Their New Home (Yona Of The Dawn X Oc)

Chapter 24

"Look, I get that you two don't like each other but can you please grow up!"

Yoon's frustrated comment was directed at Sumi and Kija who, from the moment they left to find the Blue Dragon, had stood as far away from each other as possible.

Despite the palpable distance between them, the duo exchanged glares as soon as their eyes met, making the atmosphere incredibly awkward.

Yona sighed quietly. Her main reason for asking Sumi to come along was to give the woman and Kija a chance to finally bond. Clearly, her plan wasn't going to work as easily as she would've wanted it to.

"It's not that I don't like him," Sumi spoke up after a few moments of silence, "It's just that I'm afraid I'll lose all brain cells if I stand too close."

Kija's retort was almost instant, "You dare belittle a dragon, you insolent-"

Yoon hurriedly changed the subject, before another fight could start. "So, Your Highness, you must be a little scared right? After all, the Thunder Beast isn't here."

"Don't say that out loud, Yoon!" Yona whisper-yelled, cheeks turning bright red at his teasing. This instantly distracted Kija and Sumi, who were now smiling fondly at the princess.

Yona was quick to regain her composure and added, "When Hak's here, I end up relying on him too much."

"Pretty sure he wants you to rely on him," Sumi pointed out matter-of-factly.

Ignoring the implications of that statement, the redhead smiled sadly, "Hak served my father, not me... And he's still following his orders even now."

Yoon couldn't help but comment, "I doubt that's his only motivation."

Naturally, this was ignored.

"Hak didn't like being a general or a bodyguard. I'm not ready yet but someday... I want to give him back his freedom." Yona stared ahead wistfully.

The other three exchanged solemn looks, finally realising the true nature of her relationship with the Thunder Beast and why it didn't seem to progress.

They continued their journey in silence and thankfully, it didn't take the group too long to reach the secret entrance Yona discovered.

Whilst Yoon watched in awe as the princess opened up the hidden passageway, Kija suddenly froze.

Sumi was the only one to notice this and before she could ask him what was wrong, she heard the sound of rustling nearby.

'The villagers.'

Yoon called out, "Stop spacing out, you two! C'mon, let's go."

Kija merely smiled and said, "I'll wait out here. You go ahead - the Blue Dragon shouldn't be far."

"I'll make sure this airhead doesn't get himself into too much trouble," Sumi added, thankful that the dragon was too tense to snap at her.

Yoon and Yona proceeded through the secret entrance into a dark tunnel, leaving the duo alone.

After a moment of silence, Kija unwrapped the bandage around his claw, glaring icily at the group of masked villagers that now surrounded them.

"Oh my, a welcome party for us? How generous," Sumi taunted, "You really shouldn't have."

"Those who go past this point cannot be allowed to return-" one of the villagers threatened. That was when Sumi noticed a weapon hidden behind his back.

She subconsciously moved closer to Kija, realising that a fight was bound to break out at any point.

"Silence, insolent fool. You have forgotten the importance of the Crimson Dragon. As the White Dragon, I shall not permit you to go near her."

------------------------------------------------

Hak was undoubtedly restless.

When the group left, he sat at the doorway of their allocated room, before calling for Aiko to join him, aiming to pass the time by taunting the villagers.

However, after no more than a few minutes, he already began twitching at any sound, itching to find an excuse to chase after the princess.

If Aiko wasn't so uncomfortable, she would've sent the moron away despite Yona's wishes.

"Can you not?" She snapped, "No one was even moving then, it was a rat, Hak. A rat."

"Stop complaining. You should know we bodyguards need to be alert at all times." He protested.

Aiko merely rolled her eyes at him, too irritated to think of a witty retort. Instead, she promised to be as annoying as possible as soon as they leave the Blue Dragon's village.

"You're handling things a lot better than I thought you would," Hak commented out of the blue, taking his sister by surprise.

"That's only because you guys are here," she explained, scrunching her face in frustration, "I just wish I didn't have to be such a burden."

"Don't worry your personality is the issue, not this." Hak decided to shift the mood to something more playful.

His attempt, however, failed as Aiko then asked, "Do you think they'll be safer if you're with them?"

It didn't take a genius to figure out who she was asking about.

"They have the White Snake with them. His 'great power' should be enough protection."

Despite the confidence in his tone, a part of Hak was desperately worried. He had never willingly separated from the princess, especially after the incident at the palace.

What made matters worse was the fact that Yona never failed to get into trouble, no matter where she was - Hak of all people knew that all too well.

As if hearing his train of thought, the cave floor began shaking, causing Aiko to cling onto her brother's sleeve in panic.

"An earthquake? Now?" she exclaimed, unable to hide how her face twisted in horror.

What truly made matters worse, however, was the sound of rocks falling.

A/N
Moral of the story: don't be a stalker, it causes earthquakes. Anyways, I tested out this scene change thing because the group is split in half - expect more of this whenever they seperate. Hope you enjoyed and have a nice day. <3