Previously

"I want to visit Hiryuu castle…." Yona blurted out.

"Why in the hell do you want to go back there! You know that they're going to kill us the second they know who you are!" bellowed Hak as he scrambled to his feet.

"I have to agree with Hak," Kija stood up followed by Shin-ah. "you can't go back princess. It's too dangerous."

Zeno stood up, "What does the miss want back at the castle?"

Yona remained silent with her head hung low and her hands at her sides.

"Yona, we can't go back. Not yet." Pleaded Yun.

Yona sighed, I might as well tell them. She looked up and the group all gasped and took a step back seeing the fire in her eyes. "I need to go to Hiryuu's shrine."

-x-

Present

Everyone was silent for a few painstaking moments before the air erupted with arguments.

"Yona dear, why in the hell would you want to go there?"

"Yona! If you need to go to a shrine we don't need to all the way back to the castle!"

"Princess, how big of an idiot are you?"

"Princess!"

"Pkyuu!"

"Enough!" Yona's desperate voice caused everyone to be silence themselves. Her voice echoed through the area around them that commanded cooperation and spoke of her authority. "I need to go there because there is something there I think that I need to find."

"Zeno doesn't remember anything there that the miss may need back from when she was Hiryuu."

Hak huffed and took a few steps towards the woman, "You think there is something there that you need to find!"

Yona looked at Hak with a renewed spark in her eyes. Slight shivers went down his spine from the sight, but he continued, "You want us to break into Hiryuu castle, the place where we were forced from, to maybe find something!"

"I know that it sounds crazy, but after I remember being Hiryuu, there is something in that shrine that will help us! It'll help me! Please Hak, why can't you trust me!?" Her violet eyes began to water from frustration.

"It's not about trust princess! It's about whether you have a death wish or not!"

The group became silent. Hak's plea could be heard echoing throughout the forest.

"Hak…." Whimpered Yona.

"Yona, I may be a genius, but I can't see how we are going to get into the castle without a fight." Sigh Yun as he stood up and walked up to her.

"Zeno knows!" cheered the yellow dragon excitedly.

The group turned towards him with expressions of shock on their faces. Well, except for Jae-ha he was just curious what the old man had up his sleeve.

"Zeno remembers secret passages that were built below the castle in case Zeno and his brothers needed to get Hiryuu out of the castle quickly!" Zeno looked too excited about this and it made Hak and the others nervous.

"Princess, even if the passages are still there, we have no idea what areas they will lead to. For all we know, they've been re purposed over the years." Hak crossed his arms and glared at Yona.

"I know that you guys think this is a bad idea…. But I am not asking to take back the castle. I am asking to visit one room for ten minutes at most." Yona looked at everyone with obvious desperation in her voice, but the fire in her eyes made it apparent to the group that arguing with her about it wasn't going to change her mind.

Yun groaned and buried his face in his hands. "Can we at least take a rest in the next village before we even consider embarking on a suicide mission?"

Yona glared at Yun. She knew that he was right, but she was frustrated at everyone arguing against her. She had to do this.

"He's right Yona dear, we're short on supplies." Chuckled Jae-ha.

Frustrated, Yona huffed, spun on her heals, and began walking down the path they had been previously walking towards. The group looked at each other and decided that they would talk about it at the next village.

-x-

Before nightfall, Shin-ha was able to direct the group to a small village and Yun was able to get two rooms for everyone.

"Ummm….. Z-Zeno." Zeno turned to Yona before he stepped inside of the room with the rest of the dragons. A slight blush was visible on her pale cheeks. "C-can you, spend the night….. w-with me? I need someone to talk to about…. E-everything."

Zeno smiled his warm brightening smile. "Of course, miss!"

"sigh, I guess I'll be sleeping with the rare beasts then." Resigned Yun before he could shut the door to the room him and Yona were supposed to share.

"Don't worry lad, I'll take care of the little miss!" Zeno pulled Yun out of the room and hurried him to the room where the others were staying.

Yun was taken aback by the yellow-dragon's eagerness, but he decided that it was best to not question it. Yona needed someone to talk to and Zeno was the one she wanted.

"Good-night Yun. Thank you!" waved Yona before Yun disappeared behind a closing door.

Zeno walked towards the red-head before grabbing her hand and gently leading them into their room. He had a feeling that she needed to talk about her time as Hiryuu and he wanted to help her the best he could.

The immortal seventeen-year-old led to princess to her bed and sat down with her, ensuring that he was never letting go of her hand.

"What did the miss want to talk about with Zeno?"

Yona looked down at her lap staring at her hand that Zeno was holding so gingerly. "I wanted to apologize to you." A small tear began to fall on her cheek, landing on their conjoined hands.

Zeno placed his other hand on her cheek to wipe away anymore tears that may decide to fall. "Miss?"

"Z-zeno, I-I…." Yona bit her sip before looking up at a worried yet warming golden face. She turned her eyes to Hiryuu's medallion that was dangling from his headband.

"I'm sorry that I-I didn't let you f-fight with your b-brothers back then." Yona closed her eyes and leaned into Zeno's palm on her cheek as she allowed more tears to fall.

He chuckled, "the miss lets Zeno fight, but Hiryuu didn't. I know that he didn't because he was worried about Zeno not knowing how to. Now that I know what I am, and how to fight I don't mind. The miss has given Zeno the chance to fight with Zeno's brothers."

Yona opened her eyes and into his softened ones. "I should have told you when you asked me all those years ago as Hiryuu. I-I didn't know how t-to t-tell you. I w-was so s-scared how y-you would take it."

Zeno sighed and untangled their hands so he could hold her tearful face. "The miss has nothing to apologize for and neither does Hiryuu. Zeno understands and Zeno appreciates Hiryuu trying to protect Zeno."

Yona smiled softly at that and pulled Zeno in for a hug. The movement was so sudden, that he didn't hug her back for a few seconds. The medallion was pressed up against each other. He could feel the metal humming causing him to smile at the warmth.

"Zeno, can you do something for me?" she asked without pulling back to look at him.

"Anything for you miss." He responded while softly rubbing her back.

"Please, call me Yona. Not miss."

He hesitated before closing his eyes and lightly whispering "Yona…".

The princess pulled back and took his face in between her hands so he would look straight into her violet eyes. "I promise you Zeno, I will do everything in my power to make sure that you won't ever be left alone again."

His blue eyes began to water and tear up, "Zeno would like that very much mi…. Yona."

A new kind of warmth appeared in the yellow dragon's eyes. A warmth that she had never seen before. It was as though centuries worth of waiting had just ended. She was captivated by his eyes and just sat there staring at them.

Without realizing what she was doing she leaned in and lightly kissed him on the lips. The moment their lips touched, she felt the warmth in his eyes spread throughout her entire body. Zeno was her sunshine, and she didn't ever want to ever let go of her light.