The Varied Path (Akatsuki no Yona Fanfiction)

Chapter 9: Repairing Old Wounds

Then he left, with Calista hot on his heels. She followed him through Fuuga, making his way to her old room that Mundok had arranged for her when he found her. He knew she was more comfortable when he had an easy escape. It was meant to be temporary, but she didn't stay long enough for him to give her a permanent home. It was near the outskirts of the capitol, a tranquility surrounding the atmosphere unique compared to the endless bustling of activity in the center of Fuuga. Hak stepped to the side as they arrived at her old hut.

Opening the door, she was hit with the faint scents of jasmine and pine. She entered her old room slowly, Hak following in after her.

Everything was as she left it.

All her books, clothes, everything. As Hak closed the door, she dug into the floorboards, lifting the one nearest to her closet with ease. Hak stiffened in surprise.

"Since when..."

He trailed off as Calista triumphantly held up two steel blades, each wrapped in red cord at the hilt, decorated with a crest he's never seen before. In the hidden compartment, there was also a surplus of bandages and many other medical supplies. Hak lifted an eyebrow at that and Calista smiled sheepishly.

"I got hurt a lot."

His silence caused her to look up and she relaxed in understanding as she saw his normally clear blue eyes swirling with anger.

Calista braced herself. "Lay it on me."

He looked up at her in pain. "He's gone."

She nodded, regretfully. Guilt clouded Hak's features.

"I failed... to protect him." He buried his head in his hands, yanking at the strands of his hair harshly. "And I...I..."

Hak couldn't finish his sentence. He couldn't even begin to apologize for what he put her through.

What he knowingly put her through.

"Stop that." Calista ordered, her normally soft voice full of determination. "I can practically hear the lies you're telling yourself."

"How would you know?!" Hak shouted, his pain distorting his vision, and Calista flinched back. "I didn't trust you, even after you came to me! You trusted me, but I didn't trust you! My own sister! I can't believe I was so blind, and now the king is dead!"

Calista's body shook in terror. Hak gasped in horror as he saw her shake in fear of him. He stuttered out an apology, but it came out in a garbled mess. He stopped attempting to talk when he felt light pressure on his knee. Calista shook her head.

"You don't need to.. apologize..." She tilted her head up as tears ran down her face. "I was not a part of his plan. I never would have contributed to that, but I did unknowingly." Calista hoped desperately that he could see she was telling the truth. "I don't blame you for not believing me about him. I didn't want to believe me." Her throat tightened in grief. "I'm sorry."

Hak looked at her in surprise, confused as to why she was apologizing. It wasn't her fault. If anything, it was his. It was his responsibility to secure the king and the princess' safety, and he failed.

"I'm so so sorry." Calista broke down crying, covering her face in her hands. "I was too late to notice what he was doing, too late to do anything about it and too late to save the king."

"You weren't too late." Hak said, with conviction. She couldn't tell if it was intended for her or him. "You helped save Yona."

The red haze of vengeance that he felt towards Soo-won faded as Hak's eyes landed on the exposed skin of Calista's midsection where she had cut the hem of it earlier to treat her wound. It was narrow, but there was a defined scar that stretched along the base of her stomach, disappearing underneath the waistband of her pants.