The Varied Path (Akatsuki no Yona Fanfiction)

Chapter 25: A Token of Gratitude

After the dust settled, and the gang was all reunited, they had some catching up to do. Calista lazily blinked open her eyes, her limp body still propped up against Hak. 

The exhaustion creeping through her bones was not as bad now, but she couldn't wait to fall asleep tonight.

She smirked up at him and her brother shoved her off. 

Calista stuck her tongue out childishly, going over to where a pouting Yona and a red-faced Yoon were at. The relief and guilt that flickered across her brother's eyes went unnoticed by the usually sharp assassin. 

The villagers' masks also turned out to protect themselves from Seiryuu's eyes, not for the ridiculous reasons they gave earlier about it being customary for their people who were unmarried.

Well, isn't that dehumanizing... She thought viciously to herself.

They spewed some excuse about a curse turning people to stone, all the while calling the stoic Seiryuu, who had stepped up beside her, a monster and she had enough. 

Flicking her wrists, a couple of throwing knives appeared between her fingers and she drew her arm back to fling them in the fearful villagers' general direction, only to be stopped by the dragon beside her. 

He had mimicked her earlier actions, lowering her arms with his hands, keeping the pressure light, but firm on her wrists.

Calista stared straight at him, forcing him to look her in the eye.

"Are you sure?"

He nodded and she yielded, sheathing the blades.

If he didn't want her to hurt them, she wouldn't.

Even though she really wanted to. 

Calista threw them one last icy glare that they crumpled under, and then turned away from them. 

Yoon had started giving her an earful once he was done with Yona, but this time she accepted it wholeheartedly with a slight smile. She never thought she'd miss the sound of his chastising. 

"Alright, so the next dragon we look for, I'm not going to get put in a cage or try to get dragged underground, right?" She joked. 

No one laughed.

Calista sighed, meeting their desolate eyes. Yona's lower lip was trembling and Hak had his arms crossed over his chest, eyes blank. Kija's face had heated up with either anger or frustration, she couldn't tell, and Seiryuu had his hands clenched at his sides.

Yoon just stared at her like she had another head, wondering how she could make fun of situations so life-threatening. 

She stayed silent as all of them, including the stragglers, filed out of the caves, deep in thought. There was a chance she's been going about this the wrong way.

She internally filed it away for later. There would be a better time to bring it up to Yona. 

They were just about to leave the village, when the princess stopped dead in her tracks and declared, "I can't give up." 

Hak couldn't hide his pride at her determination, Kija gazed at her in admiration and Yoon's eyes widened, unsure if he heard her right. 

Calista gave her a nod of encouragement when she turned back to look at her. 

"Seiryuu!" Yona called out, running to meet him at the entrance of the village. "I'll say it one more time!" 

She stretched out her hand. "Let's leave together. I want to take you along."