Hi guys, sorry for the delay! I was busy with school for the past few months that it was only recently I saw the spoilers/sneak peek of the latest chapter of the manga. And boy, was I screaming. Anyways, I was so tempted to change the story to fit the original timeframe, but I decided to continue my version of the story in hopes of entertaining the readers. For all my stories, I try my best to spend a lot of time into fact-checking and research to make the story more credible and the characters realistic to the originals. I kind of rushed this chapter to quickly share with you all and may make edits here and there, but I hope you're excited to read the new chapter. As always, I love hearing your thoughts in the reviews! :)

Disclaimer - I DO NOT OWN AKATSUKI NO YONA. All I own is this story.

Left Unsaid

"Princess," As he leaned against a nearby tree with his elbow, fingers resting on his temple while pushing up his eyebrow inquisitively, Hak gestured to the red-haired girl with his other hand. His eyes fell to the dagger tightly clasped by her fingers, her knuckles white in strain. "Why don't you take a break?"

"I was just about to," Yona loosened her grip and reached for the scabbard by her waist. It was only a few minutes ago when she had decided to confront Hak, but with merely his presence, her resolve seemed to crumble away. "So why aren't you asleep yet?"

"No reason." With that, she could sense him walking towards her, every snap of the twigs under his feet sent shivers down her spine. The dagger slipped through her fingers and clattered to the ground and before she could pick it up herself, he reached down from behind her.

She stood motionless as his arms circled around her waist as he lifted her hand, his long fingers sliding against hers. She could feel the slow heaving of his chest against the back of her head with his breath swaying the little hairs on her crown. Her eyes trailed to the dagger now placed carefully on her palm.

"You're not acting like yourself."

"Huh?" Confused, she attempted to turn around to see him, but he held her in place. "Hak?"

Gathering her hands in his, Hak stroked her palms with his thumb. Scabs and faint scars delineated the lines on her soft flesh from arduous training and discipline. The corners of his lips shaped into a bittersweet smile, eyes softening. "You've grown so much."

Despite not seeing him, she sensed a twinge of sorrow in his low voice. Her heart squeezed both with pain and endearment towards this man. She cared for him so deeply it hurt. "Hak, about you, I—"

"—That hairpin," She faltered over his words, feeling the sudden weight of the dagger in her hand. The image of long, flowing blond hair made her mouth dry like sandpaper, clogging up her throat. "When you gave away the hairpin that day, I didn't know what to feel."

"I was relieved, but at the same time, I felt uneasy." He could feel her tense as he continued, squeezing her hands in his. It only felt like yesterday when she scrambled around the forest with a crestfallen look on her pale face to search for the missing hairpin. The trinket was like a lifeline to her, the only link she had of her precious memories of him. And she had given it away without a thought. "You're getting stronger to face the past yet it seems I've been unable to move a single step from that night."

Yona gazed at their hands intertwined together. The air was chilly, but his warmth enveloping her fingers protected her from the cold. It reminded her of the relentless days of hiding and the running from the castle. Her father's death and the betrayal of Soo-Won hurled her into the depths of grief, preventing her from seeing the similar despair digging within Hak.

He had lost both his master and a friend that same night. He was hurting too. Yet it was him who urged her to keep moving, to get stronger and to have the will to survive, sheltering her with his warm strength.

But the unwavering resolve to sacrifice himself for the needs of his princess deterred him from healing his own pain which resulted in the sheer violence and rage he unleashed when he met his old friend. She could still taste the raw, metallic fury in the air as Hak threw off his comrades who tried to restrain him from getting his hands on the man before him.

With such pain residing in him, he always cared for her first and removed hurdles which hindered the path that she was to tread.

"These scars on your hands, they're faint but still there," He lightly traced his fingers along her palm patterned with old wounds. "It might not hurt as much as before, but I know that doesn't mean you're fully healed yet."

Tears welling up in her eyes, Yona understood it wasn't just about the scars on her hands but what he had really meant, and it killed her to listen to him. She had accepted to erase any adoration she had in her past, yet she found herself unable to forget the man's smile, soothing voice and gentle aquamarine eyes he showed in front of Hak and her young self.

It wasn't right for her to share her feelings for Hak when she herself haven't fully comprehended her own. There was no doubt that she saw him as a man, yet she couldn't quite place a finger on it.

As he loosened his grip around her, she turned to face him. When she finally saw him, she couldn't breathe. He was smiling, but his eyes were hollow, two bottomless coals which frightened her to the core. It was the look of a man who had stripped his own emotions bare not once, not twice, but more than one could even begin to fathom.

"Princess?"

"Hak…" Her hand reached out to gently cradle his cheek. The vacant look in his eyes disappeared as they widened with surprise, dark pupils quivering ever so slightly as he seemed to make sense of what she was about to say.

Then she pinched his cheek. Hard.

"Haaa?!" He blinked at her, astounded by her sudden attack. "What the hell?"

"Stupid Hak! It's because of you that I've become and want to get even stronger," Stepping towards him, she roughly clutched the black hemlines of his collar. "Because I want you by my side, always."

"I told you before, haven't I?" She burrowed her head against his chest. "So don't hide your pain from me."

She could feel his strong and steady heartbeat from within, reassuring her. She constantly feared for his life as he would sacrifice his safety for hers, reminding her of Ik-Soo's words about the dangers she'll bring to his life. Burying her face into his chest further, she took a deep breath.

"…It's dangerous."

"Huh?"

"If you keep holding on to me like this, I'm going to greet you."

"Greet?" She glanced up to meet his narrowed eyes. "What do you mean—"

That was a greeting! The recollection of her kissing Hak popped into her mind, and a fierce blush of red colored her face.

"N-Now would you look at the time!" Retorting back, she pushed herself away from him and picked up her bow and arrows from the ground. She began to scurry back to camp but stopped to timidly glimpse back at him. "Good night, Hak."

Hak saw her disappear among the thick shrubbery and glanced down at the rumpled collar of his clothes, her warmth still lingering on his chest. He observed the lapis lazuli shard nestled against his sternum as it glinted in the moonlight.

"So demanding, that princess." He chuckled softly. He couldn't count the number of times she announced her desire for him to stay by her side, yet he couldn't help but feel utterly pleased every time she did. And combined with her big, purple eyes glowing with absolute determination made him weak at the knees.

When he said he'd kiss her, he himself didn't know if he was being serious or not. He was always playful in nature, teasing Yona to the point of anger but was aware of the boundaries. In the past few weeks, however, his jokes seemed like an excuse to touch her. He knew it was conceited of him, but he adored seeing her become flustered under his touch, her cheeks blossoming with that lovely shade of rose.

It definitely got worse after I said I liked her. Sighing, Hak ran his fingers in his hair. Heck, he felt like a kid, helpless in her presence. Without her knowledge, she had him wrapped around her little finger. And just like that, she eased him of the unrest he had felt about her hairpin. He smiled, fondling the stone hanging from his necklace. She was his charm.

"Oh."

But he still didn't know why she was acting strange.

I can't sleep.

Swaddled in the covers of her blanket like a cocoon, Yona tossed and turned in her tent, cheeks still warm from embarrassment. She still couldn't believe she had the guts to just kiss him. All she did was follow her body's instinct, and the next thing she knew, her lips were on his. It was a brief second, yet she could clearly remember the softness of his lips.

She snuggled deeper in her blanket as she recalled their conversation in the forest. While she was aware of his suffering, she didn't know its extent until tonight. The throb in her chest took her back to the night when Soo-Won usurped the throne laden with betrayal, blood, and heartbreak. She would never be able to forgive him for what he had done to her father and Hak, but like what she told Lili, she would oversee his actions as the King of Kouka.

And once she figured out her feelings for Hak, only then would she confess to him. She most likely liked him, but the degree of endearment was yet to be realized. Until then, she wanted to be by his side to bring him solace to his torment till it was no more, no matter how long it would take. They would get stronger together.

And I'd like to see him smile more often. As the night grew darker with the moon hanging low beneath the clouds, Yona slowly drifted off to sleep.

The village veiled in the middle of the night was perfectly still. The spirited crowds of people and vibrant displays of fresh produce and flamboyant ornaments were nowhere to be seen on the streets. In the distance, the barking of a dog echoed in the air. It was dark, buildings looming above as they created unnerving shadows from a single light source from the moon.

Through the serpentine alleys and deeper into the village, sinister whispers were muffled behind closed doors. It was a dilapidated hut with creaky wooden floors wet with moss, and the stench of mold suffused amidst the shrill of the night wind.

Three men were resting by the table, where a candle burned, shooting wisps of smoke. The man with his legs splayed across the table had a deadly look in his eyes, his mouth protruding out in disgruntlement. He was swinging his knife with his hand, eyeing the steel of the weapon shining in the candlelight. The other two hung by, sharing a bottle filled with sake.

"I'm going to kill that bitch when I see her next time." Gritting his teeth together, the man stabbed his knife on the wooden surface of the table.

"Who?" The pair stopped drinking and looked over. "The red hair?"

"Oh yeah, she knocked you out cold, man," They sniggered, jeering at the man seething with humiliation. "And she was just a little girl."

"I'm going to skin her alive."

"Don't kill her before we get a taste of her," Licking his lips in anticipation, one of the men drawled. "Something about the color of her hair makes me hard."

"Now that you mentioned it, we can sell her hair afterwards," The other suggested. "It'll bring a lot of good money from the trade."

"I'll fuck her and rip off her hair to hear her scream," As he smirked, the man by the table stroked the handle of the sword. "I'm curious to see whether her red hair will get redder from her own blood."

"Haha, that's more like it!" Guffawing together, the men were thrilled at the thought of violence. A thudding noise snapped their attention to the door of the shack. When only the hooting of an owl could be heard, they resumed to drink. The noise came again, and this time, they were certain it was a knock on the door. "Who the hell is it?"

"It's probably just a dirty ol' beggar."

The man handed the sake bottle to the other, sauntering towards the door in annoyance. "What do you—"

"—Argh!" With a garbled shout, the man lurched backwards with his mouth gurgling with blood. His hand was clasped around his neck, where a deep gash was profusely spilling fluid to the floor. A puddle pooled around his feet, staining the floorboards. Not long after he fell, wheezing helplessly as he was unable to speak and went silent altogether.

"W-What the f-fuck!" The man holding the sake bottle yelled, dropping it to the floor with a loud crash. "What just happened?!"

"Who the fuck are you!" Bolting up from the chair by the table, the man with the knife glared at the silhouette by the door. Sweat dribbled down his spine with a chill, as the figure stepped into the hut. "I'll fucking kill you if you come closer!"

"Did you see a red-haired girl?" A raspy voice came from within the caped being, and each syllable of his words raised goosebumps on the flesh of the men.

"R-red hair?" The stranger drew closer in a swift manner, cornering the two further into the house. "Y-yeah, just this afternoon—"

"—She's mine, you son of a bitch!" The knife held high above his head, the man hurtled towards the figure. Within seconds, he dropped to the floor, his abdomen overflowing with blood. "F-fuck."

Silently watching the blood drain from the man, it then pivoted to stare at the remaining man trembling with shock and fear behind the fallen chairs, his pants sopping with urine.

"Now, you were saying about the girl?"