The Varied Path (Akatsuki no Yona Fanfiction)

Chapter 175: Unashamed Gratefulness

The said girl sat up straighter, startled as the white dragon across from her abruptly shot up.

"... Kija?" Calista questioned, confusion lacing her voice.

He didn't speak for a long time, head hung low and eyes trained on the floor beneath him. Zeno shared a look with Calista, and Yona at Hak, but the siblings both just shrugged their shoulders cluelessly.

Yoon's brow furrowed the longer the quiet stretched on, but just as he opened his mouth to ask Kija what he was going to say, a hand covered his, stopping him.

Jae-ha barely moved, and from this angle, the youngest couldn't tell what was going through his mind from his position on top of his head. So he held his breath and waited.

They didn't have to sit there for long.

Kija's head snapped up and the group was blown away at the wet tracks streaking down his face.

"CALISTA!!!!" He bellowed.

Calista squeaked, eyes round in both shock and obvious confusion.

Kija didn't stop there, bowing at the middle in a perfect ninety degree bow, arms plastered to his sides in a picture perfect image of the deepest respect that could be shown. "THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING THAT YOU'VE DONE!!! WE ARE GREATLY INDEBTED TO YOU!!!!!"

Calista's jaw dropped and she gaped at him like a fish out of water.

"Indeed," Jae-ha interjected smoothly, catching on quickly. He regarded her openly, the corner of his eyes curving ever so slightly. "We wouldn't have gotten this far without you."

"The White Snake's got a point." Hak drawled boredly.

"W-White Snake?!?!" Kija sputtered incredulously, the affronted expression on his face causing the other to let out a loud snort. "Hak!!"

"What?" Hak protested, an innocent smirk tugging at the edge of his mouth. Mischief glittered in his eyes and beside him, Jae-ha was barely succeeding at suppressing his laughter. "It's a compliment."

"It is not!!!"

"I think he was referring to the credit you were giving Calista dear." Jae-ha clarified with a cough, the edge of his mouth lifted in amusement.

An embarrassed flush creeped up on Kija's face. "Ohhh."

Yona couldn't help the soft giggle that tumbled out as the youngest flashed a savage look to Kija when he opened his mouth, the white dragon shutting it just as quickly as his expression morphed into something sheepish.

And when the green dragon below him shifted, poised in the perfect position to tickle an unsuspecting assassin, Yoon's head snapped down towards him and he yanked his chin up so that he couldn't escape.

"Don't you dare." He seethed, raising a finger threateningly towards his eye. "If you even think about pranking her while we are talking about this very serious topic, I don't care if you are Ryokuryuu, I will end you."

Jae-ha chuckled nervously, stilling in a heartbeat to avoid losing his beautiful eye. "Now, now, I would never do that to Calista dear, Yoon."

The tendrils of the weighty apprehension stifling the atmosphere eased up as the genius pretty boy flicked him on the forehead in rebuttal, causing the oldest to wince and Hak to snicker at his misery. Kija and Zeno shared a look, the yellow dragon flopping out to sprawl on the floor, causing the princess to erupt in a fit of giggles.

Calista cracked a smile at their antics, but part of her still felt uneasy. She fidgeted, taking comfort in the way the person beside her was still holding onto her hand. "If..."