The Varied Path (Akatsuki no Yona Fanfiction)

Chapter 174: No Such Thing as Tact

The evening glow painted the sky, the curtains fully open for the first time in days, letting the light stream in unfiltered.

Easy chatter filled the room as the youngest bustled around, balancing various blankets and miscellaneous articles of clothing in his arms as he scooped them off the floor, effortlessly distributing bowls piled high with steaming tonkatsu and fresh edamame over rice simultaneously.

Hak finished first, polishing off the last of the crumbs as Zeno came bounding back into the room from the adjoining one, skidding to a halt beside Kija and very nearly crashing into him.

Luckily, he was saved by Jae-ha's superior reflexes, the green dragon managing to snag the yellow dragon's scarf just in time before all three collapsed in a heap on the floor.

With the girls both feeling better, none of them would be able to escape Yoon's wrath if they spilled the food he just made for them.

The Happy Hungry Bunch of eight had circled around on the floor, supper being met with easy laughter and smiles after the laughing fit they all had earlier. But as time passed, the remnants of food were long forgotten and had since grown cold as the humor and the jokes gave way to addressing a much more important matter.

One that had just been voiced.

Slowly lowering her spoon, Calista's wide eyes shining with disbelief, she almost laughed hysterically because she knew for a fact she did not just hear her brother say that.

"You're kidding."

No one in their group flinched at the note of horror dripping from her words, though Yona did stiffen at her brash tone, chewing on her bottom lip as her face betrayed her anxiousness.

Calista dropped the eating utensil, completely abandoning her task of trying to keep some kind of food down and rubbed her temples in exasperation. She ignored Yoon and Shin-ah exchanging a look between them on either side of her, ignoring the youngest silently getting up to fetch a clean blanket from the bedspread behind her, and didn't flinch when her brother's gaze shifted from the latter to land on her..

Tears pricked at the corner of her eyes and everybody turned to her as she sniffled harshly, grey eyes already rimming red with barely suppressed despair. "Tell me you're joking."

This time, the outright plea was met with an indestructible wall of hesitation. Kija was fiddling with his thumbs uncertainly, and Jae-ha refused to look at her, choosing instead to focus on Hak. Yona stifled a whimper at the tendrils of resolve burning in her friend's eyes and while Zeno rocked back and forth on his knees seemingly playfully, his jaw was set and his stare was even.

Yoon busied himself with the dishes in the corner, stealing the extra portion he set aside before dinner and sneakily replacing Calista's almost empty bowl as she desperately caught her brother's gaze.

"You need rest." He told her bluntly, shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly at the way she tensed up. Leaning back on his hands, he didn't shy away from the blatant desperation in her eyes. "Don't deny it. Besides, Droopy-Eyes found a lead for that bastard. We're going after him at dawn."

Calista's jaw dropped. "Then, let me—"

"No." Hak declared flatly, steel eyes narrowing at her insistence, knowing exactly what she was about to say. "You can't. It's too risky."

Especially in this state. Not only was she vulnerable physically, but her mental state was worn after the events that kept happening one after another.

It was relentless and only served to keep knocking her down.

Where they had kept Calista in the dark about their progress in tracking the drug lord's whereabouts, Yona had been fully caught up on the situation with the lack of leads they had on Hiyou, thanks to Kija's fumbling and inability to lie to her but only after Yoon issued her a clean bill of health.