Here is the next chpt! I hope its not confusing to anyone! If it is, please let me know!

DISCLAIMER!:: Everything but my OC belongs to the writers and creators of Akatsuki No Yona (Yona of the Dawn)

Here I am, can you see me?

I am not alive yet I walk the same as living,

Here I am! Can you not hear me?

Please, don't leave me be in this lonely drowning pool.

Chapter Two::

Shura turned in the water, facing Yona and watching her closely. Her face betrayed what she was feeling and it was a deep-seated sadness and despair, along with fear. Fear that hearing about her sister's days in her cell, and the nightmares that happened in it, would only ruin the good memories she had of father. "I will not tell you until later. You have had to deal with much this night." She spoke softly, walking up out of the water towards where her tattered dress lay.

As she got out of the water, she could feel another pair of eyes staring at her instead of only one. She looked over her shoulder and felt her face heating up for the first time in her life. Hak-though blushing lightly himself-was looking at her from his supposed hiding place behind the tree.

She growled, getting angry and feeling quite embarrassed. How dare he stare at me! Mortifying! Her eyes flashed, and she bared her teeth at Hak. "Shura? What's wrong?" Yona asked, completely oblivious.

"Your guard is staring at me from behind that tree. If he does not stop he will be a dead man soon." Yona blinked innocently and then turned, gasping in both outrage and surprise.

"HAK! YOU SCOUNDREL!" She shouted and lunged after him, scolding and berating him. Shura saw the grin that split his blushing face as he turned, jogging off with the princess following after him, trying to throw punches at him. Shura's head tilted, noticing that-even if it was just a mere moment-Yona's sadness seemed to have vanished as she focused on him. It seemed that chasing after Hak and scolding him had helped to make her forget her sadness, even for just a simple moment.

With a sigh Shura shook her head and pulled on her dress. Looking up at the sky as dawn broke over the clouds, her eyes slowly closed. She enjoyed the feeling of the wind on her cheeks and the sunlight hitting her pale skin for the first time in years.

It was a wondrous feeling that Shura never wanted to go away. "Shura! Are you-Oh! Its dawn!" Yona said, coming up behind her. Shura glanced at her sister again and this time her mind clouded with worry. Yona's eyes now seemed devoid of anything and her expression vacant and far away. Closing her own, Shura whirled and pulled Yona into a tight hug.

"Sister, it is okay to cry." Shura whispered. "It will be alright. We will survive and grow. Pain is our greatest teacher and these are just trials we must go through to get where we need to be." Shura held Yona tightly as she began to sob and weep like a small child, falling to her knees and bringing Shura down with her. She was a bit taller than Yona, so she let Yona bury her head in her chest and cry until she could no more.

She merely held Yona tightly and stroked her hair, the only things she could think of to do to be of some comfort to her.

After a bit Yona seemed to finally calm down and Shura helped her stand, noting how empty and exhausted she looked now. Shura sighed and led her back to Hak who didn't seem surprised at the princess's state. It made her wonder just what Hak was expecting from Yona. "C'mon, we're going to have to get a move on if we want to get ahead of the troops before nightfall again." She nodded solemnly, letting Yona walk ahead of her. She would keep watch from behind and kill anyone who posed a threat to either of them.

At night fall, they stopped next to a flowing river with a waterfall. It was beautiful and calming. While Yona bathed, Shura stood tall and stared up at the waterfall. It was an odd thing for her to see as foaming white looking water spilling from a cliff and down into the river with soft, roaring splashes.

Shura reached out and pushed her arm into the waterfall. She was surprised when her arm was weighted and pushed down. Could this water really have that much of a force to drive down my arm so easily? Shura wondered silently, letting her arm fall to her side.

"Ah!" Yona shrieked and Shura whirled. She was curled up in a ball with small, black slimy things attached to her legs. "What are these things!?" She shouted.

Feeling the urge to chuckle at her reaction, Shura walked over and knelt down. "I do not know." She told her truthfully, trying to hide the laughter in her voice. Yona scowled at her.

"What's the ma-Princess!" Hak groaned softly, rubbing the side of his face.

"Just get these things off of me!" Yona shrieked, shaking.

"Calm down. They're just leach's," Hak said with a smirk, picking them off of Yona and tossing them back into the water, "they're harmless. They feed on blood."

"B-blood?" Yona asked. Shura sighed softly and gently laid her hand on her shoulder. Seeing the vast difference between her scar marred hand and Yona's unmarked, snow white skin, Shura felt ashamed for touching her and slowly let her hand drop to hang beside her.

"It is alright. Get dressed or you will catch cold." Yona nodded solemnly and turned grabbing her clothes from Hak. Shura turned and nudged Hak, taking him back to their small camp where Yona could merely hide and get dressed. Looking away from where she stood, Shura sat down on the ground beside a large rock, letting her head rest in her arms, her eyes closing in exhaustion. Despite her outward appearance, though haggard and scarred it may be, her body was throbbing in pain. Her left arm was still broken, and her leg was injured as well. The scars from her harsh beatings had reopened during their travels and were slowly seeping, creating fresh bloodied stains in her dress. Shura, despite her best efforts, felt her eyes slowly slipping closed. Something warm covered her body and she felt someone lean close, whispering, "Sleep." Shura couldn't muster the strength to argue and she slowly fell asleep.

"Hak? What are you doing leaning over Shura?" Yona's voice cut through his staring and he blushed lightly, jerking away from her.

"Nothing. Why?" He asked, looking at her innocently. Yona's scowl faded away and she nodded, her face going blank and her eyes going empty. Hak sighed softly and shook his head, grabbing his spear and standing to his full height. "Sleep Princess, I'll keep watch." Yona nodded, sitting down beside Shura.

She pressed her hand against her heart and then looked around in a panic. Hak growled and looked at her. "What's the matter? It seems like you've lost something." He said, knowing exactly why she was upset. It was that damned hairpin. The one Su-Won had given her. Yona denied it, telling him that she was going for a walk and then scurried away. He watched her until she disappeared and sighed softly.

Yona had been like a doll ever since they had set out several days ago. It was like the painful reality of everything was finally setting in and it wasn't just taking a toll on her body, but her mind as well. If she keeps going like this, he thought, she'll die or go insane. With another sigh Hak quickly looked at Shura and then ran off to find Yona.

Looking around in the forest he saw a flash of red hair and lunged into a small clearing, jabbing his spear into the ground without thinking. "Hak!" Yona gasped, grabbing onto him. He looked around them and cursed, quickly grabbing his spear and running off as thousands of slithering snakes lunged after them.

"This must be their nest!" Hak shouted, stabbing his glaive at the snakes as he ran past. One of them got past him and bit his leg. He gave a grunt and looked at Yona. He saw how scared she was and he offered her a small smile. "I'll protect you Princess, think of me as your tool, and use me to survive."

They got back to their small camp and he set Yona down, leaning on his knee for support and breathing heavily. "You idiot! You risked both our lives for this!" He snapped at her, taking the hairpin out of his yukata and showed it to her. Yona's eyes went wide and she slowly reached out, taking it into her hands and holding it to her chest. That's the first time she's acted on her own, he thought, staring at her, if that's the only thing keeping her going, I'll protect it and them. Even if that means I'm helping her hold onto her feelings for Su-Won...

That morning, they all set out. Hak led the way through the terrain with Yona behind him and Shura trailing behind them. A few times, Hak had to look back to make sure Shura was following. She was so silent while climbing Hak would think she wasn't there from time to time.

Sighing, he looked ahead as they traveled, noticing how the sky began to darken. It will be dark soon, we should make camp and set up a fire. Yona can't be the warmest in just her dress and cloak. And Shura...where do I even begin... Hak looked at Shura and saw that she was staring at him. It was a blank empty stare that Hak found a bit disconcerting.

Turning away quickly, he found a small clearing that was in between a circle of large oak trees. "We can rest here," he said, turning back around to find Yona already sitting down and leaning against a tree, fast asleep. He knew how she felt, though he was more used to this, he was tired as well.

"Sleep, Hak." Shura said softly, pressing her hand against the center of his chest and gently pushing him back against the tree. He was surprised, because despite her thin, frail stature, she had strength in her deceivingly small body. "You have been awake for a long while. Rest and I will watch.

Reluctantly he nodded, pretending to close his eyes and fall asleep. He knew Shura watched him for a moment longer and then the warmth of her body moved away from him.

He heard her snapping branches off the trees. It was strange. Each time a snap came, her heard her utter a few words to the tree. "Forgive me."

The trees don't feel, they are nothing but wood so why, slowly he cracked his eyes open and watched her without appearing to be awake, why does she apologize to them?

For a few more minutes Hak watched her ask the trees for forgiveness and then she came to the center of the small circular patch of grass and lay the twigs and small branches in an odd, piling pattern.

Vaguely, Hak wondered how she would light the fire with no flint stones insight but then it was answered.

Hak saw the most amazing and strangest thing in his life.

Shura's left hand turned crimson and it looked as if she had scales and claws. Her hand became of fire and she reached out, easily setting the branches a flame.

Hak watched, his eyes wide open now, in awe. She's amazing! Skills like those can be very useful in battle, he thought.

Slowly, Hak saw the red color and fire disappear and he saw tears streak down Shura's face. "I'm sorry...I must use this curse...in order to help them...forgive me father. I must break my promise to you and mother."

Hak wanted to stand and comfort her but he knew better. He knew that she had to come to terms with things herself and whatever it was that was plaguing her. He COULD NOT interfere, no matter how much he wanted too.