Calls You Home [Akatsuki no Yona ~ Shin-Ah]

Chapter 27

Lien let the notes of the funeral song fade as she stood in front of the pyre, her hands clasped in front of her. The funeral preparations had moved quickly with the village helping to prepare the pyre and one of the elders delivering the rights as the family wept. They had asked Lien to sing one of the Fire Tribe's songs of passing since she knew it and their village singer had been drafted into the Fire Tribe's army.

As the wailing continued and villagers crowded around the pyre, Lien stepped back, fading into the crowd. She spotted Yoon and Yona standing hand in hand nearby and she slipped their way, coming to Yona's other side.

There was such desperation and despair in the Fire Tribe lands, you could almost feel it in the air, like an oppressive blanket of melancholy. Lien bowed her head as flames grew higher and the mother who had lost her son screamed louder. It was aching sound that pierced her, and she wanted to help, but only time could soothe a painful loss like that and even then, it would never truly leave.

A hand slipped into hers and gave her fingers a gentle squeeze. She glanced over to see Zeno standing beside her, his eyes dim and sad. He didn't say anything, but he gave her fingers another squeeze. The two of them stood and watched the pyre, paying their respects as the family and village finished the funeral rights for the child.

After a while, Zeno pulled on her hand, leading her away from the funeral and back toward their group's small tent and camping area. She followed him, letting him lead her, exhaustion laying heavy on her shoulders.

"How's Shin-Ah?" she asked as they made their way through the village.

"He'll be all right," Zeno said, "Ryokuryuu and Hakuryuu stayed with him."

Lien bit her lip, thinking about how Kija might be fussing over him and trying to be as helpful as possible while not knowing what to do. Kija was sweet and always eager to help, but he had led such a sheltered life, he didn't always know how to do simple tasks.

So she wasn't entirely surprised to find him standing outside the tent, looking in dismay at Shin-Ah's outfit that he had draped over a clothes line. Shin-Ah's clothes looked slightly shredded and there were far more holes in them than there had been yesterday.

"What happened?" she asked as Zeno rushed past her and darted into the tiny tent, yelling excitedly at Shin-Ah.

Kija looked at her, his eyes huge, as if he couldn't believe his own mistake. "There was an accident."

"Kija clawed Shin-Ah's clothes to pieces," Jae-Ha said. The green-haired man was sitting by the fire, stirring a pot of stew that Yoon had left over the fire. He smirked over at Lien. "He must have been thinking you would appreciate the result of his handiwork."

Lien rolled her eyes at him, not taking the bait. She was getting used to being goaded by him, and unlike Yona, she recognized when he was teasing her about a boy. A very specific boy, but... She reached out and put her hand on Kija's arm. "It's all right, they can be mended."

"Shin-Ah can wear some of my clothes for now," Kija said with a firm nod, "It's the least I can do."

The mental image of Shin-Ah wearing Kija's clothes was almost enough to make her smile. She went over and inspected the damage to Shin-Ah overcoat and tunic, putting a couple fingers through the hole left by the blade that had stabbed him. A shiver trailed down her back. He could have died. Perhaps a man who wasn't a dragon would have. Yoon had said it had been close, either way.

"Aren't you going to check on him?" Jae-Ha asked, and she glanced over, meeting his violet eyes with her honey ones.

"He's...well..." She wanted to, more than anything, but she was also very aware that his clothes were out here on the line, and while she had taken care of him before in a previous state, it seemed different now. The blush that hadn't appeared when Jae-Ha teased her a moment ago now appeared at the idea of going into the tent now. "Zeno and Yoon are with him. The tent's crowded."