Disclaimer: I don't own Akatsuki no Yona/Yona of the Dawn.


Chapter 7

Shin-Ah was still hovering near the doorway when Jae-Ha came back out with Lien in his arms. She had been fine a moment ago, what was wrong with her? He stepped toward the green dragon, his concerned gaze on the girl he was holding.

"She's fine, just tired," Jae-Ha said, probably sensing his worry through the link the dragons shared. "She overdid it."

Shin-Ah nodded, though he didn't totally understand. She looked delicate, but she had seemed stronger than she appeared so taking care of those two boys shouldn't have exhausted her so much. Hmm. There was a lock of light green hair laying across her face, and he felt the need to brush it back but he couldn't touch her. Not without permission.

"Lien!" someone shouted across the room, and suddenly a pair of girls was standing on either side of Jae-Ha, peering at Lien. Shin-Ah recognized them as a couple of Lien's friends, Keri and Pax.

Keri swatted Jae-Ha on the shoulder. "What did you do, grasshead?"

"He slayed her with his good looks," Pax said, her own eyes lingering on Jae-Ha appreciatively, "And she was so young and innocent."

"Are you accusing me of taking advantage of sweet Lien?" Jae-Ha asked, amused, "How dare you." Except he didn't sound offended at all. Shin-Ah liked Jae-Ha a lot, but understanding him was another matter.

Pax seemed to notice Shin-Ah for the first time, and her eyes lit up. She looked at Keri, who flashed a bright mischievous smile and gave a small nod.

Pax put her hand on Jae-Ha's arm. "By the way, we need you. Garuda wants you to come play the pipes since Daen is in bed, and we can't spare anyone else."

"All right, but let me put Lien—"

"Shin-Ah can make himself useful and do that," Keri said, "We need you now." She looked at Shin-Ah and then back to Jae-Ha and made her eyebrows wriggle. That was an interesting trick.

She and Pax stared at Jae-Ha who looked back at them with a curious expression until he glanced past them at Shin-Ah. "Oh," he said, and then smirked at the two of them, "I think I understand the, hmm, importance of my presence."

"Now he gets it," Keri said, putting her hands on her hips.

"Shin-Ah, it seems that I have to go with these lovely ladies immediately," Jae-Ha said, and before Shin-Ah could do anything, Jae-Ha was transferring Lien into his arms. Shin-Ah went wide-eyed behind his mask, startled by the fact that he was suddenly holding her, but he shifted her so that she was resting against his chest. Jae-Ha reached over and gently brushed her hair out of Lien's face, making something Shin-Ah had been so hesitant to do seem easy and simple.

"Good, now, let's go," Pax said, looping her arm through Jae-Ha's. Keri did the same thing on Jae-Ha's other side, and together they led him off.

"You two are terrible," Shin-Ah heard Jae-Ha say to them, "But I have to say, I approve of your tactics."

"We've had a lot of practice at matchmaking…"

"We're the clan's experts on matters of the heart."

They left Shin-Ah standing with Lien securely in his arms, her cheek pressed against his chest. Okay, all right, he could do this… Holding her close, he walked toward her and Yona's bedroom, which were only a few doorways down from the one he was at.

Other people were watching them, but Shin-Ah ignored them, focusing on the task at hand. He leaned forward and moved through the curtain over the doorway, then went over to the two bedrolls on the floor. Only one was unrolled, so that was the one he chose to put Lien on.

Carefully, he settled her onto the bedroll and then looked around for a blanket. Seeing one on top of the other bedroll, he picked it up and spread it out over her. She still looked cold… Without pausing, he reached back and unhooked the fluffy wig from his mask and laid it over her, smoothing it down. That was better.

Her pale, slender hand wrapped around the blanket and a bit of the wig, and she curled up into a small ball, her hair falling into her face again. This time, Shin-Ah raised his hand and moved it toward her face, letting it hover over as he debated internally.

Jae-Ha had moved her hair back, so… But that was Jae-Ha. Shin-Ah definitely wasn't Jae-Ha. He didn't talk to many women or interact with people… Still.

With a quick motion, he brushed her seafoam hair off her cheek, her skin warm and soft beneath his touch. He tucked the light lock back behind her ear, his hand lingering for a moment against her hair. It felt like silk between his rough, calloused fingers.

"That feels nice," Lien mumbled, eyes still closed, and he yanked his hand back in surprise. His fingers snagged on a tiny knot in her hair, and her eyes flew open, a wince on her face that made him feel awful. "Ow…"

"I'm sorry," he said, mortified, as he quickly untangled his fingers and leaned away from her.

Her cheeks turned red and she grinned a little, her honey-brown eyes sleepy as she rolled toward him and rested her head on her pillow. "It's all right. My hair's always getting tugged by someone, so don't worry about it."

"I'm sorry."

"Really, it's fine." A small laugh escaped her. "Did you bring me in here? I thought you left. Wait, is this the fluff from your mask?"

He nodded in response to her questions, his hands in his lap.

"Thank you, Shin-Ah. And it's okay, you know, if you want to play with my hair. It feels good."

"I don't want to hurt you," Shin-Ah said, extremely cautious about doing that again.

Lien peeked up at him before closing her eyes again. "You won't." A tiny smile curled around her rosebud mouth. "If you come to a knot, just work it out," she teased.

It was a few moments before Shin-Ah worked up the nerve to reach over and touch her hair again. It was softer than the fluff from his mask, almost like the fur on a kitten, though thicker and shinier. He drew his fingers through her hair, and she sighed contentedly.

Something strange and new stirred in his chest at the way she seemed to trust him without flinching, the relaxation clear on her face even though he was a dragon. Maybe she wouldn't act like this if she knew what he was. If she knew his power and his curse.

Or maybe she would.