Chapter 19: Remember Me

Zeno some up with his head on a soft pillow. "Zeno." A soft voice spoke his name. A voice her heard so often in his dreams. Kaya. Tears began to form as he remembered that she was dead. Everyone was dead. Everyone he ever loved always died, leaving him behind! Why?! Why!? Why did he have to continue on and they got to go on to be reborn!

"Zeno." He felt someone softly touch his head. Petting his hair. Opening his tear filled eyes he saw red hair and violet eyes stare back at him with concern.

Ah. Hiryuu. Now he remembered why. "Miss?" Zeno questioned as he felt her wrap her arms around his neck.

"I'm so sorry." She tearfully stated as her arms tighter around him. "I didn't realized how much it would hurt you to be here." She was thinking he was in pain. True. He was. He just wasn't expecting to feel his brother's spirit so close right now. "What was he like?"

Zeno was surprised by the question. He suddenly felt that they weren't alone and saw the descendant of his brother, the new Hakuyuu standing in the doorway. Zeno laid his head back down. "Guen was his name. He was born as a guard's son in the palace. He was Hiryuu's best friend in an instant. When Hiryuu appeared, he looked like he was only sixteen. Guen was two years older, bigger, stronger and was the one to first teach Hiryuu how to use a sword." Zeno swallowed hard as he remembered those days. "When the people rose up against Hiryuu, I had only just met them both. Hiryuu gave me hope, Guen made it seem possible. When Shuten, the Ryokuyuu warrior and Abi, the Seiryuu warrior joined us, the brotherhood was created. We were family." His eyes closed. "Then when Hiryuu died, so did the brotherhood."

"Not quite." The young Hakuyuu stated. "The story of the younger brother who promised to visit was passed down. We were told Ouryuu would come one day and we waited."

Zeno's eyes snapped open at this new information. He sat up in the for and looked at the youth. "I didn't think..."

"That your brothers would remember you or your promise." He inquired causing Zeno to feel a bit sad that he'd taken so long to visit. "I'm just curious, if you have been around this long why didn't you come sooner?"

Zeno grinned before looking over his shoulder at him. "What makes you think I haven't; Kija."

The younger man's eyes widened in surprise. "How?" Suddenly a memory appeared in his mind. "The night of the red star."

Zeno's grin widened. "Yep!"

Yona looked between the two of them before sighing. "Does this mean you've been keeping an eye on everybody?" Yun's voice echoed in the room breaking the silence.

Zeno scratched the back of his neck in embarrassment. "Yes."

Hak chuckled. "What are you, a stalker or a dragon warrior?" His joke had Zeno relaxing a bit.

"Hmm..." Zeno thought out loud. "Both?"

Yona suddenly burst out laughing causing everyone to look at her. "You must have been so busy!"

"Ryokuyuu have me headaches. He's bounce from one area to another, that is once he escaped his village." Zeno stated gaining some raised eyebrows.

"E-Escaped?" Kija inquired no quite using what he meant. Had the Ryokuyuu village been under attack?

Zeno sighed sadly. "Not all villages have faired quite like the Hakuyuu village." He stated before going into the whole story of how the Hakuyuu village would tie down and chain the Hakuyuu warrior. How his predecessor was told to beat the spirit out of the child, so that by the time the predecessor would die the child would no longer have the desire or will to leave. He contemplated on whether or not to tell them about the Seiryuu village. They'll learn about it anyways. He thought before opening his mouth to continue and told them about Abi's village too.

Later that night Kija was up looking at the graves of his ancestors. Rubbing his arm, Kija recalled the things that Zeno had told them. The scars on his back seemed like nothing compared to the sins of the colors that had hurt his brothers. His scars had healed a long time ago. It was possible that his brother's resented what they were. They possibly hated Hiryuu even!

Kija felt his throat tighten at the thought of this. Yona could be in trouble if the others hated what she was. She could seriously get hurt or die! No! Kija shook that thought away. They could never hurt her, even if they tried. The blood in their veins wouldn't allow her to get hurt by them.

He knew what needed to be done. With his mind made up, Kija bowed his head and prayed for continued guidance before leaving his ancestors graves. Tomorrow, for the first time in over two thousand years, the Hakuyuu would leave his village.

M-Angel: Had a moment to post a small chapter. Hope everyone is enjoying the story!