Disclaimer: I don't own Yona of the Dawn | Akatsuki no Yona! I just love the characters.

A/N: Hey, if you're looking for a PERFECT Lien x Shin-Ah song, go listen to Moonsong by Adrian Von Ziegler. It's instrumental, which is the Best since Shin-Ah is so quiet, and it is soft, lovely, hopeful, light and dark. Also, again, this story may vaguely follow along the plot of the manga, though it will also deviate as well.

Chapter 24

"The Darkness Dragon and the Happy Hungry Bunch?" Lien's eyebrows shot halfway up her forehead. "Really?"

"Don't pretend it doesn't fill you with terror," Jae-Ha teased.

"You put the word 'happy' in a gang name?" she said, still having trouble comprehending what she was hearing.

"And 'hungry,' don't forget that," Yoon said, sounding thoroughly unexcited, "So that means we're joyfully starving."

Lien slowly nodded. "And the Darkness Dragon is…?"

"Hak," Yona said, gesturing to the tall ex-general.

Hak smirked and pulled the brim of his new hat farther down to cover his face.

The group was sitting around a campfire out in the middle of the Fire Tribe's lands, a few rocks and trees blocking the light from being seen in the darkness. It had been over a week since the bandits had attacked and Lien had been injured, so while she was still wearing the sling for most of the day, she was feeling much better. Their group had been traveling between a few of the nearby Fire Tribe villages, helping people and doing what they could to alleviate the suffering caused by soldiers and criminals.

Since she was still healing, Lien had stayed at their makeshift camp by one of the villages while the others went to into the town for the day. Shin-Ah had wanted to stay behind, but she had insisted that he go with Yona. Shin-Ah had been staying close ever since the attack, and she didn't want him to feel like she was tying him down. Trying to get him to leave, however, had been a challenge. She had finally enlisted Jae-Ha and Kija to help cajole him into going with them. If someone did find her, well, she did have fire powers, even if that hadn't been enough last time…

At the moment, Shin-Ah was sitting cross-legged beside her, his knee brushing against hers. Ao kept jumping back and forth between the two of them, indecisive about who she wanted to be with.

While the rest of the group had been away, they had apparently run into some Fire Tribe soldiers and decided to create a bandit group of their own.

"So now we're fake bandits?" Lien asked, looking over at Yona.

"Definitely fake," Yona said, "Though it's a little fun being a gang leader."

"I couldn't help but notice you sounded a little like the captain, Yona dear," Jae-Ha said, grinning, "She would love that."

A faint blush colored Yona's cheeks. "I just tried to think about how she would say things. She's good at being scary."

Lien had heard about Captain Gi-Gan from Jae-Ha while they were traveling, so she wasn't entirely confused. She was still focused on their ridiculous new bandit name. She mouthed it silently to herself, trying it out. No, it was definitely silly. However, even if their name wasn't scary, she was certain that Kija, Hak, Jae-Ha, and Shin-Ah could be intimidating enough to make up for it.

"I hope your day was less eventful," Yoon said, glancing at Lien.

She nodded. "I didn't start my own gang while you were gone, if that's what you're asking."

"That'd be a tiny gang," Zeno said with a laugh.

"Wouldn't it, though? But anyways, I mended some clothes and fixed the hole in the tent," she said, glancing over at Kija, who blushed. He had been the one to put a gash in it in the first place by swinging his clawed hand around while talking. The white dragon had attempted to sew it up, but his stitches were huge and ugly and Yoon had taken them out.

A light touch on her forearm made her look at Shin-Ah. "Your shoulder?"

"It's feeling a lot better," she said, smiling at him.

"Okay, but don't overdo it," Yoon scolded, "You're still healing."

"I know, I know," she said, brushing her free hand through her mint green hair. She had taken it out of the braid she had been keeping it in earlier that day, and now she regretted it. If she wanted to put it back up, she would have to take her arm out of the sling and Yoon would fuss more. She should have put it back up before they returned.

Leaning back, she settled against a rock, looking up at the stars. There wasn't anything for them to eat that night since they had given it all to the local villages, so the fire was for comfort instead of cooking. Her stomach ached with hunger, but she could live through that. Maybe there would be something to eat in the morning.

Around their fire, conversations popped up and weapons were cared for. Lien watched Shin-Ah as he pulled a whetstone from his pocket and began to sharpen his sword. It caught the firelight and gleamed as if the flame had been trapped inside the steel. It reminded her that she still wanted to learn how to use a blade of some kind, and she was going to make sure someone taught her once her shoulder was healed.

A breeze ruffled her hair, brushing loose strands into her face. Back home, everyone would be inside by the fire like this, sharing stories and songs. Her little brother and sister would be arguing over who got the last piece of cake while Kyung tried to break them up. Her father would bring out his drum while her mother sung a song of spring to remind them that the snow and ice wasn't permanent.

"What are you humming?"

Lien lifted her head to find Jae-Ha standing beside her, a fond smile on his face. "I was humming?"

"A little, yes," Jae-Ha replied, "I think I know it, but it was too soft to tell." He settled his lanky self down next to her and instantly reached over to gently brush his fingers through her hair. "Hand me your hair band."

"Lien, set him on fire if he bothers you," Hak said.

Lien half-smiled and handed her hairband to Jae-Ha as she shifted, turning her back to him. He skillfully pulled his long fingers through her hair, gathering it back and beginning to braid. Next to her, Shin-Ah stopped sharpening his sword to watch Jae-Ha.

Drawing her forefinger through the sand, Lien tried to remember what she had been humming. It was probably Water Rise, a melody about the rain that came in spring to bring back life to the trees and flowers. She started quietly singing. If Jae-Ha liked the song, then she could use it to thank him for braiding her hair. "Soft falls hope in sunset's light, water rise, the green morning to end the white winter night…"

Behind her, Jae-Ha began to sing along as well, his tenor a compliment to her soprano. He nudged her in the back, encouraging her to sing louder with him. "Dew streaked silk of spider's hand, water rise, the end of snow's long hold on our land."

Yoon's voice joined in next, pitched somewhere between Jae-Ha's and Lien's and adding to the harmony. A fourth voice threaded in amongst the others as Kija began to sing, uncertain and shy. Across the fire, Zeno spun, his hands up in the air, the edge of his coat nearly catching the flames. He danced his way around the fire while Jae-Ha and Lien wove their voices together. Zeno stopped in front of Yona and grabbed her hands so he could pull her to her feet. Hak tapped his foot on the ground, watching closely as the princess and the yellow dragon danced around the campfire.

Lien could feel Shin-Ah's eyes on her, even if she couldn't actually see them. When Jae-Ha finished her braid, she slid closer to Shin-Ah. As the others continued to sing, she gave him a soft smile and hummed the melody. He was hesitant and slow to begin, but he followed her example, humming along with her. When she switched the singing, he continued to hum, a steady accompaniment to her song. "Rain fall, water rise, winter fade, spring arise."

It was easier to ignore your hunger when you were focused on something else. Like friends. Like singing.

Like Shin-Ah's small smile.