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"I didn't think spring would ever return," Jaeha was close, so close—but Kija didn't mind at all. Not even a year ago, Jaeha tried to avoid them all; he pushed away and didn't get close, denouncing the dragon blood and the gods and his destiny. "It's almost been a year though, since our little family joined up."
Kija nodded, staring off at the line of trees below them and breathing in their scent. The trees had formed a sort of tunnel and the purple flowers looked inviting. "A few weeks from now will be the anniversary from when I first met the princess."
"Is there anything else special that we should know about?" Jaeha teased and Kija made a face. "… it's my birthday, but I've… I've had enough of being paraded around on my birthday." He felt the heat burn his cheeks and he hastened to explain when Jaeha just stared at him. "Granny was most insistent that I find a wife and have plenty of heirs to protect our master." His smile went soft. "Now that we have Yona, I do not want to imagine anyone else watching over her."
"Do you miss your village, Kija?" Jaeha's voice was surprisingly gentle and none of the bitterness that had laced his words when he spoke of dragon villages before. He supposed that out of everyone, he had the easiest life in his village, even if the others saw hardships in it that he never thought about.
"I miss Granny," Kija shrugged faintly and looked back to the flowers. Wisteria had been planted near the graves of all the Hakuryuu that came before him; a comforting sight and scent that had given him resolve. "She was the one that always looked after me; she had always looked after all of the Hakuryuu, even three generations before me. She knew so much. I believe it was passed down in her family line as well, all the way back to the first Hakuryuu."
"I see—someone that guided you for your entire life is someone that you would like to see again." Jaeha tugged on his arm, leading him away from the flowers. "The captain was like that for me, even if I did drop into her life later." His grin was all teasing and mischief and Kija rolled his eyes. "I do not think it would go amiss if we went back that way at all; you already know how close we are, don't you?" he asked.
Kija nodded slowly. "I did not want to… bring it up," he said slowly. "My village is much different from Shin-ah's or… of yours, I suppose. I thought it would be selfish of me to even ask such a thing."
"I am sure that that Yona would not mind a rest," Jaeha steered him towards the rest of the group. He'd heard the signal saying that he had distracted Kija long enough and everyone was ready for him. "The rest of us, too—and just think," he teased. "Fluffy pillows and blankets for you to rest in."
Kija couldn't quite muffle the sigh of longing at that. A year on the road did not lessen twenty years of living in comfort with plush bedding and dozens of pillows.
"Well, don't be shy about asking for your gifts," Jaeha scolded, leading him into the clearing where the entire group stood, gifts in hand and bright smiles on their faces. "This does only come once a year, you know." He nudged him closer and Yona was the first to run up to him, throwing her arms around him in a tight hug.
"Happy Birthday, Kija," she murmured and Kija's face burned at the tight hug, the close proximity, the way she still was so casual and loving with him and he forced himself not to shove her away in his own embarrassment. "We couldn't do a great deal, but I wanted to give you this—" She pulled away enough to hand him a carefully embroidered wisteria flower on white cloth. It was slightly messy and small, but it was clearly something by her own hand.
"… I noticed you liked them—" she stumbled over her own words. "I know it's not very good and Hak said I shouldn't have even tried for something like this, but—" He squeezed her hand to stop the flow of words.
"You made this just for me?" he asked in shock, eyes wide as he looked down at it and then her. By her own hands, she had made this for him. No matter the level of skill she professed not to have, his master had gifted him. She gave him a shy nod in return. "Thank you, princess. I shall treasure it always."
The other gifts were just as sincere—food from Yun. "Fresh ingredients," Yun groused, "nothing that is weeds or bugs or anything else that will send you into a fit." His cheeks were red, though and the pastry was the best thing that Kija had in a long time. Who knew that Yun could make deserts as well as he did their ordinary travel fare?
"I promise," Hak's face was a little too sincere, "not to call you White Snake for the entire day." Kija sighed at that; he'd gotten so used to the nickname, but then Hak handed him something else and he blinked down at the feathers in his hand.
"I… you don't have to wear them," his expression said please don't. "But you… ah—" he turned away and waved a hand. "Everyone who is family to the wind tribe has feathers. Gramps made sure that you got some." His cheeks were red and Kija stared at him in astonishment. He couldn't even imagine the magnitude of such a gift and his eyes filled with tears, cheeks red and he reached out to Hak, trying not to blubber.
"You—you really see me as family like that?" He managed to latch onto Hak before the other reacted. "I'm so glad! I knew that we could be brothers together—"
Hak shoved him off and glared. "Not if you're going to cry about it," he growled. "Give me back the feathers if you're going to act that way."
Kija pulled his hand back. "No." He huffed. "You gave them to me in good stead." He wiped at his tears. "I’m just… just so happy- about it." He held them carefully and ignored the muffled laughter from the rest of the group. He really hadn't expected any of this—
Not even the glimmering stones that Shin-ah produced—river stones, sea-glass, all strong together and strongly reminiscent of the necklace that Shin-ah wore.
Zeno gave him a secretive smile and tugged him away from the crowd of well-wishers; he knew Jaeha's gift and wanted to give his gift to Kija before he was whisked away to his village to reunite with his Granny. "Zeno has his own gift to Hakuryuu, but it's not a physical thing, no." He shook his head. "The only thing Zeno kept from over the years was this…" he brushed his fingers over the medallion. "It always stays with Zeno!"
Kija stared at him, perplexed. "You don't have to do anything, Zeno," he said, rubbing the back of his head. "Everyone already—it's already so much that I have… you…" he made a face. "Really-it's okay." Still, a part of him was curious at what sort of gift that Zeno would provide. It may have been selfish of him, but…
Zeno shook his head firmly. "No, Zeno thought about what Hakuryuu would have wanted to have from Zeno and then Zeno thought about the Hakuryuu that Zeno knew before and thought it would be nice for Zeno to tell Hakuryuu a story of Zeno's Hakuryuu."
Kija's eyes went wider than before; Zeno never talked about his past at all. When they had asked, he had hurried the conversation along as if he had wanted to be rid of it as soon as possible. "You—you don't have to!" He protested. Zeno had strived for so long and so hard to be treated just like one of them that Kija had made himself treat Zeno that way, instead of how he would have normally venerated one of the first generation, one that stood by King Hiryuu.
"Zeno…" Kija's voice went hushed at the offer and he gently held his other gifts as he looked at Zeno and waited. No matter what the preparation Zeno had given himself to give this gift, it still had to be difficult.
"Zeno told you that the first Hakuryuu was like a wild boar, right?" Zeno asked, smile cheerful and there was no hint of pain there; there instead of was a sense of … relief. "Zeno also said that you reminded him of the first Hakuryuu." Zeno met his eyes and there was a calm there that Kija hadn't expected and this had to be the gift. "Did Hakuryuu know that the first Hakuryuu's name was Guen?"
Kija's mind went blank at that and he shook his head slowly. Zeno looked a little sad. "Ah, just like with Zeno, everyone forgot our names. Guen was the first Hakuryuu and Zeno's big brother. He was always looking after everyone, just like Ryokuryuu does now." He smiled a little brighter then, the tinge of sadness hidden underneath.
Kija bit his lip, even with all his smiles and bright chatter, Kija could sense something underneath it all. It did hurt, then—to talk of all this, of his past and of people long, long gone. He forced a smile on his face and patted Zeno on the head, much like he would have before he found out that Zeno was one of the original dragons. "I don't need to hear anymore," he said quickly, even if he was still intensely curious. "Zeno… can I just ask for one thing from you for my birthday?" His voice was hesitant.
Zeno blinked and nodded, tilting his head to the side and waiting for Kija's blushes and false starts to subside.
"I… you don't have to share anything about your… your family," he took his hand gently with the dragon claw, expression serious. "That you are here with us, is enough, that you see us as family. I just… just once," he asked wistfully. "Can I hear you call me by my name?"
Zeno blinked and then laughed a little. "Everyone wants Zeno to say their name, it seems," he shook his head. "Maybe Zeno has gone too long with not saying anyone's name. Zeno is being like the people that forgot his and his brother's names all that time ago." He gave Kija a gentle hug. "Zeno can do that. Zeno can called Hakuryuu by his name just once."
Pulling away, his smile was soft. "Let's go to get your last gift, Kija." He knew that more than just his name, Kija wanted to see the woman that had raised him and his father and his father before that. He wanted to share his own gift of the village to his new family, to let them see some of the history behind their heritage.
Kija stared at him and then nodded, a little thrown off and he was led back to Jaeha, who turned his back to him. "C'mon, Kija," he grinned. "You said that your village isn't that far away. I can take you there and you can stay and hug your granny to your heart's content without any of us getting in the way."
Kija coughed and looked embarrassed. "It.. it would please me more if everyone would come," he said carefully and Jaeha stared at him in shock. "Granny would love to meet all my brothers—and … and I want to show everyone that I have a family."
Jaeha laughed and rubbed the back of his head. "Alright, I can carry all of you there, one at a time…" he said slowly, but Kija shook his head at that.
"The walk will nice, don't you think?" he asked. "All the flowers are starting to bloom."