"Abi, what are you doing lifting up Shu-Ten's pants?"
"Revenge."
"I... I see. But why fire ants?"
"He had tested my patience — ah, one bit his manhood."
"G-Guwaaaaahhhhh!"
"A-Ah, S-Shu-Ten!"
Abi watched with half-lidded eyes and muttered, "That's what he gets for saying rude things to Lady Dairyuu."
|•••••|
The group of four stared up at the mountains. Yona stared with anticipating eyes, as well as Kija and Yoon. Hak couldn't careless and only wanted this to be over with. On the other hand, Yoru couldn't help but be reminded of the place she once called home. The ambiance the mountain gives off made her shiver as she glanced at the top once more in uncertainty. Ah, I feel as if I'm suffocating from the atmosphere alone.
"Yoru-san?"
Her cloudy orange eyes regained their sharpness when a voice snapped her out of her stupor. A pair of hands held each of her shoulder in such a gentle manner that the thought of home instantly vanished from her mind. "Yoru-san, what is the matter? Are you tired? Do you need to rest?" Sky blue eyes met with orange ones, the latter shaking her head. "It's nothing, Kija. I was merely thinking too deep; I can still go on."
Looking at her with doubt, he reluctantly lets go of her shoulders. "Just give it a rest, White Snake," Hak said from the front. "She's always like that when she has too much time on her hands." Yoru rolled her eyes in exasperation, not at all thankful to Hak. As if she's the kind of person who does nothing; Hak is making her look as if she's lazy. "Shut your mouth before I hit you, dear brother." The ex-general wisely closed his mouth, making Yona and Yoon chuckle.
Kija still gave her a doubtful expression as he walks behind her. When the four of them entered the cave, the pots and cloths first came to view. A few seconds later, they were suddenly surrounded by people either wearing mask or people without one. "Do we have guests?" A villager holding a walking cane approached them, he was accompanied by two others without a mask. Yoru shivered at that man's expression.
A drop of sweat rolled down from her forehead as she clenched her hands into fists. Something's not right. Why do I have a bad feeling about this place? What's more, it reminds me too much of my former village. We were secluded as well, living in the mountains to hide. A wave of fear and nostalgia hit her, making it harder to breathe. "Bring Seiryuu here!" On Kija's other side, Yoon gave him a deadpanned expression. "That's too direct, you idiot."
"Seiryuu? No one by that name lives here."
"It's not a name. He is a man who possesses a dragon's blood. There is no need to hide him. Tell him this person is waiting for him."
"I don't know what you're talking about. Perhaps you came to the wrong place. This is a small, simple settlement. We don't want a lot of commotion." We... were like that as well, Yoru inwardly thought, silently panting in pain. Every minute that passes, she wonders why it keeps getting harder to breathe in this place. "But..!" She glanced at Kija, and placed a hand on his shoulder. This made the twenty-years-old man stop and look at her.
