Author's Note: A new chapter for the weekend! Thanks for all the positive feedback, you guys! You make my day. This chapter is based off the song "Peaceful Days in Kouka Kingdom." And in case any of you are wondering why I'm giving you these songs, it's because some of the songs really fit the mood (I mean, that is why I chose them). And the songs themselves are great, too. Akatsuki no Yona has a great soundtrack. (Anime in general has great music.) So anyway, I totally recommend them (though this particularly song isn't my favorite of the soundtrack).

Chapter 6

Peaceful Days

"Have you decided, then?" Father says as greeting the next morning as he comes into my room. "Did Ki-Gun propose to you last night?"

I straighten from my bed, smooth my hair. Father's eyes sweep across the room and mine follow his. It's simple, with only a bed covered by a worn blue blanket, a chipped dresser, and a few necessities such as clothes and the new bow Ki-Gun had given me scattered about. Then I notice the books I'd used to teach Shin-Ah reading and writing still lying out, and my chest tightens. Quickly I move my gaze away and hope my father doesn't question them.

"No," I say.

"To which question?"

"Both."

Father stares down at me, clearly incensed. "Didn't you tell me you were going to 'think about it' nearly two months ago?"

"I did," I say, "and I have been. But it's only been a couple of months, Father. That's really not very long, you know. Give me more time, please."

He sighs. "I love you very much, you know, Ae-Sun," he says.

I don't answer. My eyelids feel heavy, and my mind even more so. I barely slept last night, my thoughts whirling from what I'd said to Shin-Ah. And what he'd said to me. I let out a deep breath. The day is already off to a shining start.

"You and Ki-Gun are the village's pride and joy," Father continues. "With his talent for the sword and yours for the bow, you would make a great team. You could also both make good leaders. He has the charm and you have the wit. It's a perfect match, Ae-Sun. Everyone approves. Just why can't you be more compliant? Why can't you just say yes to Ki-Gun?"

Because it's not what I want.

Because every time I think of Ki-Gun, my mind immediately goes to another person. Another boy. One you'd certainly never approve of, Father.

I don't say anything, just finger the edge of the blanket on my bed. The whole in the faded fabric widens.

"By the way," Father says, his voice nonchalant, "I went to check in on the Seiryuu the other day. He wore the pelt of a white wolf over his head."

I freeze. My heart thumps.

"Didn't you catch a white wolf not too long ago?"

I nod, but my whole body feels numb. Father stares down at me, his face cool and measured, and I try to arrange my own features into a blank, disinterested expression.

"There must be quite a few of them out right now," Father muses and he leaves.

I let loose a breath and lean back onto my bed, staring up at the stone ceiling. I note the cracks, the lines, the ones I've long past memorized.

How stupid I'd been to give that white wolf pelt to Shin-Ah. Of course it could be traced back to me. But I wasn't thinking clearly then. All that occupied my thoughts was what his reaction would be. I wanted to give it to him. I didn't think of anything else.

Has Father made the connection? Does he know? Is he threatening me?

I know Father does do routine check-ins on the Seiryuu, but not because he truly cares. Only because it's his obligation as an elder. He never talks about them to me, though, and most definitely never talks about Shin-Ah's taste in fashion.

But how in the world would he know about our nighttime visits? And if he knew about them . . . surely he wouldn't keep quiet. Surely he would punish me as soon as he found out.

Wouldn't he?

I'm not so sure.

Father has always been a sort of an enigma to me. I know he and Mother married much in the way that Ki-Gun and I will be forced to marry. And I know that he was chosen to be one of the elders because of his vicious, ruthless streak.

I would not put it past Father to ignore me breaking one of the rules if he saw that he could use it to his advantage. To blackmail me into marrying Ki-Gun.

I close my eyes.

No . . . please, no . . .

My eyes fly open, a sudden surge of energy and anger flowing through me. I stand up, square my shoulders, and grab my replacement bow which leans against my bed. Ki-Gun had made it for me not too long ago when he'd learned I'd lost my old one. It still feels unfamiliar in my hands and it's yet to be worn into, but it's a decent enough bow.

Throwing the corresponding quiver of arrows over my back, I also snatch a bag of snacks, fix my mask onto my face, and then I head out.

I need a distraction.

A few hours later and I have two birds and a rabbit. It's past lunchtime now and the heat of the day pounds upon me, causing rivulets of sweat to pour down my face, neck, and back. Deciding to take a break, I lay my catch in the nearest of what I call my "meat coolers," then find a shady spot in the vicinity to rest and bring out snacks.

When I've settled comfortably against the side of the mountain (or as much as I can with all the pebbles and twigs and lumpy dirt), I pull off my mask. It's slick with sweat. I grimace at it. I'm not sure why I was even wearing it — usually when I'm outside and hunting, I'll keep it off because it hinders my vision. Or just because I find it irksome, confining.

Maybe I'm trying to see from Shin-Ah's point-of-view, though. Living your life under a mask . . .

As if my thoughts had summoned him, I hear the ringing of bells. I start and the mask slips from my fingers and clatters to the ground.

"Shin-Ah," I say, "don't scare me like that."

"Sorry," he says, and he pokes his head into my line of vision. Unlike me, he doesn't seem to be hot at all, and he even has the wolf pelt on him, with Ao nestled into it like usual. I shake my head slightly and smile.

"How are you?" I ask.

He nods and I take that as he's good.

"You want something to eat?" I say, which I suppose is sort of a stupid question. I scoot to the side, pebbles rolling to the ground as I move, and offer him a place beside me. He hesitates a moment before sitting down. I notice that there is still a copious amount of space between us, but don't say anything about it.

Last night was odd. Different. That was for sure. There is a hum in the air and I haven't quite decided what it means — I think it's good, but for right now, I'm fine with him being cautious.

I hand him a few pieces of dried meat and some bread and cheese, and he takes it gratefully with a murmured thank you. Ao wakes up long enough to also accept some food from me (like him, she sends to have an endless appetite).

For a few moments, we eat in silence. It seems to be a habit of ours.

Then, to my surprise, he is the first to speak up. "Do you . . . do this a lot?"

"Hunt?" I clarify.

He nods.

I shrug. "The village always needs more food, so I guess so. I mean, there's not a lot else I enjoy doing in my free time." I spread my arms — there's enough distance between us that I can fully reach out without touching him at all — and wiggle my fingers.

He glances at me. "Nothing else?"

I wrinkle my brow. "When I was younger, my father tried to get me to learn the ways of being a respectable young woman. I had to learn how to sew and cook and all that. It was awful. . . . See, I love being outside. I love the mountains and the fresh air, the thrill of the hunt. I guess Ki-Gun saw this because he saw me enduring another torture session and got me out of that by asking me if I wanted to learn how to fight. I wasn't great at the sword, but I quickly picked up on the bow." I laugh a little at myself. "Father kept trying to get me back to 'what a woman should do,' but it was a lost cause." I turn to Shin-Ah and see him frowning. "I . . . are you all right?"

"So . . . ," he begins slowly, "Ki-Gun saved you?"

"What?"

"You said . . . you were being tortured."

There's a pause.

And then I start laughing.

Shin-Ah's mouth opens slightly in puzzlement.

I lean over to him, my chest still shaking with laughter. "It was just an exaggeration. I wasn't really being tortured. An exaggeration . . . it means that I was just making it sound worse than it was to put emphasis on it."

"Oh." He relaxes.

I smile at him. "There are a lot of confusing things like that in the language. I'm sorry. I'll try not to use too many of them."

He shakes his head. "No. I want . . . to learn. I need . . . more practice. "

"Right. . . ." My smile broadens. "Of course." There are a few more moments of silence before I stand up and stretch. "So," I ask, breaking the quiet, "what do you do in your free time? I hardly ever see you out."

He stands up beside me, not saying a word, and walks a few steps farther out. Then, nearly faster than my eye can see, he whips his sword out and — I see a flash of reddish-gray fur and then there's a high-pitched squeal of pain.

I bound over to Shin-Ah's side to see a dead fox lying on the ground, a clean swift blow to its neck endings its life immediately.

"How did you know that was there?" I ask, stunned. Even my hunter senses hadn't detected the animal.

He taps his mask. Of course.

"That's amazing," I say. "So this is what you do in your free time, huh?"

He nods. "Practice."

"Right . . ."

"But not only hunting . . . ," he continues.

"You swordfight, too, right?" I ask.

He nods.

"Wow," I say, impressed. Then, an insane idea going through me, I ask, "Can you teach me?"

"W . . . what?"

"The sword," I say. I glance down, my cheeks suddenly flaring red. "Can you . . . I mean, would you mind teaching me how to fight with the sword? Ki-Gun tried once, but he's not the best teacher and I've never really been very good at it."

Silence.

"You don't have to if you don't want to," I say quickly. "It's okay. I don't have to learn it, I —"

"I will . . . teach you."

I stop my rambling and look up at him. "R-really?"

He nods.

"Thank you!"

The corners of his lips tilt up ever so slightly, and I am glad, so glad, that his mask does not hide that part of his face that a smile of my own forms.

The next day, Shin-Ah and I meet in a small clearing on the mountains that has plenty of flat space for movement. There are a few trees that provide shade, sunlight filtering through the green leaves, and the ground is smooth, packed dirt. A perfect environment for fighting. I'd brought my own sword along, a simple weapon with a leather-covered hilt and a short blade. It's not a great sword, which is probably why it was given to me, but it's still serviceable.

Ao squeaks and runs around the clearing, most likely trying to find some food. I glance over at Shin-Ah, who still has his own sword in its sheath, and is looking at me, his stance easy and relaxed. In contrast, my body is stiff, tense and nervous. I wish I knew how he was looking at me.

"So," I say, "what do you want to do first?"

He tilts his head slightly, then says, "Show me what you can do."

"What?"

He doesn't provide any further explanation, which is very like him I've come to learn.

I still remember a few things from when Ki-Gun taught me, so I decide to start with those. I crouch into the fighting position he'd shown me, weighing my sword in my hands. The balance is a bit off and it's still a little heavy in my hands as I haven't built up the proper arm strength yet to wield it.

Stepping forward and getting a better grip on my sword, I do a few practice swings. The blade feels clumsy in my hands and my cheeks burn, knowing how stupid I must look to an experienced swordsman like Shin-Ah.

I straighten and turn to him. "Ahh . . ."

He's by my side in an instant and I nearly fall backwards and impale myself with my own sword. "Your stance . . . ," he says, as if that's an explanation.

"Yes, it's awful," I agree.

He glides his hand along my back and I shiver despite myself. "Straight posture," he says slowly, watching me correct each offending part as he goes, "shoulders back . . . knees slightly bent . . . feet apart. . . . Balance yourself."

He lays his hand on my shoulder and I tense up. "Relax," he says, his voice low. "Not enough to let your guard down . . . but relax. . . ."

I let out a breath and slowly will my body to loosen. His hands slide down to where my fingers are clenched around the hilt. He carefully rearranges my fingering on the handle, his own fingers quick and nimble against my frozen ones. I hadn't even realized I'd messed up the grip; my cheeks redden again. And I'm almost too embarrassed to notice his touch, his closeness. Almost.

"Now . . . ," he says and he takes out his own sword. "Attack."

I close my eyes briefly and when I open them, I let instinct fuel me and leap toward him. With Shin-Ah's corrections to my stance, I immediately feel the difference. However, the different things to remember jumble around in my mind, making me less coordinated.

Lifting my blade up, I dart forward, swinging it down at him, and he blocks it easily, of course. Making sure to keep myself balanced, I back up a bit, measuring out my footsteps, and try again, aiming lower. I try a few more unsuccessful hits, before he starts going on the offense and I clumsily attempt to defend myself, bringing my blade up just in time to deflect his blows.

His style is smooth and effective, no movement or breath wasted. It's also beautiful. If I didn't feel like I was about to trip any moment, I would want to watch him closer and drink the whole thing in. (Plus, I know he's holding back, too. What would it be like to watch him using his full strength?)

Finally, he pulls to a stop and I lower my sword, panting. My arms ache and I feel entirely loosened up now. Streams of sweat pour down my body; I wipe my forehead with the back of my hand. Irritatingly, Shin-Ah doesn't seem to be hot or even tired.

"It takes practice," he says.

"Yeah," I say. "Thanks for using up your time to teach me. I know I must be a lot of work."

He doesn't respond.

"Hey, do you want me to teach you archery?" I say. "Or do you already know how to shoot? I've never seen you use the bow before, though, so I thought maybe . . ."

He shakes his head, the bells tinkling. "No. Thank you, but no."

I blink a few times, surprised at his firmness. "Oh. You'd probably be good at it, though, right? You have good eyesight, don't you?"

His jaw tightens and he says, "Ao used a sword."

And that seems to be the end of it.

After a few more bouts of practice, we decide to be done for the day. I take out some snacks that I'd brought and offer it to him and Ao (as in the squirrel who seems to be perpetually hungry).

"So Ao taught you the sword?" I ask casually.

Shin-Ah nods as he tears into his food, almost as perpetually hungry as his squirrel.

"You're really good with it," I say.

"T-thank you." His cheeks color.

I smile. "Were you two close?"

There's a long pause and finally he says, "Yes. Ao . . . didn't just teach me how to fight . . . he taught me everything else."

I fall quiet. "I see. It must've been hard for you then. . . . My mom died around the same time. She and I were close, too. I really miss her."

"I'm sorry," he says quietly.

"It's okay," I say. I stare out over the mountain's edge, out into the world. It's still midmorning and the mountains are always a bit foggy, so mist covers the horizon, hiding the mysteries of the outside world from me.

I bring my legs up and place my chin on my knees. "Do you ever wonder what's out there?" I ask. "My mom used to tell me stories, of fantastical things . . . I don't think any of them were true. I wish I could see the world, though. I've heard the Water Tribe is beautiful. The Earth Tribe is the most entertaining. The Wind Tribe has the most spirit. And I'd love to visit Castle Hiryuu, maybe even see the royal family." I chuckle at my own foolishness. "Ridiculous, isn't it?"

"I hope you get to see it someday, Ae-Sun," he says, his voice quiet.

I turn to look at him, surprised.

He points through the fog and says, "There's a long stream that goes all the way down from this mountain. If you follow it, it will take you to the closest village."

"Have you ever been there?" I ask, my interest piqued.

He shakes his head. "I've only seen it," he says. "It's . . . different there . . . easier." He shakes his head again as if he can't adequately describe it, but I think he just has.

Easier. Yes. I would suspect a lot of villages would be easier.

I close my eyes momentarily, wonder about that village, about the people who live there and the lives they live. Easier. Then I say, "Shin-Ah, exactly how far can you see?"

I'm greeted with a few seconds of silence. Finally, he says, "A few miles?" The words sound almost like a question.

I gasp. "A few miles?"

He cringes beside me and I notice his cheeks are bright red. Something flares inside me, something like happiness and . . . I feel the sudden urge to reach out, to touch his cheeks and feel the heat in them. My own cheeks become warm and I blink at my thoughts, at the wild pounding inside my chest.

"I'm sorry," I say, burying the strange urge deep inside me. "It's just . . . that's amazing. I didn't know you could see that far."

He shrugs as if, Well, yeah, I can.

I stretch my arms out, out to the world before us, and gaze at the misty lands. "Wow, I just keep finding out more and more amazing things about you, huh?" A grin spreads on my face. "I can't wait to find out more." I turn back around to face him, words and sentences and barely-shaped dreams forming on my lips, but I forget what I'm going to say. And I don't end up saying anything at all.

His cheeks are still pink.

A/N: A note on something in this chapter: Shin-Ah mentions a village . . . well, obviously, we're never told how far the Seiryuu's village is from any other. But since no one really keeps tabs on Shin-Ah (that we know of), I didn't think it too hard to believe that he could've slipped out and gone exploring for a few days, and then spied on the village with his eyes. Also, I believe we don't know exactly how far he can see, but it's obviously a long ways, enough to see sharp details as well (and he can even see through substances like wood and cloth), so I don't think a few miles is pushing it.

This chapter (and the next few) was not originally in the story, but then I decided I needed more substance and relationship-building between them, so I added a few things. You'll get a little action next chapter (teaser!).

Oh, and random thought: this is the longest chapter yet! (Though not the longest chapter of the story . . . that's like chapter eight.) Not that it really matters. . . .

Anyway, thanks for reading!

~ J. Dom