You may not have known it, but back then, the Earth was so very small.

In the eyes of the heavens, it was but a mere speck of dust: meaningless and unassuming. If it were to fall to flames and ashes we dragons would eat it up whole, snap it between the whites of our teeth and slide it readily into the caverns of our open mouths. We would have felt no remorse, no pity, and no heartbreak either for such a deed.

However, there came a time when I, Hiryuu, ventured down to this little world - an act of the curiosity and wonder I had felt toward this sphere of rock, water, wind and fire. My scales had turned into fleshy skin, and my beautiful crimson body took the form of sinewy red hair that trailed down my back like an uncontrollable wildfire. No longer was I the lithe and graceful dragon born into legend, I was something awkward and weak - a barrage of knobby joints that stuck out from uncouth limbs, with sensitive eyes that shied away from the the bright light of dawn, that bled water when moved by feeling or the touch of another, and a heart that beat in time with the voices of others just like me.

I was beautiful; I was human.

I was a king, and I ruled my kingdom with a heart that swelled deeply for its people. Only, there was something oddly deterring about human nature. Like a double edged sword, the things that made me the most happy (my people - my fellow humans) also made me the most sad (they raged war, they killed, and threatened the peace I had so longed for). It got so bad that the kingdom I had promised to rule was plunged into darkness. No longer did these creatures look to their gods for help. I saw hatred and blackened fire swimming in their eyes and knew immediately that I could no longer sit idly by.

I took up a sword.

I was only human. My bones could be broken, my skin cut and bruised, and my breath ragged after too much exertion. After a while I was captured - taken captive by my fellow humans who only wanted my power. My brothers saw and rushed to my side.

You should have seen it: these dragons from which you were born, their elegant bodies traversing through the smoke-laden air down from the heavens to my side. If you could only hear their voices, booming with heart and soul and absolute authority. They told me that these humans should be punished for abandoning their gods and for waging a war such as this: for defying me, their king.

But they didn't understand.

I could no longer go back to the heavens, for I was not simply a dragon anymore; I was human. I understood my people's plight. I loved them: these creatures created with both good and bad within their veins and in between the spaces of their bones. I loved their faults, their insecurities, their weaknesses, because that's what made them who they were.

That's what makes us human.

So they could hate me and betray me and it wouldn't matter, because my love for my people ran deeper than any cut inflicted upon me. I refused to return to the heavens. My brothers mourned of course, and wept for me out of love and respect. What they did after, was something I will never forget. These four dragons, my brothers, gave their blood to four warriors. They told them to protect me, to use their powers for that very purpose, and to never leave my side until the very end.

This was how you were created.

Hakuryuu, white dragon, you were born from the blood of my first brother, given a claw that could grow to immense sizes, that could slash and cut through anything, and had ten times the strength of a normal person. You had silky white hair that glowed brightly when caught in the sun, and a pale and smooth complexion as fine as parchment paper. You fought hard, so hard in fact that sometimes you would forget how easy it was for your body to become exhausted. But you did it for me, and I will always appreciate that.

And Seiryuu, you my blue dragon, had been gifted with a pair of golden eyes. They were beautiful, bright and powerful, able to see for miles in any direction, even into the heart of another. Your power could, when evoked, produce hallucinations into the sanest of men, cause them to see your mouth poised over their bodies, their hearts clutched between your claws ready to burst. Your prey would become like stone. However, you were not to think of this power lightly, for like a double edged sword, the pain you inflicted upon others would be reverted back to you. You understood this well.

You too, Ryokuryuu, the green dragon gifted with a dragon's foot, were there by my side. I remember the way you soared in the air and jumped distances spanned out over miles in a blink of an eye. You looked so free. Your foot was powerful and strong, lethal too, ready to take down any foe that came in your way. There were times when you would place me on your back, and we would fly high up into the air. Sometimes it almost seemed as if we were reaching toward the heavens.

Finally, you Ouryuu, yellow dragon, there is so much to say about you. I did not know or see at first, but your power was one of the greatest, and also the saddest. Your heart was made out of steel, you carried sunshine wherever you went, and were determined to keep a smile on the face of anyone that crossed your path. Your body was strong, strangely so, and I would only understand years after my departure. It began with a cut, shallow so to speak, that turned into a slash, and then a gouge, and finally an all out decapitation. Your limbs were torn apart after your head, your bones smashed, and a normal man would have passed out from the sheer agonizing pain, but you stayed conscious.

And then you regenerated.

Your bones, fragile and glass-like, snapped back into place. Your skin wrapped around you like a bandage, pulling the bits and pieces of you tightly towards your core. Blood seemed to dissipate into the air, and left your body polished and new, fortified by an armor of scales that ripped through you. You were invulnerable steel forged into the body of a human. The dragon in you roared, declaring your new found strength. You were impervious to disease and did not die due to an empty stomach. Dare I say it, you were immortal.

But immortality comes at a price.

I do not need to remind you of that fact, nor do I intend to bring up painful memories of your past.

You all must understand I just want to tell you my thanks, and my utmost appreciation for what you have done for me. All of you, do you remember how we conquered that kingdom, founded the five tribes, and made a name of ourselves? Do you remember how alive we felt? I also wish to tell you that I'm sorry, for after our mission ended the dragon within me grew tired, and I fell into a deep forever slumber. But I have not abandoned you, my warriors.

I come to ask you one final request: protect her.

This girl who you have chosen to follow, you must feel it when she is near. The way the fire within her boils. You must feel the power that surges through her veins, that is final and absolute. Protect her, for she is me. This is why you were created, your purpose in this world. Follow her, she is your king, your master, your family. The path she leads is a righteous one, and although she may claim it selfish, the time will come for you to serve her in her darkest hour, and it will be for only good. She is pure and true, and loves you more than you could even fathom. If you knew how much she cared for you, it might crush you. Please, follow her, listen to her, and never leave her side.

The most important thing about her is not her power, or the strength she acquires - this is not what makes her special - it is the fact that she, above all else, is human.

Love her for that very reason.

Promise me?

Please?

.

.

.

I have not forgotten you either, darkness dragon. You are her light, her strength, her hope, her love, and her will to fight all wrapped into one. You have the heart of a man with the body of a beast, and you too have made me weep with a deep respect for the deeds you have done.

Take care of her, will you?

Kija woke up feeling both refreshed and conflicted. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, thinking that he must have had the weirdest dream. He could have sworn he heard the voice of Hiryuu in his mind. His master was telling them to protect Yona, and, if he remembers correctly, spoke of Hak…

Wait a minute.

Kija bolted upright. "DARKNESS DRAGON!?" He nearly fainted. "King Hiryuu, you really have some sense of imagination."

When the others woke up to a crying Kija, they were perplexed to say the least.