-Kazanko-
"Kyozuki Kihira" The young waterbender said as she poured herself a cup of hot tea before she went on
"Of course, I wouldn't know you personally - I'd have only been eleven back then, and I only left last year..." She was only a few years younger than his sister, it was strange but she reminded him a great deal about her, maybe she knew her? Maybe she could tell him how she was doing, or how is mother and father were! But then again the Northern city was very large, and the odds of her knowing his family were slim.
Then a different question popped into his head, why was such a young girl out in the middle of the Earth Kingdom? Normally a girl her age would be engaged or at home helping their parents. It was no secret that leaving the Northern Water Tribe was looked down upon, especially if it is a young woman who is leaving. So why was she here in of all places? The newly named city of Oma Shu was definitely not a safe place for a member of the Water Tribe. Had she run away from home? Was she pursuing someone, or was she the one being pursued? The waterbender laughed a bit inside his head letting only a slim smile show through to his face. He was over thinking things again.
The young girl went on to introduce some sort of proposition… A job for the mercenary perhaps? Well truth be told, he could never ask for payment from someone who looked so much like Chiyiko. Well, a little charity was good for his soul, and if it meant helping a young woman of the Water Tribe, then he would simply drop his current employer, its not like they would really care if a waterbender left their ranks…
He took another sip of his tea as he thought about what might be waiting for him once he answered.
“Well Miss Kihira...you’ve caught my attention, what is this proposition of yours?”
-Koji -
What was this feeling he had? He hadn’t felt like this since he was a child, this unstoppable trembling and sensation of cold ice running down his spine as he sat there in the alleyway, alone and uncomfortable. They knew… they knew that they weren’t Fire Nation, but how? There was no failed password, no checkpoint, just a violent explosion of movements and the two were surrounded by guards. He did his best, by the spirits he did his damnedest to keep them at bay, but that wasn’t enough to stop them from taking her away. They just kept coming, more and more seemed to simply pour out of the walls creating a large wave of red that could not be split by a lone bolt of lightning.
So how was it that he was here? The last he remembered he was ramming his bloodied knuckles into some soldier’s face, and then his body went limp as his surroundings faded into black. When he woke up he was in this alley, his stolen uniform still on his person, which from the throbbing pain, he knew was covered in bruises. His face felt rather swollen, no doubt a product of the beating he took while unable to fight back, and his entire body felt as heavy as a sack of bricks, but that wasn’t what made him feel this way. Rumi was gone… and he didn’t know where she was, weather she was even alive or dead, all he knew was that he had failed.
His arms wrapped around his knees as he continued to sit there. What was it he said when he agreed to this? It sounded like a nice challenge? Was he really that foolish? well Ji knew, and that is why he had refused.
‘Now look at me…’ the boxer thought to himself
‘ I haven’t felt this useless since I was a little kid… And… And I actually feel scared. What if they would have killed me? No… What if they killed Rumi' The more he thought about it the angrier he grew at himself. It was their first mission as the resistance and he had failed…
“I’m still too weak!!!” the boxer shouted as he slammed his bloody right fist into the ground. He ignored the pain that shot up from his knuckles and into his arm and continued to simply sit there.
“I haven’t grown at all…” he said as he wrapped his arms around his knees once again. It was true… at least in his mind it was true. He was still that useless little boy who longed for attention. That is why he fought after all.
‘So what is your move Lightning Knuckle? Are you just going to leave the others? Let them get taken away by the Fire Nation as well?’ Right… the others, they were still in this.
‘Forget the others! You have no obligation to them! Two days together and you think they care what happens to you?! They probably won’t even notice if you leave! Hahaha no one notices you outside the ring kid! FACE IT!’ No one noticed him outside the ring… the only reason anyone ever wanted him around was for his punch, Ji made a pretty penny because of it, and the resistance only wanted him for it…
‘You can’t just leave them Koji… It doesn’t matter if you’ve only known them for a few days… a strong man doesn’t abandon his comrades.’ The battered and beaten boxer rose to his feet as he tried his best to simply ignore the pain that covered his entire body.
“I need something to drink…” He said as he started to walk around aimlessly…
“Something hot…”