Calista ambled back towards Ik-soo's hut. Actually, she had been wandering for awhile and hadn't made it back yet.
But she was in no hurry.
Her conversation with her brother replayed over and over in her mind, wondering if she should have said something different, or prevented him from feeling as guilty as he did.
As she got lost in her thoughts, she failed to notice the person right in front of her, and crashed into them.
A pair of familiar arms steadied her easily and Calista squeezed her eyes shut, willing the heat rising to her cheeks to die down before she had to face him.
"Hey, Shin-ah." She grinned sheepishly up at him as his mouth twisted down in a frown. "What's up?"
He pulled back once she got her bearings, but didn't move away. He just stood there, and from what she assumed, stared at her.
She got nervous the first few minutes, gaze darting to look at anything but him, but then met his mask.
"Shin-ah, is something the matter?"
He leaned down so that he was eye-level with her and she forced herself not to back away. She did, however, let out a very undignified squeak in surprise that she tried to cover up with a cough.
"You..." Her ears perked up at the sound of his voice, internally groaning at how pleasant it sounded to her. ".... have been crying."
Her head snapped up and she froze as his thumb came up to her face, wiping away the tear stains gently.
She hadn't even realized that she had been crying.
Well, now I feel stupid.
For both not realizing it and that Shin-ah actions had such a simple explanation to it.
"... You heard..."
She tilted her head to the side, confused. Shin-ah visibly struggled with the words he wanted to say.
"Earlier..."
A light bulb went off in her head.
"With you and the others about Zeno?"
He nodded, relieved she figured it out so that he didn't have to explain it.
Calista sent him a soft smile. "Yeah, I heard. I came back earlier than I thought I would. I hope it wasn't a problem with the others."
He gave her a secret smile and her grin grew. "You didn't tell them, did you?"
He shook his head and she laughed, the sound making his heart soar.
"... the king..."
The strong fighter stiffened and he frowned at her reaction. Jae-ha was right. Something was wrong.
She didn't speak for a minute, trying to find the right words to say. A warm hand covered hers and she closed her eyes at the comfort it brought.
When she looked up, she was surprised to see he had pushed his mask up, eyes swimming with concern as his hand idly stroked hers reassuringly.
Calista grinned. "When did you get so good at reading people?"
He shrugged, just glad to bring a smile to her face even if it was only temporary.
"His name is Soo-won." She said carefully. "He once was a very good friend to us: Hak, the princess and I."
Now that his mask was up, she took notice of the subtle changes of his expression. How his nose crinkled in distaste as she mentioned the king.
"He started to change, but none of us noticed it. He hurt Yona very deeply and Hak... well..." She chose her words carefully, wanting to maintain some of her brother and the princess' privacy.
Calista opted to tell him about the events through her eyes, backtracking every so often when she felt she got it wrong. He patiently listened to her, eyes hardening once in a while as he picked out the vulnerability in her voice and conflict in her eyes. It still impacted her.
"He hurt me." She admitted at last.
His hand clenched hers and she smiled reassuringly.
"It's okay, it's all behind now. Now, we have all of you!"
The happiness behind her eyes was genuine, if not a little dim.
She tried to get up, but he wouldn't let go of her.
"I wish a lot of things didn't happen." She told him. "But they did, and I'm learning to let it go by focusing on you guys."
Calista tilted her head back so that she could gaze at the stars. "Sometimes I worry that you guys will do the same thing that he did, that you'd betray us." She confessed quietly.
Shin-ah shook his head so viciously Ao went flying off his fluff and into her lap.
"I know." She chuckled, petting the distressed creature soothingly. "But I try to remember that you guys aren't him. We all have the capacity to do what he did, it all comes down to a choice. I understand that much at least."
"My village..."
Calista sat up abruptly, staring at him in wonder. He had rarely talked about them since he left with them, leaving that horrible place behind.
"It's the same." He said quietly.
"You understand it, too." It clicked into place for her. "That's why you came with us?"
He nodded and she slumped back, astonished it had taken her this long to figure it out.
"Do you remember when I wanted to kill them?"
She said it so simply that he almost forgot what she was talking about, but he quickly acknowledged her words with a nod of his head. After she had found out the truth about his village, he recognized the anger coiled in her taut body, begging to be released against those that had caused him pain and misery.
"You stopped me back then, too." She recalled with clarity. "Why?"
Calista had a gut feeling, but she wanted to hear him say it.
"I... didn't want them.... to die."
"Even after everything they put you through?"
He looked down, ashamed and she lifted his chin gently.
"Shin-ah," She murmured. "What happened to you wasn't your fault."
"I'm a monster...." He mumbled back and her eyebrows drew together in anger that they groomed him to believe such a ridiculous notion.
"You are no such thing."
She hesitated, but took a chance. Weaving her fingers with his, he let out what sounded like a shaky exhale.
"How can a monster be so gentle, and kind? You think you're a monster because of what they said, what they labeled you as, but," She leaned in closer, gaze getting lost in his beautiful golden eyes. The trait he had been led to believe was horrible. "You couldn't be further from that, Shin-ah."
His head thumped onto her shoulder, and she shivered as his breaths hit her exposed collar bone. He unconsciously wound his arm around her to hold her to him and they sat there, occasionally making small talk, but mainly just sat with each other.
"You're not a monster." She reaffirmed quietly as it got darker. "You're a light in the dark, Shin-ah."
"My name..."
She blinked.
"... I love it." He confessed softly.
She beamed at him. "I'm glad. Never forget where it came from. It was born out of love for you."
The two walked back to the Ik-soo's house in comfortable silence. When they got there, she had to stifle a laugh at how comically the group was strewn around his hut.
Ao leaped off his shoulder and ran over to where Yona was sleeping against Hak. There was a slight blush across his cheeks and she desperately wanted to tease him, but couldn't find it in her to wake him up.
Calista stepped aside to let Shin-ah through, but he didn't enter. Instead, he tilted his head and peered at her curiously. Suddenly feeling self-conscious, she asked him, "What?"
He came closer and she instinctively took a step back every time he came forward until her back hit the wall. Her breathing got heavier as he stood flush against her body, and she curled into his chest, averting her gaze.
"S-Shin-ah?!" She stuttered quietly, trying not to wake the others. Hak would never let her live down such a compromising position and she had a feeling that Jae-ha wouldn't either if he knew about it.
"Where will... you sleep?" He asked quietly.
She hesitated. "Over there."
She tried to gesture with her hand towards the giant tree by the house, but remembered her limited mobility at the last second as she realized she was basically pinned.
"In that tree."
He released her and she sucked in a breath.
"Wait, where are you going?" She asked, puzzled, as he started towards the forest, not the entrance of the abode.
He held out his hand wordlessly and she immediately backed away.
"No way, you're not sleeping out here!! You'll get cold!!"
He frowned at her and she shook her head forcefully.
"You can't, Shin-ah." She reiterated, much to his displeasure.
She tried pushing him back towards the hut, but he dug his heels in, refusing to move.
"You've got to be kidding me!!" She threw her hands up, exasperated.
The corner of his mouth twitched in amusement and she sighed, placing her hands on her hips.
"Are you sure?" She asked him quietly, to which he gave her a firm nod. He really was intent on being with her tonight. "Alright, then..."
Calista scaled up first, then scooted forward on the branch so that he could use the space to climb up to where he wanted. To her surprise, he settled behind her and tugged her back so that she collided into his chest.
She squeaked as she crashed into him, instinctively trying to steady herself. Her hand landed on his thigh and she swore she never felt her face turn redder.
He nestled his face in the crook of her neck and she felt her heart stop.
She tried hard to fall asleep. Really. It was just extraordinarily hard when she had had him so close. His arm was heavy as it circled her waist and her breath caught in her throat when she felt him shift behind her.
The oak they were in was giant, having been around for hundreds of years. The branch they were on was so huge that if anyone were to look, they wouldn't be able to see them at all.
She shivered as his breath puffed against her skin and froze as his fingers suddenly wove with hers.
"... Calista..."
It was so airy and light, and a wide smile split her face, releasing a breathless laugh. He hummed questioningly against her throat and she tilted her head to look up at him.
He had pushed aside his mask, and she bit her lip to contain the huge grin at the sight as his golden eyes roamed over her figure in concern.
"I'm not hurt." She reassured him, glancing at him before losing her nerve and stared up at the star filled sky. "It's just the first time I've ever heard you say my name."
His heartbeat synced up with hers, and he pushed his nose against the shell of her ear.
"I like it." She admitted quietly, before he could say anything. "I like the way you say it."
She felt her guard falling, but in the moment, she couldn't bring herself to care.
Her hair was swept to the side, gathering on her left shoulder in abundance. She gasped as she felt soft lips mold against her neck, automatically tilting her head as he trailed light kisses down her throat.
Her mind grew fuzzy at the sensation as he traveled down, teeth scraping at the junction of her shoulder.
"Shin-ah... wha... I'm not injured— ohh..."
Her jaw dropped as her shirt rode up, his touch lighting her on fire. The bruises from Kum-ji had healed, so she couldn't figure out why he was being so forward now.
"... soft..." He murmured, squeezing her waist gently.
Calista gnawed on her bottom lip, suppressing all the embarrassing sounds threatening to bubble up into existence.
His hands explored lower and she couldn't stop the whine in time. It tore through her throat in a pathetic whimper and the sound had him freezing.
She turned around abruptly, and leaned to finally connect her lips with his, when...
She was being shaken?
Calista blinked her eyes open, and realized it was morning.
She smacked a hand against her forehead as it hit her. If the way Shin-ah was staring at her in confusion was an indication, she wanted to die of embarrassment.
It had all been a dream.