Chapter 18: Disbelief

Hakuyuu sat watching as the red haired woman, Yona he had learned her name to be, wrap his arm and hand in bandages. His whole arm had been singed when his blood had rushed when his eyes had landed upon the young woman. Yona. The name fit her perfectly. She certainly looked like the dawn. Her red hair was cupping her heart shaped face so perfectly. Those violet eyes held such emotion and concern for him at the moment and it made his heart beat erratically.

Behind Yona, Zeno found himself having a hard time not laughing at the puppy dog looks that his little brother was giving Yona. He had felt Hakuyuu's anger before. The ferocity that it held had made Zeno shiver slightly with fear. He began grinning but now that furious dragon had sudden turned into a lap dog and was enjoying the attention he was receiving.

Hak on the other hand was getting annoyed by the white haired man. The looks he was giving his precious Princess was making him want to rip the other man's throat out. His thoughts suddenly scittered to a halt. Wait, when did she become MY precious Princess? Hak felt his face get heated. He was nothing more than her bodyguard! There was nothing going on between them and there never would be! Could there be? Hak found himself feeling very confused suddenly and lowered his head. Hak grasped his forehead as his emotional confusion began to set in.

Zeno on the other hand was basking in the presence of both his master and his brother. He hadn't felt this happy in a long time, however there was something that didn't seem right. He shrugged it off as nothing too important as Yona began talking with the young Hakuyuu. Zeno didn't pay much attention to their conversation. Looking over his shoulder he saw Yun talking to several older women. On the sleeves of their dresses were the markings of medical assistants. It would seem the Lad has found something to be excited about here as well. Leaning back against the old tree behind him, Zeno began to fall asleep. The last thing he heard was something about a banquet.

Zeno woke up to a commotion awhile after he had fallen asleep. It sounded like Yona was yelling. "I want Hak!" she yelled as he rounded the corner and saw Hak suddenly begin laughing while brother Hakuyuu looked confused at her. He also noticed the large bag of money hanging out of Hak's tunic and wondered what exactly was going on. He had missed something big here.

"Miss?" he inquired as he approached them.

Yona grasped the bag of money from Hak and handed it back to Hakuyuu angrily. "We'll be leaving in the morning." she told him as she grasped Hak by his tunic and walked away.

Zeno approached the heartbroken young man. "What did you do?" he inquired.

Hakuyuu looked down at him. "I offered that beast some money to leave. I-we can protect her better than he can."

Zeno shook his head. "Lord Son Hak has been with Yona since childhood." Zeno explained looking angrily at his brother. Hakuyuu looked shocked at this new information.

"I thought he was just a guardian." he tried to explain. "He's a brute."

"Hak is many things to Missy, but a brute?" Zeno shook his head. "Mr would move the heavens if she ordered him to do so." Zeno looked off to where the two had disappeared to before looking back towards his brother. "Make this right. She will need you." Zeno sighed as he looked upwards towards the sky. "She's going to need all us." He then walked off to go find his mistress and see if there was something he could do to get her to forgive the white haired idiot.

As Zeno walked through the village, he couldn't help but think of his brothers. Guen might argue that his descendant was right. That only they should protect Hiryuu's reincarnation. Shuten would curse at him and say his descendant should be happy that she even wanted his help. Abi would just tell them to shut up because they were being loud again. Zeno smiled at his thoughts though that soon disappeared as he realized where he had ended up at.

Yona was kneeling in front of a shrine. Beyond the shrine were the dozens of graves of Hakuyuu warriors. She was crying. Zeno felt the color fade from his face. "Guen." At the top of the shrine was the first Hakuyuu's sarcophagus. It was made from marble with gold, emerald and sapphire dragons surrounding it. Each looking sadly upon their sleeping brother.

Zeno grasped his chest. As he felt his emotions become too much for him to bare. His knees have out as tears flowed freely down his cheeks. Numbly he felt hands grabbing at him. Voices speaking but he didn't hear them.

Yona had been brought out of her prayers when she felt a sudden pulling sensation. The bright light that she knew to be Zeno suddenly dulled. Turning away from the shrine she saw Zeno collapsed on the ground, crying as if his very soul was breaking. Standing, with help from Hak, Yona ran towards him. "Zeno!" she cried out in concern.

Sitting on her knees, Yona brought Zeno's head onto her lap. "Zeno." He was shaking with such emotion. Tears were running down his cheeks. Leaving wet trails behind. Yona turned her head towards Hak. "Go get help!" She turned her attention back towards her golden haired friend. "It's okay Zeno. You're not alone." She leaned her cheek against the back of his head.

Upon hearing footsteps Yona looked up to see Hakuyuu there. "What happened!?" he asked with concern lacing his voice.

"I don't know!" she told him as she shook her head. "I came to pray at the shrine. When I was done, I heard him cry out."

"Guen." They both looked down at Zeno. "I'm sorry." He cried more.

"Who's Guen?" Yona asked not really expecting an answer.

Hakuyuu looked up towards his ancestor's tomb. "Who exactly is Zeno?"

Yona raised an eyebrow at his question. "What do you mean?"

"Guen. Lord Guen was the first Hakuyuu warrior." he explained. "Nobody but those here know his name." Looking down at Zeno he look suspiciously at him. "Who is he?"

Yona looked him dead in the eye. "Zeno is Ouryuu. The one and only Ouryuu." The other man's eyes widened at the implications of those words. At that moment Hak returned with a village elder and Yun. Zeno was picked up and taken away to one of the empty homes where he could recover from his emotional breakdown.

M-Angel: I would like to thank everyone for being so patient with me. I've been in the middle of packing for a move since the beginning of October. I'll be out of my home on Monday and at my new place. Unfortunately, that means I'll be unpacking now. So I have no idea when the next updates will be. I will try my best to upload another chapter before Christmas; hopefully.