Full Summary: Tucked away and hidden from the world, Kija had always assumed the other dragons lived in a similar state as he did. He and the entire village assumed the other dragons were cared for in a village that protected and honoured the lives of their respective dragon warriors.
Oh how wrong he was.
Or
Kija realises how awful Shin-ah's village treated him and vows to be the brother that Shin-ah deserves.
Growing up in Hakuryuu village was nothing extraordinary.
Despite being the Hakuryuu himself it was much like growing up with over-protective parents.
The only physical sign of any childhood trauma were the scars on his back. The scars ran deep into his pearly white flesh. They no longer looked as painful as they did when he was younger but he preferred to keep them covered. Looks of pity were not something Kija appreciated. The incident occurred when Kija was too young to remember. In a way, it was the only true thing he had left of his father. All of his passion and hopes and sadness had been clawed into Kija's back and reminded him of the man he never got a chance to know.
These scars were proof that while his childhood was stable and happy it wasn't easy.
Kija had been unaware of how luckily he truly was.
He'd longed to leave the village for a long time. He longed to find the king he was destined to serve and to make a difference in the world.
Tucked away and hidden from the world, Kija had always assumed the other dragons lived in a similar state as he did. He and the entire village assumed the other dragons were cared for in a village that protected and honoured the lives of their respective dragon warriors.
Never once did he consider that his dragon brothers were not living in anything near what he'd deem even remotely healthy.
Never once did he think that his precious dragon brothers were hurting more than he could imagine for all those years.
Never once did he imagine that his precious dragon brothers - the people he was bound to by means that logic and science could not explain - would be abused and hurt and ignored and treated in such a way that Kija wanted to puke.
The Seiryuu Village was not at all what he had expected and he suddenly hated his ignorance and blindness to his own brother's suffering. The people didn't regard the dragon's power with awe instead they looked upon it as a curse and cried for their children who'd been gifted with the dragon eyes of the gods.
Kija had been loved and respected by his village and Shin-ah had been feared and hated. They'd ingrained such a deep fear into the Seiryuu that he couldn't bring himself to even look Kija in the eyes.
The psychological trauma that ran deep could not be cured by the Princess' gentle hand or Kija's kindness.
They hadn't even bothered to name him.
The young Seiryuu went about his days nameless assuming he didn't deserve it as he was the person with the dragon eyes. He was the reason that his villagers suffered and were forced to hide away in the mountains.
If only Kija had known… surely he would have been able to save Shin-ah from the abusive village that he protected when his village deserved none of Shin-ah's kindness.
Shin-ah's quietness had unnerved him at first. The mask made it impossible to know what he was thinking and there was barely any body language to go off either.
When he'd taken the time to consider Shin-ah's circumstance he supposed the silence was expected.
The villages probably hadn't even tried interacting with him. They probably hadn't shown him any kindness or even respect.
He wondered when the previous Seiryuu had died and how long he'd been in Shin-ah's life before he was left alone in a world where everyone hated him.
Anger bubbled inside him. It wasn't fair. Shin-ah deserved to be happy.
Why should he be punished for something he had no control over?
Why was Kija's treatment so different?
Why did Shin-ah have to suffer for so many years while Kija had lived in the security of the village and his every need attended to?
Kija jolted upright from his slouched position as he noticed the presence of the Blue Dragon was very close to where he was.
He pulled himself from the ground and glanced around the forest through the dim moonlight to spot Shin-ah.
Kija wondered how Shin-ah saw the world. How far those eyes could see, that dark held no burden and blindfolds did nothing to hinder him. He felt awfully weak as he struggled to spot his companion.
The white mask weaved in and out of the trees appearing detached from the body that wore it. The movements were eerily precise, never once stumbling or bumping into anything.
It would be foolish to think Shin-ah hadn't noticed him.
He stopped just short of Kija's position against the large tree. He fumbled with something in his hands, looking down and his mouth pressed into a thin line. He was tense, as though he was not sure what to do with himself.
Kija waited patiently and patted the ground next to him.
Shin-ah gasped softly and Kija's heart slammed in his chest. Such small signs of affections still baffled him and it made Kija want to walk back to Shin-ah's village and tear the place apart. He snapped down on his anger for Shin-ah. Anger wouldn't help him.
Shin-ah slowly walked towards him and lowered himself next to Kija. He still fussed with the item in his hands which Kija noted was paper and his curiosity spiked. The group had recently discovered Shin-ah's artistic ability and so far no one but Yona had received a picture. Everyone had made a fuss, commenting on Shin-ah's talent. Flustered, he hadn't produced a picture since.
Shin-ah held out the piece of paper and opened his mouth "…for you, Kija"
Kija didn't know what he had done for Shin-ah to cause him to feel to give Kija a present but he still accepted the paper smiling brightly.
He unfolded the slightly brown and worn paper, the folds heavily imprinted. The paper opened up to slightly bigger than the full length of his human hand and delicate black markings spread the page. The image was of Kija. A close up of his head and shoulders and he was smiling revealing teeth and soft eyes.
Shin-ah's face had turned a light pink and his lips were pressed together in apprehension.
Kija's cheeks hurt from how hard he was smiling. Shin-ah was quiet, shy and easily put off but he'd gone to such effort – created a drawing, something that Shin-ah did not do often – just for him. His chest hurt from how hard it pounded in his chest in pride and appreciation.
Kija had always dreamed of what been united with the dragons would really be like. He expected noble warriors with drives as strong as his own. He did not expect to have to explain the wonders of the dragon origins to a dragon himself. He did not expect to be so captivated and proud of the Seiryuu who'd done nothing more than come to him with a crumpled piece of paper.
Kija knew the dragons were his brothers, but he never dreamed he'd call them his family. Even if Kija did not have the strength of the Hakuryuu in his arm, if Jae-ha did not have the strength of the Ryokuryuu in his leg, even if Shin-ah did not have power of Seiryuu in his eyes… he didn't think anything could pull them apart.
Shin-ah may have suffered through years of loneliness during his childhood but Kija would be damned if he wasn't going to be the family that Shin-ah had deserved all along now that they were finally together.
Kija gestured for Shin-ah to sit closer to him. A cool breeze drifted through and Kija's hair drifted into his face. He tucked the rebelling strands behind his ears.
Shin-ah ducked down next to him, the warmth from Shin-ah's shoulder pressed against his own fought off the unexpected chill.
"Shin-ah" Kija started, twisting his head to face him, "I am so happy you went to such effort to make me such a gift!"
Shin-ah's flushed cheeks eased slightly and he nodded sagely.
"… I wasn't sure if it was good… but I'm happy you like it" Shin-ah offered, hands clasped together between his knees.
Kija nodded and bumped Shin-ah's shoulder gently "It's amazing, little brother"
Shin-ah's small, barely visible smile was the cutest thing he'd seen all day. Almost everything Shin-ah did was adorable, now that Kija thought about it.
They weren't perfect. Far from perfect, but their odd family fit together like old worn pieces of a puzzle.
Individually, they only portrayed an incredibly small part of the picture and together they whole. Together they were stronger, better, happier.
Kija would make sure of it.
I wasn't as happy about this one as I was about the others of this series thought I'd post it anyway
Hope you enjoyed it! Please review (seriously reviews are awesome)