roads&trips

"If you don't know where you're going, any road will take you there"

― George Harrison

It had been on a lazy Wednesday day, with the hot summer sun shining bright above in the sky, the birds annoyingly singing at the top of the trees, with sweat covering her whole body and face, when they had popped in with the idea of a road trip.

And Yona loved everything it involved.

Friends, vacations, time with her favorite people, adventures, and who knew what else.

But what made her heart flutter randomly, without reason, was the way she was informed about this idea.

She'd been in her room, lazily thrown over her comfy bed, staring at the lilac walls and white ceiling, thinking about life, love, Soo-Won. Everything that mattered a little bit of than anything to her. Her red hair was sticky with the heat, long up her waist.

It was getting kind of annoying with the time, but Soo-Won had said he loved it, so she needed to keep it like it was. Wild, red, everything she hated.

And then someone knocked. She sat up as fast as lighting, because maybe it was Soo Won and she was a mess, all red and sweaty and dishevelled. She quickly grabbed her hairbrush and tried to comb it, so it wouldn't look as savage, but it was an obvious effort in vain. Sighing, she said, "Come in!"

But instead the one who opened it and appeared was Hak. Her best friend, since childhood, even though he could be the most annoying person she knew, irking her in every chance he got. It was just him, a constant teasing. But he was a good person, she knew, deep, really deep down.

His enormous figure entered his room, his usual expression that spelled 'nothing' all over his face. His black hair fell softly over his forehead, making his blue eyes shine brighter.

"Yo," he greeted. It was actually a common thing, since they were practically neighbors, and her dad just happened to adore Hak in all form and shape. Soo Won lived at the other side of Hak.

"Hak," she said, acting surprised of his visit. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he said, falling over the white couch. He looked too big for it, but she knew he loved how comfy it was. "The guys want to start a roadtrip, or something like that."

Yona blinked. "What's a roadtrip?" she asked curiously.

Hak rolled his eyes, before leaning in and putting his chin over his hand, which was supported by his knee. His eyes and his smirk were mocking, which made her huff, "Do you really not know it, Princess?"

There was that nickname again. She still wasn't sure if he called her it because she was the daughter of the Mayor of the city, or because she was as ignorant as a princess trapped inside a castle all her life. But it was a thing that had been going on between them for years now, and she kind of liked it that he only called her that when they were alone.

She scoffed, puffing her cheeks out and crossing her arms, avoiding his amused eyes. "No. Is there a problem with it?"

"I guess not," he shrugged. "Jae Ha wanted you to come along, too. That pervert." he whispered the last part, but she heard it, and she giggled.

"Really? I can go?" she asked, excitement already going all over her. Time with her friends was something she'd never deny.

Hak bit his lip, as if uneasy. "A road trip is about all of us travelling everywhere in only one van," he explained. "No one knows what can happen, if I'm honest."

"Sounds like fun!" she smiled brightly. It was an honor to be invited. Travelling with friends had seemed as a faraway dream, but now maybe her chance was here, now.

She opened her eyes to see Hak's cheeks turn slightly pink, and he quickly looked away, putting his hand over his mouth. She frowned, worried about him. Was something wrong?

But before she could ask, he stood up, looking down at her, getting closer. "The ones going are Jae Ha, Shin Ah, Kija, Zeno, Yoon, and probably me and Soo Won," he said. Closer and closer. "Are you sure you're okay being the only woman? Travelling alone with a bunch of boys? Will your dad even allow it?"

"I don't see why there should be a problem," she frowned, putting her hands in her hips. What could be wrong with going with friends? She already practically lived with them, seeing them everywhere.

He opened his mouth like he wanted to object, but he ended up sighing out in frustration, giving up. His white sleeveless shirt was a bit sticky to his body with sweat, the weather of the Hiryuu City, the capital of Kouka, unbearing.

He lowered himself until he was face to face with her. "Do you want to go?" he asked again.

"Yes!" she repeated, her decision unwavering.

He sighed yet again, standing straight up, but still frowning at her. "You can be really stubborn, Princess,"

She huffed and turned around, gazing at the sky by her window. "Do you think Soo Won will go with us?"

She couldn't stop thinking about how many memories she'd create with him, all the laughs and the feelings she'd get on this trip, with him. There was nothing she desired more than spent time with her loved one. She'd learned how to dance, too, so one day she could actually impress him. She wondered if she'd get the chance to show him her progress, as well. Because even if Hak had spied on her and told her she looked stupid and childish while dancing, she tried to brush off his opinion. She wanted Soo Won to like it, not him.

Yona heard Hak gulp behind her, before he said, "Umm… I don't know. Probably. Why don't you ask him?"

Yona turned around, surprised. She expected him to already know the answer, since both boys shared the deepest bond of friendship. But she was quick to brush it off.

"Do you think he'll go if I ask him?" she thought out loud.

Hak put his hands inside his jeans pockets, shrugging. "I think he would. Why would he deny it, if you're the one asking?"

She wondered why his face got redder, doing the same reaction as before. He didn't say anything wrong, in her opinion. Why would he be so embarrassed? Hak could be so weird sometimes…

She shrugged. "I will ask Father right now!"

He visibly relaxed. "Yeah, maybe you should."

She smiled and passed by him, ready to go out and search for her dad in the house. But then a thought hit her, and she turned around. Now she was being the one embarrassed, her cheeks turning pink, unable to meet his gaze.

"Hey, Hak," she said timidly, "are you… do you want me to go too, or will I be only a pain in the butt for you and the others?"

He blinked, taken aback by her words. But it was only a fraction of a second, as he immediately smiled and patted her head, like if she was a kid. "You'd never be a pain in the ass for me, Princess. And I'm pretty sure the others think the same."

"Really?" she asked, looking into his eyes for any sign of a lie.

"Really." There was none.

"All right!" she smiled. This time, she left the room and went looking for Il, who was supposed to be working on his office. She was going to force him into letting her go, and if he still didn't let her, well, Hak had taught her an effective way of sneaking out by the window at midnight.

She heard him follow her, steps behind. She quickly reached the office of her father, her hand softly knocking.

"Who is it?" he asked from the other side.

Yona smiled. "It's me, father!"

"Ah, Yona, come in."

She did as told, smiling sweetly at Il. He was smiling back from behind his desk, which was full of endless piles of papers. But his chubby face was still shining, looking at her like she was a gem. It melted her heart.

"Is there something you need, daughter?" Il asked. "Oh, hello there, Hak!"

"Yo, bubbly man," Hak greeted. Yona's eyes twitched at the nickname, but fortunately her dad still didn't know its meaning, after all this time.

"Anyways," Yona cleared her throat, "my friends and I will go on a roadtrip!"

Il continued to smile, watching her carefully, as if analyzing the situation. "A roadtrip?" he asked.

Yona nodded eagerly. "Isn't it amazing! It'll be so much fun!"

"Don't you have to make homework?" her father asked.

"It's summer," Yona rolled her eyes. "It'll be okay,"

Il intertwined his fingers over the desk, resting his chin over them. Yona bit her lip nervously. Why was he taking so long to say yes? She was going to be friends, not alone.

"Who is going?"

"Jae Ha, Shin Ah, Kija, Zeno, Yoon, Hak and Soo Won!" Yona answered.

"All men?" Il asked, a bit of surprise in his voice.

"What's the problem with it?" Yona blinked. What was going on with all those questions? Usually it was easier to convince him to let her do something, like going to parties or the beach. He was so over protective with her since her mother died so long ago.

"Uh… there's no problem," he said, "I was just wondering."

Yona puffed her cheeks in a pout when she realized he was lying to her. Or at least, he was avoiding her question. But he seemed about to give in and give her permission, so she decided to let it pass as a trivial matter.

"So… Can I go?" Yona asked. The adrenaline of what might happened in the trip was making her unable to stay still. She was so excited, after all. Never in her life she'd got a chance like this.

"Well… at least Hak is going, so I know you're going to be safe," her father said, looking at the boy standing behind her. "Am I right, dear Hak?"

He stepped further and bowed his head. "I'll protect her, boss,"

Yona stared, before smiling. Sometimes, Hak had his moments of actually being nice for once, and those moments were highly treasured by her.

Il visibly relaxed in his seat, "Then I can say you'll be safe… you can go, daughter,"

Yona squealed and kissed him on the cheeks, "Thank you so much, father!" She was so, so happy. This day couldn't get ruined by anything.

She turned around and left jumping. Now, she'd only have to pack and then everything would be ready for this adventure.

As always, Hak followed her close by. "When are we leaving?" she decided to ask.

"Maybe today at night or tomorrow at dawn," he said lazily. "It depends, I guess. We still need to ask Soo Won if he wants to join."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Yona asked, turning around to face him with the biggest smile, that one that always came when she talked about her sweet love. "Let's ask him right now!"

She was ready to go, but Hak stopped her by grabbing her by the neck of her shirt. "First, pack your stuff. I need to lend it to Jae Ha so he can put everything in order inside the van."

She pouted. "Fine…"

The packing was quickly done, thanks or not to Hak's help, since she couldn't decided what was appropriate for a road trip. And despite his constant teasing when he found her underwear drawer, in less than half an hour, she was already heading for Soo Won's house.

Hak had left to go to Jae Ha's house, which left her alone at asking him if he wanted to join. She was so blinded by the idea of him travelling with her, the chance of him rejecting never crossed her mind.

She found herself in front of the sky blue painted door. With her heart racing, she tried to fix her hair so it could look more adorable, but a part of her already knew it was for nothing. That damned hair of hers would always do the opposite of what she wanted -but then again, Soo Won had said he loved it.

She knocked, and in a matter of seconds, he was there, all handsome, with that fine smile of his, now only directed at her. His hair was tied up in a loose ponytail over his left shoulder. She was awestruck.

"Yona," he said. "What a surprise!"

She smiled. "Hello!"

"It's always so nice to see you," Soo Won continued. "But is there a reason for this visit?"

"Well," she said, turning dark red. She played with the hem of her shirt, nervous. "The boys and I… we're going on a roadtrip… and we wanted to know if you'd like to come along…"

"A roadtrip?" Soo Won asked, arching his eyebrows. Sometimes, she used to forget he was actually two years older, and that he was going to start college soon, so he wasn't going to spend as much as time with her as he did until now. Maybe that was one of the real reasons of why she was so desperate for him to go along.

"Yes!" Yona said, smiling, trying to keep her voice stable. "It'll be fun, I promise! And we're going to leave tonight or tomorrow!"

But as soon as she said it, she saw the answer in his eyes. Was he always this sincere with his expressions?

"Oh… I see," he said, scratching the back of his neck.

"Soo Won?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

"I'm sorry, Yona," he said, still smiling, as her heart broke. "I've already started studying for college. I'm going to try enter the Ouryuu college to study Law, so one day I can success my own dad."

She blinked, feeling her eyes itch with fresh, hot tears. "The Ouryuu college?" she said. "But that's… that's in the Kai State," So far away.

He smiled apologetically, "I was planning on telling you and Hak as soon as I passed the exam, but now that you're going…" he sighed. "And I didn't feel like telling via a phone call would suit,"

"I-I see…" she said. A tight knot formed in her throat. Suddenly she didn't want to go to that trip. Maybe if she stayed home, alone and eating ice-cream the sadness would fade away.

"I'm sorry for not telling sooner," Soo Won said, "but I still hope you enjoy your trip!"

He put his hand over her head and ruffled her hair. Yona had to blink the tears away, if only not to show him her weakness. After all, for him, she was still a kid. If she wanted to impress him, she needed to demonstrate she was a woman now.

But what was the point now, if he was going to go far, far away from her? For five years? Ten years? Probably forever? Nothing was going to be the same now. And what hurt the most, was that he didn't trust her enough to tell this sooner. She wasn't worth his trust, or else he would have told her about his future plans. Just because she was still young and going to high school…

"Yona?" he asked curiously, his voice as gentle as ever.

Not trusting her voice anymore, she turned around and ran away, the sun hiding behind the mountains and painting the sky of a beautiful golden and red.

Word Count= 2627. Hello Akatsuki no Yona fandom! Here's my first contribution for it, so sorry if it's a bit crappy and the characters are OOC and all that. I'm trying my best! Also, forgive any grammar mistake, since my first language is not English! Thank you for reading this, lovelies! Reviews are highly appreciated as well!