Chapter 13: The Trip

Su-won looked through the trees up at the foliage as they passed user in. The sun was hot today, which made traveling almost unbearable. When Yona had come into his room early this morning with Hak trailing after her, he had thought something was amiss, like perhaps Kan Tae-jun was visiting again. No, Yona had just wanted him to pack up some clothes for a few days because she wanted him to go with Shin-ah and Jae-ha on a trip. She didn't really explain what kind of a trip this was, just that they were going somewhere to find somebody and save them if they needed saving.

After his father's execution for trying to kill Yona and his aunt, Su-won had been told that his mother and he would no longer be living at their home. He had been told to serve Yona the best he could. He hadn't understood it at the time, but now he did. By all rights he should've been dead like his father, but Yona had somehow convinced their grandfather not to execute him as well. He had been given his title back by uncle after King Joo-nam's death, but he held no land with that title. He believed that one day Yona would return to him what had been taken, or at least he hoped she would. It was why he never questioned her whenever she sent him on these trips.

Looking at Jae-ha, he believed the older boy served Yona because he saved her life when she was younger; but he still wondered why Jae-ha had even been near the palace at the time. He had heard rumors that his leg was green scaled and that he was one of the legendary warriors from the foundation myth. He remembered his father's views on the myth, the priests and Kami. He, himself wasn't sure of it being true or not; but that didn't mean he wasn't curious.

He looked at his friend next to him, Shin-ah clung to Hak like a monkey. He really did not like riding horses. Bright golden eyes looked at the world around them. Su-won knew from experience that those eyes could see everything around them ans even pass the barriers of brick and mortar. Shin-ah had once commented that he could see people's hearts if he pushed himself to o so. It was quite unsettling to Su-won.

A noise in the nearby trees caused Shin-ah's head to turn towards them. He saw a fawn with two doe's eating some leaves. Shin-ah loved trips because it gave him a chance to look at the wildlife around them. He figured he would draw them later that evening after they had eaten dinner in a journal Yona had given him. Looking ahead of them, he saw the blond haired man, Ouryuu, high up in the trees watching them pass by. He saw him place a finger at his lips and knew to stay quiet. Now wasn't the time to announce his presence.

Suddenly their horses came to a stop. A mist was hanging low to the ground, covering the trees ahead of them. Jae-ha got off of his black horse before he walked over to Shin-ah. "Get on my horse and continue on ahead. I'm going to be watching through the trees." he told him causing Shin-ah to nod in agreement.

"Shin-ah doesn't like riding by himself."Hak told the older boy. "Too scared to do it yourself droopy eyes?" Hak teased Jae-ha.

"No, no." the green haired teen said shaking his head. "I'm going to be making sure we aren't riding into a bandit trap." he pointed to the mist. "This mist might be man-made. It's just a precaution." he then handed both boys one of his daggers. "Just in case." he told them, gaining nods from both before he walked over to Su-won and handed him a dagger as well.

"Thanks." he told the older teen who gave a nod before jumping onto one of the high branches above their heads. In seconds he vanished from sight. Looking at his friends he saw Shin-ah sitting uncomfortably on the horses back. Jae-ha never put a blanket on the horse, so Shin-ah was now riding bareback.

"Okay, let's get going." Hak told them all as Shin-ah got the horse to begin moving. Still he looked very uncomfortable on the beast.

Jae-ha made sure to keep the three younger boys in sight as he went from tree to tree. As he landed on a branch he swore he saw a flash of yellow hair, but when he landed on the branch, it came to be nothing. Tch. I loosing it. He thought as he jumped from the position before he landed behind a bunch of men in the trees. They wore strange white and blue clothes, but had weapons in their hands. They were nicely dressed and looked out of place. Not bandits. He concluded. Pulling a dagger out, he prepared for an attack as the trio of children came into view.

"Stop where you are!" one man yelled, his hair was the color of sand. "Come no closer!"

Jae-ha watched the three horses come to a stop. He waited for the first man to signal for the drawn arrows to be used. I hate bows. He thought as a shudder went through him.

"This mountain is sacred!" the first man yelled once more. "Strangers aren't wanted here!"

More like you don't want them to come near your hidden secret. Jae-ha thought as he felt the flame that was Hakuryuu. Seems excited. Can he sense us? He wondered as he prepared himself to attack.

"Yeah well we were sent here!" Hak yelled. "And we aren't going back."

"Who sent you?!" The man demanded from the youth. "No man leaves this place once they set foot upon it."

Hak felt a challenge beginning and gave a wicked smile. "Oh yeah?" he said with arrogance. "Then they didn't have the Kami on their side."

"The devil of a boy." groused one of the men.

"Let me show him who has the Kami's protection." another pleaded with their leader as he pulled an arrow back on his bow. Aiming for Hak's horse.

"One shot." the leader whispered.

Jae-ha suddenly shot out of the limbs above them and kicked the man with the bow in the stomach with his dragon leg, sending him flying to the ground with a hard thud. The others turned towards him with shock. "Attacking children, what an ugly group of men you are." he pulled out three kunai and threw them at the leader before jumping into the air, landing on another limb and kicking a group of men off of their perches. All four, including the leader, landed hard on their backs on the ground.

"Ryokuryuu." the leader gasped in shock. He never would have believed it until now. Suddenly he found himself starring at the gold eyes of the Seiryuu as Shin-ah had jumped from his horse and now held a dagger to the man's neck.

"Call your men off!" Shin-ah yelled at the man or all of you will die this day." he threatened the man. It was an idle threat, as he had no intention of using his dragon power.

Jae-ha jumped as two men went to use their staff weapons on him only for them to lose their balance when he jumped and fall from the limbs to the ground. He was having fun. These guys were nothing compared to true soldiers.

"STOP!" he heard the leader yell. "They're not enemies!" the man quickly bowed to Shin-ah. "Lord Seiryuu, forgive us!"

"Seiryuu?" some of the fallen echoed as they looked at Shin-ah.

Jae-ha chuckled. "Now you notice?" he asked toying with a shuriken in his hand.

The leader took in Jae-ha's hair and his eyes. The way he had kept using his leg in kicking them and the pain that seemed unnatural. "Lord Ryokuryuu?" he asked in shock as everybody began bowing in respect towards the two dragon warriors.

Jae-ha blinked. This is...unexpected. He thought with his own shock but tried to not let it show. Shin-ah on the other hand was blushing at the attention he was receiving. Poor kid. Jae-ha mused. He's use to Yona and Queen Vala fawning over him, but not others. He smirked as he jumped down from the high branches before tapping Shin-ah's shoulder. "Let him up." he told him.

Shin-ah pulled the dagger away from the man's neck as Jae-ha bent down into a squat. "Does this mean you're not holding my brother Hakuryuu as a prisoner?" he asked, his voice going dark.

"Prison-" the man's eyes widen. "No! We would never!" he exclaimed. "We protect him. We do not hold him prisoner!"

"Good." Jae-ha said as his eyes continued to look at the man darkly. "Then I wouldn't want to have to kill his guardians."

The group of men looked nervously at him. "Why don't we take you to Lord Hakuryuu." the leader said. "I'm Harman. I'm one of his older cousins. Please, come this way." He and the others of the Hakuryuu clan turned away to lead the outsiders into their village.

"Stay alert." Jae-ha told the three younger children. All of whom gave him a nod in agreement before they all began to follow them down a secret trail that would lead them to the Hakuryuu Village.

Yona frowned as she listened to her dance instructor. She hated that she had sent all of her friends on a mission. This meant she had no reason not to do her normal study's, something all her instructors thought she needed. Without distractions she could now focus on what they wanted to teach her. After two hours of dance, she was taken to a library where her teacher was waiting and here she would be taught the basics reading and writing. Afterwards she left to go watch General Ju-doh train some new recruits; however, today she was in for a treat as she saw General Mundok was down in the training arena with General Ju-doh. The two were showing the recruits how different one enemy could fight verses another enemy.

Mundok used a staff weapon to slap away Ju-doh's sword from his left hand, but this left the one in his right hand capable of still inflicting damage. Yona gave a gasp as she watched Ju-doh go in for the strike only for Mundok to move quickly in a side step before taking the butt end of the weapon and hit Ju-doh in the stomach. Yona smiled excitedly as Ju-doh stumbled backwards and suddenly had the blade of the staff weapon at his neck.

Lesson here as to never underestimate your opponent, no matter how frail looking they looked.

Yona giggled as Mundok helped Ju-doh stand up. "Princess." a voice caught Yona off guard. Spinning around she saw the new kid, Kye-sook, who was in training to become a councillor. "You shouldn't be up here." he told her in a reprimanding tone.

"It is neither your place to tell me where I should or should not be, nor is it something you should be bothering yourself with." she told him, as she returned her attention towards the training.

"That is where you are wrong Princess." he told her, sounding like he had all the answers.

"You are a councillor in training, correct?" she asked him with mild annoyance.

"Yes, highness." he said with a prideful smile.

"Then until you are a councillor, where I go and what I do does not concern you." she said before looking at him. "I do not like you." she told him, seeing the feeling was mutual in his eyes. "So go bother somebody who will listen to you." As he walked away she heard him call her a spoiled brat. "Kye-sook." he paused. "You should be careful in calling people names. I am not a spoiled brat. I only stated what is true." she then returned her attention to the recruits that were being trained in front of her, never seeing the look of absolute hate upon his face.

M-Angel: Yay I finished another chapter to this story. I think tomorrow I'll work on my Time story. Also, for those who don't know yet, I've posted a new Bleach story called Two of a Kind. Check it out if you like Bleach as well.