The first test of Gi-gan posed little difficulty to Hak, Shin-ah and Ki-ja passed the first test without any difficulties whatsoever. They fought and won against all available pirates, save Gi-gan, Sen and Jae-ha who did not participate. Gi-gan was really glad to have the three men join the pirates, though she did not care to show it.
"You three are accepted. How about you?" she asked, pointing at Yun, "What can you do?"
"Oh, I'm a genius pretty boy who hates violence," declared Yun, "and I'm mainly trained in the medical area. Besides that, I can cook, sew, make sandals of hay, fish, take part in agricultural work, handle and create gunpowder, and probably steer a ship too, if you taught me how."
"Accepted!" Gi-gan cried, not being able to hide her joy anymore. The self-proclaimed genius pretty boy had more than enough accomplishments. "But what about you?"
"I can..." Yona began, but stopped. She could think of nothing. She stared at the sky, deep in thought. "I can..."
"... do nothing useful. Right?" the captain asked impatiently. Yona thought for a moment, then nodded.
"Captain, that's just too cruel," Sen protested. "I'm sure if she tries really, really hard, she might be able to mop the floor."
At this comment, Hak swung his weapon at her. Sen dodged it but tripped on air, falling face first onto the ground. Hak's revenge was fulfilled.
"Thank you, Hak," Gi-gan sighed. "Sen, you're useless enough as it is. How lazy can you get?"
"You'd be surprised," Sen answered, lifting her head. She rubbed her nose thoughtfully. "Speaking of chores, there's one that hasn't been done in a while. Why not make her pick senjosou?"
The pirates stared at her in shock.
"Sen, you can't just say such things!" Jae-ha protested. "That's a really dangerous task."
"I did take the joke too far," she admitted. "After all, since Mu-ha fell..."
There was an eerie silence. No one liked to talk about Mu-ha's tragic end. He was a child who left nothing for anyone to remember him by, and most had begun to forget him. Yet now that he had been mentioned, it seemed as if he was there, a pitiful ghost resenting those who had forgotten him.
"If I pick the senjosou, may I join the you?" Yona asked, completely ignoring the tense atmosphere.
"Yes, but really, I don't think it's a good idea..." the captain said hesitantly.
"Captain, those who can fetch the senjosou have truly brave hearts. If she goes, she can prove she's not completely useless. Besides, we do need that plant, don't we?" Sen persuaded, earning a grateful look from Yona.
"Please!" the princess pleaded. "I really want to help!"
"She's slim, she's small, so the path will be just wide enough!"
"I'll do anything to prove that I am worthy of joining the pirates!"
"Captain, this is her only chance! I promise to help her."
The two girls begging her in unision gave Gi-gan a headache. She rubbed her temples then sighed.
"Fine, go ahead. If you die, don't blame me," she answered in the end. "Jae-ha, you'll guide her. Sen, I'd like to have a word with you."
The captain and Sen whispered amongst themselves. Although Jae-ha attempted to eavesdrop, their voices were too low to be heard. Eventually, Sen bowed deeply and walked away briskly, disappearing into the distance.
...
The mountain was high and the path difficult, so by the time they reached the top, Yona was half-expecting a field of senjosou. Little did she know that Jae-ha would not stop to point out the flower to her but would lead her a little further.
"This should be it," he said, pointing. Yona gulped. The path before them appeared steep and narrow, carved into the side of a cliff. It was only a little wider than one of her tiny feet. Far, far below it lay the sea. The same sea that danced playfully with the broken rays of the sun by the ship looked so cold and hungry from above.
"All you have to do is go there, pick the plant and come back. No big deal, right?" Jae-ha said. "Sen's done it a few times, it shouldn't be that difficult."
"If she could do it, so can I," the princess muttered, although she wholeheartedly disagreed with him. Only ghosts would consider this not difficult!
"You're looking for a small flower that's white and has heart-shaped leaves," Jae-ha added. "Go ahead, I'll follow."
Yona slapped herself twice, the pain letting her focus. She carefully stepped onto the narrow path and began to slowly inch forward, one small step at a time. She clung to the crags of the old cliff for dear life, not minding that her jade-like hands got injured and bruised in the meantime. Fear gripped her chest and uncertainty held her in its icy embrace. It seemed as though everything around her had come to life and conspired against her. The strong wind clawed at her back and tore at her clothes, wanting to push her off the path. The rock she held seemed to carry an inner warmth; Yona could have sworn it had a heartbeat. The little plants and grasses were a crowd; some cheering her on, some jeering at her incompetence. The sea was a starving beast, lying low and waiting for the best moment to pounce. It lurched at Yona, teeth bared and claws spread, wanting to drag her down—
The salty spray of the sea splashed Yona's face gently. The cold brought her back to her senses. She almost laughed out loud.
These are all inanimate things, how could they plot against me?
She bravely went forward, five steps in quick procession. Before she could make the sixth step, she slipped. Although she managed to get a firm grip on the rocks and prevent her fall, she couldn't help but look down at the sea. The depth of it made her head spin.
Mu-ha... Wasn't he the one who fell to his watery grave? What could it have felt like? Would he welcome me if I fell after him?
The thought made her shake even more. Each step was a torture and tears streamed down her cheeks unstoppably.
Don't look down, don't look down, don't look... don't...
She closed her eyes as another spray of seawater fell on her. This time, each droplet was colder than ice and sharper than needles, stabbing under her skin and chilling her stomach.
There's nothing to be afraid of, she chanted in her mind, but at another gust of wind, those thoughts all fell, and all that remained in her head was, I'm scared!
Jae-ha, not far behind, heard her involuntary sobs and hiccups and felt strangely irritated.
"Calm down, the wind isn't that strong," he called. His chest tightened when she gave no response. Such a strange feeling that was, and so very uncomfortable.
My predecessor said that the Dragons feel a bond towards Hiryuu that even his death couldn't severe. He told me the king would certainly return, and when that happened, our blood would sense him. It happened, my blood accepted her, but I can't help but wonder...
How?!
How can this weak girl be the one I'm destined to follow, to serve?
The frail back of the lonely princess loomed before him, her entire body shaking. It really seemed as if she would fall any moment.
"Yona, sweetheart, it's okay to turn back," Jae-ha said on sudden impulse. It felt as though someone else had taken control of his body, his mind, yet it was a relief to say such words. "You needn't push yourself so far. This job is really too much, and although I understand not wanting to abandon your comrades, you needn't jump onto danger yourself."
That's right, come back.
Yona stood still, or still as she could in the howling wind. She did not reply, she did not turn back. Jae-ha felt sudden desperation, an urge to take her in his arms and fly the both of them away from the dangerous place.
"You're a girl, Yona, no one expects this of you."
Come back.
Even her silhouette, the very mention of her name made thousands of strange emotions swirl in his stomach which he could not or did not want to identify. Such a bond, such chains were heavy, almost too heavy to bear, yet he was not ready to let them go.
Each moment crawled by like a thousand years, and after what seemed like forever, Yona shook her head slowly but decidedly.
"Turn back," Jae-ha said, his voice rising in an anger that he didn't know he had. "Turn back now, Yona! Don't kill yourself for people you don't know—"
"I won't give up," she said. Although her voice was weak, her words felt very powerful. "Hak, Ki-ja and Shin-ah will go into battle and if they get injured... and only the senjosou cures them, and it isn't there... whatever the cost, I'll get it." She lifted her chin, no longer afraid, no longer thinking of the deep, hungry sea. "Even if I had to crawl across a battlefield flying with arrows, I would do it, and this simple task I will do even if I must die a thousand times first!"
Yona, or rather, the Princess of Kouka Kingdom squared her shoulders and went on with her journey no other princess before her had ever made, not a shred of misery in her eyes or complaint on her lips. Jae-ha's heart softened and his heart felt a little more at ease, as if sure that she could do whatever she set her mind to.
"...it's that scary to lose a person, huh?" he asked. Yona nodded ever so slightly.
"It's the most frightening of all," she replied. Jae-ha smiled to himself.
So that's what makes those trembling legs move forward.
As he stood there, dazed, Yona suddenly turned back.
"How much further will you follow me?" she asked. Jae-ha's smile died away to be replaced by an expression of embarrassment.
"Until that turn," he replied, making up something quickly. He cleared his throat. "You know I can't lend you a hand, right?"
"Oh, that," Yona said with a sheepish smile. "But I don't mind. Your voice is enough to calm me down. Just you being there... I wonder why?"
Jae-ha gazed at her back, deep in thought.
Indeed, I wonder why?
Why did I want to hear that, and why do I want to hear it again?
This dragon's blood... is quite the burden.
He only rose from those thoughts when he slipped, almost fell. The path was too narrow for him to walk on.
"From here on, you must go alone," he told her. "I wish you the best of luck."
"Thank you," she said, turning back and giving him her brightest smile. "For everything, thank you. I know you weren't supposed to follow me here."
And away she went, her feet stumbling but her heart unwavering, towards the place where the senjosou grew.
...
Gi-gan gazed at the horizon worriedly.
"That girl better hurry up," she remarked. "A storm's brewing and the sea's getting rough."
Hak, who had been waiting impatiently at her side, could not hold himself back any longer. He turned around and rushed towards Vanishing Cape.
...
Yona had picked the senjosou plant, or rather uprooted one and placed it in a pouch. Her heart swelled with pride as she turned to go back when she felt a sense of wrongness.
This feeling...
Something flashed through her mind as she shouted, "Jae-ha, run!"
"Yona!" he cried as a wave washed over her. By the time the water retreated, Yona was already gone.