Anything But Worthless [Akakstuki no Yona Fanfic]

20. Town of the Dead

¤ Third Person ¤

After Ji-Na finished folding the clothes she had washed and Yoon made everyone wolf down breakfast, the two remained by the river to clean the dishes and pack them away. It was there that the two began to discuss a plan of action. The closest one, according to Kija, was Ryokuryuu. The only problem was that they would have to pass through the capital of the Fire Tribe, Saika, to get to Ryokuryuu the quickest. Right past that, heading in the same direction, would be Hiryuu Castle.

Ji-Na glanced at the map, packing away the bowls and pot carefully. "Ji-Na, what do you think of heading along the mountains?" The moment she heard her name, she almost dropped one of the bowls. Her head turned to him, who also seemed slightly embarrassed now that he only called her name.

She smiled slightly and dragged her finger around the side of the mountain. "Assuming the Fire Tribe still does frequent border control, I don't recommend taking a path too close to the mountain side. Somewhere here," She pointed in the open space between the capitals and the mountain border, "would be a safe choice."

Yoon nodded, rolling up the map as she picked up the bag of cleaned dishes. "Alright, then I'll talk to Raijuu to make sure we're ready and then we'll head out." She nodded in response before a thought escaped her lips.

"Shin-Ah-san." The moment she spoke out the name, the boy glanced back at her. He raised an eyebrow as she continued, "Shin-Ah-san would probably be able to see what paths are safe to take, right?"

He thought about it for a moment before nodding in agreement, "That's true. I'm confused why you don't just tell them your ideas." She chuckled at that, walking back to the group beside him.

She shrugged her shoulders as she waved at her sister, who was smiling back. "Thank you, Yoon-san."

After Yoon explained the plan as if it were his own idea, though some of it was, Hak gave an approving nod and the group began to head out. Shin-Ah was a great help, finding some roads Ji-Na didn't even know about. They were always a little rough and not as cleaned up as the newer roads, but it was just to show how little people actually knew about it or crossed it.

Yona and Ji-Na, whom Kija had fret over initially, were completely alright with the slightly uneven terrain. The mountains were much worse than a few rocks every other step. Of course, after being worried for the princesses, the man instantly turned to praise his dragon brother. "Oh! You are fulfilling your purpose, Sei— ah." He cut himself off, remembering how Ji-Na reintroduced Shin-Ah to the group when everyone was eating, "Ji-Na-himesama gave you a name. 'Shin-Ah', it's a good name. You should cherish it."

She didn't see his reaction but she was glad Shin-Ah had been responding and accepting the name as his own. There was a soft tinkle sound that came from her hair, where Min-Soo's ribbon was used to tie up her wavy and thick orange hair. The bells were tied to the white ribbon, dangling down with the rest of her hair. With each step, she could hear the bells sound, a gentle sound that helped ease her nerves slightly.

Her eyes glanced back as a smile formed on her lips. Kija had begun explaining the tale of Shiryuu, Hiryuu, and Douryuu to Shin-Ah, a story the blue haired male seemed to focus intently on even though he never made a sound to indicate he was listening.

The group continued to walk until midday, when the slightly green but withered scenery died away to reveal a village deprived of any colors. It was a bleak and empty town, one Ji-Na had understood.

Yona glanced around, startled by the sight as they began to walk through it, "This is...?" Confusion and ignorance danced on her expression as Yoon looked around, choosing his next words to bluntly explain everything.