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Chapter 14 – Soar
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Knowing Ryokuryuu, maybe he wouldn't hurt Kayano but what had made Kayano trying to fight Jae Ha? Could it be she trying to test her strength that she got from Jae Ha as Ryokuryuu? That was what Hak thinking as he eyeing his comrades. Unlike Yun who stood with mouth agape in awe, Shina felt worry even if he tried to believe Kayano and Kija was clearly upset looked from how frantic and nervous he was (he was worry about Kayano).
Only Yona who asked Hak "Hak, is it really okay? to let Kayano fighting with Jae Ha?".
"don't worry, princess… she isn't known as 'Silver Needle' for nothing".
"after we find out whoever knocked down first, I'll announce the result…", Gigan lifted one her hand up "without time limit".
Once Gigan put her hand down, Jae Ha and Kayano swung their leg to each other. Jae Ha kicked Kayano using his Dragon leg and Kayano kicked back to holding his leg, knowing he would use his Dragon leg as she smirked. As Kayano somersaulted backward, Jae Ha dodged her leg before it hit him with lowering his stance backward. Propping himself using both his hand, Jae Ha landed on his back before swinging one his leg to hit her hand that become the pole of her body. Losing her balance, Kayano fell to the side but quickly recover herself with using her right hand to prevent her body from hit the floor and kneeling on the floor. She didn't find Jae Ha as she dropped to one knee on the floor, instead she looking to shadow in front of her. When she lifted her head up, she welcomed by several of Jae Ha's throwing knives. She heard Yona and Yun yelled at her to avoid but like she did at Hakuryuu village, she dodging the upcoming knives with swinging her muffler around her body, successfully change the direction of that flying knives that landed on Jae Ha's comrades instead. Gigan used her knives to dodge Jae Ha's misdirection knives but some of her crew got bad luck, considering that knives stabbed the wood or pinned part of the fabric from their clothes.
"Jae Ha, don't involve us within your battle!?" yelled one of crew who using red-bandana.
"Miss, don't even trying to kill us?!" whined black-haired chubby-faced crew.
Kayano smiled sheepishly "sorry~".
Gigan whistled as she put back her knives "oh, interesting… that muffler made by steel thread, right?".
Kayano nodded her head before throwing her needles to Jae Ha. Jae Ha easily dodged it but Kayano pulled the strings that connected with her needles. The strings successfully wrapped Jae Ha's bicep and arm, and Kayano didn't give a chance to him. After Jae Ha fell to the ship's floor, Kayano pinned him down with her needles. Before Kayano landed on his body to give last hit, he kicked her with his Dragon leg in reflex and sent Kayano flying to the poop of the ship.
"Kayano?!", Kija averted his eyes from where Kayano went flying before glared to Jae Ha who released himself from Kayano's needles "Jae Ha!? are you seriously using your dragon leg to—".
"it's alright, Kija", Kayano jumped and landed on the deck again, sauntering while cleaning dust on her kimono and muffler "actually, I will be seriously injured if not because this".
Jae Ha cleaned the dust off of his robe as well, eyeing her muffler "to prevent being kicked by my leg, she was using her muffler on the last minutes to block my kick before my leg hit her".
After that, Kayano with her needles and Jae Ha with his knives, swing their weapon to each other, weapon dance which make Yun witnessed beautiful silver ray from Kayano's needles that clashing to her opponent weapon's. Suddenly, the realization down on Yun's head, looks like he understood the reason of why she got the moniker as 'Silver Needle'.
Hak smirked with his usual grin "got your answer about the reason of her moniker, kid?".
Yun shrugged his shoulder before observing the battle back, looks like it barely reached the end. Kayano run out of her needles so she only able to using her muffler or dagger. Jae Ha run out of his knives as well, only small dagger on his pocket that left. Both of them swung their dagger to each other, the sounds of the metal clashed ringing as their dagger hit each other's. When Kayano ducked and swung her dagger to his leg, Jae Ha jumped high, flying on the air just above the ship's mast but it was where he went wrong. He didn't expect Kayano to jump as well. With the same strength as his Dragon leg, Kayano jumped, flying on the air with the same height as Jae Ha. Kayano knew Jae Ha distracted by this, so she using the advantage and kicking Jae Ha to the sea. Poor Jae Ha, he must change his clothes soon, twice for today. After Kayano sent Jae Ha to the sea, she landed back on the deck of the ship where Yona, Yun, Kija, Hak and Shina gave applause to her performance. Ao even lifted score board for her. Like she said, Kayano really kicked Jae Ha to the sea. Within their heart, they vowed to their heart to not make a ruckus with her at all (she could be dangerous and creepy sometimes when she was angry). Kayano with her muffler draped on her shoulder around her arm which make the crews wooed her and praised her as the goddess or angel, they didn't know about Kayano's power as the Dragon Priestess that make her able to gain half of the Dragon's power after all.
Hak couldn't help but snorted before commented "goddess or angel? Do you mean war goddess?".
That successfully make the vein popped on Kayano's head and Kayano squeezed Hak's neck before shaking his head "moo, Onii-sama!? How many times I told you to not call me like that?!".
Hak laughed dryly along with their comrades and the crews. As Gigan announced the result that Kayano passed the battle test, Jae Ha wrung the water from his hair and clothes, approaching Kayano with impish grin that sent the shudder on Kayano's and Hak's body "so cool… I thought there's no one other woman outside here who will kick me to the sea anymore".
Yona tilted her head to the side "kick you to the sea anymore?".
Yun narrowed his eyes "let me guess, the one who kick you before must be…".
"yep, Captain Gigan", Jae Ha smirked before taking Kayano's hand on his "but I love this girl who has such passion and steel nerve as well~ would you take a date with me?".
Once again, Hak snatched Kayano from him and stomped on Jae Ha's face "over my dead body first, big bro".
Yona and her group were quickly welcomed by the pirates after that. Yun prepared the glorious dinner with rich ingredients from the sea and everyone felt glad about it. On the meeting that night, Gigan had asked Kayano and the others to explain their power, mostly Kayano and that was where Kayano explained that she only gained half of Dragon's power as the Dragon Priestess. At first Yun and the others doubted, they should tell them or not, but Yona and Kayano reassured them that the pirate's crew were fine.
Jae Ha asked in disbelief "only a half?".
Kayano nodded "yep, the proof is, I can't make my hand become enormous like Kija did, looks like I only gained the power like the strength, endurance or agility".
Hak had prevented her from going with Yona as well but she reassuring him that she would join the battle as well after make sure the captured woman be safe and sending the signal with Yona and Yun. Sooner or later she would dive herself into danger as well, so it wouldn't make any different with her coming with Yona and Yun or the pirate's force.
"Onii-sama, you know I can defend myself?!".
"but in case something happened to you when I'm not there, what should I tell to Chiyo-san?".
Kayano tilted her head down with solemn look before lifted her head up again with determination look "…I will have a ton of job for treating injured peoples after the battle, so I can't afford to lose and die, right? besides, with me who can fight with them, it will be safer for them".
For the princess and Yun
Hak knew that from her eyes and when she lifted her fist in front of his face, Hak sighed and let her go after that logical, very logical statement. After tossed his fist into hers, Hak hugged her "take care of yourself as well, understand?".
Kayano hummed and hugged him back, nodding her head.
That night after decided that Kayano, Yona and Yun would be sneaking into Yan Kum Ji's merchandise, Kayano saw Hak let Yona go from the side of the cliff above here, finally. She smiled, she knew her brother could be difficult sometimes and this was one of that time.
From the lookout spot on the ship's mast, Jae Ha landed on her side to offer the liquor "how about the drink tonight?".
"thank you, but no… I'm not in the mood of drinking tonight".
"who is 'Chiyo-san' that Hak mentioned?".
"why are you asking about her?".
"you've looked a bit down after Hak mentioned her", Jae Ha asked with worry in his voice, sounded so sincere but no answer from her since that so Jae Ha patted her head again "needn't to answer if you don't want to tell me about it".
"she was my mother", Kayano told him about her parents with nothing she hid from Jae Ha "when I thought there must be a reason of why, I chosen as Dragon Priestess… somehow it makes me thinking, many times, could it be my parents knew about my fate as Dragon Priestess? That's why my father asked my mother to not forbid me if I want to learn the martial arts to defend myself, or why my mother asked my adopted grandfather to take me with him? I wonder if my father was killed because of his passion as the descendants of the priest as well…".
There was a silence between them before Kayano pressed her knees on her chest, head leaned on her folded arms "after met with Shina and you, I wonder… actually, what's the good of my power and why should I be the Dragon Priestess?".
Jae Ha lost his words for a while but trying to encourage her "like it or not, even if you haven't known the reason yet, you have great power so you should be grateful with that".
"what's the use of this power if I can't help someone and the only thing I could do only looking!?".
Jae Ha was taken aback by that and after that, as if not enough to make him confused, Kayano apologized to him while crying. Kayano told him out loud about what she would get after the bond between her and one of Four Dragon Warrior's vessel had bounded. Not only that she got their power, but also share their past, their feeling, their grief. She had witnessed how Kija had been longing and waiting for his master to come for the sake of his father and others Hakuryuu's predecessor. She had witnessed how lonely Shina felt all along this time since Ao left him and he couldn't make a friend, also how Seiryuu's villagers treat him. Of course, she also had witnessed what happened to Jae Ha as well, and it hurt to her because nothing she could do. Kayano apologized to Jae Ha because nothing she could do, and likewise, she knew not all people fond of their privacy being peeked by other people without their permission.
"so, you know…", Jae Ha wiped her tears and smiled bitterly "can't help it if that's the case, though…".
"you didn't feel upset? Because I've known about your past without your permission…".
"I will mad if you're spreading about my past without my permission, dear… at least you don't seem as typical of someone who will talk about other's privacy out loud, and I appreciate it. Besides, it is man's nature to forgive woman's fault".
Thanks to his antics, Kayano laughed heartily in between her tears "sorry, I'm being such a childish… but knowing Kija's, Shina's and your grief… I can't help but felt sad, because there's nothing I can do to help or change what had occurred on the past. So, what I want to tell… just tell me if there's something you need or want from me to help you, in case there's still something I can do to help you…", Kayano wiped her tears with her sleeve before smiled to him, patting his bicep before rises on her feet "ah, better I go before Hak Onii-sama knows me crying in front of you here, he will hit you if he thinks you make me crying!?".
"the fact is, you're crying because of me", Jae Ha sighed as he grabbed Kayano's wrist to stop her track "I think I understand now, the reason of why you've chosen as Dragon Priestess… you're so kind and soft-hearted, you care about the Dragon and like a 'mother' to us, you accept us no matter who we are… even if you know, we are the monsters…".
"don't say that, Jae Ha… you, Kija and Shina aren't monster…", Kayano crouched herself beside her, but she blinked when he bowed his head further, his bangs covered his face, masking his expression. Kayano tilted her head and reached out to him "Jae Ha? Woah?!".
Kayano startled by Jae Ha's action, he pulled her to his tight embrace and whispered to her ear before burying his face onto her shoulder "just… let me like this for a while, Kayano".
Kayano smiled, she nodded her head and patted his back, before humming while stroking his back, the song that usually hummed by her mother as lullaby, Safe and Sound.
Next day, Kayano, Yona and Yun finished their make-up session and wore the beautiful kimono prepared by Gigan. They went to the shop where the woman had disappeared and pretended to trapped like others woman as well. When the floor below them opened, Kayano wrapped her arm around Yona's and Yun's torso, landed on the ground while carrying two of her companions make her leg sprained. She kneeled on the ground due to the throbbing pain on her ankle and Yun scolded her to become so reckless. Kayano forgot the pain when she saw Yona was barely dragged by Yan Kum Ji as one of his collections and Yun was kicked by that bastard. One day passed, and they were finally loaded onto the boat.
Meanwhile, on the pirate's ship, Jae Ha suggested Hak to rest a bit but Hak persisted that this was how he slept, instead Hak suggesting Jae Ha to tell that to Kija who seeing delusions, doze off, jumped to the air or started attacking mid-air sometimes.
Jae Ha smirked and chuckled "oh boy, Kija is going to ruin that pretty face of his".
Out of nowhere, Shina appeared behind Jae Ha suddenly "Ryokuryuu… you have bags… under your eyes…".
Jae Ha jumped and spun around "could you not mutter that from behind!?".
Instead, Shina added "Ryokuryuu… hasn't slept… either…".
When Jae Ha refused to acknowledge it, Kija and Hak lifted their hands to force him to show his face and eyes. After that, Jae Ha who took off his clothes and commented about how he's defiled, invited Hak's stoic expression as well.
"there were circles under his eyes?!", Kija said in excitement "you are unbearably worried about her too, aren't you?".
Jae Ha persisted that he was worried about Yona because she was a girl "not to mention I've taken interest on Kayano-chan, so would you give me your permission to take a date with her, Onii-sama?".
Hak shuddered before grinding Jae Ha's face "I said, over my dead body… don't ever call me Onii-sama like that besides you're older than me, right? and of all woman, why are you choosing my Imoutou?".
Jae Ha wiped the blood on his nose "adopted sister, you mean? You're so overprotective to her, is it because your promise to her late mother?".
"not only that, but also because she's my dearest Imoutou, of course she is precious for me".
Gigan cut off their conversation when she felt the sea waves changed and asked Shina. Shina confirmed that the boats at the harbor had started to move.
It was time to Soar.