It was dead silent. No words were exchanged in-between them, as Hak's previous threat still lingered in the air. He was not joking; no he was dead serious. Hak can be all fun and games, until you piss him off. That's when shit gets real.
Rue felt an ominious aura and at once became alert. Her neon eyes flashed for a second before they calmed down. Her mind raced as she remembered her job. She couldn't stay here. She just can not.
"Where were you?"
"Huh?"
"Where were you all this time, Rue? You can not just dissapear whenever you want and just come back."
"Hak."
The tone of her voice made Hak look straight into her eyes, and flinching when he saw the look in her yellow eyes.
Why am I feeling so afraid of her eyes?
"What are you doing here Hak? You don't belong here. You don't belong with me. Your present and future is someone else, and that someone is not me." Her tone so soft as if she were analyzing her words before they were spoken.
Sometimes in life, you meet some people, who leave an effect in us. But sometimes instead of asking them to stay near us, we send them away in hopes that they would happier, at the cost of anything. Even our own happiness.
No matter how difficult it is for us to sent away the only people who we love, we do it because we believe that happiness is for them, it is somewhere where we are not there.
How sad it is that we give up our own happiness, our own love and sometimes our very soul for the happiness and peace of someone else? How long must we be hurt before it becomes too much? We may never know.
Rue was doing something similar to that. For Yona's happiness. For Hak's happiness. For Ki-Ja, Shin-Ah and Yun. For Jae-Ha.
Her encounter with each dragon made her realise, that she had no role in Yona and Hak's life. She never did.
"Join us. Stay with us. Believe us. Love us. Trust us. More importantly, smile with us. Ever since your mother died, I have never seen you truly smile. You don't even cry! How long will you torture yourself? We are right here, standing beside you. Reaching our hand out, just grab onto."
"Hak......"
And in that moment, for a second, just a second, Rue felt like that she could actually belong somewhere. But his next words shattered her that feeling.
"Yona needs you Rue. She is lost without you. She deserves the love of her only family. She deserve at that much."
How stupid of me to think he cared about me. It's never me, it's always Yona. It's always her. And it's never me.....
"Hak, I'll say this once so listen carefully and make sure this reaches her, Yun and the dragons as well."
Hak widened as her next words left her lips, as her eyes remained blank.
—
Hak entered the camp, his eyes blank, and the others ran over to him. Yona came forward and asked the one question that revolved around their minds.
"Hak. What happened? Where's Rue?"
"Say something Hak." She desperately said.
"Give me a moment." He said from his spot on the rock.
Following his words they took their seats and listened carefully.
He told them everything that Rue said. Her words fresh as a new wound in his mind.
"Yona may be my sister but she and I have lived different lives. The Rue you all knew died with her mother. Gone. Buried six feet under and she is never coming back. Her sister died a long time ago. She and the dragons mean nothing to me. I don't care what happens to them, or even if they die, it doesn't matter to me. I wanted to believe in the dragons. But now? I despise them. The very dragons, because of whom I lost everything and everyone.
I despise Yona for her selfishness. She only cares about her revenge against Soo-Won, just like you. She doesn't even know what she is gonna when she finds them all!
Tell them to grow up. Remember something Hak. I am not a friend nor am I an enemy. I am nothing to you people."
"That is what she said."
Yona got up and ran to the tent, and the males looking at her sadly.
"Rue hates Yona that much? Who is Rue, really, like what is her status in the castle? Why is she so bitter about people? Why Hak? This is not some sibling rivalry is it?" Yun asked suspiciously.
"You are right. This is not some sibling rivalry. Trust me, you don't want to know." Yun gulped nervously.
—
Rue lays on her back on the roof, and stares at the night sky. Her arms beside her as she remembers the innocent childhood skies.
Her yellow eyes were dim, all her feelings were dim as she blankly stared at the Moon and the stars. Her ears picked up the sound of wind and the aura of another person.
The person lands beside her in the roof, and looks at her. His hair covering half of his face. He smirked slightly and sat beside her, as she sat up.
"M'lady. Nice to see you here."
"I am afraid I can't say the same thing about you Ryokuryuu."
"Now, now I would prefer it if you wouldn't call me by that name. It is kinda, er, annoying, that name. Call me Jae-ha."
"Flirt."
"Eh?"
"I'm calling you flirt."
"I'm fine with that."
They sit there in silence, at some Jae-Ha can't help but turn to look at her. His eyes widened when he took in the sight of her.
Her eyes longing looked at the Moon, as her hair was messily around her. At that moment. For some reason, Jae-Ha didn't see the fierce warrior he had encountered before, but instead saw a little child who lost all it's happiness.
"Jae-ha?"
He broke out from his trance and listens to her, muttering a small 'hmm?'
"Do you remember me?"
"Yeah of course M'lady I met you in town."
"Right." She sighed.
"Hm?"
"What was your village like?"
His face darkened at the mention of his previous dwelling place.
"Why don't we skip this question?" His voice had a strange strain to it. Rue never looked at him while talking to him, keeping her eyes to the moon.
"I can not help but wonder, what would make you run."
"Rue, you are rather intrusive in my past."
"Do you know that I despise the four dragons including Hiryuu? I despise the very existence of dragons. I hate them for everything."
His eyes darkened as he took in her words.
"Now why would you do that? Must I remind you, that we dragons are also humans? We have feelings too."
"I never said you weren't. I hate the fact that you guys actually have a purpose in this world. You get to choose your life. You get choices. I hate it."
Jae-Ha never thought about it that way. Rue still never looked at him.
"You do, too. Everyone has a right to choose their life. They get to make decisions that can help them have a future. I believe that everyone has a purpose."
"Is that so? I wonder." She said in a strange tone. He took one more glance at the Moon, and looked back at her.
"Do you have a dream M'lady?" He asked softly.
Rue reached her hand towards the moon, her fingers spread and she pulled them into a fist.
".....back home." She softly muttered.
"Hmm?"
"I dream to go back home. To be loved for who I am. To be accepted. I dream to be able to dream." She said in a somewhat longing voice.
Jae-Ha could only stare at her in shock. How much pain did she go through, to forget how to dream? How much was she hurt?
Sometimes in life, when we are hurt too much, we just stop reacting at some point. We dream to be able to know that we have a future. A spark. A light. That's all we ask for.
She was also no different. Her pain was different but her feelings were the same: to feel wanted. Sometimes the only thing we want in life is to be wanted. To be accepted for who we are.
She got up from her spot and walked to edge. Following her Jae-Ha also stood up, but never left his spot. Her lips curled into a smile as she turned to face him, her hands behind her back.
"Can you fly, Jae-Ha?" She asked.
"I'm the Ryokuryuu, I was born to fly." He smiled charmingly.
"Then, why do you limit your feelings to the ground?" She smirked and fell back. Jae-Ha rushed towards and looked down to see no hint of her. He let out a chuckle.
"What am I going to do with this reckless woman?" He sighed.