"So, have you talked to your brother?"

Ezra glanced up from the meager dinner she was eating, eyes wide in surprise at the sudden callous question.

"Hak!" Yona chided. "Quit being rude!"

"What?" Hak asked innocently. "I want to know!"

"You're just being nosy!" Yona accused.

"Yeah? So what?"

Ezra let out a huff that was half-laugh, half-sigh. "No, I haven't talked to him."

Yun frowned in thought. "I think you should."

"Why?" Ezra snapped. "He wants absolutely nothing to do with me; he made that crystal clear."

Jaeha's expression was unusually serious. "When he was told about your mother's death and your... ah, rampage, the soldiers most likely only told him their side of the story. He probably believes that you went insane for no good reason. If you tell him your side, set the record straight... he might feel differently."

Ezra rolled her eyes. "Yes, such a great idea. I'll just go up to him and say, 'Yeah, sure I murdered dozens of people, but don't worry, I had a good reason! It was all to avenge Mom!'"

Yona frowned at her. "You know that's not what happened."

"It's exactly what happened," Ezra said harshly. "Telling Noah the full story isn't going to change the way he feels about me. The fact still remains; I did something horrible, and he will never, nor should he ever, forgive me for it."

Kija frowned, his blue eyes glistening with sadness. "Ezra..." he murmured.

"I don't need pity," she snapped. "Don't look at me like that, White Snake."

"It'll all be alright, miss!" Zeno said cheerfully. "Zeno will do whatever he can to help you!"

Ezra cracked a small smile. "Thanks, Zeno."

"I really think you should talk to him," Yun told her.

"No," Ezra growled. "I deserve to let my brother despise me for what I've done. That disgust that was in his eyes when he looked at me the other day? I earned it. I earned every harsh word that came out of his mouth."

"That's not true," Yona tried to argue.

Ezra shook her head. "Of course it is. If I told him the whole story, he might believe me. He might even begin to forgive me. But I can't let that happen."

"Why not?" Kija asked fiercely.

"Because I don't deserve to be forgiven!" Ezra exploded. "I can't even forgive myself for what I did! How could I expect anyone else to?!"

"You're being too hard on yourself, Ezra," Hak said frankly.

"You think so, Thunder Beast?" Ezra said, a sarcastic edge to her voice. Tears were trying to force their way to the surface, but Ezra managed to hold them back. She refused to cry again. "I don't. Actions have consequences. Let me deal with them on my own."

"Ez..." Yona murmured.

Ezra looked away from the sympathy and understanding in Yona's eyes; it was more than she deserved. She caught Shinah's gaze from across the fire, and she was stunned to see a small pearl of liquid drop off his chin. "Shinah... are you crying for me?" she gasped.

Shinah immediately wiped his cheeks, removing all evidence of his tears. Ezra's heart constricted in her chest at the thought of Shinah feeling her pain so acutely. No matter what had happened to her in the past or how much pain she felt, she'd never wanted to make him cry.

Hak raised an eyebrow while Yona smiled to herself despite the seriousness of the situation. Kija, Jaeha, Yun, and Zeno stared at Shinah in shock.

"Talk to your brother, Ezra," Shinah said quietly, ignoring all the eyes on him.

"I..." Ezra trailed off, her voice failing her. Her eyes softened and the smallest of smiles lit her face. "Alright."

The camp was silent for a few seconds.

"Huh," Hak said, breaking the quiet. "That was easy."

"Shut it, Doe-Eye," Ezra snapped.

"Well, I'm glad that's settled," Yun said, getting to his feet and brushing off his clothes. "Tomorrow we've got a lot of work to do, so let's rest up. We're moving on to a new village."

Everyone nodded their assent before shuffling to around to get ready for the night. As Ezra curled up on her bedroll with her cloak over her shoulders, she sent Shinah one last smile.

"Thank you, Shinah," she said quietly.

The Seiryu tilted his head. "For what?" he asked.

"For everything," she told him. Then she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

~~~

Ezra was up early the next morning. She sat up, glancing around her at all of her companions asleep in their normal positions. Hak slept up against the tree nearest Yun and Yona's tent with his glaive resting against his shoulder. Jaeha, Kija, and Zeno slept laying out on the ground nearby.

Ezra's eyes softened when she turned to find Shinah sleeping with his chin resting on his chest up against the tree closest to her. She stood, quietly folding up her things, before taking off through the woods to go for a walk. She wanted to clear her head.

The sunlight filtered down through the trees, bathing her cheeks with its warm rays. She tilted her face up, allowing the sun to warm her to her very core.

She was beginning to come to grips with what had happened. The forgiveness she'd received from her companions was freely given and more than she deserved; she knew that. Forgiving herself would take much longer, but she knew that she could reach that peak eventually. If she kept moving, kept helping others, kept forging forward along her own path... she was sure she could become a person that she could be proud of.

Distinct footsteps reached her ears, and she turned to face Shinah with a serene smile. "I'm fine, Shinah," she told him. This time, she was being completely honest. "I just wanted some time to think."

He nodded, stopping a few feet away from her. His jaw was tight and set in a frown.

Ezra's brow furrowed. "Are you alright?" she asked, concerned.

His mouth fell open. "Am I... alright?"

A pang shot through Ezra's chest as she remembered watching a single tear drip down his face last night. "Last night, you were crying. I don't want you to cry for me, Shinah. I never want to make you sad."

"I'm sad... because you're sad," he answered.

Ezra turned to him with a smile. "I just want you to be happy."

"Then you be happy," he countered.

Her face softened. "I'm working on it." Her eyes turned towards the sky. "Shinah, I'm not proud of the person I am right now. But if I keep moving forward at Yona's side, do you think I could become someone better?"

Shinah frowned. "There's nothing wrong with you."

Happiness bloomed in her chest at hearing those words. "Thank you. That... that means a lot to me." She swallowed loudly, nervousness thrumming in her veins. "Shinah... will you come with me to talk to Noah?"

A small smile appeared on his handsome face. He nodded resolutely at her. "Let's go," he said quietly. They turned to return to the others.

"There you guys are!" Yona chimed as Ezra and Shinah appeared through the trees. "I was getting worried!"

"Sorry, Yona," Ezra said with a sheepish smile. "I wanted to clear my head."

Hak raised an eyebrow. "And Shinah helped with that?"

Ezra's face grew red as Shinah frowned in confusion. "Don't say ridiculous things, Doe-Eye," she snapped. She hurried to change the subject before the idiotic Thunder Beast could say something even more embarrassing. "Anyways, are you guys heading out for a new village today?"

"Yep!" Yun said cheerfully. "There's one a few miles east. It's in way worse condition than Katan Village, so we're going to bring water and try to help out the sick as best we can."

Ezra nodded. "Um, would you mind if I hung back for a day or two? There's something I need to do here first."

A knowing gleam entered Yona's eyes. "Find your brother?"

Ezra's eyes hardened in determination. "Yes."

"Yay!" Zeno cheered. "The miss is going to set things right!"

A small smile curved Ezra's lips. "I sure hope so."

Yun's eyes flicked to Shinah. "Are you coming with us, Seiryu?" he asked.

Shinah shook his head. "I stay with Ezra," he told everyone.

Jaeha raised an eyebrow. "I see," he murmured.

A knowing smirk etched itself onto Hak's handsome face. "Interesting, very interesting..." he mused.

Yona grinned to herself while Zeno threw his hands up in excitement. Kija rolled his eyes, muttering something under his breath. The only words Ezra heard were, "Don't know how he puts up with her."

"Will you two be alright on your own?" Yun asked worriedly.

"We'll be fine, Mother," Ezra said with a confident smile. "I'm feeling good as new; even my concussion is gone. If anything happens, I can take care of us."

"That's awfully arrogant of you," Yun said, a warning in his tone. His eyes flicked to Shinah and back. "Shinah is still injured."

Ezra's expression grew serious. "I won't let anything happen, Yun."

Yun studied her for a moment before nodding. "Alright, beasts! Time to pack up and move out."

Ezra and Shinah helped the others pack up their camp before seeing them off. Once the others had disappeared, Ezra turned to Shinah.

"Well," she said, glancing towards Katan Village. "Shall we get going, then?"