Engraved in Flesh

Safe Together

—6 years earlier, 1943—

William had decided a couple years earlier that he hated wars. As he kept an eye out for danger, he couldn't help but remembered that day perfectly. The day Pearl Harbor was bombed. He had been helping his wife with the dishes. It was his day off, so he figured that it should be his wife's day off too. His son, Hyun, was at the theater with a group of friends. His daughter, Aru, was on her way to her friend's house. He and his wife were listening to the radio when it had been interrupted with an emergency broadcast.

He, as well as his son, were off to join the war less than a week later.

Now here he was, currently stuck in the snow in another country, praying he wouldn't be attacked. He lost track of the number of days it's been since he's been here. Maybe it's been weeks? He couldn't remember. It's felt like an eternity since he was separated from his beloved son, longer now that he was alone. How he wished that people found non violent ways to settle matters.

CRUNCH

William's eyes widened as he heard the snow near him being stepped in at a fast pace. Too fast of a pace, as if the person was running. Trying to stay as hidden as possible, the slender man peeked from the huddle of trees in front of him. There, he was the uniform of the Japanese. He didn't want to do it, but this was war and that was his enemy. Summing up his courage, he quickly whipped around and fired his gun.

BANG

He hit him. He watched as the guy fell into the white snow, staining it red. Just as he began to get ready to leave, he heard the guy mutter what sounded like fluent English. Alarmed, he tried to urge himself to just leave. Unable to do so, he silently chastised himself as he quickly ran over to the person he just shot. As he got closer, the form of a young man took shape.

He was a sea serpent, that much was obvious. He looked to be around the age of his princess, Aru. As William was looking over the young man, something caught his eye. In the hand of the man was a small, squared paper, much like a photo. He plucked it out of his hand, careful to not rip it. When he turned it around, he nearly collapsed right there. The photo was of this young man with his daughter. He was certain that the young woman was his daughter, her name neatly written at the bottom confirming his deduction. This bleeding man knew his daughter, and he just shot him. Panic flooded him. Quickly moving, he prepared to help the young man.

~ ~ ~

Mook woke up feeling weak. He was in an unfamiliar environment, but he was too tired to open his eyes and examine his new location. It wasn't until he heard an American accent that he decided to open his eyes.

"I see that you've woken up."

Mook didn't hate Americans, how could he? But he knew that encountering an American soldier was not the safest thing for him at the moment. Sitting up, he reached for his weapon, but realized that he was tucked into bed.

"What?"

The American man chuckled as he watched Mook look around in confusion. Mook's confuses expression turned to horror as he realized that he had no way of defending himself. Setting down his mug of water, William finally spoke up.

"Don't worry, I'm not gonna kill you. If I wanted to, I would have just left you in the cold to bleed out. My name is William, by the way. I apologize for shooting you. Aru's gonna kill me."

"I'm...I, uh - Wait. Did you say Aru?"

Mook's horror filled expression melted into one of curiosity as he watched the American man known as William. William smiled before shrugging.

"I saw your photo. I can recognize my daughter's beautiful features anywhere."

Mook jolted back, stopping when a sharp pain ran up his side. William frowned as he slightly shook his head at the young man.

"Be careful, the bullet was deep in there, so you're gonna be sore. You're lucky I'm trained in the medical field."

Mook could care less. A million thoughts ran across his mind as he was processing the fact that the father of his soulmate was right in front of him.

"You're Aru's father?!"

"Yes, that is accurate. I'm William Kim. Who would you be?"

"Of course, my apologies. My name is Mook Lee. Aru misses you and loves you very much."

William didn't even try to fight the smile that formed on his face. Turning his back on Mook in order to gather and sort supplies, he continued the conversation.

"Thank you for telling me. That message means a lot, especially coming from her soulmate."

"How did you-"

"I have my ways young man. Are you hungry?"

William nodded as Mook softly mumbled a "Yes, sir." He poured a small portion of mutton in a worn bowl, handing it to the injured soldier once he was satisfied with the portion size. Mook thanked the man as he happily ate, happy to finally have food after months of torture. After eating, the two conversed as to why they were there. William went first, trying to make his story as simple as possible. When Mook had finished explaining why he was there, William sat in silence for a while, worrying Mook. Nodding, William finally looked at Mook, who sat up with his back straight. Putting a hand on Mook's shoulder, William spoke firmly.

"I'm glad that you're my daughter's soulmate. Now, get some rest so that you can heal up and find a way back to her side."

Relief and happiness filled Mook as William left the room, leaving him alone once again. Peering over at the table by his bed, he picked up him picture of Aru. Smiling, he softly placed a kiss on it before laying in bed, holding the picture close to his chest as he drifted off to bed.

He was gonna find a way to his beloved Aru.