk up slightly and she stiffened at the simple question that emerged.  “Was your pregnancy like this?  Before…” the young woman trailed off, her complaining tone tapering to uncertainty as she realized she may have overstepped her bounds.

                For a moment, Bom was unable to answer as she tilted her head down, taking her time in choosing her words.  Minzy’s discomfit and embarrassment were almost palpable but Bom didn’t try to alleviate it yet.  Instead, she focused on memories she didn’t often review for good reason.  Eventually, she took a deep breath and forced a smile as she spoke in response, “I was very much like you at the time.  There were some symptoms, yes,” she conceded, her brow furrowing at the recollection, “but I did not know them for what they were either.”  Not until it was already too late.

                “Oh,” the young woman hummed, shifting in place with a nervous air about her.

                In this particular instance, Bom would love to have her sight so she could measure Minzy’s expression with her eyes because she knew something was still on her mind but the swordswoman declined to press.  Her companion would say something or she wouldn’t; it was simple as that.  At least it allowed her a moment to not dwell on that time in the past, though considering the tense attention directed her way, she knew it was going to be short lived.

                “Was it… an accident?” Minzy finally spoke again, her tone hesitant and reserved.

                Bom stilled then, blinking every few seconds as she struggled to control the swell of emotions that rose unbidden at the thought.  “Did I lose my baby by chance?” she murmured hollowly, her face wearing a false smile as she looked Minzy’s direction.  “No,” she exhaled, closing her eyes and ducking her head while her palm flattened against her empty womb.  It was infinitely more complicated than that but her mind shied almost violently from that day and she shook her head with a quick breath.

                Minzy shifted and spoke before Bom could, a hint of doubt in her tone, “But if you didn’t know, how…”  She was unable to finish the question without it starting to sound like an accusation.

                “They didn’t,” Bom murmured, understanding exactly what she was thinking.  No one else knew either, but that didn’t change the fact what had been done to her was no accident. Taking a small breath, she spoke again, “You cannot change the past.”  It was a reminder as much for herself as Minzy.  “What’s important right now is getting you to Kwanju,” Bom smiled, trying desperately to turn the conversation from dark memories.  “You should try to eat something before we head out,” she encouraged kindly as she struggled to compose herself, reaching for her katana for the comfort of it.

                “Okay,” Minzy murmured in agreement, the single word simple enough but in it, Bom heard more layers than should be there.  Acceptance, doubt, uncertainty…  Oh yes.  There was more to Minzy being here than she admitted to.

                Something about their conversation did not sit well with the young woman, but in her current state, Bom was not inclined to try and find out what.  It didn’t matter anyway.  Her task was still the same no matter her alignment or purpose.  She simply rested her katana on her lap, running her palm over the smooth scabbard in a calming motion, and made she was ready to go while Minzy finished nibbling on what she could stomach for the morning.  It didn’t take long at all to get moving after that with the two women close together and yet so very far apart though the distance between them wasn’t more than a handswidth.

                They were quieter than usual as they walked, with Minzy chewing on something to help settle the food from breakfast.  Frankly, Bom preferred the silence today since thunder in the distance had her hair standing on end, warning of the onset of rain.  Her hand tightened about the handle of her katana and she turned her attention outward, acknowledging the woman beside her but paying her no mind as they journeyed on.  This close to home, everything felt odd.

                She heard the rain long before she felt it upon her skin, the incoming curtain hissing over the ground until the cold droplets caught them in a steady wash of water, and Bom sighed, “Is there any cover to be found nearby?”  Part of the reason she didn’t allow the rain to bother her was because she could not easily locate cover for herself anymore so she dealt with it as best she could.  With Minzy in her condition though, she didn’t exactly want to risk the woman catching cold if it could be avoided.

                Minzy hummed under her breath and grabbed Bom’s dampening sleeve between her fingers as she paused their progress.  The swordswoman thought it odd Minzy declined to touch her person and twitched into a sad smile.  “Nothing close, but I do see some trees off the path.  It’s not far if you don’t mind walking through grass,” she explained, pitching her voice higher to be heard over the sound of fat raindrops spattering on the ground around them, almost instantly creating puddles in their wake.

                “Lead on,” Bom urged without hesitation, waiting for Minzy to guide her along.

                “Okay.  I’ll try to be careful,” she murmured, tugging on the sleeve firmly to draw the swordswoman after her.

                Bom could follow without the physical guidance but it was easier this way and gave her a chance to focus on the brush of tall grass against the calves of her pants while the ground squished underfoot.  Her clothes and hair felt heavy from the water already seeping in and she frowned at the feeling of being further blinded by having reduced hearing for the time being.  The dull roar of the storm could hide the sound of any pursuit by those skilled enough to follow her and such a fact made her feel even more ill at ease.

                It was actually a relief when the rain lessened and then stopped above them altogether as the temperature rose a couple degrees in the absence of the water’s effect.  The earth smelled damp and it was hard to decipher just what sort of trees they were nestling under with the overpowering scent clogging her nose.  At least the bamboo nearby was easy enough to piece together.  Admittedly, the thought sent another shiver up her spine; that plant in particular always reminded her of home and it never failed to sting.

                “How long do you think it’s going to storm?” Minzy asked in the awkward silence between them, her tone subdued and hesitant.

                “Only the rain knows,” Bom answered simply in a neutral voice.  The unease that had started to appear this morning had only gotten worse the longer they’d traveled and she finally realized it was because she was picking up on the otherwise invisible tension Minzy was carrying.  Some people thought her special for being able to do what she did, but really, especially in cases like this, she had simply learned to pay attention to her gut instincts more.  “So.  What are your plans when you get to your destination?” she asked easily, pretending to be far more relaxed than she was.

                “Well,” Minzy replied at first, the rest of her answer taking longer to appear on a whim.  “I’m not sure exactly,” she finally admitted, her tone slightly distorted, as if she was looking down.

                Bom tilted her head to the side and blinked, getting the impression they were suddenly talking about two entirely different things.  Turning around the rest of the way, she stepped towards Minzy, not entirely sure where she’d stopped.  “Have you made up your mind yet?” she asked with an open expression, her hand relaxing marginally around her sword hilt.

                “Maybe,” her companion murmured, the sound shifting slightly as she apparently looked up.

                “Minzy,” the blind woman spoke, pursing her lips after the utterance that was almost a question.

                “Ne?” Minzy hummed, allowing Bom to hone in on her better.

                “This will probably sound odd but I have no idea what you look like,” she admitted with a light laugh, prompting one in return.  “May I… see you?” Bom asked slowly, raising her weapon hand towards the other woman inquisitively.

                Unease was the first thing she picked up on and Bom held very still as Minzy answered, “I could just tell you.”

                “Please?” the swordswoman asked sincerely, making no move to startle her.

                More hesitation and the slight shifting of her weight from foot to foot told Bom her companion was thinking.  “Ne…” she finally murmured, her voice little more than a whisper that barely carried above the sound of the rain.

                “Thank you,” Bom smiled, setting her travel pole and bag down before she stepped close with her hands extended, wondering if Minzy would feel obliged to guide her or not.  A few seconds more gave her an answer when her fingertips brushed against the damp cloth of her shoulders.  Oops, shoulder and upper chest.  “Sorry,” she ducked her head in mild embarrassment, the reaction seeming to amuse Minzy.

                “It’s alright,” the younger woman assured her, at last grabbing her hands and guiding them to her face where she held very still.

                Bom smiled gently and allowed her fingertips to trace Minzy’s chin and jaw, outlining the delicate structure of her face.  “When I was your age, I thought I knew exactly what life held for me,” she breathed, running the backs of her fingers against straight hair that ended rather abruptly at shoulder length.  “What color is your hair?” she asked, assuming black but it wasn’t guaranteed.

                “Just a boring black color,” she replied with annoyance.

                “Nothing wrong with that,” Bom promised, taking time to smooth the strands down in an almost motherly gesture.

                As she had half hoped, Minzy started talking in answer to her first words.  “I don’t really know what I want anymore,” she sighed, a world of questions in her voice.  “Not that long ago, I thought I did…”

                “What made you think differently?” the blind woman asked as she drew her fingertips inward, tracing fine, prominent cheekbones before she brushed under eyes that blinked rapidly.

                “Um,” Minzy chirped, tightening perceptibly.

                “I see,” Bom nodded, being very careful when she traced thin eyebrows with her fingertips, feeling eyelashes flutter against her fingers at the same time.  Her hands lingered longer than usual as she drew out her exploration so she could add solemnly, “I would have done anything for him back then.”

                “Who?”  Bom just looked her direction with a raised brow and quirked mouth.  “Oh.”

                “He was a good man too,” she explained while her face portrayed elements of sadness and longing; it was impossible to keep such things away when she thought about him even now.

                “But he wasn’t forsaken was he?” Minzy asked as she grabbed Bom’s hands in hers, holding gently.

                “No.  No he wasn’t,” the swordswoman shook her head, eyelids fluttering.  She could feel Minzy hesitating about her next words, the fingers around her hands tightening ever so much.

                “If he had been, what would you have been willing to do to help him?” she asked in a tremulous whisper, after which it felt as if the entirety of Minzy’s being was focused on Bom’s answer.

                That was not an easy question considering how she felt now.  For the sake of honesty and for what might have been under different circumstances, she closed her eyes and took a breath, trying to put herself in Minzy’s shoes.  The answer was heartbreakingly simple, despite her reservations.  A bittersweet smile turned her lips up and she sighed, “Anything within my power.”

                Fingers tightened a smidgeon more and she heard Minzy take a breath.  “Would you have given up your family?”

                Bom frowned at the question, thrown by the subject matter.  It was not something she would have considered outright, but it made her think about her family now.  “I don’t know,” she finally admitted, turning a concerned expression on Minzy.  “Has he asked you to?” she questioned, immediately angry at this unnamed forsaken if he had.

                “No.  He hasn’t,” Minzy assured her quickly, relaxing her hold.  “Neither of us have family anymore.  So it doesn’t really matter for me, but you…” she trailed off and Bom was loathe to interrupt her.  She wanted to ask about the loss of their families but getting her off her current thought might well disrupt it entirely.  “Haven’t you already given up your family?” she managed to finish, the unusually firm tone both slightly bitter and sad at the same time.

                Just like that, Bom sighed as the unease in her stomach solidified into certainty.  Many knew she traveled alone but most simply assumed she had contact with family in her travels.  In fact, there were very few people who even asked about them since she never brought the subject up.  And there would be fewer still who would ask such a leading question.

                “Oh Minji,” she murmured while her shoulders relaxed, softening her posture.  Her companion pulled her hands away and took a small step back, awkward and uncertain once more.  “You don’t know whether to like or dislike me, do you?” she asked in a resigned manner.  Bom knew that Minzy knew she was aware her younger companion was not what she had told her initially.

                “What?” Minzy murmured in a weak attempt to pretend surprise.

                Bom merely chuckled under her breath and exhaled slowly, content to uphold their slightly dishonest personas for the time being.  “I did leave them.  Ne,” she confirmed, turning her back to face the lessening rain.  “At the time, I could not stay.”  Her head turned to give the illusion of looking over her shoulder, back towards her companion.  “And now I cannot bring myself to go back.”

                “Because you’re afraid?” Minzy asked in a strangely upset tone, though Bom couldn’t tell if it was directed at her or something else.

                Bom swallowed and dropped her head to turn her face towards the ground.  “Among other things,” she added, not even bothering to deny it.  Afraid, angry, worried, guilty, heartsick…  There was not a single positive emotion that came with coming ‘home’ and she wouldn’t lie to say there was.  But maybe this time… she wouldn’t be able to avoid it.  A very small part of her she tried to quiet immediately actually wanted that.  “Why did you leave him?”

                “What?” Minzy blurted back, confused by the sudden question.

                “The father of your child.  Why did you leave him?” Bom repeated with her back still presented to the young woman.

                As the sound of the rain continued to die off, she wasn’t entirely sure she would get an answer.  Her lips turned up into a sad smile when Minzy surprised her.  “To do everything in my power to help him.”

                “Good,” the swordswoman whispered, picking her head up to inhale a deep breath.  Bom could accept whatever might come next for that.  Carefully, she bent down and felt for her travel pole and bag, picking it up with ease as she straightened out once more.  “We should get moving again.  The rain has let up for the moment,” she reminded Minzy as she turned to look over her shoulder, waiting for an acknowledgment from the younger woman.

                “It has,” Minzy agreed, a guarded, uncertain element creeping into her voice.  But she didn’t dally when Bom started to walk and the swordswoman heard her steps pick up to cover the distance between them.

                Their footsteps crunched and splashed between puddles and Bom could have almost laughed at the situation she found herself in now.  What were the odds that he would use Minji to help lure her in?  She knew the similarity was more than just coincidence and he would have realized Bom would suspect her almost immediately, especially when she smelled of cinnamon and cedar wood.  But they both knew her penchant for helping children and young women in particular.

                Unseeing, her eyes slid to the side where a little girl the clan had taken in when her parents were killed by thieves walked beside her.  Minji was not born to the clan at all, but Bom remembered the little girl with perpetually short hair who used to run around with her younger brother all the time.  She was forbidden from officially learning to fight with the katana, but she could scrap with the best of them.  Even now, Bom could picture her with the younger children, running around mischievously as they tried to get into as much trouble as possible without actually being caught.

                So now they would use her against Bom, in a ersely similar, but perhaps only coincidental situation.  Did they know she was with child?  It seemed unlikely, all things considered.  There was no better trap, however, and even knowing that changed nothing about her intention to help the girl.  But who could the father be?  Twelve years was a long time for things to change though she couldn’t envision anybody else with Minji other than her younger brother.  They were nearly inseparable at the time.  But that was impossible.  Seungri would not be forsaken.  Their parents would never allow it and the father of Minji’s child had no family.  Family or not though, there were certain bits of information she as bound to be aware of.

                No matter the details the rest of the clan had been given, Minji would know about Bom’s past and at least the barest hint of what had happened that day.  How much of the truth had he told them though?  Certainly not everything because Minji’s surprise had been genuine when Bom explained how she became the barren, blind swordswoman.  The uncomfortable thought arose that Minji would know her sin too.  She would know about the one thing that drove Bom to run so hard from this place every time she got near.  Familiar fingers of guilt and self-loathing clawed at her once more, reminding her that no matter how far she went, it was a truth she couldn’t escape, though she tried.  Oh how she tried.

                So caught up in her own cloudy thoughts, they were almost enough to keep her from noticing the slight change in the environment.  Bom continued walking next to the tensely silent Minji and straightened up, focusing in on what was missing: ambient sounds.  There were none.  Or rather, there were far fewer than there should be.  “Wait,” she called, taking her hand off her weapon to gesture for Minzy to stop as she did.

                “Huh?”  Minzy gasped in surprise at the same time the hair on the back of Bom’s neck stood on end, giving her the barest warning of attack.

                “Get behind me!” Bom commanded, dropping her travel gear to shepherd Minzy to her back as she drew her katana with her right hand and parried a swift strike against her, immediately recognizing the sound of her blade sliding against a filled scabbard, the cry muted but harsh.

                One breath found her stepping back, pressing against Minzy while she parried another strike, leading the attacker across her body to briefly distract a third assailant.  The second breath left her with a numb offhand when a heavy scabbard connected with her upper arm before she could block, though she parried another strike and managed to ram the hilt of her katana into someone’s face.  Her only clue was a masculine groan upon contact before he danced away out of range, leaving Bom slightly confused and her heart racing.  Three breaths in, they all paused as four attackers circled her and Minzy held tight to the back of her uniform, as unnerved by the fighting as Bom would have expected.

                “Well, well, well.  We back to this game again, Bom?” a familiar female voice asked in a knowing manner.

                Go figure.  Bom should have known it was them.  It would have to be, after all.  “Nice to see you too, Dara,” she called with a falsely cheerful smile on her face as she held her ground.  The other woman laughed at the comment though it was apparent she wasn’t actually happily amused.

                “Come on, Minji.  It’s time to go home,” another recognizable figure spoke.

                Bom could feel the tension in her companion and she shook her head, tilting it towards the speaker.  “You know I can’t just let you have her, Ji,” she reminded them firmly.  “Minzy is under my protection until we reach Kwanju.  That was the agreement we made.”

                “Bom.”  There was someone she missed hearing from.  His pleasant voice had always been soothing and it had not changed since last she heard it.  “You know that isn’t what any of this was actually about.”

                “I know, Daesung,” she nodded slowly, keeping her sword up and her posture tense.

                “Please don’t fight us, Bom.”  So it really was all of them.  That was low.  He typically only sent two or three of their childhood friends after her at a time.  She closed her eyes as Taeyang spoke a few more words.  “You know he wants to see you.”

                “I don’t want to see him,” she muttered back, her sword trembling slightly from gripping it too hard.  It was a partial lie and everyone there knew it.

                “Bom.  Please,” Dara tried again, the sound of her taking a step closer enough to send Bom shuffling back into Minzy, bringing her to an abrupt stop.

                “Aish,” Jiyong whined plaintively.  “Just don’t blame us if you get hurt.  Ne?” he grumbled with the sound of nails scratching over his head quickly.  Yep.  He was annoyed with her.

                “Likewise,” Bom responded evenly as she swallowed harshly, finally regaining feeling in her left arm.  She shook it out and removed her scabbard from her waist so she could wield it and her katana at the same time.  “Just stay behind me,” she instructed Minzy.  A lack of response informed her almost positively of what was going to happen as soon as she started fighting.  Oh well.  They all knew this fight was pointless and how it had to end, but she could not just allow herself to be taken.  Bom would not permit them to simply guide her to face him.

                Turning her head, she waited, listening for them to make the first move.  In a four on one fight, she needed them to come to her.  It was almost funny how she couldn’t even be mad at them.  After all, she was the one that had left in the first place.  In the next heartbeat, there was no time for extraneous thought as footsteps announced their movement.  There were no unnecessary shouts of ‘power’ or anger here; just years of hard earned skill and relative silence.

                Bom stepped ahead one pace to give her room so she wouldn’t inadvertently hit Minzy and then she was completely surrounded, keeping her weapons always moving as they constantly generated noise that rang in her ears, making it even harder to listen for the next clue.  They all traded their fair share of glancing blows with every participant pulling attacks just enough.  Though the fighting was earnest, and Bom knew she managed to knick a couple of them, neither party wanted to actually hurt the other.  Unfortunately for her, predictability was a weak gamble against the best of fighters and though Bom landed a hard blow with her scabbard and rammed the pommel of her sword against someone’s weapon arm, it wasn’t long before her front foot was hooked and dragged forward, spreading her stance out indefensibly.

                “Gyah!” she hissed at the strain in her hamstring, managing to remain upright by the fiercest of efforts that left her open elsewhere.  Parrying the front strike and deflecting a left attack gave one of them an opening at her right side and the air exploded from Bom’s lungs when a scabbard connected agonizingly with her ribs.  She knew Minzy was gone already so Bom performed a backwards somersault towards her attacker, managing a handspring kick that at least clipped him when she resumed an upright position, spinning in place with both weapons to keep them at bay.

                The defense was a crumbling patch for something that wouldn’t work more than a breath or two.  She sensed their collaboration but without sight, she couldn’t predict what they would do so Bom was surprised when both weapons were firmly blocked at the same time, leaving her stuck and completely open for the split second they needed for the other pair to attack in tandem.  Bom doubled over when she felt the hard bite of metal ram her abdomen before the exact same sensation connected with the back of her knees, sending her crumpling to the ground uncontrollably.

                With a pained cry, her scabbard and sword were wrenched from her hands and Bom rested her forearms upon the dirt as she curled over her folded knees.  It was over.  “Dammit,” she laughed harshly trying to control the tremble in her hands.  “Well done,” she panted, her face scrunched together tightly while she waited for the throbbing pain to subside marginally.

                “Come on, Bom,” Dara murmured as a gentle but firm hand grabbed one of hers while another larger hand gripped her other wrist so they could pull her to her feet together.  That was probably good since her legs didn’t want to cooperate yet.

                She hissed and made a pained sound in the back of when they dragged her limbs behind her back to bind her wrists tightly, taking no chances.  “Minji?” Bom called through clenched teeth, though she declined to struggle anymore, acknowledging it wouldn’t so any good and that they had won fairly, if you could consider being outnumbered fair.

                “I’m here,” the young woman responded in a quiet tone, the epitome of uncertainty.

                “Are you alright?” the blind swordswoman asked, jerking her head from someone’s fingertips when they touched her chin to get a better look at her face.

                “Ne.”

                “She’s fine,” Taeyang murmured at her side.

                Bom directed her face towards him since he was the nearest recognizable target and sternly instructed, “Be careful with her.”  She paused at the almost desperate whine she heard that could only have come from Minzy and refrained from adding her original comment.  “It’s been a rough journey so far,” she added instead.

                “You’re telling me,” Jiyong agreed without complaint, letting her know they had indeed been shadowing her from afar.  “Come on Minji.  It’s not far,” he reminded the young woman who wordlessly agreed, quietly following in his wake as he started walking first.

                “Why do you have to make things difficult?” Dara whispered when she stepped aside to be replaced by what had to be Daesung.

                “You know why,” Bom replied unapologetically, though her voice wasn’t half as strong as she would have preferred.

                “Aish,” the other woman hissed and Bom could imagine Dara shaking her head as she often used to when she was frustrated.  “Let’s get moving guys,” she instructed before turning to take the lead.

                With Taeyang on her left and Daesung on her right, Bom started to walk between them, supported by their strength when her legs were still deciding how they wanted to function.  She inhaled slightly when she felt the latter lean close with a strangely friendly hand clasping her shoulder to murmur, “It’s time to come home.”