Bridging Destinies

Chapter 68: Parting to Sorrow

Namjoon was silent at Dana and Melusine's announcement, his mind moving fast as he held Felina, who again stood within his arms, her face buried in his neck. Yoongi spoke up, voicing what Namjoon wanted to say, but did not have the words for, "Exactly how have they changed?" He looked directly at Dana, who glanced at Melusine. The woman nodded, and Dana looked back at Yoongi, then glanced at the others, before his eyes landed on Namjoon, then Felina and back again. Felina peered up at Dana, the sadness in her eyes mirroring his own, as he responded, "Those who attacked Felina know your schedules, and they know that most of you will be gone tomorrow early in the morning. How they know is not completely clear, but they will be here in the morning. When they arrive, we must be far away."

Namjoon's arms flexed around Felina, in reflex, as he swore angrily, "What the fuck! How did they get our schedules?" He asked rhetorically, as if cursing fate, but having already been told the reason wasn't known, an answer wasn't required.

Melusine spoke up softly, "You have moments only. Namjoon and Felina, you must say your goodbyes."

The others in the group were shocked into silence as they stood witness to the events. Yoongi looked at the floor, Jimin began to cry, Seokjin stared at Melusine in disbelief, who avoided his eye, while Jungkook looked on dumbfounded, tears threatening to brim over. For his part, Taehyung stared first at Melusine, then Dana, then looked back at Namjoon, his eyes finally settling on his leader. Hoseok sat at his seat with his mouth wide open, speechless.

With Melusine's last words, the tears fell from Namjoon's eyes, as if a dam had been released. He continued to stare at her, as his tears fell and his thoughts seemed to move frantically behind his eyes. He looked down at Felina, noting her own damp cheeks and gathered her to him, holding her tightly, as if he would never let her go. His words were seasoned with the salt of his tears and he shook his head, "It's too soon." He said, whispering against her ear, "It is way too soon."

On a sob, Felina held him as equally tight as he held her, saying nothing. Several moments passed and as the others watched, tears fell freely. Felina's people hurt for her, and Namjoon's brothers hurt for him. Every eye was dampened, if not soaked with the pain they felt for the couple. For Seokjin's part, his pain was dual. He would have liked to get to know Melusine better and felt a strange attachment to her after having only known her for a little while.

Melusine glanced at Seokjin, but still did not acknowledge him fully, as she quickly moved away and stepped towards Namjoon and Felina. Lifting her hand, she placed it on Felina's shoulder and spoke aloud for all to hear, "We must gather your things and come away."

Speaking up, Dana added, "There is no time left."* He turned to Jaron, giving a silent command. Jaron left the room with a nod, Daniel close on his heels, and Melusine gently tugged at Felina's shoulder, who slowly pulled away from Namjoon with the gesture. She half looked over her shoulder at Melusine, then gazed back at Namjoon.

Taking a breath, Felina lifted her hands to his cheeks and wiped his tears softly with her thumbs, never taking her eyes off of him. She didn't speak at first, but as they gazed into each other's eyes, she slowly spoke, her voice soft and tear stained, "I will love you forever, Kim Namjoonah, my Jagiya. Forever. Even if you take another love, even if the world ends. I will love you as long as that. You are part of me and our lives are one. Even if we are not together, I will always be near. I will always watch over you." Namjoon's breath caught in his throat as she finished her emphatic speech, "I love you. I love you. I love you." She said to him passionately and then kissed him hard, her lips crashing against his.

Returning her kiss, Namjoon clung to her, holding her as if he would never let go. He didn't want to. Not even close. He knew he must. He softened their kiss, their lips fading to shadows of movement, as they savored each other. As their lips parted, they both fought to catch their breath. Namjoon lifted his mouth from hers and laid his forehead against hers, murmuring, "There must be a way to keep you here."

Running her fingers up the side of his face and delving into his hair, she kissed him again, more softly this time. The tears again flowed freely and as they parted, he wiped her cheeks with his thumb, as she had done for him. Her hands fell to his shoulders, and she shook her head sorrowfully, closing her eyes briefly before looking at him again, "It won't work, Jagiya. If I stay, you die. Actually, several of you do. I cannot stay. I cannot risk it."

Closing his eyes painfully, Namjoon shook his head, but before he could speak again she responded to his unspoken words, "And you cannot go with me. It will not be safe for you, either way. Your brothers need you."

With a bare whisper Namjoon responded harshly, "I need you."

A fresh sob escaped as Felina's tears fell more swiftly and she kissed him again, speaking against his lips, "I'm so sorry, Joonah. So sorry. I did this to you."

Shaking his head, he returned her soft kiss fiercely, then with all the strength he had inside of him, he gently pushed her away from him and stepped back. He could not look at her, as his heart broke into jagged pieces and fell into his gut. His tears fell, but he stood as a stone. Felina gazed at him, and wiped her face, understanding his body language and his mind and stepped back, as well.

Melusine wrapped her arm around Felina's waist, offering her support, so that the woman would not stand alone. She looked lost and so young, though she was fully grown and had lived centuries. Melusine gazed at Seokjin, who looked back at her, and then looked away, rubbing his damp eyes. He did not know what her expression meant, but he decided he would miss her, and in her most secret heart, she would miss him too. As Melusine gazed at Seokjin, who sat down heavily in his chair, she shook her head, as if shaking off a memory and turned towards Jaron and Daniel, who came back into the room, their bags draped over each male's shoulder.

*(There is a background story to this chapter. The man who had helped them remove the body of their friend illegally, had been in contact with the Red Hand Korean faction and had been feeding them information for money. They were responsible for the man's death and had hidden their part in his death so well that it was not linked back to them. The information they had, though destroyed by Felina's team, had eventually led them to her and had exposed her more than she realized. The airplane attendant had been put in place to provide information to the Red Hand and another mole had been placed in the restaurant to spy on them. It was then that Felina became aware of something not right in the weave. This is one bit of information that was hidden from the reader in the story line, that was shared from Dana, aka Lariel, during their silent argument when he arrived at the dorm.)