Dawn of a New World - Akatsuki no Yona

Chapter 6

We were currently treading through a deep forest, with Hak guiding us to who knows where. It was extremely hard trying to keep up with him. Being a princess doesn't really give you much freedom to do things like exercising, so Yona and I really don't have that much stamina. The most we had to do was run away from crazy men who wanted to court us! Yona was walking especially slow compared to me, staggering with each step she took. It was obvious that she was trying her hardest to keep going, which means that I had to as well.

Suddenly, Yona collapsed to the ground on all fours. She was exhausted from all of this walking and I can't say that I blame her. Hak ran back from his position in front of us to kneel down next to her. "Shall we rest a while?" he asks gently, which is quite rare for someone like Hak. I'm impressed, I guess Yona really is good for him. A sharp glimmer of something shiny catches my attention and I look down to see Yona tuck away the hair brooch from Soo-Won into her cloak. Hak then assists her in maneuvering over to lean against a tree.

Yona pushes the hood on her cloak back and leans her head against the tree tiredly, quickly closing her eyes. Hak leans against the tree next to her while I lean against another one across from them. Besides, I wouldn't want to ruin their little 'moment' now would I?

~*~*~*~*~*~

A little while later, Hak had left to catch some water for us to drink. I stayed just in case Yona woke up, I'd rather her not be terrified of being alone again. Suddenly, she gasps and bolts upright into a sitting position, panting and looking around her surroundings. She starts to look scared so I quickly get up and run over to her before encasing her in my arms. "Shhhh... it's okay Yona-chan. I'm here." I coo softly into her ear as to calm her down slightly. She relaxes before wrapping her own arms around me.

The rustling of bushes caught our attention, briskly turning our heads to look in the direction it was coming from. A sigh of relief escapes me, it was only Hak. "I'm sorry. I went to get some water." I hear a sharp intake of breath and I turn my head back just in time to see Yona suddenly break down in tears. I stroke her hair softly whilst smiling down at her. Poor thing.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Hak was currently cooking some fish that he had managed to catch just before. I offered to help him but he however insisted that it fine. I don't see what the big deal is though, I just want to learn some new things. Hak picks up one of the fish that had been stabbed through with a stick as to make it easier to eat, and held it in front of Yona. She didn't acknowledge him though, just stared off into the fire as if she was in a trance. "You should eat something." Hak insisted, "From here on, I don't know if we'll be able to secure food." I bit into my own fish before looking back at Yona. She still hadn't moved or even blinked. She was becoming very weak, that much was obvious.

After Hak and I had finished eating I decided that Yona and I should have a bath in the creek. It didn't take much to get her to move towards the creek though, much to my surprise. I guess she wanted one as much as I did. We quickly disrobed before slowly entering the water. It was cold at first, after a few moments it warmed up however. It was very relaxing, just what I needed! Yona didn't seem to enjoy it as much as I did though.

As we stepped out of the water Yona looked down at her body and shrieked causing me to squeal in fright. Hak quickly rushed over to see what was wrong, clearly not caring that we were both naked. "What are these" Yona and I ask simultaneously, staring at the large moving black things on our legs. "They're leeches." Hak explains as he kneels down in front of us and begins picking them off. A slight stinging sensation is left when does so. "They live in lakes and swamps, and they suck your blood." That frightens Yona a little bit, "Blood..." Hak looks up at her with a soft smile. "they won't kill you."

.

.

.

"Ahhhh~ Hak~ You really only came over here to see Yona naked didn't you? You pervert!" I begin to giggle hysterically as he realizes our bareness and quickly leaves our clothes on the ground in front of us before running off briskly. Yona, of course, is completely clueless and confusion is written all over her face. "I'll leave your clothes here. Once we gather our belongings, we'll leave."

We both quickly got dressed before making our way over to Hak and begin walking once again.

~*~*~*~*~*~

"We'll rest here for today." Hak announces as Yona and I attempt to make ourselves comfortable. Yona suddenly gasps and begins searching herself and the area around her. Just as I was about to ask what she had lost, Hak cut in. "What's wrong? Did you lose something?" He had this look in his eye as if he already knew what it was that she had lost.

After a few moments Yona stands up nimbly causing Hak and I to look at her in slight confusion. "Where are you going?" Hak asks curiously. "I'm... I'm just... I'll be right back." Yona stumbles over her words. As she runs off I look over at Hak to see him staring intensely after her. "Oh just go follow her you big doofus!" I slap him upside the head. "Shut up." He threatens as he gets up and walks off in the direction that Yona had headed in. I smile giddily to myself, that went well!

Only a little bit later Hak with Yona in his arms suddenly come storming out of the forest. He quickly places Yona on the ground before tending to the wound on his leg that I had just noticed. I glanced over at Yona quickly assessing her for any injuries "Are you okay Yona-chan?" She nods slowly before sending a small smile my way. She then looks down towards the ground "Hak, I'm sorry-" "Is this what you were looking for?" Hak cuts in before pulling out Yona's brooch. She gasps slightly in shock before reaching out to grab it from his hands. Hak then looks at her confidently, "I can't forgive Soo-Won. But more than that, I want you to live."

"Well, that was very forward of you Hak."

As soon as the words left my mouth, Hak immediately throw a barrage of small stones in my direction. Obviously, he was beginning to get irritated by my little comments. I raised my arms to cover my face, chuckling at his pathetic attempt at an 'assault'.

"You do realize that won't stop me, right?" I asked him with a smirk dawning my face.

"Will you just shut up already!"

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