A/N: Here's the new Chapter! Which also means the next FIVE chapters are up on my Patreon for early access!

Mira/Zoey finally join the story as proper POVs!

-x-X-x-

With a groan, Mira drops down onto her bed face first, just laying sprawled out with her arms and legs in every direction for a long moment. What a fucking day. Frankly, what a fucking week. They were supposed to have a break after the World Tour. Two weeks of nothing but couch and relaxation.

Yet here they were, not only stuck doing the press tour for Golden early but also trying to find ways to heal Rumi's voice while Gwi-Ma threw more demons than ever before at the Honmoon. And then there was fucking Jinu. Mira still didn't fully know what to think about the demon… but as odd as it was for someone who naturally distrusted as strongly as she did, she was really starting to think he might be on the up and up.

And no, it wasn't just because he was hot or anything like that. Mira wasn't that fucking shallow. She could easily have set aside any physical attraction and done her duty if need be. But… the more she learned, the less and less certain she was of exactly what that duty was supposed to even be.

Just as that thought is crossing Mira's mind, there's a quiet but familiar knock on the door to her room. Sitting up, Mira grunts.

"Come in."

As expected, Zoey slips through the door a moment later, holding an extra pillow and her favorite turtle plushie as she bites her lower lip.

"Do you mind if I sleep in here tonight?"

Mira just shakes her head mutely, causing Zoey to relax and smile in relief as she makes her way over to Mira's bed. They don't say anything as they both get under the covers, soon nestled into the mattress and facing each other. However, they're not touching. There's a space between them, familiar and empty… and large enough for another body.

It had been… years since this had started. The sleepovers, that is. Back when they'd still been training with Celine, neither of them had dared. Or maybe it was just because their connection to the Honmoon wasn't strong enough yet. But shortly after their debut, they'd done this for the first time. And they'd kept doing it pretty frequently after that too.

Zoey's theory for why they slept better in the same bed than apart was that they were some form of 'soulbonded' or something. It was another thing from her fanfic obsession, as Mira understood it. They weren't 'soulmates' or anything like that, but thanks to their shared connection to the Honmoon, they might as well be. They were closer than closer and the best of friends, really. And every day, Mira wondered how she'd gotten so lucky.

Mira knew she was a Bitch with a capital B. In the privacy of her own head, she didn't even have to dress it up with more PG words like 'difficult' or 'aggressive' or 'abrasive'. No, she was a total bitch. Had been for most of her life, in fact. She'd built the walls up around herself from an early age, realizing when she was young that it was the only way to survive.

Frankly, if her parents hadn't wanted an uncontrollable 'problem child' for a daughter, they should have just kept her at home and had her educated by private tutors. Instead, they'd sent her away to boarding school where Mira had learned all sorts of things she wasn't supposed to learn.

This was the twenty-first century, after all. Even the most prestigious of boarding schools had grown progressively more and more lax. And hell, no matter how strict they got… the students were always the weak link.

So yeah, Mira had gotten rebellious, mostly after realizing that her parents didn't love her, they just saw her as a pawn on the board. Her 'place' in their eyes was to grow up and marry for the good of the family. That was the only reason that she'd even been born, to be a bargaining chip on the board of her father's business… or if not him, then for her brother to be the successful heir that they wanted him to be.

Needless to say, Mira had bucked that yoke. She'd bucked it most strongly, even going out of her way to dye her hair pink from a very early age to show her parents she would NEVER be their perfect little doll. And when Celine had come along with an offer, Mira had leapt at that too. Anything to get out from under her parents' thumb.

And sure, they'd disowned her… but what the fuck did she care? She'd come out the other side as the clear winner in the exchange because unlike her parents or brother, Mira's new bandmates actually liked her. No, they loved her. And she loved them right back. Zoey in particular was… everything Mira wished she could have had in a best friend growing up. But better late than never, right?

Though of course, there was always that absence between them at times like this. Rumi. It was so rare that they got to sleep in the same bed with their center. The other night, when they'd all wound up sleeping on the floor in one big pile at the foot of their couch… that'd been the first time in a long while that Rumi hadn't shut herself away in her own room, where neither of them were allowed to go without knocking first.

Most of the time, Rumi kept to herself. Not to say she wasn't their best friend too. Because she was. And Mira felt her through the Honmoon just like Zoey. Only, Rumi was never just their friend and teammate. She was their leader. Besides, it wasn't that she went out of her way to avoid them necessarily, but rather… she was just modest. Or at least, that was what Mira had always thought before today anyways.

"So… today was kind of a lot, huh?"

Blinking at Zoey, Mira snorts derisively after a moment.

"Wow Zoey, bit of an understatement."

Zoey pouts for a moment before giggling. Then, she clutches her turtle plushie to her chest a bit harder, looking down at it for a long moment before continuing.

"Do YOU think Jinu could really be a good demon?"

With a groan, Mira rolls onto her back and stares up at the ceiling.

"… Fuck, I don't know Zo. He can interact with the Honmoon, he has a soul, and he no-sold Celine's little sealing trick. So… maybe? It's just… why now? Why the fuck would the Honmoon send a demon of all things to stop us from finishing the Golden Honmoon? Is it because we're so close? Or is it because…"

Mira trails off, her tongue refusing to finish the sentence. And yet, her mind won't let it go. She's been thinking about it ever since the words had come out of Celine's mouth. It was one thing for Zoey to be speculating based on ancient media from last century, but Celine… well, it was obvious that the woman who was supposed to be their teacher had withheld stuff from them.

And frankly, Mira had a hard time swallowing the excuse that Celine just 'hadn't had the time'. Sure, she understood that the older woman was the last living Sunlight Sister. She got that there had been a long period of time where Celine was the Honmoon's only defender. Mira could even accept that when she finally recruited them, Celine had been rushed to get them trained up and ready to debut.

Fuck, even Jinu had talked Celine up, making her sound like she was something of a living legend down in the demon realm.

… But they'd debuted six years ago now. Her, Rumi, and Zoey. They'd done everything right, put every last bit of Celine's training to use, and ultimately come within spitting distance of the Golden Honmoon.

And not once in the past six years had Celine mentioned she had extra information for them. Sure, Mira would have groaned and complained if she'd been told they needed remedial training, but she still would have done it and she would have been happy for the additional knowledge.

She didn't need to be learning just now that some demons used to be humans who made deals with Gwi-Ma. She didn't need to be just finding out that you could apparently use the Honmoon to seal demons in place like Celine had tried with Jinu tonight. She definitely didn't need to just now be learning that half-demons were a thing either! Then again, if her suspicions were correct…

Fuck. Turning back over onto her side, Mira meets Zoey's eyes again. There's a worried look on the younger hunter's face as she plays with her plushie, only for her to freeze up as Mira turns her gaze onto her.

"Zoey. There's something I need to ask you… and I need you to promise not to freak out, alright?"

-x-X-x-

Contrary to popular belief, Zoey wasn't oblivious to her own faults and fears. No, she was extremely aware that she could be a little bit much sometimes. The bullying back in America, the quiet shunning here in Korea… she'd grown up being constantly reminded that most people took one look at her and thought 'weirdo'.

… But she didn't want to be 'normal'. She LIKED being who she was. And so she hadn't changed a single part of herself for anyone. Instead, she'd taken solace in entertainment and the online spaces that formed around them. From movies to tv shows to music… Zoey consumed it all quite voraciously and she always had.

So of course, she eventually got into fanfiction. It was just the obvious extension of all the media she loved the most. Another form of escape that let her pretend like she wasn't quite so lonely anymore.

Of course… eventually, Zoey found out that she was in a story of her own. She moved across the planet to Korea to live with her mom and within months she was scouted by THE Celine of the Sunlight Sisters to become part of an idol group alongside THE Rumi, daughter to Mi-yeong. And not just an idol, no, she'd been recruited to be a demon hunter too! Because the Sunlight Sisters were apparently demon hunters all along!

Luckily, whatever deep dive Celine must have (or at least should have) done into Zoey's background somehow hadn't uncovered her old online writing account. There was no world in which Celine or Rumi ever needed to know that Zoey had written a handful of Sunlight Sisters shipping fics when she was much, much younger. Nope. Definitely not. She was taking that to her grave.

Still, one of the funniest things to Zoey had always been 'soulmate fiction'. Because Zoey had read a lot of soulmate fics in her life… and frankly, they all got it wrong. It wasn't as simple as the fanfics wanted to boil it down to, no sir. There was no easy 'shared mark' or 'first words tattooed on your skin' to go off of.

No, real soulbonds were fucking hard. They were messy. They were a feeling, a benediction, and a curse all wrapped up in one. Zoey should know, because she'd been living out her fondest soulbond fantasy for years now and let her be clear… it could get rough.

Oh, don't get her wrong. Zoey wouldn't trade Mira or Rumi for anything in the entire fucking world. She'd sooner die than lose either of them. Which is why it was so damn hard when Rumi kept pulling away from them all the damn time!

Funny how Mira was the one who everyone thought was closed off and unapproachable. But while Mira would gladly bite the head off of anyone who looked at any of them wrong, she had never been that way with Zoey. She was there for her through thick and thin and she never once complained that Zoey wasn't enough either.

Rumi though… fuck, Zoey loved Rumi so much, she really did. And yet, sometimes it felt like she barely knew her. It was like… it was like Rumi had to pretend to be someone she wasn't, even with them. Sure, Zoey understood hiding her true self from the rest of the world. But them? Her fellow hunters? Her closest allies? Her best friends?

The worst part was, they were all connected through the Honmoon. That aforementioned soulbond thing was all because the Honmoon had brought them together. So Zoey knew sometimes when Rumi was feeling down. She knew, for instance, that Rumi did actually want to go to the bathhouse with them… but couldn't say yes for some reason.

And then today happened and now Zoey has this sinking suspicion in her gut that she can't get away from. It's half the reason that she'd come in here tonight, actually. She'd wanted to ask Mira if she was going crazy or if she was onto something, but then she'd chickened out at the last second and just asked if she could sleep here instead.

It's just… half-demons were real. Celine had confirmed it. And if half-demons were real…

Before she can finish that thought, Mira suddenly turns back towards her, staring her right in the eye. Zoey valiantly resists the urge to squeak as she stares back at her.

"Zoey. There's something I need to ask you… and I need you to promise not to freak out, alright?"

Zoey freezes for a moment before slowly nodding.

"Um… okay?"

What could Mira possibly need to ask her? Oh fuck, she wasn't going to confess was she? Zoey wasn't ready. She wasn't ready at all! She-

"… Do you think Rumi might be… a half-demon?"

The sound of a record scratch plays in Zoey's head as she stares at Mira in silence for a long moment. Before finally letting go of her turtle plushie to grab the taller woman by both shoulders.

"Ohmygod, YES. I thought I was going insane! She's TOTALLY a half-demon!"

Zoey is so glad Mira said it first. Now they can put their heads together and figure out what to do about it!

-x-X-x-

A/N: Yup. Cat's out of the bag. THANKS CELINE! Next chapter will also be a split Mira/Zoey POV as we find out from the two of them just how exactly they both figured it out and what they're going to do about it.

Feedback is GREATLY appreciated, every comment helps me shape the story with a Free Write like this one!

-x-X-x-

If you'd like to read more of my work not seen on this website, check out Hentai-Foundry.com and QuestionableQuesting.com where I have over a thousand stories!

If you'd like to contribute to funding my writing at all, check me out on Patreon.com/Cambrian

Thanks for reading!