Disclaimer: I don't own Akatsuki no Yona.
Chapter 16
"Shin-Ah, don't mope."
He wanted to tell Jae-Ha that he wasn't moping. He was just walking slower than usual. And if he kept looking over his shoulder, that was because he was keeping an eye on the trail. There was always the chance that a snow leopard would hunt them down. That's why he kept looking behind them, back toward the village.
He wasn't watching for Lien. She wasn't coming. She had decided to stay behind with her family, and he didn't blame her, so if he was watching the trail, he was just...doing his duty as the team's lookout.
"Leave him alone, Jae-Ha," Hak said from near the front of the group. He and Kija were making sure the way was clear for the rest of them, pushing back any snow blocks or trees that had fallen into the path. So far, they hadn't come across many large obstacles.
"You know, she looked like she wanted you to kiss her," Jae-Ha said.
Shin-Ah stumbled over a stone and then caught his balance again, shaking his head. No, no, she did not. She had just looked like a normal girl, saying goodbye to a friend. She couldn't have wanted him to kiss her. Why was the green dragon so weird.
Jae-Ha grinned. "Yes, she did. Trust me, I know far more about women than I can ever teach you, but that's my lesson for today. When a girl looks at you like that, she's hoping you'll find the courage to kiss her."
"Jae-Ha, stop torturing Shin-Ah," Kija scolded, "If Lien wanted a kiss, she could have asked for one."
Jae-Ha stared at the white dragon. "Do they even have girls in your village?"
"Of course!"
"Did you ever talk to them?" Jae-Ha laughed. "Because most girls don't want to have to ask like that."
"You don't know every single thing about every girl in the country, no matter how experienced you are," Kija said, making a face at Jae-Ha.
Shin-Ah sighed and tuned out of their conversation, focusing instead on petting Ao. The little squirrel was riding on his shoulder, nuzzling into the side of his neck as if she knew he wasn't happy. She kept offering him walnuts from the stash the clan had given him before he left, and he would occasionally take one, nibbling on it.
Something bumped into his side, and he looked down to see Zeno walking beside him, his hands behind his head. "It's a pretty day, isn't it?"
A few wispy clouds drifted through the grey-blue sky, and the sun glinted off the snow and ice. Everything looked pristine and new, like a world covered in diamonds. Shin-Ah nodded.
"It's a good day for a hike," Zeno continued, and he stretched his arms out toward the sky, "And a great day for even numbers!"
Huh? Shin-Ah glanced down at the yellow-haired dragon, confused. Even numbers? Sometimes Zeno made absolutely no sense, even to Shin-Ah.
They headed around a tight turn, the tree branches coming together overhead to shield them temporarily. Shin-Ah took a deep breath and tried to enjoy the weather, like Zeno obviously was. It was just hard leaving behind people who accepted him and a girl who... He reached up and touched the silver pendant of her necklace absently.
He was not moping.
"They gave me a ton of herbs and spices," Yoon was saying to Yona, holding his shoulder bag open so she could see the new containers inside. "They had stuff from practically everywhere, so I'm going to experiment a little."
"As long as no one keels over from your messing around with stuff, that'll be fine," Hak said.
"Have a little more faith in me," Yoon said.
"I'll try whatever you make!" Yona declared, "Since Hak's too afraid, I don't mind."
"No one said that I was afraid."
"You just said you were worried about people dying because of Yoon's cooking..."
"That's not—you're twisting my words, princess," Hak said, making a face at Yona.
Shin-Ah watched the others bicker and tease one another, but it wasn't as fun as it usually was. He kept feeling like something was missing. Like he was lopsided.
Glancing back the way they had come, he looked for any sign of danger or... Wait. A flash of cream and light blue. There was movement on the path. He focused, letting his dragon's sight take over. A moment later, he whipped around and started walking back in the other direction, toward the village they had just left.
"Seiryuu, where're you going?" Zeno asked. When Shin-Ah kept walking, he grabbed his arm and tugged, though that still didn't slow Shin-Ah down. "Hey!"
By now, the others had noticed that Shin-Ah was attempting to abandon them. Hak rubbed the back of his neck. "Shin-Ah, you can't force her to come with us!"
"What're you doing, Blue?" Yoon asked, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Shin-Ah!" Yona called, tilting her head to the side. She raced after him and caught hold of the edge of his robe, making him stop. "Where are you going?"
"She's trying to catch up," he replied, pointing back down the path.
In the distance, beyond the last curve they had passed, there was a small figure walking the path. She was wearing a dark brown pack on her back and a light blue dress. Her cloak was cream-colored, almost blending in with the snow but not quite. Her pace was quick and light, as if she was trying to push herself to go faster.
"Lien!" Yona said, clapping her hands together.
"Are you serious?" Hak said, eyes widening. "I could've swore she made up her mind."
"We should go back and get her," Kija said firmly.
"No need for all of us to go," Jae-Ha said. He shrugged off his pack, set it on a nearby rock, and leapt into the sky.
Shin-Ah watched him soar across the gap between their part of the path and Lien's before he landed in front of her. Lien took a step back, startled, then Shin-Ah saw her laugh as Jae-Ha gave a dramatic bow. The green dragon took her pack and then scooped her up into his arms, waiting until she had her arms securely around his neck before taking off. A delighted scream echoed through the mountains and Jae-Ha landed in the middle of their group, a smirk on his face.
"I do believe we have a new member," Jae-Ha said, letting her down. "May I re-introduce our new kirin?"
Lien's hair was windblown and her cheeks were flushed with exhilaration as she curtsied in front of Yona. "Princess, I would like to join your quest, if you'll have me."
Yona nodded and then laughed, throwing her arms around Lien. "Of course!" The two of them started talking rapidly to each other about Lien's family and how she had decided to leave and come with them.
"Jae-Ha, I think you lost your title for took-the-longest-to-join," Yoon said.
"How unfortunate."
"We should probably start hiking again, now that we're all here," Hak said, casting an amused look in Lien's direction, "Somebody was ridiculously late and now we're behind schedule."
Lien gave an apologetic smile. "I'll walk fast."
As the group started walking, Lien took her pack from Jae-Ha and moved toward Shin-Ah, a blush on her cheeks. Ao squeaked and jumped over to her, nuzzling her and climbing up to sit on top of her head.
"Do you want your necklace back?" she asked, "Now that we're...traveling together?"
"Do you?" he asked, hand already moving to take off the necklace she had given him.
Her hand darted out and stopped him, her fingers curling around his. "No. No, keep it."
He squeezed her hand, and they followed after the others. Now there were eight of them. Even numbers... He glanced to his side at Zeno, who looked very pleased. Shin-Ah felt better now, too. He tentatively ran his thumb over Lien's knuckles.
Balanced.
