Hello! I have another Yona of the Dawn story. This one shot was written while I was watching one of my favorite shows on tv, believe it or not. I was writing this while I was in the middle of writing my other story, Save You, Save Me. I am not the greatest writing like this, but please bear with me. I'm trying. This story takes place in no particular part of the manga, besides when the gang is defending villages.

I don't own the characters of Yona of the Dawn.

"While we are here, let's look around to see if there are any weapon sellers. I think we need to be better equipped for any next attack."

Hak was leading the gang through the village a day after their latest fights as the Happy Hungry Bunch. They were in need of some food and extra supplies so they traveled to the nearest village in the Fire Tribe.

Yoon shook his head. "Better equipped? We have four powerful dragons and an ex-general in our group. Why do we need more weapons? Our money needs to go towards food and medicine."

"Don't forget the Princess! She's getting better at shooting her arrows!" Kija pouted at the fact that they were ignoring Yona and her ability to hit active targets with her archery. This prompted Yona to blush.

"Kija, I'm really not that good, still…I'm trying to learn the sword, but Hak won't let me."

"Because you need not to focus on the sword. Leave that up to me and Shin-Ah."

Ao, who was resting on Yona's shoulder, squeaked on behalf of her masked friend. Shin-Ah, Zeno, and Jae-ha were back at their camp sight, recovering from the exhaustion after yesterday's fights. It was Yoon's idea to go into town for supplies and the rest of the group followed suit.

Yona scowled at Hak's comment. Of course he didn't believe that she could wield a sword. She was King Il's daughter, yes, but after all they had been through, all this time, she could handle a sword, even if it was a short one. She just needed someone to help her…

"Ah, here we go. Some food vendors. I will check here first." Yoon knew it was a food stall by the smells that met his nose. Before him were numerous fruits and vegetables from all over the kingdom.

"Yes, yes. And we will continue forward." Hak placed his hand ahead of him in the direction they were going. He was determined to find a shop with weapons. The three of them continued to walk the length of the street, careful not to attract too much attention. Hak had remembered to leave is guandao with the three dragons back at camp. That alone was enough to bring attention to them. "Princess, stick close to me or Kija. I don't want you to get lost."

"Of course I won't get lost. Why do you always associate me with getting lost, Hak?" She narrowed her eyebrows. He's always teasing her. But he's been victim, too, of getting them lost once in awhile. Not just her. Besides, she loved to look around and see new people and new surroundings. She couldn't help it. She sighed.

They finally found a small shop that had everything from arrows and swords to cleavers and axes, and everything in between. Hak was surely satisfied. They would have to spend money wisely.

Yona was bored after walking around the shop for five minutes. While Hak and Kija weren't looking, she quietly slipped out of the store and returned to the street. She did not want to stray too far from the area, but she was curious and wanting to see the village. She tugged at her hood to hide her red hair.

The crowd of people wasn't so thick on this side of the village. But she still wove in and out of people as she walked. Her eyes glanced at all the different stalls, from jewelry to different birds or local foods. She was always interested in looking at different cultures and learning new things since she left the life she lived at the castle.

Suddenly she was lightly bumped into and gasped as she was pushed into an alleyway. She didn't see who it was that bumped into her, but no one apologized for doing so. How rude. She dusted off her cloak and readjusted her hood. As she turned she stopped dead in her tracks. Her eyes widened.

Before her in the alley was a young couple. They were intertwined in an embrace and were passionately kissing. Of course Yona did not know who they were, but felt she greatly was invading their privacy. Their hands were moving from their faces to their backs and she could tell that the moment was something special, somehow. They chose of course to have this intimate moment in an alley, of all places. She felt her face heat up from embarrassment. Thankfully for her, they did not hear her, or seem to notice her.

Yona found herself staring at them for a few more seconds, before finally turning around and headed back to the street. She was so overwhelmed by what just happened that she did not remember which direction was the weapons shop. Hak would surely be worried. She turned left and continued walking down the street. After a few minutes, she did not see that weapons shop. She started to panic.

"Yona-chan!"

She turned around and saw Hak and Kija running up to her. Kija called out to her – he only called her by her name when they were in a public place and did not want to call her Princess, which would bring attention.

"Hak! Kija!" She ran towards them.

"I told you not to wander off. You didn't listen again." Hak deeply sighed. "Seriously, Princess, you need to stick around us. You don't know what can happen in these villages."

Yona lowered her head. "Sorry, Hak…"

"Do you feel okay? You look like you have a fever." Kija examined her face closely. His left hand reached out to touch her forehead. "Yes, you are warm. Are you okay? Do you need to lie down? Maybe you should have stayed back at camp!"

"Kija, thank you for worrying about me." Yona smiled. "I'm fine, though. I just…saw something as I was walking around that surprised me. I'm just embarrassed is all." She tried to reassure him that she was indeed okay and wasn't coming down with a fever. Hak, though, was not having it.

"Eh, you saw something, huh? What? What did you see?" A twisted smile appeared on his face.

Now her blush was getting deeper. Like she would tell him that she saw a young couple kissing in an alley. No way!

"It's nothing that concerns you, Hak!" She turned her head away from him.

"It was probably something gross, wasn't it?"

He continued to pester her until they saw Yoon in the distance. He was looking for them, as well. He managed to buy some fruits and vegetables and some special medicines. He spent the rest of the trip back to camp complaining to them about wandering off too far while they were in an unfamiliar village. Yona, however, was not listening and couldn't stop thinking about that couple in the alley.

Later that night, Yoon cooked a fantastic meal once again. A vegetable hot pot. Since he carried so few bowls and spoons at one time, the gang took turns eating.

Night had fallen and they were sitting around a roaring fire. Zeno had eaten too much again and was moaning in pain from it. Yoon was lecturing him about his and Shin-Ah's eating habits, which prompted the masked dragon to try to hide behind Kija, who then was trying to tell Yoon to stop. Another noisy meal with the gang.

Yona, however, did not really have an appetite. Somehow, she was still thinking about that couple. It was strange. She didn't know them at all, but she felt like she knew them and their love story just by staring at them for a few seconds. They had great love and passion and it was somewhat mesmerizing to watch them.

"Yona dear, aren't' you hungry?"

Yona was knocked into her senses when Jae-ha called to her. He had noticed that she was barely eating tonight and was concerned. He was sipping on sake, having finished his own fill of the meal.

"Oh, yes! I'm fine, Jae-ha. Just fine." An awkward smile appeared on her face and a nervous laugh escaped her mouth. She took her spoon and shoved a big bite into her mouth. "It's so delicious!"

"You looked like you were in deep though, though. Is something wrong?" He could see past her. He could sense something must have been really wrong. She went to the village, didn't she? He wondered if something happened to her while she was there.

"No, nothing is wrong. I'm perfectly fine!" Her cheerfulness would only go so far. She was terrible with lying. And she knew Jae-ha did not believe her. His attention now was solely on her.

"Yona dear, if something was wrong, you would tell me, right? That's why I'm here. I can always listen to your problems. That goes for everyone here, too." His sincere smile was accompanied by his hand lightly touching hers. "We're all here for you."

She couldn't look at him straight in the eye anymore. "I'm sure, e-everything is fine! I was just deep in thought about our visit to the village today. Nothing happened. Really! I just wandered as usual and was… seeing things." There was no way she would elaborate on what she saw, though.

Jae-ha removed his hand and sighed. He wasn't going to push her to say everything, and he could see she was uncomfortable enough.

"Okay, if that's all." Was that a hint of sadness in his voice? Yona couldn't tell. "If something does come up, I mean it when I say that I can listen to your problems. Helping cute ladies are what I live for!" He winked at her.

She nervously laughed and continued to force herself to eat the rest of her dinner.

It was the middle of the night. Everyone was sleeping respectfully in their sleeping bags or the tent. Yona, however, was wide awake. She could not get to sleep no matter how hard she tried.

All she could think about was that random couple in the alley.

Why was she thinking about them so much? That was the confusing part. She didn't know them! They obviously did not know her, either. But somehow they have a lasting impact on her for her to continue thinking about them now.

She rolled over to her side.

There was something about them, though. They were so passionate. They must really be in love, then. And maybe they had to hide their love, since they were in an alley. She sighed. Why must she be overthinking this?

Then again, she stopped. The only person she had ever loved was Soo-Won. She had loved him since they were children. She would dress up for him and would apply beautiful perfume scents to impress him. She always wanted to be by his side when he came to the castle and would hate to see him leave after his visits. They were supposed to rule the kingdom, but instead…

Although it hurt her so much to think of him, she knew she could never love him again. End of story.

Then there was Hak. They had been friends since they were kids. Her earliest memories have been around Hak. He was her protector. Sure, he constantly teased her, but isn't that what boys always do? Of course she loves him like a big brother.

She bit her lip. Then there were her new friends, the Dragons. And Yoon and Ik-Soo. Of course she loves them. They go out of their way to protect her and, although there was some convincing, they joined her when she said she needed them. They are her dearest friends.

But that doesn't mean that she wants to kiss them…right?

She turned over to her other side. But what does a kiss really mean? It's a sign of affection, yes. Between people who love each other. What's the degree of love that one chooses to kiss someone? She didn't know the answer to that.

Her thoughts continued to spin in her head throughout the night.

The gang was eating breakfast the next morning. All except Yona. She was still sleeping in the tent.

"Well, the way everyone eats as of late, she might not get breakfast this morning. I can't guarantee it." Yoon was beginning to clean the first few bowls and spoons. "Maybe if she's lucky she can eat a piece of fruit, if someone doesn't go and sneak off with them!" His direction went towards Zeno, who was sitting cross legged with his hands on his knees and smiling.

"Zeno must eat to grow strong!"

"But you're how old?"

"Please, no fighting or sarcastic comments! The Princess is still sleeping!" Kija again was addressing the chaos that has come to be the norm. He sighed. "I hope she's okay…"

"She seemed out of it last night when we were eating. I tried asking her about it, but she said she was fine." Jae-ha shrugged his shoulders and took the last bite of his breakfast.

"I will go check on her."

Hak brushed off the dirt from sitting on the ground and stood up and walked in the direction of her tent.

He quietly moved the opening to the tent and peered inside. Yona was still sleeping, her soft breaths barely audible. She didn't appear sick. He wondered why she was still sleeping. He closed the tent and walked back to the guys.

"Well?" Kija was tapping his foot on the ground.

"Still sleeping. I guess." Hak sighed. "The best thing I guess is to just let her be and let her sleep.

They all agreed.

Yona rolled over and moaned. Her eyes fluttered open and she stretched. She was the only one in the tent. Was everyone else eating breakfast? She rubbed her eyes.

What a rough night. She wasn't sure when she went to sleep. It felt like forever that she was awake, tossing and turning. Her mind would not stop thinking about that couple. She was a little upset that just a small event that happened yesterday was enough to cause a great lack of sleep. She wished she could sleep the day away.

Meanwhile, the rest of the gang was sitting around relaxing. It was in the early afternoon now and Yona still was not awake. Hak had checked up on her two more times, as well as Shin-Ah and Kija.

"Were you sure she was absolutely breathing, Shin-Ah? You did notice if she was breathing, right?" Kija had started freaking out the past hour about whether Yona was actually alive or not. This was too much for him.

Shin-Ah nodded. "Yes. I saw the blanket rise and fall on her shoulders. Then Ao sat on her shoulder…and she was moving with Yona's breathing."

Kija let out a deep sigh. "This is driving me insane! I really hope she's alright! She never sleeps in this late."

"Kija, you need to relax. If Yona-chan was really sick we would sense it." Jae-ha put a reassuring hand on Kija's shoulder to try to calm him down. "Maybe you need to get your mind off of things. Yoon, didn't you say you would return to town again to get more food before we leave tomorrow?"

The boy genius nodded.

"Then maybe you can take Kija along, again."

"Shin-Ah, Zeno and I can keep guard around the perimeter of the camp and the village and see if anymore bandits come this way. Besides, I think it would do those two good to move around."

"Good idea, Hak. I can stay back and keep watch on Yona. I still feel a bit sore from the other day." He rubbed his dragon's leg gently.

The group went their separate ways. Jae-ha stayed back and relaxed his leg for a little while longer. Eventually he stood up and walked over to Yona's tent. He moved the cloth aside.

Yona was sitting up in her sleeping bag and rubbing her eyes. She looked adorable as she was just waking up. He smiled.

"Good morning, Yona dear!" He quietly said, not wanting to scare her.

She looked up, a little surprised.

"Oh! Good morning, Jae-ha." She let out a big yawn.

"You know you gave us all a big scare. The morning is long gone." He walked inside the tent. "Everyone has gone off to do errands or patrol. It's only you and me in the camp."

"Eh? Really?" She had a look of shock on her face.

"Mhmm. But don't worry. There is still some fruit if you are hungry and Yoon and Kija were getting more food before we leave tomorrow. But yes. Some of us kept coming in and checking in on you. You gave Kija quite the scare. Since you normally don't sleep in this long." He crouched down to meet her eye level. "But it appears to me that you just needed some extra beauty sleep today. That's okay! I sometimes need to do the same."

"Oh. Okay…"

Yona still seemed out of it. It was becoming a concern now for Jae-ha, too.

"Yona dear, did you sleep okay last night? You appear to have bags under your eyes." He moved forward and lightly traced a finger under one of her eyes.

She looked down at her hands which were on her blanket. "No, not really."

Jae-ha tilted his head.

"Did you have any bad dreams?" She shook her head.

"Were you uncomfortable or couldn't get into a decent sleeping position. I know how cramped it can get in here with everyone sleeping so close." He hated to ask all these questions, but he truly wanted to help her out. Seeing her like this tore at his heart.

She shook her head again.

"Hmm. I see." He scratched his head. He felt he was pressuring her. She wouldn't even look at him. "Well, Yona dear, I won't continue to ask any questions. If there is anything I can help with, you can let me know. I'm always here." He forced a smile before turning around. He started to walk out of the tent.

"Jae-ha?"

"Hmm? Yes, Yona dear"?

She was still looking down and didn't meet his gaze. A blush was apparent on her cheeks. "Can I ask you something?" Her voice was quiet, almost a whisper.

He walked back into the tent. "Yes, of course." He sat down on the ground next to her. "Is something bothering you?"

She could only give a little nod.

"And I'm guessing it happened yesterday, and it caused you to lose sleep?" She nodded again.

"I've said you can always ask me anything. I don't mind." For a second, he glanced at her light pink colored night gown. He had never seen her wear it, as he usually slept outside the tent due to his height and how he hated being in a stuffy, cramped space with a lot of people. Especially other males. He thought she looked pretty cute. Then again, she was cute in general. Especially now, just after she had just woken up.

She clutched the blanket in her hands. She wanted to ask him so bad. She didn't know how to ask him, though. It isn't a subject she doesn't talk about, but she knew she could trust him…right?

"…You have kissed someone before, haven't you?"

He was taken aback by her question. He blinked a few times. Where on earth did that come from? Was she serious? He raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, I have." He answered cautiously, not knowing where this conversation was going. "Why do you ask?"

"You won't laugh at me, will you?"

Quite honestly, he didn't know what was going to come up next. He was still shocked. "No, of course not." He answered quietly.

She looked up at him finally, her face still red. "What does it mean to kiss someone?"

Jae-ha stared at her and swallowed hard. What brought this up? Did she go around kissing someone yesterday? Why did she decide to ask him, of all people?

"Yona dear, that's quite the question." He tugged at his neck collar.

"Yeah, I know…." She looked away from him, still clutching her blanket. He wouldn't admit, but she was too cute for words right now. His mind was spinning in a million different directions, he was almost dizzy. Massaging his forehead, he questioned, "What brought this up, again?"

She muttered to herself, "Something that happened yesterday…." That wasn't too specific. He had to question her more.

"So you were kissed by someone or you kissed someone…? I'm sorry Yona dear, I am getting confused." He really felt bad questioning her. But he couldn't help it, since she wasn't giving too much detail. Yona shook her head.

"Yesterday…I wandered off in the village. And I was bumped into by someone. And…I ended up in an alley. And I saw a young couple…kissing…" she uttered quietly. "I knew I was invading their privacy, but…I couldn't help but look at them. Their moment was passionate…I suppose." She tugged at her night gown sleeves.

How innocent can she get? Jae-ha could sense her embarrassment as she was talking about this. Perhaps she did not know what all she was really saying, either. He guessed she herself might not have ever been kissed before. Quite possibly, since her face was as red as her hair and she had not looked at him much since she started talking. She was sixteen, right?

"Oh, I see…." His words trailed off as he was taking this moment all in.

"I don't know…I guess it was a passionate moment. They were in each other's arms and their hands were either on their faces or their backs…and they were in an alley, so…"

"Hmm, I see. How scandalous that you happened to have stumbled upon them during such an intimate moment, Yona dear," a wry grin crept across his mouth as he slowly leaned in her direction, teasing her.

"Jae-ha, please…" Yona gazed in the opposite direction. She was already embarrassed and he really wasn't helping. He could sense that, of course, but he still wanted to tease her a bit.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry. I just had to." But somehow he wished he hadn't. Clearly it upset her.

She brought her knees up, under her chin. "You can keep a secret, right?"

Truth be told, he really couldn't. But he humored her at this moment. "Yes, of course I can. Anything."

Yona buried her head. "I have not had my first kiss yet. I don't know what to do, or how to do it. I'm pretty dumb…" Her muffled response was followed by a long sigh. "I know it's a sign of affection between two people, but apart from that…I don't know anything else." She slightly lifted her head where her eyes were barely visible. She looked at Jae-ha, who was giving her a blank stare. "I was hoping you could explain things to me…"

Does she know she's asking the wrong person? His heart began to race. She was so innocent with the whole situation, but…the poor girl was clueless. And she of course didn't know enough of Jae-ha's past and how knowledgeable he actually was on these situations…and more. He sat there not sure what to tell her.

Yona could sense his thoughts, and could see it on his face, and knew she was wrong to ask him in the first place. She hid her face again in shame.

"I knew it. I was wrong to ask you. Forget I said anything…" But surely he wouldn't forget that she flat-out told him that she had never been kissed before. That's huge. Ugh.

He shook his head.

"No, no! Don't worry about it, Yona dear…I'm just…trying to think on how to word this." How can he explain without making things awkward for the both of them?

He was sure that by now that she and Hak would have kissed. He was well aware of Hak's feelings for her and how they had known each other for so long. Yona seemed oblivious of his feelings, too. Maybe a kiss would have happened when they were kids? Or maybe once Yona escaped Hiryuu Castle?

"I thought I loved Soo-Won. I always admired him when we were kids. He always took good care of me and watched over me. I even dressed up for him and applied a lot of sweet smelling scents to please him. But it never worked. I thought, 'maybe it's because you're ugly that he doesn't notice you.' I was wrong, of course." She sighed. "Any last feelings I had for him diminished when he killed my father." Her eyes began to tear up.

"And Hak…well, he's like an older brother to me. He's also been my protector and one of my best friends. I wouldn't dare kiss him."

Jae-ha almost collapsed from her last comment. Poor guy…

"But that's what I want to know, Jae-ha," she now looked at him, "when is it okay to kiss someone? Can it be done among friends? When is it not appropriate? I don't know…"

Yona dear…He scratched his head.

"Well…you are correct. It is a sign of affection. But, it depends on the situation, and how close the two persons involved are." The more he thought about it, the more difficult it was for him to actually define kissing and in a way that she could understand it.

Yona tilted her head in confusion.

Jae-ha snapped his fingers. "Oh! Sometimes a kiss can be used as a greeting. Or as a departing action. For example, if I see a lovely young lady such as yourself on the street, I take her hand like so," he reached out and gently took hold of the hand closest to him, "and I delicately show my love and affection." He closed his eyes and placed a soft kiss on the top of her hand. A shiver went down her spine from his quick action. Her hand tingled where he kissed her.

"The same works when I have to leave a lovely lady. Or, smaller signs of affection can be given on the forehead." He took his hand under her chin and lifted it a little. He leaned over and carefully kissed her forehead. "Or even on a cheek." He lowered his voice. Yona's face now felt as if it was on fire, and she quickly closed her eyes as he lightly gave her a peck on the cheek.

He backed away. Maybe, he had thought, it would be easier to demonstrate these examples instead of speaking about them. In his mind, perhaps actually going ahead and giving these kisses could get her used to them being done to her. Maybe, by the looks of things, he was wrong.

"I'm sorry, Yona dear. I thought I would be helping you with actually-"

"It's fine." Obviously it was not fine. She wasn't looking at him again. He sighed.

"O-of course, there's other ways to show affection, but I think we will just end it here…." Technically, he could continue with explaining that under certain circumstances, a kiss could be given anywhere on the body, but…now was not the time to talk about intimate situations. Not for her now. Not for him either…

He began to wonder if he was even doing the right thing. Yona looked confused as ever and she did not seem to take sample kisses too lightly. He cleared his throat.

"Well, I suppose we can end it here. I would hate to make you any more uncomfortable than what you are now, Yona dear." He stood up and brushed his backside off from sitting on the ground. Perhaps a flirt like him wasn't what she needed right now to explain a simple matter like kissing. "I will make my lea-"

"Jae-ha," her quiet, quivering voice called out to him. He stopped and peered down at her.

"I'm okay. I just…am not used to this. I think you're helping a lot."

Then why did he feel useless? Clearly she was flustered the whole time. "Yona…"

"Can you continue?" She now met his gaze. She was sitting on her legs and her hands were placed on her lap. Her big eyes were unknowingly calling out to him. Such a pure girl…

He couldn't resist her cute gaze and regretted his decision to stay. He sat back down on the ground. "I will stop if you tell me that I should stop. If you feel very uncomfortable. Okay?"

She nodded slowly. His heart was again beating fast in his chest.

"Umm, so when a man has feelings for a lovely lady, he can show it in many ways, as I have said…" Was he beginning to sweat? It felt like the tent walls were getting closer. "But of course, I have not yet talked about kissing…on the mouth." He swallowed the hard lump in his throat. Then an idea once again came to mind.

"Let's play a little game, Yona dear."

She looked at him with more confusion as he moved closer to her.

"Here! Let's try this. Let's have a staring contest! You can go ahead and blink your eyes. But try to only focus looking at mine. Here, go ahead close your eyes. I will too."

She was cautious at first, but he waited to close his own eyes once she finally closed hers.

"Okay, on the count of three, open your eyes and look straight at me, for as long as you can." Jae-ha carefully opened one eye and observed that Yona indeed kept her eyes closed.

"One, two…three."

Their eyes met on cue. Sure, Jae-ha had his bangs covering the side of his face. But so far, his idea had been effective. Yona had a confused expression, but nonetheless was looking at him like he said.

"Good, good. Let's keep this going."

They stared at each other for more than one minute, so he thought. So far, so good.

"Now, keep looking at me as you are. Don't move," he murmured as he very slowly started to inch closer to her face. His point for doing this was to hopefully make it easier for her to experience someone getting closer to her, instead of freezing up. Maybe she wouldn't be so embarrassed the next time. Wait, next time?

Jae-ha's face was getting closer and closer. Yona felt her heart leaping out of her chest from how close he was to her. But she tried her hardest to keep focused on his eyes. She bit her lip and gripped her blanket.

He stopped. If she had moved but a fraction of an inch, their noses would be touching. She fought so hard to keep still for the sake of this game.

"Good job, Yona dear," he uttered softly, his warm breath felt across her face. "You passed." He moved away from her and sat back. Yona let out a hard sigh. Slow down, heart.

"See, that wasn't too hard, was it?"

He had hoped his fake smile wasn't a dead giveaway to her that it was indeed very hard for him. But why? This pesky Dragon's blood was always messing with him whenever it came to Yona.

She didn't respond.

"Now, don't be too surprised, but when a man wants to kiss the woman he loves, he will do so accompanied by touch. As I earlier demonstrated, by holding her hand or lifting her chin. Another way is taking a delicate hold of her around her waist and bringing her body close to his…" he stopped. Perhaps for her sake he wouldn't grab her at the waist. This was already too much for her, anyway. "It sounds like that's what that couple was doing, correct?"

Yona nodded.

"Another way could perhaps be taking his hand behind her head, and guiding her forward to him," he reached out to her and lightly placed his hand behind her head. She glared at his arm beside her head. "Or, he could put his hand on her cheek." He then moved his hand to her face. His large hand was warm against her face.

Yona had hoped that he could not hear her heart beating rapidly. She could hear her own heart beating in her ears.

He cleared his throat. "And so…when a man wants to kiss the one he loves, he will then follow through…"

He couldn't stop himself now. He was moving closer to her face, just has he had demonstrated in is little "game". His hand was still placed upon her cheek, and their eyes were fixed on each other. Her blushed face was a huge turn on, but at the same time was so captivating and cute. He did not think that he, a flirt, a womanizer, would be her first kiss. But right now, as they were alone, and her innocence was too much for him to handle, and his own heart was racing…

He stopped inches from her lips. Her eyes snapped shut.

"…just as..I…am…" he uttered under his breath. His eyes closed and he tilted his head.

His lips landed softly on hers. He could feel a low moan escape from her mouth and a small jolt from his action.

Waves of pleasure flowed through his body as he welcomed her sweet taste. He moved his lips against hers more deeply, doing his best to not scare her or progress too quickly. It was hard, but he knew he needed to take things really slow with her in this moment.

Her eyes opened and her heart exploded. She had no idea what to do, but she kept still. His lips were warm and comforting, somehow. She had no experience to go by, but Jae-ha was really good…does this happen with every kiss? Time seemed to stand still. At least it did for her.

He did not know how long this moment lasted, but he slowly parted from her lips. Somehow he really didn't want to. But he opened his eyes gradually, peering down at her face. Her eyes, too, slowly opened and met his.

Jae-ha moved away from her and removed his hand from her face.

"Well…that was something, huh," his eyes wandered around the tent. He had really kissed her. Yona, the one who was supposed to be his "master". Had the dragon's blood really done wrong?

He did not realize it, but Yona was still staring at him. No sense in trying to hide her face. But somehow it felt like the kiss between them still lingered on her lips. A tingling sensation was still present.

Her confused expression was beyond cute. Jae-ah cleared his throat and looked at the floor.

"So, I guess that was that. I'm sorry again, Yona dear, that someone like me was your first kiss. Can't go back on that. But one way or another, I hope it was somewhat helpful and-"

He was cut off short. As he looked up, he saw a flash of red as Yona was bolting forward toward him. His eyes widened as her lips bumped into his own.

His arms stopped him from falling flat on his back, but Yona was now on top of him, well, more like straddled against him. Her attempt at kissing him was a little flat; however, the kiss was tender and compassionate.

He smiled within their kiss as he closed his eyes and placed his hand behind her head, bringing her closer to him.

This second kiss lasted for a few seconds until they pulled away slowly from each other.

"Was that better?" Her face had a sense of worry. She had a lack of confidence in herself, and the look on her face melted his heart. He wanted to continue kissing her. But right now that was not the answer. Things should not be advancing too quickly. His dragon's blood also needed to cool down a bit…

He smiled.

"Yes, Yona dear. It was better. You did just fine." He really did not want to disappoint her. But truthfully it was such a playful, honest kiss, it wasn't the kind that he had ever experienced before.

For the first time since he had appeared in the tent, she finally smiled.

"And it was I who was really the lucky one. I did not only get a kiss from a lovely young lady, but, she also was on top of me." A devilish smile now flashed before Yona. She realized that she was still situated against him from when she lunged at him. The blood rushed from her face as she quickly moved away from him. She was not facing him now.

Jae-ha chuckled to himself. He couldn't help it. He had to tease her.

He stood up and brushed himself off again.

"Well, certainly we have to keep this a secret. No one needs to know that he had this moment together, Yona dear. At least, I don't think no one should know." He walked over to the tents entrance and then stopped. "The secret is safe with me, don't worry." He opened the tent and started to walk out into the warm sunshine.

"Jae-ha?"

He stopped and turned around. Yona, in her night gown, disheveled hair, her cheeks visibly rosy, with a sincere smile on her face. "Thank you…for your help." She mumbled, just loud enough so he could hear.

"You're welcome," he returned a smile, and turned and left the tent.

He lightly touched his lips with his fingers. He could have sworn that they were still tingling.

He thought it was best to keep him distracted from his thoughts and what happened just a few minutes before. Honestly, there was not much to do around camp. Yoon kept a tight fist on cleanliness. They had enough wood for a fire…

He heard the rustle of the tent. Yona had slipped outside. She went over to their makeshift campfire where there was a basket of fruit left over, picked out an apple and began to eat it.

"Jae-ha!"

From his right, he saw Hak approaching the camp. Thank goodness he had left the tent just then. If one of the gang had found them together…

"What?"

"Is the Princess okay? It's well into the afternoon. Where is she?" He looked around and did not see Yona anywhere in the camp. "Is she still in the tent?"

Jae-ha put a hand on Hak's shoulder and pointed to their fire pit.

"Everything is fine. She is fine, in fact. I kept checking on her and when she was awake, we sat and talked and she told me she didn't sleep well last night."

Hak narrowed his eyes. He knew that anything with the flirty dragon wouldn't end so easily.

"I speak the truth! It's all okay. Big brother can help at times." Jae-ha shrugged his shoulders.

They both looked at her, finishing the apple. She tossed the core aside and reached for another apple in the basket.

Hak continued to stare him down. Droopy Eyes seemed to be telling the truth…this time.

"Alright. Perhaps give her some space. If she is still tired, let her sleep. In a few hours, we can all switch positions taking guard." He walked away in the direction he came.

Jae-ha blinked twice. Well, that was easy. He watched Hak disappear in the opposite direction and then turned to look at Yona eating the second apple.

She was starving, but that couldn't be helped. Maybe Yoon would allow her to eat a bigger helping of food later tonight. If they had enough. Her eyes nervously wandered to Jae-ha, who had been watching her. A small smile came across her lips.

He winked at her before pretending to go to work cleaning up the already clean camp site. A big smile appeared on his lips, too. His pesky dragon's blood wouldn't stop being a nuisance. Maybe that wasn't a bad thing.