I should NOT post anther fanfic but I need to write some action and fighting so here it is!

Thank you for reading this story~

FANFICTION

AKATSUKI NO YONA : FREE SOULS

CHAPTER I : Prologue

Kouka Kingdom, Earth Tribe…

"The sale is about to start!" A man whispered to another.

"There are new goods from last time?"

"Yes! Coming from the Fire Tribe!"

"Let's go then!"

A young man wearing a dark cape glanced around, his purple eyes glancing on his right where the group of men had been talking. He quickly finished the transaction with the seller and threw the bag with his new throwing knives and daggers over his shoulder before starting to follow the group of men, appearing as nonchalant as possible. He probably shouldn't follow these men – he had orders after all. He didn't want to disappoint the Captain when, for the first time since he had arrived in Awa, she had trusted him enough to send him to other cities that were further away in the Earth Tribe's lands.

"Listen well, Jae-ha, I am not sending you anywhere other than Awa not because I don't trust you but because I don't trust other people. You always use your power here and you are used to it, the people as well. What will happen if someone who isn't from here sees you using your power of dragon? You're like my son now, I don't want you chained down once again because people think of you as some freak beast. That's why, as soon as you're done with the mission I have given you, I want you to come back to Awa. Be discreet, don't make yourself noticed."

Jae-ha definitely shouldn't go any further in this town's black market but his curiosity had been risen by these men's discussion. It might be irresponsible from him, but he didn't like that Captain Gi-Gan, as protective and kind as she was, would tell him to follow orders and come back as soon as he was done with the mission. He wasn't bound to anyone or anything. He wasn't bound to Captain Gi-Gan nor Awa Port. He was free. This was the real power his legs were giving him.

"Everyone, here is our next prized item!" A voice resonated as Jae-ha emerged from under arcs that were linking the buildings together.

It was some sort of little place with many people gathered here. At the back of it, there was a little stage and Jae-ha froze completely, blood freezing when he understood what sort 'sale' it was, what were the goods sold…

"Fifteen years old and in good health and shape! Her appearance isn't much but she will do good for work and chores!" The man who was selling slaves shouted.

A girl with tears streaming down her face was pulled forward violently, her hands attached by a rope that the dealer was pulling. She fell on her knees while some people – possible buyers – were whispering about the quality of the merchandise.

"The initial price is twenty copper coins!" The dealer exclaimed with a bad grin.

"Twenty-five for me!" A man in the assembly shouted, lifting up his hand.

"Thirty!"

As the price was being discussed, Jae-ha clenched his fists and jaw, looking away from the disgusting scene.

"Be discreet, don't make yourself noticed."

Jae-ha couldn't fight all of these people alone and free the slaves. And even if he managed to save them, what would he do afterward? He couldn't get them out of town, even less the black market.

If they really want to be free, they'll fight and gain their freedom the same way I have… He thought to himself, trying to comfort himself.

He turned his heels, about to leave this place when he glanced at the side where the girls to be sold were all aligned on the floor. They were sitting and crying silently, trying to smother their sobs. Some looked like empty shells – they must have been slaves for a while now, as unfortunate as it sounds.

Don't get involved, you can't make yourself noticed, Jae-ha thought to himself once again.

"Stop moving around ya little wench! You're next, behave!"

Jae-ha glanced over and saw a slave trader puling violently at a rope. A girl who looked thin and frail fell violently against the muddy ground. She looked up at the man and glared at him so viciously he almost let go of the rope. Even from afar, Jae-ha felt a chill running down his spine.

Don't get involved. He repeated to himself.

The slave trader grabbed the girl by the arm and forced her up but she jumped around, trying to kick him and the other slave traders around.

"Damn it! Just stop behaving like that!" A man growled.

She almost escaped the slave trader's grip and tried to bite him directly into his face, almost getting him.

She's got spirit… Jae-ha remarked, lips slightly open as he saw her eyes burning with a determined and strong fire.

Suddenly, a man punched the girl so violently she fell back on the mud, barely moving from the violence with which she had been punched.

Don't get involved…

"That'll teach ya a lesson!" The man who had punched her said as he was being given a whip.

The sound of the whip clacking against the girl's back resonated in the entire place but no one other than the frightened girls and Jae-ha seemed to be bothered by it. The girl who had been fighting back jumped, clenching tightly her jaw in order to avoid screaming, glaring at the men who were looking at him. Her eyes were the most beautiful shade of amber Jae-ha had ever seen – gold, shining from within with a fire that seemed to try and swallow everyone around to burn them.

Another whipping sound.

Don't get involved.

Jae-ha closed his eyes as this time, a tiny scream escaped the girl's throat from another hit against her body.

Damn it… Sorry Captain… He thought to himself.

He looked all around. They were surrounded by buildings at every sides – the only access was the one road he had come from and the open space above their heads. The buildings were forming a square, glued to one another with a single balcony that made the entire round. Noticing several heavy tapestries hanging from there, Jae-ha glanced around him.

When no one was looking, he pushed on his right leg and landed at the balcony in perfect silence, remaining hidden for the moment. There was no one on the balcony as well and he could see from above the crowd of vile dogs about to buy innocent girls to turn them into slaves. Jae-ha couldn't save them all, but he couldn't leave behind this one frail girl who was trying so hard to fight back. He'd never forgive himself.

Just then, the golden-eyed girl was being pulled up on the stage, still fighting despite the pain that must have been racing in her back. She had blood on the side of her mouth turned into a thin line. A side of her face was bruised and the other covered in mud. Her clothes were hanging from her frail frame, covered in dirt and mud. Her eyes seemed to try and burn all of the slave traders.

"This girl, as you may see, she is quite fiery and hard to control but I can assure you that with the proper training, she could become exceptional. Imagine her without this mud and dirt – a pretty face and the most magnificent eyes you had ever seen!"

Several nodded and whistled in agreement, already interested in the girl just for her beauty – a fiery personality would be easy to tame.

Jae-ha acted just as everyone was busy whispering and watching in awe the young girl. He pushed the heavy tapestries off the balcony. As soon as it landed on people, indignified screams resonated and everyone turned their attention to the back of the place. Jae-ha jumped off the balcony and landed on the stage.

"What the–"

Jae-ha kicked the two slave traders with his dragon leg then grabbed the girl from around her waist and kicked off the stage so quickly that he had barely been seen in the confusion.

"Hey! Wait!"

"My item!"

"Someone catch him!"

"Is he… is he a monster?!"

Jae-ha landed and immediately jumped off a roof, holding tightly the girl under his arm. She was holding onto his arm in complete silence, as if scared he'd let her fall on the ground if she was speaking up. He glanced down at her and his heart missed a beat, eyes widening in shock. She wasn't frightened to fall, she wasn't remaining silent because of the flight.

Her eyes were wide open and sparkling with life and despite the mud and blood on her face, she had the brightest smile. She looked towards the sky in awe and he could read on her face what she was thinking.

I'm free! I fly, I'm free!

Once they were away from the black market and at the edge of town, Jae-ha landed in a dark and narrow street, away from people and put her down.

The girl took a step away and fell on her behind, glancing up at him in a mix of hesitation and disappointment to be back on the ground – she almost looked like she was scolding him for landing on the ground.

"Who are you?" She asked immediately with a hoarse but strong voice.

"Your savior," he answered with a smile he tried to make nice.

She obviously didn't trust him and if he wanted things to go smoothly, he couldn't let her be as violent and fierce as she had been with her slave traders a moment ago – even if he did enjoy a slightly rough treatment from a pretty girl once in a while, he had the feeling this one might not be a treatment he'd enjoy at all.

She observed him with wide, surprised eyes, not believing him.

He took the opportunity in her silence to observe her more closely. Her hair was so dirty and muddy he couldn't figure out what was her hair color. Her petite stature and lack of curves under her clothes indicated that she was even younger than he had first thought – she couldn't be older than twelve or thirteen…

Forced into a slave so young… He thought bitterly.

He was about to ask her name – if she had one – when she spoke up:

"Thank you…" She murmured, her bright eyes the only thing he could see clearly in her miserable state.

Realizing that the only reason why she was being rough was because she wasn't used to being treated kindly, Jae-ha smiled and knelt on the floor in front of her, his head and green hair covered by his cape.

"I couldn't let such a fiery and pretty-looking girl being sold into slavery. My name is–"

He hesitated, not knowing whether or not he should give her his name. He could, to make her trust him, but if for some reason, she were to share his name and his power of flying around… it might get him in trouble.

"What will you do to me?" She asked suspiciously, body tensing up.

Her hands turned into fists and he had the feeling she was just about to punch her way away from him if he even tried anything bad against her.

"I will get you out of this town to give you a chance for freedom. I live in another town away from here, I will take you there and if you want, you could stay with my family. In all cases, I need to get us both out of this town before we are caught again."

He stood up, glancing around but there was still no one in view.

"I will go have a look at the surrounding to make sure no one has caught up with us. You stay here, I'll be right back!" he said with a smile.

He turned around and jumped on the roof then away. He made sure that there wasn't anyone nearby that might shoot them out of the sky as they'd get away then Jae-ha went back to the street where the girl had remained. But she was gone. He looked for her from the sky but there was no sign of the golden-eyed girl he had attempted to save.

Eight years later, Kai Empire…

A delighted chuckle escaped a man throat just as roamed his hands over the body of the woman who had caught his eye for the last few days in the nearest tavern and was now sitting on his lap, stroking and kissing.

"Uh uh uh, if I had known it'd be that easy to get my hands on you, beautiful~… I would have made a move long ago, haha~"

"You are taking the words from my mouth…" She whispered with a sweet smile just as the man's chuckle turned into a gurgling sound.

His eyes widened in distress and shock as he looked right into her eyes, not understanding what was happening. Unable to breathe and feeling death taking him, the woman didn't blink as she kept the hold on her dagger that was now in his throat. Blood was escaping from his mouth and throat, rolling onto her hand. Finally, he made a last squeaky sound before falling limp against the chair.

Immediately, the young woman pulled her dagger away and washed the blood off of it and her hand with a handkerchief she let fall on the man's face.

"If I had known it'd be that easy to get into this office, I would have done it days ago instead of wasting my time with you, pig." She added, already starting to walk around the office of one of the head of a southern town of the Kai Empire.

She casually looked into papers and files, opening boxes and little safes. She balanced a beautiful dagger covered in emeralds and rubies that had been decoration before swiftly putting it in her belt to sell later. She stopped in front of a mirror, brushing her long and silky black hair, admiring her reflection before continuing her inspection of the office.

She opened another file and saw the documents she had been looking for. She took the page and dropped without any more care the file on the floor, papers flying everywhere.

"Exactly what I was looking for…" She murmured as she folded the paper and put it in her robes, "Awa Port, uh… I'll have to go back in Kouka then…" She continued to herself before stopping next to the desk where the man had died.

She grabbed a leather pouch filled with golden coins, throwing it in the air before catching it.

"I'll take that, you won't need that anymore, will you?" She said with a smirk at the dead man.

She opened the window and jumped off of it, quickly disappearing into the night.