A/N: And another warning for Jeaha kicking people really hard!

✧Jeaha✧

I could get used to this. I always find combat easy, but this is a whole new level. Each kick feels like a thunderclap, and the sound echoes in my bones.

Several soldiers try to rush me at once. I leap up, hammer kick one, and use him as a springboard to flip into a back kick that sends the rest hurtling into piles of rubble, blood streaming from their faces.

My talons are drenched in blood. I grin. Maybe I should fight barefoot more often.

I'm moving so fast that sometimes I can see green shimmering in the air. Soldiers keep coming at me. It's not that I'm trying to kill them. I'm trying not to. But with this new level of power, anything can, and does happen, and Yona's either too shell-shocked or too busy to try and call me off. One soldier tries to get in a sword slice. A crescent kick rips the sword from his hand… and his hand from his arm. 'Come on, get a clue.' One comes up from behind. I dodge, and roundhouse kick him into the next one, and they both skitter across the ground.

'I guess you guys have been drilled to try and kill me — ' I pause to deal with a rather persistent soldier, ' — in the face of impossible odds, am I right?'

There's hardly any men left, just corpses. It doesn't mean that I drop my guard, however. A blade flashes behind me — I shift, the soldier overbalances, and I take the sword and impale him on it.

I trip over something — it's my coat. I quickly pull it back on and snap any blades I've got back in their sheaths. It's seen better days, but at least it might slow any cuts.

At least I don't have to worry about the archers. Yona. I step back and let two soldiers skewer each other. She moves pretty quick — where's she gone? I use a broken cart as a spring board and leap into the air. I'm not used to flying with my leg like this and I overshoot.

I see her, she's… On the ground. A sword is embedded in the earth beside her. I flip. Throwing knives gleam between my fingers and I streak downwards.

It's the official. He rips his sword out of the ground, and Yona stumbles backwards. She's pressing one hand to her shoulder — and her hand is drenched in blood.

My dragon's leg spasms. I narrow my eyes. It looks like I get to keep my promise.

The offical raises his sword, and screams something at her, his voice blurred by the roaring wind.

They're too close. It's too late to change course now. Focus. Get this right.

The sword falls and I blaze past her — touching her — and flip into a sidekick.

The official's eyes widen. 'Have fun in hell, sir,' I say.

The official tumbles through the air, blood streaming from the burning hole in his chest, and crunches into the double doors of his house. The wood shatters, buries him, and bursts into flame.

I land, and drop to one knee.

'Jeaha!' Yona throws herself at me, arms around my neck, hands tangled in my hair, half knocking me over. I briefly hug her back.

Then I see the tear in the shoulder of her gown. My heart skips a beat. 'That piece of — '

'Hmm? Oh,' she says, and presses her hand back to her shoulder. I feel sick. Her hand is dripping with blood.

I start to panic. 'We've got to stop the bleeding,' I say and wince inside, as I reach to start ripping up my coat for bandages.

Yona looks confused, then her face brightens. 'It's not my blood.' And she holds up her blood-drenched hand with a smile. 'A soldier grabbed me, so I punched him through the neck with a throwing knife. You know, like you showed me the other day. I guess it must have worked, because I got blood all over my hand.'

I'm speechless. Then I laugh. I can't help it, I laugh so hard I think I might break a rib.

Yona smacks me on the shoulder but she starts laughing too, even though she's still trying to look indignant. 'What are you laughing at?!'

I try and get my breath back. 'Sorry, it's just — you're amazing, you know that?' She smiles.

I slide her gown off her shoulder, expecting a blow over the head or a pervert comment, but she doesn't seem to mind. A thin red thread arches over her collarbone. I gently wipe away the few beads of blood. It doesn't even need bandaging.

I sigh with relief. 'It's fine.'

'What about you?' she asks.

Power is still surging through my veins. 'Never better.'

I take Yona in my arms and stand. The air's warm, mostly due to the raging inferno of the official's house. Looks like hell came to him, and didn't even wait until he was completely dead.

A few soldiers are hiding in the shadows. I feel a small twinge of guilt. Could things have played out any other way? I don't know.

Yona's safe, that's all that matters. I shift her in my arms, and realise she's picked up a bow and quiver from somewhere. She passes me the blades she collected, and I slide them into my coat. 'We're done here.'

My dragon's leg has stopped throbbing, now it just pulses in time with my heartbeat.

I draw one leg back, and glance at Yona. She hooks her arms around my neck. 'By the way, I couldn't ask for a prettier or more lethal battle companion, kiddo,' he says.

Yona's eyes sparkle. We blaze into the sky, and before we know it, we're up above the clouds.

'Wowww!' Yona says, eyes wide.

I actually don't think I've flown this high before. During the morning, a sea of fluffy white clouds has rolled in.

'It's so clean up here, I feel dirty,' she says.

She's got dirt and blood on her faces, her hair looks terrible, and her dress is ripped in quite a few places. And I was the one doing most of the fighting. I chuckle.

'Where should we go?' she asks.

I'm starting to feel tired. 'I don't know.' Really tired. The pain starts trickling in: my bruised back, scraped wrists, cuts, gashes, bruises. My vision's starting to blur. I haven't eaten in days… Have I? I can't feel my leg at all, but then it starts throbbing with agonising pain.

'I think I've hit my limit, kid.'

She looks at me. 'Huh?'

My grip on her is loosening. She can feel it, and her fingers dig into my skin. 'Jeaha!'

'Sorry, if I, y'know…'

We're really high, aren't we?

'…Drop you. Feel free to scream at me if it makes you feel better.'

Her eyes widen. We start to fall.

'JEAAAHAAAAAAA!'

Screaming. A girl's voice.

It fades into the blackness, and I wonder whose voice it is.

To be continued...

A/N: Two-thirds of the way through! Thanks to zee, DFreddy3773, Mimiluvbug, and phantomlord878 for reviewing! Enjoy the rest, guys!