Baby Steps (Akatsuki No Yona)

Eleventh Step

The next morning, with the sun only beginning to peak over the horizon, its rays illuminating the tops of the forest surrounding them, a figure began stirring about in their sleep. Hair mussed from rolling about in the night, their eyes fluttered open, eyesight still blurred with sleep. 

Yue moved around so she was lying on her back, her eyes training to the sky above. Though her eyes remained open, she wasn't exactly seeing what was going on around her. It took her a moment to gather her bearings, sitting up in her spot as she pushed her silver-grey hair away from her eyes. 

She turned to look around her, spotting Shin-ah still dozing with a sleeping Ao burrowed in his fluff, his mask still perfectly in place. It wasn't much of a surprise seeing as he wasn't known to be a fidgety sleeper. 

Yue looked to her left where Zeno had rested to only chuckle softly at the sight of him sprawled across Kija, who slept on his other side completely unbothered by the extra weight on him. The others were seen in similar positions of sleep, with the tent pitched covering Yoon and Yona's sleeping forms.

Yue tried to stand, to only tumble back onto her bedding clumsily. It was to be expected she reasoned, as she was still waking up, her actions were still not completely coordinated. She stood up again, this time her efforts more successful, and waddled over to the stream to clean up, hoping for a relaxing bath considering her company were still dead to the world. 

After a short bath, Yue moved to sit by the stream, her dripping hair laid on a towel she kept on her shoulders and her navy dress in place and fastened. She pulled her dress up to her knees and let her feet dip into the shallow waters, splashing gently with the current as she rested back on her elbows. Yue could hear the birds chirping in the trees, they too having awakened with the rising sun. This peace and quiet was hard pressed to have given the type of people her companions were, so she remained seated, treasuring the moment. 

She would always be grateful for her friends, their noise necessary to drown out the overflowing thoughts that Yue sometimes found herself drowning in when she was particularly anxious, but sometimes Yue needed the quiet. For in the quiet, she was able to join a sort of limbo, time merging into a continuous flow where she could relax without any thoughts, the sounds of nature her only companion.

"I don't think I've ever seen you this relaxed before" Yue couldn't even find the energy to open her eyes to see who had approached her. From the deep gruff voice, she recognised it as a drowsy Hak, his stomping footfall giving him away. 

"Mhh, I don't think I have either" She joked, not moving from her position as Hak sat beside her with a huff. He gently nudged her to the side, Yue only smiling at his effort to show his annoyance. 

"It's too early for your jokes" He mumbled, grabbing a handful of water and splashing his face. His companion only hummed in agreement before moving her feet in the water, not yet moving from her relaxed position. Only when she heard Hak sigh heavily, did she open her eyes to see the man. Again, she could not deny that he was a very handsome man, especially with the lighting the risen sun was casting on him. 

"What's got your tail in a knot?" She asked gently, hoping he maybe open to having a conversation with her on his troubles. Hak was probably one of the more reserved members of their company, his silence sometimes rivalling Shin-ah's on a bad day. 

"I don't know, I mean we've done what we set out to do. We've gathered the five dragons and we've arrived to Ik-Soo's safely, so I guess it's just what comes next. All I can think about is that traitorous bastard lounging about enjoying palace life as Yona suffers with finding her standing in this miserable world" It took Yue a moment to sift through his words, his malice and apprehension still sometimes shocking her. It had been a while since she had heard him speak with such a tone. 

"I don't know about this traitorous bastard that you mentioned, I'm guessing it has to do with the fact that Yona can't yet go back to the royal palace, but as to what could happen next, I think we don't really need a definite plan just yet. We're all still trying to figure this out, this whole situation and dynamic, so I don't think it's a bad thing that we haven't figured all the details. We just have to trust each other and things will play out the way they are meant to. But that's just me" Yue shrugged her shoulders, giving Hak a gentle smile. Hak looked at her from the corner of his eye before sighing, a smile pulling at the corner of his lips. 

"It's freaky how you can reassure someone with so few words" Yue with mock indignation pushed Hak away with a laugh, muttering how she should stop advising people with the way they reacted. Hak only smirked before throwing his arm over her shoulders, tugging Yue closer to him. His looming figure dwarfed her own, both watching the gentle waves of the creek, an occasional fish spotted swimming beneath the surface. 

"Thanks, I... I needed to hear that. I forget sometimes that I'm not a general anymore, where everything has to have a plan with a backup plan" Hak mused, his voice barely heard over the rushing of the creek. Yue couldn't stomp down the warmth that filled her even if she tried, she was so used to having to look out for herself alone and she was desperately trying to break out of that habit. To see that her words had helped someone through their own turmoil, if even just a little, reassured her that she was stepping in the right direction.

"Its not all bad, it would be foolish of us if we just wandered aimlessly without some idea but as long as we have a goal in mind, the minor details along the way always have a way of figuring themselves out" Yue mumbled, slapping the large oaf's hands away as he ruffled her already messy hair, some parts still wet from her morning bath. Yue was content, never before having a person she could view as positive male figure in her life, and with Hak, she could only describe him as the annoying yet caring brother types that she was always jealous of others having. 

"I hope I'm not interrupting" A husky voice boomed from right behind them. Before either of the two could move, the person weaselled themselves in between the lounging pair so they could sit in between them, effectively pushing the two away from each other.

"Great, droopy-eyes is awake" Hak muttered with a role of his eyes, pushing the green-haired man away from him in annoyance. Yue laughed with a shake of her head, showing her disapproval at the sarcastic quip the raven-haired man threw at their company. 

"Don't use that tone Hak, Jae-ha is always welcome to join us. Did you just wake up?" Yue asked, gently brushing down some of the wayward hairs that were poking out the top of the usually composed green dragon's head. Jae-ha seemed to sink into her affections, leaning closer to the young women as she continued to tidy his hair. Out of the women's line of sight, Jae-ha discreetly turned to Hak with a smirk, gloating the fact that he was the focus of her attention. Hak only scoffed before looking away, though he couldn't help but smile at the two. 

It wasn't unknown to the others that Jae-ha seemed to take a particular shining to the young women of their company. Unlike his usual behaviour with everyone else, he did not relentlessly tease and drive Yue to the brink of madness with his playful antics. Yue did not pay any attention to the difference in treatments it seemed but it certainly didn't escape the other's notice. It only in fact heightened the rest's interest as it appeared that the young brown-eyed women returned those affections, though the two remained oblivious to the each other's acts.

They could hear the others stirring in their sleep, their grumbles and yawns being heard all the way from where they sat. Yoon in particular could be heard calling out in his drowsy state for the silver-haired women. That alone drove the two men present to chuckle, because as much as Yoon liked to pretend that he couldn't care less about the newest member of their entourage, she was always the first he called out for. Yue could only sigh, a fond smile playing on her face as she stood, removing the towel that had hung on her shoulders and throwing it over an overhead branch to dry. 

"I'm gonna go help Yoon out, I don't think he's coherent enough to handle breakfast on his own" As she past the two by, she offered a pat on the shoulder with a gentle warning for them to not get themselves into any trouble whilst she was gone. Of course she only received their own sarcastic reassurances that the two couldn't get into any trouble if they tried which was only met with an eye roll. 

As Yue walked down the path back to their encampment, Hak could see how Jae-ha's eyes followed, glazed with fondness and adoration unlike the usual sultry and lustful gaze he held when conversing with others he had a passing interest in.  

Yep, he threw in a stone into the gentle rushing waters, I don't think I have anything to worry about.