Broken Glass Eyes

She saw him across the dirty courtyard, his shoulders drooping, his head down. He was dejected, she knew, with his curly black hair laying limply at his side. He spoke to no one and seemed to want no company. The longer she watched, the more dismal his appearance became.

He was gaunt, his clothes ill-fitting. As he passed by some people, she could hear the mocking laughter that erupted from their mouths. She pulled her cloak tighter around her as she watched, a breeze making everything colder.

She felt an inexplicable pull towards the dejected man and couldn't help but launch herself forward, towards him. He looked up slightly as she neared and her eyes caught a slight resemblance to someone she had seen before.

She came close to him and fell in step, "Hello, sir?" She said, her small, almost child like voice coming out as a question, rather than a greeting.

He lifted his eyes to her and she almost gasped at the emptiness that lay there. He seemed to be only the shell of a person, a husk of what once was. He seemed to snarl at her and she began to regret her habit of acting before thinking. "What do you want?"

Though his attitude was abrasive even to the hardened girl, she almost shrank back from his hostility. "What's wrong?"

The man was stupified by the innocence in the question, and the surprise at what the question was. There was something odd within the question, something pulling him to want to speak with this childish girl that stood before him. He coughed slightly, "Don't you know?"

The small girl shook her head, confused by the question. She couldn't understand why the man would expect her to know what was wrong with him. The man sighed, "My name is Tahno."

The girl smiled at him, "The pro-bender?"

"I'm not a bender. I'm nothing. Leave me alone!" He said, shrinking back into his hole at the mention of what he used to be. Of the magnificence that he has since lost and not been privvy to for quite some time.

She stood her ground, eyes wide, "Everyone is something."

"Not me," Tahno said, shaking his head. He turned to leave. The girl pondered that for a few seconds then lit up like a lantern at an idea that blossomed in her.

Her hand grasped his tightly as she shot forward to stop him. She smiled shyly, "Everyone is something. You just have to find yourself."

The man's eyes still held nothing for the girl to see, yet somewhere deep within him, a feeling again began to stir.

"I am nothing, girl," Tahno said as he followed the girl through the alleyways. After much coaxing, the man gave up denying the girl what she wanted and found himself at her small cottage.

She looked up at him, "I know what it's like to not have bending." She said, her eyes full of knowing.

He scoffed, doubtful that this girl had any clue what it was like to actually lose bending. Everything he had been was focused on bending, on the power to control water. The girl walked across the cold cottage, to the fireplace. She kneeled by the fire and began to attempt to create a fire.

Soon, she turned to him, eyes sad, "I cannot start a fire."

He snorted and walked over to her, practically pushing her from the way. The girl was helpless and naive, assuming she knew everything. How absurd. He incredulously said, "How can you not know how to start a fire?"

"I never learned. It never seemed important," she answered, her eyes watching his hands. He grunted and a fire flared to life in front of the two.

"Everyone knows how to start a fire!" He grumbled, eyes raising to catch hers.

She looked up at him shyly through her lashes, "Except firebenders."

The words processed slowly through his mind. She must be a firebender. But why wouldn't she just bend the fire. Unless she also lost her powers. His distant eyes met her playful eyes and he shook his head, "The only people that lost their bending were the three in the rally and the three at the tournament."

She smiled sadly, "Aman had to test the power on somebody."

He looked at her hyper exterior. She was happy, even without a part of herself she was born with. How could she be so full of life if she didn't have her bending? "How did you do it? Be. . .alive?"

"You find yourself."

Tahno smiled slightly, his eyes touched with something like hope. "Show me."

They stood on the beach, just feet away from the tide. Tahno was shaking his head, refusing to go in while the girl tried to persuad him into the water. "Tahno, you must find your place in the water without your control."

He shook his head, "I can't do it. I'm not connected to it."

"You must. Here, take my hands." She held her hands out, letting him wrap his around hers. She was in a white swimsuit and her hands were scarred with age old burns. They looked at each other and slowly Tahno calmed down.

They walked into the water together, hand in hand. Tahno's eyes never left the girl's as they took steps deeper into the water. With every step, his eyes seemed to begin to fill, little by little, with life. With every step, he found a new connection to the Earth.

Waist high in the water, Tahno stopped. "Wait. . ." He took her in his arms and began to bend his head down. "I found myself, I found my tether to this world. All I needed was you." His lips found hers and they locked tightly in a kiss. They both pulled back, gazing into the other's eyes.

"When I found you, you seemed broken," the girl whispered.

"I love you, Kasai," Tahno whispered, kissing her again, the thoughts of waterbending far from his mind. Not even a month before, he had never believed that he could be himself without waterbending. Now, however, he knew all he needed was to fall in love.

Admittedly, not the best, or even really a good story. However, please, just throw down a review of why you didn't like it so I know what I need to do next time. Please, review.