15 Chapter 15: The Dark Woods (2)

Ying Yue saw the moment, Yu Yan's body went limp. The monster let out a roar at seeing the human faint and the glowing orb stuck in its abdomen began to glow even brighter, momentarily blinding everyone present. There was a faint rumbling in the earth and Ying Yue could sense that more monsters were approaching. Soon they would be outnumbered, and would surely be killed. Her eyes landed on the young girl's unconscious form.

This went against everything she'd been taught. She was to always prioritize the mission over everything and everyone else even her own life. But there was no mission. There was only Ying Yue...and that strange girl who was so full of life it made Ying Yue feel both jealousy and a bit of wonder.

The red-haired boy was fighting with the monster now. He seemed to be preoccupied with keeping the small herbalist safe. She did not care for either of them and truth be told would not be bothered by their deaths.

Ying Yue slipped her knives back into her robes and with unprecedented strength for a 13-year-old girl, she lifts Yu Yan into her arms and runs out of the clearing.

She could vaguely hear shouting from behind her, but she didn't look back. Running swiftly and silently through the trees, Ying Yue admitted that she didn't have any idea where she was. She had been so focused on getting them to saftey that she hadn't fully considered where they would go.

It was an obvious slip up on her part, which was odd because she did not make mistakes. Looking down at the fragile body in her arms, she had a flashback to when she had first seen Yu Yan. The girl had been so skinny and weak. Since then, she had gained weight and was looking relatively healthy.

Now her body was broken again and it was because of Ying Yue...

"Stupid girl..." she muttered, staring deeply at the figure in her arms.

" Why did you protect me...I would have been fine and now you are..." She trailed off again and after another moment continued her journey.

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Ying Yue eventually found a clearing, deep in the Dark Woods. She gently laid Yu Yan's body on a soft bed of grass. Then hesitated, her hand hovering over the girl with a strange look of uncertainty playing over her usual cool emotionless expression. Then tentatively began to unwrap the layers of clothing covering the girl's body.

A flush crept up her neck as she attempted to suppress the odd feeling of...warmth?

'This is ridiculous' She thought,

' I'm only undressing her to take a look at her injuries...there is nothing indecent about it!'

' And besides, we're both girls so...'

As Yu Yan's body began to emerge Ying Yue's eyes turned grim. Fortunately, Ying Yue (being the over-powered and ridiculously talented Female-Lead that she is) was an expert in the medical field. She tore off a strip of fabric from her robe and wrapped it around the girl's bloody wound. Once satisfied with her work, she looked around for any herbs that might be used as medicine.

--(Authors note: I wrote the rest of this chapter at a diffrent time so the flow might be a little awkward. I'd also like to mention that I'm not super happy about these next couple of plot points, they are a bit messy. I ask my sweet readers to please forgive me and to look it over as a means to an end)

Fortunately, because of her protagonist Halo, Ying Yue was able to find a few rare herbs that just happened to be exactly what she needed. Tentatively, she began to treat the girl's injuries.

Hours past and the day soon turned to night. The servants at the palace had to have noticed their disappearance. Eventually, a search party would be formed and they would be found and they could go back to the palace and live in peace. Ying Yue watched as the girl's chest moved up and down in rhythm with her breathing. Yu Yan shivered in her sleep and Ying Yue gathered the small girl into her arms and attempted to warm the child.

As she looked down at the sleeping figure, Ying Yue noticed the small bump on the bridge of her nose. She noticed the birthmark on her neck and the way her lips parted...Ying Yue leaned into her. Buried her face in the crook of the girl's shoulder. It was quite an intimate position, but Yu Yan was still unconscious and Ying Yue's EQ was severly lacking.

Despite all of Ying Yue's training, her body was still young and she was exhausted. And in a moment she had fallen asleep, with Yu Yan in her tucked into her embrace.