To VampireSiren: Mhm! :) It's adorable how confused he is and that he doesn't know what to do. It's all so new to him. And Haha yeah poor Skye. Always getting teased. But it's cute. Everyone is happy for them. They all ship Shin-Ah and Skye. XD

Chapter L

Rain

I was still shaking as I sat beside Shin-Ah with my back against the wall of the small room all eight of us would be sharing in the Water Tribe's port town called Shisen. We had just recently been able to change into dry, warm clothes but I was still frozen to my bones. It was hard to get warm and my mind continued to wander off. Jae-Ha had left a few minutes ago to go to have some fun at a Red-Light District but everyone else remained in the room and chatted amongst themselves about random subjects. I honestly wasn't paying much attention as much as I wanted to.

Rain. I never liked the rain and thunderstorms. Well, I did when I was a kid. I used to go run in the rain and be in awe of the lightning as it struck the ground and the exploding sound of thunder. Be in the last couple of years… It had gotten to be a very triggering time for me. It was hard to keep myself composed in front of everyone. But the horrible memories just kept flashing back into my mind the harder the rain poured down without my consent. The only thing I was able to do is to keep myself from crying in front of my friends or whimper out. I was even ignoring poor little Ao that had been trying to get my attention with her cuteness.

"Skye," I heard Shin-Ah say my name softly right beside me.

I slowly moved my head to look at him, "Hm?"

His lips were frowning as he looked down at me, "What's wrong?"

I inwardly cursed at Shin-Ah's perceptive ability and the way he could see right through me at times. I hid my face in his shoulder to try to signal that I did not want to talk about it. I wasn't feeling social at all. I just wanted the rain to go away so I can start feeling normal again. Maybe part of the reason why I was still feeling so cold was because of how my bottled up emotions were trying to reach the surface.

"Skyrah," I heard Kija speak, "If there is anything troubling you, you know that you can speak to us. We are more than happy to help in any way we can." Perfect. Now everyone else was directing their attention to me.

"That's right, sis!" Zeno chipped in cheerfully, "We are all here for you!"

"Are you feeling sick?" Yun asked with concern in his voice. "Is it the mark?" Now that he mentioned it, the mark was throbbing and irritating me. It was fueled by the traumatic memories clouding my mind. It was a reminder that there was a darkness that was still eating away at me.

And you will never be rid of me, the powerful, dark voice rung in my head. It was listening in to my every weaknesses, fears, and doubts. It was feeding off of it and tiring me out. Was it really going to stay within me no matter how long I waited to heal from that event? Was I doomed to have it play in my head over and over again? I was growing tired of reliving the most vulnerable and frightening moment in my life. But I had no control over it and it pissed me off. I wanted to get stronger but only felt like I was growing weaker instead.

I shifted in my spot beside Shin-ah. I reached a hand up and grabbed onto his shirt, leaning my forehead on his upper arm. I spot in a low voice, not trusting myself, "I don't want to talk about it."

"Oh, Skyrah…" I heard Yona say with worry and sadness. I had the feeling of wanting to either run away from there, hide under a rock or both. It was beginning to be even more difficult for me to keep the tears at bay.

"Hey, Pipsqueak," I heard Hak's voice call out to me. I heard movement right before I felt a hand on top of my head, petting me gently. "Don't keep it in. It's okay to cry sometimes." His words were what broke the dam that had been built inside me to break into a million pieces. Fresh, hot tears fell from my eyes as my body shook from the raw emotion coursing through me and the sobs. Hak's hand remained on my head as he kept petting it in a manner to comfort me.

"What have you done to Skyrah, Beast!" Kija shouted, enraged that it seemed like Hak had been the reason that I had started to cry.

"Shut up, White Snake."

I continued to cry, lost in my emotions and thoughts as they flowed freely inside of me without anything holding me back. I felt my body being shifted and now my head rested on a firm chest, their comforting arms wrapped protectively around me. I knew by the scent alone that it had been Shin-Ah that had pulled me into his warm embrace. I grabbed onto his clothing as the tears persisted on, tightening my hands into fists. I dug my face deeper into his chest and closed my eyes as more tears fell down my cheeks. Hak's large hand was no longer on my head but I knew that he was more than happy to let Shin-Ah take over comforting me while I cried in his arms. The room had grown silent as the only thing that could be heard were my choked sobs.

"That's right. Let it all out," Hak encouraged me from somewhere still nearby. It oddly made me feel at ease having close to me. He was certainly living up to his honorary big brother status. He was looking after me as if I were an upset little sister that needed her big brother to comfort her and tell her it is okay to show a little bit of weakness if it is with trusted people. I was grateful for him being there for me in my time of need. I knew that Yona, Zeno, Yun, and Kija were all wanting to comfort me as they had tried before Hak had stepped in. I knew they cared just as much about me then he did. It was just that Hak somehow knew me in a way that the rest of them did not. It may have been because of us training together or something else. But he knew exactly what to say.

Shin-Ah was a different matter entirely. He was literally the only person I would have let this close to me during this time. He was the only one I have ever felt safe around. Even if I trusted Hak and saw him as a brother figure, if he had tried to hold me as Shin-Ah did, I would have lost my mind even further. The man that I love was the only one that could hold me in any state I was in. He was truly the only one that made me feel as though everything was going to be okay as long as he was near me. Just like right now. As he held me close to him and once my sobs had died down, all I could hear was the comforting sound of his heart beating in his chest. That sound brought me back to reality and the memories were beginning to fog. I was safe in his arms. I knew that he would do anything to protect me. He had already proven that to me many times.

My new thoughts brought me comfort and I was beginning to calm myself down. I felt as if a were finally able to breathe again. But I didn't dare move from my spot. It was warm, comfortable and I honestly just wanted to stay in his arms forever. Seriously. It should be a crime to be so snuggly!

"Sis," I heard Zeno say, his voice closer then he had been. His voice sounded sad before he spoke his question with his regular cheerful voice, "Would you like a hug from me too? I'll give you the best hug and it'll take away all your sadness!"

"I don't know," Kija said, "Little Brother Blue Dragon seems to be doing a good job on his own." I couldn't help but feel my cheeks heat up even though it was innocent Kija saying that.

"Obviously," Yun said as if it was a fact, "She's most comfortable with Blue Dragon."

I heard Yona giggle, "They are adorable." That just made my cheeks burn more and my heart to speed up in my chest. I was feeling shy and embarrassed now. Thank god my face was still pressed in Shin-Ah's chest and well hidden.

I had a sudden feeling something wasn't right. I couldn't really understand it and was confused. I stood up straight with a confused expressed trying to figure out what felt out of place. It was like something was telling me to go out in the rain. Like someone was calling out for help. My energy. It was my energy that was reacting to something.

"What is it, Skyrah?" Yona asked me, sounding serious.

I shook my head, "I can't be sure but… I think Jae-Ha is in trouble."

"When is that pervert ever not in trouble?" Hak questioned, sounding irritated and uninteresting.

I tilted my head with a frown, "No. I mean… Something's wrong with his energy. It's calling out to me for help."

"I didn't know you could do that," Kija stated, sounding extremely impressed.

"I'm not sure what it is. Or why. But…" I stood up from my spot, Ao jumping on my shoulder just in time before I turned to look at each of my friends, "We have to go. It's really starting to get bad."

I couldn't explain this feeling inside of me. I felt suddenly so cold and like everything was falling away from me. Was this… What Jae-Ha was feeling right now? If it was, why was I able to feel it and from so far away? All I knew was that I had a sense of urgency and it pushed me forward into the cold rain to go in search of our Perverted and Horny Dragon. I just hoped that I was wrong and I could go back to normal. I wasn't sure what I'd do if this was a new found ability. Was I going to be able to feel whenever one of my friends was in danger now? I was deeply confused and had so many questions but they all had to wait. The most important thing was to find out whether or not I was right. If Jae-Ha was in trouble we had to go help him. And with some persuasion on Hak's end, we all went out in search for him.