AN:This is now mostly written, mostly figured out, I just have had no time to type it... so it's on it's way, this is short but the action will be up next!

"Huh?"

He blinked.

"The oath, the one you made... The one to my father." She looked down, then seemed to steady herself before she met his gaze against "-to protect me. To follow me."

She looked so... determined. As he sized her up, her bottom lip trembled slightly.

"So... You're free." At those words, Hak's eyebrow twitched.

"Free... To do what?" The question seemed to upset her.

"I- I don't know, whatever you want!" Her lip trembled more now. "You can go, leave- " Yona fell silent. Hak eyed her for a moment longer.

"You really should get some rest now," he said softly. "We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow." Now she was glaring at him.

"Didn't you hear me?"

"Yes, I heard you." Hak gritted his teeth. Troublesome princess.

"Hak, you can do whatever you want-"

"That's nice. Hime, go to sleep."

"No! Hak-"

"Didn't you hear-"

'You aren't listening!" she snapped, voice breaking. Hak fell silent. "I told you, you don't have to do this." He looked away, focusing on the wall, a lump caught in his throat.

He was thrown. He was…. Angry. How could she just cast him aside? He knew why- he knew she had his own welfare in mind. But how could she think that was what he wanted? Did she really think that was best?

And yet, it was unfair of him to expect anything else, when he had always kept her at arm's length. Princess and Bodyguard. That was safe. Now she wanted- what did she want? For him to leave? For him to stay?

Why now? Guilt? Nobility? Stubbornness? And how could he assuage whatever it was prompting her to speak this, to push him away? How to make her take back those words, how to stay with her without pushing this into even more dangerous territory…. How to tell her he would always stay, wanted to stay…

How to say…..

"I don't see why Droopy Eyes gets to stay without an oath," he grumbled. He heard her shift in surprise.

"That… that's different."

"No it's not." He snorted. "You don't really think that green-haired pervert is more credible than me, do you?"

"Why?" Yona's voice quavered. "Why stay?"

"Because." Still not meeting her eyes, he scowled, trying to appear annoyed instead of nervous. Bored instead of elusive. "You never asked the dragons why."

"They follow me because they believe in Hiryuu… and I know you don't believe in that sort of thing," Yona stated calmly, matter-of-factly. Hak on the other hand, was no longer so certain what he believed, but that was besides the point. She leaned in closer to him. "You've been here because you made a promise. It's been unfair of me to hold you to that-"

"I may not believe in Hiryuu," he interjected, hesitating for a brief moment. Then, slow and deliberate, he raised his hand and rested it lightly on top of hers. "-but I do believe in you." When he turned to look at her, she was blushing, a brilliant, beautiful red. Without really thinking about it, he took the moment to intertwine his fingers with hers. "I do," he repeated, the words ringing with all the earnest sincerity of the thoughts he kept to himself. "And that… is why I'll go with you."

A soft light crept into her eyes- a realization of significance was obvious in her face.

"Oh," was all she said. He turned around, averting his gaze from her wide, wide eyes.

"Go to sleep, Princess. You need all the beauty sleep you can get." He smiled to himself when she sputtered, a beat later than usual. When she smacked his shoulder, he closed his eyes, relieved that, for the moment, he had preserved that delicate balance between them.