Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Rumi's nightmares weren't always the kind you might imagine.

Of course, there were times when it was dark, so dark that she could sense nothing more than the undeniable loneliness that she would never be able to escape.

There were times when it was loud, when her ears concussed with the guttural sounds of Gwi-Ma's demonic laughter drowning out the screams of her loved ones.

There were times when it was quiet, quiet enough that she could hear nothing but her own breathing and feel nothing but her own heart as it got quicker and quicker and quicker until it burst.

Of course, those nightmares happened. Even before their final concert, they had haunted her for years. The concept of her patterns being discovered, of her best friends hating her, rejecting her, abandoning her...

It's been a little over a week since they had defeated Gwi-Ma, but Rumi's nightmares hadn't gone away. Far from it.

Rather, they had shifted as of late, changed forms into something even more terrifying. Now, her nightmares came under the guise of dreams.

They were warm, gentle, and full of light. Mira and Zoey were always with her.

And then, they weren't.

Sometimes, they would warp into demons and attack her.

Sometimes, they would be hunted down and killed by the demons right in front of her.

Sometimes, they would start to bleed for no reason, and Rumi would be powerless to stop it.

Tonight, it was one of those.

She'd been somewhere with them - somewhere that was supposed to be the penthouse, but it just wasn't. They had just come back from town - from shopping where they had no bags to show for it - when Mira's nose begins to bleed.

As Rumi frantically tries to search for something - anything - to stop it, blood also begins oozing from Zoey's neck. Tissues, napkins, towels. Nothing of what Rumi rushes to get for them helps. It just keeps going, until a deep crimson has poured across the floor in rivers.

She screams, but no sound comes. She embraces them both, but she can feel the life draining from their bodies-

"Rumi!"

Hands on her shoulders rouse her just in time. Her eyes fly open, and she finds herself in her own room, in their actual penthouse. Mira and Zoey hover over her, brows furrowed in a familiar display of concern, eyes quietly agonized at the sight of her distress.

She'd been waking up to the same scene every morning for about ten days now.

As she gasps in a few breaths, Rumi pushes herself up, noting the way her patterns are once again pulsing in time with her heart.

It's nothing new for Mira and Zoey. They'd realized right away that she'd be prone to the night terrors, and have been dutifully ready to wake her whenever it was getting bad. Today's only blessing was that it had been after the sun had risen instead of the dead of night, and Rumi had actually gotten some good hours of rest. As she finally catches her breath, she feels Zoey's soft touch against her back, rubbing softly.

"It's okay. We've got you, Rumi."

Rumi heaves a full-body sigh. She looks up into Zoey's earnest brown eyes, which are beautiful enough to elicit a smile.

"Thanks, Zoey."

Rumi turns to her, but before she's even lifted her arms fully, Zoey is already darting in to give her a tight squeeze. Rumi folds her arms over her back and lets out a sigh. When they part, she turns to Mira as she places a supportive hand on Rumi's arm.

"Do you wanna talk about it?" Mira always offers to listen, always gives her the option to speak it out of existence if she needs to. But Rumi doesn't need to give them the details.

"Just the blood…" is all she says, and by this point, they know what kind of nightmare it had been. Mira coaxes her in, encouraging Rumi to press close until she can feel Mira's steadier pulse against her own more rapid heartbeat.

"I'm sorry," Mira murmurs into her hair. "I know that's the worst one for you..."

Rumi gives a tiny nod as she stays close for another moment, until she can feel her pulse slowing down to match Mira's. From behind her, she can feel Zoey patting her back gently.

"Well as you can see, Mira and I are totally fine. No blood anywhere, just like always."

Rumi exhales, letting the last of the awful images go with it.

"Yeah… Thank you guys."

"Of course."

"Don't mention it."

When she's ready, Rumi eases back from Mira's embrace. Her patterns have settled back to the more subtle, pastel glow of rippled water in sunlight. After giving her a few more hugs and pats on her back, Mira and Zoey help her off the bed.

"All right," Mira says. "Who's ready for breakfast?"

From here, the three of them go about their typical morning routine for their hiatus schedule. They're only ten days into their break, with at least two full months planned where they intend to travel and vacation in different places together in the latter half of that time frame.

But for the next month or so, they were going to stay in the Seoul area, enjoying the city and surrounding areas to the fullest while still unofficially meeting and interacting with fans. There was also a charity event Bobby had booked them for months ago that had been moved to a few weeks from now, so they'll stick around for the time being in order to be ready for that.

However, for today, they had no plans in particular.

While Mira starts on breakfast, Rumi and Zoey tidy up, vacuuming and doing some laundry and other little chores. When Rumi enters the living room to tidy up the couch from their lounging the night before, she turns to the TV as the news comes on, listening a bit tensely. But unlike in past weeks, when the reports of missing persons had been off the charts, nothing of the sort is addressed now. Just a few people who had passed away in their sleep, but nothing malicious.

When breakfast is ready, the three of them sit around the coffee table on the floor together to eat while discussing the day's plans.

"Oh!" Zoey raises her hand. "Could we stop by that new jewelry store that just opened up? I've been seeing some super cute stuff from them on Instagram!"

"Sure thing." Rumi agrees before turning an inquiring look to Mira.

"Well," Mira begins. "I just recently caught up with some reading, so if we could hit the bookstore at some point, that would be great."

"Fine by me."

"What about you, Rumi?" Zoey asks. "Anything you wanna do in particular?"

"Hmm…" Rumi makes a playful hum as she contemplates for a moment. "Well, that jewelry store is a bit of a walk, and by the time we finish up at the bookstore we might be pretty sweaty, sooo… I wouldn't mind the bathhouse."

Mira and Zoey each put down their utensils. Zoey picks up a napkin instead and dramatically starts patting it against her eyes while Mira fans herself, sniffling. Rumi gives them a look.

"Uhh, guys?"

"Sorry!" Zoey cries. "It's just-! So beautiful to hear you say that, Rumi!"

"How many years?" Mira asks with a hint of wistfulness. "How many years have we been waiting to hear you say those words…? Oh, it's like a dream come true."

"And it has been, like, three days since we last went," Zoey recalls. "So we'd better pay another visit!"

Rumi rolls her eyes and leans from one side to the other to give them each a playful shove.

"All right," she chuckles. "I've already admitted that you guys were right all along, haven't I?"

"Yeah, but it's still great to hear it again eeeevery time," Mira smirks.

"This is exactly what our hiatus should be!" Zoey chirps.

"Yeah," Rumi agrees. "You guys are right."

So once they've finished eating and cleaning up, the girls get dressed and ready for the day ahead. Summer was still in full swing, so they dress casually and comfortably, without needing to feel like they have to hide from their fans around town. Rather, they would gladly stop to chat and take pictures within reason if it meant making someone's day.

When everyone is ready, they head out.

Zoey leads the way to her jewelry store first. She's so excited she puts herself at the center of the group and loops her arms around each of their elbows so she can still hold onto her phone and show them pictures of all the cute things they'll find there.

They humor her for several blocks, until Zoey gets so distracted with her babbling that she nearly tries to walk out into the street when the crosswalk signal is red. Mira and Rumi both lock their arms around hers to hold her back.

"Okay," Mira says. "Take it easy there, Zo."

"Zoey," Rumi says tactfully. "If you show us all the pictures of all the stuff they have before we get there, there'll be nothing left to see."

"Oh!" Zoey gasps. "Oh my gosh, you're so right! Sorry for all the spoilers!" Zoey pockets her phone and looks straight forward as the signal turns green, and she leads them forward. From over Zoey's head, Mira catches Rumi's eye and mouths out a 'nice' to her.

When the store is finally in sight, Zoey pulls them into a light jog for the last block or so. She squeals as she releases their arms in favor of opening the door, which Mira holds for her, then scurries inside.

Zoey gets right to work marveling at each and every display, regardless of what kind of jewelry or gemstones are inside.

"Oh my gosh, would you guys look at that necklace?! Is that turquoise? Ohhh it's soooo pretty! Mira, that rose quartz is totally you! And oh- Rumi, this bracelet would look great on you! It's so sparkly!"

Mira and Rumi follow her around more slowly, like parents letting their child run rampant at a candy store.

"I swear," Mira comments. "She's like, a crow or something. Just gravitating toward anything that's shiny."

"I could see that," Rumi muses. "But I think she's more threatening than a crow when she wants to be."

"A dragon."

"Yes! Collecting her treasures!"

The two of them share a laugh as Zoey continues her rounds.

"I'm sure you two are chatting about how right I was about this place~"

"You know it."

"Absolutely.

"Uh-huh… Anyways! Come help me choose between these rings over here!"

"Zoey, you have like 5 million rings," Mira reminds her.

"Well, yeah, but I switch 'em out. Plus, they're just soooo cool!"

"Can't argue with 'cool,'" Rumi reasons.

So they help Zoey decide between her top 3 favorite rings, and she declares she'll buy the other two the next consecutive times they visit. Mira lets her pick out a set of rose quartz earrings for her, and Rumi humbly accepts the sapphire bracelet.

It's when they head to the register to make their purchases when it happens.

It's a small incident, just an unfinished display that Zoey accidentally bumps into. The block of stone that would eventually show off some necklace or another is sharp enough to cut her at the elbow and draw a thin line of blood.

While the owner profusely apologies for the negligence and offers a discount on their purchases, Rumi hurriedly dives into her handbag to find her little baggie of first-aid supplies. In the past, she'd carried it around for quick patch-ups if the three of them ever ran into demons unexpectedly during the daytime, and she just hadn't removed it from her bag since. Thankfully, it comes in handy now as she ushers Zoey into the bathroom the manager had offered.

"Here-" Rumi coaxes Zoey to the sink to inspect the cut. "I'll just clean it off and patch you up."

"Rumi, it's okay!" Zoey insists. "It's seriously nothing. I hardly even felt it!"

"I know," Rumi smiles. "You're touch as nails, Zoey. But I just wanna be sure."

Rumi grabs a paper towel and wets it with warm water and soap, then gets to cleaning off Zoey's arm. The cut is tinier than expected judging by the thick line of blood it had drawn down her elbow.

Once it's clean, Rumi takes out a cotton ball and pours some disinfectant before dabbing at the cut. Zoey hardly flinches at the sting. She just can't help a hopeless smile as she watches Rumi fuss over her over something so miniscule. She's got such a serious, focused look in her eyes, and Zoey sincerely appreciates her concern.

After a moment, Rumi picks out a band-aid with tiny turtles on it - a pack she'd chosen specifically - and finishes patching her up.

"There. How's that?"

"Aww! Rumi, it's perfect! Thanks for taking care of me!" Zoey throws her arms around Rumi and kisses her cheek, earning a small blush.

After making sure everything is disposed of properly, Rumi washes her hands before the two of them emerge from the bathroom together. Mira is waiting for them with their bag of purchases.

"All good?"

"Yup!" Zoey says. "It wasn't that bad. Rumi took excellent care of me!"

"I don't doubt it." Mira smiles at the sight of the little turtle band-aid. "Well, we got a decent discount on all this, so maybe we should grab some lunch later."

"Sounds great!"

Rumi is quiet throughout the exchange as they exit the jewelry shop. She just shudders to remember the sight and scent of blood, as it brings her back to the nightmares-

"Rumi?"

"Huh?" She snaps her head up as Mira and Zoey give her an inquisitive look. "Sorry. Spacing out a bit. One more time?"

"We just asked if you're ready to head to the bookstore," Mira says. "Is there anywhere else you wanna hit up on the way?"

Rumi gives herself a firm shake.

"Nope. Bookstore it is!"

"Lead the way!" Zoey shuffles Mira into the center this time. Mira slings an arm around each of their necks in light, playful headlocks.

"All right, you two asked for it."

The trio head off down the sidewalk, pausing just a few times now when some fans recognize them and politely ask for signatures. Luckily, the majority of their fans are aware of their hiatus and are extremely respectful of their time off, so they try to be as quick and unbothersome as possible.

The bookstore is in sight before long. Once they're inside, Mira releases her hold on the others.

"Man, nothing beats the smell of paper and ink, am I right?"

"Totally!" Zoey agrees. "Especially with some nice candles and a warm bath~"

"What are we looking for?" Rumi asks.

"Just a couple."

Mira leads the way into the rows and rows of shelves, piled high with countless genres and series of books.

"You should pick up one of these, Zo," Mira says, gesturing her over to the nature and earth sciences sections. "I mean, I know you already know all there is to know about turtles, but if there's ever some other animal you want to obsess over-"

"Actually!" Zoey interjects. "This one has a section on the Yangtze giant softshell! I almost never see anything about them! Well, probably because there's only been, like, three ever recorded that we know of-"

"Aaaand there she goes." Mira and Rumi exchange a hopeless little shrug as they leave Zoey in that section for a moment.

"I could use something new to read," Rumi mentions. "Any recommendations?"

"For you?" Mira doesn't have to think too long or hard about her response. She leads Rumi over to the romance section and hands her a book with a celestial scene on the cover. When Rumi gives her a curious look, Mira elaborates. "You're a dreamer. It's about star-crossed lovers. Like literally, they're separated by galaxies. Plus, they're both girls. Can't get much more hopeless romantic than a double-forbidden love, can you? But don't worry. It's a happy ending."

Rumi offers her a grateful smile.

"I do like those."

"Same here."

As Mira continues on to find the books she's searching for, Rumi tucks the one she'd given her under her arm and follows along.

When Mira finally finds the series she wants, she pulls out a few copies to compare the quality and choose the best one. Rumi paws through a couple on a shelf nearby, scanning the backs for consideration when she suddenly hears a small gasp. A second later, a book falls to the floor with a thud. Rumi whirls around.

"Mira-?"

"Shit…" Mira is clutching her left hand with her right. Rumi hurries over to see a thin layer of blood leaking out from a cut that had sliced across her middle, ring, and pinky fingers.

"Oh my gosh-" she gasps. "Mira, are you okay?"

"Yeah. Just a mother of a paper cut. Damn, those things hurt."

Rumi is already digging into her bag for her first-aid supplies again. She pulls out a tissue and wraps Mira's fingers with it to absorb the blood, squeezing her fingers gently.

"Sheesh, it's bleeding a lot," she mumbles.

"It'll stop in a sec."

As Rumi is putting disinfectant onto her second cotton ball of the day, Zoey comes scampering around the corner.

"Did something happen?"

"Just a paper cut," Mira says with a flippant wave of her right hand. Rumi is busy tending to her left, padding the last drops of blood away with the cotton before pulling out three different-colored band-aids. She wraps each of Mira's fingers with care, making sure not to hinder the circulation.

"There. That should do."

"Thanks, Rumi." Mira pulls her in to leave an appreciative kiss on her temple. Zoey bends down to pick up the fallen book and hands it back to Mira, showing off the band-aid on her elbow.

"Well, now we match!"

"Sure, but let's not have anything else happen today, all right?"

"Seriously," Rumi says. "I already need to restock my supplies."

With this, they all take their books to the register to check out. Zoey and Rumi each get one, while Mira takes three. As they exit the store, Zoey is still incredulous.

"I can't believe you bought the book that bit you, Mira."

"Well, you know the rule: you bleed on it, you buy it."

"Somehow I don't think that was it," Rumi chuckles. "Anyone hungry yet?"

"Oh I'm so down for lunch," Mira says.

"Same!" Zoey agrees. "Let's just all be careful, okay? Seems like we're all accident-prone today or something."

"Yeah, let's not burn ourselves or cut ourselves with chopsticks somehow…"

"Seriously…"

Rumi falls into step at the center of the group now, and reaches out to take each of their hands a bit protectively, wanting to keep them both close to her.

They find a place for lunch, but thankfully nothing else odd happens.

By the time they're making their way to the bathhouse, Rumi is more than ready to relax with them for a while. They leave their bags in the locker room, wrap their towels around themselves and their hair, and head to their designated bath. The three of them sink down into the water with a mutual sigh, leaning their heads back and closing their eyes.

"So…?" Mira prompts. "It's been ten days since we beat Gwi-Man, and in that time we've brought you here…"

"Three times!" Zoey chimes in. "This is the third time Rumi's come with us."

"Aaaand-?" Mira hums. "Thoughts?"

Rumi lets out a sigh.

"Still as good as the first time," she confesses.

"Right?!" Zoey says. "I could soak in here a million days in a row and it'd still be heaven~"

"You said it…"

"Yeah…"

The girls enjoy themselves for their allotted time, then exit the bath to dry off and change back into their clothes. By the time they exit the building, the sun is on its way to set.

"All right!" Zoey is saying to Mira. "It's your turn for movie night, so start thinking about what you wanna watch!"

"I've already got a few in mind. There's this really good drama and psychological thriller you guys need to see. It's gonna blow your minds." She had very pointedly been avoiding anything too scary or of the horror genre, considering Rumi's ongoing nightmares. Both of them seem intrigued by this option.

"Oooh! I love movies that really make you think!" Zoey exclaims.

"Well then, you'd better lock in for this one."

As they chat and walk, Rumi remains happily quiet as she listens to them. She's about to jump into the conversation when suddenly, an odd prickling sensation shudders beneath her skin. It's faint, but it affects every inch of her body, making her patterns quiver.

She stops in her tracks, and the second the others realize she's fallen behind, they pause to look back at her.

"Rumi?"

"What's up?"

Rumi shakes her head a bit, then quickly glances up to the sky. The new Honmoon they'd created is still shining brightly for their eyes only. The threads of the barrier glint like shining stars in the night. Rumi looks back at the two of them and puts on a smile.

"Sorry. It's nothing. Just… spacing out again."

Mira and Zoey hold out their hands to her, and Rumi joins them at the center of the group.

They continue on their walk home as twilight approaches, letting the conversations go on whatever tangents they like. But not five minutes later, Rumi feels that same prickling sensation again. She stops, and her hands slip right out of theirs. When they turn back to her this time, their eyes and voices are a bit more concerned.

"Rumi, are you sure you're okay?"

"Is something going on?"

Rumi bites her lip for a second as she debates her options. But she'd decided she wasn't going to lie to them anymore. So she comes clean now.

"I… I don't know. I just feel… like there are demons nearby…"

Mira and Zoey share a puzzled look with one another before both looking up to check the Honmoon themselves.

"We just remade the Honmoon not even two weeks ago," Mira says. "And it looks perfectly fine to me. Not even a shadow of a weak spot."

"I don't see anything either," Zoey confirms. "Gwi-Ma is dead. Gone for good. There's no way any demons are ever coming back into our world ever again."

"I know," Rumi says. "You're both right. I just… keep feeling like I can sense them… You don't…?"

They both shake their heads.

"No."

"Not a thing."

Rumi draws in a deep breath and lets it out.

"Okay. Sorry. I guess I'm still just getting used to all the patterns or something."

"It's okay," Mira says, coming back to put a hand on her shoulder. "We'd rather you tell us stuff like this if it's troubling you. But I don't think we have to worry about demons anymore."

Zoey comes to join them too, putting her hand on Rumi's back.

"Mira's right. Those demons are gone for good!" Here, she softens her voice a little. "You're probably just having flashbacks. Phantom feelings about when we'd sense the demons in the past."

"And I'm sure all the nightmares haven't been helping," Mira comments. "It's still gonna take some time before you can fully relax. But Zoey and I will be here for you every step of the way."

Rumi looks back and forth between them with a hopeful spark in her eyes. She feels another faint twinge in her patterns, but she ignores it. Instead, she chooses to pull them both close to her.

"Thanks, you guys." Rumi gives them each a light, appreciative kiss before easing back. "Okay. Let's get this movie night started."

"Yeah!"

"Yesss!"

They make it back to the tower and ride the elevator up to the top floor of the penthouse, and Rumi does her best not to keep glancing out the windows to check the Honmoon. She enjoys her evening with them to the fullest, so much so that she doesn't feel that sensation anymore, which leads her to believe Zoey was right and that it was just a lingering phantom feeling.

As the night goes on, Rumi starts to feel the fatigue weighing down on her. The others bring her into her bedroom and encourage her to sleep.

"Rest as much as you can," Mira says.

"And if the nightmares come again, we'll wake you," Zoey promises.

The three of them had been sleeping in the same bed or on the couch together ever since they'd defeated Gwi-Ma, both to keep an eye on each other, and to offer comfort and support. Rumi always feels better falling asleep knowing they're right beside her.

"Okay," she says. "But make sure you guys get some rest, too. Don't lose sleep over me."

"We'll be fine," Mira assures her. "We'll just sleep all day tomorrow if we have to."

"Right! We've got nooo plans~" Zoey hums.

Rumi cracks a small smile before a yawn overtakes her. She lies herself down at the center of the bed, while Mira curls up on her right side, and Zoey takes her left.

"Night, you two," Mira mumbles.

"Sweet dreams," Zoey sighs.

"Goodnight, you guys."

Rumi hugs them both and closes her eyes, trying to relive the fun events she'd shared with them today in hopes it could fend off any potential nightmares.

She just thinks of them, of the three of them together, of the changes they'd made, the lives they'd saved, and the light they'd brought into the world.

Rumi breathes with them, until she can feel herself slipping.

She hopes tonight will be kind to her.

A/N: I don't want to give too many hints away with what I have planned for this story, but you can probably already feel something foreboding coming, yes...?

Please leave comments or kudos!

Chapter Text

Chapter 2.

For the first time in nearly two weeks, Rumi isn't roused by Mira and Zoey all throughout the night. And when she does eventually wake the following morning, Rumi feels almost suspicious to open her eyes. She does so slowly, cautiously, as if expecting to find herself trapped in a last-minute nightmare that decided to pull her into its clutches just before she regained consciousness.

But as her vision comes to her, and she recognizes the soft milky colors of morning spreading across her bedroom, she realizes she'd slept through her first night without any nightmares. At least, nothing bad enough that would warrant the others waking her, and none that she could remember.

Either way, she'll take it.

Her arms are presently folded across Zoey's back, while Zoey is latched onto her like a sleeping koala, with her face buried in Rumi's hoodie. Rumi doesn't feel or hear Mira behind her, and has to hope she isn't half an inch away from rolling off the mattress.

Rumi stays put for a few minutes, letting Zoey sleep in her arms. She cards through her soft black hair, stroking lightly down her back as she listens to Zoey's little hums and mumbles.

But soon, Rumi can sense a change. Zoey's grip on her suddenly tightens a bit, and the peaceful hums turn into whimpers. Easing back, Rumi glances down to find her expression taut in the beginnings of distress. Her heart throbs with worry.

Is this how they've been feeling finding me every morning lately…?

Rumi gives Zoey's shoulders a little shake and calls out to her.

"Zoey? Hey, wake up."

Zoey makes another whimpering sound as she lets out a few uneven breaths. Panic flares in Rumi's chest.

"Zoey? Come on, wake up." Rumi shakes her a little harder this time, pushing her back until Zoey's grip on her comes loose. With a loud gasp, Zoey's eyes fly open all at once.

"Rumi-!"

"It's okay-" Rumi cups her face gently as Zoey takes in her surroundings. Huffing out a few more breaths, Zoey reaches up to hold onto Rumi's wrists.

"Rumi… oh thank goodness you're okay…"

"I'm fine. Everything's okay, Zoey." Rumi pulls her in close for another tight hug as relief spreads through her. She seems to have woken Zoey just in time before the nightmare had gotten too awful.

Zoey nuzzles close to Rumi and takes comfort in the rise and fall of her chest as she breathes, letting the rhythm calm herself down as well. She can feel Rumi planting small kisses through her hair and on top of her head. Zoey lets out a soft hum and kisses one of the patterns on her neck in return.

Rumi holds her for a moment longer, glad to feel Zoey relaxing a bit.

"You okay?" she asks. "You seem like you didn't get much sleep last night."

Zoey gives herself a little shake before finally pushing herself up.

"I'm okay. Where's Mira?"

"She's-" Rumi starts to turn over, only to find that Mira wasn't behind her after all. She sits up with Zoey, perplexed. "Huh. I guess she got up already."

"Mira-?" Judging by the way Zoey calls out for her with a bit of a tremor in her pitch, Rumi can deduce that something unpleasant had happened to her in Zoey's nightmare as well. Thankfully, they both hear a response from down the hallway.

"I'm here."

Zoey exhales a breath that speaks volumes to her worries. Rumi moves up close beside her to put an arm around her back.

A few seconds later, Mira enters the room. Rumi had put on a smile to greet her. But the instant she sees the dark circles under Mira's eyes, her smile vanishes.

"Mira?"

Mira lingers in the doorway, leaning onto the wall a bit.

"Sorry. I didn't sleep much last night, so I figured I'd get up early and start on breakfast. It's ready whenever."

Clearly, Zoey is also troubled by how tired she looks, because she motions her over to the bed.

"Oh my gosh, did you sleep at all?"

Mira sighs as she caves and makes her way over to them both, sitting heavily down on the bed between them.

"A bit."

Rumi cups Mira's face too, worriedly looking her over.

"Did you have nightmares, too?"

Mira shrugs.

"Just a couple."

"Mira!"

"You should have woken us up!"

Zoey slumps into Mira's side and hugs her. Mira cracks a crooked smile and drapes an arm around her.

"Next time. But you two were out like lights. I didn't wanna wake you up." She gently removes Rumi's hands from her face and plants a kiss on each of her wrists. "I'm fine. Promise. We'll just skip the movies tonight and go to bed even earlier. Sound good?"

Rumi's only response is to kiss her softly, then hug her too.

They stay together for a few minutes, giving and offering support until something starts to burn in the kitchen. Mira eases back, giving Zoey a quick kiss on the forehead. Zoey responds by cupping Mira's face and giving her a playful smooch on the lips.

"Okay, come on," Mira says. "Let's eat before we burn the place down."

Helping each other up, the three of them make their way to the kitchen. There are yawns all around that morning as they eat and get ready for the day.

For the first time, Rumi feels she's the most well-rested of the group, so she keeps an eye on the others. Just in those thirty minutes alone, she has to shut off the sink water where Zoey had forgotten after washing the dishes, and she has to hand Mira a hair brush she'd been looking for for five minutes that had been right in front of her. Not to mention how they both keep bumping into the furniture or walls. Rumi just barely manages to spare Mira from stubbing her toe on the island, and saves Zoey from hitting her elbow against the fridge.

With all of this in mind, Rumi gently has to make a suggestion.

"Hey, why don't we stay in today? Seems like we could all use a stay-at-home day. That charity event is in a few days, so we should probably take it easy. Especially you, Zoey."

The event would be taking place at the local skate park, where people could donate to the local children's hospital in exchange for photos and autographs with the girls. Rumi and Mira would be most of that, while the main attraction to draw people in would be to get a chance to skate with Zoey.

"Rumi's right," Mira says. "Let's at least take the morning to chill. Then maybe if we feel up for it we can go out this afternoon."

"Yeah," Zoey nods. "That's probably for the best."

"Great!" Rumi is relieved they're both on board with the idea. "Let's just hang out. Maybe see if you guys can get in a nap or something."

"Good plan."

"I'm down."

So they all head into the living room to occupy the couch with Rumi at the center. They let the TV play and watch passively for a little while. It's not long before Zoey caves, bringing her legs up onto the couch and resting her head in Rumi's lap to attempt a nap. Rumi pets through her hair and down her side to help her relax.

But she hasn't even lain there for half an hour before both Rumi and Mira begin to notice her flinching and whimpering. They wake her right away, steadying her as she groggily sits herself up.

"Zoey?" Rumi gently rubs up and down her arm. "Are you okay?"

"More nightmares?" Mira guesses.

"Sort of…" Zoey admits. "I'm not even really sure what was happening. I think my brain is just scrambled…"

Mira offers her a water bottle from the table, and Zoey drearily accepts. She drinks a bit before putting the water back down, then leans back against the couch with a sigh as she takes out her phone.

"Okay, new strategy! No more napping! I'll stay up the rest of the day and then I'll be so tired I'll sleep through the whole night. I'll be so tired my brain won't even be able to generate nightmares!"

"Is that how that works?" Mira shrugs. "Worth a shot, I guess."

"It's been a stressful hiatus," Rumi says. "Even though we're on break, we're still dealing with a lot. It'll pass." For once, it's her telling the two of them things like this instead of the other way around. They both smile and lean in against her.

"You're right," Mira says. "You finally got a good night's sleep last night, didn't you, Rumi?"

"Yeah."

"That's good!" Zoey says. "Hopefully soon all three of us sleep through the night."

"We'll get there," Rumi says. "I know we will."

They all settle back in, with Zoey now scrolling through her phone to keep herself entertained and awake. And whether she intends for it to happen or not, Mira ends up resting her head against Rumi's shoulder and drifting off. Rumi and Zoey keep quiet and let her rest, with Rumi just having to hold back laughter whenever Zoey shows her a funny animal video or meme.

But it's not much longer before she can sense something awry with Mira too.

While Zoey was more vocal in her distressed sleep, Mira is quieter, but Rumi can feel it when her heart starts to pound. She turns to give Mira a few shakes, while Zoey peers worriedly over Rumi's shoulder.

"Mira?" Rumi calls out softly. "Time to get up."

Mira lets out a moan, but her eyes don't open just yet. Rumi places a hand on Mira's collar and rubs her chest softly.

"Wake up. You're okay, Mir."

When she finally comes to, Mira's eyes open wide, and her whole body goes rigid with tension. Rumi and Zoey make sure to be the first things she sees, offering kind, worried smiles.

"Fuck…" Mira lets out a sigh of sheer relief and simply pulls them both close. She doesn't need to say anything more for them to understand. Once she's calmed down enough, Mira eases herself back, rubbing her eyes briefly. "What the hell is going on today? Ugh, this sucks…"

"Let's try to go out and do something," Zoey offers. "Like I said, maybe if we have fun and wear ourselves out enough, we'll sleep through the night no problem!"

"Worth a shot," Mira sighs again. "We might as well do something if we can't relax."

"Still-" Rumi says. "Let's take it easy. Maybe just some lunch and the mall or something."

They're all in agreement to keep things simple for today. So after touching up their makeup a bit to conceal the signs of fatigue, the three of them take the elevator down to head into town.

Once out and about, Rumi notes that Mira and Zoey actually perk up a bit, probably because they know they're subjected to the fans and paparazzi at any given moment out here. They smile and engage with the few fans who approach them like always, and manage to make it to the local shopping mall.

Rumi feels like they might be all right, until they sit down at a cafe for lunch, and Zoey falls asleep at the table. And as badly as they want to let her sleep if she can, they can't let her do so in a place like that, so Mira and Rumi have to rouse her.

A while later at a clothing store, when Zoey and Rumi go into the changing room to try on some clothes, they come back to find Mira passed out on the bench waiting for them.

It doesn't take much more than that for them to all realize this wasn't working out the way they'd hoped, so they decide to head back home. They trek back along the sidewalks at a fatigued, yet determined pace, wanting to avoid calling a car if at all possible. Because Rumi knows if the two of them sit down now, there's no way she'd ever be able to get them both up on her own. She resorts to holding onto each of their hands and walking backward to coax them along.

"Come on. We're almost there."

"Ugh," Mira huffs. "This is awful… What's wrong with us?"

"At least we don't have any more demons to fight…" Zoey mutters.

Rumi admits to herself that she has a point. There was no way they'd be able to do their job as demon hunters if everyone was in this condition.

"Thankfully," she says out loud. "The Honmoon is as beautiful as ever tonight." Rumi looks up at the glittering barrier overhead. Mira and Zoey follow her gaze, and both smile faintly.

"It really is pretty."

"I'm glad we could remake it together."

For a moment, the three of them seem to forget about their troubles in favor of taking pride in the good they had done.

They walk the next couple of blocks slowly, as Mira and Zoey are beginning to sway. Rumi has to dive in more than once to catch each of them more than a few times. Zoey slips off another curb now as Rumi darts forward to steady her.

"Sorry…" Zoey mumbles again.

"It's okay. We're almost home." Rumi says as much, hoping her voice doesn't betray her nervousness. A spark of relief flickers in her chest when she feels some of Zoey's weight being taken from her as Mira moves in to help.

"Come on, Zo. We can do this."

"Yeah…" Zoey sighs. "We're gonna sleep really good tonight…"

By now, their building is in sight. Rumi and Mira go slowly, supporting Zoey between them, though Rumi can tell that Mira is really struggling too. But giving herself the task of taking care of Zoey is more or less forcing her to stay focused and keep going. Rumi tries a new tactic and invites Zoey to talk as much as she can about whatever is on her mind.

"What about those turtles?" she prompts her. "The ones you mentioned at the bookstore. Or any kind of turtle! Give us all the cool facts!"

"Well…" Zoey mumbles. "There's this kind that lives in Australia…"

They let her ramble a bit as they lead her down the final block to their building. Mira pushes through one step at a time, forcing herself to reopen her eyes after every blink.

And at last they reach the doors and hobble inside together toward the elevator. Zoey has tapered off into nothing but unintelligible mumbles. Rumi lets out a loud whistle.

"We made it…"

"Somehow…" Mira yawns. "Man, if we don't all sleep tonight, I'm gonna sue someone…"

The elevator lurches and starts taking them up. And that's when Rumi's patterns quiver with that strange feeling again. Inadvertently, she looks up at Mira. But Mira's reaction is still one of tired confusion.

"Rumi? What's the matter?"

Rumi turns to look out the glass elevator at the Honmoon again. But there still aren't any tears or anything out of the ordinary.

"I just… I got that feeling again… Like there are demons…"

Mira just shakes her head.

"I still don't feel anything… You're probably just exhausted from taking care of us all day. Make sure you get some sleep too, Rumi."

"Yeah. I will..."

The elevator dings and stops at the top floor. The girls limp out with Zoey already dead on her feet between them. The second Rumi slides her keycard into the door, it takes everything they've got not to just slump onto the floor right then and there.

They manage to make it to Zoey's room before they all collapse onto the bed. Rumi only gets up to remove everyone's shoes for them before tossing a blanket over the other two. They're unconscious in seconds, and for once, Rumi would rather let them sleep than nag them to change their clothes and brush their teeth.

She leaves a soft kiss on each of their cheeks before she heads off to do those things herself. She's only in the bathroom for ten minutes or so, but during that time, she feels that uneasy sensation a few more times.

"Mira's right," she mutters. "I'm just exhausted…"

She returns to Zoey's bedroom to find them both still curled up, still asleep. Rumi smiles and joins them, slipping herself in beside Zoey. Putting an arm around her side, Rumi tucks herself into the nape of Zoey's neck and closes her eyes, willing them all a good night's sleep.

But it can't be an hour later when she's roused by the sound of more whimpers. Rumi props herself up on her elbow and peers over Zoey's shoulder to find her trembling. Wanting to wake her but let Mira keep sleeping, Rumi keeps her voice in a low, desperate whisper.

"Zoey-" Rumi hugs her and turns Zoey over to face her direction, caressing her face gently. "Zoey, wake up."

Zoey struggles for a moment before Rumi succeeds in waking her. She lets out a soft cry as her senses come back to her.

"Ah… Rumi…?"

"I'm here, Zoey." Rumi presses a soft kiss to her forehead. "Mira's asleep. She's okay."

Zoey exhales and crumples against her.

"Thank goodness…"

"Here…" Rumi gets up briefly to reach out to Zoey's nightstand. She taps on a small nightlight in the shape of a turtle, and it fills the room with soft, shifting colors. "Maybe this will help a little."

Zoey smiles and pulls Rumi in to kiss her cheek.

"Thanks, Rumi."

"Of course." Rumi kisses her nose in turn. "Sweet dreams, Zoey."

Rumi waits until Zoey has closed her eyes, and her breathing has deepened before she lets herself try to fall back asleep as well. But the shadows in the room creep in on her, eventually taking the shape of demons. She can only lie there and watch helplessly as they drain the souls from Mira's and Zoey's bodies right beside her-

"Rumi!"

It's Mira's voice that wakes her only a few hours later. Rumi opens her eyes to find Mira looking down at her as the night light changes from purple to pink. Zoey is asleep on her chest, so Rumi does her best to keep quiet as she catches her breath.

"Mira…"

Mira heaves a loud sigh. Her eyes hold a hint of relief that she'd saved Rumi from the nightmare, but the majority of emotions in her gaze are troubled.

"Looks like none of us are safe tonight," she mutters. "You okay?"

Rumi gives a few shaky little nods.

"How long have you been up?"

"Two hours. I made myself some tea, and when I got back you weren't looking so good."

"Thanks for waking me up."

"Don't thank me yet," Mira says. "Something tells me we aren't done with all this."

"Yeah. Me, too…" Rumi puts one of her arms over Zoey and reaches for Mira with the other. When Mira takes her hand, Rumi can feel the three band-aids still over her fingers. "Let's just try to make it to the charity event. Then we can lie low for a bit as we try to figure out what's going on."

"Yeah…"

"Mir, get some sleep. I'll stay up a bit and watch over you guys."

"Will you?" Mira's comment is a gentle tease as she looks down at Rumi, who is entirely pinned with Zoey passed out on top of her. Rumi huffs. Mira smiles.

"I'll try," she says. "But you should go back to sleep, too. If anything happens, one of us will wake up."

Mira leans over to kiss her, and Rumi does all she can to kiss back. After kissing Zoey's head too, Mira lies back down beside them.

Rumi watches the colors of the night light shift through several cycles before closing her eyes again. The colors fade, until all that's left is darkness.

Chapter Text

Chapter 3.

The following morning, Rumi wakes in a cold sweat, though she considers herself lucky that she can't recall the nightmare too vividly. She doesn't let her mind dwell on it too much and simply opens her eyes.

Mira and Zoey are still asleep, though they don't seem to be very peaceful. Rumi isn't sure if she should wake them or let them rest, even if it's an uncomfortable sleep. She decides to wait a little longer, until it gets to the point where she starts getting concerned for Mira when she starts breathing hard. Rumi wakes her successfully, but in doing so ends up waking Zoey as well. They both look as exhausted as Rumi feels, and all confess they hadn't slept well at all, or had kept waking up and never managed to get a consistent rest.

Rumi offers to prepare breakfast this morning, encouraging the two of them to rest their eyes for a bit longer.

When she exits Zoey's bedroom, Rumi goes to the living room first to turn on the news. But just like before, there are no reports of missing people like there had been when Gwi-Ma had been a threat. Just the usual obituaries of people passing away in their homes, or traffic accidents. Another scan of the new Honmoon confirms that it's still as strong as ever, too.

After preparing some food and setting it up for them, Rumi heads back into Zoey's room. But both she and Mira are just laying there together with their eyes open, as if they'd tried to rest, but just couldn't bring themselves to. Rumi ushers them out to eat, and they try to plan their day.

Initially, some of the things they'd wanted to do when staying local during their hiatus included traveling a few towns over to visit a national park and a few museums. But none of them feel they're up for anything like that today. With the charity event only two days away, they agree to stay close to home in case they need to retreat quickly.

So they spend the day at their dance studio a few floors down, rehearsing their songs and choreography casually just to keep themselves in shape. Hearing their songs and dancing together proves to be fairly healing for the three of them, at least for the first few hours.

But when they pause to sit down for lunch, Rumi is the only one who gets back up afterward. Mira and Zoey end up falling asleep sitting up leaning against one another, so Rumi lets them rest for as long as possible.

It wouldn't have been the first time any of them had curled up on this floor and fallen asleep here over the years, so they had a few blankets and pillows in a cabinet in one corner, which Rumi fetches for them now. She sits quietly and listens to music on her phone, wanting to close her eyes and try to join them. But she would rather stay awake and monitor them to wake them up if anything started going wrong.

It's only about half an hour later when Mira wakes up on her own. Rumi is shocked as she removes her ear buds, keeping her voice low.

"Mira! Did you have another nightmare? I'm sorry, I didn't notice. You seemed fine-"

"No, don't worry about it," Mira says. "I don't think it was a nightmare this time. I kinda just… woke up for no reason… Maybe my body is just unconsciously waking itself up now before it thinks a nightmare can come…"

Rumi's heart sinks.

"Why is this happening to us…?" she mutters. "Everything was fine for the last week or so."

"I don't know, but it's not gonna be good if it keeps up."

"Maybe we should try some medicine," Rumi suggests. "Stuff that'll help us fall asleep and stay asleep."

"At this point, I'm willing to try it," Mira sighs, putting a hand to her forehead. "I can already barely keep my eyes open."

"Which is something else I don't understand," Rumi says. "I mean, this has only been happening for a couple of days and nights. But it's not like we haven't gone days without sleep before, right? All those nights leading up to big concerts or the Idol Awards where none of us would sleep for days, and even then we were able to push through and perform. So why is it affecting us so harshly now…?"

"Guess we're getting old."

Rumi cracks a smile at Mira's joke, but of course neither of them have a real answer.

It's then when Zoey begins to start breathing quickly, and Mira has to wake her before it gets worse. Zoey blinks her eyes open groggily, as if her eyelids weighed ten times as much as they should have.

"Ohhh man…" Zoey mumbles, looking down at the blankets Rumi had placed around her. "I don't even feel like I slept at all…"

Rumi and Mira share a glance, then pose their idea of trying sleep medicine.

"Especially since you're gonna be the one skating all day," Rumi reminds her.

"Yeah," Zoey says. "You're right. Let's try that."

They unanimously decide to call it a day from their dance practice and simply head back up to the top floor.

For the remainder of the afternoon, they busy themselves with chores and cleaning. Tasks that usually took them an hour at most now require double the amount of time due to how slowly everyone is functioning.

When it comes time for showers, they all go one at a time, despite all having their own private bathrooms. Someone is always stationed nearby in case whomever is showering makes any sort of sound of distress.

Thankfully, nothing like that happens. But Zoey nearly burns herself with her hair dryer when she's tending to it, and is only spared the pain by Rumi's quick reaction to take it from her. Mira forgets her glasses and nearly slips in a puddle on the tile, but Zoey is there to catch her. And when Mira is helping Rumi brush her hair after drying it, she has to lunge forward to grab her and prevent Rumi from falling off the stool and hitting her head.

By that time, they're all too exhausted to do anything other than have dinner delivered, but by the time it comes they all only eat half of their meals. At that point, Rumi brings out the bottle of sleeping pills.

"Okay. How should we do this?"

"Zoey definitely needs to sleep," Mira says. "Are your patterns bothering you again?"

Rumi had avoided mentioning the prickle in her skin tonight, but her patterns still visibly shift in color. It's very slight, so slight that Rumi herself barely even noticed, but leave it to Mira to be this keenly observant even when she was half-asleep on her feet.

"A little," Rumi confesses. "But-"

"Sleep," Mira says. "I'll stay up a bit and make sure you guys are okay."

"You can't stay up all night!" Zoey frets. "You've gotta try and rest too, okay?"

"I will. I'll take a pill a few hours after you guys. That way at least I'll know you rested a bit. Then just let me sleep in tomorrow."

Zoey and Rumi share a pensive look. To help ease their minds, Mira extends her right hand and offers her pinky finger.

"Promise."

Zoey and Rumi both reach out to hook all their pinkies together.

"Promise."

"Promise."

With this established, they clean up the living room, then head to Mira's room for the night. Zoey and Rumi take their pills with some water, and then lie down together, while Mira keeps herself sitting up beside them. She turns on her bedside lamp and puts on her glasses before opening a book. They all wish each other goodnight, and Mira leans down to kiss them both.

She only reads a single page before she notes the way their breathing deepens and slows into a matching pace. She waits, reading a bit more and forcing herself to get invested in the story so she can stay up.

She gets up every fifteen minutes or so to walk around the room or go to the bathroom to splash water on her face. Using these methods, Mira manages to keep herself up for two hours, during which time neither Zoey nor Rumi seem to be suffering any negative effects.

Keeping to her end of the deal, Mira takes her pill with some water shortly thereafter. It knocks her out before she can even remove her glasses or close her book properly, and she slumps down onto the pillow beside them.

Rumi can't shake the unseen weight off of her. She can't see, can't breathe, can't even cry for help.

Something's strangling her. She can feel it clutching at her throat, pushing down on her windpipe and pressing down on her chest until she can feel her ribs starting to crack-

She wakes just in time to feel herself rolling off the mattress, but she can't configure her senses quickly enough to save herself. Her head knocks against the night stand as she crashes onto the floor with a thud and a moan. The commotion wakes Zoey, and she sits up in a fluster.

"Rumi? Rumi-?" She scrambles to the side of the bed and peers over to find Rumi curled in on herself, clutching her head. Zoey yelps and drops down to kneel beside her. "Oh gosh, are you okay?! Are you bleeding? Here, lemme see-"

Zoey gently pries Rumi's hands away from her head to inspect for any traces of blood. Rumi hisses out a few pained breaths before managing a reply.

"I… I think I'm okay… ow…"

"Don't move. I'll go get you some ice." Zoey leaves her with a soft kiss to the head before staggering to her feet and hurrying off. Behind her on the bed, Rumi can't hear any movement from Mira, so she assumes she's still deeply asleep.

Good. Maybe that plan worked…

Zoey returns with a bag of crushed ice and slowly helps Rumi sit up before holding it against her bruised temple.

"Well-" Rumi rasps. "Other than that… Did you sleep well, Zoey?"

But to her dismay, Zoey looks away sheepishly.

"I mean… I think so? I know I was asleep but… my body doesn't feel like it was… I don't know how to describe it."

Before Rumi can say anything, a particularly hard throb shoots through her head, and she hisses again. Zoey gathers her close and cradles Rumi's head against her chest for a moment. She looks back up onto the bed where Mira is curled up facing them.

"She looks like she's okay," Zoey murmurs. "But what if she's trapped in a nightmare and we just can't tell…?"

Rumi slowly lifts her head as the throbbing subsides beneath the numbing ice.

"I'll stay with her and make sure she's okay."

Zoey nods.

"Okay. I'll start breakfast."

"Take it slow. There's no rush. Don't hurt yourself."

Zoey nods, and Rumi sends her off with a kiss.

Once Zoey has left, Rumi heaves herself back up onto the bed, putting the ice aside for now. She kneels down beside Mira, reaching out gently to first remove her glasses, and then carefully slide the book out from underneath her to put them on the night stand. Rumi looks her over, how the dark circles under her eyes have become a bit more prominent in spite of her having slept most of last night.

Whatever sleep they were all managing to get didn't seem to be all that restful.

Hoping that some physical touch might reach her in her sleep, Rumi gingerly strokes the backs of her nails through Mira's hair in light, soothing motions. She leans down to hold a kiss to her forehead, too.

The sunlight finally begins to seep into the room, and Rumi debates leaving Mira to let her sleep for as long as she possibly can. But no sooner than the thought has passed her mind than Mira makes a small, strangled sort of sound. Grazing her fingertips to the base of Mira's neck, she can feel the way her pulse spikes in a matter of seconds. Rumi knows that's her cue to act.

"Mira, wake up." Rumi gives her a light jostle. Mira chokes again, as if someone had been covering her mouth all this time. Her eyes tremble open, and instantly fill with wetness. Her voice is nothing more than a pitiful rasp.

"Rumi-"

The tears are already dripping down her face long before Rumi can process them. Helplessly, she tries to soothe Mira by framing her face with her hands.

"It's okay," she murmurs. "Everything's fine."

Mira chokes again, uttering a curse under her breath. Rumi lies down fully beside her and pulls Mira in against her chest, wrapping both arms around her protectively. Mira sobs quietly into her collar, clinging to her with enough force to imply how badly the nightmares had gripped her. Rumi runs both hands up and down Mira's back and through her hair, hushing her softly.

But in spite of her gentle ministrations, deep down, a fire is burning.

Fury. Outrage. Whatever was happening - she's had enough. She can't bear to see her loved ones like this anymore.

But I still don't even know what's causing it…

Was it some lingering curse Gwi-Ma uttered upon the Hunters right before he'd perished? Was it simply their own trauma surfacing tenfold? Or was it something else entirely…?

She wants answers, and she wants them before anyone can get hurt.

At last, Mira gets ahold of herself, swallowing down the last of the mucus before easing herself away. Rumi thumbs the tearstained circles beneath her eyes before leaning in to hold a kiss against her forehead. Mira heaves a sigh, returning the comfort by running her hand up and down Rumi's side. It's only now that she notices the bruise forming on Rumi's temple.

"What happened to you?"

Rumi gives a brief glance back at the night stand.

"Rude awakening."

"Geez… what the hell is going on?"

"Believe me, I wish I knew."

"Is Zoey okay?"

"Exhausted, but she's making breakfast."

"Let's go check on her."

Together, they help each other up and off the bed, where Mira takes her glasses and Rumi takes her ice before they proceed to the kitchen.

It appeared that Zoey had gotten started on preparing something, but had sat down at the island and fallen asleep halfway through. They leave her be and pick up where she'd left off with breakfast.

When Zoey does eventually wake a while later, she looks perhaps slightly better, though still clearly discombobulated. Rumi and Mira sit at the island with her as she eats now.

"So what do we think?" Rumi asks. "Did the medicine work?"

"Sort of?" Mira makes a pensive expression. "I don't know. I feel like I slept, but I also didn't sleep."

"That's what I said, too," Zoey chimes in. "So I mean, at least for tonight until the event tomorrow, I think we should keep it up."

"Yeah, I'm starting to wonder if we can just postpone that or something…" Rumi pulls out her cell phone. "Bobby did say it was a pretty small thing. I'll give him a call."

The line only rings once before there's a jovial response from that familiar voice.

"Hey! What's up, girls?"

The three of them give their unanimous answer.

"Hi, Bobby!"

"Enjoying your mini vacay before tomorrow's event?"

"Actually-" Rumi takes the reins from here. "We were just wondering if-"

"I mean, I know I said it was gonna be just a little thing, but can you believe we've nearly quadrupled our numbers of attendees?! It's incredible!"

Rumi's heart sinks as she watches Mira's and Zoey's hopeful expressions fade. This always seemed to happen to them, and they would all just roll over and go along with it for the fans.

But this time… this time that flame in Rumi's chest flares up - that desire to look out for Mira and Zoey like they were always doing for her.

She conjures up her determination and keeps her voice firm.

"Actually, Bobby… I-I don't think we can-"

"We'll be there! Can't wait!"

To Rumi's surprise, Zoey cuts her off and shouts over her with a smile. Rumi gives her an incredulous look, but Zoey returns it with one of certainty. On the other line, Bobby is delighted.

"Great! Oh, I cannot wait to see the numbers we're gonna pull in for this charity! You girls are gonna make amazing things possible! Rest up today and I'll see you bright and early tomorrow at the skate park!" And with this, he hangs up.

Rumi looks back at Zoey cautiously.

"Zoey, are you sure? You couldn't even get through making breakfast this morning."

"Rumi's right," Mira cuts in. "Just because you're a prodigal skater doesn't mean you can withstand an entire day out performing in the sun running on no sleep."

"I won't be," Zoey says. "Because I'll just stay here all day today and rest. I think we all should. I mean, we're bound to get some rest within the next 24 hours if we try, right?"

Rumi and Mira share an uncertain glance. Zoey sighs.

"I mean, you guys heard him… the numbers have quadrupled. Maybe if this was just another meet-and-greet, we could've gotten away with rescheduling. But this is a charity event. And we're on hiatus. There's no excuse we could give that wouldn't result in negative backlash. And we can't do that to Bobby, or the charity that's relying on us."

With every word Zoey speaks, Rumi and Mira know it's that much more impossible to deny.

"Damn it," Mira sighs. "You're so right, but for once I wish you weren't, Zo."

"We'll go with your plan," Rumi decides. "We'll just try to rest as much as possible today and tonight, just to make it through tomorrow. Then, we're getting to the bottom of this."

"Do you have any ideas?" Mira wonders.

Rumi falters.

"Not really… but we've got to try something… Let me think on it."

And so, they all congregate to the couch together, piling up blankets and pillows and closing the curtains. They let the TV play for some background noise, but don't really watch or listen. They simply get comfortable however they can, and try to close their eyes.

And despite how exhausted they are, the little sleep they do manage between the three of them over the course of the day is minimal, and hard-earned.

They fall into a routine of sorts, that being that at least one of them is awake at all times. Whoever that role falls to would comfort and look out for the others, until someone else inevitably woke, and then the dynamic would shift. No one sleeps for much longer than an hour at a time, which makes the day feel both unbearably long, and painfully short.

By the time evening falls, everyone seems just as enervated as they had been this morning. They take turns showering again, looking out for one another to make sure no one gets woozy or burns herself with a hair dryer. Dinner is small and unsatisfying when they're all too tired to enjoy it, and before they know it they've found themselves back in Zoey's bedroom.

Rumi distributes medicine for everyone to take at the same time tonight, as they'd decided they should all rest as much as possible. They each also vow to wake the others if they need comfort in the middle of the night.

"Let's just get through tomorrow," Rumi says. She feels that prickling in her patterns again, but keeps quiet, not wanting to worry the others now.

They all get comfortable, putting Zoey at the center tonight so Rumi and Mira can watch over her.

After saying their goodnights, the girls cautiously close their eyes and wait for whatever is to come.

Chapter Text

Chapter 4.

The night is restless for everyone. So much so that by the time their alarms go off early the next morning, Zoey feels like she hadn't slept longer than an hour or two. And yet, when she sits herself up to look at Rumi and Mira, they seem to have slept even less than she did.

But it's gotten to the point where everyone has become so nervous about the nightmares that they didn't even want to bother trying going back to sleep - they'd all just rather be awake and exhausted, because at least they were together.

They all get up and get ready in their respective bathrooms, all needing to put on some extra makeup and eyeshadow to conceal the bags under their eyes, and Rumi decides to wear a sun hat in order to hide the bruise on her temple. Mira puts on a snap-back hat as well, hoping the shading will help hide her exhaustion. Luckily, their only dress code for today was to wear their Huntrix shirts, but other than that, Rumi and Mira just stick with leggings while Zoey chooses a pair of shorts.

When they all reconvene in the living room, Zoey cracks a tired smile, which quickly spreads to the others.

"Wow," Zoey chuckles. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say we didn't all look like sleep-deprived zombies."

"Makeup is a powerful thing," Rumi laughs. "Are you sure you're up for all this today, Zoey?"

"I'll be fine!" Zoey gives a few excited little bounces to work up her energy. "I slept a bit last night. And once I'm on the board, I won't even need to think or keep my eyes open anyway! It'll all just come naturally~"

"That's great, and all," Mira says. "But please try to keep your eyes open."

"Roger!"

They all share a light laugh, then come together for a group hug. It's refreshing to have something to focus on other than their dilemma right now. Being Huntrix in front of their fans for the day might have been the motivation they needed in order to find their energy.

Rumi's phone buzzes as they part from the embrace.

"Bobby's here. Let's do this."

They all grab hands and give a squeeze.

"Huntrix!"

With the little ceremony completed, the three of them head to the elevator.

As they exit the building and locate their car, the girls put on their best smiles as they greet Bobby. They eat in the car as Bobby gives them the run-down of how the event will work; essentially, Rumi and Mira would be off signing autographs live and distributing pre-signed items for Zoey, while Zoey herself would be skating with paying participants. It sounded simple enough, and had they all been well-rested and not so unnerved, it would have been a fun day all around.

But as things are, they arrive at the skate park and step out of the car with a sense of tension about them.

The park had been decorated with banners and signs to promote the charity, and there was already a sizable line of people waiting to enter. Cheers go up as the girls make their way through, though no one is let in just yet.

The park is quite large, with the majority of it being the skating rink, small obstacle courses, rails, platforms, and so on. There were several benches and chairs lining the perimeter, and in today's case, a Huntrix merch booth had been set up as well, with signs and information about the charity all the proceeds would be going toward. Lively music - primarily their own songs - was being played from a set of speakers. There were also paramedics on-site in case of an emergency.

Zoey has to admit that the sight of the park sparks a flare of excitement within her, though she knows she'll have to be extremely cautious.

When the four of them finally come to a halt at the merch booth, Rumi suddenly poses a question.

"Hey, Bobby? How long did you say this event would run for?"

"Well let's see… we've got multiple sessions scheduled for twenty minutes each, with ten minute breaks and a half-hour lunch in between soooo roughly 3 hours, give or take."

"Perfect. One sec, I'll be right back."

"Huh?" Mira asks. "Rumi, where are you going?"

"Just to the convenience store!" she calls back.

"Be careful!" Zoey knows her request must sound a bit odd to Bobby. But knowing what she does about Rumi's lack of sleep right now, and how easily she could sway or collapse as a result, Zoey can't help it.

Thankfully, Rumi really does return in just a few minutes with a packet of energy drinks.

"Maybe these'll help," she says to the others privately. "We'll get five hours of energy and then hopefully we'll crash enough to sleep through the night."

"Sounds healthy," Mira comments. "But I'm willing to try anything at this point."

"Same here," Zoey agrees.

They down their drinks at the same time, right before Bobby calls for them to get ready. Zoey turns to head off, but before she goes, Mira and Rumi each grab one of her hands.

"Take it easy, Zo."

"Seriously. If you need a break, just stop."

And in spite of the heavy blanket of fatigue that's been weighing down on her for days now, Zoey feels a cozy warmth spread through her chest when she sees them looking so worried for her. She skips back to them, leaving a kiss on each of their cheeks.

"I will," she promises. "You guys do the same."

They come together for a group hug, one where Zoey can feel their resistance in letting her go. But as the first wave of fans is let in, Zoey parts from Mira and Rumi while blowing them each one more kiss. She grabs a Huntrix skateboard from beside the stand and puts on her biggest brightest smile before skipping up to the first group of squealing, excited fans.

"Good morning, everyone! Thank you all so much for coming today to support charity! It really means the world to us. Now, first thing's first, helmets, shin-guards, and elbow-pads!"

Keeping her voice and energy high, she prances around the group to inspect their gear and help fasten helmets for some of the younger kids. She gives some tips about how to balance and move and stick to the board, as well as what to do if they feel like they're losing balance or falling.

"Don't try to do things you aren't ready for," she advises. "But most importantly, just have fun! Let's gooooo~!"

With a cheer, Zoey kicks down her board and hops on, then coasts her way down into the rink. She just tries to focus on the feeling of the wind against her face, and listen to the laughter and cheers of the fans all around her as they follow.

She skates a lap around the rink, looping back to where Mira and Rumi are busy singing autographs at the booth. Zoey launches herself up over the lip of the rink, catches their eyes, and blows them a quick kiss before repositioning her board and coasting back down.

The first session comes and goes without incident, and in the ten-minute break, Zoey skates herself over to the others. Mira and Rumi perk up when they hear her coming and hurry to meet her.

"Hey," Mira says, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah!" Zoey makes a triumphant fist. "I think Rumi's energy drinks are working!"

"That's good," Rumi smiles. "But still, make sure you're extra careful out there."

"Got it! How are you guys doing up here?"

"Just warming up," Mira says, rotating her wrist. "I could sign a thousand more, no problem."

Rumi passes Zoey a cold bottle of water the two of them had already started on, and Zoey graciously takes a few gulps. Once the break is over, she salutes them before she goes out to meet her next group.

Zoey repeats the same script as she had with the first group, gliding around to skate alongside the fans, helping them up when they fall, and cheering for them when they manage a trick. She shows off her abilities as well, shredding the rails or spinning off the platforms or coasting high off the rink before smoothly rolling back down. She does her best to create a worthwhile spectacle for the fans and donors.

Meanwhile, Mira and Rumi sign merch and pose for photos.

By the time their lunch break rolls around, Zoey rejoins them at a picnic table in the shade.

"How're you guys feeling?"

"Y'know," Mira replies. "Not bad. I'm not feeling it as much."

"Maybe it's over," Rumi says hopefully. "Maybe it was just some weird fluke."

"Don't know, don't care," Mira huffs. "As long as it's done. But I guess we'll know for sure in a couple hours when that stuff wears off."

"How are you feeling, Zoey?"

"Great! Much better than when I woke up. I really hope it's not just because of the energy drink…"

"Me, too," Rumi agrees. "Either way, let's keep being a bit cautious as we wrap this up, okay?"

Mira and Zoey nod their agreement.

When lunch is over, Zoey gets right back into the swing of things. She hypes up the next group of fans with her routine, encouraging them all to try whatever they're comfortable with.

The sun shifts overhead as she makes it through the next few groups, until at last the final session is nearing its end. Rumi and Mira are almost sold out of merch by this point, so the timing seems perfect.

Zoey patrols the rink, weaving herself between the fans and offering high-fives and cheers as she passes. A glance at the park clock tower tells her she's only got a few minutes left.

And yet, one second is all it takes.

One second.

Because one second, she is completely fine.

And the next, she can't keep her eyes open.

The weighted, drowning sense of fatigue hits her like a train - all at once, across every inch of her body. A young boy rolls his skateboard out right in front of her, and Zoey doesn't have enough time or sense to react properly. She swerves to avoid him, and her board flies out from beneath her sneakers. She hits the cement with concussive force, hearing her helmet crack beneath her ear as she skids across the rink, skin burning, head throbbing. She hears the screams, but everything is black…

Mira and Rumi are signing some of their last autographs when they hear the shrieks. Immediately, their hearts stop as if being grabbed by the claws of some monster that squeezes and squeezes until they can't breathe. Their eyes meet, wide with terror, and their voices are thin with a mutual dread.

"Zoey-"

They tear off across the cement, skidding down the slope of the rink at full speed.

"Zoey!"

She's lying there crumpled on her side, unmoving. Rumi feels like her heart is lodged halfway up her throat as she rushes to her and falls to her knees.

"Zoey!"

Mira stumbles and drops down beside her a second later, her voice thick with fear.

"Medic!"

They can hear Bobby and the other staff and security frantically trying to control the crowds above them.

Rumi is shaking all over, and her stomach is churning so hard she feels she might be sick right then and there.

"Zoey? Zoey-?"

"Don't touch her-" Mira's warning is firm, but gentle as she holds Rumi back with her own trembling hands. Rumi feels as though her very soul has splintered in those seconds of sheer terror. At the very least, she doesn't see any blood, but that doesn't mean it isn't there.

A man and a woman from the paramedic team reach them, and Mira pulls Rumi back a bit to clear the way. Mira has to swallow back the bile in her own throat as she feels Rumi start to break. Her breathing becomes wild with panic, and her patterns start to flash to reflect the terror in her pulse.

"Hey, hey-" Mira has to be strong for the both of them. "Rumi, breathe." She does all she can to try and calm her, but the stress of it all has stinging tears forming in her eyes too…

Zoey is vaguely aware of the voices all around her, though she can't make out what they're saying for a good minute or so. But she can feel something in her heart. Something pulling her back up from the depths. She can hear them crying-

With a gasp, she opens her eyes all at once, finding herself exactly as she'd fallen. The medics haven't even touched her yet before she pushes herself up.

"I'm okay!" She makes sure to blurt the words out loud and clear, for anyone and everyone around who needs to hear them. There's a cry of relief from the crowd surrounding them, and she watches Bobby sink to his knees with relief. Zoey peels off her broken helmet and lets it drop to the ground, looking past the medics as they start asking her questions and inspecting the blood and dirt smeared across her right arm and leg where she'd skidded.

"I'm fine-" she says again. She finally spots Rumi and Mira, beside themselves with terror not far behind. Zoey calls out one more time. "Rumi, Mira, I'm okay!"

When they hear her voice, and turn to see her sitting up, the pair sob with relief.

"Zoey-"

"Oh, thank god-"

From there, it's a bit chaotic, but at the very least everyone knows Zoey is all right. The medics check her over, cleaning and disinfecting the scrapes on her arm and leg, checking for a concussion, and a dozen other things. Zoey passes all of the tests, but they still recommend bringing her to the hospital anyway. Rumi and Mira insist on going with her and refuse to take no for an answer.

Bobby leaves the crowd control to security and accompanies them, staying in the waiting room with Rumi and Mira as Zoey is brought in to be looked over.

Zoey is painfully sore and exhausted, but otherwise fine, and she can't stand being away from them. The second she's released from the room, she rushes to Rumi and Mira and throws her arms around them in spite of the panging aches it causes. When she gets a good look at their faces, she can see where all their makeup has smeared and melted off from how much they'd been crying. She just pulls them in close again, wanting them both to accept the reality.

"I'm okay," she sighs, patting their backs. "Everything's okay."

Rumi is still crying too much to speak, but Mira manages to find her voice.

"Thank god, Zoey…" Her fingers curl tightly into the back of Zoey's shirt. "You scared the shit out of us."

"Sorry," she murmurs. "I-"

"It's my fault-" Rumi hiccups. "If I hadn't insisted on those drinks, you wouldn't have crashed-"

"That's not it-" Zoey stops her, weaving little kisses into her hair. "Rumi, it's not your fault. I promise. None of this is any of our faults. We're just… so tired…" She tapers off, and the others feel the weight of that helplessness.

Bobby gives them a few more minutes together before gently coaxing them out to the car. He drives them home, and all the while Rumi and Mira don't let go of Zoey in between them. When the car finally stops, Bobby holds the door to let them out, handing Zoey the pain killers she'd been prescribed.

"Now if you girls need anything - and I mean anything - at any point in the night, for any reason at all-"

"We know," Rumi says, giving him a tired, but sincere smile. "We'll call. Thanks, Bobby."

The three of them come together to hug him before wishing him goodnight.

But the moment they're alone again in that elevator, all three of them fall into a solemn state of quiet. Zoey has to lean against Mira due to her leg.

When they exit onto their floor and finally limp back to the suite, they collapse onto the couch together. Zoey slumps herself against Rumi's shoulder with a sigh.

"I'm sorry, you guys. We were literally almost done-"

"Hey." Rumi nudges her softly. "Didn't you say it yourself? It's none of our faults." She offers the tiniest little lopsided smile. Zoey smiles back.

"You're right. Thanks, Rumi." She then turns to Mira. "How bad is it online?"

Mira pulls out her cell phone, only needing to swipe for a second before finding half of Seoul talking about the incident.

"I mean, for starters, you're trending," she reports. "But it's all framing you as the hero. 'Huntrix Lyricist Purposefully Wipes Out at Charity Event to Avoid Injuring Child - Sustained Minor Injuries.'"

"Well, that's something," Zoey chuckles. "At least they didn't catch on that we're actually all just sleep-deprived and slowly losing our minds."

"It's already gone too far." Rumi feels another twinge beneath her skin and directs her gaze out the window at the Honmoon. It's still perfectly intact, but she just can't think of any other reason for her patterns to be reacting.

Mira and Zoey can read her thoughts.

"You really think it's demons?" Mira asks.

"I'm not sure." Rumi glances down at the patterns on her hands and forearms. The colors tremble slightly. "Especially if you guys aren't sensing anything… But this feeling hasn't gone away ever since all this started. It has to be demons." She gets to her feet, keeping her eyes on the night outside. "I'm going out to see if I can find anything."

Mira and Zoey both instantly reach out to stop her.

"Whoa, there-"

"Hold on, Rumi."

With both of them holding her back, Rumi looks down to see just how worried they are. Their faces are streaked with makeup and dried tears, and there's a deep, painful fatigue clouding their eyes. But that spark of concern is still clear as day.

"We're not letting you go out there alone." Mira's tone is stern, unwavering. "Not after today. You were so upset and exhausted you nearly threw up."

"Tomorrow," Zoey insists. "We can all head out tomorrow and see if we can find anything. But we should stay here for tonight. All of us." She can tell that Rumi still wants to think of an excuse to go alone, so she plays dirty, just this once. "Please, Rumi."

And Rumi knows she's beat. She can't bear that scared, forlorn look in Zoey's eyes, especially when she's all bandaged up like this. To further solidify her stalemate, Mira gives her an equally imploring look.

"Tomorrow," Mira agrees. "For tonight, you've gotta try to rest, too. I'm worried about you, Rumi."

Rumi bites her lip, but her legs give, and she collapses back onto the couch with them.

"All right," she concedes. "Tomorrow."

From there, the evening proceeds like they have been for the past several nights.

The girls help each other stay awake long enough to get changed and go about their routines. Zoey needs extra help due to how sore she is from just making the most basic movements. They have to help her change into her pajamas and eat her dinner, and when they eventually lie down to try and sleep, Zoey has to rest on her left side. Usually, she would lie on her right to face Rumi, but now they have to rearrange themselves.

Zoey lies on her back on the right side of the bed, so her injured side won't be bumped by anyone in the night. Rumi takes the left side, just in case her hunch is correct and she has to slip away to confront this threat. That leaves Mira in the center for once, already halfway gone by the time her head hits the pillow.

Zoey curls up on her left side to face her, lightly resting her head on Mira's chest. Draping an arm around Zoey's back, Mira turns her head to the side to kiss her head. Rumi lies down on Mira's other side, putting an arm across her stomach. The two of them exchange a tired kiss.

Rumi doesn't even get to offer them the option of the sleeping pills tonight, as they're both out before she can even wish them goodnight. Zoey hadn't even had the chance to take her pain killers. Rumi just hopes that meant she hadn't felt like she needed them.

That sensation ripples across her patterns again, but Rumi closes her eyes.

Tomorrow.

Tomorrow she'd begin the search for answers, and hopefully find something that could put an end to all this.