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Chapter 1: Index (you're here!)Chapter 2: Mesmerizing metals (Shin-ah, Jae-ha, Kija, Zeno; Shin-ah+Jae-ha; slice of life, cuteness, introspection)Chapter 3: The lore of holy men (Ik-soo, Zeno, Yoon; foreshadowing, cryptic dialog, trolling, cuteness)Chapter 4: Juggles and jingles (Zeno, Shin-ah; melancholy, angst, cuteness)Chapter 5: The missing canvas (Zeno, Original Dragons, Current Dragons; angst, comfort)Chapter 6: Soup opera (Zeno, Kaya; Zeno/Kaya; bittersweet, fluff)Chapter 7: Expectations and reality (Zeno, Yona; tenderness, cuteness, serious)Chapter 8: Drink with me (Jae-ha, Shin-ah; cuteness, bittersweet)Chapter 9: Heat is good for aching (Yona, Zeno; fluff, hurt and comfort)Chapter 10: Present in the pages (Yoon, Yona; slice of life, birthday, friendship)Chapter 11: Sonder (Shin-ah; introspection, angst)Chapter 12: Monachopsis (Zeno, Kija, Jae-ha, Yoon, Shin-ah; canon scene from another POV, immortality angst)Chapter 13: Adequate performance (Yona, Jae-ha; Water Tribe arc, missing scene, dancing)Chapter 14: Go venture far (Mundok, Hak; missing scene, discussion about the future, Hak->Yona mention)Chapter 15: Comfort is all he can offer (Yoon, Yona, Zeno; missing scene, introspection, friendship, emotional hurt/comfort)Chapter 16: Rumor (Tae-jun, Heuk-chi; missing scene, humor, Tae-jun figuring out Yona and her friends' identities)Chapter 17: New to the family (Hak, Mundok, Tae-yeon; found family, missing scene, meeting, hurt/comfort, cuteness)Chapter 18: All I want is to be home (Jae-ha, Garou, Gigan, Awa pirates; character study, found family)Chapter 19: History lesson (Kija, Shin-ah, missing scene, cute, bonding)Chapter 20: Silk around the edges (Jae-ha, Gigan, missing scene, mom+son bonding, training montage)
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The marketplace was bustling in activity that morning. The scent of sweat and spices and food, the glistering of jewelry and weapons, the colors of outfits swaying from hand to hand, the voices of salesmen trying to attract new clients. It wasn't as crowded or filled of beautiful foreign wonders like Awa's, but it also didn't stink of fish that much either. Your average big town market."Very well," Jae-ha said over the piece of paper he held on his hand, "time to do the shopping. Although I have to wonder..." He glare dully at the three men standing in front of him. "Was there really a need for all of us to come? I could've done it by myself.""Last time," Kija pointed out, "you got yourself a bottle of sake with the loose change and lost half an hour in a book stand. Yoon does not trust either of us four to go alone."Jae-ha rolled his eyes. After the tent incident, he wasn't surprised that their maternal figure had doubts about putting him in charge of anything."What about Zeno?" The Yellow Dragon pouted from behind Shin-ah's fur. "I've been alone and I'm responsible!""There was that time when you didn't even follow Yoon's list and only got beef and candy!"Shin-ah nodded in confirmation after Kija's words."Oh, Zeno forgot about that... I didn't get desserts for two weeks...""Meanwhile," Jae-ha cleared his throat, "Kija-kun is reliable about buying the right things, but tends to accidentally destroy the goods or even the stands with his hand. And Shin-ah-kun... Well, he's still getting used to talk to merchants. So it's true, mom wouldn't let any of us do the shopping ever again if he and the others weren't so busy."The other three Dragon Warriors sighed and nodded in unison, dejected."We shall show him!" Kija pushed his fists forward with a determined expression. "Let's prove Yoon we're trustworthy. Let’s do an excellent job today. Let's not mess it up. We can do it, brothers!""Yay! Let's do it, let's do it!" Zeno chirped."Well, at least you're enthusiastic," Jae-ha smirked. "How about we work in pairs? Two can go and get the food, which is the largest partof the list, and the other two can make the deals with the herbalist and the textile merchant. We'll have to make sure our designated partner won't mess things up.""How do we split up...?" Shin-ah asked."I should carry the heaviest weight,” Kija said. That would be in the food group, am I correct?""That makes sense, yes," Jae-ha agreed. "I'm the one who knows the most about cloth quality from us, so I'll handle textile. No risks with booze now. So, who's making the deals with the food stands and the herbalist?""Is it okay if Zeno handles the food?"Jae-ha and Kija's eyes met and shared a meaningful glare."I swear I'll stick to the list! I won't act like a child this time. But you see, Ryokuryuu and Zeno should be supervised by others so we don't follow our earthly desires. Plus, food merchants are more open to haggle than herbalists. Zeno can sweet talk them and be nice to them and get a better deal. Seiryuu's not ready for that."Jae-ha scowled at Zeno for the 'act like a child' and the 'earthly desires' parts, but it was true they might enable each other if they went together."I hate to admit it, but the old man is right. Kija-kun, make sure he keeps his word.""Understood!" Kija smirked. He softened his smile and turned to the youngest of the group. "Are you okay with watching over Jae-ha and buying the medicinal herbs, Shin-ah?""...Sure," Shin-ah murmured.And after splitting the money and hearing another exhausting pep talk from Kija, both groups went on their merry, flamboyant way.
"What can I do for you, young man?"Shin-ah took some seconds to find his voice and courage. He crouched to see the stout lady in the eyes and swallowed saliva. Jae-ha had gone across the street to do his own shopping; although they were still close, he was practically on his own. He recalled the list one last time before saying it aloud like a prayer."Hello. We need to buy thyme... ginseng powder... ginger... lavender oil... If you please.""Sure, honey. Let me get them. What was it, again? Thyme, lavender oil, what else?""Ginseng powder and ginger.""Alright. Do you want your ginger sliced or the whole root?"He thought about it. He had seen Yoon cutting a root and pounding the piece in a mortar before. The boy probably liked it better that way."Whole, I think.""Gotcha."He stared in fascination as the woman searched in large sacks and fetched among rows of bottles. She used a set of old brass scales to weigh the herbs, the powder, and the ginger root. There was something soothing in her actions, in the tinkle of the metal, in the way her fingers unfolded and folded paper. The mysterious smells reminded him of Yoon's warm gentle hands, of the times he had healed Shin-ah's wounds.When she talked to him again, he realized he had been in a bit of a trance, his hidden dragon eyes set still on the scales and its mechanism. He blinked."I'm sorry?"She repeated the total. Shin-ah fumbled and gave the ladies her coins. He thought he should've at least tried to haggle a little, but he had forgotten about it and didn't know how to bring it up. Resigned, he took the lone flask and the four bundles wrapped in cheap paper.Four? It didn't add up. He looked through the wrappings and found what he thought was a mistake."I didn't... I didn't order this one.""I know." The woman smiled. "It's on the house! We have some extra peppermint leaves, so we're giving a couple as a bonus for every purchase over 250 rin.""Ah. T-Thank you very much," he gaped and gave a slight bow. The lady seemed pleased, her face having the same awed smile that Yona and Zeno had when little Ao did something cute or funny. It was kind of strange, since the squirrel had stayed with Yona and Hak.He hadn't haggled, but he had gotten something extra. Yoon and the others should like that, he thought."Nice, Shin-ah-kun!" An arm surrounded him by the shoulder when he got up and left. He wondered for how long had Jae-ha been watching. Perhaps from the very beginning. "You did really well." Shin-ah nodded, as a sign he was grateful for the compliment."Is that the cloth?" He pointed at a roll his companion was carrying with his other arm."It is indeed. We're done here. Now to find the other two before they make a mess."Shin-ah turned around and directed his Sight towards the other side of the marketplace. He passed through buyers and sellers, through products of all sizes and colors. Finally he found the white and yellow heads that belonged to his other friends and older brothers."Still shopping for food," he reported. "Choosing radishes.""Uh-huh," Jae-ha nodded. "Well, I'm not surprised. Let's go on our way and meet them over there."Shin-ah nodded and followed behind Jae-ha. It had been days since the last time he had tried to remove his mask, pointless ever since he had seen the Blue Dragon's golden eyes, but he still felt nervous when he was too close. He looked at his right side to check out the stands, full of childlike curiosity. It was then when he saw a familiar metallic shape. He stopped on his heels and crouched, his stomach churning from the memories. His ears could hear the phantom notes just by looking at it."Shin-ah-kun? Ah, there you are." He felt the Green Dragon approaching and looming behind him. "Looking for new necklaces?"Shin-ah shook his head, still staring at the tiny spheres."Bells, huh? Do you like them? Ah, wait, we're not supposed to buy things with the shopping money. I have some saved...""No. It's okay."Shin-ah stood up, feeling flustered. He had gotten used to the lack of ringing. The echoes of bells on cave walls had been replaced with four noisy voices, then five, then finally six. It really was okay. He believed that Ao could hear them well without the jingles."Are you sure it's okay? Are you sure you're okay? I can't read you that well, but your lips were sort of twitchy when you were looked at those.""...I remembered someone. But I'm okay.""Is that so?" Jae-ha's expression was languid, but something within his avoiding eyes seemed to resonate. They kept walking, and Shin-ah didn't linger on other stands or old memories of Ao again."Shin-ah-kun?"The Blue Dragon perked up. Jae-ha seemed embarrassed."If you ever want to talk... Well, I know it's you and you don't talk much, but still. If you ever want to talk about your predecessor, I'm here. Kija-kun never lived with his dad, and Zeno doesn't have a predecessor since he's the first and only Ouryuu. So from all of us, perhaps I'm the only one who could understand. Got it? I'm here to lend a beautiful ear."He didn't ask the man how he could tell the identity of the person he had thought about. Despite having normal —even narrow, or droopy as Hak would say— eyes, his partner was clever and seemed to notice so much around them in subtle levels that not even Shin-ah's eyes caught or comprehend."Okay" was his reply. He let Jae-ha put his hand on his shoulder and squeeze in a supportive brotherly way. Actually, it did sound nice to confide, to talk about someone who had been so important. About how much he missed him. About how much it hurt to forget his face as he grew up. About how sometimes he could see flowing blue locks in his dreams.Maybe one day he would take his offer.
Zeno grinned when they arrived to the food section of the market."Welcome, welcome! Are you two done already?"He hugged Shin-ah and held out two bruised but otherwise fresh apples Shin-ah assumed Zeno had charmed a merchant into giving him."Here, these were free!" Of course. "I was saving your share. Take yours, Seiryuu!"His free hand moved to grab one of them. Jae-ha also took the other. The apple still tasted good, the juicy sweetness exploding in Shin-ah's palate. He hadn't realized he had been feeling peckish, and he devoured it gladly."Thank you for the food," he said. Zeno glowed and went on his way to buy the rest of the list.Kija, with his dragon arm full with sacks of vegetables, approached Shin-ah."How did it go at the herbalist's stand, Shin-ah? Did you have any problem? Did Jae-ha embarrass you or bother you?""Hey now..." Jae-ha frowned at the jab."No, it was fine. The lady was nice. She gave me peppermint as a gift.""I'm so glad to hear that. Great job!" Kija praised Shin-ah's success with a tender smile.Jae-ha stood there, the hand that wasn’t holding the cloth roll bringing the red fruit to his smirking lips. From the grain stand, Zeno glanced at them over his own shoulder, with fondness and love in his ancient eyes.They were so warm. He felt so warm inside. Perhaps Ao could feel the warmth of his new family, wherever he was.
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“Are you okay, priest~?”Ik-soo had, as it was common to happen, tripped on the last step of the house. This time, however, he didn’t meet the ground with his face. Someone from the princess’ group had quick reflexes and had grabbed him by the collar in time.By the sound of his voice, he recognized him as Ouryuu.“Aaaaah, thank you!” He smiled, not particularly ashamed of his clumsiness. The dragon deposited him softly outside of the hut, which was probably good because the scene should look silly. Ouryuu wasn’t much taller than Yoon, after all.Ik-soo pulled his clothes back to their place since he wore them loose and almost lost his robe in the process. Meanwhile, Ouryuu was just grinning at him.“Want some help? Everyone else is training or busy and the lad doesn’t want me near the stove.”“Because you want a sample of everything!” An annoyed voice boomed from inside the house. Both laughed.“Don’t you need to train, Ouryuu-kun?”“Zeno doesn’t think so. What do you need done?”“I’m going to plant some new seeds in Yoon’s garden! Let’s do this!”“Yay!” And so they set to work on the patch of land, and twice Zeno had to point out before Ik-soo planted the wrong crop on the wrong zone. After some laughs, the priest’s expression got serious.“Ouryuu-kun... I don’t want to intrude, but what were you planning?”“Hmmmm. Maybe looking for the squirrel and play with her a bit before lunch.”“No. I meant when you asked that to princess Yona yesterday.”“You got it all wrong, mister.” Zeno’s smile was sheepish. “It’s about what she’s planning, not me. Zeno has nothing better to do.”“So you say,” Ik-soo’s eyes under his messy fringe were serious, “but I suspect you knew she hadn’t thought about it consciously, and this was a way to push her into reflection.”“Ahahaha! Priest is overthinking it a little. Zeno was just curious, curious!”“Maybe, but that turned the gears of fate into place. It makes me wonder how much you know.”“How much I know, he says...” Zeno stopped smiling and raised his eyebrows.“Hehehe, sorry!” Ik-soo put his hands together like in prayer. “You guys being here makes me think of the tales my predecessor told me, so I got carried away. You know, being the Ouryuu...”“I don’t,” Zeno tilted his head. “Being the Ouryuu what?”“Well, it’s not part of the canon myth of the creation of the country, but a legend passed down by priests. My predecessor used to tell me the story. They said that the first Royal Priest of Kouka was the original Yellow Dragon. After King Hiryuu died, he was chosen to be his voice, and as such he conveyed the will of heavens and his prayers kept peace in the land. That’s the legend.”“...Such stories exist in our days, huh?” Zeno’s eyes were inscrutable.“I don’t know if they’re true, but... Since you’re his successor, I imagined that maybe you also could have prophetic powers.”“Can’t tell you if your legend is true, mister priest, but Zeno certainly can’t hear the voice of the gods. I admit I can read omens in the sky, in the wings of birds, but there’s nothing too mystical about it. That’s the truth. Sorry to disappoint.”“I see.” Ik-soo looked down and planted the last seed.“If Ouryuu could indeed do that, it wouldn’t be because of the dragon blood, in Zeno’s opinion. But who knows what happened back then?”“Too bad. Because of that legend, Ouryuu’s always been my favorite dragon in the myth, actually.”Zeno stared for some seconds, then he giggled.“That’s unusual, priest. He doesn’t tend to be other people’s favorite.”“He seemed more spiritually attuned than the others, is all... It doesn’t matter.” He shook the earth from his hands. “It’s really been a blessing to meet you and the other three anyway.”“Same here,” Zeno bowed a little. “You’re really cute and kind. No wonder the lad is such a nice, adorable boy.”“He really is, but it’s not because of me. Please take care of Yoon-kun on my behalf.”“Of course. We’ll do our best to protect him and keep him cheered up!”“The last part is going to be hard to do, heh.”“Don’t you agree that his constant nagging is a way to be lively?”“Are you airheads complimenting me or teasing me behind my back?”The blissful smiles changed for guilty grimaces when they saw Yoon in front of the patch. Instead of mad, he seemed flustered. A little blush colored his cheeks.“I've come to supervise you two,” he continued. “Just to see if you messed up my herbs and vegetables. The two of you alone sends chills to my spine.”“It’s fine, fine! We did a nicely done job and didn’t damage the other crops!”Yoon had to agree after checking everything. Ik-soo was beaming from the rare praising from his foster son figure.“Well, I’m calling the others for lunch. You can help me set the table, but don’t you start eating until we’re all gathered, Zeno.”“Until we’re gathered! I’ll let you know that Zeno is a very, very patient boy.” As they entered the hut, Ik-soo did something sudden. Without permission, he held the golden medallion between his fingers. Zeno froze on the spot, and saw that behind the hair over his face, Ik-soo’s eyes had an excited shine.“Beautiful. The symbol of Hiryuu. Is it a heirloom, Ouryuu-kun?”“...Yup, you could say that. It’s been passed down to Zeno.” He gently removed it from the priest’s grasp, a bit shaken. “The most precious possession. What’s the matter? Does your legend or your power say anything about it, mister priest?”“Nothing too important. Like you say, who knows?”Zeno took a big breath. Why not?“I know. It’s the real deal, there’s only been one sigil. From back then, as ancient as you think it is.”Ik-soo looked at the ceiling.“Wow. That’s... impressive. It looks shiny and brand new, not a single damage on it after all these centuries.”“It’s been beaten a lot, actually. It’s sturdier than it looks.”“Just like Ouryuu, then.”“Exactly like Ouryuu.”Without a ceremony, Ik-soo grabbed Zeno by the shoulders and hugged him softly. The dragon warrior was too stunned and melancholy by the conversation to do anything but return the hug. His hair was being stroked with tenderness like he was a child.“I’m...” Ik-soo babbled in a sob, “glad the medallion is still shining. That Ouryuu is always with it. So glad they have each other. So glad they found their King.”Zeno’s mouth felt dry. All the drool that Zeno had in his mouth before for the smell of the warm food was gone. He still made an effort to talk.“W-why are you crying over this, mister priest? Are you still talking about the trinket, or do you know...?”“I knew these airheads wouldn’t set the table,” mumbled Yoon as he walked by and took the pan with the food. “Can you cuddly bears help or what?” Ik-soo let go and dried his tears with his sleeve before moving.While he forced a smile to return to his face, Zeno decided it was better not to know how much about him the young holy man knew. Besides, asking him without answering his questions would be hypocritical anyway.
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"Do you like juggling, Seiryuu?"Shin-ah shrugged in reply. He hadn't seen anyone doing it before. Zeno understood the gesture, and reached for three colorful objects made of patched cloth from his pocket.Their newest companion Zeno was strange and hard to figure out, in Shin-ah's opinion. He had seemed so cautious within his friendly demeanor the day they found him —no, the day he allowed them to find him, he suspected. He had said he didn't care about the dragons, but quickly after saying this he had the same kind of sweet, affectionate stare that Yona and Kija would wear sometimes. He seemed more serious than Jae-ha had on the first day, but he was all smiles and songs the next morning. Much quicker than Shin-ah he had gotten himself comfortable around all these new people, as if he had known them his whole life.The pretty sacks flew through the air, impulsed upwards back and forth by Zeno's nimble fingers. Shin-ah looked intensely, his mystic eyes behind the mask mesmerized. The arcs the round objects drew as they moved. The artistic ability of those hands, soft skin that lacked the calluses of a swordsman. So different to his own, a monster warrior of only practical skills to survive or defend others.True, the others also accepted everyone quickly. Shin-ah still felt overwhelmed around strangers. His village didn't accept outsiders and he never learned how to cope with social conventions. Zeno had been alone, he said, but quickly adapted to being around the group. Those blue eyes went fast from measuring them to excited and then peaceful, as if he were home already. Even if he seemed indifferent and only interested in food at first, was he really?What kind of guy was the one in front of him? Why did he feel like family already? He had no visible dragon feature, and yet his mind could feel it so strongly. 'Because we're brothers,' Kija would surely explain.Shin-ah kept looking at the trajectory of the sacks but something distracted him, something as gold as the eyes of the Seiryuu —for he doesn't remember Ao's face, but he knew his eyes had been like two suns, and his own had to be as well. Hanging from Zeno's headscarf, a medallion danced and clinked with every movement Ouryuu's also golden head made."Did you like it, Seiryuu?" Zeno asked as he stopped his juggle and let the sacks rest.Shin-ah nodded. He found it as intriguing yet as cheerful as the performer himself. Something that didn't seem to have a practical use at first glance, but it warmed the heart nonetheless. It suited him the same way the blade, silent but willing to be held, suited Shin-ah."Zeno's glad, so glad! Here, you can borrow and play with them."He took the sacks offered to him. Shin-ah examined every patch of fabric, every pattern, every stitch. He couldn't keep them soaring the same way and they fell to the ground after one toss. Zeno chuckled, the strangely comfortable but longing look in his eyes again. Shin-ah returned the toys, flustered by the attention."It's alright, I wasn't teasing you. Everyone needs practice before they get good at it. It's tricky, you see.""Yes. It's hard." Harder than he thought. His reflexes could tell how and where and when the props would descend, but his hands hadn't been as quick.The sigil clinked again as Zeno lowered his head and put the sacks inside his pockets again. Once again, Shin-ah was staring. The other dragon noticed, and after blinking he grinned so wide it showed his fangs."Pretty, huh? Wanna see it closer?""Uh... N-no, no need to..."Zeno didn't listen, as he was already untying the bow of his green headdress. As he untangled and took the jewelry down, Shin-ah figured out why it drew to him. It wasn't the appearance, lovely as it was.The way Zeno wore it reminded him of the way he wore the bells around the ear and then the horn of his mask for fourteen years. It was so similar. He felt a clutching tug within his heart.Shin-ah didn't take the whole beaded chain, just the big piece to inspect it. For some reason he felt chills over his arms when he touched the serpentine dragon relief. The craftsmanship was unlike anything he had seen before, too refined and gorgeous and rich for a poor wandering boy. It wasn't the kind of thing you would ever see in Seiryuu Village either. He had seen engraved metal in weapons wielded by bandits, but nothing too fancy. The goldsmith had done a quality, durable job.The red and blue beads were pretty, too. His Seiryuu eyes couldn't see a single scratch, and the tiny dust particles seemed to float away from the crest. It seemed impossible, yet it was perfectly clean and shiny and good as new."...Amazing," he said at last, giving it back."Thanks! It's Zeno's only prized possession! You really like necklaces, don't you, Seiryuu? You have a couple, too! I like them a lot."Indeed he did. He glanced while Zeno tied his necklace back into the scarf. The beads and the medallion made noises again, and he could hear the vivid memory of bell chimes inside his head, near his ear, around the horn of the mask."Zeno. Was it... a present?"Zeno gaped. Shin-ah was starting to regret asking but Zeno gave him a sad smile."It was. From a very important person in Zeno's life."So he also had someone like that. Shin-ah had a lot to ask. Was it his predecessor or someone else, like a parent? Or perhaps a friend? Was that person dead? Did Zeno miss them?He didn't ask anything, though. From the dim light in his eyes, it was obvious he loved and missed them just as he felt about Ao. And he didn't want to make Zeno sadder by bringing the past back."They can hear it," he whispered instead."Hmmm? Who can hear what, Seiryuu?""That person... can hear the clinks of your medallion... can see it shining. Wherever you are... I think they're with you."Zeno's smile fell, just like a mask. A deep sorrow flashed, and even if he beamed at him again he could see it settled in the back of his kind eyes. His eyes were dry, but Shin-ah could tell he wanted to cry. He could understand that."Seiryuu... You're an incredible boy."Shin-ah tilted his head. Before he knew, he found Zeno's arms around his body, squeezing and caressing his back. The hug felt much nicer than he expected."Yeah, I know," Zeno murmured. "That's why he gave it to me. And it helped me a lot. Even if he wasn't watching over me anymore, I know at least of four other people who are rooting for Zeno."Shin-ah didn't understand the last part. Did he mean Yona and the other dragon warriors, or more people from his past? Unlike Shin-ah, Kija and Jae-ha had more people than his predecessors. Who knew with Zeno?Zeno broke from the hug and raised his palms toward Shin-ah's face, as if he wanted to cup it. The blue dragon moved away; he didn't want him to touch his mask. The other young man got the body language immediately, and put his hands away."Got it, got it. Zeno apologizes. Can I still hug you and cuddle and play with you, though?""Yes." He didn't get the hang of that kind of physical contact yet, but he was all for receiving it. It felt like they both needed it so much. He was by then sure that Zeno did care a lot about many things and other people, despite acting so carefree. "You're weird, Zeno..."Zeno giggled and hugged him once more with none of that old sadness, his laughter finally being as joyful as the music of bells.
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Over the years and centuries, Zeno has had this recurrent nightmare. He’s always in the halls of Hiryuu castle, not its current luscious version but the one where the Red King lived and died. The one Zeno protected over and over. Some things were different, like the clothes people wore or the colors of the walls, but that was the way the world of dreams was.It always followed the same pattern. A faceless man in modest clothes enters the room, and says he’s a prophet artist who can paint the real nature of the world and its destiny. The words in his speech and the voice are always distinct in each dream, but he’s always come to give the Dragon Warriors a present. He gives one canvas to Guen, one to Shuten, one to Abi. Zeno can see their paintings from above, as if he was hovering over their heads, despite the fact he’s also standing in the room. He can see himself as a character, pouting and expecting his turn that never comes.“What about mine?” He sees himself asking.“Ouryuu doesn’t get one,” he’s told in a cryptic tone.“Why?”Then the man just smiles, and it’s the scariest jeer he has ever seen. At this point Zeno always woke up, drenched in sweat.The first time he had that dream, it was a couple of weeks after drinking the Yellow Dragon’s blood. The paintings depicted their powers: Guen’s arm, Shuten’s leg, Abi’s eyes. He got no painting.The next time, the paintings had them posing proud on the battlefield, victory and corpses all around them. Zeno had just been forbidden from fighting by his master. He got no painting.The next time, the scenery showed each leaving the castle and walking on the road –except Shuten, traversing the air as usual. Zeno had just decided to stay. He got no painting.The next few times, the portraits were of themselves growing older and older. Zeno got no painting.The next time, instead of a painting the artist gave them a shroud. Zeno got none. Sweat wasn’t the only thing drenching his cheeks and eyes as he woke up.The next time, Guen’s painting was that boy he saw in Hakuryuu village. Shuten and Abi’s paintings were also children who looked a lot like them. Zeno got no painting.The next time, the scenes were every man reuniting with their wives, lovers, or the mothers of their children in Heaven. Guen and Shuten got several, Abi only had one. Zeno couldn’t see Kaya anymore. He got no painting.After that, the dreams became more sporadic as Zeno’s own mind had problems telling when he was dreaming and when awake. His brain repeated the old nightmares as if they were still relevant when he lost track of time, but usually forgotten by the morning. And then…Guen’s painting was the four year-old boy in a bathrobe, sitting on a tree branch and staring with awed eyes. Guen always laughed like thunder and seemed proud of him.Abi’s painting was the cute toddler with a mask covering his face, holding a ball with shyness and eagerness. Abi would touch the mask with his fingers, deep sadness in his eyes.Shuten’s painting had the sleeping young lad chained to a miserable hut, covered with Zeno’s dusty coat. Shuten would throw away the painting before leaving the room in fury and disgust.Zeno got no painting, but he wasn’t too disappointed this time. “I have come with a painting for the Dragon Warriors,” said the faceless man once again. The three came forward to collect their own, but the man ignored them and went straight to the blond man. “This time, just one. Just for you, Lord Ouryuu.”The Zeno in the dream extended his arms and received the artwork with excitement. It was him, with the happiest smile, surrounded by people who were hugging him. Yona was by his side, and so were Kija, Shin-ah, Jae-ha. Hak and Yoon were also holding Yona from behind.Zeno opened his eyes. It was late at night. They were at the priest’s hut. Everyone in the portrait was snoozing somewhere in the room.He refrained a chuckle. Finally his mind was at peace.
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From the outside, Kaya just looked as though she was concentrated in the soup bowl, left in front of her as it cooled a bit. But Zeno figured out that she was gathering some courage to say something, while she glanced at the floating onions. Finally, she took a deep breath and raised her eyes until they met with his.“Zeno, can I ask you something? You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to, it’s okay.”Zeno toyed with the battered spoon between his fingers. He expected this moment to happen, yet he hoped it wouldn’t come to this.“Go ahead.” He submerged the spoon in the broth, trying to act natural.“I know you weren’t happy with your life before I found you, and I don’t want to make you sad again, but… We’ve been living together for a while and I don’t know anything about you. I can’t help but being a little curious.” She beamed. “I want to get to know you better, if it’s fine by you..”He ate a spoonful of broth and chewed on the onion and potato dices. It was reasonable, of course. Suddenly this guy drops on the ground, surrounded by mystery and blood-stained clothes, and wants to stay to take care of you. Anyone would be curious. Anyone would wonder if he wasn’t a mad man or wanted by justice or something like that.“Sure,” he swallowed, “if that makes you feel better. I’ll just refuse when it’s too hard to answer.”She took a deep breath again, and coughed twice for the excessive air she inhaled.“Where are you from? What did you do for a living?”There it was. A hard question from the very beginning. Zeno put his bowl on the table. She wouldn’t believe him anyway. To test it, he wore his most dangerous, mischievous grin, bared fangs visible and eyes narrowed.“I’m a cursed monster who drank the blood of a god, a warrior with the body of a dragon, the only living vassal of the Crimson King.”He waited for Kaya’s reaction. She just slurped some soup, as amused as she would be if he had told her a joke.“I see, I see. Does that mean you were an actor, or you just don’t want to say?”He returned to his usual calm demeanor, still with some mischief left in his tone. He cackled, a little too loud.“I guess I’ve been kind of an actor, in a way.” He combed the hair at the back of his neck with one hand. “I was a priest for the main temple at the capital.”Well, it wasn’t a lie. He just didn’t specify he was the Head Priest of the country. Most of his work had been convincing acting, after Hiryuu died.“A priest from the capital?! So you’re from a big city! That’s amazing!”“I was born in a village of shepherds two days from Mount Hoon, but the animals died from a plague so I left there to become an altar boy. Fate led me to some amazing people later, and then I got to be a priest. I quit recently, though.”That wasn’t a lie, either. That had been his life before and after he was approached by the Yellow Dragon.“Wow, Zeno… I can’t even imagine. I’ve never been in a city.” Her eyes were wide and full of stars. “You have to tell me how it’s like. Describe me your temple. Describe me the houses. Describe me the royal castle. Is it true there are rows and rows of market stands, where merchants sell the most delicious meals and the prettiest jewelry and the finest clothes? Are there gardens with flowers? I want to know everything!”His heart was racing and he could feel his cheeks getting warmer. He hadn’t seen Kaya this excited in days, and the vision of her brilliant cute face made him soar. Oh, he loved her smile so much. Oh, he wanted to see her like this more often. His own flushed features relaxed to reflect the tenderness and joy he felt.“Okay, I’ll describe everything. One thing everyday, alright? This way you’ll have something new to look forward to. Kaya will have to be healthier and stronger to hear my tales! And when I’m done with the capital, I’ll tell you about other places I’ve seen. I’ve traveled a bit, so I won’t run out of stuff soon.”“I’m so glad!” Kaya laughed in delight. “I’m looking forward to it already.”“I would take you there to visit if we could go.”“But I can’t, so this is fine.” She chuckled. “Just you telling me is enough. I’m so lucky!”He wanted to say he was the lucky one, but he didn’t. She went back to her soup, so Zeno did the same. The meal had grown cold already, but neither said a word about it. They felt warm enough regardless.
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She had gone to look for more wood for the fire when she found Zeno staring at the horizon. The sunset colors had just begun to paint the sky like a canvas. Yona thought he looked off recently, without his headscarf and his medallion on. Or maybe Zeno just looked off in general, ever since that day. He had been a patch of noon sunshine before, yet now he felt like that same evening sun reflected in his old, cryptic eyes.“Ah, Miss!” He ran to her encounter. “Let me help carrying those!”The same arms that had been cut off and sewn back together by themselves, the same arms that had flown in the air to stab a man, the same arms that slammed another man to the ground like an earthquake… now were having a problem with a bit of weight. No, there’s no case thinking like that about any of them. The same arms that would hug her and offer to give her a piggyback ride. Yes. That’s better.“Hey, Zeno…” She said as they walked. “Mind if I ask you something?”“Go ahead,” he said as his smile faltered slightly.“Well, I’m not sure if it’s a question. I don’t know how to explain this…” She took a deep breath. “I hope I don’t disappoint you much.”
“Disappoint me? You?” He blinked. “Zeno’s lost.”“I mean, you’ve waited for centuries for Hiryuu.” Kija hadn’t minded how Yona was like, Shin-ah didn’t know about the legend, Jae-ha had bad expectations about the red king. But Zeno had known the man. That intimidated her so much. “So, um, you… I’m sure you expected something different, even if you say it doesn’t matter and I passed your test”“Because it doesn’t matter, Miss. Just be yourself.”“Yes, but your expectations must’ve been…”“Hey now. Listen,” he stopped to look at her face. “I didn’t know what to expect. I’ve had more than plenty free time to imagine a lot of scenarios, and yet I didn’t view all of them. I didn’t set myself to disappointment. Sure, some ideas were more or less appealing than others, but I knew better.”“Oh. Did you ever come up with a weak, ignorant princess?”“Nope, that’s oddly specific. And that’s the old you. I will admit that I was a bit concerned about you for years, but that wasn’t your fault or a reason to dislike you. Zeno didn’t know you anyway. You didn’t know you. Now you’re growing stronger and wiser, and I’m happy to be here to witness it.” He chuckled.Yona blushed. She hadn’t thought about it, but perhaps she never knew herself all that well while she lived in the castle.“There’s nothing to worry about! I like the Miss a lot, a lot! I like what we’re doing here. I like this cute family we have. It sure beats a lot of scenarios! Besides, the wait wasn’t entirely bad, you know?” Zeno looked flustered, like he wasn’t comfortable talking about that part of his past. “I think the hopes for Hiryuu’s return were what kept me going, like a candle in the dark. And one day, I’d get to see the full room illuminated. I owe you and Hiryuu a lot of my sanity. So don’t worry about Zeno’s expectations.”Yona laughed, relieved and embarrassed.“Okay, got it. Thanks, Zeno.”“If anyone should be disappointed, it’s you guys,” he continued. “Look at me. You get to meet one of the Four Warriors of legend, one of the ones most of you grew up hearing about, and then he’s not exactly cool or impressive most of the time.”“Zeno, that’s…”“I’m honestly surprised by the way Hakuryuu is handling it. I imagined he’d have a heart attack or yell at me for not telling anything about my powers. Can you–?”“Zeno!” Yona cried, getting the dragon to stop. She lowered her voice again. “That’s okay, Zeno. We don’t think of you like that. We all love you as a person, the way you are. The fact you can smile at us and keep our spirits up is just as impressive as any power any dragon could have.”“Miss…” The sunset lights sparkled in Zeno’s widened eyes.“I mean, I’m still processing your real age and all that, but well… Legends are stories, not everything will be true. I can understand the pressure of a role, so it’s fine if you’re not what any of us expected from you or the first Ouryuu, alright? Just be more honest with us from now on and tell us what worries you. Don’t force yourself. Trust in us more.”“Hahaha! I’ll try, I’ll try.” He squinted as he grinned, his expression full of tenderness. “You kids are spoiling me rotten.”“Treating you as a cool person and liking you is not ‘spoiling’,” Yona pouted at him. “It’s natural.”Zeno put down the tree branches, and put his arms around the girl in an embrace.“Same thing could be said to you. Let us like you despite of the blood or the title, and treat you as a cool young lady to follow proudly.”Touche. Yona laughed wholeheartedly and left herself be cuddled for a few seconds.
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After the fine girls of Awa decided they had partied enough, Jae-ha looked for a nice spot to play his erhu and think about the events of the day. But before he could jump away, he saw an unnaturally white visage by the corner of his eye. Jae-ha shrugged and decided to join its owner. He felt curiosity, after all.Seiryuu was sitting on the ground and leaning against a tree. He and the squirrel shared a cup. Jae-ha wondered if it was such a good idea to give a little animal any amount of alcohol. Oh well, it wasn’t his pet anyway.“Shin-ah-kun,” he greeted. A head half covered in fun and pale mask like bone raised up in meeting. “Care if I join you? Drinking alone is not beautiful.”The boy nodded once. Jae-ha sat by his side and refilled his own cup and the other dragon’s with a bottle of sake he found nearby. Tiny beady eyes examined Jae-ha’s ribbon with curiosity.“No, not chewing on anything that’s on me. That’s Kai silk, you know,” he said to the furball and immediately he felt silly for talking to a squirrel. He had been with them for too long, perhaps.Jae-ha glanced at Shin-ah as he touched his cup with his lips. It was worth the try.“So, will you take off your mask tonight?”Shin-ah shook his head with determination.“I guess you’re too sober yet,” Jae-ha sighed. He had wished to look at the mesmerizing eyes of the dragon and discover if they were as beautiful as he had read in Garou’s terrible books. Golden eyes, golden scales, he still had much gold to see from the legends. But he wouldn’t stick around to see Shin-ah’s face. He wouldn’t witness them recruiting Ouryuu.Or would he? No, absolutely not! Not that unknown gold, nor Yona’s fiery glare trapped in a frail body. No. No…? Cursed dragon blood, making him feel those things.He finished his drink in a gulp and tipped the bottle for a second serving.“Hey, Shin-ah-kun. May I ask you something?” He made a pause, waiting for a refusal. As the boy didn’t say anything, he continued. “How did she convince you to go with her? Er, I mean to say… Why did you join Yona-chan?”Shin-ah lowered his head and looked at his furry companion sipping his liquor. He kept quiet for about a minute, so Jae-ha assumed he didn’t want to answer. Or perhaps the sake had gotten to him and he was falling asleep behind the mask. Who knows, really.“Because… it’s Yona,” he finally said, after taking his time.“Not because she’s Hiryuu?”“I didn’t know about the legend… Kija explained it later… I just like Yona.”“Like her as a girl?” Jae-ha smirked, amused. Well, he was closer to her age range, probably a couple of years older than her.“No. Because it’s Yona.” He didn’t need to see Shin-ah’s face to see the struggle to convey his feelings and thoughts into words. “Yona is warm… Yona is light… She accepted me although I’m a monster… She took me out…She gave me a name.”Well, that was a lot to think about.“Out from where? From your village?”Shin-ah nodded.“And, uh, you didn’t have a name before?”“Just… called Seiryuu.”Jae-ha was speechless. Those words were brief, but they let him make a couple of conclusions about this kid and his village. First off, there might be a big chance that Seiryuu village was, in fact, even worse than Ryokuryuu village in some aspects. At least the Ryokuryuu could have their own names, thank the Heavens. The masks, the lack of identity, the ignorance on their origin… that was whole new level of not treating dragons as people. Those were chains much heavier than physical ones; you can break those made of iron or steel, and eventually you stop feeling them crawling over your skin in your dreams. But mental damage was another beast altogether. Jae-ha could still hear some of Garou’s harshest words, over a dozen years later.Second, he was relieved to learn that Hakuryuu was the only one of the three who saw dragonhood as something amazing. Shin-ah called himself a monster, just like Jae-ha did to himself. If this guy had been another doll proud to serve their king –or queen–, that would’ve been so awkward.Third, he hated to admit it, but he could relate. If he hadn’t have a way to escape with his foot, and this nice person stopped by their village when he was young, not caring about that horrible foot, about his monstrosity? He would’ve definitely considered escaping with her. By then, he didn’t know it was possible that other humans existed who wouldn’t make a fuss about it. He had captain Gigan and his crew now, and he knew the rest of him was gorgeous, but when he was trapped there with only Garou as company? Oh yes, he would have jumped at that, literal and figuratively. He might have also seen Yona as warm light. Now add how fucked up Seiryuu village is, and it’s no wonder.Shit. Poor bastard. Jae-ha felt a pang on his chest that he didn’t like. It wasn’t all pity. That group wasn’t actually bad, as soon as he knew them better. He still thought Hakuryuu was a bit of an idiot, but Hak was awesome, Yoon-kun had guts, and Shin-ah-kun… he started to feel some fondness, as underneath all that intimidating weirdness and silence they weren’t so different. How bothersome. And then there was Yona-chan, but he didn’t want to think about her.Well, perhaps if he traveled with them –not like he would certainly go with them or anything, but in the unlikely, rare case he did– he could show poor Ouryuu that there was a cool, handsome dragon to depend on? Not like he was precisely a model of sanity, but after all Hakuryuu and Seiryuu were sheltered brats in different extremes.“So Shin-ah-kun, are you happy now that you’re outside?”“I can… stretch my arms…”Jae-ha laughed and laughed, and if his eyes were all teary it must have been the shots of sake. Yes, it must have been.“I know how that is,” he finally murmured. “It’s the best feeling in the world, isn’t it?”Shin-ah nodded. Jae-ha didn’t need to see the legendary beautiful eyes to know they had to be sparkling.
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“Does it hurt, Miss?”Zeno pointed out Yona’s back. The wound was already closed and it didn’t bleed anymore, but perhaps he had noticed her moves were still stiff.“I’m fine, Zeno. Thanks.”“But with this humidity because of the rain, aren’t you aching a tiny little bit?”“Maybe a little,” Yona smiled, “but it’s nothing I can’t stand. Don’t worry about it.”“Hold on here, Zeno knows just the thing!” He ran off out of the room with his arms extended to each side, leaving the girl confused.Minutes later, Zeno came back with something flat and round, covered in cloth,“What’s that?” Yona looked at it with curiosity.“A stone plate that was warmed up in the inn’s hearth. A soft massage should do the trick.”“It’s not too hot, is it?”“Well… Zeno has a high tolerance to extreme temperatures, but that’s what the cloth wrap is for. It’s protection. You can keep the robes on, if you like.”The princess sat up straight. Zeno got closer and softly rubbed the disc up and down through the back of her torso. Warmth like spring sunshine went across her muscles. The pain and throb were fading, as he had promised. She closed her eyes in delight.“Ah, you were right!” Yona said. “This feels so good!”“That’s because heat is good for that kind of aching!” Zeno chuckled, pleased with himself.He kept going at it. Up and down his hands moved. There was something familiar about it. What was it…?Oh, yes. She remembered that dream. The four tiny dragons, not larger than dogs. Each of them representing one of her friends, her allies, her family. The one that was Zeno was the only one who didn’t cry: he was trying to soothe her injury, just like the real Zeno was doing now. The dream had been sad then, but the memory was sweet and adorable.“The four dragons are so cute,” she thought.Zeno’s hands froze in the air. She blushed, noticing she had said it aloud. But immediately, Zeno’s giggles returned, much stronger. He wouldn’t stop laughing and there were tears of laughter on his eyes.“What’s the matter? Are you mocking me?” She pouted a little.“No, no!” He said when he could breathe again. His cheeks were pink. “Zeno’s just happy, happy! I’m glad the Miss thinks so.”“It’s true, though,” she grinned at him.“Some things will never change, eh?” She didn’t understand what he meant, but his tone was strangely wistful.
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As the two teenagers walked into the busy marketplace that chilly morning, Yoon sighed and glared at Yona who was marching with enthusiasm. She was too obvious. Everything was."So... Why is it that you wanted to come again?""Shopping," Yona grinned."Shopping for what? We were here two days ago, when we sold medicines. Did you see something you couldn't buy then?""Um..." Yoon was disappointed by the way her vague cover was already crumbling down. Then again, she was lacking when it came to improvising lies. "No, not really. I just... wanted to walk around? It's a really nice market with a lot of shiny things!"To be fair, Yona was a young woman and most of them flocked to pretty or cool stuff, even if they weren't buying anything. It wasn't strange for girls and boys to hang out near stores. But she had picked that day in particular and only invited Yoon."True, but I still have tons of things to do before dusk. Laundry, mending, without going too far lunch..." he extended his fingers as he enumerated. "You should've brought the rare beasts instead of dragging me.""But I wanted to come with you, Yoon. We rarely spend time together anymore.""We're on the road together.""I mean fun time alone!""We sleep in the same tent." He massaged his temples. "What are you guys scheming?"Yona brought attention to the closest stand to her left, her smile shaking in her lips and her frown tilting."Oh! Let's take a look at that!" She pointed at a blanket on the ground with one hand, and with the other she grabbed Yoon's forearm and pulled him with her. It was a jewelry shop. Necklaces, bracelets, earrings, rings, they all shined gorgeously. Despite his frustration, he couldn't help but admire the gems and the cheap stone beads and the rhinestones all the same. "Is there any you like, Yoon?""They're all pretty, but I'm not much of a trinket kind of guy. The only—""I know! Maybe a lucky charm! Excuse me, madam...""Yona!" Yoon quickly pulled the black leather string under his shawl, showing his only fancy possession. It was a ring made of a light green gemstone. "I have a charm already, it's enough.""Right. I forgot you had that underneath your clothes. The color is so pretty.""That's an adventurine!" said th shopkeeper. "It's used for luck and new opportunities. It benefits you in all areas of creativity and intellect. It's a quartz of prosperity, mental clarity, calm, and friendship.""Really?" Yoon blinked. "Ik-soo just said it suited me. I thought it was the color, but maybe he meant something else.""It does suit you a lot," Yona nodded. "Then let's go to another stand and see more things?"It's not like he had another choice, not with his friend beaming like that. They ended up in front of a clothing merchant. There were beautiful skirts and dresses of lovely shades, but Yona paid no attention to them. She pointed at something in the men's half of the shop."Look at that satchel, Yoon! It would be great for your medicines and herbs, don't you think?""Yona.""I think it's larger than your current one. And it has these pockets—""Yona.""You don't like it? Yeah, I suppose you like yours better. Hey, how about that blue scarf? You'd look handsome—""Of course I would, I’m a handsome boy genius. But I can make one myself, and it'd fit Shin-ah or the Thunder Beast better.""Then...""Yona, shut up and listen! Stop trying to buy me a birthday present."Yona opened and closed her mouth a couple of times, like a red carp out of the water."I am not! I-I don't know what you're talking about." she pouted, blush on her cheeks. She was avoiding Yoon's stare. He sighed and softened his tone."You're not even noticing anything girly for you. It's all things you would like on me, so this can't be just looking at all the pretty merch. Also, we both know it's my birthday today. And the beasts were acting strange, so I'm sure this is all a distraction while they try to throw a surprise party or something like that.""No... I mean yes, but it's not exactly a party. Everyone is doing your chores so you could have a relaxing day.""Oh." Yoon stared, deadpan. He was touched, but the chances of them ruining everything was a weight sinking in his stomach."Hak and Shin-ah are in charge of the laundry and the mending. And Zeno and Jae-ha are making lunch.""Wait, what's Kija doing?""Getting the firewood, I think. He's banned from helping with the clothes.""Thank goodness," Yoon whispered. The work distribution seemed to minimize the possible hazards."And I'm the one in charge to take you to a fun place, because otherwise you'd get restless and take the chores off their hands."She had a point there."Still, we can't afford a present for me. I appreciate it, Yona, but—""We can, actually," she chirped and took out a little bag of money from inside her cloak's pocket. She shook it so the coins would clang. Yoon's eyes widened."Where did you get that? Don't tell me you saved this much from your allowance.""Ah, not all," she shook her head and smirked. "When we came here to sell your wares the other day, Hak made bets with some guys that I could shoot a bull's eye. I didn't miss, so we got all this money for your birthday!""That's... That's actually amazing." He was impressed."Not really, we've done it before. But a lot of people bet against me this time so we got a good amount. So please, Yoon!" She grabbed his hands. "Let me get you something nice! You do all these things for us and we can't thank you enough. It's not just that you save our lives all the time. We just love you so, so much!"His eyes started to itch, and soon he felt the tears falling down his face. He let go one hand to wipe them off his eyes. Yona laughed without malice and squeezed his other hand affectionately."Alright," he sobbed, "you win. I'll get something nice.""For you alone. No stuff for the whole group.""...Fine.""Let me take you to another stand. You'll love this one. I've saved the best for last!" Yona gave him her biggest, most triumphant smile. The weight on his stomach unraveled until no knots were left.As they advanced through the marketplace, holding hands, Yoon couldn't help but remember the Yona he had found months ago near the riverbed. They weren't remotely the same person anymore, the one who couldn't even say thanks and knew nothing about life. Here was a brave, selfless girl who wouldn't buy herself something nice if she could make one of her friends happy instead. Yona's growth, he had found, wasn't limited to his physical abilities as a fighter. She had become strong within her soul, nurturing kindness and compassion along the journey. He was proud to travel with her, to be one of the people dear to her heart.He wondered if she had ever gone to a marketplace when she was a spoiled princess, and if she had admired the stunning jewelry and outfits of the capital those times. Probably not, or at least not with the king's permission. Yoon wouldn't ask such a painful question in any case."Here we are!" Yona bursted out in glee.He gasped in wonder. What Yoon saw was close to his definition of heaven. Dozens of books laid down on the tapestry in little piles, separated by categories. Most of them were second hand, their binds tore down, their boards eroding with the use, their pages ocher. But to Yoon those were the best kind, as long as they weren't missing many pages."This is amazing!" he cried as he knelt to their level, his eyes full of sparkles. "I've never seen so many together!""You haven't? Right, you were too busy to see this stand the last time. I suppose you want a present now?""A-absolutely! Don't mind if I do!""Take your time, Yoon. You deserve it!""You know what? I do deserve it! I deserve it a damn lot!"Yona laughed and left Yoon in his own dream shopping, with the best smell in the world —scent of old books— making his heart aflutter. This was the best birthday so far.
"Are you done choosing your gift?"The little package Yoon was holding made it obvious, but the wide smile and dreamy, teary eyes said a lot more. Without uttering a word, he flung into Yona's arms and kiss her on the cheek. She put her arms around him, giggling and kissing him back on the temple. One of the books' spine touched her back."Happy birthday, Yoon!""Thanks, Yona. Really.""It's fine. You'll have to hug Hak, too!""What a literal pain if he hugs me back! I value my ribs, you know," he said as he ended the cuddle and caressed her back one last time."So, what did you get?" she leaned to peek at the bundle he was cradling like a baby. "A cooking book?" Yoon decided to ignore the teasing coming from someone who couldn't cook at all on her own."A complete guide to herbalism," he retorted. "My medicine book has pictures of the most important herbs, but this is much more complete and specialized in all kinds of plants and not just medicinal herbs. There's even a section about antidotes for a few poisons!""Wow. With that you'll be able to become the greatest doctor.""That's right. Oh, and the shopkeeper was so nice! Since it was my birthday and he saw me so excited, he gave me one free book from the bargain section!""That's extremely nice!" Yona gaped. "Aaaaah, I'm so happy you got two presents! Three if you count Jae-ha and Zeno's lunch.""I'll count it if it's edible and they don't set the camp on fire again...""Heh. What is your second book about?""It's an outdated history book from five years ago. I guess no one will want to buy it if the current..." He made a pause; he didn't want to summon Soo-won's name and ruin the mood. "...world leaders aren't all in there.""Ah." Yona shifted her feet."But it's still pretty interesting!" he pointed out with his index finger. "I'll read it aloud before bed so you also hear it. You need to learn your country's history, Yona!""Good thinking! I want to learn!" She tightened her fists. "We should also ask Zeno for some old stories about Kouka's history!""You know," Yoon frowned, "I don't think Zeno even knows what year we're in. Actually, I'm going to also read it to him to refresh his elderly memory, and if possible to know which were real events. And to the other beasts if they want, because Kija and Shin-ah are so new to the outside world.""Good idea, mom. I mean, Yoon.""Ugh! You were doing so well..."Yona grabbed Yoon's arm in an apology."Come on, let's get something sweet for your dessert and come back home.""And a bottle of sake for the others. If they did the chores well, I'll reward them."Yoon smiled, ready to enjoy his new books and the rest of his birthday. He hoped that Ik-soo was having a great day and thinking of him, back at their cabin.
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Life in the caves was dull during the dead time between practicing the sword and fighting any invader that got too close. Seiryuu was not allowed to engage in activities with the rest of the villagers. All those hours when he wasn’t Seeing outside would be spend either sitting in his chamber, or patrolling the carved hallways. Until the dragon found the squirrel, there wasn’t much to do.So he Looked through stone walls. No one had told him it was wrong, as no one knew he was doing that. It all started when he saw a masked child a year or two younger than him, getting hurt as he stumbled in the common room –the room adults used for meetings and kids who weren’t the Seiryuu used for games. Later that night Seiryuu looked for him with his golden eyes, room by room, until he found the tiny wounded. He wanted to make sure he was well. Indeed, a woman who must have been the boy’s mother had put bandages around his arm. Three nights later, he Saw them and the rest of the family having supper.He Glanced at other rooms sometimes. People eating. People drinking. People talking. People cleaning. People cooking. People washing clothes. People screaming. People doing a strange dance under the sheets. People sleeping. People hugging. People sewing. People weaving. People carving masks. People reading. People laughing. People crying. People breathing.People were allowed to do things with other people and have lives. And yet, some of the things people would do were things Seiryuu also did. He took solace in the fact that humans had things in common with the monster with cursed eyes.He wished he could tell that girl that her new dress was pretty, or ask that lady for the recipe of that soup, or beg that man to teach him to understand the letters on paper, or ask that boy if he could pet his puppy, or request that father to stop hitting his family. But that was their lives, and Seiryuu was an outsider, and Ao said that Seiryuu would never make friends. All he could do was Watching over them. He swallowed his words every night and continued with his own existence
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He had forgotten. Soon, the cheerful kid front came much easier to him, as being around them made him legitimately happy. Everyday was a fun adventure. It was easy to stop thinking about it. True, there was always this sinking weight, this annoying itch on the back of his mind that bothered him. He just assumed it was because he was older, infinitely older, and not a part of their generation. But it wasn’t just that. He had forgotten the other important part.He was painfully reminded while he lay on his stomach next to a feverish Hakuryuu, and Ryokuryuu seemed vocally concerned for once. He asked about the dragon hand and its power. Zeno wasn’t concerned; he knew the disease had been caught readily because the distance to Hiryuu Castle diminished their powers. But the young man voiced his fear then:“Could it be that in Hakuryuu village a new dragon was born?”Oh, no. No, gods, no. Zeno’s eyes widened and he stopped breathing until Kija perished the thought.“...No, I don’t think so. I feel... it’s not that.”“I see.” Jae-ha said after a pause. “Then it’s alright.”“Why are you asking all of a sudden?”“It’s not all of a sudden. My predecessor died when he was 27. I’m approaching that age. Soon a new dragon will be born. The power will leave me and I will die. It’s very probable, isn’t it?”Zeno leaned down his head on his crossed arms, a pillow as uncomfortable as his friend’s painful words. Ah, so that was it. That was the buried gnawing knowledge he had almost forgotten.He wasn’t like them whatsoever. He tried not to look at their faces.His new brothers, the descendants of his brothers, these beautiful children... they would soon leave. Much sooner than it’s fair, fated to wither away after another one blooms. As much as he wanted to play and pretend otherwise, he couldn’t relate to their fear. That would never happen to him. Ouryuu had no predecessors and no successors; Ouryuu was, is, and will be Zeno. He could only fear losing them forever.At some point of their chat, Kija had sat up, despite his high temperature.“...Yes,” he said. “the Four Dragons are destined to die young. But...” No! Not the four! I’m not like you! I’m destined to live young while you die young! “But I’m always ready to give my life for our mistress.”“It’s just like you,” said Jae-ha, “not to care about your lifespan.”A clang on the floor made Zeno snap out of it and sit normally. Yoon had returned and he had dropped the bowl of water, spilling the precious liquid over the floor. How much had he heard?“T-the things you were talking about... Is that true? That the Four Dragons... have a short lifespan?” Oh, he had heard enough. Yoon’s face was anguished, as expected of someone with a kind heart such as him.The two older boys invited him to sit with them. Jae-ha tried to make it less of a deal, by saying that no person knew when they were going to die anyway. That didn’t bring the lad any comfort --and neither to Zeno.“Yoon,” said Kija with a tender tone, “no need to worry. Even if a new dragon is born, we won’t die right away.”“Exactly!” Jae-ha put his hand on Yoon’s shoulder. “After my birth, my predecessor lived for 12 more years.”That was a good point. A little grin appeared in the yellow dragon’s distracted demeanor. While Kija punched Jae-ha in the nose to make a point about his powers not fading, Zeno remembered that visit to Ryokuryuu village. He was bad at calculating time and other people’s ages, but the boy back then was rather big. They still had time. Brief time for his scale, but they probably had some years ahead of them. Who knew? Maybe the cycle wouldn’t kick in while Hiryuu was on Earth. He had to hope destiny would give them a good chance.“Then...” Zeno heard Yoon’s voice, still hurt, filled with the youth that haunted the dragons in different ways. There were tears in his eyes that the older men couldn’t afford to shed for themselves. “It’s okay by me but... Please, try to live some more, you rare beasts!”The lad had just said exactly the same thing Zeno had wanted to say to them. In silence, with a kind smile on his lips that only Shin-ah in front of him noticed, he thanked Yoon for that.
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“Want to dance, Yona-chan?”The princess stared at Jae-ha, who was offering his hand, all while wearing an impish grin that looked like trouble.“But I’m going to dance already tonight, at the bar. While I gather information.” She was certain he hadn’t forgotten since most of the plan had been his idea. Happy dancer who brightens up the dark night, he had said. The young man had a charming, poetic way with words that Yona really admired.“It’s exactly because of that! You need to decide on your moves. That dancing you did at the festival was breathtaking, but it doesn’t fit a den full of drug addicts and lost souls. It’s too solemn and elegant for them, I’d say.”“Oh, I see. So you say I’d stand out too much if I did my usual steps from the castle days?”“Yes. You already stand out a lot because of other reasons, but it’s important you know what to give your audience. As an artistic soul myself, I find beauty in doing the adequate performance.”Other reasons? Ah yes, he probably meant her red hair. She was going to use a large hat, but it was better not to risk it further. Like he said, it was also important to make them happy with something they liked. And yet…“I don’t think we have time for me to learn a new dance, Jae-ha. We’d have to postpone it at least a day, and we can’t afford to lose more people to Nadai.”“We don’t have to do that. Just give it a new, exciting twist. Go get your fan and show me what you’ve got, dear.”She grabbed the prop and went back to his side. She stretched her arms and opened her fan. She did a twirl before Jae-ha stopped her.“Too stiff. This has nothing to do with the sword dance from the other day. Try moving your hips more. Be more joyful, more sensual. And please don’t tell Hak I said that… Or maybe you should, I could use a punch or two…” He winked at her. “Once more, with feeling.”She followed his advice, more acting on instinct than anything as she hadn’t seen any sexy dancers to use as reference. The green dragon nodded while she figured it out.“Not bad,” he finally said, “not bad at all. But I don’t know, it still needs something. An extra oomph. You have the arms and the hips covered so maybe you should do something different about your legs.”“My legs…?” She tapped her cheek with the closed fan and thought about it. Legs… joyful yet sensual… but still graceful enough to not be completely vulgar, so the others wouldn’t complain. Joyful… light… attractive… Ah!Yona opened her fan again and got into position. She raised a leg and bent her knee and she slowly spun around her other leg. She moved her arms open and twisted her right wrist to make the fan sway. She made a tiny jump and changed the supporting leg. She heard claps coming from Jae-ha.“Beautiful! I like it! You’re a natural, Yona-chan.”Yona’s puffed her chest forward, proud of his approval.“Actually,” she grinned, “I imitated your jumps. You’re always bending your leg like this while you soar.”“…Really? I see.”She could swear the man’s face started to blush a little. He covered his mouth with his hand, so she wasn’t completely sure she had seen it wrong. But embarrassed or not, he seemed at least pleased somehow by the source of the idea. She laughed. How adorable!“Let’s try again, Jae-ha! I need to memorize it so I don’t mess up tonight. This time play your flute so we can practice together.”He nodded, and his usual mischievous demeanor returned while he retrieved his wind instrument from the inner pockets of his jacket.“Music to my ears, Yona-chan~ Let’s fly.”
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When thunder clouds start pouring downLight a fire they can't put outCarve your name into those shining starsHe said, "Go venture far beyond these shores.Don't forsake this life of yours.I'll guide you home no matter where you are."One day my father—he told me,"Son, don't let it slip away."When I was just a kid I heard him say,"When you get olderYour wild heart will live for younger daysThink of me if ever you're afraid."
The Nights - AVICII
That long conversation with General Geun-tae had left Son Mundok exhausted. He liked the kid's spunk, but his cockiness and obvious thirst for battle could be overwhelming. Ah well, he still liked the guy much better than the other generals anyway. Had he been thirty years younger and not a fellow tribe leader, he would've sparred with him to shut him up. But in all honesty, with the age gap, it would not be fair at all: Mundok would sweep the floor with his ponytail, all that seasoned battle experience on his side, back pain or not. Not fair for the Earth Tribe General at all.He didn't find Hak where he had left him, to his irritation. He imagined his dumb grandson was hiding from the princess and her fruit bribes. After some scouting, he found the teenager in their temporary chambers, his face buried in a cushion. After the embarrassment with king Il that same morning, Mundok approved of soft objects getting shoved inside that big mouth."What's the matter with you now, Hak?"The boy said something that sounded muffled and frustrated."Say that again in a way it can be heard, dumb brat."Hak raised his face, resting his chin on the cushion instead of his lips."They did it. That stupid royal family reeled me in.""Oh?" Mundok glared with curiosity in his only eye."So the idiot second son of General Kan was harassing the princess and I tried to ignore it, but...""You got involved anyway, didn't you?" Mundok’s palm met his own forehead and the man raised his voice. "You IDIOT, we don't need the Fire Tribe onto us! That kid is weak as hell, but his father is too much of a hassle.""It's okay, the King arrived in time and scared him off. The problem is," Hak pouted before burying his forehead on the warm softness, "he took it as me accepting to be princess Yona's bodyguard and the next General.""Let me guess. You called him bubbly again and ran away?""Nope, I gave in and knelt."Well then. Mundok didn't know what to say. As damn strong as the brat was, he was still fifteen and it was a difficult age. There was still things he wanted to teach him. He wasn't General material quite yet. He was rude and slacked off and didn't attend to meetings. He had mastered the spear, but he had no idea about the Wind Tribe's affairs. All he cared about was getting stronger than anyone and reaching an ideal who was more cunning and diplomatic than he ever was.Damn it. Princess Yona had really hit him hard, if he was willing to become his bodyguard now. It had nothing to do with the fruit. Mundok had seen the look in his grandson's eyes many times now. This was bound to be a mess if he were to live with her. He was going to fall in love deeper. And when the time came and she would get promised to whoever Il chose as the next king, Hak's heart was going to cry and bleed. Why hadn't he set his eyes a regular girl from Fuuga?Can't help it, he thought. An extraordinary kid wasn't going to choose someone ordinary."Aren't you gonna say anything, Lord General?""I told you to call me grandpa.""About the situation! Go clean your ears."Mundok leaned his face inside one of his hands."You're old enough to make your own choices, brat. And you can become the next General even living here in the Castle. Still... I'll consult His Majesty so he lets you put your business in order first. You need special training from me and I'll need at least a full season. I'm sure he'll let you go back to Fuuga for a while."Hak sat straight and smirked. "Ooh, so I won't have to stand the dumb father and daughter for a few months? Nice, old man! So what kind of training is it? Any cool lance move you've been saving up for last?"Mundok slapped the back of Hak's head with no previous warning."It's not that kind of training, you bird brain! You need to be knowledgeable in court protocol, military strategy, finances, and so on. This is going to be intensive, and you'll get bored fast, but it's essential for you to master every aspect of being a General. I also need to inform you about our tribe's affairs and situation, and how we work. We'll visit our lands so you see the people and get accustomed.""That's all really nice, but how can I rule our tribe if I'm stuck in Kuuto being her glorified babysitter and I don't see what's going on?""We can exploit a loophole in our laws. In case the General is away for battle or other businesses, the tribe can name a steward who can make the executive decisions in the Head's behalf. It can be a son, a successor, a predecessor, the capital's elder, or something else.""I'm guessing that would be you?""If that's what you want.""So basically you're still the leader despite you having quit, you shrewd old man.""Not quite, and don't be rude because I'm still the General, you ungrateful kid! Your decisions would overrule mine and you can demote me any time. Besides, I'd only take care of the tedious government part that you can't reach since you're too far away. The military choices should be yours alone.""That kind of sounds like the way the Sky Tribe does it.""Which suits us well, since it's a model King Il is familiar with and he probably won't mind." Especially since every tribe seems to be doing whatever the hell they please during his reign, Mundok mused. "I'll send you letters and reports often, to inform you of the tribe's status.""Well... I guess that's a solution," Hak sighed."You wanted me to force you to quit the bodyguard gig, am I correct?"Hak said nothing for a while. He played with his feather adorn."Hey, what if you die while I'm here?""What, you want to see your beloved grandfather dead already?!" Mundok yelled, more than slightly offended."Of course not!! But then what will I do?""I'm strong and my body still has some years left. By then, I imagine the girl will be married and you can either quit that job or keep both positions and name a steward or even a successor, all depending on the new king's temperament and your priorities by then." He made a pause and combed his beard with his fingers. "I guess I'll also train Tae-woo harder, as he's the most decent candidate after you.""Tae-woo's not gonna like that, not even one bit. A new king, huh...?" Hak's eyes were hard to read for Mundok, full of conflicting emotions. The kid had a temperament and wouldn't like to be around another man touching the girl he liked, but the old warrior knew who Hak was expecting —and hoping— to become the future monarch. And if it was Lord Soo-won the one he'd serve, along with Princess Yona, the Wind Tribe wouldn't see his grandson again any time soon."Anyway," the grandfather clasped the boy's shoulder, "you're still young and we're talking about the future. As long as you follow your heart and do what's best for yourself and our Wind Tribe, I'm sure you can do it." Mundok winked, but it just looked like he was blinking. "I didn't just give you my last name and choose you as my heir and successor because you're the strongest man in the kingdom. You're smart and brave, and if you stop behaving like a brat you can even become trustworthy one day.""Your motivational speech was going great until the last part, gramps.""Fair enough, son," Mundok said, grin in his lips, his chest bursting in joy because he had been acknowledged as family. "Now give me a big hug!"The General took the opportunity to embrace the teen, who was not expecting it and couldn't fight back immediately. After some attempts to push him back, Hak gave up and put his arms around him. Mundok patted his back with enthusiasm before separating."Alright, I'll talk to the King now. But be aware of something.""...What?""You're the one telling Tae-yeon you're moving out like the responsible big brother you aren't.""Oh crap, I forgot about him!" Hak groaned."Well, at least you have three or four months with him, so make them count."Hak threw himself to the cushion once more."I hate this Castle and this royal family, ugh!"Mundok knew that the kid didn't, and that's where it lay the problem, along with his heart.But he had to let the boy live his life, and if it was next to Princess Yona and far away from him, then that's the way fate wanted it to be. If he had to grow up so quickly and fly against the wind, then he would do his best to make him into a honorable, great man that would be worthy of that inhuman strength in his arms.And three months later, in front of the castle gates, he would say "see you later" with a smile.And three years later, in front of his city's gates, he would say "good-bye" to those children, with a promise as the Elder and as a grandfather to support them in need, as the dawn rising from behind the stony mountains would reflect on the young lady's red curls.The brat was still a brat, but he sure as hell had grown up well.
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The boy threaded the needle, first of all. He never felt ready until he had his tool of choice between his fingers. Other people would never call that thin metal object or a wooden spoon or a mortar a ‘weapon’, but these were the battles Yoon faced every day. And this problem in particular… it was haunting.Yoon lifted the remains of the tunic shirt and groaned. He knew he was talented enough to mend it, but the damage was a bit overwhelming. He refused to believe it all day, but the difficulty to even hang it to dry after washing it was a big hint of the ordeal. A throughout examination made him wince; the enormous rip on the left side could be sewn back, but it would look terrible. Then it was missing three quarters of the right sleeve, and there were too many stab holes for his taste. And some of the blood stains hadn’t been completely removed from the trim. It was just easier to make him a new outfit from scratch, as much as he hated it.Besides, to be honest? He was not in the mood to relive the images of those wounds in his mind. He had occupied his mind and his hands all day in an attempt to keep himself together: he had tended the other beasts’ injuries and supplied them with Kalgan’s medicine, he had cooked lunch and then dinner… But that had been one of the worst things he had ever witnessed in his life, if not the top worst. He was sure that Jae-ha had seen his hands shaking as he tended Kija. Even with the activity, he still reached his conclusions in horrified silence, which had been confirmed by Zeno afterwards.Too bad that he couldn’t keep updating his old journal for a lack of blank pages, because this revelation deserved a lengthy rant. And he had no energy to scream at Zeno, not after seeing him shredded apart and being put back together, in order to protect Yona and Yoon. Zeno had seemed like a completely different person, and the ethereal light he was under had stayed during his incredible explanation. It wasn’t until he asked Yoon for food that he had felt remotely like the good old Zeno. Literally good old Zeno. It was so strange!He put the needle and the thread back to his sewing kit, defeated before he began. Unlike Zeno’s skin and its perfect weaving, he would never be able to fix those clothes to perfection. He’d start on a new outfit the next morning. It was too dark to sew, anyway.A tiny selfish part of him was annoyed. Even if Zeno was too laidback, Yoon had liked the fact there was another weak teenager who couldn’t fight, didn’t wield any weapon, and had to stay behind during the fights. It turned out that it had been an illusion, that Zeno did have powers, that Zeno could fight —even if it was crude and he had to aim at vitals before he could turn into a force of nature that could rival the Thunder Beast in strength—, that Zeno wasn’t even a kid to begin with. He understood why he kept it a secret, but it still hurt.Yoon was ashamed to have these lonely feelings, because he knew he was useful despite his pacifist ways and his thin arms. And Zeno had surely many problems that he wasn’t talking about, to spare them the pain, and just thinking about centuries of traveling alone made Yoon want to burst into tears. But yes, his heart still felt like he had lost an ally of sorts. There was no way not to think of him as a Dragon Warrior after that display and those gold scales.Dragons died young, Yoon had learned when Kija got sick. He had kept the secret and it was destroying him a little bit. He had wished they had a long life. Now he realized one of them did, one was an exception, and he didn’t feel better about it. The heartbreak Yoon was feeling for those three wasn’t even a fraction of what Zeno should be feeling, was it? An eternal life should be such a pain, shouldn’t it? What had Zeno gone through, exactly? Yoon took a deep breath and suppressed his desire to weep again. No, no more thinking about the beasts, especially not him. Not when he was acting that relaxed after that horrible ordeal.Then there was the Yona thing.He started to walk in the tent’s direction, some dread in his chest. He had some time to prepare himself for Zeno’s story, but that part about Yona… It shouldn’t be that surprising, if you really thought about it. The red hair, obviously. The dragons’ reactions when they met her said a lot: Kija’s excitement, Jae-ha’s reluctance, both had treated her like she was Hiryuu. Even Shin-ah, who had no idea, and Zeno, who was faking ignorance, had demonstrated an absolute loyalty to her despite not making such a big deal out of the blood bond.Sure, Yona was something. She had grown into an admirable young woman and she was quite the leader of these rare beasts. But being the reincarnation of a legendary dragon king was just too shocking for Yoon, which was ridiculous since they also counted with four exotic dragon men of legend —one an immortal who had been alive for millennia, even— among their ranks. Why was Yona the hard one to understand? Perhaps because it was expected of Zeno to have something weird going on? And yet, when thinking about Ik-soo’s prophecy some months ago, didn’t even Yoon relate the King to Yona without knowing?As he took out the bedsheets and pillows from his bag, he thought of Ik-soo. He knew, didn’t he? He must have. That would explain why suggesting such a convoluted plan as gathering the dragons, word of the gods aside. If Yona was Hiryuu, all the suffering and storm he saw in her future made sense. By then Yoon assumed it was because she was a fugitive princess, but probably not. They had been seen by tribe generals and the king himself, and nothing had happened to them. Whatever the prophecy —with its mysterious shield and sword— was about, it should have a link to Yona’s status as Hiryuu.But what did make that of Yoon and his role in the group? It had been months ago when he figured out that Ik-soo wasn’t just thinking about his thirst to learn and see the world when he sent him off. He was needed there to ensure that Hiryuu’s reincarnation and her men survived —except Zeno, evidently, and again the nasty feeling was punching his stomach. He made his bed. Yoon had felt a bit resented at his guardian figure for not being clear, but soon enough he found himself worrying sick over each of his travelling companions. He was too attached too quickly. Despite not exactly belonging, he adored them already, and their personal sources of suffering moved him even if he’d never talk about those feelings aloud.When his half of the tent was ready, he did Yona’s since he was there already. The overwhelming emotions about dead kings and princesses and destinies that were too large to handle for this humble peasant —who happened to be a talented genius and a youthful beauty, sure, but of modest origins regardless— were coming back to him.He really needed some paper to rant.
When Yona entered the tent, minutes later, she was holding a part of Zeno’s old outfit.“Yoon?” she asked while she threw herself to her bedding. “Why was this on the ground? It’s not like you to leave things lying around.”“Ah, well… It’s too broken to be fixed. I thought I’d make him a new tunic instead. I have some nice trim that would— Yona?”Yoon stopped his words when tears welled up from her eyes. Her knuckles turned white as she was grasping the clothes with shaky fists. He sighed, heart aching once more with her sight, and he moved to hug her. Yona let go off the remnant, and she quivery clung to Yoon’s own shirt. To his surprise, his cheeks were feeling damp as well. None of them was entirely over Zeno’s nightmare of a feat, apparently.They stayed in an embrace, red wavy locks over brown straight locks, crying until they could hear crickets singing outside.“I’m sorry for imposing, Yoon,” she sobbed.“It’s alright. That idiot was overwhelming. I get it.”“No, Zeno wasn’t, um… Well… I don’t know? He said a lot of stuff but…”“Overwhelming.” Yoon caressed Yona’s back.“I can’t even imagine how it’s like.”“None of us can, I assure you. We thought he was the most normal dragon, and in the end he outdoes every single beast.”Yona laughed between the weeping.“If he hadn’t saved us both, he wouldn’t get dessert for a month.”Yona’s giggles increased and her shaking was then for more cheerful reasons.“You’re going to ground him?”“I’m tempted,” Yoon said as he braced for the inevitable mom joke, but the princess was less direct that the guys in that aspect. “That’s what really hurts him.” Not a stab in the stomach, but a… Yoon suppressed a sob of his own, but Yona noticed and returned the caress.After some minutes in silence, Yona seemed melancholy.“When I was little, Father used to read me that legend as a bedtime story.”“Yeah, you told Ik-soo.” The priest really must’ve known, Yoon was sure. Now he wondered if King Il had also known something.“To think that someone from that tale would become my dear friend is so crazy…”Or that said person from that tale would spy and stalk her, also, since she was his dead master.“Yeah, it’s… pretty wild…” Yoon forced a grin.“…I always admired King Hiryuu, who was brave but so kind. I thought he was like my Father or like Soo— N-nevermind.” She stopped and bit her lips. Yoon could see why. In the end, neither her dad or her cousin turned out to be like she thought they were. The only person from royalty that Yoon knew would fit the description of Hiryuu was, funny enough, Yona herself. He didn’t say it aloud, though. She seemed to read his mind as she continued. “I don’t think I’m like him. Being this man of myths… sounds so scary to me.”As expected, that part has shaken her hard.“He said you don’t have to be—”“I know!” Yona looked at Yoon in the eye. Her usual stare of fire was a candle trembling in the breeze. “But I can’t help it! Suddenly it’s like I’m so important and my life has this divine meaning! I’ve just been surviving and protecting others! I’m not sure I can do something too powerful! I’m just… I’m just…”She combed her crimson hair with her own fingers in dismay. Yoon understood why Zeno had kept his trap shut unless it was time to eat or spurt cutesy nonsense. He sighed heavily and grabbed her by her shoulders.“Listen. You have every right to feel confused, but let me say my opinion. You’re you, Yona, not Hiryuu II. Just do what we were doing until now, which is helping people. I’m not following a king of legend or anything because I don’t even like kings. Thunder Beast isn’t doing things because of that, either. And even if the exotic beasts are somehow wired to serve you because of their blood, they all love you for the way you are now and not who you were one or two thousand years ago.”“Yoon…” she gaped. Yoon moved his hand with a gesture to set aside those pernicious thoughts.“Let’s put this Hiryuu junk aside until the sword and shield appear, or we finally understand the deep meaning of your existence. On the meantime? Forget it! We don’t need a new dragon king at the moment, but we do need our friend who’s a dumb, rash princess with a big heart. Just be you and do your thing… as long as you don’t get new horrible wounds again, because it’s a bother!”Yona giggled once more. The hands covering her mouth were steady again. The candle in her eyes had become a warm hearth.“You’re right, Yoon. I’ll stop being silly.”“I’m always right! I’m a handsome boy genius! But you’re not being silly, those are indeed big shoes to fill.” He took her hand. “I know I’ll never truly understand this weirdness, but I’m here, okay? I’ll listen.”“I know! Thank you so much!”Yona gave him a last tight hug that showed how physically stronger she had become in the last couple of months, and then she went inside her bedsheets. After putting Zeno’s clothes aside, Yoon followed suit. He’d also follow his own advice and just take Yona as just Yona. He already forgot she was a princess most of the time, so he had gotten some experience anyway.
When Zeno woke up, it was past noon. Yoon stared at him while he had his share of breakfast and lunch at peace. Against Yoon’s complaints, Jae-ha had hunted venison just like the day the Yellow Dragon had deemed the right time to show up and join them. The boy was certain that it was Jae-ha’s own brotherly way to tell Zeno that he cared for him. When the meal was over, Zeno was taken aside by the cook himself.“What is it, lad?” Zeno grinned with his usual carefree attitude, arms crossed behind his head. To Yoon, he looked less disheveled without his usual green headscarf, which didn’t make much sense. Then again, was there anything about Zeno that did?“So you really are okay with me not mending it?”“I am,” he nodded. “I’m abusing your kindness enough, so a normal robe shirt and trousers will be fine. Besides! I liked that outfit a lot but it’s just clothes, and Zeno has lost countless of them. It’s okay, it’s okay!”“Clothes are still important, you dumb yellow.”“Yes, yesssss.” Zeno waved his hand.“Speaking of mending…” Yoon looked down, nerves in a wreck.“Hmmm?” he heard Zeno say.“I know your body will always be healthy so I won’t have to worry about that. But you know, minds and hearts… you’re still not immune to that kind of wounds and diseases, are you?” He hesitated and looked above. Zeno’s eyes were wide open, showing the answer. A flustered Yoon continued. “A-anyway, I don’t know much about spiritual health, but if you ever feel bad and I can do anything to help…”“Lad…” The sparkle in Zeno’s eyes was inscrutable and hard to read, like an old constellation in the starry sky. But seconds later, the immortal man was beaming, eyes closed and palms squishing his own cheeks. “Awww, lad! You’re just too adorable!”Before Yoon knew it, he was locked in Ouryuu’s arms and being squeezed against his will or dignity. The unruly golden strands were all over the boy’s head. It was Zeno’s usual display of affection —or gratitude over a particularly good dish, sometimes—, but there was a flicker of something more honest and meaningful in that afternoon.“So,” Yoon said as he awkwardly returned the embrace, “is this a no?”“The hug is my medicine! This is how you help me.”Yoon couldn’t help but smiling. He supposed he could help with that treatment once in a while.“Sorry for not saying it before but thank you for protecting us, Zeno.”“Second time I’m praised by you!” Zeno chirped. “You’re making me blush!”“Yeah, whatever…” Yoon let Zeno go. “So you really don’t have any words of wisdom for us or Yona?”Zeno shrugged apologetically, mischievous grin on his lips that was neither old or young.“What a pain.”
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The young man dropped the seal block back to the red cushion, and buried his head in the palms of his hands, repressing a whimper. Two piles of papers, unsigned and signed, were placed in front of him on the refined carved desk. Everything smelled of parchment and ink and dust in that office. He couldn't understand how his father could have done this, and recently his older brother, from the same chair. It was so tense, the weight of the whole tribe resting on stamps and brushwork. It was so tedious, too.Yet he continued, and surprisingly he yearned for the smell of herbs and soap and earth. How did that happen? This was much more respectable than all that menial work at the poor villages, but it felt less tangible, less warm. And more lonely.After a couple of hours, when the piles were even, Tae-jun decided to take a walk and get some air. In the other desk in the room, Heuk-chi allowed it."But you must come back, Lord Tae-jun," he added, just in case. "It's just a break.""I know!" The young nobleman pouted and practically ran outside.The day was nice and warm after a misty morning. The guards of Saika Castle bowed as he passed by. There was much more respect than he was used to, and Tae-jun didn't know if it was because he had done much more compared to his old, good-for-nothing self, or because he was the Fire Tribe Leader's Representative. Since Kyo-ga had been summoned by the King for some battle in the Kai frontiers, he held the same authority as the General in his absence. And with it came the paperwork that he couldn't send to his brother in Kuuto anymore.He felt a bit uncomfortable by all this protocol even if he was used to seeing it. He missed his soldiers, the ones he had gotten to know better and had become friends of a sort.Next to a wall, he saw a group of officials talking and laughing. He crouched and walked slowly, as if he were a spy. He didn't want to ruin the good time they were having, but he needed to have people around. Listening to them relaxed him a bit. However, some words made him blink."So who drank the wine? The Dragon Warriors?""Oh, don't tease me again!" A soldier with fair hair in a bun glared."Sorry, Jae-min. Couldn't help myself.""Well, I don't care what you guys say, I still think the bandits could be them.""The ones who drank the bottle of wine?"The others laughed again, but after hearing that keyword, Tae-jun forgot he was being conspicuous and practically jumped at them like an apparition."Bandits?!" he exclaimed."Waaaah!""L-Lord Tae-jun...? What are you doing here."The young man grimaced, his cover blown. He blushed and his mouth gaped."Oh, uh. Sorry, I overheard and... What are you men... talking about? I mean! I'd love to hear that story from... Jae-min, was it?"It was much easier with his troops. The soldiers exchanged looks and seemed awkward."Uh, my lord? I'm not sure if you'd feel comfortable.""Eh?" Tae-jun blinked. "I've seen my share of bandits. I was looking for a band before I was appointed here. It's alright!" He grinned wide."Are you sure, sir?" said Jae-min. "It's just that... it happened on the battlefield where your father..."Oh.Tae-jun had heard the whole story from his mother when he had arrived. It still broke his heart. Still, in the chance the bandits were the Princess and her merry men, he needed to know."Sure, tell me anyway."The young soldiers told him about the girl with shiny red hair and the six men who were with her. Even without the details about Yona's locks, there was no mistaking them. One with a lance that definitely had to be that jerk Son Hak. One with a large monster hand, one with a mask, one who could jump and kick; those were obvious. The blond boy with a shield and the brown-haired boy were a surprise, although also obvious. He wouldn't expect Yoon and the juggler protecting the princess as well. She had apparently argued with his father before they mysteriously left with Soo-won's arrival; about what they talked, no one seemed to know or want to tell him.At this point, Tae-jun's hand was on his chest and his eyes were wide open. It was a miracle he hadn't had a heart attack. So close to the King! They could've been captured!"Are you okay, my lord?""Yes!" he said despite having the same shocked face. "A-Absolutely! Please go on!""Well," Jae-min continued, "for a moment I thought that girl could've been the princess that was supposed to be dead..." Tae-jun's face expanded in total horror. "But that's silly, she wouldn't have a reason to be there or be capable to shoot arrows.""I CAN ASSURE YOU SHE'S NOT THE PRINCESS!" Tae-jun yelled and shook the guy's shoulders, relieved. "That's just a bandit! I've seen this bandit leader and Princess Yona, and they're not the same person!!""Y-y-y-yes, my lord.""S-So continue," he played with his earrings, trying to act casual, "but please don't say she's the princess again.""Of course. I was mistaken. But more than that... For a moment I also saw it. That band of bandits looked like King Hiryuu and the Four Dragons of legend that protected him.""...What?" Tae-jun's eyes opened wide again."...Thought that the legend maybe wasn't about General Soo-jin and the Fire Tribe. Perhaps... The legend of King Hiryuu and the Four Dragons is more like this. Lord Tae-jun, you're looking pale. Oh, of course, I'm so sorry! I just spoke carelessly about your Lord Father, didn't I?""...What?" His words were slow. "Oh? No, the legend probably wasn't about my father." He forced the man to stop his bowing. "Thank you for telling me this theory, Jae-min. Now if you excuse me, I have paperwork to do. Keep the good work, friends.""My lord."The guards saw their Tribe Representative's face twitching in an attempt of serenity, but as soon as he walked away, they heard him running and screaming at nothing in particular."Yup, typical Lord Tae-jun," one of the men nodded.
When he stopped running and screaming, he had somehow reached the third floor's balcony. He had been in the castle yard before and he wasn't sure how he even got there. He collapsed on the floor and took his long hair away from his still shocked face.It made sense! It shouldn't, but it did! Hair color aside, he had even thought about it, hadn't he? That Yona's ideals should be closer to Hiryuu's than Father's. That the Red King would want something simple and modest.But Yona's identity aside, the soldier had said that the bandit monsters looked like the Dragons! How could he have been so blind? It was right there! He had grown up with the story! The white-haired man's hand... Hakuryuu, his childhood hero. The green-haired man's jumps... Ryokuryuu. But how?! Tae-jun slapped his cheeks. Were they thousands of years old, or had the dragons been giving their blood to new people? They didn't look like immortals to him.And what about the other two Dragons? Everyone else had normal blue eyes, except... Wait, what did the masked guy's eyes look like? He had no idea! Could it be?! Was he Seiryuu?!Now, Ouryuu... The strong body... Hak had been wounded and poisoned and fallen off a damn cliff. They hadn't been able to hurt him. He even beat General Geun-tae when he was a brat. Was that rude man also a Dragon?!He moaned and rolled on the wooden floor, thick tears falling off his eyes. He had fallen in love with Hiryuu, from all people. Such was his luck. Such was Yona's magnificence. And more importantly, his inner child was itching to hang out with the Dragon Warriors, even if one might be that scary asshole. It would be better if the wise blond guy was Ouryuu instead; that one seemed to like him the most from the lot."Lord Tae-jun," Heuk-chi said, probably attracted by his cries. His round face was as serious and unchanging as usual. "Did the stress get to you?""No, I'm fine... The Princess...""Don't worry, my lord," he said as he dragged his master to his bedroom by his arms. "I've put fresh flowers and incense for Princess Yona and your father this morning.""Hiryuu... Dragons..." He murmured as he got dragged through the floor like a gray mop."Yes, I'm sure the gods are with them in Heaven. Now let's have some tea and riceballs before you resume work.""...Fine, but take my rice to the slums," Tae-jun sighed while he flew through the floor.After all, helping to rule the Fire Tribe was all he could do to help the people of his land and even Yona's cause, Hiryuu or not.
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The steps echoed on the wooden boards as the elder man and the boy walked through the hallway. The southern wing of the Fuuga Castle was called the Shelter, and Hak knew every corner well from the days before Mundok had taken him in. In the inner yard, he saw children and teenagers who played games or trained in martial arts. He knew most of them, from either his days staying with them or from daily practice. Colorful balls and wooden spears were prevalent in the Wind Tribe's playgrounds.It wasn't exactly an average orphanage. The General paid all expenses from his pocket money and visited the kids often. In a way, all those orphans were his foster grandchildren. Only Hak had been ascended to heir and received his name because he was the best fighter, but Mundok knew every person under that roof like the calluses on his palms, and he loved them all the same."Why are you dragging me today, gramps?" Hak asked as he walked, and his headband's feathers danced in the air. "Am I gonna help you pick novices again?""No," Mundok glanced with his only eye. "Nana has summoned me here. I don't know the reason, but I might need you here.""Great, just in my free afternoon," the boy sighed."Lord Mundok! Young Lord Hak!"Nana was the lady-in-waiting in charge of the Shelter. She was a stout middle-aged woman, maternal and full of energy. She briefly hugged Hak and then raised a hand to ruffle his hair. He made an annoyed noise."I swear you've grown every time you come here! Look at you! At fifteen, you're already taller than me!""I'm fourteen.""Nana," Mundok interrupted, a smirk on his lips nonetheless. "Why have you called me? Is there an emergency?""Ah, yes, my lord!" She let go of the boy and bowed. "We have a new child, the son of Raemi.""Oh, poor Raemi... Didn't she and her husband were killed in battle against those bandits a few months ago?" Nana nodded, sad frown on her face. "So you say her baby ended up here? How strange, I thought her sister would take him in.""She did, but they have four children and can't afford his care. He's a special case, my lord. You see, his lungs..."Hak got bored of the conversation. It didn't seem like it was something he could help with. The voices weakened as he opened a sliding door and went inside the house. He was hungry and thirsty, so he headed to the kitchen to find a grapefruit.He heard a weep coming from a room, and then coughs. He slid the door ajar, and he saw a tiny blond head buried in tiny, wobbly knees. The child was sitting on one of the many futons on the floor, shaking."Hey, hey. Are you alright?"Hak ran and approached him, putting his arms around the small body. The kid was a toddler, perhaps 2 or 3 years old at most. Large blue eyes filled with tears glanced back with curiosity.He was used to handle children, usually as the designated spar partner of Mundok's youngest trainees. Among those of his age and below, he was a popular brotherly figure to the point of annoyance. But those boys and girls and others, those were little warriors, those were mischievous monkeys following him around. This was a weak, sick child, obviously the one Nana was discussing about with his grandfather. Hak didn't know how to handle anything but tough cookies. The back under his hand was fragile. It reminded him of princess Yona's, except she was very rough in reality, closer to crass monkeys like Tae-woo or Han-dae than this orphan.He still tried to rub the kid's chest and shoulder blades awkwardly, careful not to apply too much force on his bones."Better?" he asked after a couple of minutes, as he put a blanket around the small one."Yes... I think..." the boy whispered with a bit of pain in his voice. The tears had not stopped, however."You're still crying," he bluntly pointed out, in hopes to find a hint to stop it."...'Cuz I miss mommy," the kid hiccuped.Hak wished Soo-won was there. He was no good at emotional support, while his best friend excelled at it. If that princeling had managed to lift Yona's spirits after the Queen had died, this boy would be a piece of cake. He tried to put himself in Soo-won's shoes. What would he do? Probably sleep with the child, hold hands, and pretend to be his mom. That would be exhausting and wouldn't work with Hak's personality, however. Also, he'd need to spend his nights in the Shelter.Instead, he ruffled the boy's head. The fair locks were soft to the touch, like passing fingers through silky feathers. The kid's eyes opened wider."Don't cry, you'll make her sad. She and your dad are watching over you in Heaven, so you have to be tough like them."The boy nodded and dried his cheeks with his hands."Your aunt brought you to a safe place. You'll get medicine and food and brothers and sisters. You're not alone. The people of Fuuga will be your family now and they'll protect you from evil people like your parents did. You can relax here, got it?"To his surprise, it worked. The child showed him a shy smile as he curled up on his lanky lap. Hak felt relieved, even though the kid was immobilizing him. So much for grabbing a grapefruit."Are you my family, too? My big brother?""Uh, I guess you could say that?" Hak shrugged, still stroking blond strands of hair. After all, every kid younger than him acted already like pesky little siblings. One more, one less. Just like gramps was the Tribe's entire grandfather as the General, he would end up being everybody's older brother as his successor, in a way. He hated that a bit, all the weight of responsibility, but in this case it wasn't so bad. Giving this little kid some warmth was fine by him.The door opened after a few minutes in silence, and he found the matron and the Tribe leader entering the room. Hak blushed and grimaced."Well, I wasn't expecting this!" Mundok sat on the floor next to them, and he had practically cooed in his contrasting low voice. "Seems like Hak likes Tae-yeon. This makes things easier.""Nope, he just latched on me like a monkey," Hak grumbled. "What do you mean, making things easier?""Young Lord Hak always attracted the little angels," Nana grinned. "Even when he was a little angel himself." Mundok scoffed, maybe because the word angel wasn't one he'd use on Hak.The boy, Tae-yeon, sat properly to stare at the one-eyed bearded stranger. He made a proper little bow. Mundok seemed delighted, and Hak assumed it was because he was used to little shits like Hak himself being anything but polite to him in a daily basis. He hoped he didn't get used to it and demanded formal greetings like he did with hugs already."Nice to meet you, Tae-yeon. My name is Son Mundok, and I'm the General. Do you know what a General is?" Tae-yeon shook his head. "A General is one of the best warriors. I'm the one who protects the Wind Tribe, leads the army during fights, and helps everyone with their lives. Like the boss. I also taught your mom how to use the spear, when she was little. Do you understand?""He's like two, old man," Hak said. "It's still too complicated.""You didn't have to be so rude, you ungrateful brat!" Mundok sighed. "And I've told you to call me grandpa.""Grandpa Mundok," the little boy said with the same soft smile that Hak had seen. It was effective on Mundok, who seemed smitten by Tae-yeon's adorable face."Yes, like that!" he cried excitedly and hugged the toddler. "Oh, he's cute, unlike this one! This makes things even much easier.""What things?" Hak poked his grandfather with his index finger. "You're up to something.""Ah, that's right. Hak, I want to take Tae-yeon to our house to live with us.""You're adopting him?! It's a human being, not a puppy.""What, do you mind? You're still my heir, so don't feel threatened. I will love the both of you.""Actually I don't care that much about that," Hak shrugged. He immediately received a punch on his head."Grandpa?" Tae-yeon tugged the elder's sleeve. "What's adopting? I'm left behind again?""No, no! It means you're coming to live with us, the Son clan. You're my grandson now.""Okay, I don't mind but why all of a sudden?" Hak asked. "And why him, when the rest of the Shelter are practically your kids as well?""His lungs are sick, and Nana called me because the doctor thinks he needs a clean room of his own instead of sharing dusty futons with the other children. So we discussed a new restructuring of the house, and the medicines she needed to buy for Tae-yeon. And I thought, I have plenty of free rooms in our wing of the castle. And you'll come of age soon, so having the laughs and steps of a child again would be joyful."Hak said nothing. The last part was ridiculous, but the argument about having his own space where he couldn't bother others or be bothered whenever he felt ill was actually good."So Tae-yeon, do you want to come with me? Nana and the other children will visit you, if you want.""...Will Big Brother Hak visit, too?""He lives with me! He'll play with you and take care of you. Right, Hak?" The sneaky cold glare in Mundok's eye urged him to say yes in order to avoid an act of violence. Shockingly enough, Hak did feel agreeable. The helpless, sad kid had already wormed into his heart with such short notice."I guess, sure," he tilted his head."Yup! I wanna live with Grandpa and Big Brother!"The boy seemed like a different person, with his face lit up and his eyes wrinkling with happiness. Fine, he was cute. Too cute to be a member of the badass, feisty Son family, perhaps. And yet, Hak was actually considering again to do that thing Soo-won did to Yona and sleep in his room for a couple of weeks. Just in case he gets an attack or he misses his mom, obviously. Nothing else. It wasn't a puppy, it was a human being."Okay, but can we pick up something to eat on our way out?" Hak raised his hand as Mundok took Tae-yeon in his arms to carry him. Nana hurried around the room to pack the boy's few belongings."That's actually a smart idea, you dumb brat." Mundok smirked. "Let's go to a restaurant and celebrate. How about it, Tae-yeon? Let's have something yummy.""Yay!""Just don't get drunk or swear out loud, old man. You have a delicate baby son now.""And you respect me in front of your new brother!"Hak realized, as they left the orphanage, that Tae-yeon wasn't crying for his mom anymore, and he wouldn’t mind sleeping in company until the kid settled in.
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Home - Foo Fighters ♬
His first contact with the word was in a book he read when he was a child. He saw it again in a different story. When their adventures were over, the heroes would go there. It should be important, in Jae-ha's opinion, if everyone would travel to such a place."Garou, what does 'home' mean?" he finally asked on the day after harvest, where they had been given enough food for both, and his predecessor was in a rare good mood."Ah? It's the place where you're supposed to stay put," he shrugged as he devoured rice. "In our case, it's this goddamn shack in this goddamn village. If the villagers ever move again, the home will be set somewhere else. The shackles will be somewhere else.""Why do the main characters in books want to go back to their homes?""They don't have anywhere else to go afterwards, I guess. Back to their awful lives in their awful prisons. Missing the times when they were free and brave." He pointed at the boy with his chopsticks. "Happy endings don't really exist, Jae-ha. And the home of the Ryokuryuu is the only place where we can be."Jae-ha disagreed. The word had to mean something different to other people. Maybe it was just for Ryokuryuu that a home was something terrible.One day he realized he'd just have to do the opposite, and as a monster and not a hero it made sense. He'd have to escape home, and so he moved towards that goal.
"Isn't 'home' a prison?" he asked the captain after she had sent her men away after work. They all seemed pretty glad after the whole day dragging the nets and raising the sails."Is that so to you?" Gigan asked back and sucked the mouth of her pipe."I'm not sure what it really means for people, that's all." Talking about Garou still hurt. He focused on the smoke rings that the lady threw to the salt-filled wind."Home's the place where you live and sleep the night. A comfortable place where you're at ease, hopefully, but not always the case. For most people it's just another way to say their house. Not everyone is lucky to have one.""Can I call your home my home, then?""I'd feel offended if you didn't, you cheeky brat."A small smirk formed in her lips while she smoked.
The girl kissed Jae-ha one more time before she picked her clothes up from the floor of the perfume-scented bedroom. He still felt intoxicated from her touch and craved for more, but she was of a different mind."What's the hurry, beautiful? Do you need to be somewhere else?""I'd love to stay, but I'm going home for the weekend. To visit my parents and my sister," she smiled. "It's about 5 hours from here in a carriage so I need to leave early.""I thought your home was here in Awa.""That's just my current room, sweetie. This place... Don't get me wrong, but I'm only here in the city for my work. Home is where your heart is, and that's in my village with my family."He just stared at her as she dressed again, not focusing on her splendid body. Her eyes, they shined in a way he hadn't seen in her before. Is that what home is about? Sleeping at the captain's place made him feel at ease, so he could see that.And as comfortable as he was in Awa, very few people remained happy in town lately. He didn't blame her for wanting to get away or feeling safe very far away from it.
They had been living on the ship ever since they became pirates and outlaws."It's been so hard, getting used to sleeping with all the swaying," Tok whined one night at the table while they shared a bottle of sake."Really?" Ryou scratched the scar on his cheek. "Because I've heard heavy snores coming out of your hammock."Everyone laughed, even Tok."I was at home right away, no problem at all," Rou-en chuckled and refilled his cup."Isn't it a bit sad?" Maya teased, his face so red it made his freckles stand out much more. "You're an old man with no wife and you're at home with us?""S-shut up, kiddo!" Rou-en hit the table with his fist. "In any case, the boat feels like a second home. Don't you guys feel the same way?""He has a point, you guys," Tatsu laughed. "The Captain is kind of our mom already, even if she denies it."Jae-ha restrained a chuckle."Well, there are worse temporary homes than this," Ryou nodded."I'm gonna miss it when it's over," Tok said, his round face leaning on his palm. "Even with the swaying hammock."Suddenly Jae-ha understood. It wasn't just a place or a house. It was the family as well. Gigan was family. These guys were family, sort of. He hadn't had this much fun before they had become pirates and had to live together, all squeezed in the same quarters with no privacy. Even something as annoying as carrying them through the air had been entertaining, despite his complaints. It felt like he was one of them. They had accepted him, the monster, into their home.This wouldn't last, they wouldn't stay. He couldn't stay, as the Green Dragon. He would lose that home. But in the meantime, he'd accept it."I propose a toast for this home," Jae-ha grinned."Even if you lot don't make it beautiful."They groaned, but they still raised their cups.
All those pesky men sleeping in a tent was not that big of an improvement to all those other pesky men sleeping on hammocks. The improvement was certainly there, since the sheets and blankets Yoon got were soft. Also, his new companions were much better looking than his fellow pirates. Too bad that Kija was a hazard with his claws, and Zeno punched people in his sleep, and Shin-ah still covered his face, and sometimes Hak cursed under his breath while dreaming.It was different, sleeping on the solid ground with these guys. But the feeling to the camaraderie in the ship was similar. No, somehow... It was more tolerable.He wasn't sure he liked that. He felt like he was betraying Gigan and her men, even though that home had broken up as soon as Kum-ji had died.This wasn't family. These were traveling accommodations.Maybe it was the dragon blood speaking. It had to be.But then, it didn't explain how relaxed he also felt with Hak and Yoon.He didn't like this. The lives of dragons were so fleeting, it'd make it harder to say goodbye one day.
The raindrops tortured his aching body. The street underneath felt cold and unwelcoming, his clothes drenched in water and mud made him shiver. The pain of the fall and the nausea brought back memories of Garou, of Gigan. His life was flashing before his eyes. It's cold. It's cold. It's cold. He refused death. He refused a death that was so utterly stupid and ugly.
I need to hurry... and go back...
Oh my.
He had to go back.To Yona's unwavering will and fiery eyes.To Hak's strong punches and dry sense of humor.To Yoon's warm meals and concerned bickering.To Kija's silly speeches and steel-hard determination.To Shin-ah's serene silence and strange cuteness.To Zeno's sunny smiles and thirst of embraces.Hell, he'd even miss Ao's damn squirrel sounds and bites.He would miss every single one of them if he were to die there. He loved them, didn’t he? He wished to protect them, didn’t he?All of them... All of them were...He truly understood then. The real, full meaning of that place. It wasn't a town or a house or a ship in the end. It wasn't somewhere you were before or after the hero's adventures. Where his heart was... it was with them.
I already completely consider... that place... "home"...
And the cold was gone when his home reached out and came to him again. Sadness in the fiery eyes, concern in the determination, alarm replacing the sunny smiles, no dry remarks to be made. And yet, it was them, and he felt safe.
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The moon had begun to wane, but the night was bright enough to make hearts sing. They had, however, left the fields of fireflies and their serene glow behind. Might as well, since they made the mighty Hakuryuu too nervous.Kija looked around; Yoon was making dinner, and the Princess and Hak had gone deeper into the forest to search for wood. Shin-ah was sitting on the ground with Ao perched on his shoulder. Kija was unsure about how to handle his new companion. Until then, everyone but that insolent, rude man had been open and friendly, so it had been easy to figure things out. But Seiryuu... Such a mystery, just like the shiny moon that inspired their master to name him.He had longed to meet him and now that he finally did, he hoped he didn't mess things up again by accidentally upsetting him. Having responsibilities towards a younger brother sure was harder than he expected, like holding fragile things with that claw of his."Shin-ah," he called as he sat by his side. "Just as promised, I shall tell you the story of the Dragon Warriors. As one of us, it's important that you learn our origins."Shin-ah nodded. Kija's stomach was in knots. He had been thinking about the way to start the tale all day, while the group walked down the forest in their search for Ryokuryuu. He hoped it was a good place to start. The legend was one of those facts that everyone in their village knew by heart, to the point no one knew exactly when they'd learned it. To think a dragon village would be so ignorant of their heritage and treat this kind soul so badly almost made Kija queasy from the outrage."You see," he began, smile and tenderness on his lips, "once upon a time there was a red dragon god. He loved humanity so much, he wished to help it prosper and live as happily as it could. So he abandoned godhood, came down to Earth, and took the shape of a man. The only thing that remained from his dragon form was his beautiful red hair. This man's name was Hiryuu.""Red hair... Like Yona.""Well, yes. Hiryuu had no power of the gods anymore, but he attained the highest human power: he became a king. He was the first monarch of Kouka," he hesitated, and added just in case, "the country we live in.""Monarch?""King. Ruler. Do you know what king is, Shin-ah?"He nodded. Relieved, Kija continued."Unfortunately Hiryuu made enemies as he expanded his kingdom. Four of the other dragon gods were worried about his brother, now a mortal man, and decided they had to do something to protect him. So these gods searched throughout the land for humans most worthy, and they picked one brave man each as protectors of King Hiryuu."And so, they were given the holy dragon blood to drink, and they became sacred beings that had the gifts and strength of the dragons within their bodies. These men, bonded by the blood pact, were known as the Dragon Warriors. They're our honorable ancestors, and their legacies are still alive to this day."He let Shin-ah digest the information."...The first dragons were men?""And so are we, Shin-ah. We're both dragons and men."In any case, the Dragon Warriors stayed next to Hiryuu, helping to protect him and fight against his enemies, remaining by their side for as long as he lived. After the King died, as their purpose had vanished, the four brothers took separate ways. Fortunately they could still feel the others' presences, so they were not really that far away."The first generation had descendants, and these descendants were the base of today's dragon villages. The reason why the villages existed were to keep us safe until our master returned for us."Another pause."But... the Seiryuu protects Seiryuu Village.""Ah, yes. I also protected Hakuryuu Village." Well, he tried. "I'm just saying that it wasn't the reason why the villages were founded in the first place. I suppose with the centuries, things have changed a lot.""You said until our master returns for us.""Yes!" Kija grinned and put his hand on his chest. "My village has always believed that King Hiryuu would come back for the Dragons whenever he needed us and our powers again.""Is Yona Hiryuu...?""You can feel it too, can't you? That burning feeling, the blood pact.""Not sure, but... My mind goes to Yona. My body, my eyes, they ached when we met.""That happened to me, too! That's why I'm so certain that she's our master, even if she's not a man like Hiryuu. She is looking for the dragons so we can help her survive. Now we're looking for the others, starting with Ryokuryuu. You should be able to feel them just like I do, if you concentrate."Shin-ah thought about it and then nodded. Kija was happy to see he understood."How are the other two dragons like? Do you know them, Kija?""I'm afraid not. The legend does tell a bit about them." Shin-ah tilted his head, which Kija read as a way to ask about it. "Ryokuryuu, the Green Dragon, has the Dragon Leg that allows him to jump long distances. Ouryuu, the Yellow Dragon, has a Dragon Body that cannot be damaged. They are our brothers, separated by distance and time.""Ah. And Kija has a Dragon Arm.""And you have the Eyes, yes. Those are our powers.""Why are we different? Arm, eyes, leg, body.""We do not know for sure. That was the will of the gods to grant us different gifts, and I think they each must complement the others. So, what do you think?"Shin-ah lift his shoulders in a little shrug. Kija wasn't sure how to read that."W-well, that's the legend. I'll go check if Yoon nee—""Four dragons," Shin-ah interrupted."Four dragons, indeed."The boy hunched in embarrassment."All this time... We thought it was just us...""It's not your fault or your predecessor's, Shin-ah.""Sorry... for running away from you."Kija's eyes filled with tears."And I'm sorry you guys thought you were alone. But it's okay. No matter what the other two decide, we have each other as brothers now, Shin-ah."Kija pulled Shin-ah into an embrace. He feared the other boy would rebel and try to escape, but to his surprise he moved towards him and returned the hug. He could feel the warmth of the white fur, the solid horns of the mask, the paws of Ao climbing to his head, the blue presence close."That's so cute!" the princess' voice said. They looked ahead and saw the burning red and the kind smile, and his heart sang. The world itself glowed, Ryokuryuu’s presence in the distance like a firefly out of reach. And under the moonlight, Kija thought everything felt alright.
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"Are you sure about this, captain?"The lady let a perfect ringlet of smoke float into the wind. The silence told Jae-ha everything he needed to know about Gigan's conviction."I know how to defend myself," the boy said, reluctant."Do you?" she almost snorted. "Even if that's the case and you think you know your defense, you probably haven't been in the offense. Have you ever hurt someone, brat? Really hurt them, perhaps even kill? Losing control of your leg's strength doesn't count, I mean full intent."His heart skipped a bit."We were talking about self-defense...""You need to know offense, too. Blocking attacks just won't do to protect yourself or someone under your protection. You will need to take matters into your hands to stop the attacker." She made a pause to shake the ash out of her pipe, and her voice was less stern. "Look, Jae-ha. I know you don't want to become a Dragon Warrior, but this is not the same. This is not turning you into a murderer; that's against my principles. I'm giving you this knowledge and tools and you can do the hell you want with it. You can't be truly free without the power to defend yourself or what you love. Awa is the best example of that."Jae-ha stared at his feet, at the footwear covering his monstrous leg. He didn't want to recognize that it had been a miracle he had even gotten so far in life. And to be honest, when he told her he knew how to fight, it was just cocky talk. The only person he knew how to handle, the closest to an equal, was gone. Fighting against anyone who wasn't Garou would be something new, and he'd likely get his ass handed because of his lack of experience, dragon strength or not.Gigan was right. But training him..."What if I get you hurt? If I kick you too hard, I mean."She pulled his ponytail in annoyance, which made Jae-ha yelp."Dumbass. I'm not going to be a target. Besides, kicks are not what I can teach you anyway. We're doing things my way, and if you want to practice your pirouettes you must do it on your own or find someone else. Hopefully not against our walls or the ship's mast, of course.""Oh?" Jae-ha tilted his head in confusion."I'm training you with my weapons. But first, let's have a warm-up. Your lanky muscles need all the possible help."And so, they spent the next half hour doing exercises. He was heaving after a few minutes. To his frustration, Gigan deemed him too weak and lacking flexibility to start his lessons. That shouldn't have come as a surprise, considering the hell of a childhood he spent indoors. However, the problem was serious enough for the classes to become mere repetitions of movements —jogging, carrying weight around the ship, stretching and bending his body— until she considered he was ready for the real deal. She also took good care of his diet to put some meat into his bones. It all drove him mad.It took him over half a year to look decent enough to Gigan's eyes.
Jae-ha's smile turned into a frown when he saw the weapons. The teen didn't know what he had expected, but it certainly wasn't that."What, did you imagine a fancy sword covered with rubies?" Gigan laughed, clearly amused by the disappointment in those violet eyes. "I can only teach you what I know, and this is it.""No... But they don't look—" he stopped, unsure what to say that wouldn't offend her."Say what's on your mind. Be honest or you're doing sit-ups for two more weeks."He sighed. The woman always won even before the argument started."They're just weird tiny knives without a handle, okay?""They're not exactly knives as you know it and they don't need a handle," she said as she inhale her pipe. "It's the perfect type of weapon for certain kinds of quick attacks."Jae-ha took one and clumsily attempted to stab the air."The grip is all round and uncomfortable. How can you hold it without slipping through your fingers?""You're using it wrong. It's not meant to be a blade for close combat. Think of it as an arrowhead without a shaft. You aim and throw it.""So you're teaching me archery?""No. Bows and quivers can be bothersome when you're in a hurry. This is less sophisticated, but more practical. Maybe I should demonstrate?"She pointed out at the trunk of a tree on the other side of the yard. Then with a graceful movement, she grabbed hold of one of the throwing knives by its ring, and made it spin around her index finger until the blade faced forward. Then she folded her arm, smirked, and then swiftly released the weapon and made it fly in a curve. It lodged itself into the center of the tree.It was the coolest, most stylish thing Jae-ha had ever seen."Amazing, captain!" he gasped and grinned, with starry eyes."Not weird knives anymore, are they? Let's see you try."He did his best to imitate her, but the knife fell on the ground a couple of feet from him."Your posture and aim weren't right at all, lanky brat. Your fingers' position was a mess. You might be strong with your toes, but you need to more strength into your arm throw."Jae-ha grumbled, changing his mind about the throwing knives. Gigan shook her head, as if she had read his mind."Nobody likes a quitter, if that's what you're thinking. I just showed you what an expert can do and didn't expect you to hit the target so soon. You just have to practice and learn, and it'll still take you years to master it. Let's start tomorrow with the basics, and from a closer distance. One day you'll do what I did and surpass it.""It all sounds troublesome and slow.""That's the way it is, in life and everything. I wasn't born knowing all this. I, too, had to spend years training."Jae-ha didn't have years to spare, but he didn't want her —the closest to a mother he would ever have— to hear that thought.
The next weeks were mostly posture and fake tossing. When she was satisfied, he was allowed to use the knives again. He had to get used to the weight. It took him a long time and some cuts on his fingers to draw them almost as fast as his mentor.Of course, he still had to do the old exercises before the throwing classes, as warm-up. His arms ached constantly, his upper body's muscles grew more defined, and he was developing calluses where the rings scraped his hand. It was hard work."This doesn't seem like a normal way to attack people," he said one day."Thank you," Gigan replied, with pride. "That's actually the point, to be unexpected.""You even have them hidden inside your clothes. It's a bit shady overall, more so for a woman. I would expect this for an assassin or a spy from a suspense novel, not a sailor.""Good, then it's even less expected. What's your point, kid?""Who taught you this, and for what reason did you need it?"Gigan glared at him. "First, don't ask a lady for her secrets. Second, you're 30 years too green to ask such a thing.""Can't help it, being green," he melodramatically sighed and took a new knife. "I'll be green all my life.""Then mature and become ripe.""How demanding~!" He kissed the dart's blade before sending it into the air.
The first time Jae-ha hit perfect bullseye, a couple of years after that first day of training, he did a little dance and had to use all of his willpower not to jump to the sky."Not bad, congratulations," Gigan smiled behind her pipe as Jae-ha pulled the knife out of the trunk. He looked at it as if it were a lucky charm, a treasure. "Now stop twirling and stalling. Keep at it.""Let me have this moment, okay?""You're too excited and will lose your control, idiot.""I'll call her Kuni-chan and she'll be my primary knife.""And then you'll be bummed when you lose it. It's a disposable weapon, not a girlfriend.""I touch the knives just as much as..." He stopped the dirty quip as he noticed Gigan's unamused expression. "Fine, then. Can I at least make some way to distinguish my lucky one from the least fortunate rest?"Jae-ha undid his ponytail and took his ribbon between his fingers. He passed the silk through the ring and made a knot."Actually, this is a vast improvement. It looks more elegant with a ribbon on, captain.""You just don't understand stealth, do you?""I'm a dragon that soars through the sky and I have been told I have a beautiful face. I'm not meant to be stealthy, it's against my very nature."Maybe it was teenage rebellion talking, maybe it was his everlasting desire for freedom. The ribbon would stay as his signature style, he decided. Just because his leg was usually hidden it didn't mean his new favorite blade had to hide from him as well."In any case, keep at it. Today's training is far from over.""Can't I at least do it from one or two new steps away? Since I've learned how to do it now.""Not until you've mastered this distance.""Noooooooooooooo!"
He realized that it was faster to grab and handle the knives with a ribbon tied on it, especially in the sessions when he had to take them out of his clothes.Under that excuse he was able to convince Gigan to let him put ribbons on all of his own knives.Yet deep down, he just really liked how they looked. Beauty was as important as form and usefulness.
He was already a young man and much taller than her the day he was by the other end of the yard, when he never missed even one of the shots like the one he had seen the first day, when Gigan put her hand on his shoulders and smiled at him proudly."I have nothing more to teach you, Jae-ha. You've mastered it. Now keep at it and don't let it rust."He didn't dance, although his narrow eyes twinkled of satisfaction with himself, and of appreciation to the lady who had taught him so much. Oh, how hard it was to be in her good grace, but it only made it the sweeter when she gave him any credit and kind words."Thank you, captain. But I'm far from mastering it.""Oho? Could it be that you're wiser now.""No, I don't think so. I was just thinking that I've mastered this on the ground. I need to improve my aim and learn how to do this in movement, particularly while I'm jumping."There was a silence."Jumping.""I am the soaring Ryokuryuu, after all. It's true, I can't depend on my leg's power, but combining both assets we could do so much more against Kum-ji and his men. No one will expect an aerial attack, don't you think? Especially if crossing from ship to ship."Gigan's smile turned dangerous."Now that's my brat.""I've learned from the best teacher."Silence again. He could imagine the tender feelings that were blossoming in the captain chest, the feelings of a proud mom seeing her beautiful child out into the world, talented and victorious."Surely you think the trick will look amazing and you'll catch everyone's attention while doing it. You're just trying to get my approval with a practical justification, aren't you?"Or not."...You wound me, captain." Jae-ha bit his lower lip with his sharp fangs.She pulled his ponytail, like she did when he was younger and more rash."I never said it won't look cool, smartass. Go train seriously and wreck havoc with your dragon powers."His happiness increased tenfold, despite his attempts to keep calm."I love you, mom~""Sure, sure. And I'm not your mom."She looked satisfied. Maybe the feeling did blossom and he had put a silk ribbon around the ring of her blade.