Chapter 35: Aftermath
Zeno could feel his blood boiling as he looked at Yona and Yun. By the time they had come to shore the morning sun was high in the sky. This had a drawback, the bruises on both shone brightly and he was certain Yun had more bruises under the dress he was wearing. Zeno's bruises had long healed by now and he knew both were extremely tired and really didn't need Zeno yelling or getting angry because of a few bruises.
"Mister isn't going to be happy." He muttered quietly.
"Who isn't going to be happy?" a voice behind Zeno spoke causing him to stiffen. Peering over his shoulder he saw Jae-ha and Hak looking at him with Kija peering behind them looking more tired than Zeno had ever seen him.
"Uh.." Zeno began
"Zeno is just worried about a few bruises." Yona piped up.
Zeno felt himself suddenly pushed to the side on the pier. As the three men inspected Yona and Yun, Zeno lost his balance and suddenly fell into the water. The splash didn't even get the group's attention. Hak and Jae-ha suddenly spun around with anger and began to approach the mercenaries that had obviously been the ones to cause the bruises. The mercenaries gulped and cried out as they were about to get beaten.
"Enough!" Gi-gan's voice stopped the young men. "Be proud of those marks on their skin. It means that they too fought with everything they had to bring these girls home."
Zeno rolled out onto the pier after climbing back up to the wood planks. "Zeno! Are you okay?" Yona asked him causing him to just sigh.
It wouldn't be the first time he'd almost drowned. "Of course!" He stated happily after puking up water and was that a small fish too?
Yona frowned at him before standing up and walking over to him. The wind from the sea blowing her hair and clothing. Bending over she gently pushed his tunic shirt to the side. There was a rip in it. Blood stained the fabric but upon inspection she for no wound. She knew he could heal quickly but in only a few short hours the wound and mark was gone? "Zeno?" she began questioningly causing him to cock his head at her. Jae-ha and Kija both noticed the questioning look on her face. "What exactly are the Ouryuu's abilities?" Zeno's eyes widened. "I know you can heal fast but even the others don't heal like you do."
Zeno eyes looked down at the pendant in his hands, the same pendant that Hiryuu had given him. The pendant that had given him hope at one point. "Zeno is very different from his brothers. Zeno is fast once the scales appear. Strong like Hakuyuu, fast like Ryokuryuu, precise in my strikes like Seiryuu and…immortal." Zeno looked upwards towards the sky. "Zeno is the one and only Ouryuu warrior. I have seen the beginning and I will most likely see the end." He gave wry laugh. "I don't think I ever told anyone but one person this. You're the second."
Yona's eyes softened. "Zeno. Why didn't you say something sooner?"
He looked at her surprised "I told you some."
She gave him a pout. "But not everything!"
Zeno blinked at her in surprise before laughing, truly laughing.
"I suspected something." Kija admitted quietly trying not to be too loud. "When the texts in my clan talked about Ouryuu there was an old drawing of him. It's partially degraded but what I could make out looked a lot like Zeno."
Zeno looked at Kija and chuckled. "Guen wasn't much of an artist. That was Abi. Though Shuten use to make fun of him for that particular hobby."
"Excuse me…"
The group of friends quieted down and turned to notice a young woman behind them. "Yuri!" Yona exclaimed suddenly remembering her and the other girls.
Yuri looked a bit self conscious for a moment as all eyes were on her. "I-I just want to thank-you so much for rescuing us. We thought we'd never see Awa again."
The pirates looked a bit embarrassed. "No, I mean, we didn't-"
The one pirate was interrupted when Jae-ha push himself to the front of the group. "You are so very welcome. The truth is-"
Zeno and Yona both began to giggle lightly at Jae-ha flirting with the young girl as Yun slapped a hand over his face. "I've got to hand it to him," Hak began quietly. "I'm impressed." Kija and Shinah both nodded. "He really can't help himself."
"Must be a guy thing." Yona stated quietly. Zeno quickly looked at her.
"No. Just a Ryokuryuu thing." He shrugged. "Shuten was faster with women. Probably why he had over a dozen wives." That caused all the guys in their group to look at him with sudden interest.
"Wait, droopy eyes' ancestor had over a dozen wives?" Hak inquired with interest gaining a nod from the other man. "Why?!"
"In my clan it's reccomended to have up to three." Kija interjected before having a shiver run up his spine. "But over a dozen…" He gave an exhausted sigh. "That's too many."
"One is enough." Shinah stated, after having seen or heard what multiple wives could do to a man amongst his clan members. One was significant.
Yun looked on at Jae-ha with the survivors. "I am not taking in anymore." He muttered. Everyone looked at his tired look before laughing lightly. Their laughter caught Jae-ha attention. They certainly were a rowdy bunch.
Later that night, after the celebrations from the return of the young women; Jae-ha sat on the docks sipping sake and playing his Erhu instrument when he heard the boards creek as someone approached him. "You play so beautifully." Yona's voice echoed around him.
Stopping he smiled. "Do you wish to try?"
Yona shook her head. "I've never played that instrument before. I can play the Koto and dance, but Hak makes fun of my fan dancing." She thought about it a bit. "Maybe I'm not very good at dancing afterall." Jae-ha noticed the last bit was stated quietly.
"Koto and dance?" he asked. "You're better suited to piracy." His lips quirking up in a snicker.
Yona puffed out her cheeks in annoyance. "Are you going to laugh at me Jae-ha?"
"No. No. Just remembering that you are a girl." He looked off into the distance. The waves in the background seeming to vanish. "I have to keep an eye on you. You're so small. And weak. You're a hassle really. On top of that, you came all the way to look for me. Annoying really."
Yona stood up from her seated position. "Don't worry." she bowed as she was about to leave him. Turning she stated. "I won't force you to go anywhere with me. Good-bye Jae-ha." Yona found her hand suddenly grasped by his much larger and stronger one. "I don't understand you at all."
"No?" He asked as if he wasn't afraid she was going to leave him? As if it didn't hurt to see her paying attention to the others when he wanted that same attention on him? As if the inner turmoil he had wasn't painful enough! "I'm a simple man." He lied. He knew he was sending mixed signals. He knew he could be confusing to others. "All I want to do is celebrate with a lovely lady by my side."
Yona sat down next to him for a moment. "Alright." She smiled. "But you'll have to play me a good song, otherwise Zeno might get jealous."
Jae-ha raised an eyebrow at her before one more quircking his lips with amusement. "Oh? And what about Hak?"
Yona giggled. "Hak's my best friend. He's been there for me since childhood." She then gave it a bit more thought. "I suppose he's kind of like a brother to me."
Poor guy. Jae-ha thought. "And Zeno? He's just the Ouryuu."
Yona's cheeks flushed. "W-Well, not really." She began twisting her fingers into her dress in a nervous gesture. "There's something..different with..how I feel towards Zeno." She looked at Jae-ha with a confused look. "I can't explain it."
Jae-ha cupped her cheek. "I won't say anything." He then picked up his instrument. "You should explore those feelings though. That way you can know what you're feeling towards him." He then began to play a soft tune for her that echoed into the night.
M-Angel: Thought I'd end the chapter on a sweet note sorry its taken me so long to update. Work has been hectic and I've been stressed about some personal problems. Anyways, I'll try to update sooner. Maybe in a couple of weeks. ^_^