Chapter 54: Heavy Emotions
As darkness covered the land Yona and her group found an area outside the village near a river. After the fighting had stopped Yona, Yun and Zeno gotten the women of the village to pack their belongings, fill wagons with food and supplies so that when Kija returned they could leave. Hak stood at the entrance of the village, acting as a guard. The bodies of the men were left alone, not a single person approached them. Yona had seen a few women spit upon the bodies of the dead. It left her with the knowledge that nobody would be mourning these people. She had quickly noticed that Jae-ha had left them by going towards the hut on the hill. At the moment she had left him be alone. When Kija returned, Zeno had gone off to protect Shin-ah while her silver haired warrior began his journey in taking these people to his village. Once it had become dark Jae-ha hadn't returned. After dinner everybody went to bed in their tents. Yona sat in hers waiting for her husband but as the midnight hour came she decided to go find him herself. The light of the full moon served as her guide as she walked into the empty village. At her side she had her sword and on her back was her bow, but she knew if she called out to him if she was in danger, Jae-ha would undoubtably appear out of nowhere.
After climbing the hill in the center of village she found a lonely hut sitting there. As a cloud covered the moon Yona turned and looked down from the hill onto the village. She could see several decaying hits down below with huge holes in their roofs that looked like somebody had jumped through them at some point in town. As the cloud moved away from the moon she turned to find Jae-ha standing in the doorway of the hut. He looked both emotionally and physically exhausted. Yona approached him, wrapped her arms around his waist and laid her head against where his heart was.
"Yona." He sighed her name causing her to look up at him. His eyes were puffier than they usually were and as he inhaled her scent she could tell his nose was stuffy as well.
He's been crying. She thought as her arms tightened around him. "Hmm?" She answered him.
"You...shouldn't be here." He said shakily. He gave a laugh as he covered his face with one hand. "I'm not very beautiful right now." He swallowed thickly as he tried to hide his emotions.
Yona reached up with a hand and pulled his arm away from his face. With the moon's light she could see the trails his tears had taken. She forced him to bend down towards her height with another tug, this one on his tunic. "Huh?" He asked her.
Yona wiped his tear streaked face before speaking. "You're always beautiful Jae-ha, whether you're trying to make other laugh to hide your own emotions or if you've lowered your guard and let those emotions show." She said as she cupped his cheeks. "Today has been a very hard day for you, both physically and emotionally." She leaned her head against his and wrapped her arms around his neck. "You're not alone anymore. You don't have to hide your emotions from me; even if they're the ones you find less than beautiful, because every emotion you share; to me, is very beautiful."
Jae-ha sighed as he closed his eyes, his body relaxing against hers. "I know." He said softly. "But I don't wish to make my emotional problems your problems." He sat down his knees and pulled her body with him causing her to sit her knees on top of his.
Yona pulled her head way from him and cocked her head at him. "Jae-ha?" He said his name in a questioning tone causing him to look straight into her eyes. "Do you love me?"
Taken aback by her question his eyes widened in shock. "Of course I do!" He cried out, his arms settling around her, pulling her close to his body. His heart began to race in his chest. "I love you with every fiber of my being."
Yona smiled at him. "Then why do you want to hide yourself from me?" She asked. "Your problems, are my problems." She ran the tip of her nose against his cheek. "Your tears, are my tears." She whispered before pulling her face back. "Your joy, is my joy." She smiled. "I'm your wife, you partner in life and one day, your Queen. I'm going to be by your side until you draw your last breath; as I hope you will be by my side until mine."
"Of course I will be." He muttered as he bowed his head after feeling slightly ashamed for hiding away.
Yona lifted his chin back up. "Then when your emotions start to become a burden to you, don't hide away from me Jae-ha, my Ryokuryuu warrior." She kissed his cheek. "My dearly beloved husband." She kissed his other cheek. "My love." She kissed his lips which caused him to to kiss her deeply.
Afterwards they pulled away. "Never again." He promised before pulling her close to him. Not quite wanting to let her leave his arms just yet. They soon slid off to their sides and fell asleep in one another's arms. The moon the only one to witness their tender moment.
In a marble palace with red drapes falling from the ceiling to the floor stood a young man with sandy brown hair, his chocolate colored eyes stared out sadly into the city below. He wore a red haori with fire designs upon the back and sleeves. His long hair was held up in a bun by a red ribbon. Under his haori was a dark brown shirt with his dark brown pants held with a black sash-like belt. On his hip was his golden sword. He leaned forward onto his forearms over the balcony railing. This was how Kan Kyo-ga found his younger brother Kan Tae-jun. The younger man was his bother. Always laying about like a lazy man and if he wasn't doing that he would be talking nonstop about Princess Yona, but ever since word of the young Princess having gotten married he'd been lazier than usual and it was starting to get on the newly ascended Fire General's nerves. His brother had no goals in life and really needed to force him to gain some or otherwise he was going to have to take care of the brat for the rest of his life. However, it was late in the night and tomorrow was a new day. I'll deal with it tomorrow. He thought as he walked away from where his brother was to go towards his rooms.
Jae-ha woke to the soft chirping noises of birds high above his head. In his arms Yona shivered in the morning air. He watched her sleep. On each of her eyelashes was a drop of dew, her face had tiny drops of dew around her eyes reflecting the morning light. She looked earthtral, like she'd fallen from the stars and landed in his arms for the night and that if he moved or even breathed she'd vanish from his arms and that the last eight years had been a dream and when he woke up he'd be chained once more to that damn wall.
Lifting his head he saw the torture chamber he once called home before looking back to the angel in his arms. No. He thought. This is home with her in my arms. He gently ran the tips of his fingers against her cheeks. The soft touch made her pull him closer with hands already buried in his clothes. He smiled. "Yona dear," he mumbled her name softly. "you'll never understand how finding you changed my life. I hated the thought of finding my master because of what Garou said about him. That I'd be no more than a slave to him. Then I met you that night, everything changed." He whispered. "Thank-you for being the one meant to be my lord and master; anyone else would've taken advantage of me." He leaned forward and touched her forehead to his. "I promise I will protect and love you for all of my days." Yona's eyes suddenly opened drowsily. Jae-ha sighed as he smiled at her drowsy look. "Good morning Yona dear." He touched her cheek that was gaining some redness as she realized how close she'd been sleeping with him. "Ready for the day?" Yona's eyes gazed over his face and smiled as she found all traces of sadness gone from his face and eyes. For once his eyes were dancing like shimmering gems as the smile on his lips was touching his eyes. He was happy and that made her happy too. Nodding she felt him move and stand. His hand held out to help her up and she took it. Before she could say anything he jumped high into the cool morning air with her in his arms. Left behind was a crater the size of two small huts as Jae-ha's dragon powers thrummed through him happily as the start of the day would bring them to new things.
M-Angel: Sorry for taking so long on this chapter. I got a whole bunch of photos developed Sunday and I've been going scrapbook happy. LoL! Any way, I'll try to update this story again this week, no promises though! ^_^
