A/N: Recently, I started re-reading Akatsuki no Yona again in efforts to catch up with the Manga. Soo-won is my favorite character as I find his personality very interesting, and I'm super intrigued by his relationship with Yona as both allies/enemies (sorry Hak, you're great too). I apologize for anyone who may feel uncomfortable with the Soo-won x Yona pairing. However, seeing as this story took place during the old days, I'm really not surprised by anything that may be considered incestual. If this doesn't fly by you, or if you dislike Soo-won as a character, I'd advise to not read this fic lol.

This story is canon with the events of episode. 23 (Ch. 38-39), during Soo-won and Yona's reunion in Awa.

WARNING: Spoilers for the recent chapters.

Akatsuki no Yona © Mizuho Kusanagi


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Crimson Kiss

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Betrayal only happens when you love.


Last night's battle already seems so far away.

The crimson-haired princess strolled along the empty streets of Awa, reminiscing the events of her fight against Yam Kumji and his men. She gazed up at the clear blue sky above, noting that just awhile ago, it had been drearily tainted with smoke and uncertainty.

She truly hoped that she did something good to help the people of this town. Anything to help her get stronger, even if it's just a little.

"I should go back." Yona shook her head and paused in her tracks. "If I go too far, everyone will worry."

Her feet took her into a light sprint, back in the direction towards where she came from. As she hurried pass the corner, she let out a tiny yelp as her body crashed against someone else's, sending both of them down onto the ground.

"I-I'm sorry." She apologized quickly, wincing from the pain of the impact.

"It's alright.. I wasn't looking where I was going."

Her eyes immediately shot open at the sound of a voice she knew too well. A hand had already reached itself out in front of her, although she couldn't bring herself to take it once she registered who it belonged to.

It was as if time had just stopped for an eternity. Amethyst eyes locked with a pair of viridian orbs that stared at her with the same horror-ridden expression.

"Yona?" Soo-won gaped at the sight of the runaway princess in front of him.

She couldn't bring herself to speak. The only thing that flooded her mind was the sight of the man she loved stabbing his sword inside of her father's chest.

"King Il will not wake again. I killed him." He told her that with an unfamiliar expression on his face that she's never witnessed before.

"I heard you died on the cliffs of the northern mountains…" Likewise, the King had trouble registering her presence. He still remembered the look of Tae-Jun's sullen face when he shared the news of the princess' death.

"I'll hold your hand until you fall asleep, just like the queen did. If you cry, I'll wipe the tears away so no one can see. So please smile tomorrow."

Her hands continued to shake from the powerful surge of memories that enveloped her mind.

Soo-won's eyes immediately darted behind her, weary of where his men had went. The guards would come back to search for him soon- it would be bad if the two of them were seen here like this.

Yona's eyes widened in surprise as the king suddenly grabbed her by the arm, and began pulling her into a nearby alleyway out of the main walkway.


With this, the two of them had some sort of privacy while standing at a considerable distance apart from each other. Neither of them wanted to break the silence, although it was obvious that both parties were painfully aware of the giant elephant in the room.

"You really are Princess Yona." Soo-won started first. "It was foolish to think that you were dead… I'm sure it's because the Thunder Beast is still risking his life to protect you."

Her body was still paralyzed by the sound of his voice and the very sight of him before her. She opened her mouth to speak, but still no words came out. Her hands clenched tightly together as she attempted to force them out in her next sentence.

"...And what exactly are you doing here?"

"I came here to investigate because I heard Yam Kumji, the Lord of Awa, was conducting illegal business with another country."

"To think the king would involve himself directly with matters like this." She tried her best to hide the shakiness in her voice.

"It is the role of the king, is it not?" Soo-won retaliated. "Or do you suggest I conducting myself like the late King Il, who despised weapons and led this country to peril?"

"And is that your reason for assassinating my father?" The princess suddenly found strength in her voice. "You, who cut off the people important to you in order to achieve your goal of becoming king. I'm the foolish one to have thought that the three of us would be inseparable after all this time."

He noted the fire inside of her eyes, which at this moment were no longer cute and round like before.

"..A person who can easily throw away the trust of their most valued companions, is surely not someone fit to be a king."

Soo-won's expression suddenly turned dark at the princess' words. He clenched his fists at his side in attempts to hide his now broken composure.

Before him was that same girl who spent a considerable amount of time tending to her hair and kimonos rather than familiarizing herself with the matters of her own kingdom. Every time she approached him with that gleam in her eyes, he wondered what it was like to live so carefree, giving all that one has to the person they love and more. At the same time, he also knew that their relationship was a race against time, as the way King Il had raised her would only contribute to this country's inefficient reign.

Those days that he spent with her and Hak back at the castle flooded his memories, and he tried so hard to desperately push them back into his subconsciousness. Ever since he was a child, he had decided he would dedicate the rest of his life to obtaining political power and uniting this kingdom on behalf of his father. Things like relationships and love would only come to hinder this goal, which is why he tried his best to keep her and Hak at an arm's length.

But no matter how much he tried to suppress it, there was only one thing that constantly weighed on his mind since the night of the assassination.

If his family wasn't cursed with the crimson illness, if he never resolved to end King Il's reign, if he still had the time to spend his days at the castle with the two people he valued most..

..Would he eventually garner the strength to accept the princess' feelings wholeheartedly?

"I can see that you've changed, Yona. There's a new air to you."

"That makes the two of us then, doesn't it?" She responded in a whisper.

A long pause enveloped the air as the two of them stood in silence for a brief moment.

"I was going to tell my father… that it had to be you, Soo-won. I wanted to marry you no matter what." She remembered telling him these exact words in her father's chamber while making contact with his dark gaze.

"But tell me, the look on your face right now..."

His voice adopted a new intensity as he began to inch closer to her, eventually forcing her back against the wall. It was as if he had read her mind completely. She clenched her fist and forced the gulp down her throat at whatever was to come.

He was so near that she could feel his warm breath against her face. The princess froze as he raised one hand to gently cup the side of her cheek. He had never gotten this close to her before, not in this manner. She really shouldn't have such a hard time resisting, but she was.

"Do you despise the fact that I betrayed your feelings for me?"

Yona's lips parted in surprise at this question. Why bring this up now? All these years, Soo-won had never shown her any emotion or acknowledgement of her love for him. He always displayed the same, kind, gentle smile every time she showered him with affection. And now, she felt as if he was trying to capitalize on those feelings. Judging from the look on his face, he knew exactly what he was doing.

"Those feelings of mine no longer exist." The princess whispered sharply while desperately trying to hold back the pool of tears that formed in her eyes. Don't cry, he'll see right through you. "They perished the moment you stuck your knife through my fathers chest."

"I see.. is that so..?"

She hated that he still spoke in that soft, gentle tone she knew so well. His thumb slowly grazed and pulled down her lower lip, the action sending goosebumps down her spine while revealing her gritted teeth.

"..Then why are you quivering so much like this?"

Just as she was about to formulate a response, the king's lips quickly crashed down on her own, widening her eyes in shock. Her knees gave in for a brief moment, though his weight kept her firmly in place. Pain, frustration, and longing enveloped her all at once while her body flew into fight or flight mode. Yet she couldn't bring herself to retaliate at all.

She could taste the salty tears running down her cheeks, inevitably making its way into their mouths. Soo-won's hand grasped at the back of her red locks with just the right amount of force between pleasure and pain, his lips swallowing every one of her muffled cries. The kiss grew more and more impatient, as if they were hurrying against time.

She would've longed for something like this to happen back at Hiryuu Castle. She liked him because he was extremely kind to her, but it wasn't until now that she realized she never saw the entirety of who he was. It was evident that he was battling with something much bigger than his relationship with Hak and herself. Some part of her, mixed with the anger, felt truly sorry for not being able to understand him sooner. But it was too late to be any sort of change for him now.

The princess placed her hands on either side of his broad shoulders, her nails digging in deep with the intention of inflicting pain. She felt him wince against her lips for a brief moment, although it did little to break their rhythm. It would surely leave marks later on.

A group of bystanders had begun to enter the alleyway, although they were quick to scurry themselves off after witnessing two shadows tangled together.

Soo-won's eyes suddenly shot open abruptly, pulling away from the crimson-haired girl with a quick breath.

From their peripheral vision, they could see General Ju-do and the other soldiers approaching the alley. Thrown into a state of panic, Yona's eyes immediately darted in the opposite direction, ready to escape.

Just as she had started to sprint, she felt the king quickly pull her back by her arm. His large cloak suddenly enveloped over her and before she knew it, she was buried against his chest in hiding.

"Let go-"

"Quiet. Be still." Soo-won hushed her with urgency.

"Lord Soo-won, you can't just walk off on your own!"

It was the voice of Ju-do, one of the men that watched the three of them grow up together in the castle.

"General Ju-do, I apologize. I'm just so excited to be in a new city after being cooped up in the castle for so long.." He quickly regained the usual cheeriness in his voice.

"You're excited, eh?" The old general raised a brow, his eyes adjusting quickly towards the feminine feet underneath the King's cape. "...And is that why you're with a woman right now?"

"Huh? Ah.. please, thats very crude of you!"

She felt the vibrations of Soo-won's chuckle against his chest. However, she couldn't stop her eyes from darting around, her heart feeling like it was going to explode any minute. She licked her lips slightly, which were still hot from their contact, only to pick up the taste of some blood. Whether it belonged to him or her, she didn't know.

"Where you flirt with women is not my business! But in the middle of a secret reconnaissance mission really isn't the time..!"

The sound of General Ju-do's chastisement started to drown out of her hearing as she attempted to process what just happened. There was no reason for him to do this beside to mock her feelings. But still.. why was he protecting her like this? There was simply no merit for him at all. He could've easily dragged her back to the castle, or had her executed right on the spot.

As she continued to glance around, her eyes laid sight on the item shackled at the king's waist. Amethyst orbs suddenly widened in horror at the very sword that led to her father's downfall.

"What are you going to do if you see him again? Will you kill him?"

Now. If she was going to kill him, it has to be now.

Instinctively, she slowly began to reach for the handle.

As if on cue, Soo-won's hand quickly darted to grasp her own, breaking her from her trance. She tried to shake it free, but it only forced him to hold on tighter.

"Do you want to kill me?"

Yes. I can never forgive you. She didn't even notice that Ju-do and the others had already left.

"...Of course you do. But I cannot die yet. There's something I must do."

In a swift motion, Soo-won released her from his cape, and the two of them managed to lock eyes once more. This time, he showed her the same, benevolent smile that she always knew. But there was a hint of sadness lying underneath.

"Goodbye, Yona."

The princess stood frozen as he gave her one last, gentle stroke on the cheek before retreating and making his way out of her sight. Once he disappeared around the corner, it was if he wasn't ever here in the first place. She let out a quick gasp before falling onto her knees, as if she had forgotten to breathe all this time.

"Princess!"

The Thunder Beast suddenly appeared by her side, only a few minutes late to witness the presence of his old friend and newfound enemy.

"Hey, what happened? What's wrong?" Hak crouched himself down and gave their surroundings a quick scan.

"There's something I must do." She had no idea what he meant by that, but it was in this moment that she truly understood the gravity of what their relationship had become. She would be lying if she said she never tried to think of a way out of this. A way for the three of them to return back to their old days, a way for her to find happiness with Soo-won once again. But there was simply no coming back from this.

"Someone was here just now. I'll take a look around."

"No, don't." Yona raised a hand against Hak's shoulder, swallowing the last of her tears before lifting her head and sharpening her gaze. "I'm confident we will meet them again.."

Everybody had been asking her all this time- "Will you take revenge on the king and reclaim your place at Hiryuu Castle?" She acknowledged that as it currently stood, she was still not strong enough to accomplish something like that.

But over time, she vowed to show him that the Princess of Kouka Kingdom was not a force to be reckoned with.

"After all, this is just the beginning."


Fin.