The Varied Path (Akatsuki no Yona Fanfiction)

10K Special: Beach Day [Part 1/7]

Fits in with the timeline, occurs after they leave the Fire Tribe but before they arrive at the Kai Empire.

Total Words: 26k

Words for this part: 2.8k

They were all taking a little break. Thank goodness they had some down time before they were needed somewhere else again. Luckily, that aligned perfectly with their schedule and they took a slight detour. 

Towards the coastline.

Sunlight bounced off of the endless waves that rolled out as far as the eye could see. The jagged cliffs sheltered the hidden beach from the rest of the world, and white sands sparkled like gems. The beach was sunken in the earth, completely concealed. A refreshing breeze blew by, making their hair sway in the wind as the group arrived.

They had to pass through a mile of extremely dense foliage to find this paradise, and it was only due to a certain someone's special eyesight.

"Look, Shin-ah!! It's the ocean!!" 

The ocean spray got in Calista's eyes as she ran in, but she didn't care. Splashing without a care in the world, she raised her hands towards the sky, laughing joyously.

The others all stared at the spectacular sight before them, and Yoon dropped the sack he was carrying in shock. He knew what to expect when Shin-ah pointed them in this direction, but he wasn't picturing something as beautiful as this. 

The blue dragon thought he might get tired of seeing things once he had already seen them, but witnessing his girl's excitement made him feel like he was reliving it all over again.

Calista grabbed his hand, and he stumbled after her as she pulled him to the crystal-clear waves crashing on the shore. 

There were no other people in sight. It seemed like they were the only ones who knew about it.

Her arms flailed wildly as she almost slipped on the wet sand beneath her toes, catching her footing just in time. A wide smile stretched across her face as she turned her eyes back towards the shining sun.

"Shin-ah!!" She exclaimed, turning around rapidly when she didn't find him behind her. "Shin-ah? Where'd you go?! You have to come see!! Look at how pretty— Eep!!"

He grabbed her waist from behind, lifting her up and twirling her around with ease. Her hands shot out to his forearms to steady herself.

"Shin-ah!!" Calista laughed loudly as he spun her around.

When she wasn't paying attention, he had shed his outer layers and shirt. The panels of his bare chest flexed as he held her just above the ground and her silver eyes darkened slightly, landing on his recently healed wound.

He lowered her down eventually, and his muscles tensed as he set her on her feet gently.

Tracing over the stiff bandages, she looked up at him worriedly when he winced as she peeled it off. The skin was healed, but the flesh was sensitive. He caught her hands, leaning his forehead against hers for one second to relish in the moment. Closing his eyes, he exhaled softly and it fanned out against her ear.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Calista asked him, and was thrown off by his immediate nod. "That was a little too fast."

He made a quiet noise in the back of his throat in protest and she laughed lightly, circling her arms around his neck. His hands instinctively went to her waist in response, holding her to him and a smile curved against his shoulder.

"You will tell me if it starts hurting again, right?"

He nodded reassuringly and she took a small step back to trace his jawline. His hands went up to his face, turning up the corners of his mouth into a big smile and she chuckled. Pulling back a bit more, she threw her hands up in the air.