Awaiting The Dawn

35: Piling Guilt

Hisa decided to go on a walk after dinner. Their camp was set on the edge of Awa, overlooking the town from a wide ledge. She strolled around for about five minutes, where she could still see what looked to be Yona and Shin-ah waving to her from a distance.

Hisa sat by the ledge and mindlessly watched from above. At one point she heard footsteps come toward her, stopping a few paces behind. She didn't tense, didn't reach for a throwing knife. She knew who it was and he's not a foe.

Hisa turned around, her smile disappearing when she saw him. "What's wrong, Yoon?"

His hair wasn't wearing its usual feather decorations, and his shoulders were drooped.

"Nothing's wrong! It's getting late, so Yona told me to bring you back." He looked uncomfortable, rapidly rubbing his arm, avoiding Hisa's eyes and feet already heading to the camp's direction.

Hisa just couldn't pretend nothing was wrong. She didn't want to see him like this, didn't want whatever it was to eat away at him.

"Yoon." She reached out to hold his sleeve but he pulled away.

Her hand was still lifted in that position, her surprise making her forget to put it down. It wasn't about him moving away, but his reaction, the way he recoiled. She froze when she saw his wide-eyed expression, skin unusually pale. All she could think was that she did something, that he didn't want to be near her.

But then why did he come here in the first place? He was lying when he said it was Yona who sent him.

"I-I..." For once, Yoon had nothing to say. He stumbled back a step, then two, turning around and looking like he was about to run.

Without thinking, Hisa chased and tried to catch his arm. But she had put too much strength into her sprint and accidentally tackled Yoon to the ground. Hisa was pressed right on top of his back.

"Are you okay??" She didn't really think about what position they were in at that moment, concerned Yoon was hurt somehow.

"Get off." He groaned, sitting up when she moved away.

Yoon looked down at his short blue cloak, frowning at all the dirt on the front, and took it off. Around his neck was a round pendant stringed with a black cord.

"You still have my gift." That was the jade pendant she offered him after receiving his help.

"Yeah, well...It looked more valuable than my old one."

Hisa couldn't take her eyes off it. Was it weird of her to think that it looked pretty on his collarbone?

Slowly, Hisa raised her hand and touched the jade with her finger. She expected him to push her away again, but he didn't.

Reminded that all her fingers were still bandaged, Hisa looked at Yoon's face, her hand still on the pendant he wore. "What happened to my hands?"

"Nothing happened to them. I just covered them up in case you do something stupid again."

"Again?" She let go of the jade pendant. Hisa didn't know what he was referring to.

"What did you feel during the vision, earlier today?" Yoon breathed out, gaze firmly set on the grass.

She still didn't understand.

"Fire." That was the first thing that came to mind. Hisa associated fire with several important things. Her father, the dragons, Suzu. The word, fire, already held so much meaning. Now this feeling has been added to it.

She hugged her left leg, remembering the sensation. Closing her eyes, reliving it. "It was worse than the others. I wanted it to stop—oh." Hisa was so desperate at the time that she dug her nails into the skin of her burning leg.