The Blizzard - Akatsuki no Yona

Chapter 39

Morning...

"What are you doing, princess?" Hak questioned, taking a gentle but firm grip onto Yona's wrist.

"G-good morning Hak." Yona greeted, looking around nervously for an excuse.

But Fubuki butted into the conversation, clearly seeing what's happening. "She wants to be taught swordsmanship, Hak."

"People don't try asking to be taught by reaching inside chest pockets to steal blades." Releasing his hold on Yona, sighing from the princess' re-surfacing desires.

"I just wanted to borrow it for a bit." Yona smiled nervously, slowly reaching for the dagger once again.

Hak wasn't impressed, rolling to his side and away from Yona. "I'm not lending it to a thief. I'm going back to sleep."

"Wait, I'm sorry!" Yona panicked, attempting to pull Hak away from his slumber. "But I mean what I say..." Yona looked away for a second, mustering both her courage and determination. She made direct eye contact to Hak, her steely gaze not faltering. "Hak, teach me the sword. I want to become strong. I want strength, by all means."

A small inkling a surprise manifested on Hak's face, which only Fubuki had noticed before he sat back up. "I gave you a bow for that before, didn't I?"

"I'm not planning to neglect my archery practice." Yona continued to try and persuade Hak. "But I think I should be able to use a sword just in case." Still pleading, Hak's expression failed to crumble at the sight of Yona's desires. "Please, Hak."

Fubuki curiously watched the silent interaction between Hak and Yona, her eyes switching back and forth between the two as nothing happened. Instead, Hak replaced his blank expression with a frown, "I'm not giving you a sword."

"Hak!" Yona, discontent with his decision, begun pleading once again. "Please! The sooner I start the-"

"That aside, why don't you take care of your skin." Hak changed the subject abruptly, interrupting Yona and causing her to freeze in the middle of her words.

"It's tanned and ragged, and the appeal you didn't have in the first place has finally reached zero." Hak pointed out, severely exaggerating Yona's current appearance.

"Wha..?!" Yona gaped in offense and surprise, still the gullible Yona that both Hak and Fubuki once remembered.

"So if you have a sword, then you really won't get married." Hak jumped up and jogged away merrily. "Go forward! Improve your feminine qualities!"

"AH! HAK! WAIT!" Yona reached out, desperately trying to stop him. But to no avail. "Hak, you idiot!" She sniffed in frustration.

"He just needs some time, Yona." Fubuki stepped in, hugging Yona by the waist - the only height she could reach at the moment. "He's just a bit stubborn."

"But I don't have the time to-" Yona began to complain, her frustration evidently showing. But she stopped and looked at Fubuki. "But..."

"Hm?" Fubuki hummed, looking up at Yona.

"Fubuki..." Yona started, crouching down the white-haired girl's level. "Can you teach me swordsmanship?"

Fubuki face-palmed, "Oh, of course. Let me and my child-like body be responsible for your soon-to-be injuries and mother's fury followed afterwards."

Yona winced at the obvious sarcasm. "I kinda knew that would happen..."

Later...

"Where's the princess?" Hak looked around as the faint traces of rain began falling.

"You tell me, Romeo." Fubuki snickered, balancing stones on top of the other. "Wasn't this part of your job."

Ignoring Fubuki, Hak headed off to go find Yona. 

"And hence, our brave hero sets off onto a journey to find the lost princess." Fubuki narrated, watching Hak's figure slowly disappear.

"What has the princess been up to?" Kija worried, looking around nervously.

"Yona has been running around a lot lately..." Yun thought out loud.

"She's been looking for someone to teach her swordsmanship." Jae-Ha explained, settling down with everyone else.

"She first went with Shin-Ah, but she cut herself on the blade." Fubuki continued, watching Shin-Ah nod furiously. "That's why Shin-Ah ran off the first time."

"So she came to me for a secret rendezvous." Jae-Ha chuckled vaguely, before being karate-chopped at the back of his knee and collapsing.

Dusting off her hands, Fubuki coughed inconspicuously. "SO she went to Jae-Ha instead for practise before being caught by Hak."

"Why didn't the princess approach the rest of us?" Kija questioned.

"While you and Zeno were plucking potatoes with the Priest, she did think about it, but I can assume why Yona didn't ask you two." Fubuki explained, picking up a stick and pointing at both Kija and Zeno. 

"You are the only two who can probably fight reasonably well at the moment. But Kija usually fights bare-handed and would probably be against her fighting anymore than she has to."

"Indeed, I am more than enough." Kija proudly stated, before sulking away. "But I wish I could do more for the princess."

"And you, Zeno, have said that you have no strengths to Yona, so she immediately crossed you off." Fubuki said, redirecting her stick.

"Wow, the missus knows a lot about Zeno!" Zeno beamed, throwing his arms into the air.

Ignoring Zeno's bright outburst, Fubuki decided to finish, "And I'm sure we all know why she didn't ask Yun or Ik-Soo, right?"

"It's only common sense, I only use my head as a genius pretty boy and Ik-Soo would probably hurt himself in the process." Yun agreed, staring daggers at Ik-Soo who was nodding in agreement.

"Even so, why does the princess seek to learn swordsmanship?" Kija asked.

"Because she wants to become stronger." Fubuki answered confidently, a slight tone of sadness etched in her voice. "She's attempting to erase all her weaknesses, which includes in this case, close combat."

"But...she is...already strong..." Shin-Ah commented quietly.

Smiling at Shin-Ah, Fubuki looked out into the distance, "She, herself, doesn't think so."

"So what will we do now?" Zeno questioned, plopping himself onto the ground.

"We can safely assume that Hak is with the princess." Jae-Ha contributed.

"I guess we'll just have to wait until the sweet rain comes to an end." Fubuki decided, picking herself up and preparing for dinner.

Later...

"So Shin-Ah!" Yun passed a bowl to him, asking in curiosity. "Who taught you swordsmanship?"

"You're pretty good with the sword too, actually." Jae-Ha nodded, leaning in to hear his answer.

"Zeno wants to know too!" Zeno jumps in and snuggles between Jae-Ha and Shin-Ah.

"Ah! Then I might as well learn too." Kija smiles.

Only silence could be heard, except the crackling of the open fire.

.

.

.

"...Ao." Shin answered.

.

.

.

THE SQUIRREL?!