Here's to a nice long update! I had a little writers block. It's gone now I think. The plotline of this chapter is thanks to Undaunted One. She was the greatest ideas. If you haven't yet I suggest you check out her new Akatsuki no Yona story Watchful Eyes of My Guardian.

Chapter 10

After a hearty breakfast of berries and editable roots, the two travel on once again. Yona was relieved to stretch her limbs after being glued to the ground for hours. It didn't pass her notice that Shin-ah was acting particularly stiff this morning. Knowing it was all her fault, Yona found herself turning an undeniably shade of red. Finding herself completely unable to meet the Seiryuu's eyes, she kept her eyes mostly downcast unless spoken to.

It wasn't just Yona; the entire atmosphere seemed to have changed between the two. First the kiss and being forced to share such close quarters made the both of them act strange.

The attraction they were feeling was rather unsettling for Yona's heart. After Soo-won shattered her ideas of love, she never thought she could be attracted to another as long as she lived.

Shin-ah's kiss had shaken her to the core and she would be a liar to say she hadn't been terrified of herself. A small part of Yona feared the way Shin-ah had completely captured her heart in his hands in such a short amount of time. The girl was at the Seiryuu's mercy of what he would do to her. It wasn't just he who captured her heart. Yona could see it in his eyes that she'd captured his in the same way. Both hearts were so very fragile.

That was why as now neither would voice their feelings. Yona especially was not ready to bare her heart.

Lost in her heavy thoughts, Yona completely missed the sound of faint footsteps from behind but Shin-ah had picked them up hours ago. If Yona had paid attention and not lost in her own head, she would have noticed how stiff and wary Shin-ah had become or know how close he was walking next to her. So close that their hands brushed, starting Yona enough to gasp. The simple touch felt like a lightning spark going up her arm.

However, there was hardly time to focus on this new development.

"We've been followed for a while now but it seems they've caught up to us." Shin-ah's words were a mere breath only to be heard by Yona. The Seiryuu didn't meet the ex princess' eyes.

Yona's heart felt lodged in her throat. How long were they followed while she wasn't paying attention to her surroundings? She had to get her thoughts and feelings in check before something bad happened while she wasn't on guard. Being distracted like this was a sure way to get the both of them killed.

Whipping around, Shin-ah pulled Yona swiftly behind him, "When I say run. Run and don't look back."

"Yes." Yona couldn't argue at a time like this. He surely would hold his own with a lone soldier. This wasn't an army. Yona couldn't fight back and without a weapon she had no way to defend herself without Shin-ah. The realization of being unable to protect herself or Shin-ah made her frown. She hated being so helpless. What if one day Shin-ah needed help she couldn't give? No. No. No stop thinking! The red head trained her eyes on the hulking form walking toward them at a disturbing pace. Unable to control herself, Yona pressed close into Shin-ah's back.

Hand already inching for the hilt of his sword, Shin-ah waited until the soldier approached. The man didn't draw until he was several feet away. "Ah, the lovely ex princess and her faithful dragon. Fancy seeing you here."

Yona stared at the soldier in quiet shock. The man was speaking almost as if he knew them. A ploy to get the both of them to lower their guard. Shin-ah would have none of it.

A sharp ching filled the air as the Seiryuu trained his sword on the man who had the nerve to grin.

What on earth?! Yona took a step at the horrendous display.

Seconds later there's a secondary ching of sliding metal. A sword arcs its path towards Shin-ah's mask, a hair away from slashing across it.

Covering her mouth with her hands, Yona tried to keep a scream at bay, feeling the wind from the deadly swing.

Shin-ah pushed the sword back with vicious force, making his opponent take several steps back. "Run."

Yona didn't have to be told twice. The girl shot like an arrow into the trees only to look back once. Continuing to run until she was too out of breath to carry on another step.

Heaving against a tree, she waited for Shin-ah right there. He wouldn't take too long—

"Well, well, what do we have here? A little lost princess who can't find her way," the mocking voice froze Yona's blood, crippling her into terror.

"Soo-won," a whimper passed her lips as she backed as far into the tree as was allowed. Visions of what he did to her assault her mind until she thought she might hurl. Wobbling, Yona made a run for it, but she already knew it was a fruitless attempt.

She'd only taken five steps before her arms were wrenched behind her back. "Let me go!" she cried out in desperation, squirming to get away. Blind in her fright if she didn't get away she knew she would pass out.

Soo-won whirled the girl around so fast her head snapped back as he pressed her into the closest tree.

Petrified, Yona stared up at the man she used to love in horror. There were no sweet smiles and calm words. Just a sneer as her cousin leaned over her form, using his height to further intimidate her as if she wasn't scared enough.

"You got away from me last time but there's no escaping me this now, Yona." The sun glinted off an object he'd been hiding in his kimono sleeve until this moment.

"Shin-ah…" the name came off her tongue before she stopped it. As if saying the name would make the man materialize.

A chuckle bubbled out of Soo-won's chest, "You call that animal's name even in the face of death?" the dagger in his hand moved closer and Yona flinched back with a whimper.

"He will come for me!" Yona gasped out before Soo-won smashed his hand to her mouth.

"That thing won't come for you. It's a monster with no soul. He's probably watching right now as I end your miserable life." The dagger pressed into her throat before sliding down her front. Ripping the only clothes she possessed. The ones she wore when he attacked her but now they were far more ripped. Past the point of indecent… but that wouldn't matter when she was dead.

The girl clawed at his arms to disarm the weapon. Anything to get away from this horrible man.

Tears pricked Yona's eyes, but she refused to let them fall. This monster wasn't worth her tears.

As if Soo-won read her thoughts, he pressed the knife closer to her skin, forcing blood from her chest where it pressed against her erratic heartbeat "I'd be merciful and give you a quick death but after you scorned me in that tower—where that monster ruined my plans. How humiliated I felt after all the servants and even Father found me out cold on the stone floor bleeding out." He pulled the dagger away with a shiny glint in his eyes. The look of a man gone completely mad. "I will not allow you a quick death." Yona felt more than saw the dagger as it pressed into her side, skin protesting against the sharp tip. Just one thrust and she would be dying at his feet. She never once looked down but kept her eyes fully locked on her enemy.

"After I kill you, I will hunt your precious Seiryuu down until he dies from exhaustion—"

"No! No stop it!"

Smirking, Soo-won pressed his body into hers. "Yes princess, beg for his life. Beg me to spare it," he was so close Yona could feel his breath. She turned her head away in disgust, squeezing her eyes shut. The trembling in her body started as the knife poked her side just a little more.

"Beg me for your life, Yona," the words were whispered into her ear like a lover's sweet declaration of love. The warning never came.

The scream that followed echoed for miles. The sound froze Shin-ah at the spot and for a moment his heart stopped altogether. The moment he came back alive it was as if someone else took over his body. The soldier he'd been fighting all this time fell to the ground like a giant fallen tree. Without a second glance back at his victory, Shin-ah was running as fast as he could toward the most awful sound in the world. The sound of Yona dying.

The Seiryuu found the girl he'd come to love on the forest floor, gripping at a dagger protruding from her side. The blood was everywhere.

"NO!" the agonized howl that ripped from the supposed 'soul-less monster' rivaled that of the girls.