A/N: No, sorry, I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender. I get the sense that I'd ruin it, somehow. I may be a bit late to the party, but how 'bout that live-action adaptation, though? I'm crossing my fingers on this one.
Boots To The Ground: Book 1, Chapter 1- Arrival
Suki has no clue what to make of this.
See, the Order of Kyoshi, when it had been established by the Avatar of the same name all those centuries ago, was given two tasks: protect the island from invaders, and to make sure that the random portals that appear at random times throughout the year don't cause any problems.
Suki has no idea what is on the other side of the swirling disc deep under the Temple of Kyoshi. Nothing has come through it for years. She'd investigate, but she has been told by her predecessor not to do exactly that for fear that Suki will be forever lost, unable to return. That was what had happened to the second ever Captain of the Warriors of Kyoshi.
Suki has dutifully obeyed the order ever since- but now, she's not sure what to do.
The stranger- who has quite literally fallen into her world- is harmless in his unconscious state. Even though this man is out cold on the ground at her feet, Suki guesses that he is taller (and older) than her by a fair margin. His hair is short and looks like the color of the wheat that grows in the fields, something that she's never seen before on anyone. Most people have either black, brown, or reddish-brown, but golden-wheat colored? That's new.
He's also in good (but not great) physical shape. He can't be a soldier, Suki thinks. He's too… soft. His clothes are strange, too- a black jacket of some kind, white shirt underneath, blue pants, dark brown boots. They look nice, but not the kind of nice that one sees with a noble, and certainly not in a style Suki knows.
One of Suki's warriors- Mulan by name- approaches.
"We found this on him when he came through, Captain," Mulan says, holding out the backpack firmly in her grasp. Suki takes it.
"Anything dangerous?"
"No," Mulan answers as Suki sets the pack on the ground and begins going through it herself, "but there is a lot in here I don't understand."
Suki continues her perusal, coming across a book called a Bible (what in Kyoshi's name is that?), a second book that could only be a journal, a change of clothes, a knife, and other items that make absolutely no sense to her.
With the world at war, mysterious visitors are the last thing that Suki needs right now. However, one of the hallmarks of Kyoshi Island's culture is that sanctuary must not be turned away from those who need it. This man appears to have no home.
Suki makes her decision.
"Pick him up," she orders, motioning to two of her warriors. "Carry him to the healer. He must not die on my watch."
Bradley awakes with a groan. Hnnnggg…
Blue eyes take in his surroundings. Hmmm… looks… Chinese? Definitely Oriental, at least.
The amateur historian in Bradley can't help but be curious. He's studied a little about a wide range of subjects, so he has something of an idea of what Asian culture should look like- but if he misses his guess, it looks like something from a couple hundred years ago.
"Hmmm…" he says to himself, thinking. "Did I go back in time?"
"I dunno- what's the future look like?"
Brad jumps, eyes fixing on the source of the voice. A young woman, Brad thinks. A young woman warrior at that, with white, red, and green makeup adorning her face in an interesting pattern. Armor that looks to be made of leather covers her torso and forearms, with a sword of some kind- a katana, maybe?- strapped to the belt at her waist.
Brad looks around, taking it all in. "Not like this- where am I, exactly?"
"You have arrived on Kyoshi Island," the woman that Brad thinks is his host answers. "I am Suki, Captain of the Kyoshi Warriors. And you are…?"
"I'm Bradley," the young man answers. "Call me Brad if you wish. Most people that know me do."
"Well, Brad," Suki says, trying out the name for the first time, and it… doesn't sound bad, "What brings you here to this island?"
"Well…" Brad sighs, "I, ah, I'm not- I'm not sure." He stutters, Suki muses. The Fire Nation wouldn't allow that. "Where exactly is this island? Near China, Japan? Korea?"
"Huh?" Suki has never heard of those places- and she's memorized a very good map of the world.
"I… guess not…" Brad trails off. "Well, crap."
"Crap? What's 'crap'?"
"It's… an expression," Brad says. "I… don't really have much of a way to explain what exactly is going on here. Where did you find me, though?"
"The temple, just up the hill. There's a cave under it," Suki says, now quite convinced that Brad, whoever he is, is not a Fire Nation or Earth Kingdom spy. "You, by the way, are quite heavy."
Brad laughs now, doubling over. It takes a few minutes for him to recover enough to talk.
"That's something I'm working on. It's a slow process- I was never very active. I prefer a good book to a stroll any day."
"You read?" Suki asks, surprised. Not too many people do that. On Kyoshi, most do, but she's met enough people on the boats that stop in that have never done a thing like reading ever.
"Yeah," Brad answers, smiling. A fellow bookworm, eh? "Mainly history and current events. You?"
"The same- especially since there's a war on."
"A war?" Brad asks, surprised. "What kind of war?"
Okay, he's definitely not a spy. "You haven't heard of the war? It's been going for a century!"
"A century?" Brad asks. Oh Lord… that can't be good. To his knowledge, there hasn't been a war that has gone on for a century straight in Asia- at least, not without long periods of down time. I don't think I'm on Earth- my Earth- anymore.
"I… have a lot to fill you in on. I have to make my rounds, check on a few things- want to come?" After all, if Brad isn't spying for anyone, what harm could come of showing him the defenses? If something happens, she knows (a) the most secluded places to hide a body, and (b) Brad will know where to go in the event of an attack.
"Sure, sure, let me grab my pack."
"You can leave it if you wish," Suki says. "We don't have thieves on Kyoshi."
Brad slowly lets go of his pack, having been just about to swing it onto his back.
"Lead the way, Captain."
Brad can't help but take in his new surroundings. The healer's… building… sits on top of a hill overlooking the small town near the sea.
It's quiet, here, Brad notes. There's no cars around, no planes. There's a fair amount of people on the streets, visiting the markets and shops. Some ships are down at the harbor, Brad sees, their crews unloading their cargo and reloading it.
Suki chuckles from her position a few steps away. "Indeed, it is. Seen a few cities in your time?"
"I have," Brad says, smiling just a little. "They're noisy- hard to focus, at times. It's peaceful here- you were saying that this place is neutral in the war?"
"I did," Suki answers. "The Fire Nation, while they started the war, don't actually cause too much trouble here. The occasional battleship comes, but the commanders keep their men on a tight leash, most of the time."
Brad frowns. "And the rest of the time?"
"They handle discipline, too. I've actually had more trouble with Earth Kingdom merchants than the supposed enemy."
"Ironic, how that works out."
Suki chuckles. "Indeed…"
The two are quiet for a moment, the young Captain and the stranger from another world. Eventually, Brad breaks the silence.
"Is it at all possible to learn how to defend myself? With a war on, I don't want- I don't feel comfortable- with having to... to rely on someone else to risk themselves for my safety when I can't do the same for them. It feels like... like cowardice- it doesn't feel right."
Suki frowns. "Maaaaay-beee…? See, the Kyoshi Warriors are an all female group, created to give young women the chance to defend themselves from the advances of men with ill intent. It's been like that for literally centuries. To invite a young man into my ranks…" Suki shakers her head. "… it's happened before- only a few times, though- and it runs the risk of sacrilege. I'll have to talk to my warriors- all of them- to put their minds at ease, and even then, I refuse to promise anything."
"If there is anything I can do to help put your… I'd say men, but would that be offensive?" When Suki shrugs, Brad continues. "...alright then, your warriors… at ease, let me know."
Suki smiles. "Agreed. For now, though, I happen to know that the local blacksmith could use some extra hands. I'll see about getting you some more clothes."
"Thank you," Brad says, his head bowing slightly in gratitude. He trudges back to his bed in the healer's house (he still needs to come up with a better word), and decides that maybe this won't be so bad, after all.
Well, I'm not dead yet, Suki thinks. Things are going pretty well, all things considered.
Her warriors are silent. They have just heard her proposal.
"Well, I'm in favor," Mulan says, running a stone over the blade of her sword to sharpen it. "At the very least, he can be a good punching bag for us. The wooden dummies don't quite capture the softness of a man's torso when you punch or kick it."
A second warrior, Ming, pipes up now. She and Mulan come as a pair- whatever one says, the other one probably will, too. "I'm with her on this one. We get a good punching bag, he seems nice- and I must say, he's not that hard on the eyes."
All the Kyoshi Warriors laugh. A third warrior- Jun Dan- doesn't care either way. She will follow her Captain's orders faithfully. She does make some good points, though.
"It's odd that a young man would be willing to submit to an order of warrior women to better himself. That speaks of a lack of pride, and more of a recognition of his current situation. His desire to live outweighs his pride." Jun Dan shrugs. "I leave this decision in the Captain's hands."
A fourth warrior firmly says no- the tenets of the Order are sacrosanct in her eyes- any deviation is unacceptable.
A fifth and final Warrior, though, remains silent. This is Hannah, and she's nervous, quietly voicing her objection.
Suki frowns. Two in favor, two against, one doesn't care. I have to break the tie.
Suki sighs. There's simply too much dissent. "Well then, I vote no- for now. We'll keep an eye on the newcomer, like we normally do, for a while."
Suki looks out the window, and sees the full moon overhead. Oh, good. This makes setting a deadline easier. "The moon is full tonight. We will discuss this once again when the moon is full again. Dismissed."
The Warriors stride out of the room, one by one. Hannah is last, and Suki decides that it would be best to have a talk with her. After all, as Suki's mentor Lian once said:
Better to put out a small fire now than a large fire later.
Don't forget to leave a Review, and if you liked this, then please head on over to my profile for more stories!
