Chapter 2
The battle raged around them as Yona pulled another arrow back, releasing it into the shoulder of an incoming enemy. The red-head flinched. No, not an enemy. Just a soldier doing what he had been ordered to do.
"Yona! Get back!" Zeno stepped forward, the borrowed shield sparking against the clang of steel. The man was sent flying as the powerful leg of Ryokuryuu swung around and connected.
Next to them, Shin-Ah stood still, his head turned, watching.
"Seiryuu? What's wrong?" Jae-Ha questioned as he embedded his throwing knives in the necks of rushing soldiers.
"I don't have a good feeling about this," Kija called, his dragon claw shredding flesh.
As they reached the outer circle of Soo-Jin's defenses, Yona's party caught glimpses of red and black between the shifting bodies.
"Hak!" The princess shouted above the chaos.
"Who the hell is that?" Hak growled as he brought his glaive down with a sickening crunch. Another swing and three more soldiers fell before the Thunder Beast.
"Archers! Look out!" The sea of men parted, futilely scrambling in any direction they could.
Yona's hands flew to her mouth.
Although her back was turned towards them, they could clearly make out the figure of an unarmed woman. Dressed in formal Fire Tribe garbs she stood frozen in the direct path of the barrage of glinting arrowheads. Kan Soo-Jin was the only one around her who did not cower or run.
Out of the corner of her eye, Yona could see Jae-Ha rock forward on his heels, but there was no time left to intercept. Yona felt a heaviness weigh in her gut, hands clenched at her side, but she could not force herself to look away.
Within those few agonizing seconds, Kouka's former princess watched as the girl's arm swept out in front of her, her voice ringing clear and commanding as she shouted, "Fire Soul!"
The red-head could nearly feel the hearts of those around her collectively stop as an immense wave of fire rushed forth. The unhinged power behind the flames quickly consumed the falling projectiles head-on, disintegrating them into nothingness.
As the fire died away the area remained still.
Manic laughter broke the hush and echoed off the rocky walls as Soo-Jin's eyes fell on the pale face of his king and former comrades.
"Can't you see?!" The older man's voice was elated as he turned his horse around to address his men. "The Fire Tribe can never lose! Not when we have Hiryuu on our side!"
Their silence only escalated Soo-Jin's laughter.
"No." Yona strained to hear the soft voice. "I will not."
Weaving through a few dumbstruck soldiers, Yona managed to creep close enough to gain a full view of the scene.
The Fire Tribe General's face grew stern as he faced the woman, his hand curling around the hilt of his sword. "What was that?"
"I will never fight for the likes of someone like you." The chimes of gold sounded as the girl turned back to face Soo-Jin, her pretty features creased into a fierce scowl. As she stepped forward her voice grew more impassioned, "You're a coward who doesn't understand the value of your own men's lives! You are not fit to lead!"
Intending to slice through her delicate neck, Soo-Jin raised his sword, but before he could end her fate Yona caught the briefest flash of silver and heard the nauseating slick of the blade. Stunned, Soo-Jin looked down at the point now sticking through his chest, his hand shakily reaching up to touch the blood as it dribbled from his wound.
"W-we cannot allow you to harm Hiryuu." The soldier whose sword had pierced Kan Soo-Jin quaked, barely able to keep it together, as the unbelieving eyes of their leader found his face.
Turning away, Yona bit back the painful swelling of emotions. Though she couldn't say she had many fond memories of the general, she had always regarded Soo-Jin as an uncle of sorts. To see him die such a pathetic death left a bitter taste in her mouth.
The princess' eyes found the calming blue of Hak's as a hand on her shoulder guided her away.
-x-
Mars watched as Soo-Jin fell to the ground, sputtering and choking on his own blood between gasps. Kneeling next to him she looked over his dying form with pity.
"Where is she?" Even as she propped his head up, he struggled to form words between gurgles. "What have you done with Serenity?"
His eyes stared past her, into memories she could not see, and with the last of his breath, he spoke names she did not know.
Kan Soo-Jin was dead.
Carefully closing his eyes Mars stood, fully aware of the tense stares focused solely on her.
That only left Li Hazara.
Without a second of hesitation, Mars reached for the reins of Soo-Jin's white mare.
"Halt!" Atop the hill, a man with the jagged scar that cut through his handsome face, pointed his sword at her. "This army is now under the direct authority of the Sky Tribe. Do not move!"
The Earth Tribe archers once again drew the strings of their bows taunt.
Violet eyes narrowed as she felt the sparks of power lick at her fingertips, but her view was obstructed. A soldier had stepped in front of her, quickly followed by another and another. The Fire Tribe, despite their broken bodies, proudly held their ground as they created a human shield between her and their opponents.
"Please escape, Lady Hiryuu," a voice called from within the crowd. "The Fire Tribe will protect you."
Affirmative whispers swept through the ranks in waves.
Mars hesitated a moment, unsure and yet strangely touched, as they held their heads high.
With a grateful nod, Mars flung her leg over the mount and flew through the dividing crowd, concentrating on the remaining traces of the Sen Army.
-x-
"Your Majesty, that girl is fleeing. Your orders?"
"Stand down." Soo-Won's gaze lingered as the traces of burning red disappeared over the hilltop. "We can't afford any more casualties. We'll go after her when things have settled."
"But—!" Joo-Doh withdrew his anger as his eyes focused elsewhere. "It appears the other group has disappeared as well."
Cold eyes searched through the throng of bodies below, but indeed Kouka's former princess and company had also vanished.
"They were just bandits… Caught in the wrong place at the wrong time..." Geun-Tae was unusually placid as he glanced elsewhere. "Our main objectives should be corralling the Fire Tribe Army and dealing with Kai."
Soo-Won's lips thinned into a grave line.
-x-
"Where have you gone you bastard?" A heel urged the horse faster as Mars tried to focus on the remaining trails of aura left behind by the retreating Sen army. It was faint, but if she hurried she would just be able to follow the tail end of it.
When I find you…
Mars gasped as a gust caught the heavy material of her robes, nearly knocking her off her mount. She let out a frustrated growl, barely able to right herself as she fought against the added weight of the gaudy jewelry around her neck and in her hair. In fact, her entire ensemble was too bulky and restricting and the bright hues contrasted harshly against the cracked, muted land; she'd be spotted from miles away.
It had to go.
Spying the cover of a wizened tree, the Martian warrior slowed the mare to a trot before dismounting. With a quick pat on the horse's nose, she began to discard the outer layers of silk, but her fingers were clumsy with adrenaline and fumbled more than once. Pausing, inky brows furrowed as the sudden pressure of another presence weighed at the back of her mind. Violet eyes scanned the horizon before snapping to the sky with a jolt.
"You there!" A male voice called from above as a figure gracefully landed in a crouched position only feet from her.
A startled whinny had Mars ducking as the mare reared up, snapping the branch her reins had been tied around. Before Rei could react, her horse took off, fleeing from her outstretched grasp.
The sounds of a grunt caught her attention and one figure quickly became two as a white-haired young man scrambled off the back of another.
"Hey!" Stepping forward the sapphire eyed man regained her attention as he bared a beastly right arm. Flexing his fingers he exhibited his menacingly long claws covered in shining, silvery scales. "What do you think you're doing impersonating King Hiryuu?!"
Youma?
Eyes widening, the raven-haired woman took a step backward.
"Answer me!"
But she didn't feel any dark energy…
After a moment of silence, her eyes narrowed in challenge. "I'm not this Hiryuu person."
"T-this… Hiryuu person?!" He echoed, his mouth hanging open in disbelief.
"Hey, Kija, cool it." The other, taller man settled a firm hand on the younger man's shoulder, but kept his steady navy eyes focused on her face.
"Kija! Jae-Ha!"
Cursing her bad luck the princess of Mars found herself surrounded as a band of hooded figures encircled them.
The smallest figure threw back their hood, revealing a shock of ruby locks and wide lilac eyes. Even with the distance between them, Mars was hit with the strong calming effecting of her aura as it radiated off her in waves. A faint sense of deja vu washed over the priestess, but she couldn't immediately place the feeling.
"Who are you?" Even though the girl spoke with a stern tone, she seemed concerned. "Why are you working with Soo-Jin?"
Uneasy by the sense of familiarity she felt towards this girl, Mars busied herself by reaching into her hair, pulling out the golden pins and tossing them to the ground. She sighed with relief as her locks tumbled freely, ignoring their incredulous stares.
Mars suddenly felt so tired.
Tired of fighting, tired of running.
"My name is Rei." The name tasted foreign as it rolled off her tongue; she had been Mars for so long she had almost forgotten it. "I do not work for the Fire Tribe, Kan Soo-Jin or Li Hazara."
"Then what were you doing on that battlefield?" It was the deep voice of one of the red head's companions now.
"It wasn't by choice."
"And that show back there then with the fire?"
"It was nothing. Just a trick using…o-oil…"
"Oil?" Skeptical eyebrows cocked upwards.
"It was all an illusion, okay? A scare tactic against the Sky Tribe." She winced inwardly at how clipped her tone was, but unlike Venus, Mars was a terrible liar and an even worse actress. She couldn't afford to reveal her identity any more than she already had with her little display. "I was forced into playing this Hiryuu person in return for something Soo-Jin and Hazara took from me."
Hoods were pushed back as an array of new faces shared a curious look.
They were all so shockingly young, with the eldest not looking much older than she, but the weariness behind their eyes spoke volumes. It was a look that she had seen before in her comrades, in her queen and even in her own reflection. It was the look of struggle and of sacrifice.
"They were blackmailing you?"
"Yes." With downcast eyes, the Martian warrior turned. "I need to be going."
"Wait!" The genuine concern reflecting in the smaller girl's eyes managed to halt Rei. "Right now there will be a lot of people looking for you. What do you plan on doing?"
She thought for a moment. "I'm going to confront Hazara and take back what they took from me."
"In that case," the dark-haired man called out with a jab of his thumb, "Kai is that way."
Hesitating for only a moment, Rei turned her nose up into the air, hiding her embarrassment as she began trudging in the new direction. However, it wasn't long before her ego deflated as the faint glimmers of aura she had been following evaporated, melting back into the natural ebb and flow of the world. She had been too late and fell too far behind.
She would just have to find Li Hazara on her own.
The sinking sense of failure further constricted her heart as the blank face of her princess flashed through her mind. Why hadn't she woken up? Was it something to do with being sent through time? Or, had she really lost her will to live?
If only Mercury were around, she would know what to do…
The same cold sensation of emptiness she had felt that night twisted through her gut. She had felt them die; felt their presence leave her side as if someone had blown out a candle… Heard the torment in Serenity's screams…
Shaking her head, the Senshi of Mars forced herself to focus on something else. Anything else.
Glancing over her shoulder Rei noticed the outlines of familiar figures following from a safe distance. She couldn't feel any malicious intent stemming from them, but that didn't mean they weren't dangerous. There was no ignoring the way the two had just appeared from the sky, that massive clawed hand, or the girl's formidable eyes.
Whose side were they on? Furthermore, what did this "Hiryuu" mean to them? The Fire Tribe nearly fell to their knees at her feet when Soo-Jin referred to her as Hiryuu and Kouka's men looked startled. Their group, however, had been overcast with anger an uncertainty towards her.
They were skeptical—even after her brazen display—and it made her uneasy.
What did they know?
As the sun sank into the horizon, the Senshi of Mars let out an irritated sigh.
Well, whoever they were, they were certainly persistent. Hours of walking and the stretch that separated her from them had significantly closed. They were at least smart enough to keep a constant distance, no matter how fast or slow Rei traveled, but this only succeeded in irking her further.
Her annoyance soon came to a boiling point.
Stopping, she allowed the gap to close and their group to catch up.
"So, what exactly is it you all want?" Mars snapped, turning around with crossed her arms as they approached, but their indifferent nature didn't falter.
"Whatever do you mean?" One of the men called, amused.
"You've been following me for hours!"
"We just happen to be heading in the same direction," said the youngest, a boy with honey colored hair, as he barely looked at her. "That's all."
Rei barely kept her eyebrow from twitching at their oblivious expressions.
"You don't seem very confident in where you're going." The strikingly tall man with bound emerald hair smirked, glancing at her from the corner of his eye as he passed. "You're not from Kouka, are you?"
Glaring, Rei remained staunch.
"And Zeno bets that you don't have any money for food, huh?" The one dressed in flowing orange robes flashed a carefree smile from over his shoulder. "Why don't you come join us bandits for the night?"
"Bandits…?" Rei snorted to herself. They sure as hell didn't strike her as bandits.
Were it not for the pains of her empty stomach she would have rejected even the thought of accepting such irritating people's invitation, but they were right. She had no money and no idea where she was going at this point.
Feeling foolish, the Senshi of Mars focused her angry stare on the ground, but as her stomach rumbled again she sighed, her pride relenting.
"One night."
-x-
Tossing another log on the campfire, violet eyes watched as the sparks reached high into the colors of twilight before disappearing.
"Rei…?" Sitting across from her a similar pair of purple eyes burned with the reflection of the flames. Yona was a petite girl with short, dazzling ruby red locks and a genuine smile. Her wrists were thin, but the calluses on her hands and the faint white scars littering her legs led Rei to believe she was anything but frail.
"Hm?"
"Can I ask you what Li Hazara and Soo-Jin took from you?"
Sweeping her eyes across the makeshift campsite the raven-haired warrior noticed a majority of the party was now missing. Only Yona and the bubbly blonde boy, Zeno, remained within earshot.
"They took…" She hesitated, unsure how much information she wanted to divulge to them. "My friend."
"Your friend?" Zeno's ambient humming stopped as he came to sit.
"Hazara is holding your friend hostage?" Yona's expression wound into one of seriousness. "Why would they do that?"
The dark haired girl looked away, unable to ignore the guilty feeling constricting her stomach.
"My friend and I were chased from our home so we fled to this land, but we were captured not long after arriving. They kept my friend hostage, blackmailing me with promises of returning her as long as I played the part of their Hiryuu." She clenched her fists. "But Hazara has escaped and I fear she's in danger."
"Sounds like a job for The Dark Dragon and the Happy Hungry Bunch!" With an excited flourish, Zeno threw his arms into the air.
Rei blinked.
"It's the name we use when we're traveling," Yona explained with an amused chuckle.
"I see. Does that name have anything to do with that arm?" Rei watched as their eyes found the distinct silhouette of Kija over her shoulder.
"Uhm." The two shared a playful glance. "Not exactly."
"Hak is actually our 'dark dragon', but he's not really a, uh, dragon warrior."
"Dragon warrior?"
Again, the two shared a look.
"Rei," Yona started, "do you really not know the legend of King Hiryuu and the four dragon warriors?"
The downward tug of her lips confirmed their suspicions.
"King Hiryuu lived thousands of years ago and was Kouka's first king." Yoon appeared, reciting the legend as he set a pot over the fire. "He was also the crimson dragon god who descended from the heavens in order to bring peace to the people and unite the kingdom."
"And the dragon warriors were mortal men who were gifted extraordinary abilities by four dragon gods who wanted to protect King Hiryuu." Zeno continued with a twinkle of sad wisdom reflecting in his usually bright eyes. "One was gifted with eyes that could see far beyond the horizon, the second was gifted with legs strong enough to jump boundlessly into the sky, the third was gifted with an unbreakable body, and the last one was gifted claws that could rip anything apart."
Suppressing the urge to look over her shoulder again, Rei listened as Yona finished the tale.
"After the king brought the country peace, he passed away and the four dragon warriors went their own paths. Their decedents helped to create four tribes of Kouka: Fire, Wind, Water and Earth. Hiryuu's castle became the capital and the fifth tribe, the Sky Tribe, which now rules over the other four. Today, the dragon warriors are mostly thought to be a legend."
"We haven't really been doing a good job at keeping it a legend though," the self-proclaimed genius snorted as he stirred the pot. "Have we?"
"So, you're the dragon warriors then?" Holding a hand to her head, Rei tried to quell the headache beginning to form.
"Zeno, Kija, Jae-Ha and Shin-Ah are," Zeno said as he took a long whiff of steam rising from the pot.
"I see." Leaning back, Mars sighed. So this was the kind of world they had stumbled into. "And you're really willing to help me?"
"Yes." The dancing flames burned brightly in the dark of Yona's eyes as a passion ignited in her voice. "Hazara and Soo-Jin's actions are inexcusable."
"Besides, we can drop off the Iza seeds to the villagers along the way!" The blonde's merry voice carried across the darkening plains as he stood and stretched. "Help Zeno collect more firewood, Little Miss?"
With a nod, Yona stood and together they wandered into the litter of dense, dead brush, leaving Rei alone at the fire's edge.
Despite her usually distrustful nature, the Senshi of Mars was truly thankful for their guidance. Not that she would ever admit it out loud, but being lost, cold and hungry wasn't going to help her rescue Serenity any faster. If she had to instill a little bit of trust in a group of strangers for a few nights, so be it.
Moreover, if any of them ever tried anything she could fry them; dragon warriors or not.
That thought made her smirk.
-x-
"What are you pouting about, Hakuryuu?" Eyebrows raised Jae-Ha hoisted the tent higher, watching as the white dragon warrior continued to eye the back of their guest with suspicion.
"I'm not pouting." With a puff, Kija drove the final stake into the ground. "I just don't trust her."
"Out of all of us, the princess is the best judge of character." Placing a hand on his brother-in-arm's shoulder, Jae-Ha's teasing smirk returned. "If you're really that worried about that, why don't you touch her and find out for yourself?"
"W-what?!" Kija's ears burned red as he smacked the taller man's hand away. "I-I can't!"
Blue eyes fell upon the silhouette of their guest.
He wouldn't admit it out loud, but the strange feeling Jae-Ha got from this woman was also festering a curiosity inside of him. It wasn't a pull like that felt between dragons, but it had been noticeable enough to ruffle their feathers. Even Yona seemed drawn to it, albeit unconsciously.
Meeting the annoyed expression of the younger man, Jae-Ha shrugged, deciding to take action into his own hands.
Really, it was silly how a feeling, Kan Soo-Jin's insane blabbering, and some clever illusion had him—them—all worked up. Undoubtedly, Yona was King Hiryuu's reincarnation and yet, as Jae-Ha approached Rei from behind, he couldn't help but hold his breath in anticipation.
"Excuse me," he exhaled, his hand lightly resting on her shoulder as he leaned over. Jae-Ha's tight smile instantly relaxed as the contact produced no blood boiling agony or ominous voices. "Would you care to share a drink with me tonight, beautiful?"
As she turned to peek up at him from under the fringe of her sooty lashes, Jae-Ha could have sworn the camp fire swelled higher and suddenly, it was there. For the briefest of seconds he felt a sensation so similar to that which drew him to Yona and yet so much more present; it was red and fierce and so ready to die for what was right.
"No, thank you," she replied, breaking his trance as a look of annoyance washed over her pretty features. She maneuvered out from underneath his touch and, with a tilt of her chin, marched into the surrounding scrub.
Eyebrows raised, Jae-Ha watched as she disappeared, taking the moment to catch his breath.
"I don't think I've ever seen a woman turn you down before, Droopy Eyes."
Blue eyes rolled to the side, settling on the smug figure of Hak. Slung over his shoulder rested the carcass of a hare.
"It was pretty magical, wasn't it?" The green dragon warrior jested with a grin.
"Masochist." Hak clucked while Yoon, hunched over some wild vegetables, snorted.
"Speaking of women," Jae-Ha spoke, a menacingly joyful gleam now crinkling the corner of his eyes. "I wonder where dear Yona ran off to. Maybe I'll go see what she's up to?"
Hak's smirk fell into a half-hearted glare.
"You both have strange tastes in women." The youngest member of their group mumbled to himself as he began the tedious process of cleaning the kill.
Jae-Ha chose to ignore this quip and instead threw a shrug to Kija, their unspoken communication leaving the younger man sighing with relief. Jae-Ha, however, found himself focusing back on the shadows at the edge of camp with a frown.
-x-
Rei shifted uncomfortably in what little room of the tent she called her own.
For the first time in days she had had a hot meal. The ingredients had been questionable and the manors of her hosts even more so, but it had been warm and rich and hit the spot in her stomach she thought was only reserved for Jupiter's cooking.
Under Yoon's snippy personality there was true potential for greatness.
Rei had also learned that their group was traveling throughout the Fire Tribe territory in order to deliver a much-needed resource to the villages: a seed that would grow even in the barest of soil. Apparently, the dilapidated village she had first happened upon was the unfortunate norm in this part of the kingdom. In order to travel safely from place to place, they had labeled themselves as bandits, working to fulfill Yona's goal to bring some relief to the downtrodden people. The group's eager and sincere hope twinged her heart.
It wasn't long after that when the evening chill set in, forcing them to call it a night. Rei was graciously offered Yoon's spot in Yona's tent, forcing the irritable boy to cram in with the others. The idea of Rei and Yona alone had a few wary eyes shifting, but thankfully they relented, trusting the red-head's stern gaze.
Now Rei found herself lying half awake, listening to the howling gusts while Yona slumbered peacefully next to her.
It was easy, she thought, to get sucked into the comfortable dynamic of their group. Maybe it was the lightheartedness of their teasing or the comfortable silences, but she actually found herself somewhat enjoying their company. They weren't so much a group of comrades as they were a family.
Like the Senshi had once been.
With that drowsy thought, Rei relaxed into the warmth of her blankets, lulled by the distant memories of laughter and moonlight.
-x-
mystlady: I will have to look into it! I haven't watched that series in a long time, but I guess now is better than ever to get into it with quarantine and all. I have been really enjoying the Final Fantasy VII community lately. A lot of content that I'm not familiar with plus the new remake just came out so I suspect it will be brimming here soon.
Hope this chapter didn't disappoint. Last chapter was definitely harder for me to get to feel fluid. Thanks for reading!