Chapter 8: Going Home


The walk to Hiryuu Castle was certainly an interesting one, as Kija was enamoured with Guen's tall tales and Jae-ha was doing his best to avoid his ancestor with every bound. Shin-ah and Abi seemed to get along, as long as Ao stayed away from the birds on Abi's shoulders, the tiny squirrel found joy in terrorizing the bird's for some odd reason. Hak still had his suspicions about the group, but stayed silent as Yona and Yun both were badgering Hiryuu with questions every ten seconds. Zeno, on the other hand, was on cloud nine. The smile on his face told everybody that he was quite content, even with Jae-ha giving an indignant yell every so often.


Jae-ha jumped high in the sky above everyone, keeping Yona in his sights while trying to avoid his ancestor. The man was a barbarian compared to himself. He rested on a large thick limb far ahead the group. If asked, he'd just say he was scouting ahead. He really hoped the bastard had stopped following him around.

"Yo, kid." the voice above him made Jae-ha groan.

He shivered. The man wasn't even hands-on! How the hell did he come from something like that! He glared at the man with his one visible eye, the other hidden by his bangs. "Why are you following me?" He inquired, sounding a bit annoyed.

Shuten smiled at the annoyed tone the kid was using with him. "I'm curious about you is all." he answered.

Jae-ha smiled, a teasing look entering his eyes. Raising his hands in front of him, Jae-ha spoke. "As flattered as that should be to me, I'm not interested." he saw confusion cross the man's face.

Squatting on the branch with his weapon in his hand, Shuten frowned at what Jae-ha had said. "Huh?" he inquired, not quite getting what the kid meant when suddenly it hit him like a ton of bricks. "You little-!" he shouted as Jae-ha jumped away from him with a chuckle.

When he landed Jae-ha was chuckling. Okay, maybe I can have fun with this. He thought as he saw Yona part away from the group and caught up with him. "Jae-ha, where did you go?" she inquired, behind her Hak spotted the second Ryokuryuu looking annoyed.

"You making new friends droopy eyes?" Hak inquired as he stood behind Yona, King Hiryuu looked at him as if he was about to ask something when Jae-ha spoke back.

"Aw, Hak, are you jealous that I can make friends quicker than you?" he asked as he wrapped an arm around the dark haired mans shoulders.

Hak glared at him. "Right, you and who knows what diseases you carry?" he asked. "Not likely."

"Ouch." Jae-ha said as he clutched his chest. "That one hurt, right here." he said dramatically. "I'll have you know, I'm very clean."

Hak smirked. "Oh?" he asked. "Then the beasts will love to know that."

Jae-ha began laughing. "That's a good one." he told him causing Hak's smirk to broaden.

"Thank-you." he looked at Yona who was shaking her head at their banter. "I've been saving that one."

The green haired man raised an eyebrow. "Really?" he asked.

Yona looked over her shoulder at him. "Are you two going to be like this the whole way?" she asked.

"No."

"Yes."

Jae-ha smiled at Hak who glared at him.

Hiryuu chuckled as he spoke. "Are they always so entertaining?" he asked Yona.

"It gets worse if they're not stopped." Yun stated as he compared his map to the one Abi had given him. "Goodness!" he exclaimed as he found the valley where Ik-su and him lived him.

"What is it Yun?" Yona inquired as she went over to his side.

Yun pointed to the spot on his map. "This is where Ik-su and I live." he said gaining a nod from Yona before he switched maps. "Here's the same spot."

Yona's eyes widened. "Its a huge river!" she exclaimed. Turning towards Zeno she asked. "Has the geography of Kouka really changed that much since this time?"

Zeno paused in his walking as he touched his chin in deep thought. "After the big quake that occurred a hundred years after Hiryuu's death, quakes began to come and go in the territories across the country." he looked at Yona. "Zeno recalls a fairly large one that occurred that split the water territory for five hundred years before the two halves came back together in a rather violent way." he shook his head. "That was how the mountains were formed in the water tribe."

"Father use to say there was a story where the great quake created the water tribe mountains in a single day." Yona told him.

Zeno nodded. "It shook the entire country!" he exclaimed. "People thought the world was ending. Prayers were being sent to heaven as others cried and screamed in terror!" Zeno laughed after he said that. "When the world didn't end people thought that it was a sign from the Kami that they needed to change their ways and for fifty years Kouka was peaceful." he walked up to Yun and looked between the two maps before pointing to where Kuuto was. "The one place that was always safe was the castle. Nobody ever could understand why, but it was the only place that was not damaged by the quaking."

Hiryuu smiled as he looked towards the sky. "My brothers. They said the castle would stand until the day that my legacy was no longer on the earth." he told them.

Shuten landed near them. "Your brothers made sure that you wouldn't be forgotten?" he asked the king, gaining a nod. "How?" he asked but didn't get an answer.

"Divine intervention." Yun stated before shaking his head. "Guess people forgot about that one."

"Zeno hasn't." Zeno stated. "Zeno remembers everything in every time." he said throwing his hands over his head. "When Zeno's brothers died, Zeno was sad and went through a depression." he saw sadness in Hiryuu's at this. "However, once Zeno realized something Zeno broke through his depression." he chuckled as he began walking again. "Of course, that was probably the doing of Zeno's wife."

"Wife!" all three of the original warriors yelled in shock.

Jae-ha looked at them with a raised brow. "You didn't know?" he asked causing Zeno to laugh.

"Zeno was over a thousand years old when he finally met her." he told Jae-ha.

The green haired man pushed his hair back. "You really are old Zeno." Jae-ha said with a chuckle as he went to follow him.

"Why does Zeno keep saying his name I wonder." Guen spoke as he looked between Abi and Shuten.

Kija looked at his ancestor. "Zeno says it's so he doesn't forget his name." he answered. "I asked him about it once." he smiled softly. "I told him that he will never have to worry about that again." he fisted his dragon claw. "As my brother, I refuse to allow him to be alone like he was before."

Guen chuckled. "I'm surprised he didn't go to one of our clans." he said with a smile.

"He said he did." Kija stated as they walked side by side. "However, my clan has the bad habits of chasing every intruder off." he sighed. "I am certain he was either chased or shot at, at one point in time." he looked at Jae-ha and shuttered. "The Ryokuryuu clan use to tie up their dragon warrior, so I'm certain Zeno wasn't welcomed there."

"Tie up?" Shuten inquired.

"Jae-ha dodges the questions about his clan, but I do know he hates being chained or tied up to anything." Kija stated. "Shin-ah was hidden away." he looked at his blue haired brother who once again had his mask on his face. "They hid his face with a mask all his life."

"We know." Abi stated. "I'm curious how that started." he said in wonderment.

"We don't know." Kija answered him. "The history of the Seiryuu has been lost. We've come across a couple of their old villages, but not much history was left there."

As they neared the gates to Kuuto, Zeno paused in his steps. "Zeno can't go inside." he told his friends. "If my younger self sees me, something bad may occur."

"Isn't that like believing a black cat brings bad luck?" Yun asked him.

Shuten hit the younger kid on the head. "Don't joke about black cats!" he yelled at Yun who rubbed the back of his head as he glared at the original Ryokuryuu.

Zeno laughed. "Shuten is a stickler for superstitions." he told Yun.

Yona looked at Zeno nervously. "I don't want to leave you behind!" she cried out. "That's not right! You're one of my precious friends!" she declared gaining serious looks from Shuten, Abi and Guen.

"She's right!" Kija exclaimed gaining his ancestors attention.

Jae-ha rubbed his chin. "Hate to say this, but you're stuck with us old man." he gave Zeno a grin that stated he really didn't mind that.

Shin-ah nodded as Ao peeked out from his clothing. "Pikyuu!" she then jumped into the blond's hair.

Zeno laughed. "Thank-you." he said with sincerity before looking serious. "However, Zeno knows Missy needs to rest. That her dress is dirty, shoes worn and that she is hungry." Yona's cheeks flushed.

"I'm fine." she stated, not denying any of those things he had said.

Zeno shook his head at her. "Mister needs to rest as well." he stated.

"I'm fine." Hak commented only for Yun to poke his side that was recently bandaged. Hak winced before glaring at the younger teen.

"Zeno's brothers still need to rest." Zeno saw them about to protest. "And don't say you're fine. Kija's arm is hurt. Jae-ha's human leg is hurt. Shin-ah is the only one who is fine." he then frowned at them. "Zeno will be fine." he assured them. "Zeno has don't this before. Don't worry." Shin-ah suddenly looked at him with a frown before reaching up to his mask, walking over to Zeno and placing the mask on his face. "Zeno can't see without eye holes." he said sounding slightly annoyed that nobody would let him do this.

Yona sighed sadly as she went up to Zeno and gave him a hug. "I'm going to send Hak to check on you every day!" she told him.

Behind her the three original warriors were wide eyed at her blatantly hugging him like that. She was just like Hiryuu in that regard. Suddenly Zeno was hugged by the other three of their group, Jae-ha leaning over the group as Kija's dragon claw pulled everybody close. Shin-ah almost losing his balance as he was pulled forward into the hug. Zeno laughing in between the group.

Yun looked at them before giving a deep sigh. "You'd think we weren't seeing him ever again." he said causing Hiryuu to look down at the youth.

"Are you not going to miss having him around?" he asked him causing the youth to flush lightly.

"One less beast to worry about while in the city." he stated, his cheeks pink. "Besides, knowing Zeno he''ll sneak in just to keep an eye on Yona."

"Oi, kid." Shuten said gaining Yun's attention. "Do those five always hug each other?" he was grinning like a catshire cat.

Yun blink in confusion at his question. "Yeah." he said slowly, eyeing the older man. "Why?"

Shuten was about to answer when Hiryuu chuckled. "Because I give Zeno hugs whoever he looks sad." he answered before looking at Shuten. "If you want a hug, I can start giving you one."

"Gah!" Shuten cried out as the King approached him with open arms. "Ya dumbass King, why would I want another guy hug me?"

Guen laughed. "He wants one from your cute girl self!" he said loudly causing Hak to eye them suspiciously.

Hiryuu laughed as Yona returned to his side. "What's going on?" she asked.

Guen was about to answer when Shuten slammed his dragon foot onto Guen's foot causing the older man to gasp in pain. "Nothing!" Shuten yelled as he took to the skies.

"I'll get you for that Shuten!" Guen yelled into the air.

Jae-ha chuckled behind Yona. "It would seem even the first generation can't resist your enchanting charms Yona dear." he flirted before being punched by Hak. Clutching his cheek, Jae-ha gave a sigh. "Another bruise to go with everything else that's battered my poor body."

"Poor body my ass." Hak said with a roll of his eyes.

Yona covered her mouth to stop her giggles. She loved those two, she really did; but Hak needed to stop. "Hak," she called for her friend causing him to look at her and ignore the green haired pervert. "Let's go." she said holding her hand out to him. Hak took her hand without thought and smiled, knowing he'd always follow her, no matter what was said or done.