The sun seeped through the tree leaves, basking us in its ray. However beautiful it may be it held no meaning right now. The three of us have been walking since the sun rose. Still running from the castle. From the person we once called friend.
Ah. Yona began to fall but Hak caught her and we kept walking. We couldn't stay around one place too long. Not while we were on the run.
Hak had grabbed a cloak on our escape, which we used to cover the princess and conceal her identity. Quick thinking on his part.
Yona fell again, panting. She's exhausted and covered in dirt. "Would you like to rest?" Hak asked as he kneeled in front of her.
Yona clutched something in her hand and brought it into her cloak. Is that a hairpin? Ah, it's the one Soo-Won gave her.
Hak grabbed her shoulders and gently brought her to lean against a tree. She pulled the hood down, letting her long hair escape before instantly falling asleep.
All this time we've been watching her. She was a princess who never knew dirtiness or pain. I would have liked to keep it that way.
Hak leaned against the tree as well and looked up at the sky. I began to scale up the tree before settling on a low limb. I stared up, through the leaves and at the blue sky. A distant memory flashed through my mind.
~Three Years Ago~
Hak sat down, eating an apple. Like always I was on the roof above him in the hall, staring up and letting the cool breeze brush against my skin. "You little squirts." I blinked. Gramps?
Rolling onto my stomach I peeked down to see gramps in front of Hak, giving us a stern look. "I told you two to attend today's Five General Meeting!"
Hak and I glanced at each other before looking back at him. "I thought we decided Hak was the new General." I stated, flipping off and standing on the rail Hak sat on.
"As long as Master Mundok attends the meeting, no one else needs to. Besides, I don't want to listen to His Chubbiness talk."
I snickered at the nickname he gave King Il. "Idiot!" Gramps started to yell. "Stop calling me Master Mundok and call me grandpa!" He roared.
Huh? "That's the problem?! You and I are not blood relatives!" Hak retaliated.
The two began to fight. Not seriously of course. Their punches had no real strength as they swung at each other comically. "Who cares about the ties of blood?! That's nothing compared to the power of love!" Gramps argued back.
I rolled my eyes but turned as I noticed someone was watching. King Il.
What's he doing here? "Hey now." He interrupted. The two stopped and turned to the King, unaware he was there. "The Hiryuu Castle will collapse if General Mundok and Hak romp around."
Gramps immediately went onto his hands in knees. "My apologies, King Il!" Geez, always a suck up to him. "Ah, no worries." King Il brushed it off as Hak backed up to me.
I wonder if he was there when Hak called him His Chubbiness. King Il walked over to me and Hak. "Long time no see, Kiri, Hak. I've missed you two since you don't come visit as much as you used to." He smiled at us.
Hak rubbed the back of his head. "A commoner like us can't just casually . . ." Hak struggled with his excuse.
"We're just country bumpkins. Bumpkins don't belong in the Castle." I stated, shrugging my shoulders.
"Don't worry about such a thing. You're not bumpkins. Yona's also lonely without you two around." Hak laughed a bit. "That's a lie, Your Chubbiness." I nearly fell off the rail.
I looked at Hak in disbelief. Is he insane?! "Your Chubbiness?" The King asked, sweating a bit. Gramps whipped out his paper fan.
"Crap!" I grabbed the edge of the roof and flipped onto it as he began to strike Hak with it.
"How dare you call him 'Your Chubbiness'!" He roared. I peeked over and sweat dropped as he kept smacking Hak, who was now face pressed on the ground. I'm all too familiar with gramps wrath.
Idiot. "You mustn't use violence Mundok." The King sweat dropped. Gramps immediately went back on his hands and knees in apology next to a defeated Hak.
"Hak's straightforwardness is my favorite part about him. Here's a snack for you." He held out a piece of bread.
Hak held out his hand and the King placed it in his hand. I jumped back down. "Eh? Hak gets food?" I asked.
King Il smiled and turned, another piece of bread in his hand. "Of course I have some for you as well Kiri. So would you two stay in the castle as Yona's guards?" He asked.
Hm? Yona's guard? "Sure." I shrugged uncaringly.
"Your Majesty. Nobility is too much of a pain for me. Kiri, are you sure about it. This means no more cat naps on the roof. I can't enjoy a relaxing nap at home if I work for the castle or become a general and neither can you."
I threw my hands behind my head. "Eh? No naps? That does sound like a pain. Never mind, don't wanna." I turned, along with Hak and we began to walk away.
"Hak, Kiri." King Il called. We glanced back. "Your Majesty, you don't like weapons right?" I asked curiously.
"Then please find an extremely rare person who'll guard somebody without a weapon in hand." Hak finished. With that said we turned and walked off.
"Really Kiri, agreeing without thinking." Hak shook his head. I shrugged uncaringly. "I thought guarding a princess who doesn't leave the castle would be easy money." I defended.
Honestly I'm not a big fan of royal or nobility. They're usually a bunch of snobs with too many rules. I don't do well with rules. And I certainly can't function without naps.
Plus if Hak's not there to suffer with me it's just not worth it. No matter how much I love Yona.
Then again I do want to make sure she's always safe. She's like a precious little sister to me.
"But we'd get to be with Yona. You know. Girl of your dreams." Hak flushed before whacking my head. "Ow! What was that for?!" I shouted.
He glared at me. "Shut up! She is not!" I looked at him weirdly. "Huh?! You've had a thing for ever since we met her you little brat!"
We were in a glare off. "Hak! Kiri!" Huh? We turned to see Princess Yona run our way. "Yona." I was a bit surprised to see her.
We'd be leaving in a bit so I thought we'd miss her. She ran and hid behind Hak. "Hide me!" She pleaded.
I raised an eyebrow at our friend. "Princess Yona! Where are you? Princess Yona!" A voice called out. That voice? A familiar guy walked around the corner.
"Eh? Tae-Jun huh?" I watched the idiot look around for her before turning another corner. "Princess you should play a prank without getting caught." Hak said, glancing back at her.
She frowned. "That's not it." After we were sure he wouldn't come back around Yona stopped hiding and faced us, explaining the situation.
"Huh? He's coming onto you?" Hak asked. She simply nodded. Hak stared at her for a second before bursting out into a fit of laughter.
"It's true! That guy, Tae-Jun, he frequently visits the castle giving me gifts and asking me out."
Hm? Is that so? Well Yona is very pretty, beautiful actually. She's the jewel of our Kingdom. But then again it could be for ulterior motives as well. "Is that so? The Fire Tribe's leaders son?"
She nodded and pouted. "He's really persistent!" She complained, looking down. "Why don't you just tell him? That you've already set your heart on Soo-Won."
Ghek! Hak you don't say that! Yona's face flushed, catching Hak's attention. "Well . . . it's an unrequited love. And if I say that, Soo-Won himself will hear about it too." She started mumbling with embarrassment.
Hak closed his eyes. "Well it doesn't concern me."
Hak . . . idiot. Saying the opposite of what you want to say. "Don't talk like I'm being a pain!" She frowned at him.
Hak merely looked away. Ah-ah. Unrequited love is a troublesome thing for both of them. "Then just go along with it and paly nice with Kan Tae-Jun."
He turned and started to walk away. "You're so cold Hak. If it was Soo-Won he'd never say something like that." I tensed and quickly glanced at Hak.
Sure enough he heard her mumble. He tensed and turned fast.
"Then go cry to Soo-Won asking for his help!" Hak shouted, jealousy seeping into his face. Yona jumped in surprise and we watched as he walked off.
Once he was out of view Yona looked down. "I didn't mean to make him mad." She said. I smiled lightly and pat her head.
"I know. Hak is a little difficult. But he's still your friend. After all, we've been friends since we were children. Something like this is so small. You should apologize. The sooner we get through this the better, right?"
She stared at me before smiling. "Yeah!" She turned and rushed off. "Uh? Yona? Hak went the other way!" I called.
She turned to look at me and grinned. "I'll be there!" What is that girl planning? Oh well. Guess it's time to comfort my love sick brother.
I found him with Gramps in the room we're borrowing. It really has three walls, the other there wasn't any, just a view of the garden.
It's a bit up from the ground as well. Hak lay on his side, looking out the open.
"Ah! Let's hurry up and go back to the Wind Tribe's mansion, General Mundok." Hak said, obviously upset.
"What are you aggravated about? And call me grandpa." He stood. I crossed my arms. "He fought with a girl he likes." I stated.
Hak turned fast to glare at me. "Shut up Kiri! And I'm not aggravated." He stated, turning back. Gramps began to leave. "You are aggravated." Gramps and I spoke in unison before he left.
I sighed, shaking my head. "You didn't have to snap at her. You were being pretty cold." He ignored me. Suddenly a pebble landed by him.
What the?
Yona peeked up. "Princess Yona." Hak seemed surprised. He sat up and I walked over. "Why are you here?" He asked. She hoisted herself over the tall ledge and placed a few fruits in front of Hak.
"I'm sorry about before. You got angry because I was acting so faint hearted right?" I sweat dropped.
No, he was just jealous. "I'm the proud Princess of Kouka Kingdom. I'll stop twiddling my thumbs and try to do something on my own. Later." She hopped back down. "H-hey!" Hak called.
She moved her hand up and pointed at the fruit. "Those are for you. A bribe to be friends again." With that said she walked off.
I laughed loudly. "You have to admit, Yona's pretty great. Go to your Princess." Hak didn't say anything, but he grabbed a piece of fruit and took a bite out of it.
Smiling at my brother I turned and left. My mind made up. And I'm sure his as well.
I found King Il after a bit of searching. "Huh? Kiri, what a pleasant surprise." Smiling, I kneeled in front of him.
"I, Son Kiriya, will protect Princess Yona with all my heart." He blinked in surprise before smiling widely. "Thank you, Kiri. I'm counting on you."
I nodded sharply and stood. "Hak will find you and tell you the same thing." I stated.
He kept his wide smile. "Eh? Really?" The two of us began walking. "Yep. After all, Yona is our precious friend."
He closed his eyes happily. "I'm so glad to hear that." There are a lot of reasons why I didn't want to be a guard. But only one was needed to sway my mind.
Yona.
Wherever she is, is where I want to be. And I know Hak feels the same. Like me, he has a lot of reasons why he doesn't want to become General or her guard.
More then I can count.
But only one thing matters. Yona. The princess who easily captures hearts.
A guard soon ran over to us. "King Il! Kan Tae-Jun is bothering the Princess!" My temple throbbed and I ran towards where he came from. "Ah! Kiri!" King Il called.
I ignored him and easily heard the commotion. Tae-Jun was grabbing Yona's arm, bringing him to her. Ah hell no!
I started to run but stopped as I watched Hak grab his hand and pull him away before going to Yona's side.
King Il jogged over and stood by my side as well and we watched curiously. He grabbed Yona's shoulder and brought her to him.
"Eh." I murmured, amusement bubbling within me. "I-Insolent man! To touch the princess so freely!" The long haired buffoon shouted at my brother.
Of course Hak had a smug look on his face, unfazed by him. "That goes for you too. Whose permission did you get to touch my princess?"
I blinked once, twice, three times. So he finally went and said it. "L-Lying brat!" Tae-Jun said, stepping up to them.
"It's not a lie. The Princess and I have had a commitment with each other since our childhood days. Right, Princess?" Hak looked down at Yona, who had one hand on Hak's chest due to him holding her close.
"Huh?" He wrapped his arm around her in a nice, awkward, embrace. "Princess, don't be shy." Hak continued.
Yona smiled, understanding his actions. "O-oh my! Stop, we're out in public." I quickly smacked my hand to my mouth to muffle the laughter that was dying to come out.
This is gold!
"Princess, you like this guy?" Tae-Jun asked, worried of her response. Hak dropped one arm but kept the other around her.
Yona grabbed his arm and held it to her chest. "I like, I love him!" She declared.
The blush on Hak's face didn't go unnoticed and I crouched down, my laughter becoming increasingly difficult to control. This is just great!
"I won't allow that!" The Fire brat declared. Hm? King Il began to walk closer to them.
"A guy like you making a commitment with the princess?! I am the second son of General Kan, who is the leader of the Fire Tribe! Just who the hell are you?!" He demanded. Pulling out his lineage I see.
I began to walk closer as well. "I am Son Hak, the next General of the Wind Tribe. I have direct orders from the King to be Princess Yona's personal guard. Do you still object?" I smirked. That's what I thought.
The brat clicked his tongue and grabbed the hilt of his sword. Please. Like a loser like him could beat my brother.
"Then show me what you have!" He began to draw it, but King Il quickly grabbed the blade, stopping him from unsheathing it.
My eyes widened in shock at his action. "Your Majesty!" Tae-Jun turned to the King in shock. "You mustn't." He simply said, not even a trace of anger in his voice. Like this meant nothing.
He let go and Tae-Jun put the sword back. "P-Please forgive me!" He turned and began to run off. "Oh it's no biggy."
I just stared at him in shock as he held his hands behind his back. The one that grabbed the sword was bleeding, dripping onto the rug. King Il . . .
"I didn't know you two were in that kind of relationship." He spoke, a smile on his goofy face. I grinned and stepped up, placing my hands on my hips.
"Hey, we should start planning the wedding. Right, Your Majesty?" He nodded his head in enthusiasm as the two in front of us jumped apart, both blushing profusely.
"F-father! Kiri! You got the wrong idea!" Yona shouted, embarrassed that we had witnessed it.
"I figured he'd quit coming here if I said that." Hak explained. I smirked. "Sure, sure. Before you know it the two of you will say your wedding vows."
They both glared at me, making me laugh loudly. "Hak, you finally decided to take up the role of Yona's guard. I knew I could count on you and Kiri." King Il said excitedly.
Hak sighed but smiled lightly. "It'll cost you." He said smugly, but didn't disagree. King Il bowed his head lightly. "Please take care of Yona."
Hak and I glance at each other. I went by his side and the two of us went on one knee, head bowed. "As you wish." We spoke together.
The king and Yona began to walk away. The cowardly king I knew wasn't as much of a coward as I thought.
This father daughter duo sure are troublesome. But I can't leave them alone, and neither can Hak.
~Present~
I glanced down at a sleeping Yona and Hak. We were all a bit of a mess because of our running. I certainly didn't anticipate this.
Hey, King Il. Are you still with us somewhere, watching over us? I wonder.
I glanced back down to see Hak wipe some of Yona's tears. Idiot king. Leaving such a daughter behind. But we will protect her.
Hak and I will protect Yona to the bitter end! And I will protect both of them.
My precious brother and sister. Two children you adored so much, I will ensure their survival. No matter the cost, they will live.
~Ten Years Ago~
"Sleeping in snow is nice." I yawned, waking up from my sleep. "Ugh!" Hak cried out. I turned to see Yona had stepped on Hak. "You're heavy." He complained.
I sat up facing Yona and Soo-Won. "Hak?! Kiri?!" Yona asked in confusion. "Yay! It's Kiri and Hak!" Soo-Won cheered childishly.
"Watch your step princess! Just when I was feeling good." Hak complained. I stood up and brushed the excess snow off of me.
"In her defense, we were laying on the ground." I defended her. Yona looked at us strangely. "Why are you two lying down in a place like this?" She asked curiously.
I grinned and gave her thumb's up. "Napping!" Her and Soo-Won fell a little at that before standing straight. "Geez, Kiri, you never change." I chuckled at that.
We glanced down at Hak who was still laying on the ground. "I'm making a mark, living proof, on this earth." He answered.
What now?
"Huh?" The three of us asked. "If you see white snow on the ground, it's human nature to want to dive into the snow with arms and legs stretched out!"
Well he's got a point there. Ah? Yona made a mischievous face and bent down, gathering snow and forming a ball.
While Soo-Won was admiring Hak's explanation, Yona dropped it on Hak's face, silencing him. She held another snowball in hand.
"You make a great target for a snowball." She smiled down at him. Hak sat up. "Oh?" He then began throwing snow at Yona, who in turn, threw some back.
Grinning I began to throw snowballs at Hak as well. "Kiri?! You'd betray your brother?!" I ducked, avoiding a snowball.
I grinned and chucked mine, hitting his face. "Of course!" I stated. The three of us continued our battle. "Way to go Hak! Yona's energy is back!" Soo-Won cheered as he watched our fight.
However . . .
We sat in a room. Yona is lying on a futon, washcloth over her head. Playing in the snow made her sick.
"Yona's energy is gone." Soo-Won cried. I glanced at Hak. "It's your fault." He frowned at me. "Hey, you were throwing snow too." He defended, but glanced down at her.
"I guess playing in the snow was tough for a princess." He admitted.
I nodded in agreement. "I'm sorry Yona." Soo-Won apologized. "If you take your medicine and rest in bed, you'll get well." The nurse said, packing her things. "Hey, where is father?" Yona asked.
"The King is busy right now, but he'll come over soon." She reassured before leaving us in the room. "Don't worry Yona." I spoke.
The boys nodded. "When the King hears that the princess is sick, he'll come rushing over." Hak said confidently.
Soo-Won and I nodded in agreement. "You three can leave now. You shouldn't get close to me." She said.
I waved her off. "It'll be alright. I feel just fine. My body's nice and warm right now." Soo-Won told her.
Hak pointed at himself. "I still see snowball hallucinations from playing too much!" Hak stated.
I frowned at that. "Eh? Those are clouds moron." Soon the three of us collapsed, eyes spinning. I don't feel too great.
"Nurse! You got more patients!" Yona shouted, waving her arms madly. The nurse came back and set up futons next to Yona and gave us medicine before leaving again.
I lay next to Hak who was next to Yona, who is next to Soo-Won. "I should have guessed there weren't supposed to be clouds next to my head." I grumbled, feeling embarrassed. "Don't you three need to go home?" Yona asked us.
"They said it's better if we stay here to prevent an outbreak. But recently I've been holding hands with Yona while we sleep, so it's the usual."
Hak and I sat up quickly at Soo-Won's words. "EH?!" I shouted in surprise.
"You guys do that?! We're going to leave." Hak stated. I nodded my head in agreement.
Soo-Won sat up, smiling. "No, the four of us can hold hands!" Hm, that's not too bad I suppose.
Suddenly the sliding doors opened to reveal gramps. "Grandpa!" Hak and I said in surprise.
However he did not look happy. Fire burned around him. "Twerps! You threw snow at the princess and gave her a cold?!"
My eye twitched and I laughed nervously. "It's common courtesy to throw snow if it's right in front of you." Hak defended, his eye twitching.
Gramps brought out the whip. We're screwed. "Turn around! I'm going to give you a whipping!" He declared. I yelped and hid behind Hak.
"Please stop General!" The nurse interrupted. "They're sick." She scolded. Gramps turned, slumping. He looks so dejected.
Well he did get scolded. "We'll stay here. We'll be killed if we go home." Hak stated, dropping his head.
Gramps is very loyal to King Il and the princess. He does not take it well when they are troubled. "That was the leader of the Wind Tribe, General Mundok right?" Soo-Won asked.
Hak and I nodded, a bit exhausted from gramps little performance. "And?" I asked, wondering what he was getting at.
Soo-Won smiled, a light blush on his face. "General Mundok is my hero. I didn't know he was your grandfather!" He smiled happily.
"Kiri and I are orphans. We're not related to gramps or each other by blood." Hak explained. Yona and Soo-Won stared at us.
"Oh, is that so . . ?" Soo-Won trailed off, unsure of what to say. "But . . . Mundok came. He likes you two, Hak, Kiri." She smiled at us.
I blushed a bit. Mundok does really care for us. "I don't know." Hak said, a light blush on his cheeks as well.
Footsteps could be heard. We looked to the door, wondering who was here. They slid open to reveal Yu-Hon.
"F-Father. Why are you here?" Soo-Won asked as Yona hid under the covers in fear.
"Is it weird to come visit a sick son?" Soo-Won looked down bashfully. "You're going to catch a cold from me." He fiddled with his fingers.
Yu-Hon kneeled down in front of his son. "You think I will lose to your cold virus?" He asked Soo-Won. "N-No! But I heard you were very busy around this time of the year."
Yu-Hon is brother of King Il, Soo-Won's father, Yona's uncle. He's known far and wide as a great General.
"Quickly murder this measly sickness." I sweat dropped. I guess that's one way to word it, but is it such a great idea to say that to a child? "Ok!" Soo-Won said cheerfully.
I stared at the two, even as Yu-Hon left. How could that over bearing man create an airhead like Soo-Won? They look nothing alike.
Hak and Yona made a remark of it being scary, whereas Soo-Won said it was a great day. "Soo-Won, you're not right in the head." I murmured, shaking my head before lying down.
When the nurse came by to give us our dinner, Yona didn't pick up her chopsticks. Actually, she's been a bit weird since the visits.
I don't blame her, she wants her dad to visit.
We all stared at her worriedly. "Princess, please take at least one bite." The nurse asked. She was also concerned with Yona's appetite.
"I don't want it." Yona answered, looking down at the food in front of her. The nurse bowed and left us alone. "Yona, you need to eat a little." Soo-Won said.
"You're going to look uglier." Hak added. I elbowed him roughly. "If you don't eat you won't get better." I told her. Yona didn't say anything, she just looked down.
Stupid king. Where are you? You're daughter is sick. "Has the King not come to visit?" A voice asked. We looked up to see two shadows behind the door to the room.
One being a nurse, the other a guard. "Yes. I told His Highness about the princess but . . ." She trailed off.
"Well it is him. Perhaps he's so afraid of catching a cold that he can't even come close to his daughter." Why those lousy-!
Yona looked down dejectedly. "Silence!" Soo-Won shouted. The two jumped a bit before leaving, their shadows nowhere in sight. "Don't listen to those morons Yona." I told her, glaring at where they once were.
"A King is a King. I'm thinking better of that guy for still doing his job at a time like this." Hak said. Yona's eyes widened and she immediately perked up and smile widely. "Yup!"
The four of us soon went to bed shortly after. The moonlight seeped through the windows and was the only source of light in the room.
Suddenly a loud growl came from Yona. I blinked. "That was a huge growl. Ouch!" Hak teased and Yona reached over and hit his head. "You had it coming." I laughed.
"Are you hungry Yona? I'll have them bring you something." Soo-Won grabbed the bell the nurse left behind. He rung it and the nurse came in.
He explained Yona was hungry. She left and soon returned. "Chicken porridge!" Yona cheered gleefully. It's her favorite. We smiled at her as she happily took a bite.
However her face paled and she did not look as happy anymore. She set it down quickly. "It tastes unbelievably bad!" She said, turning a bit blue.
"Does it . . . taste bad?" The door opened to reveal and embarrassed King Il. "Father!" Yona shouted in surprise.
"I made that." He said, walking over to us. Eh? King Il made her food? "To show you how sorry I am for not being able to come see you, I thought I'd make your favorite dish. I followed the recipe but . . ." He trailed off.
Yona looked down at her food. She then began to eat it again. "Huh? I thought it tasted bad." King Il said.
Yona closed her eyes and smiled, tears in the corner of her eyes. "It tastes really bad!"
Hak, Soo-Won, and I smiled, happy that she finally got to see her dad. We were really worried about her. It's a good thing he showed up.
The next day we were all better and we were out in the snow, staring at the rising sun. "Darn, we're all better." Yona pouted.
"You sound disappointed princess." Hak noted. She looked away. "Nuh-uh." She defended herself, making me chuckle. "I'm disappointed." Soo-Won admitted.
Hm? "Because you won't be able to sleep next to the princess?" Hak teased. Of course it had no effect on Soo-Won.
"I can sleep next to Yona anytime, but I wanted the four of us to be in bed with a cold forever and ever." He said, looking up at the sky.
Eh? Is that so? "I wish that too." I admitted, smiling at the ground. "We don't have to have a cold. It's easy to just stay together." Hak stated
"You're right." Soo-Won smiled. I grinned. "Sounds like a lot of fun." Yona smiled widely.
"Soo-Won, Hak, Kiri. Come play with me tomorrow too. Come play forever and ever!" She cheered happily. "Forever and ever." I agreed.
~Present~
"Forever and ever, huh?" I wondered aloud, staring at the sun set. "That won't be happening, huh, Soo-Won? You idiot." I shook my head.
Suddenly Yona started crying. I looked down to see Hak had returned with water. Yona must've woken up to see he wasn't there.
Yona . . . "I'll catch fish." I said, walking over to a nearby stream. After a bit, I caught a few fish and Hak started a fire to cook them with.
I glanced at Yona. She's getting weaker and weaker. Not just physically, she can't face reality even over time.
"You should eat, even a little. I don't know if we can secure food from here on out." Hak tried. Yona just stared off into space.
She hasn't spoken. Not once. Yona wouldn't eat so she took a bath by a waterfall. I was gathering some water while Hak was waiting for her to finish.
"Ah!" Yona screamed. I dropped the water pouch and turned, jogging towards them. Hak was kneeled in front of a naked Yona, picking off leeches from her legs.
"What . . . are these?" She asked. I kneeled down and picked one off her shoulder. At least she spoke.
"Leeches. Don't move." I said as Hak picked off the rest from her legs. "They live in ponds and swamps and suck on blood." He explained to her.
"Blood?" Yona asked, a bit fearful. "Don't worry, it's nothing serious." I assured her.
Hak jumped, suddenly realizing she was naked. He quickly set her clothes down and turned away. "I'll leave your clothes here. We'll leave when we get our stuff together." He walked away.
I stared at Yona. "Come, let's get you dressed." I helped her put her clothes back on. Her eyes . . . they look almost dead. Will she stay like this forever?
Not eating, just walking because we're pulling her hands. She's like a doll.
Are you satisfied, Soo-Won?! The days we spent together, the princess that we cherished, you destroyed all of that! Are you satisfied?! Huh? Soon-Won!
After I finished getting her dressed we headed out. By nightfall we set up camp in a cave. I went to work with setting up the fire.
As I was kindling it, I noticed Yona moving about, like she was looking for something. "What's wrong? Did you lose something?" Hak asked her. She glanced at him before back at the fire.
Is it the hairpin? Of course it is, what else would it be? Hak offered her some more fish, to which she merely shook her head. A distant look in her once lively violet eyes.
She stood, surprising me as neither Hak or I had made her. "Where are you off to?" Hak asked. "I-I'll be right back." She murmured, walking off.
She moved on her own. Hak stood, glaive in hand. "I'll go after her." He said, jogging out.
I watched the flames dance. Yona . . . please, show me your smile. At least once more.
After a bit, they returned. A serious look on Hak's face. "What happened?" I asked, standing up. "K-Kiri. Hak was bitten by a snake." She glanced at his ankle.
"What?" I kneeled down and grabbed his leg roughly, pulling it to me. Pulling up his pant leg, I saw two marks.
I brought it to my lips and began sucking out the poison and spitting it out. "Is this what you were looking for?" Hak asked, holding up the hairpin.
I glanced up, still sucking out poison. I see. Yona didn't say anything. She didn't have to. It's written all over her face.
She took it from him, staring at it attentively. "I will not forgive Soo-Won. But more importantly, I want you to live. You willfully walked on your own for the first time since we came into the mountains to find that. Right now, I'll take anything that'll keep you going." Even feelings she still can't get rid of, huh?
Oh Hak. Why do you do this to yourself? Well, I can understand. I will never forgive Soo-Won for what he did to Yona, to Hak, to me.
But if her feelings for him is the only thing keeping her going, I won't say a thing. Because Yona must survive. She absolutely must. No matter what.