A/N: Hey there everyone! I hope that I did not keep you waiting to long for this chapter. This is sort of the inspiration of my story so I wanted to make it right. I really hope that you all like it. So here it is!

Chapter 4: The Hua Song

After I had wept for what must have been hours I had a renewed feeling of exhaustion which washed over me like a great wave. I walked to the wash basin in the corner of my makeshift room and splashed its cool contents onto my face. The water washed away the fine salt grit left by the tears and eased the burning flush on my face. I peered into the small mirror above the wash basin hoping to find some clarity. Though it was small and dirty, the mirror provided me with a rare glimpse of the woman I was becoming. My thick hair had grown considerably and now hung past my shoulders when unbound. My face had become more accentuated by raised cheek bones and thin eyebrows. I looked less like a boy then I had before but I was still far from the perfection of beauty. Who am I? I contemplated as I stared at my reflection. I had been thrown into so much change and responsibility and my emotions were so conflicting that I hardly knew who I was anymore. True, my dragon had changed me, how could one not be changed by communion with such a beast, but the changes that were reflected to me now were a result of something even deeper than the power of my dragon. Events, and more importantly certain people, had touched my inner being and forced a change in me that I am not quite sure I understand. Whatever it may be, I desired to learn about the person I had become, regardless of the fear that I may not like the what I learned.

Feeling restless, I mended my messy hair a bit, dawned fresh clothing and stepped out from my cabin in search of an unknown destination. The brisk ocean air against my face helped sooth some anxiety and brought a relief to the stuffy air of the cabins. I met few people along the way for many of them had already retired to their cabins for the night or had gone below deck to drink and play games of chance. The few guards I crossed lowered themselves into shallow bows and murmured regards like "M' lady", "Lady Dragoneye", and "Good evening". I inclined my head towards them in return and continued on. I wandered for a bit, taking in the fading evening but somehow, before I knew it, I found myself standing outside the door to Ido's cabin. I stood there, unsure of why I had come. I imagine that what I was feeling was much the same as Ido had felt the night before when he had come to my cabin. I raised my hand to knock on the door but the action fell short. Feeling stupid and unnerved I turned to leave again but a faint voice from within drew me back.

"Do you wish to come in or shall you stand out there all night building up nerve" Ido said in a muffled voice. Still feeling shaky, I reached out and opened the door.

Ido was sitting on his cot, legs crossed and chest bare. "Good evening Lady Eona." he said, rising from the cot. The formal greeting cut through me like a knife. He was still obviously hurt by my unwillingness to proclaim love for him. As I stepped through the doorway, I found myself staring at the contoured muscles of his strong chest. It was rigid and defined from many hours of training and held untold strength. A flush darkened my cheeks and I looked down, embarrassed by my open appreciation.

"Good evening Lord Ido" I replied as formally, hoping he had not noticed my staring. He only smirked at me but let my embarrassment pass without further pushing. When I finally entered, I was surprised at what I found within. Ido's room was very unlike mine. He had not been provided with any of the small luxuries given to me and it was unusually barren. It had no wash basin or wardrobe for clothing; nor a chair to sit on. Worst of all, and to my dismay, his cot was no more than a straw mattress without any coverings for comfort. Ido must have noticed my look of disgusted shock as I surveyed the room for he looked around as well then to me and said, "I assume this is further undo punishment and comes at the hands of Yuso. Or perhaps it is Your Emperor's doing, as a means of keeping me in check." Ido nearly spat the words out. I returned my gaze to him, trying to convey my sympathy.

"I will speak to the Emperor at once about this issue. I will not have you living worse than a common prisoner. Criminal or not, you are still a Dragoneye and deserve more respect than this."

"Aw, how sweet of you Eona; perhaps your Kygo will fake some sympathy and he will grant me a blanket to sleep with on these cold nights" Ido said with a venomous glare.

"You do not need the Emperor's sympathy nor does he need your anger. You both need the others respect if we are to make this work" I replied as diplomatically as possible.

"And what exactly are we trying to make work Eona?" It was more an accusation then a question.

"We are trying to win a war against Sethon, remember? Whether we like it or not Ido, our power is indispensable if we have any hopes of winning. We all need eachother if we are to survive and if we are to free the dragons." I knew that Ido had meant more by his comment but I chose to answer as if I hadn't. Perhaps my mention of the dragons would distract him from Kygo.

He had notice my ruse but chose to likewise ignore it. "War or not, how could I respect that boy? He does not hate me as much for my actions as much as he does for lo…never mind" he trailed off.

"For loving me?" I pressed

"Never mind why Kygo hates me. Why have you come Eona? What do you want from me?" he said, changing the topic as quickly as possible. I walked nearer to him and smiled softly. He seemed taken aback by the gesture but his expression softened and his eyes glistened.

"I have something I wish to speak with you about." Preparing myself I took another tentative step closer to him but the raise of his hand halted me.

"That is fine. We can speak in a minute. Before that, I have something I would like to show you." His expression then resumed its usual sly cunning and I felt a bit unnerved by the sudden change.

"Very well, what is it?" I managed to reply but I could already feel my resolve waning.

Stepping within only inches of me, Ido scooped my hands into his own. The action was so unexpected that I swayed slightly, making the connection unsteady. Ido tightened his grip, locking me in place to anchor my body. My heart raced and within I could feel our Hua connection pound. Ido must have felt the sensations because he looked down at me, amber eyes as alert and devious as ever. I could see a hint of amusement and pleasure in his eyes from the presence of our bond. I could stare into his swirling amber pools endlessly and I saw a smile quickly touch Ido's face as he noticed my admiring expression.

"See something you like my Lady?" he smirked wryly "it appears you find me handsome after all."

My cheeks flushed and I turned away but not soon enough to hide my guilty smile of truth from Ido. At least he is back to his normal smug, wicked sense of humor, I thought happily.

"Very well, let us begin" he declared.

"What are we doing?" I asked unsure of his intent.

"I am going to show you how to see and hear the song of the Hua."

"The song of the Hua?" bewilderment plain on my face. I recalled a soft hum emanating from my dragon whenever we joined but I had thought it was unique to the beasts alone.

"Yes Eona. Every thread of Hua is alive with song; from the crawling insects to the Hua within you and me. Everything has this song and I want you to experience it." Not for the first time I cursed my lack of proper instruction. I need Ido, I thought.

"Shall we?" he asked, to which I gave a curt nod.

With a steadying breath Ido closed his eyes, tightened his grip on my hands and began the shift into the energy world. I followed close behind, feeling my mind clear and my breathing level off. Within two breathes I was in the energy world. At once the thrill of the Mirror dragon and my bond to her crashed over me. She was so beautiful and majestic, perched high above us in crimson splendor. I could feel Ido's joy as well as our dragons called to us simultaneously. The blue Rat dragon shrieked with joy as Ido came to him, but we had not come for their union. With an effort I wretched away from the Mirror dragon and I could feel Ido do the same with the Rat Dragon. The separation hurt but I could feel her steady presence in the back of my mind and it comforted me.

"Are you ready?" his mind voice asked.

"Yes."

"Then do as I do. I will show you quickly how to find the song then I will shield your presence from the ten dragons so that we may work in peace." I felt Ido take another deep, relaxing breath and he sank further into a placid meditation. Following his example I did the same.

"Good", he said "now try to focus. Give it very ounce of concentration you can muster for this is not a simple task. Even the most experienced Dragoneyes have a hard time finding the song and if they do many are forced to withdraw because the musical essence is too much to handle at once. I want you to focus on any one point of Hua you choose. Focus on it so hard that no other thought demands your attention. Then wait and listen. If you focus correctly, then you will not become overwhelmed"

"Alright, I will try", I whispered. Ido nodded with his physical body and I could tell that he was turning his attention to managing the ten bereft dragons. I looked around the energy world searching for a source of Hua to choose. Ido's body stood before me, swirling with Hua but something told me try a smaller target. I found the life-force of a small bird overhead as it sored through the evening sky and I chose it. With every bit of concentration I had I cast my mind out to the bird and wrapped my thoughts around it. Focusing on the pounding force of its life I waited and listened. To my disappointment nothing happened at first but then I began to hear something. Low and soft at first, it slowly intensified in my ear. Soon I heard a rhythmic melody that matched the swirl of the birds Hua. It leaped and bounded at regular intervals; the life of the bird was so joyous and strong as it sored the wind currents. Its melody was simple but beautiful and I almost cried at its harmony. It sounded like a small chime in the wind that rang out and softened with a small lilt. Each note matched the pump of the Hua as the bird mastered the skies above us. As the soft chime rang out I could feel it reverberate through my being as if the song was within me. It was a glorious sensation. I enjoyed the beautiful music of the birds life-force for a short time but I soon became overwhelmed with joy felt the urge to return to Ido and share my moment with him. Snapping back into my earthly body I grasped Ido's hands tightly, the action drawing him back to his earthly body as well. My utter astonishment and joy brought a smile to his face.

"You heard it then?" he asked, though it was not really a question.

"Heard it? I not just heard it but I saw it, felt it! I found a bird flying in the skies above us and focused on it. Its song was so beautiful I wanted to cry! It was like a soft chime echoing across the wind. Thank you Ido, thank you so much for showing me this!"

I grabbed him then, pulling him into a full hug. Without hesitation he wrapped his arms around my body, pulling me in. We swayed together with for a moment with the boat then I slowly pulled away, an idea on my mind.

Ido looked at me with a look of sadness and questioning but refrained from saying anything. I smiled and him and said, "I would like to try something."

"Very well" he replied smiling back, "what would you like to try?"

Without answering him I closed my eyes and on a second relaxed breath found myself in the energy world again. This time I went for a larger more complex target. Focusing with all that I was I cradled my Hua around the form of Ido's energy body. It seemed that my focus on him was easier to control because almost instantly I heard a soft hum emanating from him which grew in intensity. Each of his Hua points had an individual song unique to its rhythm. Together the points formed a harmonious melody that vibrated the air around him. Each song mirrored the rhythmic flow of the Hua within Ido and together their visual and audible presence was captivating. They sounded like a chorus of instruments all harmoniously playing together; each with its own exquisite rich sound. One song in particular was rising above the others however, its sound like that of a thousand drums beating in unison. The song was coming from Ido's heart point and it appeared to rise and fall in rhythm with his physical heartbeat. I was astounded by the sight and sound of the Hua at his heart point. It seemed that with his newly developed change in being, Ido's heart point had burst into life and was now full of love, compassion, and a beautiful music. The drum like essence matched the beat of his pulsing green Hua. As it swirled, the music pounded harder and as his heart relaxed is softened in tone.

Then I noticed the thin gold stream of the Hua connecting my heart point to Ido's. To my surprise, it too had a soft song emanating from it. It was like countless bells chiming at once. It reminded me of the great parades I had attended at the start of the New Year. Right at the moment that the year changed over, people all over rang out small bells to welcome in prosperity and good health. The thin gold thread had a similar sound to this and it was currently alive with song at the physical contact I had with Ido. Curious, I pulled Ido closer to my body. I was amused and surprised to find that not only did the thin thread of gold Hua burst into renewed vigor but Ido's heart point also began to race and pound. I realized then that the beauty and power within the song was directly related to the emotions and experiences of the person or thing's Hua it was flowing in; in this case it was powered by Ido's love for me and his current pleasure at our closeness. Ido was alive with song and his Hua was pumping rapidly. I realized that a similar sensation was occurring within me as well.

Losing my hold on the concentration, the sounds began to consume me and I could no longer take it all in. I withdrew to my earthly body with a wrench and found that Ido was within inches of my face. He was staring at me with an expression I found hard to read. He smiled at me and I smiled back, still overcome with an unexplainable joy.

"The bond in our Hua…" I started but the words faded into a broader smile.

"I know, I heard it too" he faintly breathed "it is beautiful."

Being so close to Ido, feeling his breath against my neck and remembering the sweet sound of our music made me want to deepen our contact. Before I knew what I was doing I pulled Ido's head down to my own and felt the familiar rush of emotions as our lips met in a sweet communion.

A/N: OK there it is! I hope it is up to standards. I actually need your help from here on. I will write one more chapter to conclude this scene but after that I am a little stumped. I have a new ending in mind for the original book that I would like to write. I don't know if I should continue this story and rewrite the whole Sethon war chapters so that I can write my new ending or if I should end this story after the next chapter and start a new one for the alternate ending. What I am going to do is set up a poll for you all to answer this question with several choices. You can also PM me or review. I would really appreciate any advice you have. Also, like I did for the chapter before, if you review this chapter and tell me what you think, I will have a little reward for you. I need to work on the next chapter more but as soon as I have something good you will get a sneak peak for you review so please be patient with me. So please, please, please review! It gives me inspiration to go on and lets me know that there is interest in the story. Also, if you found any corrections I need to make please inform me. Thank you so very much. I appreciate you all. Hope to hear from you soon!