Forcing the air in and out of his burning lungs, Hak pivoted, expertly taking down a charging men with his blade. Sweat and blood muddied his face as he hacked his way through another wave, but his strength was beginning to wane. His glaive seemed to grow heavier and each swing took more effort. He wouldn't be able to keep this up much longer.

Disposing of two more soldiers the Thunder Beast caught the sight of movement from the corner of his eye. Using the pole of his weapon he managed to stop the swipe of the blade, but cursed as his parry wavered dangerously under his opponent's weight. The man glared down at Hak with eyes that seemed to glow with unbridled hatred. His lips pulled back into a snarl and Hak could have sworn his teeth were pointed.

Suddenly the opposing mass lifted and the soldier's sword clunked to the ground. The man's eyes rolled down to look at the bloodied claws now sticking out his chest before he was tossed aside like a ragdoll.

"Looks like you could use a little help," Kija remarked haughtily, flicking the remaining blood from his hand. Despite his attitude, Hak could see the glisten of perspiration rolling off the white dragon's chin.

"You don't look like you're in such great shape yourself," Hak laughed as he dodged the point of a spear.

Kija opened his mouth to retort, but was distracted by the rain of Jae-Ha's kunai from above. Taking the lead, Shin-Ah used his speed to cut down those still standing.

"Seiryuu, how many of these guys are there?" Jae-Ha questioned as he wiped his brow.

"…sixty or so," Shin-Ah responded as he readied his weapon.

"You idiots—" Hak's words died on his tongue as an arrow zipped by, burying itself in the neck of one of the approaching combatants. Fear seized his heart as he glanced over his shoulder, but the cold amethyst eyes staring back were not Yona's.

Exhaling his relief, Hak watched as Rei took down another with an expert shot.

Having caught their breath a little, the four men threw themselves into the newest onslaught of soldiers. They shredded their way through as many bodies as possible, but the sheer numbers were already slowing their abilities.

Jae-Ha bit back a curse as he parried another blow with his dragon leg, sending the man flying, before being pounced on by a handful more.

"White Snake!" Hak, surrounded on all sides, cried out as Kija took a blow to his back.

Stumbling to the ground, Hakuryuu grimaced against the immense pain as blood seeped through his clothing. His oversized dragon claw shrunk, leaving him defenseless as the enemy closed in. He didn't need to look up to feel the malice pouring off their crooked smiles.

"What the hell is with these guys?" He asked himself.

Freeing himself from his own opponent, Shin-Ah made quick work of two of the men descending on his friend. The third dropped to the ground, arrow shaft sticking out of his eye socket.

"Kouka scum!" A Kai solider roared as he swiped at the blue dragon. Bringing his blade up to block the blow, Shin-Ah left himself unable to defend against the spear aimed between his shoulder blades.

"Ha!" The man triumphantly screamed as his drove the tip of his weapon into the masked man's back.

"Seiryuu!" Kija weakly called as Shin-Ah dispatched his opponent before falling to a knee. The man with the spear lifted his weapon, ready to strike again, but another arrow whistled by, sinking into his exposed windpipe.

Fighting against the intense pain, the blue dragon warrior realized that something had to be done. Hak and Jae-Ha were the only ones left on their feet and even they couldn't take on an entire army by themselves. He needed to do something or face losing everything…

"Shin-Ah! Don't!" Jae-Ha shouted over the chaos as he caught Seiryuu reaching for his mask.

Golden eyes flashed.

Rei froze in amazement as the ten or so men encircling Kija and Shin-Ah all slumped to the ground. Succumbing to his own power, the blue dragon also folded to the floor, paralyzed.

Most of the incoming soldiers halted their steeds, intimidated by the strange power, but one of the men saw the distraction as an opening. Slipping away from the pack, he urging his steed directly towards the lone woman.

"Rei! Heads up!" Hak called from over his shoulder as he and Jae-Ha stood defensively over their fallen comrades.

Reaching over her shoulder, the Senshi found an arrow. Nocking it, she assessed her target. The eyes were the easiest vital at this angle as his armor was too thick to pierce and his neck tucked protectively.

The soldier let out a cackle, urging his horse to move faster.

Aiming down the shaft, she lined up her shot, but as they locked gazes his irises swirled into a glowing red color. Startled, the arrow slipped from Rei's bow and sailed harmlessly past his ear. Her hand desperately groped for another, but found none.

Seeing the panic play over her face, the man's smile widened to an impossible measure as the veins under his eyes turned an ugly black.

Youma was the first thought that popped into her blank mind.

Only a heartbeat away, the man tumbled from the height of his mount and landed directly on his neck with a nauseating snap. His horse reared up on its hind legs, whinnying as Rei ducked to protect herself from being kicked. The arrow that ultimately sent him to his death stuck proudly up towards the sky.

"Yona!" Rei turned, her voice more alarmed than angry.

"I came to help." The red-head raised the borrowed bow in her hand.

Rei sucked in air through her teeth as she felt the anger around them swell higher. A nearby pack of men came barreling in their direction, bent on avenging their fallen comrade. Not even their shared marksmanship would be enough to take down their numbers.

Pushing Yona behind her, Rei felt a familiar heat spark at her fingertips.

"Stand back!" The Senshi's eyes widened as a flash of orange breezed by them.

Zeno launched himself at that leader of the group, but his efforts were not enough to knock the man off his horse. Distracted, the other men circled the yellow dragon warrior as he landed back on his feet.

Not wasting the moment, Rei grabbed Yona's elbow, tugging her in the direction of the village, but the other girl resisted.

"No! Zeno!" Yona screamed in horror as the yellow dragon was slashed across the back. He weakly pulled himself off the ground when another man's sword pierced his chest. Blood oozed down the edge of the blade. "ZENO!"

Rei swallowed thickly as she gave another tug to the princess' arm.

Turning to Rei with defiant eyes, Yona said, "We have to save him!"

The raven haired woman's lips parted as her hand slipped from Yona. Violet eyes melded into sapphire and suddenly Serenity was before her as the Moon Kingdom burned around them. Grief constricted her chest as the light in her princess wilted away.

Reaching a hand out the world around her returned.

Yards away, Yona cradled the collapsed body of Zeno as soldiers encircled them.

"Look what we have here, boys!" A sword pointed at the hollow of Yona's neck before moving to point towards Rei. "Women!"

Forcing her way between the ogling men, the Senshi took a defensive stance.

"Aw, she wants a fight!" A provocative hoot came from the group. The tip of a blade caressed Rei's cheek, smearing foreign blood across her pale flesh.

Hak and Jae-Ha grit their teeth as they tried to fight their way through the throng of soldiers, but their fading strength wasn't enough.

"Little girl, get away from that corpse," someone said as they nudged Zeno's leg.

"Get back!" Yona's eyes flashed as she pulled out the dagger hidden at her side. Baring her teeth, she snarled, "Don't come near us!"

"Ha!" Stepping away the solider had the audacity to laugh.

Tears began cascading down Yona's cheeks as she pulled Zeno tighter against herself.

Rei stared down at the palm of her hand. If she released her fire now, there was no going back…

"Hey." Amethyst eyes widened as the sound of the Ouryuu's shaky voice reached her ears. "Don't cry, Miss."

"Z-Zeno?"

"I'm alright." Out of the corner of her eye, Rei could see him tenderly caress Yona's cheek. "I promise."

Standing, he shrugged off his shirt, revealing a gory wound in the middle of his chest. To everyone's amazement, the skin there begun to stitch itself back together until it was smooth and flawless again.

"It's probably because we're so far away from the castle that it's taking so long." Rolling his shoulders, the Ouryuu sighed to himself.

"What the hell?!" The surrounding men took a step back, flabbergasted. "His wounds!"

"T-they're trying to make fools out of us! It's a trick!"

"I'll get him this time!" Stepping forward, the Kai soldier plunged his sword into Zeno's chest. "Die, you Kouka bastard!"

Rei knelt next to Yona, her arms wrapping protectively around the younger girl's shoulders. Choking on a sob, Yona tried to stand, but was held in place by Rei's firm grip.

The blond staggered back as blood dripped from his mouth. Holding a hand to the visible stab wound, Zeno flinched as the skin pulled together, closing it once again.

The eyes of the nearby soldiers' grew large with terror.

"Impossible! That's impossible!"

Zeno glanced up, a languid look on his face.

"Ahhh! Monster!" Stepping forward, steel passed through flesh and bone, severing Zeno's left arm. A mere second or two later, his right arm followed suit.

"You can cut me into as many pieces as you want," the blonde said calmly, "but I will always get back up."

The Senshi of Mars' brows crumpled together as one of the fingers of the severed arms began twitching. She brought a hand to her mouth in horror as the arm rose from the ground and reattached itself back into place, leaving only the gory mess at Zeno's feet as evidence of it ever missing.

"Thanks," Zeno spoke, "for letting me borrow this."

"Wha—" Having been too preoccupied with gawking at his healing abilities, they had failed to notice the other arm as it plunged down from the heavens, sword in hand. Rei hugged Yona tighter as the steel buried itself in the assaulting man's back. He let out a strangled cry before falling down dead.

The Senshi felt a cold sweat run down her neck while Yona sat frozen, eyes disbelieving.

"That arm… It moved by itself…It s-stabbed him!" A comrade of the dead man shouted, pointing at Zeno. "You really are a monster!"

"Yes." Welcoming his other arm back, frigid blue eyes stared down his opponents. "So I would suggest you leave this place and go home."

"S-Someone kill this beast!"

A handful of the men who had surrounded Hak and the others charged to aid their allies.

Not wanting them to advance too close to the princess, Zeno met them halfway, ramming his blade into the chest of the nearest horseman. Without bothering to retrieve his weapon, the yellow dragon narrowly sidestepped a blow from behind. He wasn't, however, quick enough to dodge the next one that cut across his shoulder. Staggered, Zeno flinched against the pain.

Finding their opening, the Kai soldiers advanced, encircling the blond boy. Dark grins spread across their faces as they impaled the yellow dragon from all directions. Steel winked in the dying sunlight before Zeno's head tumbled from its shoulders and his body fell limp.

"Good riddance!" Someone rejoiced.

"No!" Yona whimpered.

"Ha," the man who had dealt the final blow breathed, "we did it."

As if on cue, Zeno's corpse shuddered before rising back to its feet. His missing head rejoined his body at the neck, the skin melding together in a grotesque show. Scales emerged across his chest and shoulders, golden in the twilight.

Screams echoed across the open plains.

"What the hell are you?!"

"Why won't you die?!"

The hollow clang of steel rang out as the attack was deflected by Zeno's new armor.

"You won't be able to hurt me anymore," came his monotone response. Reaching out, he grasped the weapon, shattering its edge in his hand. "I have no limits."

Spinning, he kicked the man in his chest, sending him flying before turning his attention on those who were fleeing. Leaping high into the air, Zeno came hurtling down with extreme force, crushing his next target's head into the earth.

"He's coming this way!" The forces who had pinned Hak and the other dragons down faltered. "Run for it!"

Jumping on the backs of idle horses, the remaining men fled for the horizon.

Hands on his hips, Zeno waited for them to put in some distance before turning to his friends. "I think it's over?"

"W-what…How?" Kija, able to sit up again, stared slack jawed.

Before he could answer, Zeno was sent stumbling to the ground as the full force of Yona collided into him. Her arms wrapped tightly around his neck as she openly sobbed his name. It wasn't long before Shin-Ah and Kija also embraced him in a group hug.

"Hey now, I'm alright," he said as he patted Yona's head affectionately. "I promise."

Hovering nearby, Jae-Ha fondly watched the scene.

"Is everyone alright?"

Hearing the hesitance in Rei's voice, Ryokuryuu glanced over his shoulder. Arms crossed over her chest, the priestess observed the intimate moment with an awkward distance.

"Yeah," he replied. "Everyone is okay."

She nodded, pacified under his reassuring gaze.

"On second thought," he started with a teasing tone as he bumped shoulders with her, "I think am starting to feel a little dizzy after all…"

"It's your own fault for trying to fight in your condition." Rei rolled her eyes as she shoved him away.

Jae-Ha smirked, glad to see her spirit return.

"We better collect Yoon and get the hell out of here," the Thunder Beast spoke up over the noise of the others. "It'll be dark soon."

"A bath and some sleep would be nice," Kija murmured as the yellow dragon tucked himself under his arm to help him walk.

"And food!"

The group chuckled as Zeno's singsong voice rang out over the empty horizon.

-x-

Sorry this is a lot shorter than normal, but I have been extremely busy with some big life changes lately. Fortunately, everything is calming down again and I plan to start picking things back up.

Review!