Not Everything

It Wouldn't be Finding if He Wasn't Hidden

He looked down at her, a tired smile on his face. "It's their blood."

***

Eri could feel the blood seeping through her clothing, even staining her face, but she didn't stop, she couldn't stop. How many had it been? Twenty? Thirty? Her movements were beginning to slow, and she pulled a sword from a fallen soldier. Sorry for copping your technique, Pops...

She blinked as she saw Hak rejoin the fray. "What are you doing!? Get out of here!"

"What, you think I'll just leave you on your own?"

"You-" she was cut off as a blade narrowly missed her side, and plunged one of her swords up to the hilt in the man's chest. "Shit, I'm getting sloppy..."

Her arms were beginning to feel heavy as she raised her swords. She could see Hak stumbling from his wounds, and a sense of doom overtook her; it was only a matter of time before they would run out of energy, and Yona would be....

There was a flash of red in the corner of her eye, and she looked up to see the princess herself, standing right in front of Tae-jun. "Yona!?"

The princess glared at Tae-jun with so much anger that he froze. "If you know the truth of what happened, you should not be wasting your time attacking Hak or the Wind Tribe! Even if I'm naïve, I can't stand to listen to someone who acts without common sense!"

Eri stared at her in awe. "What is she...?" Then, she remembered where they were, who was attacking them. "Yona!"

The princess looked back at her, as though snapping out of something. "Eri!"

Hak yelled in anger, only a few steps away from the young dancer. "You idiot! Why didn't you stay where I told you-!"

"Hak, LOOK OUT!"

"Huh?"

He looked over at Eri, who was running towards him, her arm stretched out, her expression panicked.

He noticed the sword only when it was too late.

It was like a slice of heat cutting open his chest, and as he fell backwards, he caught a glimpse of the princess's face. Her mouth was open in a scream. "Hak!"

With one last bit of strength, he managed to grab the ledge with one hand. When he tried to lift his other arm, pain lanced through his shoulder, the arrow wound still singing. A soldier stood before him, raising his sword with a grin. "To be able to strike down the Thunder Beast...what an honor."

Hak couldn't move without risking his grip failing, and as he stared up at the point of the sword, a new fear of death shot through him.

Suddenly, there was a gush of blood from the man's stomach as a blade was sent into him. Eri managed to strike the other man in the heart before dropping her weapons and rushing to Hak. She grabbed his wrist and pulled with all her might, but it was of no avail. "Hak...!"

"Eri, you won't be able to-"

"Shut up!" She cut him off, continuing to try to help him up. "Please..."

Hak's eyes went wide as he saw the tears spilling down her face. "Please, Hak, you have to help me, I can't do this by myself..."

As strong as she was, she was not strong enough to pull him up, and memories of a funeral pyre gnawed at her. "Give me your other hand, please."

"I can't..." Every time he tried, more blood flowed from his shoulder.

"Pull yourself up, Hak, please, I can't - I can't get you back up on my own."

Eri could see the shadow falling over her, could sense the soldier behind her. "No, no, I'm not letting you die!"

She glanced behind her, meeting the soldier's eyes. He stared at her for a moment, before a shout drew his attention. "Get away from them!"

Eri and Hak both looked over to see Yona standing there, holding a sword. Her hair was chopped short, and the look in her eyes was one of fiery rage. She swung her sword at the man, who jumped back. "Princess, don't-"

Ignoring him, Yona dropped her sword and ran to Eri, dropping to her knees and grabbing Hak's wrist. Eri stared at her, confused and in awe. "Yona..."

It felt like time had stopped as they joined efforts.

The two pulled, but despite the slight shift of Hak's body, their combined strength did nothing.

Hak grunted with pain. "Listen...you both have to run. You can't pull me up, you have to run away."

Eri trembled as her hold began to slip. "No...no way!"

Hak felt anger build up in him. "I mean it!" he yelled at them. "Run away! You can't do this!"

Eri opened her mouth to refuse, but stopped when she saw something drip onto Hak's face. Yona cried back, "If you die, I'll never forgive you!"

Time started again, as Eri heard Tae-jun yell. "Get them away from him!"

Me too?

Then she noticed Yona's knee going too far over the ledge. "Yona, look out-!"

The princess slipped, and her and Hak's weight pulled Eri down. The screams that ripped through the mountain air were forever seared into Tae-jun's mind as he reached for the princess's dress.

He missed.

Sorry for the long update gap, eheh...

also, is it just me or is Wattpad's word count off?