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Chapter 1.1
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A/N: Yong-Hi is the mother of Soo-Won, in case anyone isn't aware. I maintain the head canon that she was a bartender; Yu-Hon - Soo-Won's daddy dearest who hung up all the heads of those he slaughtered - found her in her bar while celebrating yet another victory; and that her headstrong attitude charmed her oblivious way into his secretly soft heart.
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The year is 808 years after the start of the Sky Tribe's rule. In the solace of her tiny, empty bar at the edges of the town, a young bartender thumbed the edges of her well-read book and skims the familiar words which she has long since memorised. Outside, the laughter of the town folks was ever present as they made merry on the first day of the New Year. Yet, she ignored them as she flipped the crisp, yellowed pages of the book titled [The Grey Dragon].
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Entry 1
Dear Ryuu,
[A blotch of ink stained from a lingering brush] …I miss you.
Aera
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Entry 100
Dear Ryuu,
[The paper had been crinkled in certain edges where water met it] …I'm sorry. I'm sorry I tried to kill myself. I'm sorry.
Suk-Ja
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Entry 200
Dear Ryuu,
I won't apologize for helping Kaya. Kaya is sweet, gentle, and most importantly, the person who Z- [The last three letters were canceled out by harsh strokes] loves. Even if I die, even if I did not live long enough to see the end of their happiness, I refuse to regret helping that poor, kind woman who gave me warm food and love. So…don't you dare give me that pained look when you return to this world! I'll put you in a boston crab hold again if I have to!
Sun-Hi
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Entry 300
Dear Ryuu,
Since you were watching from heavens, I'm certain you already know this – I was reborn into Guen's village this time round. It brought me much glee to see the absolute look of horror on their faces when they realized that I was the same person who dropped by years ago. Z- would definitely call me a sadist, but nevertheless, this life is just plenty amusing! Not to mention, the White dragon of this generation happens to be my twin! The number of coincidences is just too many to not muse at! Pft-ha!
…But…Hey. If you are going to be reincarnated in this generation, please just do it already. Don't keep Z- and I waiting any longer. It's torture.
Young-Hee
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On and on, went the entries till the thick book ended on the 1000th letter to 'Ryuu'. But that was not the end, the bartender knew. There were still sequels to the book, the entries increasing in number – and still rising to date. In fact, the only reason she was re-reading the book was because-
Thump.
The woman jumped, clasping a palm over her mouth to keep the squeal in when something tumbled against her door.
The bartender narrowed her eyes as she reached down for a large bottle of sake, wielding it like a bat as she dodged behind her bar. She had not spent her entire life in this business without learning a thing or two.
Gradually, she inched towards the window, preparing an escape route just in case.
Things did not come to that.
The bell tinkled softly to announce the entry of a customer or potential foe.
Her head could not snap faster towards the door.
There, the sight of that girl took her breath away.
Rainy white hair tumbling down the edges of her small face in waves, large pale eyes stared out inquisitively at her, framed by equally pale eyelashes.
The tiny girl lifted her foot and kicked a fallen man in the nuts, not even bothering to walk over the man as she entered the bar with silent footsteps.
The bartender was familiar with these types. They tended to come and go quietly, and without provocation, they tended to be peaceful though cryptic.
She forced a smile as she took her spot behind the bar.
"W-What can I get for you, Miss?" She asks despite it being closing hours.
An appraising stare was all she got before the woman – not girl, she realized – shrugged and pulled something out of the bag. The bartender tensed, before she reproached herself at her suspicion.
It was not a weapon, but a book. One which she had ordered, at that.
"You ordered this, didn't you?" The woman tilted her head quizzically. "…Miss Yong-Hi, right?"
The bartender could only stare. The woman certainly did not look like one to be in the delivery business, or any type of legal business at that.
"Y-Yes." She nodded stiffly, extending her hands. The book was pressed into her hands gingerly, and a glimpse at the precious title of [The Grey Dragon – 2] brought stars into her eyes. Cradling the book into her chest, she beamed down at the small woman and answered with much more gratitude. "Thank you so much, Miss!"
Surprise mildly flickered across the woman's face before the edges of her lips rose up – not in a smile, but it was an attempt at one still and Yong-Hi took it happily.
"Do you really like that book so much?" The woman asked.
"Of course!" The passion in her answer took the woman off guard again, but Yong-Hi could care less. "The Grey Dragon may not be a book that is meant for everyone, but the realistic emotions of the main protagonist as she undergoes life in different times is what makes the book appealing! Pain, love, regret, and joy…it is a book that truly addresses the numerous happy things in life that we overlook each day as we live. And I admire the author for that!"
A pause.
Yong-Hi took in the wide-eyed stare and parted lips of the woman and leaned back.
"Ah…I'm sorry. I got a bit too enthused there." She chuckled and sighed. "It's just…This book is really special to me. When I was younger, my mother used to read it to me every day, saying that my life was saved by the Grey Dragon during my birthing. In fact, she used to say that the Grey dragon had beautiful rainy white hair and eyes as pale as cloudy skies, just like….you…"
Her eyes widened at the similarity. As her heart pounded louder in her chest, she took a look at the melancholy on the woman's face and realized.
But she doesn't speak her epiphany aloud. Something in the woman's face told her it was the unspeakable, and if what she read in the books was real, then it truly must be.
"…Haha…Just kidding! It's not like the Grey Dragon is real! I just like to think that my fantasies are not just that!" Her laughter was strained, but she managed to fake it before the woman's eyes. Still, Yong-Hi knew that the Grey Dragon knew as well as she did that she was lying.
"…You're right. Nobody can be reincarnated numerous times for two millenniums without going insane. The author of that book must be delirious." The tiny woman looked away.
Yong-Hi frowned at the insult. Towards the book or the author, the insults were the same to her regardless of whom it was that was saying them. Therefore, she stepped forward and pulled the woman's cheeks, mentally cheering over the bewildered expression the woman made for the first time.
"The author of this book is a truly hardworking, kind, and intelligent person! And I won't let you say anything to defile that!" She scolded, patting the reddened cheeks twice. "I think it's amazing that the protagonist of the story was able to live through two thousand years without losing her mind, and it's even more amazing that she supported both herself and her friend throughout that time. There must have been hard times…and there must have been times when she wanted to cry but couldn't. Nevertheless, she endured, and for that, she is a strong person!"
A wide-eyed teary stare this time was met without aversion.
Yong-Hi reached over her bar and embraced the tiny woman, squeezing her painfully.
"…-can't breathe." A small hand patted her shoulder twice gently.
"It's punishment for insulting my favorite author. Take it as it is." Yong-Hi smiled.
Minutes later find them outside the tiny bar, the tiny woman frowning as she kicked the men aside.
"Drunkards trying to lay a hand on me," She clarified under the questioning stare Yong-Hi sent her.
"Serves them right." Yong-Hi sighed, folding her arms. "It's good that I know their wives. They'd make sure to give them a proper punishment for the infidelity."
The women shared a look and Yong-Hi burst out into laughter. Even if it was for just a split second, she thought she saw the faintest of smiles reaching the other woman's lips and felt pride welling up in her for that. (What colour must pride be in the small girl's eyes?)
"…I've got to go." Grey eyes gazed into something invisible to her in the distance, and Yong-Hi understood. 'Spring green lights, like fireflies, had been escaping from them like smoke from chimneys', the book had said. That must be what she was seeing. "I need to hurry."
Yong-Hi reached over before the woman could move and grabbed her hands in her own.
"Thank you for everything, Miss." She whispered, shaking the two hands in her own for a good measure.
Dewy grey eyes gazed back at her, and the woman attempted a smile that was more of a grimace. Yong-Hi felt a moment of sympathy for the woman who cannot smile, but that was cut off by a hand sliding away from her grasp, patting the crown of her head gently, kindly.
"How big you have grown, Yong-Hi." Aera, Suk-Ja, Sun-Hi, Young-Hee, and whatever-her-name-is-now murmured. "My name is Min-Jun, Yong-Hi. Thank you, and goodbye."
'Min-Jun'…
Yong-Hi stumbled back to her bar by the time the tiny cloaked figure was long gone and laid her face in her palms. Ah…It's just as she expected. She's crying for the Grey Dragon, like she once did so long ago.
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(But Yong-Hi is not the main character of this story.)
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Entry 15096
Dear Ryuu,
I met the child of a woman I once rescued. Her name is Yong-Hi. Crying in her heart when she recognized me, the child – now an official adult, with all the beauty her mother carried – embraced me and told me that I am strong for not crumbling under the weight of these years.
It's…absurd. She has only read the first book yet. How would she know if I remained strong throughout these years? If only she knew the truth, huh.
Still, I wish to remain strong in that child's eyes until she goes. Or at least, until my name in this life cease to exist.
Min-Jun
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It takes a moment through the hazy details of everything to realize who she had been laid beside.
Lips parted in astonishment, grey eyes were wide as she gazed into the familiar sea-greens of the woman whom she had saved years ago, who she would never have expected to meet for the third time in her long, long life.
Yong-Hi gazed back at her with startled but happy eyes, dark blond locks strewn around and matted to her face with the evidence of her hard labour. Pale fingers reached up to touch her cheek. Tears escaped Yong-Hi's eyes, but they were bright yellow and sparkling with – with happiness.
"Min-Jun…" Yong-Hi whispered. "…We meet again."
The grey dragon has lived long enough to recognize all the signs of death. The spring green lights escaping Yong-Hi's body at a startling speed only proved her right. As she reached out to grasp at a large finger, the reproach in those sea-green eyes stopped her short of doing it.
"No." Her cheek was pinched with too weak fingers. "If you do it, I would hate you forever."
Her eyes were wide.
What was this woman saying as she was dying?
With a whine, she tried once more to grab evasive fingers. Yong-Hi only sighed.
"'Dying and living is a natural process of life. But for me, whose story does not end with either, what am I but a monster?'" She quoted, startling Min-Jun into silence.
Those words…How long ago had she written them? Ten years? Five years? Or was it a millennium? Why does this woman treasure her words so much when she herself has forgotten what she said?
Yong-Hi smiled. She was always smiling that brightly.
"You are a monster, Min-Jun." For a moment, it felt like her heart came to a stop at those words. Yong-Hi's smile only widened. "But a kind monster you are. It's frightening how much pain you are stealing from us, you greedy little kind monster. You must be in so much pain now…and that's why, I won't let you rob me of anymore."
Min-Jun scowled at the smile and reached out nevertheless.
"Take her away, Yu-Hon." A soft smile and sigh was given.
Only then did she remember there had been others staring down at them all along, and the man who picked her up radiated both blue-black sparkles of pain and bright yellow hope.
He was conflicted.
She knew.
He was weighing between his wife's wish and life.
She knew.
But the moment black mourning entered his heart…She knew what his decision was.
Min-Jun bit her lip as the spring green fireflies left at a faster pace. She screeched in frustration when Yong-Hi – that tiny infant that she remembered helping to be born – was out of her sight and dying.
But still, she could not cry.
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In another time and place, another story was taking place.
The year is the 135th year of the warring states period, precisely a few months before the establishment of the new dynasty and the rise of Hiryuu to the throne. In a tiny study room, a small stunted woman held her brush with enough force to break it and gritted her teeth as she drew letters onto thin paper.
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Hiryuu,
I hate you.
Aera
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No…That's not it.
She crumpled the paper and tossed it.
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Ryuu,
How could you leave without a single word-
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No.
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Ryuu,
Don't come back crying when the army beats you down-
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No. No. No. No.
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Ryuu,
…Don't die.
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…No.
Why was she still doing this? What was the use of writing to a bastard like him? This is all just a waste of paper, effort, and tears. Her siblings could use this paper so much more for their studies, compared to this. It's not like that person would be returning anytime soon just because she writes a letter or two. In fact, she knew, deep down, that unless the war ends, that overly considerate bastard would not be returning even if it kills him.
Ah…Her eyes burnt.
She watched the tears escape her eyes; watched the blue-black, sorrowful sparkles leaving her heart; and watched the grey sparkles leaving her in a constant stream – just like the spring green sparkles belonging to the villagers.
It hurts.
With her head bowed, Aera's shoulders shook with the shaking sobs she was making. The tears falling on her palms were blue. It hurts to be betrayed.
But she must not cry.
Grey eyes drifted over to the steady stream of spring green coming from the floor below. Her siblings still need her. She's the oldest one left, besides Guen. She must take care of them.
She must not cry.
Sniffing, the girl wiped her tears and stood up in ready to continue her job. Picking up the brush from its abandoned position on the desk, she chose to write down the single fact that she knew was true in the midst of her lost, clouded heart.
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Dear Ryuu,
…I miss you.
Aera
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(But this is not the start of her story either.)
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