"Ready?" The annoying doctor asks as the ten minutes finally end. You decided to use the ten minutes wisely. By that, you bothered all three of the doctors as much as possible. There was a point where the stoic doctor had plugged his ears for a minute or so for some peace. A sense of pride crawled at the back of your mind.
If you were kidnapped and brought here for another reason, you wouldn't act in such a taunting way. However, they need you for research, so you can get away with this behavior without being harmed. At least, you hope so, otherwise you'd be dead meat.
The doctors tie your wrists back to your bed, and they begin to apply the strange, freezing jelly to your forehead. Although ultrasounds are a fairly common procedure, you've never had one done before. It's not exactly pleasant, but it certainly is not bad.
Soon enough, they've taken readings of your head, torso, and thighs. Surprisingly, they acted very professionally about the applications. You had become nervous at the idea of them moving your clothing around, however, they were extremely respectful and cautious. This made you relax quite a bit.
"Are you ready for your surprise?" Minghao asks. You tilt your head with furrowed eyebrows. Thankfully, they aren't covered in jelly anymore.
"Was this not the surprise?"
"No," He chuckles. "Since you behaved so well for us, we are allowing you to go outside for some fresh air." Your heart rate increases in excitement at the thought of finally feeling the sun on your skin again.
While being here, you were always allowed to at least see the sun, but now you're getting the opportunity to feel it? Maybe you would pick on them a little less from now on.
"Really? Wow it's a dream come true!" A silly grin decorates your face in childlike delight. You fail to see Minghao's softened features as your eyes are glued to the window.
He carefully unties you before giving you a slight lecture.
"Before we open this door, I want you to know that we are giving you a small piece of freedom. If you use this in a negative way, it will never happen again, and you will be locked up with the window closed. Got it?" He speaks firmly. Still, you smile widely and nod.
At this point, you have no thoughts of escaping because, like you've made clear before, you do not want the punishments. It makes you feel wonderful to know that you could be getting closer to freedom by behaving for these doctors.
You pay attention closely to the route that takes you outdoors. Out of the door, to the left, take a right, down the stairs, straight, to the right, through the large, white doors. They lead you through a small parking lot, and you realize that the hospital is practically surrounded by the forest. A gravel road leads out of the parking lot, telling you just how disconnected this facility is from the rest of the world.
They take a turn and guide you around to the side of the building. You did not expect the gorgeous sight in front of you. Stopping in your tracks, your mouth drops open. Minghao waves an arm out with a smile.
"This is our courtyard. Compliant patients are allowed here while monitored by some doctors. Feel free to roam around. We'll only be out for fifteen minutes." He says, waving a hand. Though, you wait to move.
"You're just... letting me wander?"
"Yup. You know the consequences of disobeying, so it's up to you to do what you wish." He shrugs. A smile creeps up your face.
As you look away from him, you head straight for the large, water fountain. Two swirling, marble fish spit water in opposite directions, flowing down into the pool below. You take a seat on the edge and swirl your fingers into the cool water. For the first time in days, you see your own reflection.
Your head tilts as you try to recognize yourself. Your eyes have sunken in, the corners of your mouth drag down, your hair is a mess, and you see your paling skin. You whisk your fingers through the water again, turning your own image into a whirlpool.
Standing up, you make your way to a yellow swing under a large tree. You take a seat and rock your body back and forth. Your hands grip a cold chain on either side of you. You lift your eyes and observe the sunny sky, few clouds decorating it. A sense of serenity washes over you as you take a few minutes to swing. You understand your time limit, but swinging is just about all you want to do.
As you slow the swing, you feel a stab to your heart and head. You suck in a sharp breath and place a hand on your forehead. Looking up, you notice that the three doctors aren't even paying attention to you. In a way, that is good news as you don't want any additional testing.
Your heartbeat increases rapidly as you feel a strange sense of longing and agony wash over you. Tears prick at your eyes from the feeling, and you try and identify where it is coming from. It is at this moment that you understand that it is not coming from you, but one of your soulmates. Your eyebrows furrow as the pain subsides. The emotions are still present, but the pain has dissipated.
You move your hand and place it on your heart. Your breathing slows as you force your heart beat to return to a normal speed. Though, you still reach for the longing feeling. A smell of the hospital fills your senses, which confuses you. Then, your mind races faster than you can chase it.
Maybe one of your soulmates is being tortured while you are outside, finally feeling free. Dread and guilt wash over you as you hang your head in shame. How could you be so selfish? As the people you care about the most are struggling, you are enjoying a minimal amount of freedom.
Though, you try to cut yourself a little bit of slack. They would want you to feel as calm and relaxed as possible. Why would they want you to feel as bad as them? Still, it is hard to erase the guilt.
All too soon, the doctors guide you back to your room, this time through a back entrance. Of course, you memorize that way, too. It is quite similar, so that may be of good use.
You return to your bed, and they tie you to it once again. As they exit, you are left alone to your own thoughts again. The only difference is the slight regeneration of your life. Going outside restarted your life meter. Hopefully, the positive feelings that you experienced transferred to some of your other soulmates.
Jimin POV:
I see her.
She is so close to me.
Just through a window.
She dips her hand into the water and swirls it around, getting lost in her own thoughts. Her somber expression pains my chest, but nothing hurts more than seeing her right in front of me. I can't call out to her, touch her, meet her eyes, or hear her, but I see her.
I wonder why they have taken her outside, but the thought is ripped away as she arises from the fountain. She comes closer to me, almost like she knows I'm here. However, she takes a seat on the old, yellow swing. That's when she feels it.
The pain in my heart transfers to her own, and I instantly feel guilty. She places a hand on her head as the imaginable pain soars through it. I try to rid myself of the longing I feel for her, but it is useless. It won't disappear until I get my soulmates back into my arms. All of them.
It seems as though she willed the pain way as she finally returns her eyes to her surroundings. My own eyes stay glued to her, trying to drink in all of her shining features while I still can. The ache remains, but a warmer feeling also presents itself. Maybe a sense of relief arrives because I now know she is safe.
I just wish she could see me, too. Then maybe she would feel a similar relief. As of now, it seems like she is thinking quite hard. A pang of guilt hits me hard, and I know exactly what she is thinking. She feels wrong about having temporary freedom. That we are all locked away while she is having a pleasant time outside.
I feel no form of jealousy or sadness. As long as she is being treated well, that is all that matters to me. Hopefully, we can all get this treatment soon. Then, I will be able to see them all. Well, Jin and Jungkook, at least.
Taehyung POV:
We all felt it. That haunting pang of longing and sadness. We congregate and discuss what could have possibly happened, but we can never be sure. Now, we all try to reach them in any way that we can.
"Try to reach Jimin, Taehyung. I'll try for Jin. Yoongi, try to reach Y/n, and Hoseok, try to reach Jungkook again. We'll see what we can find out." Namjoon commands, rubbing his hands over his head.
For the past day and a half, we've been practicing reaching each other. We have actually gotten much quicker, and it's all becoming clearer. It also hurts much less, but I'm not sure how it will affect our distanced soulmates.
We haven't tried to reach them since the first night in order to practice with each other. Through that, we've become good at picking who we want to communicate with. The hope is that we can do the same with the others.
As Namjoon orders, we all focus and try to reach who we were assigned to. I try to rid myself of the bad thoughts while I try to connect with Jimin. I remind myself of his smell, his face, his attitude, and how much he means to me. In a minute or so, I feel myself being yanked into another mind.
"Hello?" I call out. I feel hesitation, and a pool of nerves swarm me, so I assume I've reached someone. I call out a second time.
"Who are you?" The thoughts of the other person swarm my mind.
"It's Taehyung. Are you Jimin?" I call out to him.
"Taehyung? Yes, it's me! How... is this some joke that my mind is playing on me?" He trails off quietly.
"No! This is real. We've figured some things out about soulmate bonds, and this is one of them. Are you okay? We felt something." I say urgently.
"I'm okay. What did you feel?" He asks hesitantly.
"It was like the feeling of missing something and like... an intense amount of heartache." I reply. He sighs heavily.
"That was me. I'm sorry for making you all feel that way." He sounds of shame.
"Don't be! What happened?" I quickly push further.
"I saw Y/n for the first time in days," he recalls in a dreamy state. "We've been locked away for so long, but they let her outside for some reason. I saw her through the window, but I couldn't reach out to her. She didn't even see me." His heart aches once more. This time, Taehyung feels it clearly.
"I see... all I can say is at least you got to see her. That must have been refreshing." I exhale deeply. I can almost feel him nodding in agreement.
"It was. I'm hoping that they bring the other two outside for me to see, too. Then I'll really be at peace." He finishes.
"Do you have any idea where you are?" I remember to ask. Though, as I predicted, he doesn't know.
"I only know that we are surrounded by trees." He says.
"See if you can safely get an answer out of someone. Don't risk anything for an answer, though. We will find it regardless. It just may take more time." I try to reassure him. "As we get better at these weird abilities, we might discover new things. We're hoping teleportation is one of them." I say with determination.
"Don't get your hopes too high. If nobody has discovered it yet, it may just not be real." He says.
"They said the same thing about mind communication, Jimin. We won't stop until we know for sure." I press. He sighs.
"I know. That's the best and worst thing about you." He laughs. Hearing the joy in it is enough to make my heart swell.
"Stay safe, Jimin. I will see you soon." I leave no room for objection as he says his goodbyes as well. It hurts, but I cut the connection and snap back into my current state of being.
I sigh heavily and am met with the eyes of my three soulmates.
"What happened?" They ask.
"It was Jimin. The doctors allowed Y/n to go outside, and she was right by Jimin's window. She didn't see him, and that's why he became upset. She was right in front of his eyes, but he couldn't reach out to her." I repeat, hanging my head.
All of their eyes droop down, but they feel a small twitch of happiness in knowing that you're okay.
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