A/N: I'm sorry for not updating sooner! Anyways, as applied to all the other chapters, I don't own Akatsuki no Yona.
Edited 5/20/17.
It was a particularly rainy day, the sky covered with silver clouds, and Sun's rays completely blocked by the overbearing outcast. Below the fresh canopy of a plum tree, mother and daughter sat, the other two members of their family having already returned back home. Li-Hua had always felt more close to her mother, be it her gentle personality compared to their rough, mysterious father, or because of how she looked like her mother (just like how her sister looked like her father).
Suddenly, her mother spoke, breaking the silence as her eyes looked somewhere far, far, away. In the distance, despite the rain that was beginning to fall heavier, Li-Hua could squint and see dancing flames of fire licking at the land. A jolt of fear ran through her before her mother's voice calmed her down. "Do you know what your name means, Li?"
The petite girl shook her head, her amber eyes peering up curiously as if to prompt the woman to continue, and the woman's gaze softened as she bent down to pat the girl on the head. "Li-Hua...it means beautiful and elegant. But 'Li' means plum. Do you know why I chose that name for you?"
Li-Hua shook her head again, and she noted that the flames were drawing closer and the rain was starting to lift. It would be bad for the village's crops if the fire came any closer, and she should probably tell her father.
They were a reserved, quaint merchant family that often moved around thanks to their father's occupation. Despite travelling to many places, they hardly forged any long-term connections with anyone. The Fire Tribe's land and people were extremely poor, but there were still many aristocrats who loved her father's wooden carvings. Li-Hua often wondered why their family just didn't stay in one place (many of the aristocrats who loved to flaunt their wealth had no problem sponsoring them to stay with them if necessary), but when she had asked she had been hushed by her mother.
"It's because that just like how the plums are always planted, grown, and harvested before the cycle starts over again, you shall always get back up: over and over and over, no matter what. Do you understand?" It seemed as if her mother had finally noticed the flames as well, and her eyes widened just a fraction before glancing down at her daughter and plastering on another smile. The act almost fooled Li-Hua, but her mother's serious eyes belied her concern as she held her daughter's small hands in her own.
Li-Hua nodded.
"Good. Now go inside and tell your father to come outside. And no matter what, you and your sister must stay in the house, understand?"
"But mother—"
"Do you understand?" Her mother's jade green eyes flashed dangerously.
"...yes."
"And Li-Hua…" The woman paused for a moment, as if considering if she should continue her sentence.
"Yes?" The girl prompted, her copper eyes widening as she leaned in closer towards her mother, the wind blowing at her hair and tossing the braid her mother made into the air.
"Take care of your sister."
Li-Hua was storming down the bustling streets of Awa in a hurry. Part of her was still fuming at the imprudence of that green haired man for barging in the women's hot springs and having the nerve to say that it was "an accident". The other part of her that still hailed to sanity told her to calm down.
An accident? Li-Hua was fairly certain that people did not "fall out of the sky", as quoted from her lovely stranger. She knew that her face was probably scrunched up into a very intimidating scowl that was drawing away most of the villagers, so with a deep breath that helped her focus on her main goal again, she calmed herself down.
The reason Li-Hua had arrived in Awa was because she believed it was an interesting place to travel to, and after seeing the conditions of the villagers (fake smiles, wary looks, hesitant whispers) she had resolved to help them. One pervert would not distract her from that task.
Li-Hua's hands clenched into a fist as she gritted her teeth, shutting her eyes for a moment as she allowed herself to shut away the world that was moving around her. She opened them again.
Her feet slowed down as Li-Hua kept her pace to a steady walk, her golden eyes blinking owlishly as she realized that she had no idea where she was going. The oriental rooftops of the various buildings surrounding her all looked the same, although to her right she could see the sea which meant she was facing the opposite direction to the inn. Li-Hua skidded to a stop, barely avoiding bumping into a passerby.
"Sorry," she apologized quickly to the man, her amber eyes glancing up for just a second as she nearly tripped over in surprise. It seemed as if the past month had her reuniting with several of her old acquaintances...although after she had seen Soo-Won, Li-Hua couldn't really believe who was in front of her eyes. "Hak?"
The tall, raven haired man who had nearly walked on without a glance stiffened, and he turned around, his narrowed eyes observing her. Then, his jaw almost dropped. Li-Hua had no doubt that had it not been for his hard training as a stoic soldier, he would've tripped over his words. "Li-Hua?"
"This month has been very eventful," Li-Hua mused as she struggled to find the words to express her thoughts. "First Soo-Won, now you? Who's next, Yona?"
Perhaps if it was another time Hak might have glared at her for addressing the Princess with such informality (Li-Hua never cared for social niceties like titles when it came to the redhead, and she knew that Hak really didn't either but refused to admit it). But instead of relaxing at the sound of Soo-Won's name, Hak's body seemed to grow more tense. "Soo-Won? You met him?" He growled, hand tightening on his weapon as Li-Hua resisted the urge to draw her own weapons.
"Yes, I did," she said calmly, and inside of her she applauded herself for being able to keep calm under the Lightning Beast's gaze. "He said you two were dead, Hak."
"...well, we are to them," Hak nearly inaudibly mumbled with dark intensity as he glanced to the side. His obsidian eyes returned to her as he raised his eyebrows slightly. Shifting the weight of his body to his left foot, he commented dryly, "Haven't seen you for a while since your disappearance. Where have you been?"
"My, is the great Hak making conversation?" Li-Hua mock-gasped, a grin tugging at her lips. "It's a miracle!"
"Oh, shut it," Hak grumbled.
Even though Li-Hua wanted to ask the bodyguard more about him and Yona, specifically: "why they were in Awa?" and "why had neither Soo-Won nor Hak proposed to the redhead yet?", their conversation was cut off by the protests of a young woman to their right. Li-Hua's eyes darted in that direction, and she observed the scene quietly for a moment.
It seemed that in the middle of one of the smaller streets connecting to the one they were standing in, a pretty looking young woman was being harassed by two men. Li-Hua quickly noted that none of the people around them were interfering, instead nervously glancing to the side as they moved on with their lives avoiding the scene. Cowards, but Li-Hua could scarcely blame them when she still wasn't completely sure about Awa's living conditions. Her lips turned downwards into a sneer as she stared at the men.
Disgusting.
"What? We're Awa soldiers," the man was saying, jeering at the young woman as he leaned closer to her. He grabbed her hands, which before were crossed over her chest, into his hands as he pulled her closer. "Just who do you think it's thanks to that you can go on living your life?"
The woman took a step back as if trying to escape, but his friend rounded about her, cutting off her only route for escape. The man leaned in closer so that his next words needed only to be a whisper. Li-Hua herself barely caught the words. "Tell me how much I can buy you for. That's not bad, is it?"
"You're bothering me! Let me go!"
Li-Hua turned to Hak, who was looking quite conflicted as he stared at the scene agonizingly. It seemed as if he wanted to interfere, but for some reason he wasn't doing it. It dawned on Li-Hua that Hak and Yona must have been on the run for something, considering they didn't show back up at the palace after their so-called 'death' to reclaim the throne. There must be something else going on.
"Li-Hua—" Hak started and the girl sighed reluctantly, knowing she couldn't refuse her old friend's request.
"I got it, I got it. Scum like them need to be dealt with, right?" Her hands crept towards her sword's sheath, but ultimately she decided against it as Li-Hua faintly heard the woman's pleas for forgiveness continue.
Li-Hua casually strolled up to the scene, ignoring the stares and whispers as she mentally sighed. Her anonymity in the town was up, and Hak was definitely going to owe her for this. She plastered on a sweet smile, hips swaying seductively as she called out, "Oi! What are you two handsome men doing?"
All three of the people involved in the scene, including the woman, turned in faint surprise as they looked at the strange woman clad in foreign clothes. Li-Hua made sure to add an exaggerated flutter of her eyelashes as she preened under their attention. One of the men's features seemed to light up as he swaggered up to Li-Hua, the black haired woman continuing to smile coyly as she approached the man. "Why would a handsome man like you," she purred, tracing her finger against the soldier's chest. "...need someone like her? Come on, I'm sure I can show you a much better time."
"Well, I don't mind—"
Two feet flew at the man's face simultaneously, knocking him down to the ground. By the loud 'thud' that followed the kick, Li-Hua could deduce that the soldier had been knocked unconscious from the sheer force of the kicks. Li-Hua blinked in faint surprise, neck craning around to view her "saviors", only to spot Hak and a green haired man standing before her.
Li-Hua blinked again when she realized that it was the same pervert from the hot springs before. She felt her jaw nearly drop before she regained her control of herself. "Hak, what are you doing?" Li-Hua sputtered, waving her hands wildly as she gestured towards the men. The unconscious man's pal stood still, almost stupefied from the shock of seeing his comrade beaten up by two strangers. "I had it under control!"
"When I said take care of him I didn't mean to seduce him," Hak gave her a look.
"What, would you rather us start a bunch of rumors about some travelers beating up the local lord's soldiers?" She protested. "Do you think that—"
"—you three will get out of this unharmed?" The man's companion finished, lunging towards Li-Hua with a newly brandished dagger in hand.
The woman quickly sidestepped to the left, not even glancing at her assailant and allowing for Hak to land a kick in the enemy's side while the green haired stranger knocked the man over. Li-Hua's eyes trailed upwards apathetically as her hand reached out and grabbed the knife that went spinning out of her attacker's hands. She observed it for a moment: it had a fine intricate handle of silver and seemed to be in good condition. She pocketed it just as she heard noises coming from behind her.
"Hey! What's with all of the commotion?" A bunch of soldiers had hurried towards the scene, probably thanks to a civilian alerting them of the mess.
"Crap." "Oh my." Both Hak and the droopy eyed stranger said at the same time as Li-Hua grabbed on to the young woman's hand.
"Come on," she tugged at it, and the woman looked confused for a second before Li-Hua sighed, bending down and grabbing the woman's legs, swinging the woman's lithe body on her back so she could carry the girl easier. It seemed as if Hak and the pervert had caught her drift and the four hurried off, Hak and the pervert kicking and punching any soldiers in their way.
"Are you a soldier? It seems you've gone through some considerable training." The green haired man asked Hak warily, although his eyes also darted to Li-Hua's quick figure contemplatively.
"No, I'm just a traveler," Hak replied simply although Li-Hua couldn't help but chuckle at the irony. Hak, a mere foot soldier? That would be the day. She'd definitely tease the raven haired man later about the comment.
"A traveler?" The stranger repeated questioningly.
"What about you? You're not so ordinary yourself." Hak easily changed the subject, his narrowed eyes darting over to the green haired stranger suspiciously. Li-Hua couldn't help but start listening to the conversation more attentively: she felt that there was something...off about this man.
"Eh? I'm not ordinary, as in beautiful?" The man asked brightly, sparkles and flowers literally surrounding him as he ran. Li-Hua visibly shuddered.
"No, he's just a pervert," she said dryly, catching both men's attention as Hak snorted while the stranger pouted. The woman on her back squeaked at the comment, hugging a little more tightly to Li-Hua as she maintained a deadpan expression while watching the stranger's face contort into a frown.
"How cruel, my lady." The pet name didn't amuse Li-Hua, but she didn't have enough time to bother with the subject.
They slowly came to a stop, Hak turning around and observing the area. It seemed as if there wasn't anyone rather than a few locals around them, but he still maintained his aura of caution. "Did we lose them yet?"
Li-Hua set down the woman she was carrying, who gave her a small shy smile and bobbed her head in gratitude as she murmured a quiet "thank you" before scurrying off. Li-Hua took a moment to lick her lips before replying, "I think so."
The stranger suddenly jolted, his emerald green eyes flashing with some unfathomable emotion as he turned to Li-Hua and Hak. "I'm afraid I must be going, now. Not very gentlemanly for me to be leaving a lady by her lonesome, but I have some other prearranged things to attend to." Dipping his head and taking Li-Hua's hand, the green haired man kissed it gently. Li-Hua resisted the urge to thwack him in the face. He purred, "It's been a pleasure."
"Sexual harassment," Hak moved to intervene between his friend and the green haired stranger grumpily, but the stranger had already removed himself from Li-Hua and jumped back several steps.
"I really should go," the stranger muttered. "Until we meet again~"
As the man was about to head off, Li-Hua surprised herself as she stopped him. "Wait!" He stopped for a mere moment, but that was enough of an indication that he heard her speak. "Your name," she said haltingly, the words tumbling out of her mouth before she could stop them. She clarified, "What's your name?"
He turned around, giving her a coy smile that almost took her off guard. "Jae-Ha, my dear! Remember it. And yours?"
"...Li-Hua." She gave out somewhat reluctantly as she shifted her gaze elsewhere.
"See you later Li!" He called over his shoulder as he...jumped (how did he do that so fast?) and quickly disappeared.
Li-Hua turned back to Hak, sighing exasperatedly. He probably had been following her aimlessly, and judging by his uncertain, lingering behavior, he probably arrived in Awa recently and probably didn't know how to get back. "Okay, so where did you leave the Princess? I'll lead you back."
Li-Hua stopped in the middle of the road leading out of Awa, turning to Hak who had been following her silently the whole time. "This is as far as I'm going to go. If you need me, I'll be in the Lotus Inn for another three days or so before I head out of the Earth Tribe."
"Why don't you come and see Yona?" He asked, and she shook her head, sweeping her black locks behind her ear as she pinned her hair up with the dragon hairpins she had nearly killed Jae-Ha with before.
"I'll get too attached once I see her and will want to travel with you two," she admitted shamelessly. "I prefer my own way of doing things, as you probably already know. But if you ever need help, or information, I have a lot of connections spread out across the Kouka Kingdom." Li-Hua gave him a wry smile.
"But she'd like to see you, you know. We haven't since your disappearance two years ago."
Li-Hua flinched at the mention of her disappearance as she shrugged, rolling her shoulders back. "What do you say? I got tired of that life."
(Lies, she could feel her heart whisper. You are lying. You aren't ready yet, but you miss them. You want to return.)
"True enough," Hak allowed.
"Well, see you later, Hak." Her smile grew as she gave him a warm look. "It's been nice seeing you again. Tell Yona I said hi." And before he could do anything, much like when she had been with Soo-Won, she slipped out of his grasp as she took off back into Awa Port. "I get the feeling we'll see each other more often now."
And how right she was.
A/N: Sigh. That's a wrap! Again, sorry for not updating sooner.
Yorukifon: She does have fighting experience, but I'm not going to reveal all of my cards at the beginning of the game. Mwahahaha... Thanks for reviewing~
NightlyRowenTree: This'll be a slow romance, don't you worry about that. I know exactly how you feel about those fast romance OC stories. (shudder) Thanks for reviewing!
RKamelot: Your review made me really happy~ I was worried about portraying Soo-Won considering his character's so complex, but you eased my worries. I'd guess that Soo-Won's soldiers can be arrogant at times, but that's why we have our idiotic king, right? And the Awa arc is awesome, and I was giggling the whole time while writing Jae-Ha's introduction. Thanks for reviewing!
Thank you for the kind reviews! They made me really happy. Also, thank you to everyone who followed/favorited/read. Your support gives me inspiration~
