Chapter Text
Rumi had been a mistake since the day she was born. She knew this. She had reminded herself a million times as she stared into the mirror, her pattern permanently staining her skin with the painful reminder.
But even with her constant reminders to herself, the constant voice in her head berating her every second of every day, she still seemed to make mistake after mistake.
A mistake only bringing more mistakes into the world, how ironic isn’t it.
And she was about to make the single biggest mistake of her life.
~~~~~~~~~~
The past few days had been hard on them all. Rumi had been questioning her entire existence and everything she was taught about it. Zoey and Mira had been questioning why Rumi had become so distant and indecisive, questioning everything they did and stood for.
Rumi was always a pillar for them. Always their righteous leader willing to lend a hand or throw herself into battle to save them. But that was changing. And it hurt.
Rumi didn’t mean to get so worked up. To yell and start a fight with her girls. She was simply at her boiling point, and so so tired of hiding. Distancing herself. Refusing to allow her soul to finally intertwine with Zoey and Mira’s. Because she knew. She knew darkness was all they would find. And they would hate her, she was certain of that.
But of course, she didn’t have to tie her soul to theirs for them to see the mistake she was.
“Not everything is about your insecurities MIRA!”
The Honmoon hissed and quivered around them, a wave of red spreading across the world for all to see.
Rumi instantly felt the noose tighten around her neck. The anxiety creeping up her spine, tingling as her arm and torso started to burn.
Mira and Zoey were frozen. Staring at her like she had single handedly ripped their hearts from their chests. Which in a way, Rumi guessed she did.
“I-I can explain!” She pleaded, reaching towards Zoey and Mira.
If there was any hope they would come back from this, it was extinguished the moment Mira took a step back, shielding Zoey with her arm. The Honmoon shimmered between them as Mira’s gok-do formed at her side.
Rumi hadn’t even noticed the horde of demons behind her. Her ears were deaf beyond the roaring of her pulse in her ears. Senses dampened by the stabbing pain of heart break in her chest, and scorching pain spreading across her body. Mapping and burning her regrets, her fear, her mistakes into her very being.
In reality, she would probably thank the demon that gouged his claws through her midsection. It saved Mira the agony of doing it herself, because, for reasons beyond Rumi comprehension, she could still see the love Mira held for her.
She could see how Mira flinched as the claws tore through her like she was no more than paper beneath a knife. She could see Mira’s eyes widen in horror as the blood spilled from Rumi’s stomach. She could see Mira’s mouth open in a scream, even if she couldn’t hear it. She could see Mira charging towards her, a feral, primal sort of anger on her face as she sliced through every demon that dare get between them.
But in the end, Mira faltered. As Rumi reached back out, one hand desperately trying to hold her inside in, the other reaching for support, for the people she loved most. Mira froze just out of reach.
Her look of betrayal reignited, pain seeping in, the look of disgust barely hidden didn’t go unnoticed either. Even if Rumi was falling, her vision blurring, tunneling.
She wondered if her mom would be proud of Mira. If she would deal the finishing blow to finally get her revenge on the one who killed her, if she were here.
Rumi didn’t even realize she teleported until her body slammed onto the cold tiles beneath her.
Her vision was hazy and blurred as she forced her eyes open, but that didn’t hinder her from knowing where she was. She had been here for years, had so many cherished memories with the loves of her life. The other parts of her soul. Those who now hated her.
She didn’t know why she pulled out her phone. Why she opened Celine’s contact. Maybe she was just feeling sentimental in her final moments. Maybe she wanted her surrogate mother to know that her love, her soul was finally avenged after all these years.
“A demon with no feelings don’t deserve to live.” Rumi hummed to herself, a self-pitying, but accepting smile resting across her face as the penthouse around her swirled and disappeared.
~~~~~~~~~~
Celine was aware having her phone on the table during a meeting wasn’t proper etiquette, but with her and Huntrix’s line of work, she felt it was justified. Even if her phone never dinged.
Except for today, which was odd. She had felt the shudder in the honmoon, felt it rip apart for a large tear into the demon realm. Maybe her successors finally needed her help, she wouldn’t mind getting back into the field, on some levels she missed it.
I’m sorry we couldn’t fix me.
Celine hasn’t stood up faster in all her years of life.
All she could manage was a quick, “emergency,” over her shoulder as she ran out of the meeting room, leaving all her business partners to stare at her in confusion. But right now, she didn’t care what anyone thought of her.
Celine already had her phone tracker open before stepping foot out of the meeting room, and it was perplexing. According to her tracker, Rumi was home while Zoey and Mira were at the station across town. She had never told the girls she tracked them, she knew they would protest and hate the idea, but it always gave her piece of mind.
She quickly called Mira, already clicking the elevator button over and over.
“Hello?”
Mira sounded down, weary. Not good.
“Hey, is Rumi with you by chance?” Celine asked, trying to keep any emotion out of her voice.
“Uh… No… No she… uh disappeared.”
Celine didn’t need to hear anything else. She quickly hung up and jumped in the elevator, punching in her code for the penthouse, while making a mental note to apologize for her rudeness to Mira.
The elevator door had barely slid open by the time Celine was barreling through it, only to be halted in her tracks.
Rumi was leaning against the island counter in the kitchen, her body entirely limp. And there was blood. Lots of blood.
Celine raced forward, sliding across the floor to Rumi’s side. She slammed one hand on top of Rumi’s that were crossed above her wound. She used the other to feel for a pulse.
She repositioned her hand a half dozen times, lifted Rumi’s chin, and even held her breath until her head became light, but she couldn’t feel anything.
And Rumi was so, so pale and still.
“Rumi. Rumi I really need you to listen to me okay? Everything will be fine if you just wake up.” Celine pleaded, her throat tightening as her chest ached.
She hadn’t felt this type of pain since the day… that day. She desperately dug her phone back out of her pocket and dialed the only person she thought would be able to help.
“Rumi, I’m calling aunt Kim. She’ll – She’ll know how to help you.”
Celine could feel the panic rise in her chest as the phone kept ringing, as Rumi’s pulse continued to stay still, as blood continued to stain her hands, her very being.
“Please Kim, not now.” She pleaded, clicking the redial button.
“Celine, you know I’m at work and very busy.” Kim hissed in a whisper.
“Kim! Rumi is dying!” She yelled, willing her phone to magically teleport Kim to their location.
The line was silent for a long moment, Celine even thought Kim might have hung up on her, until, “I’m on my way. What do you need?” was hurriedly spoken, the loud clash of shoes against the group audible in the background.
“I- I don’t know. Blood. She’s bleeding a lot. Um… bandages lot of bandages.” Celine couldn’t think. Couldn’t do anything but pray to the Honmoon that it wouldn’t let Rumi go so easily. Wouldn’t let her soul be ripped in two all over again.
“Okay. Just keep holding pressure. And Celine, she won’t be joining Mi-yeong today. Just stay with her until I get there.” Kim reassured, rifling through unseen packages.
Celine could feel her heart twinge as the line beeped and then silenced. She really couldn’t be alone right now, but she had to stay strong. Had to stay collected.
As she started box breathing to keep her mind focused, she swears Kim had pulled Rumi back from the heavens herself, because a small thrum tickled across her fingers.