Ryokuryuu's Lifeline (Akatsuki no Yona Fanfiction)

Part 2: Unresolved Fury from the Past

"What did you do?" Jae-ha pressed, leaning forward. "Yona dear looked so embarrassed. Though, she looked so cute like that, all fluster-"

He raised his right leg to block Hak's strike as he brought down his spear, preventing the Thunder Beast from doing any real damage.

"Ah..." Jae-ha sighed, "Careful, if you don't make a move on her soon, I just might."

Hak froze.

Then, Jae-ha held up his hand, a smug grin on his face.

"Kidding."

The teasing smirk faded as he identified the pain flickering across the man's face.

"I'm sorry for hurting her." Jae-ha looked carefully at the Thunder Beast whose eyes were downcast, as if he couldn't believe that he had hurt you.

Jae-ha's jaw hardened as he recalled the blood that marred your face and didn't respond.

They sat in silence for a moment before Hak broke it. "What happened to Y/N?"

The green dragon's face quickly became guarded. "What do you mean?"

Hak almost smiled at Jae-ha's protective streak, but the Thunder Beast had noticed your quiet resolve to fight, he just didn't know why. You were never like that back at the palace. You were just as childish as the princess at the time, not aware of the world outside the castle walls. By being sheltered for so many years, Hak was worried when he noticed your childish streak was not quite the same as it was before.

You had grown up.

But there was more to it than that, wasn't there?

"Y/N is different than I remember." Hak explained carefully, not wanting to unintentionally evoke the wrath of the dragon. "I expected that much, but it seems as though she's been through some difficult times."

Jae-ha exhaled heavily. "That's an understatement." He muttered. Hak shot him a curious glance.

The Ryokuryuu settled on the ground across from the Thunder Beast, leaning back on his hands. His green fringe almost covered his eyes, but Hak could distinguish the unresolved fury barely restrained beneath.

"I don't know everything that has happened." Jae-ha started, brushing hair from his eyes to study Hak closely. "I don't think she fully knows what happened either."

Steel glinted dangerously in the moonlight as Hak's grip tightened on his spear.

How bad was it that you unconsciously blocked it from your memory?

After a heavy pause, Jae-ha continued, "I don't know how she got to Awa, I was the one to find her. She was chained to a back alley on the far side of town, near the forest."

Hak's eyes widened in shock.

"I had been scouting the area, I had just recently joined Captain Gi-gan's crew back then, and was trying to prove myself and be useful." He gritted his teeth. "When I first found her, huddled in a ball on the corner of an alleyway, dressed in almost nothing, I ran away."

Jae-ha left out the part where the reason for that was because he was so traumatized at such a familiar sight that he couldn't take it, so he fled.

The Thunder Beast didn't need to know that.

Jae-ha leaned forward, resting his arms on his criss-crossed legs. "I didn't get more than a few feet away before I went back as fast as I could." He shook his head. "I broke her chains with my leg and brought her to the captain. She's been with us ever since."