#I still love Yona though shout out to her

[frejs-froggy-artblog]

I get to draw Sidon and Link again in the year of our lord 2023

[notchesandbullets]

Misunderstanding (Husband!Jae-ha x Wife!Reader)

"Jae-ha, could you please pass me the roasted duck?"

You were surprised when he flat out ignored you, choosing to drift over towards Yona. Raising an eyebrow, you slid over to where Yoon was watching the whole thing. He looked just as confused as you.

The Happy Hungry Bunch was spread out around an empty field, lounging around while the pretty boy genius cooked up some dinner. Jae-ha went off with Yona and you suppressed a sigh. Lately, he had become more and more distant with you, and it was starting to drive you a little crazy.

You both were young, even though he was older than you. A lot of people said your marriage wasn't going to last, but you didn't care and you thought he didn't either. Now, you were having second thoughts, the insecurities getting the best of you as you watched him flirt with Yona.

You knew that was just his nature, and that it was harmless. Mostly. But it still sent a turmoil of conflicting emotions inside of you, and you were unsure if you should even be feeling this way.

You pushed up off your feet, wiping your dirty hands on a damp cloth. Yoon gazed at you worriedly as you turned away from them, trailing after where Jae-ha and Yona had disappeared.

A giggle floated through the air, enabling you to find them easily. You crossed your arms and leaned against a tree, staring at them with narrowed eyes.

"Excuse me, Yona, may I talk to him for a moment?"

Yona nodded, just about to leave when Jae-ha stopped her.

"Why do you want her to go?" He questioned, mistrust swirling in the depths of his eyes.

Both your and Yona's eyes went wide with shock. He never took this tone with you.

"I would just like to talk to you for a moment in private, Jae-ha." You picked your words carefully. You didn't know why, but he looked ready to explode at any second. You had no idea why he was so angry.

"She can stay here."

Yona let out a squeak as Jae-ha tugged her back to his side, unprepared for the sudden jostle. A beat later, she was freed by none other than the Thunder Beast.

"Keep your hands off of her." He glared, making the threat obvious.

"Then don't touch what's mine!!" Jae-ha snarled.

At this point, you were completely confused and starting to get mad. "Jae-ha, you aren't making any sense."

"No?!?!" He thundered, whipping around to face you. You had never seen him this angry and it was terrifying. "You think I'm making this up!!"

You huffed. "That's not what I said."

"Yeah?! Well it sure sounds like it!!" His hands flailed in the air in frustration, and you instinctively whimpered, eyes growing as wide as saucers.

He didn't notice the change in your demeanor, but someone else did.

"Droopy-Eyes, knock it off."

Jae-ha turned on him, kicking him harshly in the abdomen. Hak had been ready for it, but it still knocked the wind out of him. Jae-ha reached for Yona again, but that was a mistake.

He was shoved back harshly and Hak brandished his glaive with a feral gleam in his eyes.

"Touch her again. I dare you."

Jae-ha let out a growl. "You can't have them both!!"

You were shocked. You had never seen him like this before. You had never seen either one of them like this, they looked ready to rip each other apart at a moment's notice.

You couldn't stand it any more. You didn't want to fight.

You let out a quiet, reserved sigh. "Jae-ha... it's okay..."

His head whipped towards you and you took step back at the red aura emitting from him.

"Okay?!?! That's all you have to say?!" He yelled at you, continuing to raise his volume despite the way you flinched back, not registering your fear through the red haze. All he could think about was how he couldn't believe you didn't trust him, after all this time together.

After everything you've been through.

You had both saved each other from a life of despair and hopelessness. You brought out the light in him, and he brought peace to you.

You never thought things would come crashing down around you like this. Least of all, now, when it was so critical that your group stayed together.

Quickly, you walked away, praying that he wouldn't follow you. Today wasn't your lucky day. He stormed after you, completely furious with the way you were talking to him, how you were treating him.

"Stay away from her." Zeno demanded, no longer in the mood for games.

"You can't tell me what to do. She's my wife." Jae-ha declared.

Shin-ah stubbornly shook his head. The snarl painted on his features was nothing to take lightly. "Stay... away."

The low tenor shocked everyone, but Jae-ha wasn't deterred. "You can't keep me from her."

Hak stepped up aggressively. "Yes, we can. She's terrified of you right now. We're going to make sure she's alright before we let you anywhere near her."

At this point, Jae-ha finally took in your trembling appearance and he froze. The tears that stained your cheeks and your knocking knees hit him dead in the heart.

You were afraid. Of him.

Jae-ha couldn't believe he let it get this far. He ran into the tent you two shared as you were escorted away by the blue and yellow dragon.

Hak pushed back the flap of the tent once morning came. Jae-ha hadn't made an appearance once after yesterday's fiasco, and it was time to figure out just what was going on.

"Droopy-Eyes, what the hell were you thinking?"

As furious as he was for making you cry, he knew there was something else going on.

The green dragon might have been older, but over time, the former general had learned to read him like a book. There was something bothering him.

He was right.

Ryokuryuu was crouched on the ground, his back slumped and shoulders stiff.

Hak wouldn't be surprised if he had stayed like that throughout the night.

Jae-ha breathed out a heavy sigh, finally confessing, "I thought you guys were cheating on each other behind my back. I wanted to protect Yona, and maybe get back at you. Because no matter how much it hurts, I still love her."

Hak narrowed his eyes and then frowned.

"You're an idiot."

Jae-ha sputtered at the insult, but he wasn't finished. "You honestly think that we're sleeping together? Even though you're probably the only one who understands the depth of my feelings for Yona?"

Jea-ha was floundering to come up with a response.

"But you two have been spending a lot of time together, and yesterday at the market, you spent the entire day together. It's the first day she didn't fall asleep in my arms."

Hak crossed his arms over his chest and rolled his eyes exasperatedly, a blush settling across his cheeks.

"Jae-ha, she was helping me pick out a ring for Yona. She was helping me figure out how to propose." Hak explained quietly. "I wanted it to be perfect for her."

Jae-ha's jaw dropped to the floor, speechless.

"B-But— Y-You... I-I-I—"

"Yeah, yeah," Hak brushed off his excuses. "Just go apologize to her, will you? She's been crying all night."

Jae-ha left without a second thought and the ex-general followed soon after.

Your head was laying in Zeno's lap, and he was stroking your hair softly. Shin-ah was positioned near you, keeping watching out for any unwanted guests. His legs were criss-crossed, and Ao's fluffy tail was brushing under his ear once in a while.

When Shin-ah abruptly jumped to his feet, you knew something was wrong. Zeno's carefree expression was wiped off of his face and his eyes narrowed as the blue dragon snarled the second your husband cautiously entered the tent.

He at least had the decency to look apologetic, but you stiffly turned away from him, not ready to forgive him. His shoulders slumped and Shin-ah nearly growled. "Get out."

"Wait, please." Jae-ha begged. "Y/N."

"The miss doesn't want to see you right now." Zeno's voice had a light lilt to it, but there was an underlying warning that came with it.

"Y/N." Jae-ha whispered brokenly.

Your eyes softened, and you slowly turned around. Shin-ah looked about ready to throw Ryokuryuu out of the tent himself, but you shuffled towards him, pulling on his pant leg to get his attention.

"Shin-ah, Zeno, it's alright. Can you two give us a minute?"

The two dragons reluctantly left the tent, Zeno shooting you a worried glance but you offered him a reassuring smile.

Jae-ha settled down across from you, with respectable distance.

Your face was blank, but your eyes were puffy and the skin around it was rubbed red.

You had been crying.

He felt awful. He jumped to conclusions, and wrongfully accused you of things you didn't do.

"I don't deserve you."

Your head snapped up at his defeated tone.

"What?"

Jae-ha shook his head in regret. "I thought you and Hak were..."

You recoiled back in shock. "W-What?! No, you got it all wrong!! He's going to marry Yona, I was—"

He closed the distance between the two of you, cupping your jaw tenderly. Soft breaths fanned out against your face and warmed your skin soothingly.

"I know, I know. Hak told me what you were doing." Your eyes fluttered closed in relief. "I'm so sorry for assuming the worst."

Your hands reached up to cradle his face. "Come to me next time." You pleaded. "Talk to me."

He nodded furiously, finally pulling you in a tight embrace.

Relaxing in his hold, you didn't hear them come in.

"Yay!!" Zeno cheered.

"Is everything okay?"

Yona's worried voice floated through the air, breaking the two of you apart. You smiled at your husband, weaving your fingers together.

"Yeah... we're alright now."

Jae-ha leaned down, capturing your lips in a soft kiss and you melted against him.

Yona cooed at the display and Hak pretended to barf.

"Lunchtime, you rare beasts!!" Yoon shouted from outside.

One by one, the dragons, the princess, her bodyguard all filed out of your tent obediently. As he dished out the portions, you shared a look with Jae-ha as Hak fumbled with Yona's bowl.

It would be awhile before he got down on one knee, since their journey took precedence, but you couldn't wait to see it.

After all, You thought to yourself as Jae-ha pulled you against his chest, curling his arms securely around your waist. Despite its ups and downs, marriage is worth it.

[thoughtfulstudentsalad]

AnY Chapter 204 Review

It was a good chapter, although politically, it disappointed me.

There have been debates among readers about whether or not Su-Won was in character. The way he compartmentalized everything (but now slowly failing to do so) was, but I don't know about how hastily he jumped to kill Mei-nyan. Honestly a very Su-Won thing to do would rather be to pretend to accept her offer, use her knowledge to win the war, then kill her after. Did the thought of taking her hostage NOT occur to him? What happened to the king who seeks to minimize sacrifices? Who strategizes the most efficient path?

This time, it seems he had no patience for that because she went into a tirade about Hiryuu being great. As Soo-Won believes that blood-relation doesn't just entitle you to anything (as expected, he killed his own uncle), the fact that this applied to Mei may have played into Soo-Won's resentment to think it was better if she was killed, as she seemed no different from Il.

Evil Twins mistranslated this, but Su-Won does NOT say that he got ill after ascending the throne - Mei-Nyan tells him he “should be aware of the existence of King Hiryuu” which triggers the headache and flashback of Il that we’ve seen 5 times now. Phew, does this traumatize him. 

Now we have actually seen such a similar expression before! On his mother! 

“The beautiful hair caused Yon-Hi to remember the existence of King Hiryuu”

Does the pain get stronger the more aware the descendants are of King Hiryuu? A legitimate question of what causes the illness to sprout. 

Su-Won’s response in return, “I’m so fed up with it (the pain)” shows he is at his wits end now because this woman triggered yet another headache because she made him think of King Hiryuu.  

He says his thoughts aloud, clearly for the first time, “I wonder why the reincarnation of King Hiryuu and the dragons were born.”

Hearing the outright rejection of King Hiryuu, Yona is petrified. 

And it’s interesting, because she has never heard this direct attack on who she is until this point. We as readers have seen Su-Won reject God, so, SO many times to count. This is the first time Yona sees it in the present. This is the first time she also sees it directed straight at her. 

Because it’s pretty much Su-Won wishing Yona was never born, right? 

Until the betrayal, they had a genuine friendship, and even then Su-Won clearly still cared about her, so surely Yona had never imagined that Su-Won would ever say something like this, that it would be nice if she were never born. It is quite jarring. Were the years they spent all a lie, then? 

Moving on, we then see Mei-nyan understanding that negotiations have collapsed. She begins to freak out, and when Hyoo-ri appears, she bolts. 

I must say, for supposedly a strategist, Mei-nyan was pretty naive and reckless. It appears that the others were prepared to kill her prior to this meeting, but she comes thinking her talk would succeed. She doesn't even think of a back-up plan in the case the king doesn't agree.

She doesn't even tell Su-Won that she was previously a general. We all know, being a general is 100x more valuable to him then being a descendant or a concubine with false intel, any day.

I can argue that the negotiations might have not failed if she'd not talked about Hiryuu and instead about being a general or how shitty Kai treated her and how she actually is loyal to Kouka. She is reckless, that one! How did she ever become a general with such a personality?!?! People like her certainly don’t live long. 

Luckily, Jae-ha appears to save the day. And I actually really like this scene, because... Mei-Nyan is clearly affected by how the same dragon who vowed to protect Yona and did not let Mei-Nyan hit her, is NOW protecting her.��

This is what she always wanted, and she is shooooook. Look at her pained eyebrows. I feel for Mei-nyan here. Also Jae-ha, ouch. 

Yona runs to save the day with her merciful nature, as she always seems to do. Kye-Sook, who finds it a “quaint” quality like her late father, asks her to stand down. (most hilarious line) 

Then Yona asks Su-Won for his opinion, but Su-Won, who was already in annoyed mode, is now directing it towards Yona, who has come running to interfere. He is fed up thinking about it and does not want to deal with her. 

Yona still does not back down. “Turn over here! Even if you don’t need me, even if you’re fed up, look me in the eye and talk!” 

Very strong words. Until this I have never seen Yona be so direct with Su-Won, even if she harbored hatred, even if she was very calm. And this probably is because she felt rather hurt by Su-Won’s words. Understandable.

Next we see Su-Won explode: “I already said, this doesn’t concern you!” 

OKAY we get it Su-Won, calm the F down. 

Yeeeeeesh, this rude spitting viper is the same guy who was only gentle and kind with his younger cousin?????? 

let’s be honest if Hak saw Su-Won shouting at Yona he would wreck him 100x harder than he already wanted to

.....Perhaps we should just accept that familial ties don’t matter to this dude, especially if you’re a King Hiryuu reincarnation telepathically blowing his brains out because he doesn’t pay you enough attention. Can you blame him?

His line is rather ambiguous though. Does he mean it like, “stop being a fucking nuisance, I’m the king right now, this concerns me not you” 

OR is it like, “this conflict I have with King Hiryuu doesn’t concern you, you are Yona!” Maybe he doesn’t want Yona to feel bad about being born like his mother did? 

Maybe he is struggling with both meanings. Who knows.  

Now, after that Yona attempts to make him see past the entire conflict with Mei-nyan’s interest in Hiryuu and the dragons AND the fact that she has knowledge of the secret. 

And I can see Yona's point. Yon-Hi's existential crisis, seeing a red haired girl "steal" what belonged to her clan, is similar to Mei-nyan's. 

It makes sense. Why should he be so quick to kill her? She has clearly suffered herself. 

It seems like Su-Won wasn't thinking straight and realized later that he isn't just his father's son, but also his mother's, because now, he lightens her fate to imprisonment. Yes, imprisonment. Letting this woman go is obviously not the right idea either, especially after they acted so hostile to her, no guarantee that she still wants to negotiate. 

The big mistake though, is that everyone from Kouka, even Yona, underestimated Mei. None of them know that she could easily break out of jail if she wished. Even while in pain from the Crimson illness, she’s able to wound (possibly kill!) these soldiers. 

....Except our favorite MC Hak, doing 6000+ sit-ups like it’s nothing, is about to know!!!!!! 

I think Hak will the one to learn this first, and I actually think they could form some alliance based on being ex-generals. This girl will fill Hak in on wtf the Crimson illness is, and we might finally see Hak’s reaction -- OH SHIT, Su-Won actually hates something??? Maybe Hak’s beloved Princess is more involved with that than he’d like. 

I don't think they will go a love triangle of Hak-Mei-Yona route, at least I really hope not, because Hak is loyal af and that does not need to change one bit. At most it'd be funny to see Yona get slightly jealous but honestly I'm not sure if that's necessary either. 

Anyway! I would have preferred Mei-nyan stayed an antagonist rather than yet another talk-no-jutsu ally of Yona’s. But okay. We’ll see where this goes, along with the reasons Hiryuu even came down to Earth to start with. 

(On a side note, Zeno was great this chapter, wasn’t he? I missed hearing his words of wisdom)

[pandapupremade]

the doll

WORDS: 1,147

PAIRING: Luvenia (s/i) x Shin-Ah (yot.d)

CONTENT WARNINGS: mentions of medication, injury, i think thats it but

SUMMARY: Shin-Ah is injured, and Luvenia wants to make something to help him feel better.

AUTHOR NOTES: takes place shortly after chapter 51 of yot.d which tore my heart apart. also there’s other platonic f/o characters who appear. idk i just wrote this for character interactions

reblogs ok, but not required! the s/i uses any pronouns, and is a trans man

---------

With the sun setting, the moon was beginning to rise in turn, and shadows grew long over the camp. The purplish-orange hue twinkled with specks of stars, and the wind had settled into a soft breeze. Many were to turn in at this point, but a purple-haired ex-marauder,  was wearily working even as the evening loomed over him.

"You should really get some sleep, Luvenia," scolded Yoon as he passed by the fireplace, a mortal and pestle in hand that he was using to grind some plant matter. "Shin-Ah won't heal any faster if you worry yourself sick over him..."

"And what about you?" replied the other, not looking up from what he was shoddily welding, "You should get some rest, too. In your words, Shin-Ah won't heal any faster if you worry yourself sick over him."

"Actually, he will, in my case...Though I'm not really worried. I've tended to worse wounds from the Thunder Beast..." Yoon shook his head, "Anyway, I'm making him medicine."

"And I'm making him a gift!"

"How will a gift help?" Yoon sighed. "Do what you will, then. Just don't make a racket."

And with that, he ducked into the tent which Shin-Ah was currently resting inside. Luvenia quickly peeked to see if he could catch a glimpse of the wounded man, but by the time he'd turned the tent's flap had already closed, so he turned back to the fire once more...

Still...his grip tightened a bit on his tools. He knew logically, what he was making was of no use, but...

Yona...that person...give her back...

Luvenia froze, as all his muscles tensed at once...No, he couldn't think of such things right now. He couldn't think of it...He wouldn't think of it.

He just had to continue his work, and...

"Oh! Luvie! Luvie!"

And at the sudden voice, 'Luvie' shouted out and fell back off the log he'd been using as a seat. He dropped the welded pieces in the process.

"Oh, did Zeno startle you?" The blonde hair dangled over Luvenia's face as said Zeno leaned over them, eyes wide and smile big. "So sorry, so sorry..." Luvenia stared upward, but said nothing.

"...Are you okay, Luvie? Did you get hurt by Zeno?! Oh, Yoon must have another paitent..."

"...No." Luvenia closed their eyes. "I'm fine." But they felt like they were holding their breath...Really, they felt the same speaking to Yoon...Zeno was quiet , looking down at him, but...

"You're stressed."

"You're perceptive." Luvenia grumbled, sitting up. He rubbed the back of his head, turning to Zeno - whose expression was more serious now. Ah, crap, was he going to roast them like he'd roasted Yona a long time before...? They really didn't feel like they were up to that sort of existential crisis, and tried to say so.

"Look, Zeno..."

"What were you making?"

"...What?" Luvenia was taken aback. Zeno didn't repeat himself, and...Luvenia scrambled through the grass for the object. "Um...It w-was...Ah...I can't -"

"Is this it?" Indeed, Zeno was holding it. Luvenia flushed in slight embarrassment at their panic, but reached out for it. Instead of returning it, Zeno turned it around in his hands. "...A metal doll?"

"It's - it's....yeah, I guess."

"...It's cute." Zeno smiled sweetly, finally offering it back.

"It's - it's nothing, I just...Had some spare pieces, so I..."

"Is it for Shin-Ah?"

Luvenia stared. Luvenia felt their cheeks warm up just a little, and looked away. "Yeah."

There was a moment of silence, but it wasn't as awkward as it could've been with the radiation of sunshine from Zeno's smile....Although maybe that made it more awkward, too, because Luvenia didn't quite know the context to his smile.

Despite that, their hands trembled a bit. "...Zeno...."

"You love him, don't you?" The yellow dragon tilted his head, closing his eyes.

"W-wh-" Luvenia's eyes widened. "H-how did...I mean....I don't..."

"Zeno won't tell." He shook his head, "But..." His expression changed once more. "You should think carefully about it."

"W...Think carefully? There's nothing to...."

"You are giving your heart to a man who has known nothing." Zeno lowered his voice. "The Blue Dragon is a quiet soul...A damaged one."

"I-I know that...I know." How could she not? Not after watching the scene that had resulted in his current state to begin with... "But that's even more so..."

"Hm?"

"That's even more so the reason to reach out like this...Isn't it? To show him warmth, even beyond the friends he's desired so long...?"

At this, Zeno gazed at them for a long while, and then....

"...Phew, Zeno is beat." Yawning anticlimactically, he looked a lot softer now. "Zeno will find Kija..."

"K...Kija?"

"To sleep next to!" Zeno smiled, and got to his feet now, moving away from the light of the fire....Luvenia watched him go, but soon looked down at the 'doll'....

.............

.....................

When the light came up from the horizon, a groggy Luvenia came up from the grass.

"An all-nighter?" Yoon scolded the poor sleepless guy, "I knew you were reckless, but to work until you passed out..." He paused, and his eyes trailed to what Luvenia gripped, "And what on earth is that ugly thing? Don't tell me it's what you lost sleep over!"

"....." Luvenia blinked a few times, his ponytail all askew - well, more than usual... "A-ah, Shin-Ah..."

"Of course that's your first thought," sighed Yoon, "Thanks to your resident pretty boy genius, he survived the night. You can go see him after you -"

Well, whatever Yoon was saying, Luvenia didn't hear. She also didn't hear the annoyed shouts as she rushed to the masked man's tent...Where he was still lying rather stiff.

"...Sh-Shin-ah..." Luvenia dropped to their knees beside him, holding the doll in both hands. "I ...I know you can't hold this right now..."

"...L.....uv..."

"Don't stress yourself, Shin-Ah..." They shook their head. "I don't want you to..."

"...Luv...."

"I'll just leave this here and go, okay? Um...It's a gift. A get-well present..." Suddenly, a familiar fuzzy creatures popped out of Shin-Ah's white, fluffy wig. She stared up at Luvenia with big, shiny black eyes.

"...Hi Ao... Uh. Can I help you with something?"

The squirrel blinked.

"Luv...." Shin-Ah's fingers twitched. Apparently, saying his full name was a lot right now, but the sign of movement was good, right?

"Please, Shin-Ah...Get better, okay? I... I care about you. We all do, I mean -" What was he saying? "Just...Take care of yourself, okay? A-and let Yoon take care of you, and..."

His fingers twitched again. Ao squeaked, and scrambled down the mostly-paralyzed Shin-Ah to his hand. Somehow, Luvenia felt like this was some sort of...message? Hesitantly, he placed the metallic little figure into his crush's hand, and...The fingers half closed around it.

"Th.....an....k...you...." Shin-Ah's words got weaker, but...He seemed happy. Luvenia couldn't tell you how she knew that, though.

...Although she found it hard to pull her hand away now that it was so close to his.

[vannahfanfics]

Dawn and Dusk Part IV

Before you read, here’s Part I, Part II, and Part III!

Category: Romantic Fluff, Angst

Fandom: Yona of the Dawn

Characters: Yona, Soo-Won

Requested By: Yonawon (Ao3), Snowbunny (Ao3), and Yona (Ao3)

“Ah!” Yona exclaimed when fiery, red-hot pain rocketed from her shoulder down her arm as she reached for a book atop a towering, wobbly stack of tomes. She retracted her hand on instinct, and as the stretched, overworked muscles shortened, the rapid fire of her nerves dwindled to steady, persistent pulses translating into dull, throbbing pain. Her other hand reached around her back to caress the skin over her shoulder blade. She winced as her fingertips skimmed over the surface of her back; even the nerves supplying the skin were irritated, making dull pain flare under her touch. 

“I guess this is my body telling me that I’ve been working too hard,” she sighed and dropped her hand to her side. The other, she let down slowly, not wishing to aggravate the already tender muscles. She cradled it to her side protectively, putting her shoulder in the most comfortable position possible— holding her arm to her chest so the effects of gravity didn’t pull against the muscles of her upper arm and shoulder. “I can’t do much work like this,” she pouted and looked around. 

It had been many days since Yona had been at Kouka Castle. After a whirlwind of events, she had found herself appointed Soo-Won’s personal assistant; they both knew it was Yona’s way of keeping tabs on the young king and ferreting out his plans. Yet, Soo-Won either didn’t care whether Yona discovered his goals for herself or not, or believed them to be so well-guarded that Yona couldn’t possibly pierce the deepest recesses of his scheming mind. Whatever the case, Yona had set to poring through the volumes upon volumes of books within Soo-Won’s personal study, hoping that one of them contained at least one shred of information that could illuminate at least some aspect of his endgame. 

Though Yona had spent nearly every evening for the past fortnight rifling through the countless pages, reading paragraph upon paragraph and word upon word, none of her efforts had borne fruit. She frowned, experimentally palming at her sore shoulder once more. She winced at the fiery pain that spiderwebbed through the network of nerves tracking to her spine. No, if Yona spent any more time tonight forcing herself to continue on, she would be lucky if tomorrow she could move her arm at all— and she could not afford such a delay. 

“I must rest,” she told herself sternly, “so that tomorrow I can get through twice as many books.” A bold promise, one she was not sure she could follow through on, but one she made regardless. She had to will herself to stop somehow, after all. Sighing, she forced herself to stand. Her knees groaned and cracked in protest, too, as she had been kneeling for many hours. She couldn’t help but smile wanly at herself. Hak and the others would scold me something fierce for working this hard, she thought. Yoon would probably make me spend a whole day in bed!

Thinking of her friends sent a cold barb of ice through her heart. Though as of late she’d managed to see them more, the fact that she was still relatively isolated never ceased to cause her pain. Loneliness was one of the greatest pains of all, she’d learned. Her eyes drifted to Soo-Won’s desk, where a royal decree lay half-scrawled, the ink long dry, and the pain coursed through her anew. Though she missed her friends dearly, Yona would be remiss not to admit that she felt the loneliness when in the presence of the man she loved so much yet could never have. 

She was the dawn, and he was the dusk; so alike were they, but yet they never could exist in the same sky. Such a thing was an abhorrence of nature, a cataclysm waiting to happen. Yet that didn’t keep Yona from reaching out with her sunbeams, catching what kiss of the moon she could before her day faded into his night. Back and forth, push and pull, fleeting glimpses of fierce desire that fizzled out into sparks as they were painfully reminded of their place— that was how Yona and Soo-Won were forced to exist, now and forever. 

Why am I thinking of such things? She thought wearily, running the hand of her good arm over her face. It only made her sad and confused and tired. Bath… I need a bath, she decided tiredly. A warm soak would also do well for her strained muscles. She shuffled through the very slim pathway through the towering stacks of books, careful not to bump the precipitously arranged heaps with her hips. She made it to the door without incident, though she was a little winded. She took a moment to catch her breath, still nursing her throbbing shoulder. 

If I remember right, she thought when she finally opened the door and crept out into the empty halls, the closest baths are this way. 

She set off down the hall, with only the moonlight for company. It streamed in through the many windows lining the stone halls, white rays rippling into her dawn-colored hair to dye it a shining rose-gold. The moon kissed her form like a tender lover, not unlike the man embodying the cold, fading light of dusk that had embraced Yona three times now for that same reason. She shuddered as she felt the ghosts of his kisses on her lips, her skin— even now she longed for that pale touch, that white kiss of the moon, though it was wrong of her. 

She wondered which was stronger, the light of the sun or the shine of the moon. Would Yona’s dawn brilliance eventually force Soo-Won into surrender, bringing Kouka into an age of peaceful, warm sunlight? Or would Soo-Won triumph to spill dusk across the land, with the dull shine of the moon a false light belying the shadow under threat? She supposed it didn’t matter. For the sake of her people, the dawn must prevail over the dusk, she told herself. 

Even if she longed for that dusk, for the kiss of the moon washing over her and showering her in brilliant starlight love.

The moon was absent from the sky, she noticed, as she stepped out into the palace gardens. The stars even seemed to have lost some of their glow, twinkling weakly against the indigo backdrop of the atmosphere. The weak gleam reflected off the frosted glass panes of an outdoor bath pavilion surrounded by hedges cut into spirals, their leaves dyed green-blue in the gloom. A cool breeze rustled the plants and grasses and Yona’s dress as she padded down the round stone path to the pavilion. Its door squeaked when she opened it, long and ominous, like she was unwelcome. Inside, the starlight kaleidoscoped through the watery glass to spill over the bath, illuminating the white tiles and refracting on the ornate spout system in the wall, a mosaic of a woman with shining gold hair bathing in a forest stream. 

Yona loosened her gown as she walked to the mosaic, turning the knobs. Warm water burst forth, barreling into the empty pool on the floor of the bathhouse. Yona kneeled at the edge as it filled, watching the steam rise through the air in wispy white tendrils to cloud the frosted glass panes. It only made the starlight refract more, sending the beams spearing down in thin lines to pattern the bathhouse like raining diamonds. It was oddly beautiful, in a way, though Yona still felt discomfited without the moon. 

The air was steamy and warm by the time the bath filled and Yona flipped off the tap. She shimmied out of her dress— carefully to avoid tweaking her injured shoulder— and folded it up to lay it on a nearby bench. Then she slipped down into the water. She couldn’t help the unabashed moan that bubbled up in her chest as the warm, slightly bubbly water enveloped her body. It felt like it was leaching the weariness from her body like withdrawing a poison; she was surprised she didn’t see black tendrils leaving her body. She sunk down to her shoulders, drawing another, higher-pitched moan from within her; the warm water worked into her tightened muscles, teasing them apart with gentle encouragement. She found that she could even move it somewhat with it buoyed by the water, though dull pain still throbbed within the sensitized fibers. 

She slowly tipped her head back to dip her head under the surface. She hummed as the water kissed her scalp and soaked her dawn-colored locks, further filling her with a sense of contentment. There really was nothing like a good bath to clear your mind, she thought blissfully and fluttered her eyes closed. She listened to the gentle ebb and flow of the bathwater sloshing against the sides of the tub and the small drops dripping from the tap plunking into the water. Bathed in starlight, Yona relaxed for what felt like the first time in years, allowing all of her troubles to leach out into the warm, steamy water surrounding her being. For just a few precious moments she could pretend that she was adrift in a warm summer sea, slave only to the tides and wind to wander where should would. No destination, no worries— only the vastness of the open sea. 

Yet in the endless ocean, storms materialized when you least expected them. 

“Yona?” 

She splashed in the water, whirling around to face the entrance of the bathhouse. Her foot slipped on the slick bottom of the tub; she shouted on instinct, causing her mouth to fill with the warm water when she fell backwards. Her arms flailed at the surface, and she came back up spluttering and pink-faced from the heat of the water. Through the water droplets arcing in front of her face, she could see Soo-Won staring at her in confusion, standing in the bath with the water just lapping at his waist. It seemed he’d entered the bath without realizing that she was there at first, then happened to see her at the end of the pool. 

Yona squatted down in the water while covering her chest, her face turning nearly as red as her hair. She was so shocked that she didn’t even register the spike of pain that rocketed down her arm. 

“S-Soo-Won!” she squeaked, still trying to process his sudden appearance. “Wh-what are— H-how— I-I…” Her hands constantly roamed over her body, feeling exposed despite the steaming water covering her. Soo-Won continued to stare owlishly at her for a few seconds, then realized she was in fact naked and hastily turned to the side, one hand over his blushing face. 

“... This bath is reserved for the king only,” he informed her quietly. “I didn’t expect anyone to be here… I thought that Kye-Sook had started the bath, since he knew I was coming here.” 

Yona sank down into the water until only her eyes floated above the surface, like a frog perched in a pond, to hide the embarrassed look that appeared on her face. How could she have forgotten a detail like that? I can’t believe this… Me, naked in Soo-Won’s private bath? How mortifying! She lamented. She stewed in the water for a second before slowly popping her head up again. 

“I… seem to have mistaken this for the general royal baths. My apologies. I’ll leave immediately.” Blushing at the awkwardness of the entire debacle, she crab-walked across the bottom of the pool. Soo-Won walked to the middle of the bath, keeping a respectful distance to the princess. However, she could feel his eyes boring into her form, and the water felt like it was boiling around her with how hot her body became. She hovered at the edge of the pool, unable to climb out to retrieve her clothes with his heady stare. She could hear the water swishing as he slowly moved closer, and the heat rose and rose until her body felt like it was on fire. Just as she chanced a glance over her shoulder, Soo-Won suddenly grabbed her by the shoulders and forced her down under the water. 

Yona immediately panicked, but Soo-Won kept her from flailing by grabbing her arms and forcing them flat to her sides. This sent shockwaves of pain sparking through her shoulder, making her release a pained scream under the water. Through the bubbles swirling in front of her face, she could see Soo-Won looking over his shoulder, his mouth moving. He’s talking to someone! She realized, and the fear flushed from her body. He wasn’t trying to drown her; he was trying to keep the newcomer from realizing that she was there! Despite the instinctual urge to swim to the surface, she forced herself to squat there under the water. Just as her lungs began to burn with the need for oxygen, Soo-Won looped his hands under her armpits and hauled her up. 

“I’m sorry, Yona,” he apologized as she slumped against him, coughing and hacking. “Kye-Sook came so suddenly. It would be troublesome if you were seen like this…” Yona only nodded weakly in understanding. As she did so, the pain in her shoulder flared anew, making her grasp it reflexively. “Yona? Are you injured?” he asked, concern lacing his voice. 

“It wasn’t you,” she reassured, her voice still scratchy from the warm water that had flooded her throat at her sudden dunking. “I strained my arm in the study… I came here to soak, to try to make it feel better.” He hummed thoughtfully, a hand ever-so-gently skimming over the skin of her shoulder. She twitched at the touch, even just his fingertips eliciting pain. She looked back to her kimono folded on the bench, within reach yet so far away. “Soo-Won, I should— ahh …!” 

Her words cut off in a surprised gasp when she felt his lips press into her shoulder. He lavished the inflamed muscles with tender kisses, peppering over her shoulder blade before circling over her shoulder and then back down. One of his hands spread over her belly, pressing her back against him, while the other gently grasped her chin to turn her face to the side to allow him more access. A low moan coiled in Yona’s throat at his feathery lips grazing over her skin, sending sparks of pleasure shooting through every nerve in her body. 

“You’re already here,” he purred into her skin, the tip of his tongue flicking over her shoulder and making her shudder. “Why not stay with me, as you promised before?” 

“ Soo-Won ,” she groaned. His kisses grew deeper, rougher, needier . The fog was descending over her mind again, that heady desire to just submit to the love she’d nursed for years and years, that need to escape from their reality for just one moment. Her breaths left her body in soft pants and her eyelids fluttered as he began kissing up her neck, nipping at her flesh with his teeth before kissing it tenderly to soothe the tingling skin. “Please,” she pleaded, though she wasn’t sure what for. She was so dizzy and light-headed; it was so hot, the steam didn’t have enough oxygen to fill her breaths, it felt like. Then there was Soo-Won lighting a fire under her skin, his arm tightening around her middle to pull her up onto her tip-toes so he could lavish her neck further in hot, messy kisses. 

“I want you so badly ,” he whispered in her ear, breath hot and heavy against the side of her head. She could feel the pain in his voice; it was the same pain that gripped her in these moments, like vicious claws carving deep scours into her heart. “The world is cruel, Yona, so cruel .” Her head fell back against his shoulders as his head dipped down to begin kissing her collarbones and the top of her breast. “No matter how much I want you, I know that we can never be, and that is what vexes me the most,” he whispered against her skin, and then she felt the tears drip from his lashes and onto her body. 

“I know,” she whispered, turning her face into his long tresses of golden hair. Pale, like the moon trying its best to mimic the radiant gold of the sun but falling so utterly short. He was the dusk, clinging to the light of day with such desperate hands, but she would slip from his fingers soon enough— she always did as the air cleared and reminded her of their painful reality. Soo-Won seemed to sense the fog of her mind clearing, as he peeled himself away from her— but not before noticing the large scar stretching down her back. His fingers skimmed over the marred skin, in reverence, in wonder, in horror? She wasn’t sure. 

“I hate what has become of us,” he sighed and began kissing the skin around her scar. Yona’s eyes fluttered, tears squeezing through her eyelids to stream down her cheeks, and allowed herself just a few more moments to savor Soo-Won’s touch. He worshipped her like a goddess, like a fleeting dream, like a hope about to evaporate between his fingers. “Yet this is always what we were going to become, wasn’t it?” 

“I don’t know,” she said, opening her eyes to look at the frosted glass panes in the ceiling. The starlight shone within the wispy white of the glass, trying its best to pierce the veil and bathe her in dusk. But Yona was the dawn, and she could never exist in the light of the dying and diminished sun. She was always meant to exist among the fire, among the light, among the day. Soo-Won was her opposite, her antithesis, her beautiful paradox. He belonged here among the stars and the night, bathed in the white glow. 

He pressed one last kiss between her shoulder blades as she pulled away from him; she slipped loosely through his arms, as he offered no resistance. 

“I must go,” she informed him, with more weight behind her words this time. “Kye-Sook will surely come back if you linger here too long… Like you said, it would be troublesome if I was discovered here like this.” When she gripped the edge of the pool, he turned around, giving her the privacy to slip back into her dress this time. The water cascaded from her form as she rose from the pool and soaked into her dress when she slipped it on her person; it made her skin cold as it evaporated. The chill washed over her like the moon had sapped all her warmth, but that was all right. Yona was the raging fire of the dawn; by the morning she would be blazing anew, spilling the red-gold light of the sun for all to see. 

Like the dusk clinging to its last glimpse of the sun, Soo-Won watched her with sad blue eyes as she left the bathhouse, taking the last rays of light with her. The clouds had drifted over the sky, snuffing out even the stars. 

~~~~~~~~~~

When Yona arose the following morning, she found that her shoulder had improved considerably despite the excitement in the bathhouse. She massaged the rest of the ache out of the muscles as her attending ladies set to dressing her as they did every morning. When she dropped her slip down her body, the ladies began to replace it with a new one, but suddenly gasped. 

“What is it?” Yona blinked in confusion, looking back to the maid. She was pink-faced and holding a hand to her lips; she averted her eyes at Yona’s inquisitive gaze, seemingly unwilling to speak. “What’s wrong?” 

“M-my lady… You have strange… bruises ?” the maid explained tentatively. Yona’s eyebrows shot up her forehead, and then she looked into the mirror. Her face immediately blazed red when she spotted the purple spots littering her shoulder, neck, and upper chest. Soo-Won—! She realized in mortification. The maid knew full well those were not bruises dotting Yona’s skin, but had the wherewithal not to accuse Yona of any indecency. Yona swallowed thickly, then cleared her throat to regain some sense of dignity. 

“Ah, yes,” she said. “I slipped in the bath last night; it seems I bumped myself more than I thought. There’s no reason to worry,” she assured the maid with a smile. The handmaiden looked unsure, but nodded in acceptance of Yona’s poor excuse. The princess tried not to allow her discomfort to show on her face as the maid finished dressing her. 

That snake knew exactly what he was doing, she grumped half-heartedly. Marking me like that… The audacity! 

Yet as much as she internally complained, Yona could feel those marks blooming on her skin like full moons, a cool reminder of the fierce love blooming amidst cool fate— of the dusk clinging so desperately to the dawn, wanting to pull that red light into the shadows for itself. 

Would Yona be able to escape, or would she succumb to that magnetic draw, unable to resist the temptation of the beautiful moon? No. No matter how much her heart yearned for Soo-Won, she could not subject her country and her people to a world without dawn. Her heart heavy, she marched back toward the study, eager to dive back into the tomes and search once again for anything, anything that could illuminate Soo-Won’s mysterious motives for usurping her throne, for throwing the cycle of dawn and dusk into disarray. 

Enjoy this oneshot? Here’s Part V! Feel free to peruse my Table of Contents!

[miraizu]

About Love - Yona x F!Reader

About Love [Akatsuki no Yona oneshot] Ship: Yona/F!Reader Word count: 1,801 Warnings: Near death ?

        Darkness.  That was all that permeated your vision, and you tried to move your limbs in confusion.  At once, a bright light flashed in your eyes, and you blinked a couple times as you took in your surroundings.

        You were back at Castle Hiryuu.  What was this?  A dream?  The last thing you remembered was being on one of the pirate ships with Yona.  You were fighting to free the captured maidens.  And then...  And then...

        Eyes widening at the memory, you quickly checked your stomach in panic, expecting to see a gaping hole where the sword had slashed you, to see the red staining your clothes.  Instead, you saw nothing, your outfit being normal.  Oh dear Hiryuu, you weren't dead, right?  Right?!

        Hearing shouting, you looked up, clear confusion written all over your face.  You were safe and dry underneath one of the castle hangar's, but it was night time, and pouring out to boot.  However, you recognized the one voice that cried out so painfully, and you ran down the hall in panic, coming to a sliding stop as you peered in the room the noise came from.  Your stomach turned at the sight, sorrow gripping your heart painful.

        This wasn't a dream.  It was a memory.

        Collapsed on the ground in shock was a woman you were all-too-familiar with, Princess Yona and former heir to the throne.  Staring ahead in shock, you could see why she had cried out.  On the ground, deceased, was her father, King Il.  And the perpetrator?

        None other than the man you had sworn your life to serve, Soo-won.  Even as his lady-in-waiting were you shocked, and your throat seized up as his eyes went from Yona to you, his face hard.

        "[Y/n]...  Yona...  Neither of you should be out."

        You rushed forward to shield Yona from the grisly sight before her.  You wanted to curse him into oblivion.  To cry and scream and ask why.  You had no control of your voice though, for you could not change the past.

        "Soo-won... How could you?"

        A few guards came into the room, but you knew they would not help you as they pointed their swords at you.  No, they needed to get rid of the evidence - evidence being you and Yona.

        Forcing the younger princess to her feet, you had rushed out, in search of a weapon you could protect yourselves with.  The princess was stumbling behind you, clearly dissociating from the scene before her.  If it had been any other time, you'd be attentive and try to calm her down, but you didn't have the luxury or time to stall for even a moment.  A moment of hesitation would lead to your downfall.

        Feeling tears prick your eyes, soon enough you and Yona were cornered in the courtyard, and Yona collapsed onto the muddy ground, clearly giving up.  You tried to go back to her, but you were seized in an instant, a sword threateningly held up to your neck to prevent any movement.

        Yona...

        You felt rage well in you.  How could they do this to somebody so sweet?  How could Soo-won, the man you thought you knew best, do this?!  A scream ripped through your entire being, and you bashed your head back, hitting the soldier who had you in his grasp square in the face.  It was with enough force to cause him to fall back, his nose a bloody mess, and you grabbed the sword from him, spinning it around once before going to save Yona.

        "[Y/n], get her out of here!"

        A new voice joined the fray, and you spared Hak a glance and nodded, rushing to Yona and gently bringing her to a stand.  For a moment, she tried to pull away, clear distrust of you and confusion, and you made an attempt to calm her down.

        "I'm here for you, princess.  I'll keep you safe, even if it means laying my life down for your own."

        Slowly, your surroundings began to fade into blackness, but not before your eyes met her purple ones, sad and defeated, but still trusting of you.

        And you only had one thought.

        I'll always fight for you.

        She was crying.  Hovering over the battered and injured body of [Y/n], her most trusted friend, Yona couldn't help the tears and worry that racked her body, even with Yoon's reassurance that you would be okay.  After all, wasn't it her fault in the first place that this happened?  Her fault that you were injured?  Her fault that you were even here?  By all intents and purposes, you weren't even supposed to leave Castle Hiryuu with her.  You had been Soo-won's lady-in-waiting, after all.  Would he had spared you if you had stayed?

        "Please...  Please, [Y/n]...  Wake up..."

        You stirred lightly, feeling something wet drop down onto your face, and you winced as a sharp pain reverberated throughout your entire body.  Somebody was crying for you, a voice that sounded familiar, but who?

        "Mm..."

        You tried to speak but your throat felt drier than cotton.  The small noise was enough to grab the person's attention, though, and they quickly left, presumably to go get somebody else.  Moments later, a cool compress was pressed to your forehead, and you found the strength to flutter your eyes open.  Standing over you was Yona and Yoon, Ao perched comfortably on the former's head.

        "How are you feeling?"

        You blinked once at Yoon, slowly processing his words.  ". . . I've been better," you rasped, wincing at the way your voice sounded.  How long had you been out?

        As if reading your mind, Yoon helped prop your head up, giving you a sip of water from his flask.  "You've been out for 3 days.  You worried us all, you idiot!"

        While his words were brash, you could tell they were sincere, and you offered a wobbly smile, grateful for the water.  "It's fine.  I would do it all over again if it meant the princess made it out unscathed."

        On cue, Yona started to sniffle again, taking your hands earnestly.  "No!  You can't put yourself into danger like that again!  Let the other's fight, but you and Hak...  I can't lose either of you."

        You felt a pang in your heart, and bitterly smiled.  "I cannot just stand aside while our allies fight, princess."

        Clearing his throat, Yoon stood up, going to exit the tent.  You could easily tell he didn't want to be present for the fight that was brewing between the two of you, and he quickly made a half-hearted excuse about how he had to go see to the cooking so the "exotic beasts" would stop complaining.  Ao scurried after him, leaving you and Yona completely alone.

        She started to cry again, and you felt your heart drop at causing her so much pain.  Struggling to sit up, and ignoring the pain in your abdomen, you cupped her face.  "Princess Yona," you started, causing her to cry more.  "I'm fine, aren't I?  Just let me protect you.  Please."

        She shook her head, her hand going up to hold your own.  "But why?  Why do you want to protect me so much?"

        You couldn't help the laugh that bubbled past your lips at her own obliviousness.  "Why did I leave Soo-won to protect you in the first place?"  You retorted, before sighing.  Now was as good a time as any, right?  "I want to protect you because I love you, you big dummy.  I'm already at a disadvantage considering I'm a girl, and I don't care if it's taboo, but I love you and will lay down my life for you if I have to."

        Your confession had stopped the flow of tears, and she blinked in shock at you.  You could already feel disheartened.  Who were you, after all, compared to Hak, or Jae-ha, or even Ki-ja?

        Averting your eyes, you let your hand drop down to your lap.  "I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable, princess.  I won't speak of it again if it bothers you."

        "No."

        The word came out so defiantly that you reeled for a moment, eyes going back to meet her purple ones.  "Wh...  'No'?"

        "No," Yona repeated, a newfound fire taking place of the sorrow she had previously been feeling.  Your heart sunk.  Oh dear Hiryuu, she was going to ridicule you for your feelings, wasn't she?  After all, a woman loving another woman?  If only society was that progressive.  She pressed on, seeing your heartbroken face.  "It's not...  You didn't make me uncomfortable."

        Wait, what?

        She fumbled for her words for another moment, her face slowly growing into a shade of red that rivaled her infamous hair.  "I...  I mean, it's just.  I don't want to lose you."  Her words came out in a rush.  "I just...  Agh!"  Growing frustrated, she grabbed both of your hands and tugged you forward, nearly causing you to topple as you winced from the movement.  "Sorry, [Y/n]!" She hastily apologized.  "It's just, I love you too, which is why when I see you behave so recklessly it hurts me!  Especially when you say it's for me!"

        For a moment, the world stopped moving.  You looked at her with wide eyes, a light pink blooming over your face too.  Were you hallucinating?  Was it possible you were still passed out and this was a dream?  Perhaps, maybe, you really had died and this was heaven.

        "You...  Love me?"

        Yona nodded sharply, and you leaned forward hesitantly to place a short and sweet kiss on her lips, just to confirm that this was real.  While the action took her by surprise, she had only just started to respond before you pulled away, a goofy smile on your face.

        "Does this mean you're going to be my own personal nurse as I recover, princess?"

        Yona immediately pulled away and smacked you on the head, blushing profusely.  "Y-you're just as bad as Hak!"

        You giggled, clearly lovestruck and happy with the change in events as you pulled her down again.  "That's only one of the reasons why you love me though, right?"

        The two of you started to kiss again, soft and gentle, before the tent flap opened.

        "[Y/n], Yoon told me you had recovered and that the Princess was seeing to your - AH!"

        Ki-ja, the unfortunate sap, jerked away violently and hit the ground as you and Yona pulled away slightly.  Curiosity clearly had hold of the others, and soon Jae-ha and Hak were both peeking in, a smirk on the former's face.

        "And what do we have here?  I do believe, Thunder Beast, that you owe me money."

        "Wait, you bet on us?!"

[rollzerox]

do you still do the alternate confessions series? if so i'd love of the recent chapters a alternate confession when Jaeha goes to see Yona in the palace and it turns into a love confession

Sure thing anon! Sorry this took so long work has been hectic but here you go:

The rain was coming down rapidly as Jae-ha made his way across the rooftops, Ao perched on his shoulder. He sighed as he recalled his conversation with Hak, really wishing the Thunder Beast had come with him. Making his way to the castle, he took the way the former bodyguard told him to avoid being detected. ‘Seriously Hak, I don’t know how you stand being away from her so long…’ he thought to himself. Part of him had been going crazy with worry over the princess, the other part fighting with his urge to just scoop her up and take her far away from here.

 He shook his head, knowing that wasn’t the answer. But he could give her some sort of peace of mind, figuring how she must need to see Hak by now. He was sure Yona must have given Hak an answer to his confession by now, would explain why she was so uneasy around him. That or maybe if he could get them alone she could answer… After all he heard Hak teasing her about something when they were in the Fire Tribe, but he couldn’t make it out at the time. “Honestly I have no idea how he’s resisted her for so long…” he mumbled, reaching Yona’s window. “She’s so beautiful and amazing, I’m sure they’ll be happy together….” He frowned for a moment at that thought, shaking his head as he once again buried his feelings for the princess. “Better than a man with a deadly timer on him…” he whispered to himself as he blinked when he heard something… Yona was talking to someone… No… Herself? There was no one else in the room and Yona had a deadened expression on her face, slowly standing up as she sighed heavily.

 “It’s as if my legs won’t even move…” Yona sighed. “Like they were gone…”

 “Now when did that happen?” Jae-ha smiled, knowing this was the perfect time for him to enter. “That’s funny, didn’t I tell you before?” he hummed, moving the curtain to the side. “That I would be your legs?”

 “Jae-ha?!” Yona gasped, eyes wide seeing him there. For a moment the princess questioned if she was dreaming, her heart thumping seeing the Green Dragon before her. She immediately looked behind herself and pulled the curtain to hide him as she helped him into her room. “What are you doing here? Did you come alone?”

 “Oh I got tired of waiting to see you, so I came myself. I was told you weren’t feeling well.” Jae-ha hummed, Ao jumping off his shoulder to nuzzle with the redhead. “Ao missed you too.”

 Yona looked at him confused. “What? I’m fine!” She wondered how he was told this lie, but seeing how Kye-sook was being so secretive she didn’t put it past him.

 Jae-ha sighed, figuring that had been a lie. “… I see. That’s a relief.” He then looked to see if anyone was nearby, then grabbed her hand. “Let’s go, Yona dear.”

 The princess looked at him confused. “… What?”

 “I’m taking you to where Hak is.” Jae-ha explained, taking her towards the window. “The sound of the rain will make a good cover, so we can sneak away for a bit and then come back. They won’t even notice you’re gone.”

 “See Hak? But…” Yona sucked in a breath. Yes she missed her family, but was it worth the risk? What if someone came by and noticed her missing? Granted she felt a bit more at ease seeing her Ryokuryuu crush before her, her cheeks flushing as her mind wandered back to her last botched confession attempt with him…. And Hak’s offer to just tell him that nearly made her have a stroke.

 “You see Hak enlisted in the Sky Tribe army and trying so hard to regain his position as your special bodyguard.” Jae-ha explained, chuckling. “Don’t you think it’s cute? It’s a mad scheme though. Poor boy is desperate to get back to your side.”

 “HE WHAT?!” Yona shouted, then shivered as she checked from around the curtain to make sure she didn’t alert Joo-doh.

 “I wanted to bring him here so you could see him, but he refused so I thought I’d take you myself.” Jae-ha smiled warmly at her, brushing a stray lock from her face. “You want to see Hak, don’t you?”

 ‘I want to see all of you, not just Hak…’ Yona thought to herself, but then worried about the danger it could present with close eyes on her now. She then yanked her hand away from his grasp. “… I’m not going. It’ll be troublesome if I get wet and I want to be alone.”

 Jae-ha looked at her shocked, frowning at her excuse. “Now that’s the lamest excuse I’ve ever heard Yona dear, you don’t have to lie to me.”

 Yona stiffened as she saw through her, of course he did. “… Please… It’s for everyone’s own good… And tell Hak I don’t need a bodyguard.”

 “Yona seriously…” Jae-ha growled, grabbing her hand again and looking at her sternly. “What did they say to you? Did they threaten us? Threaten Hak? Is that why you’re trapped up here like a prisoner in this tower? This isn’t like you, where’s the girl that tried to take on the Tully Tribe Leader herself and kicked a man in the neck that threatened her with a sword? What happened that has you so shaken up that-“

 “Princess Yona?” Joo-doh’s voice came just then.

 “Go now! Before they see you!” Yona said, pushing him towards the window.

 The Green Dragon hissed, jumping out the window but he stayed nearby, listening as she gave an excuse the rain was coming in.

 Yona sighed, hoping Jae-ha was gone as she noticed Joo-doh was going back to his rounds, falling to her knees with her head in her hands, Ao whimpering as she sat on Yona’s dresser as she sobbed. “… I can’t let them get hurt because of me… Just because Soo-won-“ the princess then stiffened as she heard a rustle at her window again, scowling at the Ryokuryuu for coming back in. “Jae-ha I told you to-“

 She was cut off as Jae-ha pulled her into a hug, sighing as he knew he was right. She was trying to protect them all by chasing him away. “… You can’t keep putting yourself below everyone else. We’re supposed to protect you, remember? This isn’t an alliance with you trapped in here, and possibly forced into an arranged marriage with the man that murdered your father? People are rumoring that you’re engaged to Soo-won!”

 Yona frowned at that, pulling back. “… I know… But I’m not. Soo-won set a few people straight on that just… That was all Kye-sook.”

 “It’s not right though, your heart belongs to someone else.” Jae-ha scowled. “They have no right trying to take that from you.”

 Yona’s eyes widened with a massive blush. ‘Oh gods…. Does he know? Did Hak tell him that I-‘

 “Please Yona dear…” Jae-ha caress her cheek, frowning as he did so. “Let me do this for you, you want to tell him don’t you? I promise it won’t take long, just to put his mind at ease…”

 “I do want to tell him… I…” Yona felt her mouth run dry, panic raising as she realized what he was saying. ‘… He… He thinks I love Hak. Oh my god Jae-ha I…’

 Jae-ha smiled at that response, along with her flushed face. “Let me be your legs, princess.” He hummed, using her title for once. “To take you to the man of your dreams to put you at ease.”

 Yona clutched at his shoulder, pulling herself up a bit so their faces were close. She could feel his breath on hers and his hair was dripping onto her dress. Her pupils dilated, her courage building as she knew there was only one way to set him straight. “… You already have.” She said, grabbing him by his robes and mashing her lips against his.

 Jae-ha’s eyes went wide and his brain went numb. Just what was happening? Yona’s warm, soft lips were hard pressed against his, her eyes closed and holding him in place for a few moments before she finally pulled back, her violet eyes fluttering like an innocent lamb that had no idea what she just did…. And then it did hit her and her whole face exploded into a massive blush.

 “Ahhh… Y-you better go! Now!” Yona said, pushing on his chest. “Joo-doh will be back soon enough and- Ekkk!” she shrieked as Jae-ha wrapped his arms around her tightly and his mouth was on hers immediately and demanding. She swore he sucked out all the breath from her lungs from that kiss, and it took all his self restraint to pull back before just devouring her.

 “… You never cease to surprise me, Yona dear…” Jae-ha whispered against her lips before kissing her once more, twice, three times before giving her a seductive look as he nuzzled his nose against hers. “… But really you’re making a dangerous choice, a filthy playboy pirate over your loyal-“

Yona narrowed her eyes as she got her nerve back, flicking his forehead. “…. Don’t you dare put yourself down like that. You are one of the most honorable and caring people I have ever met. You respect my wishes and don’t hold me back. I care about Hak but he’s been part of my family all my life, the brother I  never had. But you…” she flushed as her nerves were faltering, she shut her eyes and just belted it out. “I love you! … I know I’m too young or not experienced enough or not mature of a woman and can’t expect you to settle down but I don’t care! I feel horrible never noticing Hak’s feelings but even he figured out I was in love with you! I wanted to tell you back in the Fire Tribe but then we…” she whimpered. “I nearly lost you several times now and I just couldn’t get the words out… I…” tears welled up, her mind made up she was going to get rejected for it.

 Jae-ha just smiled warmly at her, brushing his thumbs over her eyes to clear her tears. “… I must be dreaming, that’s what this is right?” he hummed, pressing his forehead against hers.

 “What? Jae-ha don’t joke around like that!” Yona whined.

 “You’re amazing Yona dear, the most beautiful and strong woman I’ve ever met. Your determination and will to protect others drew me to you from the start.” Jae-ha hummed, kissing her forehead and cheeks. “… you know you once asked me what I think of you now, compared to that weak little girl back in Awa…”

 Yona gulped, she did ask him that back in Sensei, and he never did answer her. “You said you didn’t want to…”

 “Because I felt I didn’t deserve you, and especially because I was well aware of Hak’s feelings and thought he was better for you….” Jae-ha explained, caressing her cheek. “But the truth is… I love you, Yona.” He whispered, diving in for another kiss.

 Yona felt like her heart exploded, her mind muddled with the fact her crush returned her feelings, making her cry anew but this time tears of happiness. She threw her arms around him, pulling him closer as she kissed him back even though it was quite clumsily for the princess. “Jae-ha…” she sobbed against his lips.

 Jae-ha smiled, slowly pulling back before laying several more light kisses on her face. “If this is a dream, don’t wake me up.” He purred.

 Yona slightly giggled at his remark. “… The things you say that just make me laugh at the darkest of times…” she shook her head. “But really… You should go. If they find out you left there will be trouble.”

 Jae-ha frowned, caressing her cheek. “… There’s a reason you can’t see us, isn’t there? That’s why they said you weren’t well… Can you even move from this room at all?”

 Yona frowned at that, shaking her head. “… Soo-won won’t even meet with me, in fact…” she then blinked, checking if Joo-doh was back yet. “… Jae-ha, do you think you could take me to Soo-won’s study? Fast enough before Joo-doh is back?”

 Jae-ha smirked at that. “You know I can my darling.” He took her hand, giving it a kiss. “What are you planning?”

 There was a serious look in Yona’s eyes, her flare finally coming back. “… If Soo-won won’t meet with me, it’s about time I force my way to him.”

[queenofmoons67]

hi! so i love your writing, and i was wondering if you could write some shin-ah centric hurt/comfort with interactions between shin-ah and hak and also shin-ah and jae-ha? thank you so much!

Hi!! Thank you so much for the ask; I loved filling it. I hope you don’t mind, but I’ve also timed this for Day 5: Family Bonds for @thedragonsweek2019.

Title: if the sky comes falling down

Word Count: 2658

Summary: Sometimes brotherhood is kicking boulders off each other’s chests, and sometimes it’s deciding the others need a good cuddle.

A link to the AO3 version will be provided soon.

The title is from Avicii’s “Hey Brother”: “Oh, if the sky comes falling down for you / There’s nothing in this world I wouldn’t do.”

I do not own Akatsuki no Yona.

“Well,” Jae-ha remarked, looking around. “This is a rather nice predicament we’ve found ourselves in, isn’t it Shin-ah?”

Shin-ah grunted, and honestly, Jae-ha couldn’t blame the kid. Mostly because no matter how hard he looked, he couldn’t see anything but darkness. Triggering a cave-in had seemed like a smart idea with the pissed off Kai soldiers on their tail, but he had neglected to take into account their distance from Kouka. That was, it was far enough that kicking through the impressive amount of rock before him would take a lot more time than causing it all to fall had.

“Usually I’d congratulate myself on a job well done, but I think I did it too well this time,” Jae-ha sighed.

Shin-ah grunted again, and Jae-ha frowned. While his brother still preferred silence to words, with the encouragement and help from everyone else he had gotten better at speaking. Usually he would have by now. Turning slightly away from the sealed exit, he peered into the dark and tried to find his brother.

“Shin-ah?”

A hum. Jae-ha strained his eyes in the sound’s direction so hard he thought he might magically inherit the Seiyuu’s power, but nothing happened. The cave was pitch black; he couldn’t even make out the glow of his brother’s mask.

“Shin-ah, are you ok? Where are you? I can’t see—”

Something touched his calf, and Jae-ha jumped so hard he had to whirl an arm out so he didn’t crash, headfirst, into the ceiling. He hit the ground with a thump, unusually unsteady as his breath came in pants.

An apologetic hum came from a few feet away, and Jae-ha laughed shakily as he realized the touch had come from Shin-ah.

“No one else needs to know about that, ‘k? Especially not Hak or Kija.”

Shin-ah giggled, but then his breath hitched and oh, Jae-ha’s chest hurt listening to his brother try to breathe right. Trying, and failing.

Jae-ha dropped to his hands and knees and crawled towards the sound of panicked breathing, afraid that if he did it standing he would step on his brother by accident. The sting of dirt embedding itself in his hands when they scraped over the rough rubble barely registered.

“Hey, hey Shin-ah, it’s ok, ok? It sounds like you might have cracked ribs, or broken, and Yoon is going to kill you but other than that you should be fine—”

Jae-ha’s own breath stuttered as his searching hand found Shin-ah’s chest—his chest, and the small boulder sitting on top, right where it landed when he caused a cave-in.

Slim, calloused fingers touched his own, fumbling in-between them to squeeze. Jae-ha forced himself to breathe, squeezed back, and then forced himself to let go.

“I need to get the rock off, Shin-ah,” he murmured. “It’s going to hurt, but we can’t risk it crushing you any more than it already has.”

“Ok,” Shin-ah said, and the word whistled between his teeth like they were clenched tight enough to crack, and Jae-ha wished his brother didn’t have the power he did. No one else would have been able to see how his face crumbled before he steeled it again.

Jae-ha leaned forward, hands feeling carefully around the rock. He didn’t dare try lifting it without an idea of the weight, which just left gauging the size of the thing.

It was large enough that it stretched from Shin-ah’s upper chest down to his stomach. No doubt it would be nearly impossible for Jae-ha to lift; he didn’t have Kija’s dragon arm or Hak’s superhuman strength. He would have preferred to kick it with his leg, but that carried too much risk for the body trapped underneath. Though maybe…

Jae-ha stood and toed the space between Shin-ah and the rock with his right leg. His shoe was too big to get much leverage, but… Jae-ha sat back down again and took a deep breath. Until now, he had been able to mostly ignore the fact that he was trapped. Shin-ah came before his own fears.

That hadn’t changed, no matter how much he hated the idea of being trapped and shoeless. Shin-ah came first, he repeated to himself, and stripped his right boot off as fast as he could before placing his bare dragon foot in-between his younger brother and the rock. He was surprisingly ok, he realized. His heart beat somewhat faster, but other than that, he was ok.

“Worry over brothers trumps my own fears,” he laughed softly. “Shin-ah, you’re a miracle worker, you know that?” And with the Blue Dragon’s hum in his ears, he bent down, heaved the rock entirely onto the arch of his foot while enlarging his leg, and launched the rock into the far wall. Beneath his feet, Shin-ah’s breath became more rhythmic.

Jae-ha took that sound, wrapped it around himself like Gi-gan’s shawl, and knelt back down to check on his brother. His hands pressed along the warmth of Shin-ah’s ribcage, as sure and steady as he could make them when his entire body shook with fading adrenaline.

“‘M ok,” Shin-ah murmured, words whistling still—not as much, though, as if his jaw had relaxed somewhat. Which made sense, since at least a third of his ribs were broken.

“I know you’re still in pain,” Jae-ha said, and smoothed a hand over his brother’s head to push his furs out of his eyes. “I can’t do anything here. I need to get us out.”

A hand squeezed the knee of his dragon leg. Jae-ha choked on a laugh, stood, and walked back to the blocked exit, hands out to find it in the dark. He would trust his brother to keep breathing—to keep fighting, like only a dragon could—while he focused on getting them out—on fixing the damage he had caused. That was the least of what he owed Shin-ah.

Jae-ha and Shin-ah had been missing for more than an hour, and Hak felt like Kija had grabbed his heart in his dragon hand and squeezed. If anyone asked, though, he would deny it—for those of the group left under his care, he had to remain calm.

Kija himself was even more restless then normal, muttering under his breath about how inefficient the dragon bonds really were. Yoon couldn’t stop biting his nails. Zeno looked ready to kill someone for every minute longer it took them to reunite the group, and the blood from Kai soldiers that coated his arms didn’t help—and neither did Yona, walking by his side with fire in her eyes and a quiver full of arrows on her back.

So Hak ignored how his eyes ached, dry and irritated from not blinking enough, and looked obstinately forward. Without Shin-ah there to catch the smallest details, someone had to keep their eyes open.

Then Zeno twitched, and Kija actually jumped.

“They’re close!” the White Dragon shouted, and before Hak could stop him, he darted away through the forest, Ao staring back at them from where she hung onto the end of his hair.

“Aren’t you coming?” she seemed to say.

As Hak stared at the squirrel, everyone else ran after Kija, until there was nothing the Dark Dragon could do but follow them—not that he wanted to do anything else.

Hak caught up with them a few minutes later, next to some fallen boulders blocking the entrance to a cave. Loud thumps and scrapes echoed from inside, mixing with that of those outside trying to claw their way in.

“Shin-ah!” Kija yelled, voice breaking. “Jae-ha! Can you hear me!?!”

There was nothing but muffled yelling back. Despite how much closer they seemed to be, a rockfall and hard work stood in their way now.

Not that they bothered breaking the whole wall down. The second Jae-ha’s leg smashed a hole big enough, Kija fit his claws into it and tore it three sizes bigger with a shrieking crack.

“—can’t carry him alone!” filtered through the space now, and the part of Hak that had relaxed with the opening tightened up again automatically. If Jae-ha couldn’t carry Shin-ah alone… that meant the Blue Dragon was injured enough to need carrying. It meant he was injured enough that Jae-ha, typically more than capable of carrying any of them, didn’t trust himself not to injure him further.

“Kija,” he commanded, and took pride from the fact his voice never wavered. “Can you—”

He didn’t have to say anything else; Kija threw himself into the cave as fast as he could. For the next few minutes, though, there was nothing Hak could do but wait. Yona and Zeno shouted encouragements while Yoon tossed in bandages, and even Ao had darted in after Kija, but Hak could do nothing but breathe, waiting to see if his family was ok.

Kija emerged from the cave first, his dragon arm enlarged to the point that he could cradle his younger brother and Ao in that alone. They had removed Shin-ah’s robe and shirt to make room for the bandages now wrapped around his ribs. His mask and furs had been left as they were, though, so Hak couldn’t see his face that well. But from his limp position…

“He’s unconscious,” Jae-ha rasped as he joined them. “Has been for awhile, I think, though he was awake at one point.”

“Let’s make camp here then,” Yoon declared, and glared around to prevent anyone from arguing. There were finally things Hak could do, though, and with that in mind, he set about raising a tent.

Shin-ah woke to the sound of Hak sharpening his glaive. He shifted where he lay, his mask a comforting weight on his head and Ao nibbling on his finger, and the Dark Dragon looked up.

“Shin-ah,” he acknowledged.

“Hak…” he rasped back. The throbbing pain in his side told him not to sit up, so he didn’t even try, just shifting his thumb to rub over Ao’s head. “Where’s Jae-ha?”

Hak glanced away, then set his glaive aside. He was sitting cross-legged on the ground of the tent, but somehow managed to slouch and feign nonchalance anyway.

“Where’s Jae-ha?” Shin-ah repeated.

“Droopy-Eyes hasn’t stopped sparring with the forest since we got you out. Quite frankly, I’m starting to be worried for the trees.”

Shin-ah didn’t need to hear anything else; despite the pain, he managed to get his arms underneath himself, leveraged his body up—and then Hak pushed him back down, hand gently gripping his shoulder.

“Just because I’m worried about Jae-ha doesn’t mean I’m not also worried about you.”

Worried… Shin-ah quirked his lips, and Ao chattered a laugh. Hak sighed, but smiled back.

“Yes, I’m worried about both of you, I admit it. So is everyone else, and that’s unacceptable. But we can’t help it. Jae-ha won’t say anything about why he feels guilty, and you have multiple broken ribs. So you know what? You’re going to stay here while I get Jae-ha, and then you two are going to make up. Got it?”

Shin-ah stared back at him, eyes wide, but nodded. He needed to see Jae-ha, so he might as well let Hak bring him to him.

Apparently reassured that he wasn’t going anywhere, Hak nodded back and left. Shin-ah closed his eyes and focused on his breathing, imagining it as the tide pulled by the moon, while he waited for his brothers to return.

Not that it took too long. A minute later, Hak ripped the tent entrance open and dragged Jae-ha inside, the elder yelping and held captive by an arm around his neck.

“Hak— Hak, let go of—”

“Jae-ha,” Shin-ah murmured, and the other dragon froze, but turned as best he could to look at him.

“Shin-ah,” he muttered. Neither of them said anything else, just looking at each other, and Shin-ah shifted awkwardly in his bed. He was always quiet, but Jae-ha was the loud one, the eldest brother, the—

“Talk,” Hak ordered, and dumped Jae-ha on the floor. “Honestly. Don’t make me call one of the others in here, they’re upset enough as it is.”

“Pukyuu,” Ao joined in, rubbing her cheek against Hak’s.

Shin-ah slumped the best he could under their joint gazes, and Jae-ha groaned, “Stooooooop, you’re going to kill us. Just come down and join us.”

Hak froze, and the Green Dragon flopped over onto his back, head propped against Shin-ah’s bed and eyebrow raised. But apparently, making sure the two of them were ok overruled Hak’s desire to do the opposite of whatever Jae-ha said, and he sat down next to Shin-ah’s feet.

“Talk,” Hak ordered again, crossing his arms.

Jae-ha sighed and looked down, rubbing his dragon leg, but then turned to face them. “I’m sorry—”

“No,” Shin-ah blurted. His brothers both startled, staring at him, and he flushed under the mask. But— “No,” he repeated firmly.

“Shin-ah,” Jae-ha began, forehead wrinkling. “I broke your ribs.” He tried to keep going, ignoring how Hak jolted, only to have to shut his mouth abruptly when Ao tried to feed him an acorn. Shin-ah quirked a smile; she always knew when to interfere.

“It was an accident,” he insisted.

Jae-ha frowned at him, but couldn’t do much with Ao still trying to feed him. Hak, however, had no such compunction.

“You caused the rock fall, didn’t you? And it broke Shin-ah’s ribs.”

A guilty look came over Jae-ha’s face, and he hung his head.

“But you got him out, too. Kija helped, but you were already working hard when we got there. So technically, whatever debt you owed for the accident, you’ve already paid. Especially with those hands of yours.”

His what? Shin-ah’s eyes darted to them, and Jae-ha tried to hide them, but a familiar steely look came into Hak’s eyes—the one he wore whenever Yona did or thought something that endangered herself—and he quickly locked Jae-ha’s hands in full view of Shin-ah himself.

They were covered in bandages. They weren’t bloody, like he had feared, but he could still see the edges of red, raw scrapes underneath. He reached for them slowly, aware he was in no shape to sit up, and Hak sighed.

“Honestly, the two of you are hopeless. Jae-ha, lay down next to Shin-ah; I’ll join you after I’ve told the others you’ll both be ok.”

“Pukyuu!” Ao replied, jumping down to nestle against Shin-ah’s collarbone. Jae-ha just stared down at them, though, so he moved his other arm to the side, creating a Green Dragon-sized space beside him.

“You’re too sweet, little brothers,” Jae-ha said, blinking rapidly as he lay down.

“It’s not sweet,” Hak dismissed. “It’s—” He stopped, brow furrowing. His mouth opened, closed—and then he turned and left the tent.

They both stared after him, and Ao chattered a laugh.

“And we’re the hopeless ones,” Jae-ha sighed, but he did lay down as Hak had said. He didn’t press into his side like usual, though, and Shin-ah frowned.

“I don’t blame you.”

“What?” his older brother started. The bed shook as he twisted, and Shin-ah could feel him staring.

“I don’t blame you,” he repeated. “So you can’t blame yourself.”

“Shin-ah…”

“Oi, what happened?” Hak said, stepping into the tent again. “Droopy-Eyes is crying!”

“No I’m not,” Jae-ha sniffed. It would have been worrisome, but then he buried his face in Shin-ah’s shoulder.

Hak stared down at them, so Shin-ah opened up his other side as well. It had worked with Jae-ha, so it should work with Hak, too, right? Besides, he’d already said he would join them.

Ao scrambled to burrow in his hair when Hak sat down stiffly on the edge of the bed, and then eased back. Shin-ah hummed, happy to have them all there. Big brothers were a lot of work, but that was the point of family. You took care of one another. And Shin-ah and Ao… well. They had more family than just each other, now.

I hope you enjoyed!

[vore-scientist]

In Which Sophia Makes Some New Friends

A tale of the Mystic Woods

(read the other stories/comics here, and all posts related to Mystic Woods can be found here)

THIS IS A DIRECT SEQUEL TO THIS STORY

Content warnings: No actual vore in this story, sorry! But discussion of both safe and fatal (I tried to make it humorous/light hearted, it makes sense). Also GT cuddles at the end ;) 

---

Sophia paced around Yonah’s desk. After the unfortunate encounter with the meddlesome prince, Yonah had wandered off to get a healing potion. That was fine, while she waited she admired all the little things on the desk, and the books in languages that she had only begun to learn to read, but that someday she would be fluent in.

“Yonah?” came a voice. “Hey Yonah, you there?”

It was a man’s voice, and it was near. Sophia froze and looked around. The mirror, the small mirror on Yonah’s desk! She ran to it, and saw in it the face of what could only be another wizard.

The man had a red and black mustache, kind green eyes, a big floppy wizard’s hat, and beautiful yellow and blue wizard’s robes, which were accented with silver and black. His hands were behind his back and he was looking around expectantly, until he saw Sophia, and he startled, but recovered fast.

“Sayyyyyyy! You’re not Yonah!” said the man, smiling with suspicion, “Who are you?”

“I’m, I’m Princess Sophia of the Kingdom of Orr!” she declared without thinking. Then a terrible thought struck her, what if this man in the mirror was an evil wizard. Those existed! A continent to the west had an entire Society of Wizards who were always up to some evil.

“A princess...” then the man grinned like an idiot, “WAIT A PRINCESS? No shit!”

His face turned away and he shouted at someone out of view, “SHOSH! HEY SHOSH! YONAH WENT AND KIDNAPPED A PRINCESS!”

“HE DID WHAT! YOU BETTER NOT BE FUCKING WITH ME MICA!”

“IM SERIOUS COME TO THE MIRROR!”

A moment later a woman, also wearing a wizard’s hat appeared next to Mica and gasped. “oh dear gods that’s a princess alright!” Except for her ruby red lipstick, she had no makeup on, but she had numerous facial piercings. She had wild brown hair and large oval spectacles that made her green-brown eyes appear buggy.

Sophia fidgeted with her gown, she wasn’t some spectacle to be gawked at by whoever these people were. She wished she wasn’t in a blood spattered nightgown. She wished that Yonah was here.

“And who,” said Sophia, as sweet as she could, “are you?”

“Oh how terribly rude of us!” said Mica, still smiling, “I’m Mica, Mica Cohen! And this is Shoshana Jaffe, we’re friends of Yonah and we were hoping to talk to him,”

Sophia was stunned “Yonah has friends!?”

Mica and Shoshana burst out laughing.

“Yes dear girl, he has friends,” said Shoshana, “you can’t stay sane in a prison without them.”

“I’ve been here for two months! How have I not heard of you?” Sophia was planning to chew Yonah out about this when he felt better. What else was he hiding. Probably a lot, wizards liked their secrets... But why would he hide friends from her! How many more friends did he have?

“You mean you’re serious. Yonah hasn’t mentioned us?” Shoshana looked genuinely hurt.

“No! until now I thought he was a sad lonely man!”

The wizards laughed again.

“Well he’s not sad” said Shoshana, “angry more like, but not anymore than your average firewitch.”

“Nor is he really a man, kinda, half a man,” said Mica, thoughtfully.

“Lonely, well now, we wish we could visit more often, he is kinda stuck in one place.”

/Yeah, you can thank my dad for that/ thought Sophia. But thought it was better not to mention Yonah’s semi-house arrest sentence was handed down by her father.

“But now you’re there! This is so wonderful!” said Shoshana with glee, before turning serious, “unless, you’re lying and you’re a giant slayer, disguised as a princess.”

“What?”

“Whose blood are you currently wearing?” she narrowed her eyes.

What an odd way to phrase that, “it’s, well it’s Yonah’s but”

Shoshana raised an eyebrow, something about her presence, even through a mirror grew dark and threatening. Mica remained bright, if scared.

“Um, well you see, there was an incident this morning, with a prince, and…”

She told them what happened. They were a good audience, gasping and cheering at all the right places, and they didn’t interrupt her. Until she got to the part where Yonah ate the prince. They both looked a little green.

“He, ate the prince?” Mica’s voice shook. He and Shoshana exchanged worried looks.

Uh oh. Guess Yonah’s friends didn’t know. Too late now.

“Y-yes, but he spit him out! He ran off after that.” They relaxed, a bit, but continued to look at her suspiciously.

“And then you called” Sophia ended lamely, “that’s it!”

“And the blood?” Shoshana hadn’t noticed that Sophia failed to explain it.

In reality Sophia just forgot.

“Yonah’s… insides got roughed up by the prince’s armor and I ended up in the line of fire when he coughed”

She looked up from her gown to see the two wizard staring past her. Shoshana grinned wickedly.

“Ah, Yonah, Sophia here has been telling us all about your adventure from not moments ago!”

/“SHE WHAT!”/ cried Yonah. Except, as the words made it to his lips a stabbing pain in his throat stopped him, closing his airways as he coughed himself catatonic. So instead he just sat down and stared at the mirror through a slightly teary haze.

“Yonah, this young woman says that you’re a man-eating giant now! Can you lend credence to this? Has our Yonah truly become the monster that the professors said he would? Yonah, eater of men, kidnapper of princesses!” the sarcasm heavy in Shoshana’s voice.

No. no no no no no. no NO. This was not happening. This day was so crappy to begin with.

“He’s not denying it, so it must be true!” Mica said, matter a factly.

This wasn’t at all how he expected this to go down. He had kept his instances of “man-eating” hidden from his friends, sure that they would never speak to him again if they found out that he’d ever eaten a human.

But… they weren’t mad.

Didn’t matter. Getting teased about it was almost worse. He rubbed the moisture from his eyes.

“It’s not like you go around hunting humans” said Mica before getting serious “and it’s not like you were keeping this hidden while in school. You weren’t, right? You didn’t eat anyone at school? Was tasting us not enough?”

For the first time, Mica and Shoshana looked genuinely worried. Maybe they HAD been wrong about Yonah.

“No, No. I-I didnt eat anyone.” said Yonah, his voice high and quiet, he looked scared, “typically, giants only eat those who break into their houses, to steal or to kill” he recited. They’d heard the line before.

And regardless, the school was never his home, Of course he wasn’t ever interested in eating his fellow students. Tasting them was another matter, plenty of them smelled incredible. His friends did and still do occasionally allow him a taste, just to tease him.

Up until Sophia he wouldn’t have even dared to eat them! It was too dangerous. A thief he could risk swallowing and spitting back up before they died. Standard procedure to shock and punish them. And a Slayer’s life was forfeit. When they failed and escaped they usually returned and one way or another someone would end up dead.

“What about professors? I feel like some of them deserve to be eaten” Mica continued, all previous concern now gone, he was back to antagonizing.

“N-no, I just said that-“ but apparently Mica wasn’t listening and Yonah’s interjections fell upon uncaring ears.

“Like Professor Thuorbir! What a prick.” said Mica.

“I think he was also a giant slayer!” said Shoshana, her voice containing energy that Mica’s didn’t even come close to, “you should totally eat him, he’s still an asshole. Fucker rejected my research proposal for a third time!”

Gods this was not happening. Yonah put his now burning face into his hands.

“I’m not gonna eat Mr.Thuorbir,” Yonah managed to say through is stupor. Though he silently agreed that the man certainly deserved it, regardless of giant slaying. His head was buzzing.

Mica looked at Shoshana incredulously

“Shosh, that was because your proposal was to research a spell that would have turned the entire Mystic Woods PINK, down to the littlest ant! None of the professors would have approved that” he said before turning to Sophia. “The one before that, she wanted to propose researching a spell that would give the caster dominion over all bees. All of them. Knowing full well that attempting godhood is ILLEGAL.”

Sophia giggled and tried to imagine her father’s kingdom becoming a uniform shade of pink. Oh dear. Maybe she should tell her father, in case Shoshana actually attempted it.

“Well, just because they don’t want an army of bees” said Shoshana, nose in the air, arms crossed. “And it wasn’t a proposal to actually do it, just to design a spell that could.”

“I hate you both, you know that,” said Yonah.

“We know you mean love!” said Shoshana.

“Anyways, it can’t have really happened,” said Shoshana. “Not the way you said it did at the very least.”

“What do you mean?” Asked Yonah.

Mica looked at her in shock, he had clearly believed the story. This wouldn’t be the first time Shoshana had gone along with a ridiculous farce just for the drama of it, but as far as he knew, Yonah hadn’t spoken to Shoshana that recently, not without him present. And Yonah’s pain was real, his embarrassment was real.

Shoshana sighed and rubbed at her glasses.

“You don’t believe-“ Sophia started to say

“Oh I believe he’s eaten people. Comes with the territory at this point. But you’re” she eyed Yonah, “You’re kind of, too small to swallow a person whole, right? You’d have to, oh I don’t know, rip into them with your teeth like they were a prime rib.”

/Ugh, what a great image, thanks Shosh/ thought Yonah.

“It’s not really worth trying to claim the prince survived for our benefit. If eating people was a dealbreaker we wouldn’t be friends with dragons or ogres or that Sphinx that guards the gates to the tunnels of-“

“Yonah did swallow the prince whole!” Sophia wasn’t about to let the wizards think she had lied, “And yes, he’s killed a few assholes that way but he let the prince live! And thieves too! He eats them all the time but always lets them go!” She was almost shouting now, “And! And Yonah swallows me all the time! And if you haven’t noticed, I’m in one piece.”

All eyes were on her and everyone was silent, no one moved or blinked, but Yonah’s face became scarlet. Sophia played with her dress in her hands, and looked up at Yonah.

“Um, was I not supposed to tell them that?” she squeaked out.

“Yonah HaEsh, how could you!?” Shoshana yelled, no longer playful, “eat a princess!? You could kill her! She’s not a knight or a giant slayer! What on earth were you thinking? So we need to rescue her from you?”

Yonah’s embarrassment had turned to anger as his hair started to smoke and the roots glowed orange. He was breathing sharp breaths, seething with anger, until one got caught sending him into a into another coughing fit and onto the floor. Sophia took the opportunity to rectify her mistake.

But there was no need. Shoshana has gone white.

“Oh dear, I think I overdid it!”

“You think? Now Yonah thinks we hate him! Next time don’t seem so serious,” Mica chided her. Shoshana muttered something about wasting her skills and addressed Sophia again.

“But seriously, how!” she said, “How does he physically manage to swallow a person whole? And you said he eats you all the time! How the fuck has he managed to avoid fucking up and killing you or the thieves!” color had returned to her face. No longer bothered by Yonah’s plight, even though she had caused it. Mica shot her a death glare.

“Oh like you weren’t thinking the same thing!”

Mica sighed. “I was but I have the manners not to voice it. We could have called back tomorrow. But it’s too late now.”

They both looked at Sophia expectantly.

“Oh um, well, the thieves he just spits up real quick but myself... Yonah, enchanted me, so that he can’t hurt me” Sophia explained everything as Yonah wheezed in the background, still on the floor, but no longer in danger of coughing up a lung.

Shoshana’s eyes sparkled with greed. Mica was deep in thought.

“Wait are you sure this was an enchantment, because it sounds like curse.” Mica finally said.

“Well,” said Sophia, “the difference is a matter of perspective isn’t it.”

Which was true. One could see gems falling from ones mouth when one talked as a blessing, until everyone in the kingdom wanted you as their piggy bank and your voice was hoarse from being made to talk non stop and the economy is ruined by your gem contributions. Then it’s a curse. Becoming a glass statue would be a curse, but that’s not how it worked.

“That must have been an expensive procedure,” said Mica.

“It was, but he got the money from my dad,” Sophia made the last few words harsh and final. She was still bitter that her dad had instructed and funded Yonah to traumatize her into running back home. Jokes on him, it hadn’t worked and Yonah was her friend now! Showed him!

“He managed to only cast half a curse! He could publish with a trick like that” she said thoughtfully, but with a touch of envy.

“There would be a problem with rational,” Mica pointed out, “he would have to invent a fake reason! He can’t say he did it so he could eat one specific person and not worry about them dying!”

Shoshana nodded and laughed.

“To answer your other question, I don't know how he does it, because you’re right, by all means he shouldn’t. But even he doesn’t know.” Sophia said, the wizards were disappointed. Sophia tried to brighten their mood by suggesting they investigate it. They considered this with great pleasure.

“I’m just unable to picture it,” She was talking to Sophia again. “I-“ she shuddered with wicked glee as she had a new thought. “ Yes, I’d like to see it for myself. I don’t suppose, since it was your idea to research this, that you would be willing to give us a demonstration?”

That surprised both Sophia and Mica, but Mica’s grin said that he liked that idea.

Now it was Sophia’s turn to go red. Sophia rubbed her back of her head. Let someone watch? Having just seen Yonah eat the prince, she wasn’t sure if she wanted Yonah’s friends to see it. Even if they had joked about him giving into his more monstrous heritage. Sophia had seen it. That side of him did exist. But it had been her idea. She regretted planting the idea in their stupid wizard brains.

“I’ll, consider it, but Yonah’s in no condition right now.”

“Oh of course not dear! Just call us or something, there’s not rush,” Shoshana winked, “especially if it’s a regular occurrence, plenty of opportunities to observe.”

Yes, Sophia was realizing that about the thieves as well. She wondered how regular they were too, and if she could get involved in thief catching. 

Shaking badly, Yonah got up from the floor, pulling himself up to his stool. His face was very red, and his eyes glistened, tears steaming up his face.

Sophia turned to him “They’re over it, I explained it, you can stop being such a big baby and extinguish yourself”

Yonah glared at her but his head stopped smoldering and his eyes were back to brown.

“I think,” he wheezed, “I think I need to lie down, let the healing drought actually take effect.”

“Yonah darling you do look awful, we’ll get out of your hair, but don’t think we are done talking about this! Next time I expect a demonstration!” said Shoshana “goodbye Princess Sophia it was an absolute pleasure meeting your highness!” and before Mica could say a word she waved a hand in front of the mirror, turning it back to a normally mirror.

“Thank you Mirror” Sophia said, placing a hand on the golden edge. It made a small hum of acknowledgement.

“Come on let’s get you to bed,” Sophia looked up at the disheveled and gaunt wizard who picked her up and held her close to his chest as he walked back to his room. The sun had been up for an only hour yet the day felt like it was already over. He needed a nap.

He released Sophia onto the night stand, took off his hat, did not take off his slightly blood stained night robe, and collapsed face forward on the bed, breathing heavily.

Sophia sighed and climbed down the nightstand and using the still loose bed sheets, climbed onto the bed and onto Yonah. He didn’t protest, or make any sign that he knew she was there, but he had to know.

“Hey, you did good today, and your friends still love you, and I’m still your friend. I don’t think you made friends with that prince but he seemed like a dick so who cares.”

A painful chuckle shook from beneath her as Yonah rolled onto his back, Sophia scrambling to keep up with the rotation. Sitting on his chest as he stared up at the ceiling with his eyes closed. he brought his hand up to pet Sophia gently. His hand was warm and rough, and Sophia leaned into it, tickling his palm.

She fell asleep like that, Yonah’s warm hand of a weighted blanket.

Yonah had one last panicked thought before sleep took him.

/Had Shosh said DEMONSTRATION?/

[Thanks for reading! please reblog!]

[ahumanintraining]

the promises I keep it doesn’t matter that you’ve lost track of how many years have gone by. 

zeno-centric. written for @akayona-zine! thank you mods for the opportunity and for the friends i’ve made along the way! [ao3 link]

Zeno doesn’t count the years anymore, and moreover, he doesn’t even remember the last time he ever counted in the first place.

The sun rises and falls, the moon waxes and wanes, and the stars spin endlessly around the night sky — no end or beginning to their journeys.

The seasons come and go: the snow melts into pink and purple blossoms before collapsing into the wind after their leaves turn to dust. Forever becomes finite: the river carves its current into the stones of its banks but shrinks as its land goes dry, the forest grows green but burns red, and the mountains climb high into the clouds but crumble into the ocean before it is too long.

But Zeno does not change — not with the days, not with the seasons, not like anything else that exists under this vast blue sky he has spent more than several hundred lifetimes watching. Time passes, but he does not move with it. There is no past, and there is no future. There is only the present, and he is always, only, and ever present.

He is the constant in the universe. He is the one thing that will never fade. He is the immortal river, the strongest rock, the unforgiving forest that persists beyond the cycle of life and death.

Sometimes this makes him feel like a god; other times he feels no more than a monster.

He’s thought every thought to think, and he’s lived every life there is to live. He’s seen all the very best versions of this world and experienced all the very worst of them; nothing surprises him anymore — which is why one day he is surprised when suddenly his midday contemplations are interrupted as a small paper falls past his nose to the ground by his feet.

“What’s this?” he asks himself, picking the slip swiftly between his fingers.

He reads it slowly, or at least attempts to. If there is something he still hasn’t learned to do despite his thousand-year life span, it’s how to keep up with the written language…  

Look behind you!

And then at once behind him —

“Surprise!”

Zeno blinks. Yoon holds out a large circular cake, Kija extends a claw of a large bouquet of flowers, Jae-ha wears a large mischievous smile on his face, Shin-ah and Ao lingers unapologetically close to him, Hak musters something more than a frown, and Yona carries a small box in the palm of her hand.

He still cannot determine what’s going on.

“Surprise?” Zeno asks, incredulous and — given the number of recent pranks — just as equally suspicious.

Well, they would certainly have him this time.

“Yes!” Kija exclaims.

They look at him as though they expect him to know precisely the situation, but Zeno knows that even with at least two thousand years of existence, there is still no amount of wisdom ever enough to comprehend everything that happens around him.

Still, he plays it off like he completely understands — after all, that strategy has worked successfully for the last several centuries.

“Ah, yes!” he shouts, throwing both hands up to the air. “Cake! I love cake!” He nods to the bouquet in Kija’s arms and the box Yona offers him. “And I love flowers and presents!”

Yona’s warm smile grows wider, and she giggles with a shake of her head. “I don’t think he gets it,” she remarks to the others.

“Idiot,” Jae-ha murmurs.

Taken aback, Zeno’s eyebrows furrow. “What don’t I get?” he asks.

“It’s your birthday!” Yona explains brightly.

“Birthday?”

Hak sighs loudly. “I told you he’d forget.”

“It’s August 30!” Kija reminds him. “Your birthday!”

Birthday. Ah, yes. His beginning.

Zeno laughs, embarrassed, shaking his hands out in front of him in defense of his ignorance. “Oh, no, no,” he explains. “I just didn’t realize that was something to still celebrate.” He looks at Yoon’s elaborately decorated cake, which — now that he looks at arrangement of the fruit, he can read that it spells out happy birthday in kanji — and smiles. “Thank you.”

“Of course, it’s something to celebrate!” Kija exclaims, bewildered as though that was the most preposterous things he’s ever heard.

Zeno gives them a small smile, taking the flowers from Kija and settling them onto his lap. “I barely remember how old I am,” he says softly.

And maybe the gravity of what he says suddenly settles over the group, but the silence afterwards is uncharacteristically loud.

Yona returns just as complex of a smile to him. “It doesn’t matter that you’ve stopped counting,” she says, ever remarkably wise for how little time she’s stood on the earth. “How long you’ve been here doesn’t matter. What matters is that you’re here with us.”

She opens the box in her hands. Inside, there is an intricately woven bracelet — braided red, gold, and black twine in spirals of patterns.

“I know you don’t like to own things,” she continues, taking both ends of the bracelet in her hands and holding it out to him. “But I hope this will remind you of all our friendships.”

He gives her his wrist, and she ties the bracelet securely around.

Over time, his birthday has become less of a celebration of his life and more of a reminder of his curse. In the past when he’s tried to enjoy the passing year, he’s lied to himself that he is mortal. But that has brought him more lasting pain than hedonistic pleasure, and after generations of trying to make the best of his situation, he’s learned the only way to cope with his immortality is to simply accept it.

Again and again. Reminding himself to look forward to nothing — because there is nothing to look forward to. Not for someone that doesn’t change, not for some life with no direction.

But now — as he looks at the happy faces around him — he thinks maybe there is something to anticipate with the passing years.

And he supposes this is what he appreciates the most. Time comes and goes, things live and die. Everything is predictable and expected — yet at the same time, always new friends provide him a new perspective in life, and suddenly the world around him looks new and unexperienced once again.

He knows this bracelet will eventually wear down — all the threads that hold it together will break and the friends whose memories it represents will pass — long before his undying body.

But yes, he will wear this for as long as time permits him. If there is one thing immortality grants, it’s the power to keep promises. For eternities.

He smiles. “Of course,” he replies.

[sayastoria]

Why Hak Is The Best

Disclaimer: I’m not a writer, so apologies if it's all over the place

Ok, so I’ve seen countless shoujo animes/mangas and Hak will always be my favorite male lead.

Let’s start with the basics first:

He’s funny, he’s a total badass (umm hellooooo thunder beast??), he’s smart, and not to mention he’s attractive (seriously, one of my friends isn’t into anime at all but questioned herself when I made her watch the first episode) 

ok but what I want to go into depth on is his treatment of Yona

It’s been obvious throughout the series that he’s in love with Yona but in the beginning, before the incident, since he prioritizes Yona's feelings over his own and even though it probably hurt him, he was ok with Yona being with Soowon because he knew she liked him and he wanted her to be happy. 

Sure, there were times Hak said or done things teasing/hinting at Yona but after she told him she didn’t want him to do such things, he stopped. Like in chapter 65, he leans in to kiss her but immediately stops himself, remembering not to overstep boundaries.

In chapter 134, they sleep alone together in the same tent. Yes, he did hug her and give that muffled confession (T_T) but that was it. He pulled away right after and gave her space. He doesn’t try to take advantage of her or anything.

Speaking of, in chapter 5, Yona gets out of the lake (or whatever body of water it was) fully naked because of the leeches on her leg. All he does is take them off her leg. That’s it. Keep in mind that they were the only two there and Hak easily overpowers her, and again she was fully naked. Yet, Hak doesn’t touch her indecently at all or make comments. Actually, as soon as he realizes she doesn’t have clothes on, he quickly averts his eyes.

Yona initiated the kiss in chapter 137.

He took an arrow for her. He literally took the whole “I’d die for you” to another level

In chapter 131, when Yona starts panicking after seeing Kouren’s power, Hak notices immediately and offers her support/reassurance.

Yes, at first he was reluctant about Yona learning how to use weapons. It wasn’t because he thought she couldn’t do it. It was because he knew how much her father was against it and he wanted to respect her father’s wishes. 

Like, in chapter 76, he urges Yona to join a shooting competition. Of course, all the men start making bets because a girl can’t do archery, right? Hak knew she was totally capable of hitting the mark and when it's her turn, you can see the pride in his face. 

Speaking of, in chapter 47, he tells her he wants to show her off to the entire kingdom. He wants the world to see how yona, the one who was before called a spoiled and sheltered princess, is now: the strong leader she’s become. He’s always been so proud of her. 

(This doesn’t have to do with Yona,  but I’m still adding it.) In chapter 26, while they were looking for Jaeha, Hak goes into town with Yoon warning him not to attract any attention to himself. However, when he sees a woman being harassed by a few officers, he risks himself to help her while others turned the other way. It was a stranger. (Shout out to Jaeha too).

Anyways, in conclusion, we need a season two. 

[notchesandbullets]

The Unofficial Parents of the Happy Hungry Bunch (Zeno x Immortal!Reader)

[Spoilers for the manga, chp 100 and 101]

Words: 2.6k

"Miss! Get back!!" Zeno shouted at Yona, running to her side desperately.

Golden hair darted into your vision as you yanked your knife out of the body at your feet. Your eyes shot open as blood spurted onto your face.

"Zeno!!" You cried, reaching out for him. He made it in front of her in time, but the strike aimed for the princess pierced him instead. They were relentless, numbers pouring over the Ouryuu. Your hands covered your face in horror as the bandits continued to slaughter him, chopping off his arms.

Then, one of them sliced off his head.

"NO!!!" You screamed.

Yona was still beside you, her face as white as a sheet and Yoon was beyond horrified. The rest of the dragons had a mix of shock and anger on their faces from where they were scattered around on the ground and Hak could barely move, only his eyes betraying his fury.

You fought your way beside Zeno, lips curling back in a ferocious snarl to ward off the soldiers who had finished hacking the precious Ouryuu to pieces.

"You'll pay for that." Your eyes glowed red, you couldn't even hear Yona scream your name as you cut them down, one by one.

They were too many and their numbers overwhelmed you quickly. You spat out blood, as a sword was suddenly pushed through your chest.

You faintly heard the anguished cries coming from your comrades.

Your deranged grin made Zeno halt as his body slowly regenerated.

You... were like him?!

Your wounds closed, magically repairing itself.

"I will protect them all. What, are you scared?" You challenged them as they backed away, drawing your blades once more. "You haven't seen anything yet."

For the first time in a thousand years, Zeno was positively speechless.

You were just like him.

He leaped up with a battle cry, fighting with a fervor you've never seen before as you dashed back into battle. The two of you fought side by side until the rest of them fled, thoroughly shaken by what they've just seen. They killed you two over and over again, and yet, you both had lived.

You grinned at Zeno in victory, and then the two of you were surrounded by your group, sending you tumbling to the ground with an 'oof'.

Yoon was weeping, and Shin-ah wasn't faring much better. His mask had gotten lost in the skirmish and his beautiful golden eyes were filled with terror. Kija had thrown himself between you and Zeno, eyes puffy from unshed tears and he finally bawled, burying his head into the ground. Yona was clinging to Zeno tightly, sobbing into his ripped and bloodied clothes.

Your gaze was gentle as you shushed the boy and the blue dragon's cries, pecking Yoon's head and tenderly rubbing your hand over Shin-ah's bloodied knuckles.

"You're all adorable." Zeno smiled brightly, patting Yona's head comfortingly.

"It's okay." You reassured Yoon softly. "We're alive. We're okay."

Hak and Jae-ha were behind you, and as you twisted to look behind you, you caught sight of their relieved but battered expressions.

You and Zeno shared a look as you embraced your friends tightly. Your conversation would have to wait, the children came first.

You stood up, ushering the dragons one by one in front of you, insisting that their wounds all needed to be treated even though yours hadn't stopped bleeding. Yoon was tearfully scolding you, but it didn't have the same harsh edge to it that you've become accustomed to as his voice broke.

After you had made camp and the pretty boy was finished patching everyone up, things had calmed down a bit. You were spread out lazily next to Zeno, face staring up at the setting sun with your arms resting behind your head. His injuries had healed completely, as had yours and you were itching to talk to him.

"You guys are really lively!" Zeno beamed. The dragons, Hak, Yoon and Yona then shifted their attention on you. You nearly collapsed under the weight of their stare.

You smiled sheepishly as Hak narrowed his eyes at you. You scurried behind Zeno, as if the Ouryuu could protect you from being crushed under the Thunder Beast's glare.

Yoon walked over, inspecting Zeno carefully before moving onto you. The two of you have no trace of the battle scars that should have been left behind.

"There are no wounds or scales..." Yoon murmured.

"After some time passes, it turns back to normal skin." Zeno explained with a cheery smile.

"You two, you really won't die?" He asked quietly, almost fearfully.

"I won't die." Zeno automatically responded and you nodded in agreement.

The boy promptly faced you, and bonked you on the head. You cried out, clutching your head in pain. "Yoon~" You pouted.

"You should have said something!!" He shouted, gesturing his hands wildly. "Do you have any idea how troublesome it is?!"

"Why did you stay quiet until now?" Hak asked quietly, head still spinning a little at the revelation. You glanced down.

"Because nothing changes whether you know or not." Zeno stood up, stretching his arms up over his head. "Zeno's powers don't activate unless there's a large injury anyway."

You shrugged as Jae-ha shifted his attention to you questioningly. "I'm just immortal. It doesn't matter to me whether you know or not. I'll always be there to protect you."

You looked at every single one of them. "All of you."

"Hey," Zeno whined. "That's my line."

He looked so adorable, you could help it. You pinched his cheeks, tugging at them. "Awwww Zeno, you're so cute!!"

Your friends watched you, dumbfounded, as the fearless warriors was reduced to a pile of mush in a matter of milliseconds.

Both of them.

Zeno tickled you in revenge and you squealed, running away from him.

"So..." Yoon's eyes followed you as you sprinted around the campsite, turning to Shin-ah. "These two, huh?

He nodded silently. Hak rolled his eyes humorously. "Guess they really are the adults here."

You tripped over a tree root, and Zeno lost his footing behind you, sending the both of you crashing to the ground at the same time.

"Although, they really don't act like it." Jae-ha mused.

Kija's eyes were still sparkling with relief at the fact that neither one of you were dead. "I think it's great! Y/N and Zeno make great parents!"

The light in his eyes didn't dim as everyone turned to look at him weirdly. His face flushed bright red as realization dawned on him.

"W-Wait! I didn't mean it like that!"

It was too late though, as the poor Hakuryuu was made a target for Hak and Jae-ha's relentless teasing. Shin-ah's head was tilted to the side in confusion as he watched his brothers squabble playfully, not quite sure how to join in.

Yona giggled as she watched their antics and Zeno didn't miss the way your eyes softened as they landed on the safe and sound bunch.

"You really love them, don't you?"

The corner of your mouth quirked up in a smile. "Yes."

And the two of you sat in silence, watching over your friends fondly. Eventually, Jae-ha eased up on the innocent Kija, approaching you carefully.

"What's the real reason, Y/N?" Jae-ha spoke up softly. He knew there was more than what you told them earlier. Zeno's gaze snapped to yours, unsure of what you would say to that.

It appears that he wasn't the only one curious. Hak made his way over to the forming circle and Yona followed him. Shin-ah plopped down on the ground in front of you, still albeit confused, but wanting to participate in whatever was happening and Kija settled next to him. Yoon came over as soon as he put dinner over the fire, eyeing you questioningly.

They were all in front of you, forming a semi-circle in a matter of seconds and you were at a loss for words. Zeno was beside you, and he leaned over, placing his hand over yours on the ground.

"If you don't want to tell them or me, right now," He whispered in your ear quietly, "Then, you don't have to."

You shot him a reassuring smile, flipping your palm to catch his hand before he could pull away, squeezing it in thanks.

You took a deep breath, before turning to the anxiously awaiting children in front of you.

"The more people that know, the worse it is for me." You chose your words cautiously. You didn't want to give them the wrong impression if you didn't explain it accurately. "Zeno was able to blend in and get away with it because he was a dragon that served a king before he left. For me, on the other hand, I've been hunted my entire life because of this power."

You shifted uncomfortably, not really wanting to tell them about what happened after, but Zeno wrapped an arm around your shoulder, drawing you close to him. You closed your eyes as you basked in the warmth radiating from him.

"There are a lot of people out there, who want what I have. To save themselves, to save loved ones, to save innocent ones, no matter who they are they always want it once they know about it. Generals, kings, ordinary citizens, everyone. For a time, I was kept in the dark for several years as people tried to figure out how to obtain my immortality." You continued, fingers toying with the hem of your shirt.

You left out the part that was gruesome, they didn't need to hear about the torture that you had gone through over time.

"So, I started keeping it a secret. If it was ever out in the open, the people alive to see it would need to be terminated so that knowledge of my ability didn't spread. It was the only way to keep myself and others safe. I understand you all must be upset," You winced as you were met with varying reactions. "But please try to respect why I chose to do what I did. I did not intend to hurt you by keeping this from you."

Shin-ah's head was bowed, and you couldn't see his facial expression, but his hands were clenched tightly in his lap. Jae-ha was shaking with what you assumed was anger, and Yoon was outright crying. Hak wasn't mocking the boy like he normally did, instead he was staring right at you, a turmoil of emotions swirling in his cobalt eyes. Yona's pleasant features were murderous and you were almost taken aback at the depth of rage manifesting there. Kija's mouth was pressed in a hard line, his dragon claw tearing his clothes at the force he was gripping them with.

You looked away guiltily, unable to keep eye contact with them knowing that they were upset with you. Needless to say, you were shocked when they all jumped on you.

"Y-You idiot!" Yoon reprimanded, throwing himself down in your lap so you couldn't see the tears gathering in his eyes.

"You endured so much pain!" Kija wailed, face filled with torment. "I am so sorry, Y/N!!"

"Did you think we would expose you?" Jae-ha asked, seemingly calm, but you recognized the insecurity in his eyes. You shook your head, smiling at him reassuringly. He didn't feel any better.

Shin-ah dropped to your side, face buried into your shoulder.

"Shin-ah?" You called softly, hoping to jolt him out of whatever trance he was in.

"You..." You strained to hear him. "You didn't deserve that." Shin-ah finished quietly, but firmly.

"He's right." Hak rested his chin on your head, making you sputter indignantly. "You didn't deserve what happened to you. We understand why you chose to keep it from us." His voice was uncharacteristically soft and your shoulders dropped as the tension eased from it.

"Yona?" You piped up timidly, realizing that she had yet to say anything.

Her shattering sobs was all the answer you got, and you wrapped an arm around her, rocking her gently. That sent the rest of them spiraling down, unable to take it anymore.

Shin-ah and Kija broke down, with Yoon furiously trying to wipe away the tears still streaming down his face. Jae-ha was desperately attempting to retain a semblance of control, but failed miserably. Your hair grew damp and you realized it was coming from the ex-general above you.

You tucked your face into the crook of Zeno's neck, and he rested next to yours, unshaken by Hak who continued to remain perched on top of you. Your breath was even against his skin, and Zeno resisted the urge to shudder. He was so angry when he heard what you had been through, but your comfort was more important than his feelings at the moment. He knew you didn't need to know his vengeful streak just yet, but he was for sure going to gather the rest of the dragons and Hak to avenge what had been done to you.

Zeno had no doubt they'd all agree.

You were too precious to all of them.

He knew you had promised to protect all of them, even him, but not if he got to it first.

It was true though, you had all eternity to duke it out with him. But somehow, his fate now seemed a lot less lonely when he pictured you in it.

Zeno smiled softly, looking down at where you were resting, fondly.

I'll keep you safe, Y/N. No one will ever hurt you again.

Bonus:

"Come at me." Zeno's blue eyes flashed. "I have all the time in the world."

"Me too." You said seriously.

"Y/N, you have to say something else." Zeno instructed, squatting down beside you, losing all the fire he had a second ago. "That's not very threatening."

"Stop patronizing me!" You whined childishly.

"YAH!!" Yoon whacked you both over the head with a wooden spoon. "STOP SCARING TONIGHT'S DINNER!!"

You were apparently terrorizing the nearby forest animals, practicing your slogans so that in a battle, you had a handful to pick from. Yoon was not impressed with your idea.

You shot him an innocent look and Zeno copied you. He glowered, and you shrunk back from his angry gaze, hiding behind the Ouryuu. Zeno chuckled, casting a look over his shoulder to see you staring back at him wide-eyed.

The array of animals before you had absolutely no idea what was going on and you were not going to try to explain it, lest you would get scolded at by mother again.

You grinned mischievously at Zeno as Yoon turned away and the animals all scattered, using the distraction as a diversion to escape.

"What say we practice on a bit more of a likely audience?"

Zeno laughed after as you bounded off into the night, doubling over at his stomach as he distinctly heard Jae-ha cry out and the scuffling that followed. It would appear that you had made contact with your target.

He couldn't keep the smile from stretching across his face as he heard his earlier words being repeated by you, only to have the Ryokuryuu reply, "Isn't that Zeno's line?"

If the thump that shattered the silence was anything to go by, Zeno was guessing that you were less than pleased with his answer. He traveled towards the sound, and found you hunched over a now distraught Jae-ha.

He really wouldn't mind eternity if it was with you.

Thank you... Zeno thought silently, sending a prayer up to the heavens. Thank you for Y/N, I'll treasure her forever.

[thoughtfulstudentsalad]

Mei-nyan - chapter 202

She looks like she has the potential to be a good character. Potential though, I disliked how she tried to slap Yona, the Princess™ , in public sight. Stupid move in my opinion. 

Look I love Joo-doh for caring but damn, you could have dragged that b**** off her instead of just shouting “Princess Yona!”, you know. 

...Of course, unless she was hoping the dragons were going to appear to protect Yona. Then that’s actually not idiotic. 

I mean the woman obviously did her research. She knows about the 4 dragons... she knows about the Thunder Beast. She knows about the king. 

On the other hand... I’m banking on Mei-nyan trying to divide up Kouka with civil war. Yona’s faction and Su-Won’s factions are currently in an alliance right now, but Kouka will be easier to conquer if she tries to make them all fight each other. That was Kye-Sook’s concern - that civil war would break out. 

Consider that North Kai and South Kai are also in civil war right now. If Kouka is united, invading Kai is a piece of cake. That’s again, why I think North Kai killed Lan-tan. The narrative is making Kouka think the culprit South Kai, but what if the truth is that North Kai killed Lan-tan secretly and then blamed it on Kouka, so that South Kai would see Kouka as a common enemy shared with North Kai?!

Easy fix: you get the two Kais reunited as a strong front. 

And if CIVIL WAR breaks out between the tribes whether Yona or Su-Won should rule, this weakens Kouka and gives more time, makes it easier to conquer. 

I’m kind of intrigued to see what Mei-nyan will have to say to Su-Won as well. 

I mean if she’s like this with Yona: 

What is she going to tell Su-Won?

“You’re the king, yet this Princess has more power than you? What right does she have to flaunt her authority all over the place? Just because she has some divine right to rule?? You should really do something about this, what an eyesore.” 

Or spout some nonsense to Kye-Sook like “Princess Yona is out to kill his Majesty! Ruin any shred of alliance that Kye-Sook and Yona have been slowly developing as of recently???

I don’t like the alliance breaking up because right now everyone is kind of united - but it’d be interesting if this was an obstacle where Kai will definitely want them all divided. Break up all the tribes into separate kingdoms again. 

And if Mei-nyan discovers that Su-Won is sick... that’s going to spell very bad news for Kouka. She’ll see it as a sign of weakness and tell her people. And Kai will come prepared. 

Because you know, my theory is that Mei-nyan is actually a Kai Princess or some noblewoman who seems to have some loyalty towards Emperor Chae-gol. She also appears to have less power than him, but she’s fine with that and finds Yona’s power kind of strange. And she’s been sent on a mission to cause havoc. We’ll see how far that gets. 

Also I’m still kind of intrigued by her calling out “The Thunder Beast” from the 4 dragons. She first assumes The Thunder Beast is one of the 4, but she’s not concerned about the others. 

I wonder why she’s focusing on Hak there. 

I can’t wait to see how she deals with our crew next chapter. By then we’ll get a better idea of what kind of villain she’s going to be. 

[fairytales-magic]

I hadn’t intended it, but i was genuinely surprised by how many simultaneously called out for a part 2 of Love Me But Do Not Leave Me. So here it is! And only 6 months later. *chuckles nervously*   I may even end up needing to do a part 3. :)

I should also probably mention this whole story takes place after Hak’s confession to Yona. 

It’s also up on AO3!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Love Me But Do Not Leave Me ~Chapter 2: Without You It's Only Half a Heartbeat

‘To her ladyship of Kouka kingdom, Princess Yona.

I am sure the current state of the land has not escaped you and your companions notice. The damage caused from the late King Il is far more widespread than even i myself had previously estimated. I am aware of the actions you all have taken to undo this damage and for that i thank you. But still, the people remain restless. We believe assurance is required that the mistakes of the past will not rear its head once more.’

Crowded by her group Yona sat reading with Gulfan--Soo-Won’s hawk--perched leisurely on her shoulder as she read his message aloud. It did not pass her notice the dark, foreboding look Hak wore as she did, nor the death-grip he held on his weapon.

‘I know things have passed between us that cannot be so easily overlooked, and indeed may never be forgiven. But then, that is not what i am asking. I, King Soo-Won, wish to offer a parley of sorts. As a show to all of Kouka that this kingdom’s royalty is no longer divided, and thus is more fortified than ever before, i propose a union of two houses. Between the land’s current ruler--myself, and their beloved princess of many years--

--you, Princess Yona.

Bonded in matrimony, i am con--”

Hak snatched the letter from her grasp, balling his hand and parchment into an angry fist. “I can’t stand hearing another word that traitor has to say. Damn him.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yona stared around the vast span of nothingness surrounding her. How--Where was she? When did she get here? Where was everyone else??

“Princess...”

The red-head turned sharply to the sound of a voice, deep and smooth.

There he stood smiling before her, alive and well.

“Hak...”

Yona dashed into his embrace without a second thought, latching her arms around his waist. Hot tears rolled down her cheeks.

“Never thought i’d see those.” He stroked the top of her head gently. “You’ve shed tears over me?”

Yona didn’t know how to respond, merely pushing as close to him as possible instead.

“I’m sorry to leave you princess.”

“No don’t go!” She begged, grip tightening around his waist. “Don’t leave me! Not again…” Yona squeezed her eyes shut.

Hak gazed sadly down at his flaming haired friend.

“I’m not really here princess.” He softly told her. “It’s time to wake up.”

“But...you won’t be there waiting when i do.”

His solemn silence told more than words could have. Yona buried her face into his chest, ignoring the fact she couldn’t actually feel his warmth.

“I love you.” Her voice broke, thick with emotion. “I should have said it before.”

Hak gave a bitter chuckle, his features rapidly becoming a blur to Yona’s vision, fading at an accelerated rate. “I wish you would have too.”

…...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“...Yona dear?”

The crimson princess stirred at the sound of her friend’s voice. Coarse dirt and pieces of earth dug into her knees, the early morning sunlight greeting Yona when she opened her eyes. She hadn’t remembered dozing off, nor how she even managed to do so kneeling upright while still holding the glaive hilt.

His glaive.

The events of yesterday came rushing back, clearing the fog within Yona’s mind and shaking her wide awake. The hole which had dug itself in her chest ached at the reminder.

“Little Miss,” A gentle hand rested on her shoulder. “Zeno thinks we’d best move onward. More bad men are bound to be lurking nearby.”

Yona blinked the weariness from her eyes, taking the extended hand Jaeha offered. “Y...Yes, of course.”

“We...we should probably begin heading for Fuuga.” Yoon prioritized, voice unusually timid. “The Wind Tribe would want to know about what happened with...um...”

“Of course.” Kija’s expression was somber. “General Mundok is...was Hak’s grandfather correct? They will want to know immediately--” “And he will.” The now company of five men turned towards the princess. “But i’m afraid that will have to come later.”

“Little miss?”

“We’re going to Kuuto first.”

“What’s in Kuuto?” Yoon inquired, puzzled.

Yona’s eyes held a steady look to them as she spoke. “A proposal i intend to accept.”

Shocked silence spoke volumes, the group at a loss for words at her declaration.

Kija was a first to break. “Not the--but that was weeks ago! P-Princess you can’t be serious!”

“Yona dear, Kija’s right.” Jaeha placed a hand on her shoulder. “It’s understandable but you’re grieving right now, you aren’t thinking straight.”

“Not thinking straight?! You’ve completely lost your mind!!” Yoon shouted. “Or did you forget the whole reason you turned it down in the first place!”

Yona didn’t so much as blink at the outbursts. “On the contrary; i’ve been thinking about it all through the night.”

“Then why--”

“Because i realized, he made a good point. There is more than one way to help the people of Kouka. One that will have a far bigger and immediate impact then our traveling party can achieve.”

“But at what cost?? Yona this is forever we’re talking about!” The beautiful boy genius drove home.

Forever. A lifetime spent beside the man once called a dear friend, and now as the one who murdered her father, King Il, in cold blood.

“You know Hak would never allow you to do this.” The green dragon warrior’s voice was gentle but held a sharp edge.

“Hak...isn’t here.”

The painful words finally said aloud hit the Lightning Beast’s friends hard.  Another hush fell over the companions, more somber than the last.

Hak…

It’s so easy to imagine he’s just out of sight somewhere and not really gone. Jaeha’s thoughts were of a melancholy nature. I keep expecting him to suddenly emerge from the forest trees and complain what’s taking so long. Or to bark what a ridiculous idea this is to be even discussing.

I swore to protect Yona no matter what, but i also promised i’d protect him...and i failed. Kija’s mind was of a similar set. We are the dragon warriors, the power of the four dragons runs through our veins and gives us strength. So why? Why was i too weak...to save a brother of equal importance?  

“I know what i ask is a lot, and i understand if you don’t wish to take part,” Yona’s voice broke though their collective thoughts. “but it’s what i’ve decided. Will you go with me?”

The five companions looked to each other, a silent discussion being tossed back and forth between them. Then as one refocused on the princess they all served.  

“My claw is yours to wield Princess.” Kija held out the white scaled hand of his. “If you truly believe this is what’s best, then i shall follow you without fail.”

Shin-ah and Zeno each gave a vigorous nod in agreement.  

Yoon crossed his arms, huffing indignantly to cover the rising blush on his cheeks. “Well of course i’m coming. I can’t trust to leave you people on your own. Who knows what trouble you’ll get into otherwise.”  

“I will as well. But,” Jaeha addressed Yona specifically. “can you promise me you’re acting with a level head, and not from a broken heart?”

Yona stood silent as she pondered her friend’s words, then met his piercing purple gaze with that of her own. “To be honest, the condition of my heart has nothing to do with it. I chose this simply because it’s what i feel is best.”

That’s a lie, and you and i both know it. Jaeha inwardly sighed. “Then let’s be off.”

Decision made, the company of six gathered themselves and began their journey east to the Imperial Capital of Kuuto.  

I’m sorry Hak, i’m sure you’d strangle us all of you knew the decision your princess made. Jaeha guiltily sent a silent prayer to his friend. But...i can’t bring myself to stop her. I feel her pain all too keenly. Please understand.  

[another-miracle]

Akatsuki no Yona 151

Kusanagi:

Okay but real talk (amidst all the shouts of anger and disappointment):

I’ll admit, I was expecting (as was everyone else) for hakyona endgame. But to be honest, considering how long I’ve been following the series, I’m almost ashamed for getting my hopes up HAHA.

It was definitely necessary for Yona to talk to Hak about her feelings about his freedom. And while I hate that it was introduced through a misunderstanding, I don’t really see any way else it could have gone to really communicate how badly Yona has misconstrued Hak’s feelings for her. Dare I say, it is necessary for Hak to feel hurt - it depicts that terrible feeling of not getting your feelings across, being misunderstood - BECAUSE you don’t say anything.

Whatever Hak has said (gosh it’s heartbreaking how he went it’s not like that, it’s not that at all) is merely a reaction to what Yona is trying to communicate - and i’m not going to take away that from her; she is trying to communicate. It isn’t that she’s not listening, she is - that’s why it’s so frustrating, because you’d think at this point Hak would know better than to hide things from her. 

BUT of course I wouldn’t blame him either. Homeboy just got his hopes up and got them dashed. Poor guy. 

Anyway. Back to where I think Kusanagi is coming from. I’m not asking for a fight between the two of them. But I believe that there needs to be some conflict, some intentional separation between the two - to get angry at each other, (mostly for Hak) to figure out their true feelings for each other. And whether they will be able to bridge the gap and finally, finally communicate will determine whether they can be together as a unit. A functioning one. Because from what I’ve noticed from their conflicts in the past, there’s a lot of running away, self-doubt, pushing things aside, simply smiling through the pain. And it had to break somewhere. 

So I’m going to keep telling myself - that while, I’m upset that this was triggered by a misunderstanding (of jealousy, no less ugh), it’s a conflict that has to happen or else they will not be able to move forward as a couple. Let them be separated. Let them fight. Let them seek others for help. And let them finally TALK. gosh. 

I still love them though. 

[rollzerox]

Can you do a JaeYona fanfiction prompt for me? I want a story where Yona's problem with not eating for long periods of time when she gets really stressed resurfaces? I noticed that Yona had that problem mentioned a couple times in the series, but it never really gets brought up again, and I could see Jae Ha and some of the others getting really concerned over it. I hope this isn't too sudden, but I'm surprised that there aren't more fanfictions that bring it up and I'd like if somebody wrote one

Thanks so much for the prompt anon! I’m sorry this took me so long I’m working on my backlog of prompt immediately during current events hope you like this take for my Castle AU series where Yona is queen of Kouka

“Daddy! Daddy!” tiny voices could be heard running across the hallways of the palace as King Jae-ha turned to see his twin children rushing towards him. He was currently sitting with his cane watching Hak, Ura, Hawke and Shiro practice, Lina bouncing her 6-year-old Krystal in her lap and giggling at her silly siblings. The child squealed when she’d feel her unborn sibling kick at her, considering Lina was 6 months pregnant with her next child. Sitting next to her was her second daughter, Jin-ae, who was named after the first Queen of Kouka, Hiryuu’s wife.

 “Here comes Aki and Mido, Uncle Jae-ha.” Hinto, Shin-ah’s 10-year-old son chuckled as he at saw them coming with his dragon’s eye.

 “Aka-dori? Mido-ka? What is it?” Jae-ha asked once the two children arrived. They were 5 years old, the girl with long raven hair and the boy with short ginger hair.  The girl had clear blue eyes and the boy had green.

 “Mommy won’t eat!” Aki cried, whimpering. “The cooks don’t know what to do she didn’t eat breakfast and now she says she doesn’t want lunch.”

 Hak stopped his practice run and sighed, shaking his head. “… She’s still upset over…” he glanced to Zeno who nodded.

 “We all miss former Seiryuu and Hakuryuu.” The Yellow Dragon answered. “It didn’t help they passed only a year apart. Not to mention former Ryokuryuu lately has…”

 “Oh please, I’m just fine.” Jae-ha waved him off. “I mean seriously Lina’s 22 now, I honestly thought I would have long kicked the bucket by now.”

 “Yeah and you fell down the stairs the other day again, Droopy Eyes.” Hak growled. “You gave her a heart attack.”

 “Hak come on, you have enough on your plate.” Jae-ha looked at him sadly, after all Valerie had just passed away in childbirth a year ago. “No point in me bothering you all the time to get around.”

 “But I can help you uncle!” Shiro, the current 12-year-old Hakuryuu said while extending his arm.

 “Precious child.” Jae-ha hummed, petting the boy on the head. He sure had his father’s enthusiasm.

 Tetora smiled as she hugged her son from behind. “You’re always so eager to help.”

 “Really guys I’ll tend to my wife, lead the way treasures.” Jae-ha hummed, Aki and Mido eagerly rushed back in. “But don’t run or you’ll…”

 “GAH!” Gigan, Jae-ha’s middle daughter growled as the twins nearly plowed her over when they ran past her, the 16-year-old looking rather annoyed. “Aki! Mido! Watch where you’re going!” she growled as she almost dropped the books she was holding.

 “Done with your lesson already Gigi?” Hawke called out to his older sister.

 “Yes which you skipped!” Gigan snapped at him, her eyebrow twitching at the nickname. “What kind of prince are you when all you want to do is run off and learn fighting with our Uncle Hak? Seriously you can’t solve everything with your muscles idiot.”

 “Not everyone enjoys lessons like you do Gigan.” Lina giggled.

 Jae-ha laughed, petting Gigan on the head. “My smart little treasure. You’re going to make a fine queen someday you know.”

 That made the raven-haired girl blush. “F-father really I mean I would be honored if mother were to choose me but I’m not the oldest…”

 “You really think Lina wants the throne?” Jae-ha snorted.

 “Hell no, I’m traveling with Ura after the kids are grown.” Lina rolled her eyes and took her husband’s hand. “I’m a Ryokuryuu my job is to protect our mother and eventually I’ll protect the future king and queen. Which could be you and Shiro when you get married.” She teased.

 Shiro practically choked as he turned red at that. “I-I-I… T-that’s n-not funny Lina!”

 “LINA!” Gigan’s face turned into a fireball. “I’m not you I don’t go around marrying our cousins!”

 “Please, Kija and I weren’t exactly blood brothers just dragon brothers.” Jae-ha hummed. “Otherwise Shiro & Hinto would be Lina’s brothers with their dragon connection. Besides look how happy Ura and Lina are you know I sure won’t complain…”

 “FATHER THAT’S NOT FUNNY!” Gigan shouted, looking ready to explode. “GAH! Why am I the only normal one in this crazy family?!”

 Jae-ha laughed how his daughter would always have a meltdown over things like this. The rest of his children got his carefree attitude and Gigan was more like her namesake it made me smile. “Anyway where’s your mother? I hear she’s being stubborn again.”

 “In the library.” Gigan answered after she settled down. “One of the scholars just dropped off a new scroll with her and she said she was putting it away…. She was forcing a smile so I was going to bring her a new specimen from Kai that my instructor brought.” She held up an orange colored orchid. “Give it to her father, you know new flowers for her garden always cheers her up.”

 Jae-ha nodded, smiling as he took the flower. “I will my dear. Try to not let your siblings drive you insane.”

 Gigan looked at him deadpan. “Don’t ask for the impossible, father.”

 Jae-ha snorted, then kissed her forehead and headed on for the library. His twins ran so far ahead of him he shook his head as they found their mother first, her back to them and not even noticing they entered as she was looking over a scroll.

 Tears floated down Yona’s cheeks as it was a new illustration of her and her Four Dragons surrounding her, along with many of the tales the scholars sat her down and made her recall because they wanted to make a full record of the second incarnation of King Hiryuu. Shin-ah’s funeral was only a few weeks ago and she still wasn’t over the loss of both Kija and Valerie. She sobbed to herself as she clutched the parchment close, hating the fact her family was slowly being torn apart but at the same time blessed she had so many happy years with them…

 “Mommy!” Aki and Mido were suddenly hugging her ankles, snapping her out of her trance. “Mommy! We brought you something!” the twins bounced on their toes as they pulled back.

 “Oh what is it you two? Don’t tell me you’re trying to butter me up because you set the garden on fire again.” Yona sighed, bending down to her kids to pet them on the head.

 “No mommy that was an accident we swear!” Aki whimpered.

 “Even though it happened three times.” Mido squirmed.

 Jae-ha chuckled as he walked in. “They’re just worried about you my lovely, here. A gift from Gigan.” He handed her the flower, bringing a small smile the queen’s face.

 “It’s lovely.” Yona said, joining him in standing. “But you should be resting.” She scolded her husband.

 “I’m behaving.” Jae-ha hummed, leaning on his cane for support. He tried to hide the fact he was trying to catch his breath from the walk over, lately just getting out of bed was a chore for the aging dragon.

 Yona brushed her fingers over his bangs, noting the sweat on his forehead as she chided him. “You can’t hide from me, husband. Sit down.” She pushed him into a nearby chair that the twins helped bring closer. “Or else I’ll let our terror twins tie you down again.”

 “Can we mommy?!” Aki cried, excitement dancing in her eyes.

 Jae-ha snorted. “Now you’re using the kids against me, that’s not fair love.”

 “You use them against me so it’s only fair.” Yona giggled, kissing him playfully as she pulled away. “Aki, Mido, go get something from the chefs for daddy along with his medicine from Grandma Yoon ok?”

 “Ok mommy!” Mido darted off, Aki rushing after him.

 “I’ll only eat if you do.” Jae-ha said in a sing-song voice.

 Yona made a face. “I’m not hungry.”

 The Ryokuryuu sighed, grabbing her hands. “… Love… Come on it’s not your fault. You know Shin-ah and Kija wouldn’t want you to feel guilty.”

 “But…” Yona choked, tears in her eyes as her hands trembled. “If only I wasn’t… And one day the same will happen to our own daughter and then… I was so absorbed in worrying about you I never thought that they would…”

 Jae-ha pulled her into his lap, giving her a long kiss full of love while caressing her back. “Shhhh, it’s ok love. It’s only natural, my successor was born first after all everyone even Zeno expected me to die by now. It’s a strange miracle I’ve lasted this long. Guess Ik-su wasn’t kidding when he said our child is twice blessed and I wouldn’t die as soon as I thought.” He kissed away her tears as he brushed her crimson hair. “But that doesn’t change the fact that they both loved you and wouldn’t want you upset. They lived wonderful lives here by your side and found their beautiful wives. Their children are safe here and we’ve basically broken the curse of Ryokuryuu and Seiryuu villages as their lines will continue here where they are celebrated not hated. We might even mix dragon blood with the way Gigan and Shiro are crushing on each other.”

 Yona rolled her eyes. “Stop playing match maker with our children.”

 “It worked with Lina didn’t it?” Jae-ha hummed, kissing her cheek. “… Please love, you’ve barely ate anything all week or do I have to pop another treasure inside you to make you take care of yourself?” he offered, fluttering his eyelashes at her.

 Yona turned bright red at that, squirming in his lap. “… I-I… I can’t do that, they might never meet their…” she sadly brushed his cheek.

 “Think of it as me leaving you a treasure behind my love.” Jae-ha hummed, pressing his forehead against hers. “Besides we know they won’t be lonely with as many siblings as they’ll have. Just think about it love.” He gave her another kiss. “After all I don’t seem to have the stamina I used to in my prime.”

 “What a crime.” Yona giggled slightly, smiling warmly at her husband. “… Thank you Jae-ha… You and all the dragons helped me find the greatest happiness in my life. I just…. Hate the thought of waking up without you by my side.” She choked.

 Jae-ha looked at her sadly. “… I know, I feel the same. But the kingdom and our family need you love. Besides… You know I’ll be waiting for you on the other side.”

 “Jae-ha….” Yona sobbed, her eyes threatening to let out another waterfall of tears until she heard the sounds of her twins rushing back into the room.

 “We got food mommy! You gotta eat too!” Mido said, holding up a tray that was bigger than he was of food as Aki was holding Jae-ha’s medicine.

 Yoon stood in the doorway as he came behind them, holding a second tray. “Yona how many times have I told you that you can’t skip meals like this?”

 Yona pursed her lips as she crawled out of her husband’s lap. “… I told you kids just to get your father’s medicine not tell on me.”

 Aki giggled. “But Grandma Yoon is your advisor and he can advise you to eat!”

 “Not like she ever takes my advice when it’s about her health lately she’s as bad as her husband.” Yoon rolled his eyes, looking over Jae-ha and handing him a powder. “Now take that or else you’re on bedrest the rest of the week.”

 “Thank you mother.” Jae-ha teased, though the boy genius was so used to it that didn’t even faze him anymore.

 “We just don’t want you to get sick mommy please?” Aki bat her eyes at Yona, looking ready to cry. “Daddy gets sick enough and you take care of him so who’s going to take care of you if you feel bad?”

 “Me probably.” Yoon mumbled under his breath.

 Yona groaned as she took a seat, her twins at her legs immediately trying to force her something to eat as she sighed and grabbed a bread roll. “Fine, I’m eating are you guys happy now?” she then had the kids put the tray down on the table full of books as she lifted them into her arms, kissing their cheeks. “You two are too precious, so worried about me and your silly daddy.”

 “Because daddy makes you cry when he gets hurt!” Mido whimpered. “You’ll make daddy cry if you get sick.”

 Jae-ha hummed. “That’s right dear, don’t you know it’s a crime to make the king cry?” he tried to tease.

 “Don’t you start.” Yona snapped. “It’s not my fault I was tired last week and you insisted on trying to carrying me to my room like a stubborn fool.”

 Yoon groaned. “Don’t remind me. I’m the one the kids got when they found you two at the bottom of the stairs.”

 “So I can’t land as gracefully as I used to…” Jae-ha rubbed his cheek in embarrassment as he chuckled, then grabbed something off the tray for himself to get the bitter taste of the medicine out of his mouth.

 Yona sighed at that. “Sorry. I guess I have been worrying you guys just…”

 “Well all miss them.” Yoon gave her a hug. “… Just know that you aren’t alone, ok? And we can’t lose you too. This idiot will probably jump off a cliff to join you if you die on him.” He jabbed a thumb at Jae-ha.

 “Yoon not in front of the little ears.” Jae-ha groaned, not exactly denying it.

 “No die mommy!” Aki and Mido clung to their mother tightly. “You can’t leave us!”

 Yona wilted at that, hugging her twins tightly. “… You’re right. I’m not leaving you kids anytime soon I swear.” She kissed each of their foreheads. “And now go tell daddy he can’t leave you either so he has to stay stubborn for at least a few more years.” She smirked, letting them go as they rushed to their father.

 “Daddy! Daddy! You too!” Aki cried, clinging to his legs as Mido tugged on his robes.

 “Oh you little darlings I wouldn’t dare leave you just yet, I have to keep seeing all the trouble you get into come here!” Jae-ha smirked, lifting the kids into his lap and smothering them with kisses. “My precious little treasures.”

 Yona smiled at the sight, hoping that her precious family could stay together just a bit while longer…