"Yun, I'm fine! It's been two days!"

Yun turned to Ezra, his blue eyes flashing in annoyance. "Yeah, it's only been two days! You aren't fighting!"

"Come on!" Ezra complained, though she was entirely aware that she was whining like a child. "I can help!"

"Jaeha and Kija are enough to protect this village if the officials return. You aren't needed. Now come help me hand out these provisions."

"But I don't want to hand out provisions," Ezra whined. "I want to look out for officials!"

Completely fed up with his companion's gun-ho attitude, Yun strode to her and gave her a soft knock on the temple. She cried out in pain and backed away, clutching her aching head.

"What was that for?!"

"You're still concussed, Ezra. You're in no shape to be fighting. Now let's go," Yun told her, finality ringing in his tone.

A young girl on the side of the road giggled as she eavesdropped on their childish argument. Ezra shot her a conspiratorial wink as Yun rolled his eyes.

Suddenly something caught Ezra's eyes. "Yun, hold it," she hissed.

"Don't tell me--"

"Move!" A company of Fire Tribe soldiers were making their way down the road, and one of them rudely shoved a woman out of their way.

"Look in the houses, too!" a soldier ordered. "Bring out anyone who seems suspicious!"

Before Yun or Ezra could react, the young girl who'd laughed at them scooped a rock off the floor and threw it at the lead Fire Tribe officer. "Get out!" she shouted.

"For goodness' sake--" Yun groaned, wrapping his arms around the girl's small frame. Wasn't one idiotically combative companion enough? 

Undaunted by the restraints, the girl continued yelling. "Get out of Katan Village!"

The man she'd hit held shaking fingers up to his head. His fine clothes and well-combed long light brown hair suggested that he was of a higher rank than those that surrounded him.

Shit! Is that a noble? Ezra thought to herself. This could be trouble.

She and Yun grit their teeth, unsure how the situation would play out.

They were frozen with shock when the noble immediately bowed his head low to them. "I'm so sorry I was born!" he cried shakily. Ezra was stunned when tears began flowing down the man's face.

A chubby soldier next to him immediately stepped forward. "This person is currently very sensitive so please don't say anything mean to him."

"I'm... I'm sorry," the man sobbed.

Yun and Ezra simply stared, at a complete loss for words.

The soldier turned his gaze to the young girl. "Don't worry, I sometimes want to throw rocks at him, too."

"What..." Ezra started, confused nearly into speechlessness. "What even is this conversation?"

The young girl Yun was still holding back stared at the man she'd just hit with a rock, concern in her innocent brown eyes. "What's wrong?" she asked sweetly.

"You should probably go home," Yun told her.

"To put it simply, this man is lovesick," the soldier told them in a monotone voice.

The man immediately raised his head, indignation in his eyes. "Lovesick?" he snapped. "This isn't love or any of those pathetic glittery feelings! Don't even compare them! This feeling is..." He glanced down at his hands. "It's... it's..." Suddenly he threw his hands up to cover his face. "I don't even know myself!" he wailed.

"To be honest, you're annoying," Yun said flatly. 

Ezra couldn't help but snort at his brutal honesty.

"Please listen to this person's story in my place," the soldier pleaded.

"No way," Yun said, shaking his head. His expression grew serious as his eyes lighted on the noble's right-hand man. "We barely have enough food for each day. We can't afford to pay anymore taxes. Please leave."

The soldier returned Yun's gaze evenly. "Taxes are a part of a citizen's duty."

Yun's face darkened in anger. "It's our duty to pay ridiculous taxes for the nobles' luxuries and for an unnecessarily large army?" he snapped. "Isn't it your duty to care for our food supply and sick before your luxuries?"

The man seemed unruffled by the boy's anger. "The army is our way of protecting the people."

Ezra's brows drew together, her eyes flashing. "How misleading," she spat. "You keep telling yourself that if it'll help your stupid conscience."

"In any case, it doesn't matter," the man said breezily. "We didn't come here for taxes. We came to capture the bandits."

Ezra and Yun shared a startled look. "The bandits?" Ezra asked.

"Have you heard of them?" the soldier asked. "They call themselves the hungry bandits or something like that..."

"I found it!" The sudden shout rang out from the building behind Yun and Ezra, and the two knew without turning around exactly what the soldiers had found.

Ezra and Yun turned to find a Fire Tribe soldier standing next to their cache of stolen taxes. "These are the taxes the bandits have collected here! Doesn't this prove that this town is harboring the bandits?"

"Not necessarily," the chubby soldier mused.

"You said you came here to capture the bandits, correct?" Yun asked, his blue eyes gleaming dangerously.

"Hm?" The man turned to the boy with a questioning look in his eyes.

Ezra saw a shadow creeping up on the rooftop, and a wicked smile began curving her lips. "Then shall we get started?" she suggested.

Gasps sounded from the gathered soldiers as Jaeha leaped off the roof, his exotic robes flaring around his soaring form. With quick swipes of his arms, small daggers began raining from the sky.

They found their marks, sending several soldiers tumbling to the ground.

"Thank you for your hard work, officials," Jaeha drawled, a smirk etched onto his face.

"Who are you?" one soldier gasped, taking a few hurried steps backwards. He stumbled as he collided with something behind him.

"Weren't you looking for us?" Kija asked sweetly, brandishing his dragon claw. Jaeha landed gracefully before launching himself into the air once more, sailing through the sky.

"They're here!" the soldier screeched. "It's the Hungry Bunch!"

"Congratulations," Ezra drawled, reaching for the hilt of her swords. "You found us."

Yun gripped her wrist, effectively keeping her from drawing her weapons. "Nuh uh, missy. Not on my watch."

"But Mother!" Ezra whined. "I want to fight!"

"And I said you can't!" Yun snapped.

"But--"

"No buts! I said no!"

Ezra pouted and opened her mouth to respond.

"What's wrong, Death God?" A voice distracted them from their childish argument, and they turned to find Kija standing in front of the Fire Tribe noble. The noble was clutching onto Kija's dragon claw, outrage in his eyes. "Can you please hurry up?"

"What?" Kija asked, bewildered. "Who's the Death God?"

"You can only take me with you right now!" the man shrieked. "Tomorrow I might be too scared to go with you, so it has to be now!"

"Who are you? Let go of my hand!" Kija demanded.

There was a thump as Jaeha fell from the sky, pinning the man to the ground. Kija took a step back, released from the man's nonsensical ramblings.

"What are you doing?" Jaeha asked curiously. "He was asking you so nicely, so why didn't you send him off happily?"

"I can't just attack an unarmed person! This hand is sacred!" Kija protested.

"I knew it," a fallen soldier coughed, raising his head from the ground. "Katan Village is harboring bandits!"

"You idiot," Jaeha drawled, resting one arm on Kija's shoulder. The dragons stared down at the man, doing their best to look intimidating. "This area is our turf. Of course we would protect what we've stolen."

"Lord Tae-Jun," the chubby soldier suddenly interjected, glancing down at the man pinned under Jaeha's boot with mild concern in his eyes. "Are you alive?"

"You brats!" Yona's shout distracted Ezra from the bizarre scene in front of her, and she looked up to see the princess walking towards them with her hood covering her hair and face. "Hurry up and throw them out! The people of the village are afraid!"

The man underneath Jaeha's boot began twitching uncontrollably.

"Hm?" Jaeha murmured, glancing down in interest. Tae-Jun resisted the power of the Ryokuryu's leg, lifting himself to his hands and knees. "Looks like he still has some fight left in him, Captain," Jaeha called to Yona.

"You, officer!" Yona yelled. "Stop resisting!"

Her voice only seemed to spur on his efforts. With a great shout, Tae-Jun lifted his head up against Jeaha's boot. He panted with effort, clenching his hands into white-knuckled fists.

"Lord Tae-Jun is...!"

"That useless noble... he's resisting that monster!"

The gasps and murmurs that surrounded Tae-Jun seemed to have no effect on him as he shook off Jaeha's boot and stood on his own two feet.

"That voice..." the man gasped, lifting his head.

"Time to go," Kija announced, easily lifting the man onto his shoulder.

"Huh?"

"You're in the way!" Kija shouted, flinging the man away from the village.

"Lord Tae-Jun!" cried the soldiers.

With a short scream and a dull thud, Tae-Jun disappeared.

"Well," Jaeha said, brushing dirt off his robes. "That was interesting."

"I suppose I should go make sure he's alive," mumbled the chubby soldier who always seemed to be by Tae-Jun's side. With one last interested look at the gathered members of the Dark Dragon and the Happy Hungry Bunch, the loyal man rushed off.

"Get out of here, all of you!" Yona shouted at the remaining officers. They immediately picked themselves up off the floor and ran after their leaders.

Yun brushed his hands off, walking to stand beside Yona. "They'll probably be back."

"What was that guy's deal?" Ezra wondered. She slid a wry glance at Jaeha. "He overpowered you, Ryokuryu. How'd that happen?"

Jaeha shrugged. "He seemed very determined."

Yona frowned. "He looked a bit familiar, but I can't put a finger on where I've seen him before."

"In any case, I'll go guard the front of the village!" Ezra announced, hoping to slip out before Yun could stop her.

She did not succeed.

"Hold it!" Yun held out an arm to keep her from moving. "You're not going anywhere, you beast."

"Yuuun!" Ezra complained.

"Whine all you want, but you still won't be in any shape to fight," Yun said firmly, shooting her a glare. "The Hakuryu and Ryokuryu will guard the village."

"Sure thing," Jaeha said. He saluted them smartly before taking off, soaring into the air towards the front of the village.

Kija sighed. "He couldn't even give me a lift," he muttered, slouching off after him.

Ezra chuckled. Anything that even mildly inconvenienced Kija was a source of amusement for her. "Well, then, are we done here?" she asked. "I want to go check on Shinah."

Yun nodded. "I can finish handing out these provisions myself. I'll return to camp before dark to make dinner."

"Make sure to give the villagers all the good stuff," Yona told him. "We don't need much."

Together, the girls turned to make their way back to their camp at the back of the village.