Chapter 12: The Kami's Vision


The first time he saw her wasn't when she and the former Wind General had been brought to his home by Yun. Nor was is the day she was born. Neither was it the day when Prince Il found out that he would be a father, though seeing the noble faint had been humorous. No, the firs time Ik-su saw the soon-to-be exiled Princess Yona was the first day he became a priest.

He'd always been able to hear the Kami's voices, and there were a myriad of them, since he was a young boy. His mother thought he was going insane and had taken him to a temple where he was left. The head monk had beaten him; at first. As the days turned into weeks, which turned into months and he could still hear them, the head monk took him to Kuuto to the monastery there, where he was given to the head priest. Here he wasn't shunned, he wasn't beaten or starved in order to break whatever spell that may have been on him; instead his ability was nurtured. The head priest loved him like a son and along with the other priests, who were like uncles, he was able to learn how to listen to the Kami in order to understand what they wanted to say or were saying to him.

Then came the vision.

He was sixteen, had just finished his study to become a priest and was in front of King Joo-nam when he suddenly fell to his face crying as the voices in his mind began to sing of a prophesy of the red dragon returning and then the prophesy that went with his return.

Darkness falls upon the earth. With the dragon's blood they arise once again. Following the ancient pledge, the four dragons will gather to protect the king. The sword and shield awaken, and the Crimson Dragon will return with the dawn.

As his strength vanished from his body an image of a beautiful red haired woman appeared in his mind along with one word. Hiryuu.


Years after his prophesy Ik-su awoke one morning to hear that a red haired little girl had been born to the royal family. He, along with the other priests came to Hiryuu Castle where they were introduced to Princess Yona. Ik-su stared at the tiny bundle with unshed tears threatening to spill over. She was beautiful. Her bright red hair seemed to glow. Her violet eyes peered at them like one filled with unknown wisdom. The voices were quiet on that day and he knew why; Hiryuu had returned.

A week later he fell to his knees in the monastery courtyard which grabbed the attention of the other priests who ran to him in order to assist him in any way. He fell to his face and began to cry as another vision danced before his eyes. Death of King Il by his own nephew. Hiryuu's reincarnation barely escaping death with the help of a man with the strength and speed of a beast. He then saw her and her companion fall off of a cliff. He came out of the vision with a gasp that surprised everybody. This vision, he quickly realized, he hadn't spoken out loud. The head priest gave him water to drink and asked him what he had seen. He cried when he spoke it. Afterwards the head priest told him not to tell anybody else and that he'd take care of it.

He wasn't sure what the head priest meant by that and he had feeling he wouldn't want to either.


A year after his last vision and Ik-su found himself homeless as he and the others at the monastery had been exiled or killed in some cases. Yu-hon had found out about his visions and had tried to kill all of them. Some had escaped with their lives, but the older priests had fought back and had been killed by the Sky General.

He didn't know what he was going to do, but the voices were telling him to stay in the valley between the wind and fire; so that was where he was heading.


Pain was the first thing he had felt when he'd awaken one morning. As he sat up he saw a young boy with the most unusual color of hair he'd seen in this tribe. He'd been traveling for days helping people with what little money he had. He gave them food or money when he could. This boy had bright blue eyes that were dulling and hair that was almost red but closer to a blush color. Strawberry blonde. his mind supplied him as he began to explain to the youth that he had given away the last of his money and had no money to give him. The poor boy had looked devastated. He then looked around the shack that the child was living in. There were holes in the planks and his bed was made of straw. His clothes had holes in them and he was bare footed. He then taught the boy how to make some shoes so that his own feet wouldn't be so cold.

He then learned the boy's name. Yun. What a precious name.

He left Yun behind at the village thinking he'd be better off than with a clumsy former priest, but his mind kept going back to the boy every time he saw a small child in another village. How passionate those blue eyes would get when he'd speak or yell. He found himself wondering if he was getting enough to eat or if he was cold. One night after a very bad dream he stood and left where he was and headed back to Yun's village where he found the boy seemingly to be surviving just fine now that he didn't have to resolve to being a thief. However when he went to leave this time, Yun begged him to stay or let him come with Ik-su. That was when Ik-su saw how brave the boy was trying to be and yet he truly wanted to be with someone, even if that someone was him. Reluctantly he agreed for Yun to come with him.

It was the beginning of a friendship that would last for years.


One day, years after he had become Yun's guardian, Ik-su heard Yun yelling for him. He came out of their hut and found the boy using a cart to bring a couple of injured people to their home. As he examined the young woman, Ik-su found himself having deja'vu. There unconscious on the cart was the newly exiled Princess Yona.

It's begun. was all he thought as he helped Yun bring her and the young man into their home. This would be the beginning of a long journey for the princess and as Yun began bandaging her wounds, Ik-su knew he'd be saying good-bye to his closest friend very soon.


It would be years later when everybody would see what Ik-su had seen years ago, the rising of the red haired princess. With her came the revealing of the four dragons, a raiju and a very clever young man. Everywhere she went, he companions were with her. She brought a peace with her that everybody had dreamed about. The neighboring countries stayed back when she took control away from her cousin and destroyed an invading army. The generals all helped her take control easily and with her new husband, they kept Kouka safe.

As she rose as the Queen of a powerful nation, Ik-suddenly couldn't help but wonder how all this was going to end. Her dragons loved her more that those that had followed Hiryuu. She also had the love of a man who had risked everything for her. The friendship of a young man who would ensure she was always safe and now had the eyes of a country on her. How ever her story would end, he knew that this time not just a small band of people would mourn flooding her. It would be All of Kouka that would mourn her loss; but that wouldn't be for years to come. He hoped any way.


M-Angel: Ik-su is so sweet. I wanted to show his sweet side in this chapter and leave out his clumsy side, we all know about that side of him. I also want to give him more of a background story since we didn't get much of one on him yet.

Also, if anybody wants to use his background story for a story of their own, just ask first. Thanks. ^_^