Summary: A sunny yellow dragon gave little Seiryuu a precious gift. Unfortunately, he has no friend to enjoy the game with. Ao, after a bit of hesitance, decides to do something about it. And, somewhere along the way, gets a better grasp of what it means to be thankful. (Warning: very slight mentions of suicide and rape.)
Disclaimer: Akatsuki no Yona and all its characters, including Shin-ah and Ao, belong to Kusanagi Mizuho who, by the way, isn't me.
"To see a World in a Grain of Sand
And a Heaven in a Wild Flower,
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand
And Eternity in an hour."
- William Blake
Birds flew high, rocketing heavenward. Within the earth tribe's vast territory, the shining summer sun sent its warm rays mercifully down to kiss even the coldest lands. The blue dragon's village, often bearing harsh rainy weather, for once enjoyed a rare, calm, blissfully sweet day. Paying no mind to their cursed heritage, the villagers went about, children laughing aloud, neighbors exchanging happy greetings, as if nothing in the world could harm them. What could? Except their deep-rooted fear of the monsters that were birthed and lived among them, no enemy had truly ever been able to lay a hand on them so much as to deserve their dread and resentment. The fact that those same monsters were the ones ensuring the village's safety, sometimes by means of self-sacrifice, seemed to go unacknowledged by most. Therefore the monsters, presently a thirty three years old man and a motherless child, were cast aside, ostracized from a wimpy society.
Near the river bank, before a mountainous horizon, the two were out in the clearing next to the modest hut they called home, far enough to not frighten or disturb their neighbors.
Bells shimmered afar, another gypsy caravan crossing the village maybe. They had those to keep evil spirits at bay.
Sitting cross-legged on the springing grass as he dully polished his old sword, beside a bonfire's ashen remains and a grilled hare's leftover bones, Ao thought a wall really wasn't a four years old boy's best playmate. For over two hours, he'd been watching, through a weakened peripheral vision, as Seiryuu softly kicked a ball against their dear shelter. It barely bounced back to him. The kid was too gentle; as if afraid a simple kick could send the makeshift building bricks crumbling apart like a bunch of play cards. Grimacing, the man sighed. He'd built that hut himself. It wasn't the type of fancy constructions nobles would pay trendy architects to put together, and it didn't have the best of foundations, but he was fairly certain a child's sheer strength wouldn't be enough to wreck it.
"Tsk, that boy doesn't know any better."
That ball was Seiryuu's only toy and also the very first gift anyone had given him, he who was bestowed no name. Ao figured his vision had gone worst quicker than he'd been prepared for, because, though he was merely a few feet away when it happened, he couldn't see who'd presented him with it. Apparently, it was a yellow dragon. That's what Seiryuu had said and, if true, that meant legends were coming to life as he slowly, ever surely, died. Ironically, he'd never been the type to believe in legends.
Putting his blade down, his blue tresses swept with the tilt of his head, dim eyes focusing to fully observe his small successor. Shying from the sunlight, as tall as three apples pilled on each other, the young dragon did seem like a lost character out of a dusty old book, likely a bedtime story left untold.
Sighing, the swordsman straightened up on his legs. Admittedly, the newest blue dragon was a good little fellow. Unlike others his age, he was not doted on by any caring parent and did not ask for much. Quiet by nature, even as an infant not once had he cried- which was a shocker considering their shared curse, throughout many generations, had a liking for crybabies. He was not fazed the first time he witnessed him kill bandits, either. He just stood silent, like innocence's very embodiment, not understanding that the dismembered corpses before him were as lively as marionettes with no strings attached. Though, he'd become more inclined to go teary-eyed as he grew older and had to face people's hatred head on. Frustrated, Ao harshness too had caused some silent tears to slide, behind his mask, down his pale cheeks. Said harshness often spawned from the single request he repeated tirelessly, driving Ao nuts, and that's: friends.
He wanted friends so desperately that it soon became a depressing subject to discuss between them both. Even as he tried to be content with his new game, Ao knew the boy wished he'd had somebody to play with instead of aimlessly tossing it around.
It couldn't be helped.
"Hey, brat!" On guard, Seiryuu flinched, griping the ball held close to his tummy tighter. His guardian pursed his lips in displeasure. He hadn't meant to scare him.
"Let me check that thing again for a second." Keeping his voice reassuringly calm and casual, he pointed with a movement of his chin to the ball in the kid's hands. Obedient, Seiryuu walked towards him, raising his precious gift above his own height so his elder wouldn't have to bend too low to reach it.
To detail it, Ao had to bring it up so close to his face, it almost looked like he was about to kiss the darn thing. Being near blind was nowhere near practical. But, sure enough, the worn leather was painted in fading dark blue, highlighted by a tad of vibrant red here and there that perfectly suited its young owner's birth colors. It was a nice present. To a person who'd been given nothing freely, any insignificant gesture was considered a nice present.
Staring down at the puzzled toddler, for a moment, he wished he'd gifted him with more than a weapon that wouldn't turn its edged tip on him when used. It was more than his own predecessor had given him. Still, in a better world where tiny monsters were not born with fragile hearts, a child wouldn't have to be thought how to dig a sword in someone's stomach. Damn it all and curse this poisonous blood that had promptly slain hope in his veins. If he'd known a different way, if he himself had been offered an alternative fate, then maybe he would've been able to give the poor kid a childhood. After all, he owed him at least that much. 'If only…'
That's too many ifs.
Bitter, trying to act bold, he never did appreciate his existence, yet, powerless against his power's wicked intent, didn't dare commit suicide. He felt the heavens wouldn't permit an insignificant jerk like him to break the circle, to sever Seiryuu's bloodline. The danger lurking in his eyes would've probably awoken to rip his will off of his body before he attempted anything too radical.
The idea that the life he often wanted to end belonged to his successor to drain, recurring, had sickened him. However, when he heard that the curse had passed on to its next vessel, he was glad. Head between his rough hands, happy for a change, he couldn't believe he would soon be allowed to die. The miserable being that'd be carrying such a heavy burden off of his drop dead shoulders hadn't crossed his mind until he found the baby in a basket, with his mask already on, abandoned at his doorstep. Being responsible for such a cute bundle, more precious than anything he'd been entrusted with before, had scared him shitless.
The devil had nothing on him. His sword, with its iron scars, was proof of what he'd done. How was he, a tactless loner whose sole talent was to yield a murderous blade, to raise a being so pure?
He just wanted to be left alone.
The father was unknown. The mother killed herself. That ruined everything.
Some people said the unlucky lady had fallen in love with a foreign merchant, hoping he'd take her away from their pit of a village to travel beyond the kingdom's borders. Having had his fun, the man supposedly left her behind, pregnant and fooled. Others assured, as if to her defense, that she'd actually been raped. All agreed an ill-fated child had been the last straw to sign her demise.
Ao didn't give a damn about their gossip. To him, the genitor was most likely another villager cowering in the shadows, keeping his mouth shut and pretending he has nothing to do with his cursed son. Just like his parents had done. What bothered him was that, in addition to his own death, the lad would have to live with the fact that his birth pushed his mother to her grave.
'What a splendid debut in an already dreary life. Welcome to the world, kiddo.'
After a while, busy learning how to nurture a baby, he dismissed these thoughts, burying his worries and praying they wouldn't rise again to haunt him. What was done was done. He vowed to himself that, when his moment comes, he'd make sure to show just how much he appreciated it.
Looking at the toy, then back at the by now perplexed boy, he assumed it wouldn't be too bad to share an activity other than swordsmanship training-which they'd been practicing tirelessly ever since Ao understood their time together was counted. There was something in the air that made him glad to be breathing. It felt like the perfect day to break habits and take things easy. Now, if only he could pick his wording right, muster the guts to say it…
"Can I play with you a bit?"
He said it.
Ao expected to deadlock in awkward silence. Quietness, though, with his midget of a successor was comforting, like a warm blanket on a snowy night.
Paralyzed, Seiryuu blinked once, twice, thrice under his mask. Staggering, the blankly uttered question struck him like a lightning bolt. His golden irises shone through the holes of his wooden mask with honest bewilderment. Realizing his imagination wasn't playing tricks on him, he vigorously agreed, nodding his head excitedly. "O-okay!"
His lips curved into a wide beam, the brightest and goofiest Ao had seen. Rushing a few feet away, miraculously not stumbling over, he eagerly positioned himself to face his unexpected playmate. Words were not needed for they couldn't express the joy that inflated his heart. "If we meet again, let's play, all right?", is what Ouryuu promised. He never dreamed Ao would be willing to play with him as well.
Unbeknownst to him, a strange relief washed over his predecessor. He thought he might get rejected but, fortunately, unlike the hateful figures that'd made themselves comfortable in the depths of his memory, his heir was happy to be around him.
'Thank you.' A warm feeling of fatherly love budded in his chest, though his expression didn't betray it.
Ao hadn't known love, any sort of love, especially not a woman's. Founding a family wasn't part of a sad blue dragon's fate. The damned, a man disregarded by death itself, couldn't produce life. Nonetheless- Same blue hair. Same cursed eyes. It was too easy to mistake the boy for his own, thus why he diligently reminded himself that he shouldn't-couldn't- get attached. The colder he was to Seiryuu the better. The childish existence that would bring his end couldn't go as far as give him a reason to live; he wouldn't stand it. Not when abandonment was just around the corner.
Kindness from him was like blood from a stone. It was for Seiryuu's sake, he reasoned. He, a goner, didn't want the boy to miss him. Better not give him any reason to.
Normally, they went about their daily routine without any parental bonding.
Today, against his better judgment, was an exception.
The ball rolled and caught between his feet, its size ridicule compared to his. He nudged it with the toe of his shoe, touching it cautiously to keep it close. 'How do kids play with this?', he wondered to himself. Taking their height difference into account, toss and catch was out of question-The ball would zoom straight over Seiryuu's head.
"Whatever," he muttered. "Ready?"
Gulping, Seiryuu bent his knees with his arms spread like a goalkeeper on edge. It appeared he took their spontaneous recreation almost as seriously as his curse-apprehension lessons. "H-Hai."
Softly, Ao kicked the ball forward. Seiryuu caught it with ease, a smile big enough for Ao to see clearly plastered on his chubby face. Pumped, the lad tried to shoot it back to no avail, the motor-force in his short limbs sending it to a stop midway between them.
Ao cut the distance separating them in half, passing it to him again. "Yo, brat, is that all you can do?"
The masked child pouted in embarrassment, but otherwise didn't respond to the teasing.
"C'mon, you can use your hands if you need to. Just toss it with everything you've got." To Ao's surprise, his voice came soft and warmer than per usual. Regaining confidence, the boy complied.
They spent the rest of the day dribbling and striking for no apparent goal. It would've been boring for anybody else. Ao didn't care. There was a shy smile on his successor's pale lips and a matching one tugging at his. If that was his share of joy in this life, he's settle for it.
"Watch it!"
Volleying aside, the ball rolled to the water sheet downhill. Obviously, Seiryuu ran to retrieve it, slamming his face on the muddy ground the moment he caught it.
Ao followed, lifting the small boy up from beneath his armpits. "Seriously!? You're such a mess!"
Seiryuu wiped his mouth clean with the sleeve of his grassstained top, ogling up at him.
Annoyed, the grouchy man quirked a quizzical eyebrow. "What?"
"Over...your... head," the boy said, pointing an index where mentioned, his gift held firmly under his left arm.
He blinked, finally perceiving the life around him. A grasshopper had nestled itself in his luscious blue locks, its song filling his ears. "Wha-Where the heck did it come from?"
Seiryuu pressed a hand to his mouth, choking down a giggle.
"Uh...?" His cheeks flushed pink. "Don't laugh at me, brat!"
Having an affinity with any living being that wasn't human, animals most notably, the adult gently cupped the insect in his hands and off his hair. He crouched down to 'the brat's' level, snatching his muddy mask off before he got the chance to scramble back.
Taken by surprise, Seiryuu squeezed his eyes shut; afraid he might hurt the grasshopper or, worse, his predecessor. The latter wanted to tell him to look, to see, to detail the world avidly, hungrily, because it could go to oblivion in the blink of an eye. Because, one day and sooner than most, he too will die.
Ao didn't want him to have regrets.
'Regrets?', the swordsman questioned himself. Was he- No, he had no regrets. Not today. The bad days were plenty efficient to turn an optimist to a hardcore nihilist, but, right when and where he was, he appreciated them for making this soft evening feel sweeter yet.
He toweled the mask clean, staring at it blankly before focusing on his successor.
"Open your eyes," he ordered. Funny how he used to despise those eyes when they were his, but didn't mind looking straight into them on his successor's infantile features. It was most likely due to his inability to hate the child. "It's safe. Nothing bad will happen."
Seiryuu did as asked. Violet, sapphire, peach, obsidian, emerald, a hint of silver, in two pools of gold bloomed in his sockets. His eyes sparkled with lively curiosity, suitable for one his age. Seeing as Ao thrust his open palm his way, with the grasshopper idly lingering on it, he tentatively, fearfully, reached for the insect, smiling when it didn't jump out of reach.
His guardian huffed at his delight. "This little bug's got more wits than all the villagers united. See?"
-He did.
Minutes later, the sun set, true to its cosmic ritual. Ao felt another piece of himself fade along with it.
Guilt, stronger than fear or anxiety, gripped at his guts, twisting his intestins. He wasn't sure he could walk away from this life. Sure as hell, he didn't want to leave Seiryuu alone.
Alas, that couldn't be helped now, could it?
'Dammit,' he though. 'I'm not dead yet! I need to let this go.'
People either die or leave you behind- he wasn't sure which option was his favorite. There didn't seem to be a difference.
The sky was painted a deep azure. Lying on his back with a mini blue dragon chasing grasshoppers at his side, the universe looked down upon him. For the first time in ages, he was not vexed for he knew it did so neither to belittle nor to curse him, but to acknowledge his existence.
Ao was grateful, very grateful. It's just that no one thought him how to say thank you before.
Silently, he was welcome.
This turned out so much wordier than I meant it to... *shrug* Thanks for reading! Sorry for the typos! And, if you will be so thoughtful, leave a review! Advises, encouragement, constructive criticism, and the like, are greatly appreciated.