Hello readers!

I have returned with another chapter of Save Me, Save You. I have to admit, this chapter is probably my least favorite, only because I did not have any good ideas and it took me forever to write and edit. I hope my thoughts came across okay.

As always, I do not own the characters of Yona of the Dawn.


After returning to the cave and eating the food that Yoon packed, they sat in silence. The waterfall provided a peaceful ambience. Yona sat on the blanket in order to not get her new dress dirty. Jae-ha stretched from sitting in the same position for too long.

"Well, now that I found you, we should leave soon. It takes almost two days to get back to everyone. And I'm sure they are all going crazy."

Especially Hak. Jae-ha tried to get the image out of his head of fire and fury reigning down on him when they returned. He felt uncomfortable with not knowing what would happen. A shiver went down his spine from picturing Hak trying to tear him to pieces.

Yona, however, was silent. She didn't look at him, but instead at her hands carefully folded her lap. "Yona dear?" He caught on quickly and prompted a response again from her. She didn't respond. Was something wrong?

"Yona…."

"I almost don't want to go back." It was barely a whisper, but Jae-ha was positive he heard her say she didn't want to go back home. What?

She laughed, albeit a weak laugh.

"I mean, of course I want to go back. I want to see everyone again. I want them to know that I am okay, I'm not hurt or anything. But…" she trailed off and stared at the cave's opening and the falling water.

Jae-ha looked at her confused. Was she really saying this? "But, what?"

She continued to look straight ahead. Almost as if she was lost in thought.

"I will miss our time...alone together." She hesitated, but she seemed rather serious to respond.

Huh? Did he just hear her right? She would miss their time alone together? Alone? But that can't be right. She was nervous and embarrassed just about the whole time. All the unnecessary stress that was put on her...she would miss it?

"I-I don't think I understand you, Yona dear…"

She laughed quietly to herself. "I don't think I understand, either. But somehow, I will miss it all. Even though we are in the Kai Empire, this place is gorgeous. The waterfall, the lake. The nature. It's all different than Kouka Kingdom."

Yona tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. He could see why she would miss the nature and the different surroundings. She had resided in the castle for so long and ever since her quest to find the Dragons, she was actually seeing the world as a new and exciting place. He understood her reasoning, but…

"But I think, strangely enough, that I will mostly miss the times we had together." She looked at him now. There was no way he could hide his embarrassed face from her. Once again a blush came to his face.

"Y-Yona dear, you don't know what you're saying!"

He was in shock. Is she crazy? There was nothing but intimate moments between them. Skin-to-skin contact, sleeping together, bathing together...all of those times were clearly difficult for both of them. And she will miss those moments?

She shook her head.

"But I do know what I'm saying! Like I said, I need to start doing things for myself. I want to protect my friends. I need...to know what other men are like…." She admitted quietly to herself. Jae-ha, however, had heard her. Now she was blushing before him.

He almost choked again.

"Yona dear, you are only sixteen. You don't need to know what other men are like. Especially not how we have been the past few days. You are still young..." He tried to hide his twisted expression. He was hoping he was saying the right words.

"I know...But! It's true. I lived my whole life in the palace. The only men I knew were my father, Hak, and Soo-Won. Of course, my father is my father. But Hak and Soo-Won…" She swallowed hard. "I of course have never done anything with them like I did with you. It sounds stupid and terrifying, I know. But...they are the only ones I have known. And now that I have the Four Dragons, and Yoon and Ik-Soo...I have seen what other people are actually like."

She really didn't know what she was saying, but he couldn't blame her. She's exhausted. She misses everyone. She's not yet an adult. Everything seems so confusing. Jae-ha felt really sad that she was struggling so hard.

"Because of you, I can see others kindness. You came all the way to find me. You took care of the soldiers who kidnapped me. You selflessly kept me warm using your own body heat. You bought me this beautiful dress." She ran her fingers along the silk fabric of her clothes and smiled.

"Hak is Hak - like an older brother who protects me but jokes around a lot. Soo-Won is my cousin who also carefully looked after me when we were growing up."

There she goes again, alluding to Hak as her "brother". Poor guy.

She looked at him once again. "But you...your kindness is different. I could sense all along that people are different. I had to learn the hard way, but I am beginning to see that now. I was a sheltered princess in my own world, but I have been starting to see that the world is different. And different is okay."

She was beyond her years. At sixteen, even he didn't think like this. He was then just a pirate in Awa who worked with people who accepted him, even if he did leap into the heavens. But back then to him everyone was the same. In some way he understood what she was saying.

"I...did not have the same mindset at sixteen as you do. I was finally free in the world and wanted to do whatever I wanted to do. The pirates didn't see me as different. Even if I did jump a lot higher than them." Jae-ha laughed.

Yona smiled.

"I think I need to take time to learn more about the Four Dragons, and not just by hearing any stories, either. I think I need to spend more time with each of you. I think that's important. I wonder if King Hiryuu did the same thing." her mind wandered off into deep thought.

Perhaps that would be the best thing for her, then. Each of the Dragons had their own beginnings, their own lifestyles and personalities. They were all different, but they were all equally one in the same – bonded to her through their blood.

Although his own history was nothing but sadness and his younger days were spent chained up to a wall…perhaps, if time allowed, he could open his heart to her about it all. Would a princess really want to hear about someone locked up for years? Then again, so was she, right? Would a princess want to hear about a poor boy's life of confinement and eventual freedom?

Jae-ha cleared his throat and played his fingers down his long hair.

"Well, I will be open about it. I honestly did not invade your privacy or see anything I was not supposed to see. I may come off as a pervert, but when a woman is in trouble, I respect her. Especially if it's you." He was speaking the truth.

Though it was terribly difficult to set back these confusing feelings, he thought to himself.

"And I saw what I have wanted to see," she stood up and moved closer to him and put her hand gently on his right calf. A jolt of energy ran through him.

"I got to see your dragon's leg!" A wide smile appeared on her adorable face. "You can't keep calling your leg a curse. Your leg is so wonderful, Jae-ha. I'm glad someone like you has this leg."

He reached out and pulled her in for an embrace. Again, he didn't want to let go. He held her tight, his hand on the back of her head and the other around her back and waist.

"Jae-ha…."

It was not the dragon's blood that was causing him trouble all this time. It was his own heart. Right there, at that moment, he realized he loved her. There was no doubt about it.

He had these feelings when he first met her in Awa, after he heard those voices that signed his fate as the Green Dragon. This was more than "love for the king". From the Senjuso test on the cliff, to putting her life on the line to save the girls who were victims of human trafficking. To shooting Keum-ji straight in the heart.

He couldn't put words to those feelings then. But since then, they have only grown. And although the past few days he experienced some delicate moments, he was just assured that not only was Yona a kind and thoughtful girl, but a strong young woman with a good head on her shoulders and a fierce fighting soul.

There was no one who loved him at the Green Dragon's village. His first love was a woman like Captain Gigan. No mistake there. But now it was the woman in his arms that he didn't want to let go.

He wanted to kiss her, he wanted her soft lips on his and he wanted to plant sweet kisses on her neck and whisper in her ear that he loved her. That somehow he always had, but did not realize it. He wanted her skin on his again, feeling each other's warmth and falling asleep again in each other's arms…

But he kept thinking of Hak. He was the one in the way of everything.

"Jae-ha! You're squeezing me too hard!"

Reality snapped back. He allowed her to pull back and they stared into each other's eyes for what felt like an eternity.

"I'm sorry...Yona dear."

A smile returned to her face. She quickly leaned in and kissed him on the cheek before standing up and collecting their things in Yoon's bag.

"If we don't hurry, sunset will be here before we know it."

Jae-ha sat there, frozen. His hand reached up and felt his cheek, a slight tingle at the spot where she kissed him. Although he had a rush of feelings this whole time, he smiled and gladly accepted this quick act of love that made his heart very full.


Perhaps it is starting to be a bit clear why this story is called "Save Me, Save You". I had no real inspiration of a title as I was writing it, until perhaps writing chapter 4.

I have not made it known here, but I am a major fan of kpop - for about 10 years, believe it or not. And I thought of a song that fit my story. Save Me, Save You is a title track from the kpop group Cosmic Girls/WJSN. I will not copy any lyrics here, but after I saw the English lyrics, I thought the song was a perfect fit for my ideal story for Yona and Jae-ha.

And as you will see in the next chapter, there will be a new meaning to the story's name. I hope you stay tuned for it!