In the largest building of the village stood Kija, this generation's Hakuryuu. At the present moment, he had his hand held up in the air as he pondered on the strange throbbing in his hand that had been bothering him nearly all day. 

"Lord Hakuryuu," an older woman came into the room being carried on a seat by four others. "Are you awake?" It was then that she noticed him holding his hand in the air. "Lord Hakuryuu?"

"I don't know why," Kija started. "But my right hand is throbbing oddly this morning…"

That was all it took for the old woman to start going into a panic, and Kija had to quickly calm her down. The conversation spiraled from there, going from his title as the Hakuryuu to Kija's lack of interest in marriage. Eventually, they landed on something that had also been bothering Kija since earlier. 

"By the way," he began. "Why has it been so noisy this morning?"

"Oh, it seems that Lady Ji-ah had arrived early with a few trusted friends in tow." The woman had yet to greet the party herself, but word travels quickly in such a small village. Besides, she had no doubts that Ji-ah had probably snuck away the first chance she had to go and visit her friend's grave. 

The woman, who shall now be dubbed simply as Granny for the present moment, was one of the very few in the village who knew about Ji-ah being the first generation. All of the villagers knew that she was the Momoiryuu and that she always came once a year to visit the first Hakuryuu's grave. However, most of them were under the impression that it was simply a tradition passed down from generation to generation. Even Kija was unaware of the Momoiryuu's true nature. 

"Lady Ji-ah is here!" Kija perked up immediately. "Why didn't anyone tell me sooner? I would've gone to greet her immediately!"

He was also extremely interested in these so-called 'trusted friends' of Ji-ah's. He trusted Ji-ah's judgment on their trustworthiness without a doubt. After all, Ji-ah was looked up to and respected nearly as much as he was, if not more. However, she had never once brought others into the village, and he was undoubtedly curious. 

Without a second thought, Kija raced out the door 

*****

"It's been a while, hasn't it, Gu-en?" Ji-ah softly smiled at the headstone, deciding to sit down criss-cross applesauce. "Of course, I'm here a bit earlier than usual. I hope you don't mind. Things have been pretty chaotic lately. I know I already told you that Hiryuu reincarnated as my little sister. She's rather different from the Hiryuu we used to know, but her heart and soul are just as kind and just as strong willed. She's quite the sight to see, but she still has a lot to learn. Hopefully, I'll be able to help with that. I've actually gotten a lot better at teaching and helping others since the last time we saw each other in person. 

I remember when I first met you and the others, I was the youngest out of us all, and I had so much to learn back then. I still do. I'd pick fights with Shuten. Though, that wasn't particularly difficult with how easy he was to tease. Come to think of it, you were pretty easy to tease, too.

Even still, whenever I was out causing trouble, whether it be falling out of trees or causing mud fights or getting distracted on the battlefield, you guys would always be there to bail me out. No matter how much we may have fought, you guys were some of the best friends that I could have asked for. Who knows, maybe Zeno and I will be able to join you guys one day. After all, things are changing. This country is at a critical turning point, and history is in the making, just like it was back then. So maybe, just maybe, once this is all over, the heavens will declare our roles to be over and finally let us rest in peace and be able to see you guys once more. Until then… Well…

Please watch over us."

*****

"Hmmm," Yona stretched her arms from where she sat before crossing them over top of her knees that she had pulled to her chest, causing Hak to look her way. 

They had finally managed to make their way a little away from the hoards of people trying to get glimpses of Yona's hair, but they still covered her head with her hood just in case. 

"What is it, princess?" Hak asked. 

"... This is crazy…" Yona admitted, thinking over all of the information that they had received since arriving. "They said that soon after a child that possesses the power of Hakuryuu within the clan is born, the previous Hakuryuu's power vanishes, and until the day comes when the power of the dragon is needed again, they must preserve the bloodline." Yona looked down a little. "I came to borrow that power, huh…?"

"Shall we give up then?" Hak inquired with a small smile and raise of a brow. 

Instead of answering immediately, Yona gave a small, mischievous, and determined smile before she whipped to lean over Hak. "Hak," she said, sliding her hand around his waist to snatched the dagger that lay there. "Lend me your dagger." As fast as she pulled the trick on the surprised man, she stood up and backed up a few steps in front of him. "I made a decision. I'm not turning back." She pointed the dagger at Hak. "But if Hakuryuu doesn't want to do this… then you'll need to train me all the more, Hak…"

Hak smiled. He was more proud of the princess than he would ever admit aloud. 

Now if only the other princess would show the same drive.

"Oh~" the two jumped, Yona letting out a quiet squeak as they looked up to see Ji-ah casually sitting on one of the branches of the tree. "You sure are growing up, aren't you, Yona?"

"Ji-ah!" Yona exclaimed, her face lighting up at the sight of the black haired girl. 

Ji-ah smiled at her sister before dropping down from the tree and landing in a crouch in front of the pair. 

"Where have you been?" Hak raised a brow at her before looking back up to where she had been sitting. "And how long were you up there anyways?"

"Only a few minutes give or take," Ji-ah answered the second question. 

"And where you were before that?"

Ji-ah's smile became a little cheeky. "Visiting a friend."

Technically, it wasn't a lie. 

Hak looked unimpressed. "One day," he said. "That excuse isn't going to work."

"Then I suppose it's lucky that today is not that day," was the reply he received. 

Yona looked between the two curiously. It was strange, but ever since Ji-ah had joined them at the priest's place, Yona had noticed that the older girl was different. She seemed… more free. Her smile was more genuine, and her speech wasn't nearly as formal.

It was as though getting out of the castle had made her a completely different person.

Of course, it wasn't as though she'd changed entirely. She was still kind and warm and mysterious, and she didn't put up with anybody's bullshit. 

Yona supposed it was just strange to see Ji-ah's more mischievous side that she had never seen before, but somehow… she was glad. 

She was glad that her sister actually trusted her enough to be so open in front of her. 

"Lady Ji-ah!" The three were interrupted by the call of a young man running towards them with sparkles in his bright blue eyes. Like the rest of the villagers, he wore white clothing with blue accents. However, his hair was a pale, stark white compared to the others who had more of a pale grey hue. He opened his mouth to speak once more only to falter as Yona's hood fell off while she was turning. Suddenly, he knew exactly why Ji-ah had brought strangers into their midst. The blood in his arm felt like it was boiling, and his suspicions were confirmed as he heard a voice speak to him

'Warriors of the four dragons!' said the voice. 'From now on, you are our other halves. With Hiryuu as your master, protect, cherish, and never betray him for as long as you live.'

With that, the young Hakuryuu let out a yell as the pain became overwhelming, and he finally keeled over into unconsciousness. 

"Oh, dear…" Ji-ah sighed, walking calmly over to Kija while her companions seemed absolutely bewildered by the situation. Though, Yona was fairly concerned. What else was to be expected? It wasn't everyday that you had somebody running towards you only to pass out the moment he saw one of your faces. 

"Ji-ah, what's wrong?!" Yona asked worriedly as the villagers who had noticed the commotion also came running over in concern and panic. Yoon had also come over and was now standing with the trio of childhood friends. "Is he okay?"

"He's fine," she reassured everybody with a kind smile as she kneeled down next to Kija's limp body. The villagers nearly cried at the reassurance. Actually, wait, no, they totally cried in relief. "While I admit that I didn't expect him to lose consciousness, such a reaction is perfectly normal. He should be awake any second now, though."

"Reaction?" Hak asked with a raised brow. "Reaction to what exactly?"

Ji-ah didn't have the chance to reply as Kija began to stir.

"Um… Hakuryuu…?" Yona questioned as the man began to sit up, staring at Yona with amazed eyes before he suddenly bowed. 

"Yes…" he said. "I am the person who has inherited the blood of the white dragon from ancient times. I have been waiting for you, my Master."

Yona looked down at him in confusion. "Master…? What are you…"

She trailed off as the villagers began to kneel down around them as well. The only one who didn't appear to be confused was Ji-ah. The others tried to look to her for answers, but she only smiled. 

"Congratulations Lord Hakuryuu!" One of the villagers began to congratulate him as they began to sit up. "Our king has finally arrived!"

"The power of the gods of which we protected from ancient times is finally rewarding us today!"

"They're a little excited, huh?" Yoon sweat dropped. 

"Are they calling me a king because I'm royalty?" Yona pondered. 

"I think it's because they think you're King Hiryuu because of your red hair," Hak guessed with crossed arms. 

"But I'm not a descendant of King Hiryuu," Yona noted. "Within Kouka's history, there were times when the other tribes held royal authority. I don't think there are any remaining descendants of King Hiryuu left."

Ji-ah sweat dropped, her smile just barely twitching. 

She definitely wasn't going to comment on that…

"My master," Yona let out a small 'Eh?' as Kija grabbed their attention once more rather eagerly. "If I may ask, what is your name?"

"...Yona…" 

"Lady… Yona…" Kija smiled softly. 

"You're beautiful," Yona stated simply. 

"Huh?" Kija looked taken aback, blushing lightly as Ji-ah tried to hold in her giggles at Yona's bluntness. "That's not true. Lady Yona is the one who looks divine…"

"Oh no, I'm not," Yona said despite looking pleased, but hey, Ji-ah would admit that it was definitely progress from how she used to respond to compliments. Nearly everyone gave the red head a surprised glance, though, when she suddenly started speaking in a serious tone. "I… am not your king or your master…" she told him, looking down. "I want the power of the gods to protect myself and my friends… I'm nothing but a scoundrel…"

"Hey, don't tell him that!" Yoon whispered worriedly, but Yona paid him no heed. 

"I'm travelling to take hold of the other three dragons, too," Yona admitted with a soft smile, not noticing the slightly confused glance the Hakuryuu sent Ji-ah's way. "First off, I want to borrow your power. May I?"

While Yoon looked worried, both Ji-ah and Hak smirked proudly at the red haired teen. Kija himself looked a bit taken aback, but that didn't stop the determined smile that slid onto his face. 

"It would be my greatest honor," he told her. "No matter who you are or what kind of objectives you may have, from now on, I am your dragon.

The blood within me is telling me so."

*****

2124 words excluding A/N's

Finished - December 20, 2021

Bye~