Author Notes: Hello again, everyone! I've been wanting to write something for Sooyonak, my OTP , so here's a little one shot. It takes place at the end of the Sei Kingdom arc, between Chapters 124 and 125. Enjoy :)

Warnings: Some angst, fluff, spoilers for the manga up until the Sei Kingdom arc and possible OOC-ness.

Rating: 'T'

Disclaimer: Akatsuki No Yona belongs to Mizuho Kusanagi.

- Story Start -

It was nightfall when Yona and Hak bade farewell to Lili who thanked them again for their help and handed over a big pack of supplies. They planned to leave Suiko City that night, but the road leading out of the city was a hive of activity. People were hurrying to and fro, looking excited.

"What's going on?" Yoon asked a passing woman.

"Haven't you heard? General Joon-Gi is so thankful for his daughter's rescue that he's holding a festival tonight!"

"Really?"

"Yes. It's too bad that Lady Lili is recovering from her ordeal and won't be able to attend, but there are performances, food stalls and even fireworks!"

"That sounds great," Jae-Ha commented.

"It is, you shouldn't miss it."

"I would advise you not to bring those along," added the woman's husband, nodding at Hak's wrapped glaive and Shin-Ah's sword. "General Joon-Gi has ordered his soldiers to make sure that no one brings any weapons to the festival. He wants to ensure it's a peaceful celebration."

A quick glance at everyone's faces told Hak they would be attending the festival. He didn't mind, it would be a nice break before they left the Water Tribe.

After a quick discussion, they hid their weapons and supplies in a nearby shed before joining the excited crowd. The road leading to the village had been cordoned off on both sides. Water Tribe soldiers were stationed at both ends to check for weapons while others strolled the perimeters, providing a watchful presence.

To disguise themselves, Yona pulled the hood of her cloak over her red hair while Kija put his right hand in a sling to pass it off as an injury. Shin-Ah decided to forgo his mask and Yoon hid the markings under his eyes with some face powder.

They passed the soldiers without incident. With everyone around them in high spirits, laughing and chattering, the group soon felt safe enough to split up in groups of two. Yoon divided out some of their precious money to spend as they liked.

They wandered around, looking at things or watching performances. The long row of brightly lit stalls seemed unending and everywhere they looked were cheerful faces and laughter... as well as the delicious aromas of sweet pastries and savoury meats.

The air was warm and a little smoky with so many grilled food stalls, but once in a while, a cool breeze would blow, making lanterns swing and cloaks ripple. Hak and Yona followed the slow moving crowd and took their time, stopping at whichever stall caught their fancy, be it sweets or pretty accessories.

At one time, Yona stopped to look at a collection of brightly decorated hair ornaments.

"Princess? Do you want one?" Hak asked, careful to keep his voice low.

But Yona smiled and shook her head before going to the next stall.

It took almost an hour to make their way to the last stall. Without a word, Hak took Yona's hand and crossed the road to look at the stalls on the other side. They had already passed Zeno and Shin-Ah scarfing down noodles at a small ramen stand, and Jae-Ha and Kija looking at hair ties a few stalls away.

Then someone appeared on the other side of Yona, tall and dressed in a pale robe with the hood up.

Instinctively, Hak drew Yona closer to his side, eyes narrowing as he tried to pick out the features under the hood. He caught a glimpse of fair bangs and heard Yona's sharp inhalation.

"Soo-"

"Shh!" A slender hand appeared, holding the index finger to well shaped lips. Aqua coloured eyes scanned their surroundings before looking at Hak and then Yona.

"Why are you here?" Hak demanded in a low voice, aware that Yona had stiffened by his side.

"I visited General Joon-Gi and Lady Lili this afternoon," Soo-Won said, speaking quickly with that same hand now held out as if to stall their protests.

"Did you know we'd be here?" Hak demanded.

"No. I thought you all had already left."

"Are you alone?" Hak asked, looking around. "Where's your entourage?"

Soo-Won blinked at that, looking surprised.

"Just General Joo-Doh and he's still with General Joon-Gi. I probably have an hour at most before he comes looking for me."

Hak raised his eyebrows at the unmistakable note of resignation in his voice and Soo-Won sighed.

"I told him I had a headache and would take a nap. In truth, I couldn't - General Joon-Gi kept hinting that Lili and I - well..." He trailed off, looking a little embarrassed.

"Lili is a dear friend of mine," Yona spoke at last. Her voice was neutral, but Soo-Won held up his hands again.

"She's my friend too," he said, "just nothing more than that."

"What do you want here?" Hak asked.

Soo-Won regarded him for a moment.

"Hak. We're all unarmed tonight as I'm sure you know," he said in a low voice. "I'm not exempted."

Hak stayed silent.

"Look, I know things have..." Soo-Won hesitated before pressing on. "I know we can't go back to how things were. But I haven't been to a festival like this since... since we were children."

Hak glanced at Yona, feeling a pang at her solemn expression. Just moments ago, she had been smiling happily, eyes sparkling and cheeks flushed with excitement.

"I remember," she said softly with a faraway look in her eyes. "You two were twelve and I was ten. Somehow, we managed to give General Joo-Doh the slip."

Hak and Soo-Won's gazes met over her head, the memory of that long ago day going through their minds.

"He and Elder Mun-dok gave us such a scolding when we returned three hours later," Yona continued, a small smile now pulling at her lips. "But we had fun."

"Yes, we did," Soo-Won agreed with a wistful smile.

"Yeah," Hak muttered.

"Hak, you bought me a chocolate taiyaki and Soo-Won bought me a stewed pear," Yona continued.

"You remember that?" Soo-Won's voice was low.

"There are some things you just can't forget," Yona's voice was equally so.

The three of them stayed silent for a long moment, lost in their memories.

- o -

As Yona looked between Hak and Soo-Won, all she could think of, with the echo of childish laughter at the back of her mind, was that startling moment at Kushibi Fort yesterday when a single look between them was all it took to save Lili's life.

No words were needed.

No explanations or gestures.

Nothing, but a single, urgent glance to achieve perfect understanding.

It made her mourn again for all the things they had lost. Even Soo-Won couldn't have been emotionally unscathed after setting this path himself, not after all the memories they had made together.

She could read the guarded hope in his eyes and the stiff set of his shoulders as if bracing himself for rejection. When she glanced at Hak, she caught the tiniest glimpse of the same expression in his eyes.

She knew they could never go back to who they were or enjoy what they had before; that was all in the past.

But they had the present. They had tonight.

Could she put all her hurt aside for the next hour?

Did she want to?

And what about Hak?

Was it fair to ask him to do the same?

To be honest, Yona still didn't know what she wanted to do about her personal grudges towards Soo-Won. But what she did know was that she didn't want further violence or bloodshed. And deep down, she didn't wish for any real harm to befall Soo-Won, anymore than she did for Hak or Yoon or the four dragons.

Taking a deep breath, she decided to take a leap of faith.

"We passed a taiyaki stall earlier," she prompted, steeling her voice to remain steady.

There was a quick intake of breath from Soo-Won.

"There's a steamed fruit stall over there," he said, the hope in his voice more obvious.

They both turned to look at Hak whose lips were pressed a thin line, eyebrows up. Then he exhaled and nodded, broad shoulders sagging.

"Yeah."

Yona smiled at him, suddenly close to tears.

"In that case, I would like a chocolate taiyaki and a stewed pear," she announced. "Shall we?"

Without waiting for an answer, she linked arms with both of them, smiling at how their eyes widened in surprise.

"Let's go then!"

She kept the smile on her face as they walked, despite the tightness in her throat. The taiyaki and pear would probably taste bittersweet tonight, but that was alright. There were unresolved things between them still, but having seen how well Hak and Soo-Won had worked together yesterday, she decided that she was selfish enough to want this for the three of them.

"Thank you, Yona," Soo-Won whispered, briefly pressing her hand to his side.

Yona blinked her tears away and nodded.

Life was fleeting and precious moments like these came but rarely. Perhaps one day, they could enjoy the closeness they had once had. But for now, she would appreciate whatever she could get, even if it was just an hour to remember.

- Story End -

A/N: Thank you for reading! Please leave a review if you enjoyed it, would love to hear from you :)