Author's Note: This chapter was so much easier to write. Now that I know what's going to happen it won't take much longer for me to write this. I feel bad that I haven't written much but I've been busy. The school year is almost over so I will have more time to write. This time next week I should have this finished.
If you have any new dramas you want me to watch and write about, I will. I'm still waiting for a Descendants of the Sun page. I'm not sure how to get one up.
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Leo was dreaming in the middle of the day. He hadn't slept the night before, and he was cranky. After the break down with the Hunters, he had gone to bed. He had waltzed up the stairs, changed clothes, and had fallen into his comfy bed. He had enjoyed its wonderful comfort as it had swaddled him in the sheets.
He had dimmed the lights, darkening the room to near pitch black. He had lain in bed as his mind had raced. He hadn't been able to shut his brain off so it had yapped at him. It raced with hurt and anger, but it decided it was more curious than anything.
After a long time, he had finally fallen asleep. His dreams had been awful but he hadn't been able to wake up. He had tossed and turned the entire time. He was certain N had tried to rouse him, but it hadn't worked so his friend had just left him alone in the hopes that he would wake up at some point.
Somewhere in his dreams, he had heard his name being called. He had imagined it being N but he honestly couldn't tell. He didn't really know where it had come from. But nothing he had done had awakened him.
Leo felt a weight on his shoulder that extended down his chest to his hip. It roused him enough for him to look down. There was a wealth of curly hair in his face. Content, he rolled over and wrapped both arms around the person. He didn't have to ask who it was.
Dasha felt the steady beat of Leo's heart under her forehead. His breathing evened out again as he went back to sleep. She settled down and slipped under the veil of sleep as well.
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Leo felt weird as he slowly came out of sleep. He felt as if someone were watching him.
The first person he saw was obviously Dasha. She had her face pressed into his neck and one arm wrapped around his waist. Her curls were matted and wild but she was at peace.
He was shocked when he looked around the room. At the foot of the bed in his desk chair sat a man he had never seen before. He had his fingers laced together with his chin resting on them. He looked thoughtful as he quietly watched the two.
Leo felt he knew this man. This had to be Kang Shi Yoon. His hair was cropped short but Leo could see the curls that had once belonged. His eyes were a lighter shade of brown, almost gold.
The two men looked at each other for a long time. Silently Shi Yoon stood and walked out the door. Leo took a little longer because he had to untangle himself.
They stepped outside and Leo watched the other man Leo against the railing. The sun caught Shi Yoon's hair and brought out the red lowlights from the dye. The man was muscular, ripples showing under his shirt. He may look like he was a wimp of a man, but one look at him close up showed that he was a skilled fighter.
"Dasha doesn't cling to people," he said. He didn't use honorifics so they were very close. "What did you do or what did she say to warrant that?"
"She's been upset since that man's death," Leo responded. He didn't know how much he should say.
Shi Yoon nodded. "She never liked James, but she wouldn't kill him unless it was needed. She's was right though. He was double crossing every council he was part of. If she didn't do it, someone else would. But it wasn't James that did this. So that means Jung Min is the culprit."
Leo shifted from foot to foot. "If you know all the details, why are you asking me?"
The other man turned around and leaned back casually. "Because you're the only one who actually sees all the emotions that she experienced. When you're quiet, you can do that well. It's why she's such a great asset."
"But you're not talking about her in a work way. If you love her as much as she claims, why not do away with society and do what you want?"
"You've been excommunicated before. How did that feel?" Shi Yoon picked at his fingers. "I'm the only son. If I am excommunicated, my bloodline dies. Plus my mother is very ill."
Leo understood. "That's why Dasha hasn't pursued you."
Shi Yoon shook his head. "That's not it. She did pursue me. But when my mom got sick, she backed off. Don't misunderstand. I love that woman. I have since I was fifteen years old, but the way our lives had formed means I can't be with her."
"Whoever decided that?"
"Fate, and my Korean heritage. I'm a hard ass but I'm a filial son."
"Then why do you keep her near you?"
Shi Yoon smiled. "Why do you keep your hand even though it gets burned?" Leo looked down at his hand briefly. "I can't live without that woman, but I won't burden her because my family thinks she's imperfect because of her corrupted blood."
Leo suddenly had a vision of Dasha watching Shi Yoon getting married. She would be standing at the end of the processional as he walked his new bride down the aisle. She would bow like everyone else and give congratulations to the happy couple. And when she left, she would hide away for days as she tried to get over the fact that he was married.
That made him mad. He didn't want to see the woman upset like that whether she liked him or not. He liked her enough to want to make her happy. Seeing her pining over another man was painful, but he wasn't married right now. If seeing her happy meant letting her go with him, he would let Dasha go with Shi Yoon.
"Dasha isn't selfish. If I ever told her I was getting married, she would grin and bear it. I don't want that for her," Shi Yoon said.
The two men looked at each other. One was a high ranking Wolf in his respective field. The other was an outcast that had finally been given a chance to prove what he could do. One had known the woman for twenty years and the other had seen her work under stress. They had seen two sides of the same coin.
"Shi Yoon!"
They both turned. Dasha leapt off the descending stairs and came running at them. She passed Leo altogether as she ran at the man she knew best. Without another word, she threw herself into his arms. Shi Yoon wrapped his arms around her and buried his face in her hair. For a moment they looked like an intimate couple.
Dasha finally pulled away but she held on to his hand. "What are you doing here?"
"There's been a kill order that's been handed down. Your head is worth 3.5 billion dollars. Every Hunter will be out for you. Your team needs to make a decision," Shi Yoon said.
Dasha nodded and led the way into the house. Leo followed the two and took a seat when they found Baye and Jun Pyo in the living room. Dasha made the introductions, which surprised everyone because typically high ranking people made appointments to be seen. Shi Yoon had just shown up.
"I can't do anything. If I do, it's like I pick sides," Shi Yoon said after everything had been explained. He held tight to Dasha who was sitting beside him on the couch. "Benji, Creed, and Dae Jin need to make decisions. Are you going back to your families or are you staying with Dasha? If you stay with Dasha, the prices on your heads will be just as staggering. If you go home, no one will look into it."
Benji, Jin, and Creed looked at each other. They had spent so much of their time together as a group that it was hard to imagine being without one another. Benji turned to look at Dasha. The older woman was docile for the first time as they talked about splitting up.
"I can't speak for everyone else, but Dasha is my family. So I'll take the price," she said.
"I have never felt more at home than I have with these three women. I couldn't live with myself if I walked away," Creed said. "I'm staying."
Jin rested her head on her brother's shoulder. "My family is right here, but when I was overseas studying, these ladies became my home away from home. I won't leave them simply because death is a possibility."
Shi Yoon hung his head and looked at Dasha. It was a scorching look that could burn even the best of people. It hurt to look at them because it was easy to tell how they felt about each other. They couldn't hide it.
"Please go somewhere far enough away that they can't find you. Some place that only we know about. Maybe then I can find you," he begged.
She looked him right in the eye and shook her head. "I can't do that. I won't run. I'm not a coward."
"I never said you were, but this is too dangerous even for you. They know your weakness."
Dasha laughed and licked her lips at the same time. "Everyone here knows my weakness."
He was at a loss for words for a moment but then he gained his composure. He took her face in his hands and pressed their foreheads together. "Why do you drive me insane with your righteous indignations?"
"Why don't the two of you just get married and be done with it?" Baye asked.
"I will be disowned and we'll both be on the run," Shi Yoon said. "It's the only reason nothing has happened between us."
Jun Pyo snorted. "It's obvious the two of you have been intimate before. We can see it on your faces."
Benji started laughing. "I've walked in on them being intimate. But that was before Shi Yoon took his position on the Council."
Baye ignored the crude conversation. "What are we supposed to do with four people who are wanted criminals?"
"You have one of two choices. You can kill them and claim the money, or you can give them asylum. You are a sovereign figure to your people. What you say they will follow," Shi Yoon explained. He sat up straight as he spoke. "But I cannot follow. I took a big risk coming here. I will get one pass, but I can't have a second."
The women looked at each other. Dasha didn't beg Baye, but she didn't have to. It still clung to the other woman's mind of how she had saved Leo, Hyuk and Yi Jeong's lives, but hers as well. She wouldn't forget that for a long time. She would be forever indebted because of it.
"What would happen if I gave them asylum?" she asked.
"No one would be able to touch us," Benji said. "Asylum works the same for us as it does any other country. If you take us in, no one will be able to do anything without severe retribution. You could start a war because of it."
"Don't start a war," Dasha said. "They won't end well. And don't take us in if you don't feel like we would be of any worth."
Baye looked at her. Worthlessness was something they had all felt which was why they had banded together in the first place. They gave each other worth and that made them stronger than anyone else.
"How long are you planning to stay?" Jun Pyo asked Shi Yoon.
"Three days. That's when I can get out of the country without being spotted," Shi Yoon answered.
Baye rolled her bottom lip between her teeth. "All right. I've made a decision. Though I don't particularly like you, I don't want you kill. That would ruin everything. So, I grant you asylum."