The Varied Path (Akatsuki no Yona Fanfiction)

Chapter 172: Lapses in Judgment

Shin-ah mimicked the motions that he recalled Calista do on multiple occasions and repeatedly carded his fingers through Yoon's hair, only stopping when the boy gathered himself enough to tear himself away. But the blue dragon wasn't offended.

He understood.

The memory was sound, fully embedded in the youngest's mind. It would be a lifetime before he would even come close to forgetting it.

It was a while before Yoon's cries had completely ceased, calming down with the aid of the comfort of his friends, people he had come to call his family.

After Ik-soo took him in, he thought that that clumsy priest would be all that he would have for the rest of his life. Not that he minded. Ik-soo needed someone to look after him, and although he would never admit it, after meeting him for the first time, he couldn't imagine living without him.

Looking after the clumsy priest, and learning how to look after those rare beasts, stubborn fighter and strong-willed princess, made him feel capable.

But he didn't feel so capable now. Looking over his shoulder, the youngest was startled to find Kija, Jae-ha, and even Hak, gazing at him in concern.

With both Calista and Yona unconscious, it never crossed his mind that they would ever be worried about him.

He shook his head, suppressing a smile that threatened to overtake his face. They were worried about him. How incredibly unnecessary.

However, he couldn't stop the warmth that bloomed in his chest despite their less-than-desirable situation at their obvious care for him. But there was no way he was ever going to voice it.

Glancing down, Yoon's fingers curled into a fist as he squeezed his eyes shut.

A slight smile curved at the corner of Shin-ah's mouth at the restraint he demonstrated and he raised a hand, patting his head.

An indignant cry of outrage burst from Yoon as he swatted at the blue dragon, causing Kija and Jae-ha to crack a smile along with their dragon brother.

Hak crossed his arms across his chest, trying his best not to be impatient at such a rare heartwarming moment amongst the chaos, but he still needed to know the estimated time the princess and his sister were going to take to heal.

He grimaced and looked away, shoulders tensing. "Yoon."

Somewhere between Shin-ah comforting him through his tears and reminiscing the old memory of the rare display of affection and vulnerability that Calista showed him in the past, he moved from sitting between his patients to being tucked protectively into the blue dragon's side.

"R-Right!!" Yoon blurted out quickly, pardoned by all of them as he repositioned himself back between the two bedrolls, nearly throwing Shin-ah's arm off of his head in his haste.

He alternated between both of the girls as he described their injuries in depth to the others. Yona would be okay. Her back injury was severe but he was hopeful that it would heal with some time and appropriate care. As long as he was able to keep it clean and apply the rest of the senjusou they had, he predicted she would be stable within a week.

But in regards to Calista, he was less sure.

She had pushed herself too hard. Her body was exhausted with the fatigue that plagued the normally sharp and vigilant assassin. After the bar brawl combined with the emotional events she had been through with Shin-ah that followed after, and then to be attacked by Hiyou and his drug puppets, it was a wonder how she lasted as long as she did.

But her luck had run out. And for that kind of harm she caused to her body, it couldn't be cured with the senjusou.

Shin-ah stayed stiff throughout the entire time Yoon was talking, legs folded in front of him, a hand absentmindedly petting his trusty squirrel companion every so often. If he felt anxious or unrest at anything, it didn't show in the slightest behind the rigid edges of his mask and tense posture.