𝐒𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐘𝐨𝐮 || Akatsuki no Yona

Confessions

reality rē-ăl′ĭ-tē

The quality or state of being actual or true.

•••

Orange flames licking at the air, warming the area around it. It danced and moved, almost as if it was living, the changing colors giving it the appearance of a sunset.

The fire was breathtakingly beautiful tonight. Something about it was different compared to last night, was it the color? Was it maybe the size?

This festival reminded me of home.

It was lively and wonderful, and it brought back memories.

Younger sisters would cling to their siblings' sleeves as they served themselves food. The older siblings would try to push their siblings away, obviously annoyed.

I wondered what it would be like to have a sibling. Maybe a younger brother. I could teach him how to use a sword (father would be proud) or I could take naps with him...

But that was just my fantasy. It probably wouldn't happen.

Despite the number of people at the festival, it was fun. The sun had set, but it was still warm. The warmth was probably from the fire, or maybe it was warm because I hadn't had taken off my haori.

Music can be very inconceivable and hard to describe thanks to its almost magical nature.

Jae-ha's music was weird, but you had to appreciate it. Something snapped in me, and my face began to feel damp. I sat far away from the crowd, letting my tears spill out of my eyes.

Why was I crying? There was no reason nor a need to.

There was some feeling in my chest that hurt, but I wanted to keep feeling the pain. The pain cleansed my body, I enjoyed it.

Then something happened. The music changed, it became a song of sorrow. The birds that were singing their own song stopped. It was as if they wanted to listen to Jae-ha's song.

And in front of the tribal tapestry, someone began to dance. It was Yona, who I hadn't realized was going to dance. She never said a word about dances to me. Even so, she was an experienced dancer. I, on the other hand, was never taught how to dance. Mother had plenty of time to teach me, so why didn't she?

People mumbled insults about her. She was holding a rusty sword instead of a paper fan. Did that matter? Why does someone's gender determine what they can dance with?

Yona leaped from one side of her stage to the other, but it was prettier than that. Her dance was a prayer, it was a sorrowful dance.

I wanted to know from the beginning why this dance had an impact on me.

•••

The town was silent. Some people passed out after drinking too much alcohol, but some people just wanted to hit the hay early.

"Himari, you're still up?" Someone placed their hand on my shoulder. I flinched from their sudden touch but quickly relaxed my shoulders. It was Jae-ha, he wasn't some criminal. He was just someone who I didn't get along with at first.

"Yeah. Why are you here?" I asked. Jae-ha sighed and sat down next to me.

"I saw you sitting here, so I came here. Isn't that obvious?" he replied. He wasn't very flirtatious today, thankfully. But it was a little disturbing.

"You're out of character," I said while standing up.

"Only when I'm with you," he smirked. I cringed at his comment.