Chapter Text
The battle against Gwi-Ma was over and the Honmoon was finally sealed. Stronger than ever before, it rippled past the crowd, the iridescent threads lighting up Rumi, Mira, and Zoey’s eyes.
Their feet met the ground and Rumi glanced at Mira and then Zoey, warmth flooding her body as her smile spread across her face. Her focus turned back to the sea of roaring fans and it felt like the world was sliding off her shoulders. She could breathe again. Rumi gently squeezed her girls’ hands. Zoey squeezed back and Mira ran her thumb along Rumi’s hand.
The crowd’s cheers slowly began to fade into confusion as the people began to look around, wondering how they had gotten here.
Mira leaned in toward the girls and whispered, “I think it’s time we made a strategic exit. While the Honmoon is still smoothing over the whole demon thing.”
Zoey and Rumi nodded in agreement and the trio quickly made their way off the stage.
Rumi had just stepped into the backstage area, bringing up the rear, when she started seeing more Miras and Zoeys. She forced herself to put one foot in front of the other even though it felt like she was dragging a grand piano.
Zoey was the first to notice Rumi was falling behind. She grabbed Mira’s arm as she turned to look back. “Rumi?”
Mira turned around and frowned. “You ok?” She spotted a quake in her friend’s legs.
Rumi met their gazes, eyes half-lidded and slurred out a reply. “I’ll be…fine…”
Her legs came to a stop as her world began to spin. She faltered and her eyes closed completely.
Mira lunged forward, catching Rumi under her armpits before her knees struck the ground. She eased Rumi down, eying the stage in case anyone had tried to follow them.
A gasp escaped Zoey’s lips. “Rumi!” She knelt down and put her hand to the newly patterned forehead. “No fever.” Then her fingers found Rumi’s pulse. “W..why did she collapse? Is she hurt? Did we miss something?” Tears appeared in the corners of her eyes as she tried to look for injuries.
Mira looked over the woman in her arms, noticing small cuts, scrapes, burns, and bruises. Most of them would be gone this time tomorrow, but they still needed to be tended. “If I had to guess, she ran out of energy. After everything…” Raised weapons flashed through her mind and made her gut clench. It must have shown on her face because she heard Zoey step toward her side.
Zoey, eyes still misty, gently squeezed Mira’s shoulder. “We need to get home. Regroup. It’s been a long night for everyone.”
Mira nodded. “Yeah. It has. Help me get her on my back. Be easier to get out of here.”
They worked together to get Rumi in the best position for Mira to move, and Zoey helped Mira to her feet. Zoey sighed. “Wish we had our phones. I wonder where Bobby is. I hope he’s ok. You don’t think…”
Mira shook her head. “I think he’s fine. I think Rumi got here just in time to save everyone from going into the fire. He’ll probably try to find us at the penthouse, so we need to be there. Let’s go.” They made their way down the hall and toward the safety of home.
Huntrix Tower
Mira blew out a long breath when the door of the elevator finally opened into their living room. “Finally. I’ll set her down. You grab the first aid kit.”
Zoey nodded and darted off to attend her task. “On it!”
Mira walked over to the couch and eased Rumi onto her back, into the plush, welcoming cushions. She moved the duck and slipped a pillow under Rumi’s head before stepping back to look her over.
If Mira hadn’t witnessed so much of what led to this utter exhaustion, the lack of shifting around would have worried her. At this point, an explosion could have gone off and Mira doubted that Rumi would wake up. The only sign of life was the shallow rise and fall of Rumi’s chest.
Mira sat down by Rumi’s hip and let her eyes roam over the now exposed patterns. Her fingers trailed from shoulder to wrist, following lines that reminded her of cracks in glass. They looked painful, like they hurt, but the skin was just as smooth as the rest of Rumi’s skin. If she hadn’t been looking directly at them, Mira wouldn’t have been able to feel a difference.
Mira stared at Rumi’s hand for a moment before something clicked in her head. The color had changed. They were no longer the dark menacing purple from the Idol Awards. Now they were pale, a mixture of colors that seemed to shift like the new Honmoon.
Questions fired rapidly through Mira’s brain, colliding with years of hunter training and only Rumi had the answers. She murmured to herself. “What the hell…”
Zoey came back into the room, placed the kit on the coffee table and knelt down next to Rumi and Mira. She opened the kit and pulled out what she would need. “Mira, help me with her arms, please.”
Mira did as asked and helped Zoey clean and bandage both of Rumi’s arms. The girls checked her over for additional injuries and were glad to only find a couple more scrapes with any bruises already fading.
Mira let out a sigh of relief. “It could have been so much worse. Gwi-ma nearly took her from us and we couldn’t even get to her. I could barely see what happened. Ugh! Normally we’re better than that.” A trickle of guilt joined the anger and hurt already swirling in her mind. Even so, they weren’t overwhelming the love and hope now rooted in her brain.
Zoey nodded as she pulled out more supplies and turned to Mira. “I know. Way too close. I mean, we were kicking demon ass, but the stupid Saja Boys got in our way at just the wrong time. We’ll need the whole story later.” She motioned with a bandage. "You next.”
Having no energy to argue, Mira just shed her jacket and let Zoey tend her. “Ok, but I need to check you too before we pass out.” Zoey just nodded and focused on her task.
A few bandages later and Mira got Zoey to sit by Rumi’s feet so that she could take care of her. It didn’t take long. “All done.”
Zoey grinned. “Finally.” She leaned down to unzip her boots, yanked them off, and chucked them next to her jacket. Then she turned her focus to Rumi’s. The black laces, now golden, would have been a pain to deal with if there wasn’t a long zipper on the side of the boots. Luckily, Rumi was usually practical when it came to her footwear. This round of costumes, Zoey had copied her and it made life simpler.
Once they were gone, Zoey wiggled her way between Rumi and the back of the couch so that she could wrap an arm around Rumi’s waist. Her head nestled against Rumi’s neck and she was out moments later.
Mira chuckled lightly, almost bitterly. “No hesitation at all.” Her shoes landed by the coffee table before she put away the first aid kit and dealt with the resulting trash. She dimmed the lights and then spread a blanket over the two already lost to dreams. Zoey clung to Rumi, as if she might otherwise slip away.
Mira grabbed another blanket for herself before placing her head next to Rumi’s and lying stomach down in the opposite direction on the couch. One of her hands reached up and found Zoey’s shoulder while the other gently stroked Rumi’s hair.
With her hands on both of her girls, Mira began to drift off. Whatever pain and emotions swirled between the trio, there would be time to work everything out. For now, they were safe. They could rest. They would heal.
Bobby paced the elevator, clutching his phone, knuckles white. He hadn’t been able to contact the girls since the Idol Awards and his mind still felt hazy. He still didn’t know how he had ended up at Namsan Tower. It felt like a dream, and yet he knew his girls’ voices. Something had happened.
An assistant had gathered all of the girls’ things from the Idol dressing room and put them into bags for Bobby to return, so he knew that none of them had their phones. The three bags weighed heavily on his shoulders, despite not actually having much inside. “Please be home, Girls.”
Flashes of the awards show and the disaster of a performance weighed on his mind. Why had Mira and Zoey gone off script like that? The girls didn’t always tell him every aspect of shows, but this had felt so much worse. And Rumi’s reaction. ‘Poor Rumi.’
*Ding*
The elevator finally made it to the main floor and he quietly stepped inside. The lights were low, but definitely on. His eyes drifted around the room until they found the center of the large couch and relief washed over him like a wave. All of his girls were tangled together, fast asleep.
Bobby’s knees turned to jello for a moment and he gripped the counter tightly until he could stand strong again. ‘Maybe they worked things out?’
He placed the bags on the counter and pulled their silenced phones out before stepping over to the fridge and grabbing some water bottles. Walking around the couch, he left them on the table with a brief note.
Sleep well, Girls. We can discuss everything later. Call me if you need anything.
-Bobby