Chapter 40: Epilogue

As years began to passed by Princess Yona was crowned the first Queen ruler of Kouka as Shin-ah took his place next to her. Bringing peace to the region before her reign had both its pros and cons. The people flourished, the neighboring countries did not attack or start boarder disputes, and the fire tribe had its first true rain that ended the decade old drought. Harvests were bountiful across the region, a population boom occured and the people in the water tribe no longer had the fear of drugs being used against them. The downside to the peace coming over the entire region was that there was nobody to fight nor disputes to put a halt to.

Kija began to make trips back to his village with Jae-ha following behind him over the course of a year. Then one day both returned with a three young women who would be joining them at the palace. As it turned out Jae-ha had flirted with two girls who were identical twins and had promised to marry both in return for a night of pleasure, Kija was making him keep to his word. As for Kija, his grandmother had finally gotten her twenty-two year old grandson to agree to a marriage; his only stipulation was that they'd be living at Hiryuu Castle.

So with the new excitement came celebrations for both men. Weddings were planned and all three brothers made sure Jae-ha would be at the temple on the day of his wedding. He looked like he was going to a funeral, though both of his exotic dark beauties, as he called them, seemed quite happy during the entire ceremony. Kija's wedding was celebrated twice, once at the castle and again when he came to his village for a visit with his new wife.

Then it seemed to be a race to see who could get pregnant first. Jae-ha's wives were constantly grabbing him or pulling him away from something in order to get pregnant. It got to the point that Jae-ha tried hiding from them, that only lasted a week. Kija was glad to only have one wife. The brunette woman was quite and very shy, but once she began opening up she had a hard time being quiet. She and him were rather quiet about their relationship or what occured in their private chambers, but even she seemed anxious to get pregnant. Then one morning in the late spring months, Shin-ah came out into the training yard where his brothers were with a wide grin. Catching their attention with that alone, both Kija and Jae-ha thanked the heavens when the news was broke that Yona and he were expecting their first child.

The news that Queen Yona was expecting her first child only a year after taking the throne became the biggest gossip tid-bit. It spread like wildfire first through Kuuto, then into the countryside. By the end of the first week, the entire country seemed to know. It was only a matter of time that the neighboring countries leaders found out. The Sei Kingdom leadership sent her a gift of a thousand flower bulbs to be planted in honor of the child. The sisters Kouren and Tao of Xing sent two rare blue petal flowering trees in honor of the first Seiryuu's child to be born at Hiryuu Castle.

In mid-summer Su-won announced his courtship to Lady An Lili. This caused much jealousy amongst the other ladies of the court. Their courtship would last nearly four years.

Around the same time as Su-won's announcement, Jae-ha learned he would become a father. Both of his wives had gotten pregnant around the same time, which led to a lot of gossip. One rumor stated that he had spent one night with both, though that was never found to be true or not. It was one of the tamer rumors that made Yona laugh.

As the summer months passed and the leaves turned in the south, Kija found himself with the same problem as Jae-ha. The news had been so shocking that the silver haired man had fainted which had left his wife in a slight panic. Of course when he came to he was so ecstatic that he hugged her and thanked her for the opportunity to become a father. He became a very doting husband afterwards which got Jae-ha into trouble when his wives complained that he wasn't doting enough, which led to him and Kija fighting, which led to General Hak hitting both for being idiots.

Drama in the palace became a regular thing, which many times left Yona laughing at others or just smiling at their stupidity. She found that she was quickly enjoying her pregnancy. Shin-ah would hold her at night and when the baby moved he would rub her belly to sooth the pain of the child kicking one organ or another. Then in her eighth month Yona was put on bed rest by Yun because of the swelling in her ankles. She could tell that he was worried because of how big she was but because of the swelling as well. Shin-ah would sit with back to the wall at night and let her sleep against his chest because she couldn't get comfortable.

Then on the night of the new year Yona had a pain rip through her that felt like a knife hitting her back. It sharp and very painful. It left her wondering if the aches she'd felt during the day were related to this. The midwife was called to the palace. Yun assisted, but had the woman take the lead in this. It was exciting and terrifying all at the same time for Yona.

Outside the room Shin-ah paced back and forth with worry as the others tried to get him to calm down. It didn't work very well. Shin-ah could hear her cries of pain and swore this would be the one and only time she'd get pregnant by him. He didn't like her in pain, pain he inadvertently was causing. After what seemed like hours her cries stopped. Everyone waited with berated breath when suddenly a newborn baby's cry echoed throughout the halls of the palace. Shin-ah had never been so happy, when suddenly Yona's cry of pain started again. The happiness was replaced by worry that had the young man wanting to rush to her side to see why she was still in pain. It took Zeno, Kija, Jae-ha, Su-won and Hak to stop him from going into the room until the midwife came out.

When the doors opened nothing could've prepared him for the sight of Yona holding not one but two babies. Identical twin boys with dark hair, and no Seiryuu features on either of them. He could've cried when his firstborn was laid in his arms. He held him like he was made of the finest glass. Both children were healthy and Yona was fine, if not a little tired.

Time began to fly by. Children were born, weddings occured for both Su-won and surprisingly for Hak who ended up marrying Ayame in his twenty-fifth year. Again time seemed to speed up, especially to Zeno who watched as Yona aged. His heart tightening with every grey hair that seemed to appear on her head. He knew her time was coming up short.

Then in her thirty-third year, nearly fourteen years after her sons were born, Queen Yona got pregnant a second time. It came as a surprise and quickly it became apparent that this was a very difficult pregnancy for her. Early on she was sick, but the sickness went away, only to be replaced by aches in her back and stomach. She ate very little and by the time she was six months into her pregnancy she was placed upon bed rest. Yun constantly was near her bedside with Shin-ah being the only other person allowed in her private chambers. She began crying off and on during her seventh and eighth month. It was then the sickness returned. It was spring, only a day before her thirty-fourth birthday when she went into labor. The baby was a bit early, but as it was born it was found to be a very healthy baby girl with bright blue hair, golden eyes and red markings on her cheeks. She was the first female Seiryuu born.

Fears that Yona would die during the labor evaporated, but the pregnancy had left her very weak. Zeno noticed it a month later when he visited her in her chambers how pale and tired she was. They barely spoke that day, leaving the older male with a feeling a doom as this was how Hiryuu had died. Weak and sick. He refused to leave her side that night and along with Shin-ah was the first to awaken to find that she had passed away quietly in her sleep.

The week of mourning was a sad one. People from all over came to pay homage to the red haired Queen and the legacy she had left behind. Her kingdom was at peace with the neighboring countries and with no inner disputes, she left a country at peace. Lord Su-won was elected to rule in her stead because Shin-ah could not do so and their eldest was only fourteen. He ruled with honorable intent of giving the kingdom to Yona's eldest son, a promise he kept.

Shin-ah lived another twelve years, something that surprised everyone. His daughter was not only named Princess of Kouka, but the Seiryuu Princess. Most would come to fear her through the legends that came from the Seiryuu myth.

Jae-ha lived the longest of all, having married once more after both his wives had died. He saw his seventies and got to raise his youngest, the next Ryokuryuu, until he turned eleven. Kija followed Jae-ha's death a year later. He had married only once and it was his great-grandson who was born as the next Hakuryuu when he turned sixty. He got to see the young boy's eighth birthday before he took his last breath.

Through it all Zeno watched as once again his brothers died and left him behind, though this time he did keep one promise; that he'd take the children back to Hakuryuu Village where they'd be safe from persecution or being used with evil intent. It was there that he met her, the woman who looked just like Kaya. They would marry and soon after their wedding night he began to age. He grew old in the Hakuryuu village with his beautiful wife that he was convinced was Kaya's reincarnation. Ten years after they married they had a child, a little girl, who had bright blue eyes and golden hair just like her father. Zeno aged even quicker after her birth, so much so that by the time his daughter reached her seventeenth year he was a grey old man with wrinkles. It was exactly her seventeenth birthday when Ouryuu Zeno took his last breath and passed the powers of the Ouryuu over to the next generation.

That day there was a celebration in the heavens as Ouryuu Zeno finally joined his family in the heavens. It had been a long wait and it led to an even longer celebration.

The sun shone brightly one morning, a millennium had passed since the history books first recorded the story of the red queen and her dragon warriors that had brought peace to Kouka. The birds chirping as the early morning light filled the horizon. In a light brown two story house that stood on a hill on the street of Kuuto with skyscrapers down below said hill, an alarm could be heard going off through an open window. Inside a brunette haired young girl with violet eyes woke up to the world around her.

"Dawn!" she heard her mother's voice downstairs causing the sixteen year old girl to groan as she stretched out to shut the alarm off. "You're going to be late!"

Violet eyes widened in shock. "Crap!" she yelled as she quickly got out of bed and dressed. Quickly pulling her waist length hair into a ponytail with a red bow on top, she quickly grabbed her phone from the charger, threw it in her messenger bag, grabbed her homework and quickly ran out of the house.

"Breakfast!" her mother yelled after her.

"No time!" she yelled back as she jumped onto her bike and quickly began to pedal her way through the streets of Kuuto to get to Hiryuu High at the center of town. As she crossed the bridge to get to the school, a black vehicle pulled up to the school. Exiting the car was a young man with light blond hair with three others. The boy with raven black hair stopped in his tracks as Dawn passed him by, their eyes catching one another for a moment.

"Shin-shi?" the blond called out to him questioningly.

He grinned suddenly causing his brothers to stare in awe at the rare smile. "I just saw the woman I'm going to marry." he announced to them. "I may not know her name, but I'll definitely be marrying her."

"Shin...you're an odd one." the sandy haired brother stated.

"What makes you think she'll marry you?" the brunette inquired as he walked with a phone in hand.

Shin-shi just grinned. "Because..." he stated causing his brothers to look at him. "I'm going to make her fall in love with me." He said this with the utmost confidence making his brothers to actually believe him.

In the heavens above the Kami dragons smiled as they piled together with their youngest brother watching the returned souls of the long ago dragon warriors as they began their new lives with the princess whose soul was her own for once. As a new tale began that early morning Hiryuu wondered if he should prepare to return once more, but decided to keep those thought to himself; at least for now.

M-Angel: Thank-you to everyone who has read my story and very special thanks to everyone who both read and left a review. Your words meant a lot to me. In the Month of May I will be writing more on my Two of A Kind Bleach story, but come June I'll return to this fandom with Diamond Stars the next story in my Gems series.