Through the Earth Kingdom VII

ninavask

Apr 14, 2008 18:27:18 GMT -6

Tobimaru continued the convincing dance of blades with the little prodigy. A smile on his face as he blocked and deflected and counter attacked their attacks. Finally he decided it was time to make himself pull off the act of the "Victorious conqueror." His little friend was doing very well, but he was far stronger then they could hope to be any time soon with the sword.

In one swift motion the actor caught his opponent's blade with his own, and began spinning it sideways, blunt end on blunt end, twirling the arms around in a circle until it got the desired result. He didn't have to wait long. After one spin, and a quick increase in pace and position, his opponent's blade was out of their hand and spinning up into the air. The actor caught the blade with a deft catch and spun as soon as it was in his hand. Both blades where to his protege's throat before they could react. He saw the genuine look of fear on their face, and knew he was wearing an determined mask of anger on his face.

The Actor let a warm smile cross his face and he spun the blades as he backed away from his friend. The collective gasp that the entire crew of actors had taken, and the breath held, was finally released at the look of amusement on Tobi's face as he began juggling the blades before speaking.
"Come on, say the line like I taught you."
He said with the smile on his face as he caught both blades mid flight and with a sharp swing slashed them to wards the ground at his sides, giving himself an almost terrifying look of anger on his face as he waited.

The Boy stood before the actor with a small hint of fear still on his face as he dropped to one knee and glared up at them. immersed in their role as he spoke the words that he always ended up speaking to Tobi.
"I will see you disgraced!"
And with that the boy ran out through the crowd, as if he had escaped his opponent. Tobi beamed with pride that the boy still remembered the words and nodded as he motioned for the scabbards to the swords to be tossed to him by one of the prop caretakers. Ramming the swords home in their scabbards he was the first to start clapping as his protege entered the ring of people again.

As soon as the boy was close enough Tobi put an arm over his shoulder and ruffled his hair with one hand. Losing his regal appearance in the black robes as he spoke.
"That was a great fight me friend! Great fight!"
He said and gave the boy's head another ruffle before breaking the one armed hug and shooing away the applauding actors around them. Telling them to get back to their duties as he returned to his position by the lake and looked for his tea, before calling for another cup of tea from one of the tea servers in the group. Who groaned at the request, having just sat down, but was still quick to get the tea and take it to them.

A smile on his face Tobimaru sat down beside the small lake and took a sip of his tea as he stared out over it. Returning his regal appearance as he sat cross legged in the black dress robe. The boy had gone back with the others, deciding not to dither about over here with him. The actor smiled subtly as he took another sip of his tea and took in the beautiful scenery around him in silence. His eyes watching the ripples of the water and the bright reflections of the sun that came off of them. Enjoying the beauty of the world around him in calm and content silence.

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Anonymous

Apr 20, 2008 10:17:26 GMT -6

"Not if you keep calling me ‘Sifu Chiye’.”

The prospect of once more putting off his fan training caused a slight sigh of frustration which he tried to cover with a respectful bow. Spending almost half of his life as a student of various trades made it extremely difficult not to refer to those teaching as 'Sifu'. Despite the extreme annoyance he felt the middle-aged runaway soldier was glad that Chiye didn't treat him any different than he would an annoying student of his own. Apparently further distance was created between Piandao's reputation and his true self and he couldn't be happier.
"I owed you for your 'old man' remark. I still have more years ahead of me than behind me." He almost added an 'I think' at the end but held his tongue.
It felt good to trade barbs and jokes with someone without either party becoming offended or uncomfortable.

The ambient noise of Chiye's practice made things all the more pleasant. While he reveled in the sound of Chiye's practice Auka was more than likely enjoying the sight of it. The sounds of the firebender's swings were too deep, but the joy in teaching was watching someone evolve. He felt that he should advise Chiye more but in the short time he knew her it seemed she wasn't fond of any sort of help...even if she were to ask for it.
With every swing Piandao imagined the outcome of each one and envisioned Chiye's sword being lodged in the bones of one of her victims. Then again, if she'd done it flawlessly the first time instructing her would be boring.

Normally, he would emphasize the mental aspects of swordsmanship and train via painting and calligraphy but without the necessary tools only mundane physical methods were available. Idly, he wished some bandits would attack for some hands-on training.
Some sort of current or gravitational force pulled the swordsman closer to Chiye as he further listened to her swing the wooden sword. He imagined her arms must be getting tired.
"My old sifu used to throw fireballs at me to motivate me but the prospect of Auka gripping the sword for you and calling you kitten seems far worse."

He looked over his student and examined her in a way that more than likely made him look like a dirty old man. With his eyes he measured her height and the length of her arms and mentally adjusted the size of the sword he would make for her.
"Would you mind if I asked about your sudden interest in the sword?" The practice sword streaked across in a straight line and made the song Piandao was looking for to which he made a grunt of approval.

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honoo

Apr 21, 2008 15:54:58 GMT -6

((Continued from this post in the last TTEK thread:

SPOILER: Click to show

Tora remembered the not-so gentle clatter, the splash and the frantic movement from within the room. Honoo was safe, wasn't he? It didn't matter. The kid had survived on his own (if just barely) it seemed, so what was a night of punishment? Besides, the flame was a firebender. He would live whether he liked it or not. Tora continued to stroke the fabric, which was softer then their dirty clothes, and rubbed it on his abdomen in an almost bragging fashion.

And yet, there was no response, or if there was, Tora didn't hear it. All he heard was the sound of his own breathing, slow and steady, the flickering of the fire in the oil lamp, and the wind as it picked up coldly outside. As he addressed the closed door again, he realized that he ceased to use Honoo's given name. It could become a habit, that. When he was angry, he could call him something degrading, something he would remember. Only when the little flame was good would he receive a name...

"Uke?" he said. The term was familiar. His mother had taught him its meaning, and its counterpart. "Uke-chan? You really need to speak up if you want your Tora-sama to hear you..." He grinned and unintentionally gripped the collar in his fist. Just looking at it and feeling it defined it as weak, but Tora himself knew that it would be sturdy for fabric, and hard to break.

He glanced down at his naked body, and felt no shame towards it. Unlike most of the girls his age, he was perfectly happy with his figure, his stature. He stood from the bed and picked up the plush towel. He wrapped it around his waist again, and it draped down to his shins. He then moved to sort through his clothing. Honoo's couple of outfits were all dirtied and smelly. Tora, who had more outfits, even Earth Kingdom garb, had a few articles that were totally unworn. He stripped off the towel and slipped on a Earth Kindom civilian's attire. It was delightfully clean.

"Flame-chan?" he said, and chuckled to himself. "I'm going to go and take our clothing to be washed. You stay put until I get back." He hesitated, then quickly went to Honoo's bed. He stripped it of its sheets, blankets, and quilts, which he placed on his own bed. Then he heaved the frame and mattress to the opposite corner of the room, which contained the least light and was right underneath another vent. Though this one was technically smaller, a night beside it wouldn't be comfortable, despite the mild conditions outside. The wind was still cold, right?

Since that was finished, he gathered up the clothing that was dirty and slipped the room key into his pocket. He left the room, and locked it (from the outside) behind him. Tora had a real issue upon him now. He had no idea where a laundry room would be, or even if this small in had one. He made his way downstairs, where the main room was considerably less full, but not entirely empty yet. He tried a few unmarked doors, and found a men's washroom, a woman's washroom which he hastily backed out of, and finally a small room with many steaming basins.

He dumped their clothing into the basin, found some material soap, and poured it into the water. It appeared as if some of the other basins were similarly treated. Clothing floated gently in the steaming baths, and soap suds swirled calmly about. He smirked at the drying racks that hung on the walls. Excellent.

After several minutes of mixing, waiting, and scrubbing against the washboard, Tora's hands were sufficiently wrinkled, and the clothing was at least a few shades brighter. He brought the articles out, one by one, wrung them, and hung them on multiple empty racks. He stepped back and was proud of his work. His mother, as unloving as she was, had taught him well. He could pick them up in the morning...

He went back up into the room, unlocked the door, and entered. Honoo wasn't free yet, Tora noted with a touch of happiness. He set about the task of shifting his bed away from the door, though he kept the desk directly beside it, and still very far away from Honoo's bed. Tora finished (it was probably around ten-thirty or eleven by that time) and clasped his hand over the door handle. Did he really want to release his captive...?

Yes, he told himself firmly. I may control this creature, but I am not a beast myself. He turned the handle, found it unlocked, and pulled the door open. The first thing he saw was the soaked towels, the empty tub, and the upended soap holder. He looked down to see the pale naked body huddled, shivering, before him.

His smile fell suddenly, and he flung the door all the way open, hard, making its joints hyperextend and the wood slam into the wall. He stepped back and motioned to Honoo's bed, which was as cold and naked as the flame that was to sleep on it. "Your bed, my flame-chan," he spat. His voice was acid icy and filled with anger, and though his expression was calm it had a slight angle of bitterness.

He turned away quickly and began to make his way to his own bed now, which had many comfortable layers of blankets and sheets, as well as extras just in case he got too cold...

My apologies to Fu-Ling in advance for the not-very-great post.))

Honoo’s lips were blue. This was not surprising, considering the amount of time he had been sitting here, the complete lack of insulating body fat, the coolness of the wind, and water droplets’ heat leeching effects. Actually, it was amazing that he was still conciou – oh. Nevermind that.

The younger firebender was leaning against the wooden door, eyes closed. Breath passed his lips, probably (you’d need a mirror to find out) and his heart still beat. Slowly. By the time the door opened, he was no longer shivering. In fact, he basically toppled over and hit his head on the ground.

“’Nyme awake…” he mumbled, eyelids fluttering but not opening. A voice mumbled commandingly at him. He had no idea what it said. Didn’t matter. Tired. Want sleep. Go back to sleep. Dreamland warm. Nice and toasty. Roaring fire. Pretty fire. Burn with the fire, please? Tora says smell the burning fire. It’s good for you.

Mm. The smell of smoke. It was good… Wait. The fire’s in dreamland! You can’t smell dreams! Honoo woke in earnest this time, and found he was lying on some scorched wood. He had firebent? In his sleep? At night? That couldn’t be right.

“Whuhh?” asked he through a numbed tongue. He tried to stand up, but his limbs seemed awfully stiff and numb. So he did the only plausible thing and tried to crawl forward. Almost immediately he bumped into something, and then realized he probably needed to open his eyes. He did, and waited for them to adjust. He saw that he was kneeling before a wall. Some nagging voice told him that, for some reason, he was supposed to turn to the right. He did, and saw a pair of legs and two beds. He crawled forward, and his arms began to ache.

Honoo tried to stand up, but a swiftly encroaching blackness sent him back to the floor. He felt incredibly tired, so he sat there, leaned back, and lost consciousness once more.

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suyami

Apr 21, 2008 22:09:50 GMT -6

Kyuru had just started to relax his cramped muscles when the girl let loose a barrage of angry words against his poor self. Spirits, she was one bellicose woman when it came to berating someone. Kyuru winced slightly, almost afraid she would take out a stick and start beating him with it. Couldn’t she wait till he was well enough to fight back? Apparently not…

Then, for a moment, he actually started to listen to what she was saying. She had been worried about him? Obviously so, since she was screaming at him about thinking he was dead. Huh. She cared… who knew? Well, if Kyuru got any more of this “caring”, his ears would collapse in on themselves. He decided to answer her angry questions, even if they were most likely rhetorical.

“What was I doing?” He paused, a bit insulted. What did she think he was doing? Skipping through the woods, throwing rose petals while his back bled? “I was trying to find you, that’s what! Seriously, do you know how hard it is to find you guys? When I couldn’t, I took rest in this fair tree.” Kyuru glanced at the tree and patted it.

He looked back to find Eun examining his various wounds. Kyuru smiled what was meant to be a brave smile, but it probably came out as a pained grimace. “Stitches?” he asked incredulously, “Who’s going to sew me up?” He glanced at Oyushi, backing up a bit. “Hey, man, I don’t know about you, but I don’t think you’re too good with a needle.” He glanced furtively behind him; if they attacked him with a needle, he was going to run.

He glanced at Eun, waiting to answer her question till both of them were paying attention. He gingerly sat back against the tree, hissing when his back hit the bark. He felt the earth shake beneath him when Oyushi earthbended something, he didn’t bother looking to find out. He listened to Oyushi order Eun to go get some stuff, and he stayed still when the man looked over his cuts and slashes. Battle wounds, Kyuru told himself, They’re battle wounds.

He managed to pay attention to Oyushi’s words, and nodded his head absently. However, he would probably have to tell them sometime, and now was best. He didn’t want to repeat it. “Oh, well, the bartender caught up with me.” He grinned sheepishly at the both of them. “I guess I’m not as fast as an old fat man.” He frowned to himself; he would have to work on his speed. “Well, anyways, we got into a fight, there was a bit of rock throwing, and I came out the worst… at first.” Kyuru grinned once more. “Then I brained him with my staff, and kicked him all the way back to the village. He won’t be waking up soon, and when he does, he’ll have a nasty headache.”

Kyuru pondered the rest of Oyushi’s question. “Well, I rinsed it out at a creek, and that was pretty much it. Hope it doesn’t get infected… And it hurts, obviously, it’s bleeding, but I’ll be fine.” He shrugged like it was nothing, but that cut felt like a gods-cursed brand across his back.

He closed his eyes and waited for something, anything. A sign, oblivion, darkness. Unconsciousness would be a blessing as of right now, but he didn’t want a beautiful little flower like Eun to see him in a weak state. In his blood-loss state of delusion, he had forgotten that he didn’t trust the pretty woman.

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ailin

Apr 23, 2008 12:31:06 GMT -6

OCC: Achiro, like I've said before, I'm so sorry about the delay! I hope that this begins to make up for it. ^_^

'Genius. You are the absolute most brilliant soldier in the entire army. Father should jump from his grave to congratulate you.'

There was an overwhelming urge to smack herself in the forehead. Or bang her head against a rock, a tree, anything solid enough to knock some freaking sense into her. Ai Lin resisted these powerful masochistic thoughts because it would accomplish absolutely nothing. It might confuse Yasushao, show him that the stranger in the night was one hundred percent insane, but how would that look?

On second thought, it might make the firebending aspect pale in comparison.

In every way, this was a shameful display of the young soldier's abilities; ones that were in serious question since the ambush. Ai Lin felt heat rush to her cheeks and knew that it had nothing to do with the fire in front of her. She hoped that her face was hidden in shadow enough to cover that new display of incompetence.

Incompetence. Incompetent. Oh great Agni, that was really all that she was. Years of training, strict drilling with Grandfather, hard decisions, desires to assure that Father's memory would live through her, live gloriously through her, it was all useless. Ai Lin had learned nothing of control, of discretion, of anything that a soldier needed. Especially when that soldier happened be behind enemy lines staring at the possibility of a war ender right in front of her.

Yasushao had been that possibility for a split second. An unaware young man who could be told the truth of history that was colored in dead and muted tones by the rest of the Earth Kingdom. He had opened the walls of Ba Sing Se to her, showing her a tactic that no one in the army had thought of before.

And she had blown it in a literal sense. It was stereotypical Fire Nation passion...no, short fuse.

"Fires flare up. Don't change the subject," Ai Lin said. Her voice was calm now, but had that harsh edge. "I should not have raised my voice. It doesn't help things," she added after a moment's pause.

Maybe it was that she had never been taught about the intricacies of...she supposed the term was diplomacy. Even getting an earthbender to listen to someone other than their own kind was a miracle of some sort. The young soldier's training had been more of the military tactics variety, honesty in combat, and becoming a finely sharpened sword of her homeland. Feeling more like a dull rusty blade at the moment, Ai Lin was now acutely aware how much out of her element she was. Never having friends, only having comrades, life was to follow orders not to compromise. It was fighting the good fight, spreading progress and civilization through combat, not through flowery prose and poetry. Time away from the army at large had honed her lying skills enough that she didn't spill her affiliation every time an Earth Kingdom citizen asked her a question.

That didn't make it any better. Everyone knew what each side was fighting for and neither side agreed. What was there to talk about? How she hated this. It was one thing to fight a war with the uncompromising barbaric enemy, it was another to have to talk to them about it. Diplomacy had been discarded by the wayside around the time the war started. Was it realistic to expect a soldier to fall into that silk robe without a moment's hesitation?

'Don't try to lessen the sting of the mistake you just made. You're an idiot. This is not how you honor Father. Pull yourself together or never go back to the army at all. They don't need a disgrace.'

Popping and crackling, the fire continued to provide the two some sense of illumination against the shadowed cloak of the night. Cool breezes made the tips of the flames waver and foretold the coming of the morning in a few hours.

Somewhere in the distance a nocturnal animal made a hooting noise.

Another soft cool wind ruffled Ai Lin's hair, carrying it across her face. Her lips thinned into small line and the pulled the ebony bangs back where they belonged.

Her hand then reached for a small twig lying alone next to her. Hazel eyes, reflecting a dim gold in the light of the fire stared deep into its heart while a tiny snapping sound came from the twig. The lone piece of wood now two tiny pieces, Ai Lin threw them into that heart of the campfire. A chorus of cracking and popping noises followed.

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hanabi

Apr 23, 2008 14:18:52 GMT -6

Silently in a river near the campsite an unconscious girl silently drifts onwards face up out of the water as the streams steady current carries her onwards. Her mind worked out what had happened too her, her last memories being of a Wooden Ship, and something striking her vessel casting her into the Sea, her trying too swim and managing too finally get herself face up before something struck her in the water knocking her out.

As the tide carried her onwards her eyes shifted beneath there lids her arm twitching at her side as she bumped into some rocks she was passing in the Creek. Her fingers flexed slightly as the currents picked up washing her under a moment, her fingers kept twitching her, by lucky having been exhaling when the water had washed over her.

She struck the rocks again washing past this time her hand unconsciously reaching out grabbing onto one of the rocks, her holding on unconsciously, trying too keep herself from getting washed downstream.

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kaitokatashi

Apr 25, 2008 13:23:12 GMT -6

The sun beat down on Haru as he trekked the path he'd been on since he left his village. For whatever reason, a seed of unrest had been unknowingly planted somewhere deep inside him and now it had bloomed, resulting in the unexpected decision to leave home for a while. He couldn't explain it, but the travel had been good for him. He'd almost forgotten how beautiful the Earth Kingdom could be, especially when you took it for granted because you lived there.

A smile lit up the young Earthbender's face as he heard a welcome sound: running water. It'd been some time since his water skin had become empty and the heat wasn't doing anything to help. He ran towards the source of the sound, a river, and knelt down. As he dipped his hands into the liquid, he felt a cool comfort wash over him as the mouth of his water skin sank below the surface. Joyfully, he poured the contents over his head, feeling another rush.

Something caught his jade eyes as water ran down his face in rivulets: a person. Alarmed, he shot to his feet and immediately assumed the stance he used for Earthbending. Focusing his energy into his core, he stomped the ground as he made motions with his hand, setting into each pose momentarily before gliding effortlessly into the next.

The end result of his bending was a small island that popped up in the middle of the river, well above the water. On it, there lay a girl who seemed to be unconscious. Still frozen in his bending stance, he brought his foot down one more time, causing a bridge between the makeshift island and the riverbank to rise out of the water. Carefully, he walked to where the girl lay, picking her up and setting her down on the bank.

It was times like this he wished he were a Waterbender. This girl probably swallowed water, and he couldn't get it out with Earthbending. He put an ear to her chest, hearing a heartbeat. A sigh of relief escaped his lips as he tried to wake her up with some light slaps to her face.

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hanabi

Apr 25, 2008 15:08:55 GMT -6

Blackness, it was all that Hanabi could see behind her eyes, cold, water, it was all she could feel for what felt like the longest of times. It strangely didn't feel so cold her hand didn't hurt from holding on so hard to the peace of rock.

Hanabi stirred as his light slaps stung at her cheeks, her head moving a bit to the side.

The images behind Hanabi's eyes started to flow, images of the ship she had set sail on, the freezing rain and booming thunder, black clouds circling and in a tide of water her getting cast from the ship into the water. She remembered slowly as the images flashed her getting washed down a current fighting with all the skill she had to keep her head above the water. A white flash stung her as something stung her face. Had she struck a rock? The waters tide slowed but the fight with the current for an unknown time had left her to tired too get to shore and she had leaned back propping her head above the water, everything slowly turning to a blur as she took in half breaths of air and focused on keeping water out of her lungs. More stinging on her face, the current wasn't this strong, Was it? Her hand hand feeling great pain from holding onto a Jagged Rock. The white stinging on her face was getting annoying, it came again and again. She could feel she wasn't in the water anymore.

As he slapped her first reaction was to put her hand to the strange person slapping her and push him back, but all she managed too do was put her hands lightly on his shoulders, them dropping a second later to her side again, her right hand had a scar on it, that matched inside and out like it had gotten stabbed, and then burned shut painfully.

Hanabi slowly opened her eyes, Her right eye was a beautiful deep sunset orange with a slight bluish hue at around the pupil, her other eye, her left eye had a scratch along the inside of it, being mostly faded and damaged looking, the line of the scratch that eye matched the scar that went from inside of her red headband down her cheek and slightly along her cheekbone. Hanabi's eye color in that eye was mostly gone, a slightly orange white with no pupil left in it. As if the cut along her face had been poisoned and had mostly killed that eye.

Hanabi noticed Haru and looked up at the long haired boy who was probably sixteen in her eyes, "W-who are you?" she asked weakly struggling with the slight daze she was still under from being unconscious in a stream.

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kaitokatashi

Apr 25, 2008 15:21:12 GMT -6

Haru breathed another sigh of relief as the girl awoke, clearly unaware of where she was. The thing that surprised him even more was that she didn't ask where she was, but rather, who he was.

"Uh...my name's Haru. Are you okay?" he asked, his face an obvious mask of concern. He hadn't been too worried about her trying to push him away, but only because she hadn't hurt him. If she had, he might not have been as concerned for her safety as he was. Still, she didn't seem dangerous, but he'd still be on his toes. Looks can be deceiving.

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hanabi

Apr 25, 2008 15:30:12 GMT -6

Hanabi reached down placing a hand to the earth under her a twinge of pain in her fingers in her right hand from clinging to that rock for so long, she pushed herself into a sitting position, looking around confused, "I'm... okay..." she said looking for any sign of her old wooden ship, or the crew she had bought.

She saw only the beautiful riverside of the Earth Kingdom, "Haru, that's a nice name." she muttered under her breath looking at him, "I'm Hanabi." She tried to think of the rest of her sentence but her thoughts where still blurred. She wasn't too worried about where she was. She was alive and recovering so that was all that mattered to her. She never had a destination when she had set out on her ship, therefor she had just been following her own whims.

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kaitokatashi

Apr 25, 2008 17:05:54 GMT -6

"Nice to meet you," Haru said, flashing her a dazzling smile.

"Listen, I don't know if you have anywhere to be, but there's a town not too far from here. Would you like to go there with me and get some supplies and a place to stay?" he asked, not knowing why he was extending this courtesy to her. Still, she looked lost and probably was, so unless she was some sort of assassin or something, it was probably safe to say that he wasn't going to die if he helped her out. He didn't want to leave her, especially if she was going to Omashu or Ba Sing Se. She'd be sure to get captured by the Fire Nation and then where would she be? In a Fire Nation prison, something he didn't wish on anyone. He'd been there before.

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hanabi

Apr 25, 2008 17:38:46 GMT -6

Hanabi smiled at Haru pushing herself to her feet, "I will take you up on that offer, but... no place to stay, I like traveling, the world is too wonderful for me to settle into a home." He could of meant in, but she had assumed he meant more long term.

Hanabi walked over to him and looked into his jade eyes, "So where to first?" she asked him. She herself was recovering quickly, having not inhaled any water she hadn't been really injured, just fatigued.

Hanabi herself felt indebted to Haru, he did after all pluck her from the river, probably saved her life. and she felt she owed him for the aid he gave her, a debt she intended to repay.

"You probably saved my life. I'm gonna stick with you tell I repay the favor, even if that takes a long time. My skills as a Martial Artist will help me to repay my debt to you." She looked like her energy was returning and she was looking less groggy.

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kgal

Apr 25, 2008 18:38:59 GMT -6

{WARNING: may contain explicit content containing nudity. Read at your own discretion.}

Tora watched as his uke slowly made his way out of the washroom, naked and freezing. The boy crawled around, looking delirious and confused. Tora wrinkled his nose at the smell of the unintentionally scorched wood, but felt his anger fading. He sat on his nice, warm bed, fingering the soft collar with his wrinkled hands.

When Honoo collapsed beside the icy-looking bed, Tora felt a jerk of guilt. No... That was wicked. No human, even a young firebender, would last the night like that. Tora stood, his Earth Kingdom garb rustling, and made his way to his unconscious uke. He lifted up the pale figure easily, remembering how light the boy was. Every inch of the thin boy was covered in goosebumps, and Tora gently stroked the boy's skin. He cradled his flame in his arms, like an infant, and then brought the boy to his bed.

He shoved the sheets and blankets to one side with his bare foot and gently slid onto the mattress. He then replaced them over himself and his uke. His hands rubbed up and down the bumped skin, slowly spreading warmth to the younger male. How had he thought this was a good idea? Whatever... he thought to himself. He wouldn't do it again, he vowed. Death is totally uncool... He wanted to say it out loud, but didn't want to scare Honoo, whether the boy could hear him or not.

Carefully, subtly, the elder clasped the soft collar about Honoo's scrawny neck. It was a nice fit, a bit loose for healthy slack, but able to keep itself up on the skin. The tiger began to comb through Honoo's frigid hair, enjoying how it was nice and tidy. For most of the journey here, the long black tresses had been messier than the feathers on a sparrowkeet after it flew through a hurricane. But now, as stiff and cold as the locks were, his long fingers slid through it with ease.

"Honoo-chan? I know it's late, but see what I made you?" He breathed on the cold ear of the uke. His thumb pet the soft flesh of Honoo's collarbone. "Isn't it pretty and light?" When he made it, he made sure that it wasn't heavy or cumbersome, just a simple reminder that he was owned. Owned... Tora thought with swelling pride. For the first time, he was an owner. He had something valuable to protect.

Was Honoo valuable, though? The skinny, messy child who was constantly disobedient? Tora thought as he pet Honoo, who was set between Tora's crossed legs. After a moment, he answered himself: Yes. My flame-chan is very important. Very valuable.

Far more valuable than Tora had been with his mother. But enough about that...

Tora drew a finger from the back of Honoo's neck down his spine to between his hips, though still on his back. "Are you warm?" He whispered, whether Honoo could hear him or not. Suddenly, the tiger felt exhausted. His long day and previous sleepless nights were taking a toll on his body, strong as it was. With a few more pets to the chilly skin of his uke, Tora finally let himself fall back onto his pillow. Tora's hair was fully dry, though his fingers were still clammy from Honoo's hair. He could still feel the nakedness on his legs, but it was light, like a cat, and cold like an ice cube.

And he didn't mind. He'd been that young once. But it seemed like a very, very long time ago. His muscles seemed to flicker from tiredness, and then they felt heavy. Too heavy to move. He laid limp on the bed, his Earth Kingdom garb pleasant in the lukewarm air. "You may sleep on my bed if you'd like, Honoo-kun," he mumbled sleepily, "so long as you put that lamp out..." The orange light had been comforting before, but now were just too bright on his tired eyes. The lights that filtered from the buildings outside through the vents would suffice, as would the dim yellow glow from the slightly ajar bathroom door.

He tried to let his entire body shut down, and it did so, but slowly. He waited patiently for sleep to come, exhausted.

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Last edit by kgal: Apr 25, 2008 18:39:40 GMT -6

honoo

Apr 25, 2008 19:14:14 GMT -6

At first, as he slept vaguely, he felt warm. But then, something registered that he’d now felt warmth. Consciously, he wouldn’t have known the difference, but the human body, even that of an uke, is an adaptable thing – it knew when it needed to hold in heat and even go into a dormant state, and it knew when it needed to let heat back in to itself prevent the denaturing of critical enzymes.

Of course, no one actually knew what happened there – they, and therefore Honoo, just knew that if you got cold enough, your body shuts down, and if your body shuts down for to long, you die. Granted, hypothermia was not common among the tropical dwelling Fire Nation, and firebenders normally managed to keep themselves warm, but something of the sort was known.

Honoo himself felt something that might have been a dream or might have been a hallucination as warm fingers rubbed his skin, gently opening the pores to drink in the heat. The strange, leathery weight upon his neck could have been real, but where would a leather… A leather… Something leather come from? And Tora had been punishing him, and was utterly superior to him, and had even expressed his intentions to make him sleep on a separate bed. Therefore, rationally speaking, he was not in the same bed as Tora at all. It was wishful thinking, of course. He wasn’t feeling the pull of loving fingers through his hair, he wasn’t feeling the weight of the sheets atop him, and he wasn’t in the tiger’s arms. The clarity of the hallucination definitely was caused by the fact that he was dying. Everyone knew that when you were dying you saw everything you had ever wanted within reach…

Well, he’d better enjoy it while it lasted. Honoo tried to nuzzle the nearest foreign flesh, and found that he smelled Tora’s ear. It was scented, unsurprisingly, like Tora. That’s a good thing, decided the little flame happily. He tried to move his arms to hold close to imaginary-Tora, but they were still a bit numb, so he didn’t feel what he was touching.

His ears popped suddenly, and he could hear. Though he didn’t realize it, he had missed everything that had been said for a while, and he could hear only the slow, rhythmic breathing of someone close to sleep. The room suddenly came into focus as his eyes opened. He was in Tora’s bed. In sudden fear, he pushed himself backwards and fell off the narrow bed. The pain of hitting the floor took a while to register, and by the time it did he had scrambled up onto the bed. He whimpered, and looked around.

The light! Tora wouldn’t want the light if he was sleeping! Honoo shifted numbly out of the bed and walked toward the light. He slipped in the puddle he had made, and fell short, on the ground with a thumb. A second passed, and then he cried out in sudden pain.

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kaitokatashi

Apr 25, 2008 23:33:05 GMT -6

Haru was in disbelief at first. Was this girl swearing a life-debt to him? He didn't know whether he could have that hanging over him or not. Sure, he'd saved her life, but it wasn't like that was something that needed to be repaid. If it was, almost every Earthbender in his village would be indebted to Katara for saving them from the Fire Nation.

Still, it might be nice to have a travel companion, especially since you couldn't just pluck people out of rivers all the time. He held back a remark about him being and Earthbender, because the girl seemed very eager and who knew? Maybe she could teach him some moves to incorporate into his Earthbending repertoire.

"All right," he said, smiling at her.

"There's a village about two miles up ahead. We can grab some snacks there," he said. He almost stomped a walking stick from the ground, but he figured that the fact that he was an Earthbender wasn't important enough to reveal right this second. Besides, there were plenty of trees around.

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Last edit by kgal: Apr 26, 2008 8:43:56 GMT -6

kgal

Apr 26, 2008 7:48:21 GMT -6

There was another unmistakeable thump as the lightness of the boy fell off of Tora. He wanted to sigh, but it came out a yawn. Was it really the realization that Honoo could sleep in the same bed as Tora, or was it something different? Maybe Honoo was actually obeying him. But a moment later there was a scrambling, and then another heavy thump, accompanied a second later by a cry of pain. And the light was still on.

His anger flared, and so did the lamp's light, but Tora realized he was too tired to do much. "Honoo-kun, get up and turn the light out..." His voice was croaky with tiredness. He yawned again, and didn't really want to speak more. But he did anyway. "When you're done with that, get your bare ass back up here. Yes, you're actually sleeping with me tonight." So don't complain, crazy, he thought to himself.

Despite the fire, whether Honoo had complied or not in extinguishing it, Tora felt himself slipping. He wearily drew the blankets up to his chest, making sure to leave slack on the other side of him in case Honoo came up. Tora found his mind wandering. It went back to the Fire Nation. To the Academy and the firebenders he'd fled from. And ultimately, to his mother. Did she miss him? Did she resent him? Did she still make those clay bracelets?

For some reason, his mind stuck at the bracelets. The handmade gifts for all those that she "cared for" and "loved" as if they were actually with her. Tora had done the same with Honoo-chan. He'd made the soft leather collar, the signal of being owned, but also having pride. Again, Honoo wasn't just a piece of merchandise that Tora would forget in a heartbeat. He was valuable, he was precious.

Tora found himself leaving his bed, wandering downstairs to the wash room and finding Honoo there, doing the laundry. He was dressed in nice neutral clothing, the sort of garb that didn't signify alliance to any nation, but merely an off-white tunic. Honoo wasn't wearing the collar, Tora noticed, but he wasn't very mad. Tora simply wrapped his arms around the younger boy as he washed the fabric, scrubbing it up and down and up and down, over and over.

And then it was still nighttime, but Honoo was wearing his collar. He stuck close to Tora, afraid of the shadows and what lurked in them. Tora liked the feeling of Honoo clinging to his arm, always threatening to make him fall flat on his face, and yet always keeping him tethered to the ground.

But then came the pier, and Honoo wasn't at his side. The waters were black, rushing fast and crashing against each other. The current led straight into sharp rocks some distance away. If he didn't sink and drown first, he would end up with the fate of many ships. He wanted to get away from the indimidating waters, but his feet were still stuck on the ground. He could turn, but not run away. Behind him stood his mother, as well as three firebenders she'd more than likely slept with.

Her hands grabbed him and shoved him backwards, he stumbled, trying to scream. His throat closed and no sound came out. And there was Honoo, too timid to save him as Tora slowly fell backwards into the violent waters. His stomach flipped over, once, twice, again, and he slid head-first into the suffocating waters beneath him. He was constantly battered, water pressure crushing his lungs into pancakes. And still, he could only think of Honoo, and what the younger boy would do without his seme...

With a jerk that nearly flung him off the bed, Tora stuttered awake. He gasped, but regained himself before anything else happened. Honoo... he thought, panting quietly. He still laid on his bed. Was there the familiar weight of the naked young boy? Tora's clothing was hot. He stripped to the off-white tunic underneath, and then took that off as well and shoved the garments to the floor. Then he laid back again, pressing a forearm to his head. Koh, that had been scary.

He looked to his side, expecting to see the youthful face of Honoo beside him, awake or sleeping at whatever time it was.

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Last edit by kgal: Apr 26, 2008 18:02:08 GMT -6

honoo

Apr 26, 2008 16:13:34 GMT -6

{Warning 1: Contains inappropriate stuffs.
Warning 2: Inappropriate stuffs are badly written.}

And of course it would take him that long to realize that he was naked. It’s awfully nice to be soaking wet lying on the floor of a room with a bruised knee, hip, and whatever else was aching. He couldn’t even identify where the hard floor had hurt him. Well at least he was awake now.

Oh wait, was he freaking out? Tora wouldn’t like that. He should do exactly what he was supposed to and blow out the candles. Pushing against the ground, he climbed unsteadily to his feet. He watched the floor carefully to avoid wet spots and walked over to the candles. He had to make the candles go out. Something told him that a firebender, even a useless one like him, blowing on them wouldn’t do. Maybe he could spit? But his mouth was dry as the Si Wong desert…

Great time to notice that you were thirsty. Honoo glared at the candles, as if making them feel bad enough about themselves would make them go out. Then he grabbed each of them and dropped them in a puddle of water. They smoked and went out. Feeling accomplished, he strode forward, slipped, and fell backwards, landing hard on his tail bone. He whimpered and crawled over to Tora’s bed, which he climbed in.

It was warm. He sighed, turned toward Tora, and tried to snuggle as close as…

He woke up to the feeling of a sudden movement beside him. He struggled out of the depths of sleep as best as he could, and felt as exhausted afterwards as if he’d been that far underwater. Tora was taking off his clothes with some difficulty, but with that obvious anger associated with being far too hot. Honoo’s other senses slowly came awake, and he smelled sweat (Tora’s sweat, which actually was surprisingly pleasant…). His mouth tasted like dust. Ew.

“Tora…?” he asked cautiously, using his arm to prop himself up. He looked around, trying to take stock. The sun hadn’t risen yet, but the sky outside was that twilight blue of early morning. The sheets were rumpled, and gathered at the foot of the bed, except the few that covered Honoo from the waist down. His legs ached, as did his backside and his arms, and there was a cool breeze blowing against the bare skin of his slightly moist back.

There was a slight moment’s pause as Honoo put three and three together and got six. Tora wasn’t wearing clothes. The bedclothes didn’t cover him. So that meant that the little firebender could see the entire front side of the older boy’s body. And not only that – he, Honoo, wasn’t wearing anything either. Except the collar, but that was on his neck, not… He felt his face grow warm, then hot with embarrassment.

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hanabi

Apr 26, 2008 18:55:39 GMT -6

Hanabi smiled at Haru, "Two miles? I 'am' lucky!" She said with an enthused glee, "I washed up right where I could be saved, and near a town where I can replace my destroyed goods..." She froze a moment after saying that suddenly reaching into her backpack.

Hanabi's hands shuffled around before stopping feeling something, she visibly sighed with relief pulling out a box with Whirling Designs on it, they looked old. Hanabi opened the box seeing a few old coins and a wicked looking knife that looked like it hadn't been used in a while and a few other minor possessions that Haru couldn't make out from where he was standing, she closed the box sighing in Relief, "At least that wasn't damaged." she muttered putting it back, the box held the few items she kept that where of value to her. Hanabi closed the box back up moving the latch to the shut position. She moved the box back into her all but empty travelers pack and moved the cloth padding of the bag back over it.

"Hey, Haru, while we travel, mind if I get too know you better? You saved my life." She asked and stated, her eyes meeting his, her scarred eye looking a bit eerie in contrast too her Sunset Orange one. "If you have questions, I'll answer them as best as I am able to, and after we restock perhaps we can practice." Hanabi herself didn't need provisions to survive, she had been trained in how to hunt by her uncle whom she considered as a father to hunt, after all he had been a paranoid sort for good reason, but unlike him, she wasn't an outcast, and the always barbaric act of slaughtering a fresh hunt always did bad on ones image... well... unless they shared the game with the witness, but, she had her coin pouch still, and a town was near, and buying provisions was a lot better of a coarse of action then taking game in a land she was at best an intruder in.

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kaitokatashi

Apr 26, 2008 21:25:36 GMT -6

Haru smiled. Perhaps taking this girl on as a travel companion wasn't such a bad idea after all.

"All right," he said, starting to walk and beckoning for her to do the same. Suddenly, he remembered that the village he'd been heading toward was Gaoling, one of the more developed cities in the Earth Kingdom. That seemed like a good destination, so he began their trek there.

"So what would you like to know about me?" he asked, not sure where he should start. One thing was for sure, he wouldn't be discussing the time when his village had been occupied with the Fire Nation. They were gone, and that was all that mattered.

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hanabi

Apr 26, 2008 21:50:05 GMT -6

"Hmm." Hanabi said scratching her chin following behind Haru a thought stream crossing her mind, "Okay, tell be a small bit about your past that made you the way you are now, doesn't have to be anything major, just an event in your past that really shaped who you are."

Hanabi stroked her chin, people had these sort of things. Herself included, she wondered the sort of story Haru would tell, or if every defining moment of his life was private for him and him alone. She too had secrets that made her. Many of them would piss off any Earth Nation Citizen to hear.

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