Garden of Fallen Angels {seongjoong} [COMPLETED]

-69-

Location: Earth

Seonghwa

Hongjoong clearly does not know that the animals and I are able to communicate. "He's just a little upset, give him time, he'll cool down and come back, I hope." He most definitely did not understand that while Jongho did appear sad, the words he had uttered were far from that. "I'll go out and look for him, its no big deal." "No, Hwa, you really don't need to, you're injured and everything..." "It's the least I can do." Despite Hongjoong's constant stream of disapproving words, I still leave the house and head in the direction Jongho had taken off in. It was at that moment that I realise the biggest issue of all: the woods were huge, and I hadn't a single clue where in the world he could be.

"So, you're saying, baby Jjong's run into the woods, and you have no idea where he could be?"

"Yeah, that's exactly what I said, listen carefully the first time!"

"And now you want Sangie to go take a fly-about to see where he is?"

"Indeed, that's what I said."

"Well, what's in it for me?"

"Nothing, really. Its just, the whole thing's my fault in a sense, and I just wanna make it right. No matter how short a time it's been, I care about all of you, more than I've ever cared about anything. Sangie, please help me. Pleaseeee?"

"Alright. I do care about Jongie too, he's a part of our family, and family matters the most. I'll see what I find, no guarantees I'll be able to locate him immediately the first round though."

Some luck must have been shining on us, because Yeosang comes back in less than a minute, and he can't be that fast, right?

"I found him! He's in that clearing where Joong found him during that storm years ago."

"You know Jongie's story?!"

"How come you never told us?"

"Y'all were just too noisy to listen! Besides, nobody asked."

"Um, where exactly is this clearing?"

"2 minutes hike in that direction." Yeosang gestured with his wing.

"Hey, don't change the topic! You didn't tell us!"

Silently, I left the stable, leaving the little friends to settle their own squabbles. There are far more important things to attend to than petty arguments.

It was exactly as Yeosang said. The hike to the clearing took around 2 minutes, but when I reached, there was no scale or tail in sight. "I knew someone would come looking for me, but I didn't expect it to be you," came a stuffy, sulky voice from the lower branches of a nearby tree.

I looked up, only to see the baby dragon lying flat with his stomach against the branch, wrapping his limbs around and hugging it like a koala would. He looked so forlorn that I desperately wanted to give him a hug right then and there, but seeing what happened earlier, I'd better keep my distance temporarily.

Thankfully, my wings have healed, so I don't need to climb. Instead, it just takes a few swooping flutters to get up to the same branch level. Avoiding his personal bubble, I take a seat on the branch next to his.

"Is Hongjoongie alright?" "Yes, he's fine. It was very shallow, you only grazed him."

He hesitates.

"Are you alright, Seonghwa hyung?" "I will be alright too. See, they're already healing." Sure enough, the scratch marks were no longer bleeding. At least, they were no longer bleeding. "Don't worry about me. In fact, I was gonna ask if you were alright?"

"I'm alright. Why shouldn't I be?" *grouchily*

"The wounds of the flesh are healed easily, it's the wounds of the heart that when uncured will scar us for life. Tell me sincerely, are you really alright?"

The last thing I expected Jongho to do was break down again after he had just gotten over his first bout. Although I guess I expected it, it was still surprising.

"Hongjoongie doesn't love me anymore! All he cares about is you, and then one day you both gonna leave and leave me all alone. I don't wanna be alone anymore..." he bursts out in heart-wrenching wails. "Eomma and appa and everyone leave Jongie, Jongie dot wanna be by himself, not evwer again..."

Never in his life had Seonghwa seen a being shed tears as much as the baby dragon did in that very moment, not even those people at the funerals he witnessed when guiding the souls. But hey, there's always a first in everything.

"Listen to me, Jongho. Hongjoong will never stop loving you, he's cared for you for almost your whole life. He was there to be a parent to you even when your biological ones weren't, even though you aren't of the same species, he treats you as if you were a human too, he tries his best to understand you, even though you cannot communicate. That reminds me, maybe I should tell him I can talk with you guys, huh."

"You don't know that. Maybe he really doesn't anymore, and he only cared cause I was smaller and more vulnerable and weak."

"Jongie, if he didn't care about you, he would have left you out in that thunderstorm. Or rather, I mean he did, but if he hadn't taken you in, you wouldn't even be here to admire all this beautiful scenery, drink all that coffee you like so much, don't think I didn't notice, and experience the wonders life has to bring. If he didn't love you, he wouldn't have built that cave for you just so you could feel more secure. He could hardly care less about the way you lived if you didn't mean that much to him."

"But that won't stop him from leaving if you tell him to. He cares about you way more than me..."

"Everyone has an infinite amount of love to give, Jjong. As much as he gives to me, he's giving you the exact same. If you'll give me the chance, I want to give to you too. As much as Joong gives you, I will give you that same amount of love. And, if it helps anything, I'm not gonna leave. Ever. Everyone that I have grown to care about is right here. Why do I need to go looking for happiness when everything that brings me happiness is already present?"

"Th-thank you for coming, Hwa hyung." He says through soft sniffles.

"It's alright, don't mention it. Every minute of that were not in the least bit wasted. And if you're still not convinced, I will gladly go through that all over again just to make sure you know you're wanted in this family. Now, come on, Joong must be getting worried."