Hey guys! Dropping in with another update!

I'm very excited since this seems to be right on target of where I wanted to be. So that means unless anything changes I'm looking at one more chapter of this story! I have an Epilogue planned as well to sort of tie in the sequel. But yep...looks like things are trekking right along! 8D

Thank you to everyone whose Reviewed/Favorited/Followed/Read...and over all enjoyed this story! I love getting to see it be enjoyed! It really brightens my day and I just love the feeling I get from seeing that!

Now on with the next chapter!

Disclaimer: Nope...still don't own anything from Mystic Messenger! All of it's Copyrights belong to Cheritz! I do however own Ari and would very much appreciate you asking before using her! Thank you!

Chapter 10: A Quiet Moment

It seemed like the party was finally back on track after the whole Elizabeth incident. The following events all seemed to go according to plan for the most part after that.

There where still a couple of hours left to go until the party was to end as Ari made her way around mingling with guests, Yoosung as always by her side as she did so.

They had finished dinner a little while before, a little something more filling then the snacks and horderves that had provided earlier and she was hoping that getting some food in him would help.

Ever since the adrenaline of the excitement of finding Elizabeth had faded she could tell how badly he was dragging.

Glancing back at him she couldn't help but give him a sympathetic look she wasn't for sure how he was even still able to stand. The food had done a little to increase his energy but she could tell what he really needed was some pain medicine and a good rest.

She was just starting to formulate a plan on how to get him to take a break when one of the gamer guests she'd seen earlier come over and strike up a conversation with him. Despite his clear lack of energy he still seemed to up a great front as he happily chattered with the Guest.

"Ah...finally I found someone to talk with that's not near that damned jerk and fur ball! I swear my perfect features are going to be ruined after this!" Suddenly came a familiar voice through the crowd.

Ari turned in time to see Zen walking up wiping at his nose, she had to give him a sympathetic look as well. Even she had to admit he looked rough with his eyes swollen and puffy, and his nose red as he sniffled.

"I'm sure you'll be alright once your away from Elizabeth." Ari stated giving him a comforting smile.

Zen only sniffled and grimaced.

"I hope you're right...I feel like I'm going to sneeze myself to death..." He stated as if proving his point he very quickly covered his face as he sneezed.

"See? Ugh..." He grumbled as he wiped his nose with a handkerchief he pulled from his coat pocket.

Ari only nodded her head giving him another sympathetic look.

An idea suddenly came to her, she knew Yoosung would probably agree to whatever she wanted. But perhaps with Zen's help he'd put up less of a fuss.

"Hey Zen, could I ask a favor?" She asked quietly causing the taller man to blink in surprise before grinning at her.

"Of course, babe. Anything for you." He said chuckling as he looked at her.

Ari grinned happily as she glanced over to make sure Yoosung was still distracted.

"Well...I'm starting to get worried about Yoosung. He's looking horrible and I'm afraid he's going to put up a fuss if I ask him to take a break. I know how important he thinks him being here is with me...but he needs to think of himself a little bit too." She said heaving a sigh the worry clearly evident on her face as she looked back up a Zen.

A frown graced Zen's lips as he glanced over to where Yoosung was standing as he seemed to asses his current state before he heaved a sigh.

"Yoosung that boy...he should be back at the hospital resting." He said shaking his head a little bit before he quickly glanced back at Ari a look of apology crossing his features.

"Sorry...I know how badly you wanted to see him, and I'm sure your glad he came..." He said wincing a little thinking he'd upset her.

Ari slowly shook her head, much as she was glad he'd chosen to come to the party in spite of everything a small part of her agreed with Zen.

"No, it's alright...I agree, I wish he was worrying about himself more. Not that I'm not enjoying his company of course." Ari said an endearing smile crossing her lips as she blushed a little bit.

Zen chuckled and gave her a soft smile at the look that crossed her face.

"Well then what do you need me to do? I'm sure I can wrangle him down if you need." He said as he placed his hands on his hips and puffed out his chest a little bit.

Ari quickly shook her head.

"No, no...nothing that drastic yet. I just thought maybe if you offered to take a break with us he might be more willing to go with a group." She said giving him a hopeful look.

Zen considered her words for a few seconds before he nodded his head.

"Sure thing...though I'm sure if you asked him he'd do anything for you. But I'll help, could use a bit of a breather from all the cat fur anyways." He said with another loud sniffle.

Ari giggled a little at him.

"Thank you, Zen." She said giving him a happy smile just as Yoosung walked back up to them and took his place beside her.

"Hey Zen...when did you get here?" He asked blinking as he looked at the actor.

"Oh not long ago...I'd actually come over to ask you and Ari something." He stated eyeing Ari.

Yoosung blinked a bit in surprise but nodded his head a bit, from the angle Ari was at now she could clearly see the exhaustion plastered all over his face. She also noticed the way he seemed to be gently leaning against her for support.

"Ari and I were just talking...and we were thinking about take a quick break from all of this hustle and bustle. I know I could use a breather from all this damned cat fur." He stated adding in a sniffle for effect.

Yoosung blinked surprised at his words, but Ari could see just the slightest bit of relief flicker across his face at the suggestion. Though it quickly faded as he glanced down at Ari.

"I will if Ari wants to...I mean this is her party and I'd hate to make her miss any of it..." He said his voice trailing off.

Ari felt her heart tug at his words and thoughtfulness.

"It's alright with me...my feet are starting to kill me anyways." She said giving him a soft smile, that wasn't a total lie her feet really were starting to ache from being on them all day.

Yoosung gave her a concerned look before glancing back to Zen.

"Alright...just till Ari's ready to come back though." He said nodding his head.

Ari let out a sigh of relief at hearing his answer it was like a weight had been lifted off her as the three began to make their ways towards the back room.

They had only made it a few steps when Ari heard her name being called from behind them.

"Oh! Oh! Miss Foxx a moment please?" Came the call of one of the guests as they waved her over.

Ari cringed mentally at their call but she quickly turned to them and nodded her head acknowledging them before turning back to Yoosung and Zen.

"It's alright, Ari...we can go ahead and get situated while you visit." Zen stated cutting Yoosung off before he could protest.

The blonde frowned at his friend and started to say something but was cut off as the taller man wrapped his arm around his shoulders and started guiding him away.

"Don't worry...Ari's a big girl and can handle herself for a few minutes." She heard Zen state as he glanced over his shoulder and winked at her.

She smiled thankfully making a mental note to thank him when she got the chance as she made her way over to the guests that had wanted to talk to her.

"Thank you so much!" She said a little while later as she gave the same guests a bright smile as she waved her good byes.

She let out a bit of a sigh as she made her way through the crowd that had taken longer then she'd expected and she was sure Yoosung was growing antsy waiting for her. She could only Zen had been able to distract him and actually get him to set down for a little bit.

As if on Que she noticed a familiar head of white hair approaching her his features instantly morphing into one of relief at seeing her approach.

"There you are! I was coming to find you...I swear Yoosung is harder to coral then a cat!" Zen huffed as he put his hands on his hips.

Ari giggled a little at the analogy.

"I'm sorry...the guests took more time then I thought they would." She said giving him an apologetic look.

"It's alright...I finally got him to set down at least, he kept wanting to come find you and I kept telling him to stay put until you got back there. I also managed to force some of those Tiaranol into him. Not as good as actual pain meds...but I figured they couldn't hurt." Zen stated as he brushed his bangs out of his face.

"Thank you so much Zen, I really owe you one." Ari stated her voice sounding relieved at hearing he'd managed to at least get that far with him.

"No worries...just glad I could help. Yoosung that boy..." He mumbled shaking his head before glancing down at Ari his expression turning serious.

"Hey Ari...can I ask you something?" He asked quietly causing Ari to blink up at him in surprise.

"Of course..." She said curious to what he wanted.

"Look after him alright? I know he can be trying...and I know he's still figuring things out. But Yoosung's a good kid, just seeing how much he's changed and grown since he met you is amazing to all of us..." He said giving her a look that was full of brotherly advice.

"I will thank you for looking out for him, Zen." She said giving him a soft smile and nod her heart swelling slightly as she did.

Zen gave her a soft smile before he nodded his head.

"Good I didn't expect anything less from you. Anyways...you'd better get going before he's back out here wandering around like a zombie." He said chuckling a little.

Ari nodded her head giving him one last smile before she turned and started to head back towards the back room.

Zen watched her go once she was out of ear shot he allowed his posture to slump.

"Ugh..." He grumbled to himself as he wiped a hand across his face.

"Why did Yoosung have to be the lucky one? When will I ever find someone?" He muttered to himself as he huffed a bit. Truth be told he really was happy for him, it just irritated him to still be alone.

"Zen?" Came a soft voice from behind him causing him to whirl around.

"Oh, Jaehee...sorry I didn't see you..." He said flashing her a bright smile as he looked down at her.

"Quite alright...I actually brought you something." The brunette stated giving him a soft smile as she held out her hands one of which had a small white tablet and the other a glass of water.

Zen gave her a skeptical look.

"It's a sample from the Allergy Specialist...he swore to me it wasn't a placebo pill. I thought it might be of some help." She said quietly shrugging her shoulders a little bit.

"Oh..wow! Thank you..." Zen stated clearly surprised as he took the items from her hands.

"Of course, you need to be in perfect working order to prepare for you're latest role. And I know how much you've been suffering today..." She said as she adjusted her glasses.

Zen chuckled a little bit and nodded his head in agreement as he took the tablet and downed the water.

"Course it'd help if that damned jerk hadn't brought the fur ball in the first place." Zen grumbled as he finished swallowing.

"Yes, I advised him against it...but you know Mr. Han. Well I hope that at least helps a little..." She said giving him a soft smile.

"I'm sure it will...thanks, Jaehee." He said flashing her a charming smile that caused her to blush a little as she nodded her head.

Ari sighed in relief once she finally reached the backroom. She'd just known she'd get stopped again before she finally made it.

She quickly ducked through the door making sure to shut it quietly behind her.

"Sorry fo..." She started to say as she turned around towards the couch but she quickly cut off her sentence when she noticed the scene before her.

Yoosung was laid out on the couch, his legs bent slightly to accommodate his frame as he lay on his right side his arm propped under himself like a pillow. His eye closed as he breathed deeply.

Ari felt her gaze soften and a smile tug at the corners of her lips as she made her way over to the couch and gazed down at his sleeping form.

She felt a small pit form in her stomach as she watched him for a few seconds guilt trickling into her at him being in this state. That he'd exhausted himself and put himself in pain for her. She swallowed thickly blinking quickly to clear away the tears she felt at the corners of her eyes.

She shook her head as she let out a soft sigh to regain her composure as she glanced around for a chair. Spotting one nearby she made to move to bring it over beside the couch.

She'd barely turned away from the couch when something reached up and grabbed onto her wrist and give it a tug. Caught off guard by the sensation she turned a little to sharply and suddenly found herself

plopping down on top of Yoosung.

"Oomph!" Was his response as he winced slightly from his place as his eye cracked open.

Ari's eyes widened and she quickly scrabbled to get off him suddenly afraid she'd jarred him wrong.

"I-I am so sorry!" She managed to stutter out her cheeks flushing brightly, it was only then that she noticed the grip on her wrist get tighter and she realized he was still holding on to her wrist and he'd been the one to tug her down.

She stopped her flailing when she noticed the soft shaking, and realized he was quietly laughing at her. She pouted a little bit as she moved to set on the couch in front of him his grip on her wrist finally loosening.

"I thought you were asleep..." She muttered her eyes narrowing in mock anger at him.

"Sorry...I heard you come in and I didn't want you to leave..." He said quietly a blush tinting his cheeks at what he'd just said as he looked at her.

She smiled softly at him as she shook her head.

"I'm not going anywhere...promise." She said quietly causing him to smile up at her and sigh in relief.

They sat like that in comfortable silence for a few minutes.

"If you want to take a nap...that's alright. You need to rest...I'm not gonna leave." Ari finally said as she leaned back a little so her back was leaning against him as a sign of her staying put.

She felt him stiffen a little at the contact but he relaxed after a few seconds, she felt his hand tentatively reach up to gently finger her hair.

"Thank you...but I'm afraid if I really fall asleep then I won't want to get back up..." He said as a sigh passed through his lips she could hear the tiredness in his voice as he spoke.

Ari nodded her head a little in understanding at least getting him to lay down was a small victory. She let out a content sigh as his fingers continued to play with the ends of her hair.

"Let's talk for a little while..." He suddenly stated making Ari glance down at him and smile.

"Alright...what do you want to talk about then?" She asked eyeing him from behind her glasses.

"Hmm...well we talked a lot about me on the Messenger and when we'd talk on the phone, but I always felt it odd asking you about yourself...I wanted to wait to find out more about you when we actually met..." He said quietly glancing up at her.

"I feel like you know more about me then I do about you..." He said a light blush tinting his cheeks.

Ari thought for a moment it was true as much as they'd talked nothing important about herself had ever come up.

"Alright...what do you want to know?" She asked smiling softly at him.

"Everything?" He asked giving her one of those grins that she knew she could never get enough of.

She giggled a little at his answer as she gently shook her head.

"Well...I'm not sure if we have enough time at the moment for that. But...I can tell you a little now and we'll have plenty of time later for the rest." She said her gaze softening as her gaze met his.

"So what would you like to know about right now?" She asked smiling encouragingly at him.

"Hmm...where are you from originally? I can tell by you're accent Korean isn't you're native language." He said chuckling a little as he raised his eyebrow.

Ari put on a feign of mock shock.

"What do you mean?! I thought my accent was pretty good!" She said trying to sound serious before she laughed and slightly shook her head.

"Oh no...it's good, I can just tell the way you pronounce certain things..." He said laughing along with her.

She huffed a little bit before she regained her composure.

"You caught me...I actually grew up in the United States...my home town is a tiny little dot on the map in Michigan." She said shrugging her shoulders.

She could see the way his brow furrowed at her answer.

"How'd you end up in Korea then?" He asked obviously curious now.

"Well...I'm a Cultural Arts Major, and the college I went to in the States offers a program for the top students in our program. They offer for us to study abroad for our Junior and Senior years with an accredited college...I was in the top ten and was offered a spot...and here I am." She said smiling at him.

She noticed the sudden look of realization that flashed across his face at her words.

"Wait...you said Junior year?!" He asked his voice suddenly sounding squeaky as he seemed to realize that part of her statement.

Ari laughed a little bit at his reaction as she nodded her head.

"Y-Yeah...I'll be a Senior next fall..." She said eyeing him as he seemed to take in that information.

"Sorry...I knew in the chat you'd said you were older then me...I just didn't realize how far ahead of me you actually were." He said a bit of disappointment evident in his voice as he avoided her gaze.

"Hey...it's alright...I'm not worried about that, I just want you to do your best and I'm going to stand right beside you..." She said giving him a soft smile.

He blinked at her words a new determination come across his face as he thought about it for a second.

"Thank you...I guess I can just look at this as a new goal for me to work harder to prove to you I'm not just a kid anymore." He said grinning at her.

Ari smiled at him feeling her heart flutter at his words.

A sudden snapping noise caught both of their attentions, Ari glanced towards the door to see a familiar red head standing in the door way his cellphone blocking his face as his camera clicked again.

"SEVEN?!" Yoosung cried as he scrabbled to set up on the couch quickly clutching at his head at the sensation of setting up so quickly.

Ari looked between the two her mouth a perfect 'O' of surprise she wasn't sure if she should be more upset with Seven for ruining the moment or worried about Yoosung.

"Sorry! Sorry...I just couldn't resist...it was such a perfect Kodiak moment!" Seven stated chuckling though he quickly stopped when he noticed the state Yoosung was in a look of guilt flashing in his golden eyes.

Yoosung only gave him a half hearted glare before he slowly dropped his hand giving Ari a quick reassuring smile.

"I'm fine...just sat up to quick." He explained heaving a sigh as he sat himself beside Ari his shoulder gently resting against her's as he did.

"So what's up, Seven?" Ari finally asked trying to hide the blush that she was sure was brighter then she would have liked.

"O-Oh...I just came to tell you guys that V's about to make the closing speech for the party and then we'll be dismissing the Guests." He said quietly his voice loosing some of it's normal upbeat sound as he continued to glance over at Yoosung.

"I didn't realize it was that late already..." Ari mussed quietly.

Yoosung, however had seemed to have picked up on his friend's mood change and was eyeing him.

"Alright, Seven...what's up? I can tell something's wrong when you've got the opportunity to tease me and you aren't..." Yoosung stated raising his eyebrow at him.

Seven heaved a sigh as he seemed to find something more interesting on the floor before he looked back up at Yoosung.

"I-I just wish it had been me instead. You shouldn't have gotten hurt because I froze..." Seven finally admitted quietly.

Ari stiffened slightly at his words as she glanced up at Yoosung who heaved a sigh.

"Seven...I already told you it's fine..." Yoosung stated patiently.

"But it isn't fine! You shouldn't be going blind because of me!" Seven finally snapped his fists shaking at his sides, and for a second Ari was afraid he might actually break his phone.

"Hey...listen to me, I volunteered to go...I made the choice to protect Ari when the time came. I knew what could happen the moment I made that choice. I'd do it all over again in a heart beat if it meant Ari was going to be safe..." Yoosung stated as he got up off the couch and made his way over to Seven.

"If it weren't for you we would have never been able to find and stop the hacker, you were the one who got me to the hospital...and got me in so fast that they were able to even save my eye and give me hope that I might be able to see again with two eyes." Yoosung stated giving Seven a small grin.

"If anything I should be thanking you for all of that, Seven..." Yoosung stated shrugging and giving him a soft smile.

"Yoosung..." Seven mumbled as he stared at him a chuckle escaping him as he shook his head a bit.

"We good now?" Yoosung asked gently elbowing Seven causing him to heave a sigh and nod.

"Yeah..." Seven stated nodding his head.

"Good...I guess we need to go back to the party...before we miss the end." Yoosung stated grinning happily as he turned and extended his hand to Ari.

Feeling a sense of relief wash over that the two had finally worked things out, she grinned happily as she took his hand as the three made their way back out to the party.

And that's it for Chapter 10! I wanted us to learn a little bit more about Ari...so I got a little bit of her background in there. More will be explored in the Sequel since I figure Yoosung's going to continue to learn about her just as she'll continue to learn about him!

I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!

Please remember to Read, Review, Favorite, Follow, and above all continue to enjoy this story! It really makes my day to see so many liking it!

Thank you so much!