Chapter 20: Entering the Lair

Zeno wanted to slap whatever Kami or entity who thought it was funny to send mercenaries or bandits or hell, the damn fire tribe after them every few days. Ever since leaving the Hakuyuu tribe they had been having a hard time getting through the earth tribe to the north where both he and Kija sensed Seiryuu. It was as if they had been cursed the moment they had left.

The bright side of things was the fact that Kija fought like a wild man, just like Guen had. He and Hak currently were seeing who could fight more. Even with the super strength of the kami, Kija was having a hard time keeping up with the former leader of the wind. Hak's strength was something on par of legends. It made Zeno wonder if he was related in any way to either Shuten or Guen. It was possible, especially with how many wives Guen had or the fact that Shuten loved to sleep with so many women but never take responsibility for what eventually would happen.

When they did arrive to where Seiryuu was, Zeno wanted to slap himself. The place the Seiryuu was, was the same fortress that Abi had once been held prisoner. Fate had a weird sense of humor. There was no sense to hiding, as Seiryuu would undoubtedly see them all with his eyes. So as a group they went to the ancient ruins.

As soon as they entered the caves of the ruins, Yona began to feel uneasy. Flashing the cloak of her outfit, she held firm in hoping they could all leave here together, with Seiryuu. Zeno had been telling her nightly stories about the other warriors. Guen reminded her of Hak, how loyal he was. How his strength was thought to be that of an unnatural union between kami and man, even before he had become the Hakuyuu warrior. He had told her that Abi I had been of nobility, the second son of a very noble and rich merchant. His mother had been the daughter of a high priestess, only to revoke all of the kami. Abi had been a sweet, gentle man with bouts of anger when annoyed. Yona felt anxious at the thought that this Seiryuu may have a hidden temper as well.

Suddenly, as they came to a crossroads of tunnels, people with masks began to slowly come out of the caverns. An old man, possibly the elder of the village, approached them. "You must leave this place." he spoke with such anger in his voice that it left Yona feeling frightened.

Yun stepped forward and bowed slightly. "I apologize but one of our companions is injured and we only came here to rest until the storm has died down."

At the mention of someone being injured, Hak pulled his tunic open to reveal bloody bandages. " I'll only need a couple of hours to rest." he stated, not really into the fact that he was the one to play the injured party.

The elder looked at the bandages on Hak's chest. They were red and bloody. The young man didn't seem too faxed by the obvious pain that would come from such wounds. His gaze turned towards Yona. The girl had dark circles under her eyes. The young man next to her seemed to be more concerned about her wellbeing father than the injured member of their group. He softened his tone. "Only until the storm has passed," His tone hardened once more. "but you must not wonder the tunnels! They are dangerous!"

Zeno didn't believe him for a moment. "Of course!" he, as he took Yona's hand within his own. He could sense how frightened she was. The elder pointed towards a tunnel, a young woman led the way for them. Once they came to a room, she left them there but not before she took notice of the scaled hand of the handsome white haired man. Her eyes widened behind her mask before she rushed away.

Another monster had come to them! She must warn the elder!

Zeno frowned as the girl practically fell over her feet to get away from them. He had a very bad feeling about this.

Within an hour of arriving, the group began to search nearby tunnels. It was mostly Zeno and Yun, as they were the only ones who could sneak around without being noticed. After searching for awhile by themselves. Yona wanted to help, but knowing Hak and Kija's overprotective natures Yona knew she would never be able to do it alone.

"Hasn't Yun been gone too long?" she inquired, trying to stop the intense silence in the room.

"He'll be fine." Hak mumbled as he stared at the stones of the wall next to him. There were holes in the stone wall. He frowned. Were they being watched? He closed his eyes before leaning his head back. He wouldn't doubt it. Something about this village didn't feel right. He opened an eye to look at Kija. The white haired man was scratching his scaled arm. So he's uncomfortable as well. Glad I'm not the only one who feels it.

Meanwhile, Zeno can to a dead end in a particular tunnel. He stared at the wall for a moment. He could feel Seiryuu behind it. "You don't have to be afraid."

Behind the wall, the golden eyes youth clutched his sword. He didn't understand who these strangers were but this one closest to him was frightening. Seiryuu had not made any movements, yet this one knew where to find him. How?

"My name is Ouryuu Zeno." Zeno spoke glaring at the wall. "I'm your brother. We are here to help, but only if you open the door to let us." Zeno knew it was a long shot, but he had to see if this would work. "Hakuyuu is here too. We plan to find our eldest brother, Ryokuyuu. However, that'll only happen if you let us help you first." Nothing happened . Not like Zeno thought it would. The boy had been left in isolation for most of his life due to his clan making him believe he was cursed. Abi would roll in his grave at the sight of his family. Zeno turned to leave, however just as he was about to the stone wall opened to reveal Seiryuu standing there.

"I know you." Were his only words before Zeno heard a woman's scream down the tunnels.

"Yona."

M-Angel: Sorry for the hiatus guys. Been looking for a job and with the holidays behind us In hoping to find one soon. In the meantime I will try to keep up the updates.