Old Scars

The memory that was engraved deeply into the female angel’s mind, flowed through each and every nerve in her arm. The transfer sent an uncomfortable wave of tingling, a chain of pins and needles down the limb; Sae-Young grimaced at how the pain she felt that day began to resurface along her fragile spine. She furrowed her eyebrows together and hissed quietly at how a sharp pain shot up her back, which coursed through her spinal cord and stabbed at each and every vertebrae. The young woman bit her lip as she transferred the agonizing sensations and memory to Hoseok’s mind as they held onto each other’s wrists. However, she managed to dilute the pain, as to not hurt Hoseok.

Hoseok scornfully accepted and absorbed the young angel’s memory, letting it soak into the depths of his brain.  In order to fully understand what was happening, to get a firm grasp on why SeokJin suddenly came to earth with Sae-Young and Taehyung following not too far behind, he needed to see what happened while he and Jimin were gone. As the recollection played through his head like a movie clip, he felt everything that she felt; the burning emotions coursing through her veins, not to mention feeling the slight pain of her back hitting the wall. Hoseok felt his own anger rising inside of his chest- Namjoon hurt his own sister that he swore to protect and care forever since their parents passed away. Just because he wouldn’t accept the fact that SeokJin still needed more time, he hurt Sae-Young to the point where she couldn’t walk for a couple of days.

The two angels pulled away from each other’s wrists, the recollection fresh in both of their minds. Sae-Young stumbled back after severing the link between the two of them, but Taehyung swiftly caught her and slowly set her down onto the floor. He leaned his soulmate against his chest as he let a healing code swirl around her.

“You alright?” Hoseok whispered, crouching down beside her.
He slowly reached out towards her, resting his hand onto the woman’s shoulder. The older angel bit his lip, eyes focused on her pained face.
“I-I’m okay…” she grimaced. “Just channelling it reawakened old scars.”

Hoseok watched helplessly as Taehyung wrapped his arms tightly around Sae-Young, rocking her back and forth to offer once last ounce of comfort.

“That was the first time Namjoon ever hurt her,” Taehyung hissed, tucking Sae-Young’s hair behind her ear. “I still haven’t forgiven him for it.”

Sae-Young slowed her heavy breathing and relied on Taehyung to finish his code.

“I still have no idea why Namjoon suddenly wanted me to go after SeokJin, he wouldn’t tell me. Those two haven’t talked to each other since the day he resigned, I don’t know what’s going on through his head,” Sae-Young sighed.

Hoseok knew Namjoon better than most people, except his sister, he could easily decipher the man’s words. His intentions were always clear to Hoseok, and most of the time he wouldn’t hesitate to his old friend and leader. However, as many, many years passed, they have both grown further without each other, there was no doubt that their ideals and values diverged from each other. But, Namjoon was still his friend, as much as he wants to punch his face in for hurting his sister, he needed to understand him now, more than ever.

“How about the others? Are they okay?” Hoseok asked, remembering the other’s he and Jimin left behind.
Taehyung nodded, a small smile sparking up on his lips. He remembered one of his younger friends, but he hasn’t seen him for a very long time now.
“Jungkook was stationed on the Whalein Islands for a mission a few hundred years ago. We haven’t been able to talk since his relocation. Yoongi is fine however, he’s just doing what he usually does,” the younger male answered.
Hoseok chuckled softly, his mouth curling into a smile.
“Taking naps, cussing out anyone and everyone who disturbs said naps?"
Taehyung nodded with an amused smile. Sae-Young finally felt the pain in her spine ebb away, and she sat up against her soulmate.
“Though Namjoon wanted me to bring SeokJin back to the Angelic Realm,” she spoke, swallowing the lump in her throat. “I don’t plan on taking him just yet.”

Both Hoseok and Taehyung gave the young woman a confused gaze and head tilt. Taehyung was sure that once they found the man they were looking for, the two of them were to take him back home, compliant or kicking and screaming.

“Jagiyah, what do you mean?” Taehyung asked.

“I have been thinking about this for a while. SeokJin knows better than to fly into the storm without a navigator,” she replied, earning nods from both men. “However, there must have been some reason as to why he threw all common sense out the window and flew into the clouds that night.”

SeokJin must have felt something that would drive him to the edge- something that would command him to fly into Heaven’s Storm, not caring about what could happen to him. If Sae-Young recalled correctly, the man’s soulmark was still on his chest, albeit barely. However, he still has some sort of connection to Charlie’s soul, even if she fell.

The day where she flew over to the eight squad guard island was fresh in her memory. It was a shame that she couldn’t talk to Dalia about what was currently on her mind, she hoped that it would give him hope. The hope of him seeing his daughter, Charlie once again. Though she will not be the same person as she was before, there was still the thought of her remembering where she came from. The angels just needed to find the body her soul inhabits and find some sort of spark that will ignite her memories.

Hoseok’s lips curled up into a smile upon hearing Sae-Young’s theory- that Charlie’s soul was on earth and was inside another person similar to her. He thought that Sae-Young and Taehyung arrived not a moment too soon and that they were on the same track as him and Jimin. The moment Mollie told them her dream, nothing but SeokJin could have triggered something like that.

“Well, you don’t have to look far,” he chimed.

This time, Sae-young tilted her head in intrigue and curiosity. Hoseok offered a cheeky smile, offering a hand to help the two up.

“SeokJin beat you to it.”