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


Chapter 23

Zeno must have noticed the anger emanating from Shin-Ah. He appeared at Shin-Ah's elbow, his hand resting on the young man's arm. "She'll feel a lot better soon, I promise. Her shoulder just needs to be put back in place."

That helped cool Shin-Ah's temper somewhat, but he still looked around, knowing he would find the man who had hurt Lien. If Hak and Jae-Ha had been around, the person wouldn't have gotten far. He finally spotted the crumpled figure in the field. It was a man in his thirties, dark hair, burn marks on his skin, and blood covering the ground around him.

Shin-Ah glanced over at Jae-Ha, a dark unspoken question hanging in the air between them.

Jae-Ha gave a small, curt nod. "It's taken care of." That meant the man was either mortally wounded or dead already. They weren't a group that was wantonly violent but when one of their own was hurt…they were much less likely to show restraint.

"It's my fault," Yona said, tears brimming at the corners of her violet eyes. "I wasn't strong enough, and she was trying to protect me."

Shin-Ah doubted that Lien would blame Yona at all. Like the rest of them, she was devoted to the red-haired princess and while her role might be slightly different, it was natural that she would want to protect Yona. He was proud of her, though he sincerely wished she hadn't gotten hurt in the process. Maybe he didn't need to be so against her training for combat… He couldn't stand to see her hurting like this.

In the green dragon's arms, Lien stirred and flicked open her honey brown eyes. "No," she said through gritted teeth, "No, Yona. Not your fault."

"Hey, be quiet," Jae-Ha said gently, "You're supposed to be resting."

"Okay…" Lien's gaze met Shin-Ah's, and she forced a weak smile. "Hey. Don't look…so upset. It's…not that bad."

Shin-Ah shook his head at her. She didn't have to pretend to be okay for him, he could tell that she was in a lot of pain. Even though Jae-Ha was being careful with her, it was easy to see that each step he took made her wince and grimace.

They walked back into the village, where Yoon raced to meet them. "What happened?" he demanded as he dashed toward Jae-Ha, "How'd she get hurt? She has fire powers!" Ao, who had been with Yoon, leapt from the boy's shoulders to Shin-Ah's. She chittered unhappily and pressed up against Shin-Ah's neck. Reaching up, he absently scratched her cheek, her presence calming him.

"Lien and the princess were chased down by the bandits," Hak said, his tone dark.

"Sorry," Lien mumbled.

"That's not—Don't apologize." Yoon made a face and looked at Yona. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Yona said. Her lower lip trembled, and she bowed her head. "I just wish I could have done more."

There weren't many clean, comfortable places in the village, but Yoon had Jae-Ha settle Lien down on a few folded-up old blankets under one of the few trees. Shin-Ah pulled the fluff off of his mask and bundled it into a pillow-shape so she could have something soft to lay her head on.

While Jae-Ha went to help Kija keep an eye on the captured bandits, Hak stayed behind to help Yoon with Lien's dislocated shoulder. He apparently had a lot of experience with that kind of injury since it was common enough on the battlefield and in training. Yona stayed nearby, tears still lingering in her eyes, at least until Yoon sent her out.

Shin-Ah didn't know how he could help, but he also didn't want to leave Lien's side right now. She had her eyes shut tight, and she was pale from the pain. Hesitant since he didn't want to cause her any more stress, he picked up her hand in both of his. He wanted to give her something to hold onto. A couple of her fingers wrapped around his, her grip weak and unsteady, and he very lightly squeezed her hand back.

Ao crawled down Shin-Ah's shoulder and moved carefully toward Lien. She touched the young woman's hair and then patted her head with both paws.

"It's going to feel a lot better soon," Hak told her, "But it's going to hurt like hell first."

"Okay," Lien mumbled.

Hak reached over and took her by the wrist and upper arm, which made her eyes fly open and her hand tighten around Shin-Ah's.

"Ready?" Hak asked.

Lien managed a tiny nod. Hak had to go slowly as he pulled her arm back into place, careful to get it correctly in the socket. As the bone pinched her muscle and tendons, Lien started to move and Yoon put his hands on her uninjured shoulder, holding her in place. She cried out, the sound cutting through Shin-Ah, but a moment later there was a soft popping noise.

A look of relief flashed over Lien's face as she relaxed against the blankets. "Thank you." Her grip on Shin-Ah's hand loosened somewhat, and he started to pull away. Her hand wrapped around two of his fingers, not letting go. Glancing at her, he threaded their fingers together, guessing she didn't mind if he held her hand.

Hak looked over at Yoon. "She'll need a sling."

"Already working on it," Yoon said, holding up a cloth he had taken from his bag. He tsked and reached over to examine the bump on Lien's head. "You really went all out on the injuries, didn't you."

She gave him a small, apologetic half-smile. "I'll do better next time."

"Lien," Hak said, catching her attention, "Thank you for looking after Yona."

"It's what I'm supposed to do," she said. She sighed and closed her eyes. "I'm still figuring this kirin thing out, but I know I want Yona to be safe. I wish I was better at it."

Hak shook his head. "You did just fine." Standing up, he looked over at Shin-Ah. "You're staying here, right?"

Shin-Ah hesitated. If he went out there around those bandits, he wasn't entirely sure what he would do. He could feel the pressure of the blue dragon's power pressing against the back of his eyes, answering the anger that he had felt earlier. Those men had been a part of the group that had hurt Lien. It would be easy to remove his mask and make them pay all at once, or there was always the option of using his sword. Slower but also effective.

"Shin-Ah, stay. Please?" Lien said, her eyes open to slits.

He nodded. What else was he going to do when she asked in such a plaintive tone?