The Crystal Dragon (AkaNoYona fanfic)

Chapter 17

〜In the morning〜

"Kyaaaa! Kija, your pretty face looks terrible! Hang in there!" Yona screams when she saw Kija's face.

"Kija,... Are alright? Do you have trouble to sleep?" Yuriko asks in concern.
"I... I am alright... I am sorry you have to see this.." He answers limply.

"Hey, there's a bug on your back." Hak lies to him, but that makes him scream and runs around to get the bug off of him.

"Kija, wait! Hak-sama is lying!" Yuriko shouts to inform him, but of course, Kija's too busy screaming to hear her voice.
"Please be quiet, you upbeat animals." Yoon deadpanned, then he turns his head to them, "Do you understand? We're going to be entering villages from now on. Plus this is the land of Fire Tribe. Don't do anything to cause a scene!" Yoon told them, then looks at the four of them, one is ex-general, then red haired princess, then silver and light gray hair, grotesque hand, and a suspicious woman wearing a veil. "But that's impossible." He immediately deadpanned.

And with that, they walks in to the village one by one.
"Kija." As Yoon calls his name, he close his eyes and try to sense Seiryuu, but, "He is not here."

"This wasn't going to be so easy, right? Then now we go ten villages back..." Yoon said as he opens the map.

"Please wait, Yoon-san... We can't go there. It's become a training ground for the Fire Tribe's army." Yuriko told him.

"Eh?" He then points at an area in the map, "Then what about here?"

"That place has recently neen conquered..." Hak is the one to answers him now.
"Whoa, it would have been bad for us if we had gone there."

"Kija. What's wrong?" Yona calls him from his side, making Yuriko glance at him.
"Nothing..." He reassure her with a smile, but Yuriko can tell that it's a forced smile.

"It's settled! It's a bit of a walk, but I've narrowed it down to three possible places... That the village may be at." Yoon told them.

"I'm surprised you know so much, Thunder Beast, Yuriko."
"Well, I was once a general. I had to know the military affairs and changes of the other tribes." Hak smirked.
"That is the same reason for me... Even though I was not a general." Yuriko says.

"Tell me about it next time! Well then, let's go."

Then with that, they continued their journey but there's no avail. The Seiryuu is not in any villages that they've checked.

"How about here, Kija?" Kija then shakes his head.
"Not here either~~?" Yoon slumped down together with Hak and Yona in exhaustion.

"It's further that way..." Kija points at a direction.
"Huh? Still further? This is weird. We've gone to all those possible places, but.... Kaitei is up ahead, right? Could it be possible that Seiryuu crossed the border?" Yoon held his head in wonder.

"Your nose isn't clogged, is it, white snake?" Hak suspiciously glance at him.
"I do not know where he is by scent!" Kija shouts at him.

"Ojousama... Did you hurt your feet?" Yuriko walks to Yona who hold her left foot, "! Princess, have you hurt your feet?" Kija immediately walks to her in concern.

"I'll be fine. I just need to rest a bit." She tell them this as Yuriko checked her foot, and makes sure that her foot is fine. She then began to massage her foot, "Nee-sama?"

"It will reduce your pain.. You're exhausted, you have walk too much when you usually don't walk that far. That's why your foot feels a bit hurt even though you're not injured." She told her, Yoon then give Yona a drink.

"Drink." He instructed her.
"It's delicious! What is this?" Yona ask him after she drinks it.
"Loquat cider. Yuriko's right. Drink it and restore your strength. Yuriko, you should drink it too." Yoon then gives her the same drink as Yona.
"Ah... It's alright, Yoon-san, you should drink it." She refuse.
"Just drink it! You helped me makes this, there's no way I didn't give you any of this."
"Alright then... Thank you, Yoon-san." She accept it with a smile.