A Thousand Years
Summary: A Zeno/Kaya centric story.
Two thousand years was a long time.
It was centuries worth of pain.
Of being alone.
Of fading memories.
Of losing the ones you loved.
Screaming to the heavens, begging.
Begging for death.
For a chance to reunite with his brothers.
With the Four Dragons.
With Hiryuu.
With Kaya.
He promised each and every one of them that this wouldn't be goodbye.
That he would see them again.
Some day.
In the Heavens, above the sky and the stars.
He would have to break that promise.
No matter how many years passed, no matter how long Zeno held her hand:
He would not be able to go with her.
Kaya's light and nimble fingers turned into bone and ashes.
He held onto it until it disappeared.
The Yellow Dragon just lied on the ground as the world passed on by.
Trees dropped there leaves and the pain in his stomach and his heart never ended.
Just like Zeno's time on this earth.
It would never end.
He would try to stop it.
Try to keep his promise.
And the Yellow Dragon's power would stop whatever attempt Zeno made.
Hundreds of years blurred together.
He forgot names.
He forgot faces.
But Zeno Ouryuu would never forget the girl who made his smile last.
He forgot his name.
Her face brought it back to him.
Kaya's face.
Her smile.
Her brown tilted eyes.
Her short hair.
His proposal of marriage.
The look on her face when she said yes.
He also remembered the look she had when their fleeting time together was finally over.
He also remembered the first time he felt Hiryuu's soul return to earth.
See Yona.
The new dragons.
Kija.
Jae-Ha.
Shin-ah.
He would never forget these people either.
He wouldn't forget the Miss.
Or the Mister.
Zeno would say goodbye to the Crimson Dragon King once more.
He would wait until Shin-ah took off his mask and look into Abi's tearing, pooling eyes again.
Like everything else, this time was fleeting.
He couldn't dare to hope.
Hope Yona/Hiryuu would return once more.
Or hope this time he would not live forever.
That he would finally age and die in peace.
Hold Kaya's hand in the skies, this time for an eternity.
Throughout the ages, the blood shed, the wars they never stopped.
Zeno screams and pleads never stopped.
What had he done, that made the gods give him such a curse?
A curse to be alone forever.
His heart broke when he began to forget their faces.
Shitun.
Abi.
Guntan.
He didn't want to forget.
That was the last thing he could hold on to.
If he couldn't remember than Zeno was just a particle floating aimlessly in a empty void.
He made himself remember.
He lost hundreds and thousands of years.
But nothing could stop Zeno from recognizing her face.
Yona, Hak and the others were in a village.
They were shopping with Yoon in a market place.
At first it was just a glance.
Then time stopped around him for the first time in a millennium.
It was her.
Her eyes.
Her smile.
Her hair.
Her voice.
Zeno just stared.
Stared in shock until his whole body quivered.
This was real.
This was real.
This was real.
This was real.
Kaya was standing in the midst of the crowd.
His wife.
His best friend.
His joy.
And one of the few things that ever mattered to him.
She came back.
Zeno couldn't breath.
She came back.
She waited.
And then came back.
She's smiling.
She's with friends.
Kaya's not sick.
Tears began to slide down the blonde's face.
Kija spoke to him.
Then Jae-Ha.
They all gave him puzzled expressions.
He couldn't see.
He could only hear her voice.
He took two steps forwards.
Yona grabbed his hand.
The world stood on end.
…
Zeno took another two steps.
It was her.
She came back.
She was here.
Two feet in front of him.
Kaya stared back, surprised.
He couldn't speak.
He couldn't breath.
In those small second two thousands worth of memories came flooding back, playing in front of his eyes.
Zeno lips parted.
This wasn't a hallucination.
This wasn't a dream.
Or a wish.
It wasn't the result of a broken mind.
Not this time.
The Yellow Dragon tried to swallow.
Tried to say something, anything.
If Zeno apologized he couldn't grantee not falling apart.
Falling down to his knees screaming.
Sobbing.
Begging.
Kissing her feet.
Her hands.
Her face.
Holding onto a susposedly complete stranger and never letting go.
Then she smiled.
Kaya, this girl, she smiled.
Her brown eyes tilted.
Just like she used to.
For a moment Zeno wondered if he was dead.
If this is what dying feels like.
Feeling lost, confused and happy.
Happy was…
Happy was new for Zeno.
Zeno wasn't sure if he could remember how to really be happy.
He wasn't sure if he could remember what living felt like.
Not since…
The girl spoke, "Hello."
Zeno's immortal body trembled like an earthquake.
He began to fall apart at the seems.
Her eyes widened.
Then to his surprise she began crying as well.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry I didn't mean to make you cry! Please forgive me..."
Hair fell over his eyes, tears dripped from his chin.
It was her voice.
This was real.
This was Kaya.
Kaya came back.
A sob erupted from the yellow dragon's mouth.
They were both in pieces.
Passing villagers stared at them oddly.
The reunited strangers crumpled to the ground, both holding onto each other tightly.
He wasn't sure she even remembered him.
If this was the same Kaya.
But it didn't matter.
What mattered was Zeno finally had a reason to live again.
He finally had a reason to wait two thousand years.
Sounds around them were distant, it was like they were underwater.
Zeno barely registered the words coming out of his mouth.
Or hers.
They were both apologizing.
His hand clasped onto hers.
It was soft.
It was warm.
It was no longer a skeleton.
It was real.
Zeno couldn't see through his blurred vision.
He couldn't hear the worried voices of his family.
He couldn't believe he was actually kissing her face, over and over again.
He couldn't let go of her hand.
He was here all over again.
He finally got to hold her hand.
But this time:
Hers squeezed back.
Fin.