The Varied Path (Akatsuki no Yona Fanfiction)

Chapter 83: Parting Words

He would never say it out loud, but he liked when she protected him, even against something so trivial as friendly Fire Tribe soldiers.

No one is completely evil.

He knew it consciously, of course. The decision was up to the individual to make, but anyone had the capacity for both to all of its extremes. Commenting that casually, he watched as the soldiers began to bicker good-naturedly with each other, poking fun amongst each other while work still needed to be done.

So he dove into it, assisting any way he could, and left Tae-jun behind as the soldiers followed him to learn about medicine and how to treat the ill.

"Grandpa, don't sit in a place like that. Why don't you go inside your home?" The soldier asked kindly and the noble took notice, walking over slowly so that he didn't startle them.

Their methods had certainly changed. They went from terrorizing the villagers to speaking and treating them each with respect. It was commendable, and he didn't deny that it made him feel better. More human. He had forgotten what it was like.

But the old man wouldn't move no matter what they tried. Some of the children came up and attempted to trick him into getting up, but when it didn't work, their faces fell.

A rounded pouch was tossed up easily into the air, caught with an outstretched hand as it came back down, and joined two others as they were juggled playfully by the newcomer.

"What are you doing here?!" Tae-jun shouted, beyond irritated at his appearance.

Zeno remained unaffected, beaming brightly as he put on a show for the old man and the children. "Ooh!! Ginger Soup Bro!! I came to play!!"

He frowned at his nonchalance and easygoing nature. This was no place to play, but his thoughts were interrupted when he heard clapping.

The old man was smiling from ear to ear, bringing his hands together happily at the performance.

Zeno paused his juggling and hugged him affectionately. "Did you like it, Grandpa?! Come here, I'll wash your body for you."

He helped him up and the kids cheered, running off the second a bath was mentioned. The boy had cleaned them earlier and they didn't want another one before they got a chance to play some more.

"You're amazing..." Tae-jun trailed off, speechless at how effortless it was for the boy to bring a smile to his face.

"Hm?" The spunky yellow dragon turned to look at the bewildered noble. "I'm not."

The elder hobbled down the dirt path, towards a large bucket with heated water. One of the fighters came out to meet him, helping him the rest of the way while gesturing to some of his companions to give him a hand.

Then, Zeno flashed Tae-jun a wide grin. "People are mirrors. If you smile, a smile will be reflected."

He bounded off to make good on his promise to the elder and the other was left in the dust to ponder his cryptic words. Though, he knew, they weren't really anything difficult to decipher. It merely was as it was said.

Wandering around aimlessly for a minute, he nearly crashed into one of his fighters as they barreled into him. The kid was no more than ten or twelve years old, and he instinctively crouched down, shielding his head with shaky hands.

Tae-jun wanted to immediately tell him that he wasn't going to hit him, but remembered what Calista had told him to do. So instead, he moved cautiously, keeping his own hands where the child could see him.

He kept his voice low and gentle as he could. "It's alright... You didn't do anything wrong. I am not going to hurt you."

Repeating it every so often until he came out of his shell tentatively, a wide smile stretched across his dirt-smudged face as he realized he really wasn't going to hit him. "Thank you, Master!!"