✧Jeaha✧

A breeze chills my skin. A hot, metallic taste trickles through my mouth. Blood.

I cough, and clear my throat. My body feels so heavy. And tired. The ground is hard, pressing against my shoulders, my head. Haven't opened my eyes. Just too tired. Can't fight it off.

Darkness floods me, and nearly drags me under, except for a faint, stinging prick.

I flex my fingers, and force my hand up to my jaw. A tiny puncture wound bleeds behind my ear. What… Then my fingers brush my earring. Oh. What a pain. I chuckle, hearing Yun's voice in my head.

Wait. Yun? I'm… forgetting something…

And the girl I didn't realise was lying on top of me lifts her head, and brings her eyes into focus.

What a wreck. Her face is all scratched up, her hair's snarled, her clothes are ripped. What a helpless nuisance. I smile.

'Welcome back to the land of the living, kiddo.'

Yona shakes her head, and blinks, looking around. 'What… happened?' She sits up, wincing, and her knees dig into my chest. She looks down.

'…Why am I… on top of you?'

And I finally I remember what happened. Earthquake.

'It looks like I ended up breaking your fall. It wasn't intentional, but hey — happy to be of service.'

Yona's eyes widen, and tears spring from them. 'Oh, Jeaha,' she says, and looks up, away from me, trying to brush strands of hair from her face. 'I was terrified, I couldn't hear, or think what to do. I — the others.'

Her hand drops and it hits my shoulder.

'The others, they, I…'

She's shaking. Violently. I remember when I followed her along the Vanishing Cape — her legs were shaking so badly I thought she'd fall into the sea right before my eyes.

I nudge her. 'For a start, mind getting off me?'

She sort of slides off, and sits, legs akimbo, beside me. Her eyes are wide and her face is wet.

I gaze up at the sky. A dull purple-grey twilight. Dawn or dusk, I don't know. 'Come on, kid, don't go hysterical on me. All right?'

Yona doesn't speak. I'm starting to worry she's concussed, until her head snaps up. 'The bond of the Dragon Warriors. You can sense their presence, and signal them.' She shakes me by the shoulder. 'Jeaha, try to find them, we've got to find out if they're —'

'Kid.' I prise her fingers from my sleeve. 'I'm sort of out of commission.'

'What?' After glancing me up and down, her face whitens. 'You look awful.'

'Back at you.' I smirk, and rub a splash of mud off her cheek. 'We did fall down the mountain.'

'Can you — you can move, right?'

I shrug. 'I don't know.'

She grabs me by the hands and tries to pull me up, sending hot pain down my spine. 'Ah, Yona—'

'Get up!' she yells. She digs her heels in, pulling me up inch by inch. 'We didn't survive only for you to break your back, JEAHA!' She stumbles, and hits the ground with a bump. I lean forward and slowly, painfully, get to my knees.

I give her my hand. 'Come on, Yona… What sort gentleman would I be to leave you in the lurch?'

She takes my hand; takes the offer of my open arms. Her hair brushes my neck. We're a mess. And this isn't the most most picturesque location for a romantic getaway.

She looks up, into my eyes, 'Jeaha, the Dragon Warriors, we —'

'I'm functioning, kiddo, I didn't say I was fine,' I grumble.

She lets me sit back down, but her hand stays on my arm. 'You can't sense them?'

'My head's splitting. Not right now I can't.'

Her disappointed little face is enough to break my heart.

I lean back on one hand. 'You don't need me to tell you that the others are okay, Yona. Have some faith.'

She looks away, wearily. 'I'm sorry. But that was such a nightmare — I still can't see how they could…' She bites her lip.

'Yet you've killed a crime lord with a single arrow. Climbed the Vanishing Cape. Survived a rebellion.' I smile. 'You united the Four Dragon Warriors.'

She smiles, faintly. 'You're making me out to be some kind of hero, Jeaha.'

'And you are, kiddo.' I'm tempted to lie back down and possibly pass out, but I can't leave Yona like that. And if I did lie down, I may never get up again, either. 'But I won't lie. That was rough. After all, it's not often something can knock the Green Dragon out of the air.'

Yona gazes at her hands, then looks around. 'Where are we?'

The twilight has deepened slightly. A couple of stars spatter the sky, behind a screen of dead, gnarled branches. Fog rolls over the earth, like a miniature sea of clouds, over a carpet of moss. Moss which no doubt which spared our bones heavy damage. It's cold, and damp.

'Seen one abandoned copse, you've seen them all. I don't know where we are.' I brace one hand against the ground and hold the other out to her. 'But we can't stay here. As much as I wish this were vice versa, could you give me a hand?'

Yona gets to her feet, and pulls me up. It would be comical at any other time. But not now. She props me up as I get my breath. My body aches, but my back in particular is killing me.

'Well, kiddo, you've got everything you need.' She glances at me questioningly. I wink. 'A handsome rogue at your side and the moon to light your way.'

She smiles. I let go of her arm. I take a step, and push down the accompanying dizziness. My dragon's leg feels incredibly weak. It's going to be a while before I can fly us anywhere.

'I, on the other hand, could use a pair of crutches,' I joke.

I glance around, wondering what direction we should start walking, only for red to flash in my vision as Yona runs into the dark forest and disappears in the fog.