Chapter Three: Not without You

A/n: Well, it seems with the time line now figured out, I'm moving a things a bit faster. I'm sorry if they progress a bit faster than expected, but there's still gonna be a bit more before we get to the actual canon events. Anyways, I hope you enjoy it~! Happy readings~!


Tian awoke early, but that was nothing new, however considering the late night she had had before, it felt even more tiring when she knew that she hadn't slept much. She stayed in bed just a while longer, trying to will her body to move, despite how hard hat seemed to be at the moment. Finally, after what felt like too long, Tian quickly slapped both of her cheeks to wake herself up. She groggily sat up, rubbing at her eyes. It was then that she began to chime in more clearly to her surroundings.

She quickly realized that she had fallen asleep on top of some files that she had been doing the previous night.

"Ahhhh! My drool totally got on the ink!" She loudly whispered to herself, trying to find the writing pen she had been using the previous night when keeping the records."Oh! Right there." She said simply, bending down to grab the pen when her ears tuned in to what seemed like a regular transaction, until she realized that it wasn't a normal transaction.

".… Yes. I got a new batch just last night. I assure you that I don't need anymore." Tian sat straight up, recognizing the voice as belonging to Jing.

"Shipment? Of what?" She questioned, sitting up as she rubbed her eyes some more to wake herself up more, but she was still tuning in to what was going on.

"I think you're mistaken. You seem to think that this was a request." It was the voice of another man. Surely not as old as Jing, but not as young as Tian either.

Still, his deep, gruff voice held a hint of a threat. Tian straightened herself out, immediately on the defensive. Almost as if on instinct, Tian's hands reached for the short dagger she would have kept under her pillow, until she realized she wasn't even in her room. Still, her hands refused to move from the spot. Her eyes narrowed, and focused on the door.

".… I said, do we need to have a look around just to make sure that you didn't throw it out?" It was the voice of the same man. What had she missed.

"No. I assure you."

"Then you have no problem if we look?"

".…. Not at all." Jing sounded defeated, but Tian doubted that the old man had much choice in the matter. Tian quickly sat up. She ran her fingers through her tangled hair to make it look the best that she could, and then began to write the reports.

"Well, well, well, seems the old man still has it in him." Tian tensed, her body preparing for a fight as she heard the teasing of the man. She looked up, keeping her face as straight as possible.

Sure enough, the tall, muscled man with cropped black hair had the golden eyes of a predator as he looked at her. A scar marred his exposed chest on the right side. He stood with the confidence of a man who knew he was standing unchallenged, and the stance of a warrior well seasoned.

"Please, do not think of it that way. She… She's my granddaughter." Jing was trying to protect her, Tian realized, and she was slightly grateful.

"Hmm, granddaughter you say?" The thug questioned, eyes narrowed as he leaned closer to Tian. On instinct, she leaned away. The man laughed almost mockingly."That's ok. I like a little struggle." He said, making Tian feel sick."Say, you look a little familiar…."The man said, leaning closer.

"Ah! Please, Chan-U! I'll show you the stuff that is still here. Chou, please, go to the market, and pick up a few things, alright?" Tian looked at Jing as he spoke in a painck, but she didn't question as she smiled, and stood up. The man called Chan-U simply stood back, eyeing her as she walked past them, but she paid him no attention as she quickly made her way out of the Inn.


The market wasn't that busy that day, but that was mostly in part because it was still very early in the morning. While Yun and Hak took care of getting supplies they would need for the road, the others mostly window shopped. Casually looking at items before passing up the vendors for a buy.

"So, where did you go last night, Jae-Ha?" It was Yona that was questioning him. He paused for a moment, glancing at Yona, and then smiled slightly.

"I thought I saw a pretty woman walking alone at night. I was worried." He said simply. Zeno grinned.

"I thought I saw Miss Tian last night too." Zeno said, grinning brightly. Jae-Ha paused, and then smiled as he nodded.

"Yeah. I was wondering what she was doing out so late." He admitted. Yona smiled, giggling slightly.

"How sweet." She said simply. Jae-Ha nodded, smiling once again, but instead of following them as they moved on, Jae-Ha lingered, getting his thoguths together before he rejoined the others.

"Buying some supplies for the road?" Jae-Ha looked over his shoulder at Tian, who was carrying some foods, clothes, and other items in her arms.

"Yeah, and annoying some vendors by doing everything I can to make it seem like I'm buying something before moving on." He said simply, making Tian laugh a bit as she shook her head.

"How mean." She said simply,, but there was a tease to her tone as she grinned. She then adjusted the weight in her arms as she looked around, setting her eyes on the group. Kija was the first to meet her gaze. He slowed his walking, giving her a small smile which she returned. She then looked back at Jae-Ha.

"I better go back to the Inn, and put these away." She said simply, turning back around to walk away, but Jae-Ha stopped her. Tian looked at her wrist, which had Jae-Ha's hand firmly, but gently at the time wrapped around it. She then looked at him.

"Why don't you stay, and talk for a little bit?" He questioned, taking his hands off of her wrists. There was something in Tian telling her that she needed to go back to the inn, but looking at Jae-Ha, and looking at the others, seeing their smiles….

"Sure. I guess." She said with a shrug, which made both of them smile slightly despite Tian's unsure feelings.


They rested at a small tea cafe in the middle of town. Luckily it was cheap, and they had enough money to decide to split. Yun would throw in what extra money they had, and Tina would cover the rest.

"Jae-Ha was just saying a little bit ago how he accompanied you somewhere last night. What were you doing out so late?" Yona questioned, sounding a mix of worried and curious.

"Last night?" Hak questioned, glancing at Jae-Ha. His expression seemed to suggest something else. Knowing how the green haired man can be, it was a fair assumption, but still, Tian stiffened for a moment, and then grinned, her face blushing ever so slightly.

"Nothing really. I just needed a calming walk to clear my mind." She said rather rushed tone, but it didn't really help with matters.

"And Jae-Ha just happened to see you, and take the walk with you?" Yun deadpanned, not helping matters. Tian sighed, trying to control the blush on her face. She looked at Jae-Ha to help, but he just smiled at her. She sighed, shaking her head.

"I told him to go away." She said defensively. Jae-Ha laughed, nodding as he leaned forward.

"She almost hit me too, but I was too quick. I eventually got through to her and walked her back. After all, it's a gentleman's duty to make sure a girl is taken home safely if she's walking alone so late at night." Tian looked at him, but realized that he was merely trying to make sure that no more misunderstandings would happen by revealing the truth. She nodded, looking off.

"Yeah. Sure." She said simply. There was a silence in the group, and then it was broken by Hak, who had changed the subject.

"So… How did you wind up here, working at an Inn of all places?" Hak questioned, taking the drinks that the waitress handed to him, and passed them out to their right owners. Tian waited until the lady had moved on to another table before answering.

"Same as you guys." She said simply, shrugging as she took a careful sip. She then looked up, smiling slightly."But unlike you guys, I have managed to keep a low profile." She laughed, shaking her head.

"Pfft, well can you blame us? We don't exactly blend in." Yun said simply, but loving. Tian grinned, shaking her head. She looked out the window, not particularly looking for anything, but her body stiffened when she saw the thug, Chan-U, that had harassed both her and Jing. "Hey, are you alright?" It was Yun that was once again speaking.

"Umm… I really should get back to the Inn." She said, but made no move to stand. Her eyes remained focused on Chan-U, although they narrowed just a bit. Was he carrying around money? Although that was no real reason to suspect anything, it still didn't set right with her….

"Hm? Whose that you're looking at?" Yona questioned, following Tian's line of sight. Tian shook her head, and then looked at the red haired princess, unsure how to answer her.

"Someone giving you trouble?" Kija asked, glancing from the man to Tian. Jae-Ha's eyes remained on Tian, and she couldn't decipher the emotion in them. She shook her head, and then sighed again.

"Well… Not exactly, but I should head back to the Inn. I have stuff to return anyways." Tian looked to her side, looking at the items she had purchased.

Jing rushed me out so fast when Chan-U arrived. It was just like that one time that the blonde guy came around. Jing chased me away too, but unlike this time, that time I truly had nothing to do. Still, I can't tell them all this without them wanting to get involved, and I can't put them through another situation again without proof again. I mean, I have my suspicions, but….

"You look a bit troubled." Kija once again said, glancing back at her. Tian looked at him, her eyes going to look out the window as if on instinct. Chan-U had disappeared from sight, but that didn't help settle her uneasiness.

"Here, just let me cover this. I have to go back to the Inn." She said in a fast tone, grabbing her coin purse, and quickly settling out some money.

"Why don't you let us walk you there? At least for a little bit more company." Jae-Ha requested, making Tian pause.

Tian looked up. She had mixed feelings about the request. Although Jae-Ha was making it sound casual, she could hear the protectiveness under the slightly cherry tone, and relaxed smile he always seemed to wear. The others seemed to nod or say their agreements, making Tian even more unsure.

I know they'll likely follow me anyways, but they're also the type to want to help no matter what. They have no sense of self preservation, and if something bad went down at the Inn with Jing, I wouldn't be able to hold myself back, and the last thing I want is to drag them into another mess. Even so, the thought for a bit more company….

"Sure. Why not." She eventually relented, sighing as she stood up.


Tian was silent the entire walk back to the Inn. There almost seemed to be a dark cloud so to speak hanging over her. Nobody questioned what was wrong with her, knowing she would just deflect the question as she had at the cafe. However, the moment they reached the Inn, Tian had quickly stopped, and turned to them with a slight smile.

"Wait here, ok? I just have to go make sure my boss doesn't need anything else from me." She said simply, pointing at a door not too far from where they were currently standing.

"Right. We can do that." Yona smiled brightly. Tian only nodded in response, quickly turning around, and walking as fast as she could with both hands filled with items as she entered the room, being sure to quickly kick the door behind her.

There was a moment of silence as the group became silent, getting comfortable in the lobby as they sat down.

"She told us to wait here. I wonder why." Hak said simply, sighing as he leaned against a door.

"Maybe she had something important to discuss, and didn't want us to get involved." Yona replied, smiling slightly.

There was silence again. Jae-Ha looked at the door, a more serious expression on his face.

Tian isn't the type to let herself get easily unnerved. I know she was uneasy during the whole thing, but it seemed even more so when she saw that man. That's when she seemed more desperate to get here, and check in on her boss. It doesn't take a genius to connect that something happened, and that man was involved.

Jae-Ha's left leg moved towards the direction of the closed door. It had been close to almost thirty minute since she had gone in there. He wanted to check out what was wrong, eavesdrop, but he thought better of it, moving his foot back into place. It was at that moment that Tian came out, carrying a rather large box in her arms.

"Tian!" Yona called out brightly, standing up. Tian looked at her, nodding, and then moved forward with a bit more of a darker expression. Yona's face fell, looking at the others in confusion.

"Now she can't deny that anything happened." Yun said simply, sitting straight up.

"I'll go check on her, and see what's up." Jae-Ha said immediately, already moving ahead.


Jae-Ha didn't take long to find her. She was setting the box down, looking at it with a rather pensive expression. Her lips were pressed into a hard frown, her eyes narrowed, almost glaring at the box. It almost seemed as if she hated the box.

"What did that box ever do to you?" He teased lightly. Tian seemed to snap out of whatever it was she was in, and glanced over at Jae-Ha.

Unlike other times, she didn't smile. Instead, she made a annoyed grunt in her throat, sighed heavily, and looked back at the box, her eyebrows moving together. Jae-Ha's smile dropped as he walked closer to her.

"You guys should get out of here. Quickly." She said simply, still refusing to even tear her eyes away from the box. Jae-Ha looked at her, his head tilted slightly.

"What's wrong?" He said simply, touching her shoulder. It didn't escape him how she flinched slightly, but unlike any other time, he didn't drop his hand from her shoulders. He simply tightened slightly as he looked at her, but she still refused to meet his gaze.

"I don't know." She replied, shaking her head as she brushed off his hand, and bent down to open the box." I just don't want you guys to get involved with anything else. You guys put yourselves through enough troubling times as it is." Her voice was soft, but hard at the time as she spoke, her lips still drawn together as she focused don pulling out viles that weren't see through. Tian glanced at him as she pulled out one of the sake bottles on a shelf." Sake." She replied, though she sounded as if she had touched something disgusting.

"Well…. Is there trouble we should be aware of?" Jae-Ha questioned, reaching for one of the bottles that Tian had just filled up. He watched as her eyes widened, and she quickly snatched it away from him.

"No!" She quickly yelled out, holding the bottle closer to her body as she gave him a hard expression. Jae-Ha felt surprised by the reaction, but it was at that moment that Tina seemed to back track, letting out a small laugh that sounded fake."I… I mean it's just…. You have to pay for it, and it's really expensive. So…" Her voice trailed off as she sighed,head bent down as she looked at the sake. There was a tense atmosphere around them, and Jae-Ha didn't like the expression on her face at that moment. He wanted to do something to lighten the mood. Jae-Ha leaned a bit closer to her, smirking as he spoke in teasing voice.

"Not even for me?" He questioned, making Tian blush, but then she quickly shook her head, a scowl was quick on her face again.

"No." She said simply. Jae-Ha sighed as he leaned back.

"What's the fun in teasing you if you don't even react right?" He questioned, but received no answer. Jae-Ha sighed, but then smiled gently as he sat down next her. He quickly put an arm around her, bringing her closer to him." You can rely on us, ya know? If something is bother you… Be honest about it." He said gently, glancing down at her.

There was another guilty expression, and then she sighed, leaning against his shoulders as she closed her eyes, her expression relaxing just the slightest, though there was still some tension in her expression as she spoke.

"No. Not this time, but I'm asking you guys to quickly leave. Please." She said simply. Jae-Ha paused for a moment, tensing only slightly as she looked at him. There was a pleading expression in her eyes, and he could only wonder what was going through her mind.

"Not without you." He spoke firmly after a few moments. Tian tensed up, unsure how to react.

"What?" She questioned softly. Jae-Ha merely looked at her with a small, but asking smile as he replied…

"I said, not without you."