Time: 1:25 PM on the coast of Iroh.
Well... I told myself I wasn't going to start this until I was done with my other one. But I am a horrible liar. Heh heh. Oops... :D
Sooooo... I have started a bunch of drabbles of Hakoda and Kya. A lot of it is based off of my story Snow Petals on Her Face. (I just couldn't give them up just yet! I'm pathetic!) If you don't understand some of my future ones, that is because you need to read my other story! Do it! Please! Make me happy! Oh, and reviews are welcome. Actually, they are more than welcome for me. Enjoy, and remember to review, for me. :)
Disclaimer: It pains me to say this... but, I don't own Avatar: the last Airbender. WAHHHH!
The first time she saw him was when she was fourteen, almost fifteen years old. She was attending a few reading and writing classes that were offered. Different classes were offered for two months at a time, with two months off in between. They were held by a few travelling professors that gave up their lives in Ba-Sing-Se and travelled down to the south pole, every once in a while.
The class was having a break and students were allowed to go home or wherever for an hour or so. As Kya was exiting the schoolroom, she felt a tug on her sleeve and she turned around to find her childhood friend, Aleeka.
"Hey Aleeka-," Kya started happily, but was interrupted by her friend's gloved hand suddenly covering her mouth.
"Shhhh," Aleeka said, a smile on her face.
Aleeka suddenly pointed out to the street, where Kya saw two guys walking, dressed in training outfits. One had longer hair, about to the length of his chin, while all the other had was a traditional wolf tail and short inch-long hair covering the rest of his head. Both were smiling and laughing at something as they walked past, their swords dangling at their sides.
Kya was completely confused and was about to ask Aleeka why she was pointing at two men she had never seen before. But as Kya was about to ask this, Aleeka grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the street the two had been walking down.
They both hunkered down behind a house and looked around it. What they found was a sight to be seen.
Both guys had been cornered, or captured, by a group of love-struck girls, giggling and twisting their hair around their fingers. Kya snickered to herself and looked again, surprised to see her sister, Leyna, among the girls.
Wait until mom hears about what Leyna's been doing, Kya thought to herself, always happy at an opportunity to get her older sister in trouble.
"Aren't those guys gorgeous?" Aleeka sighed from beside her.
Kya's sharp glance shifted her way, "Is that what you wanted me to see? Whether they were good looking or not?"
"Precisely," She whispered back, never taking her eyes from them.
Kya sighed heavily and looked again. They definitely were good looking, carrying an air of authority and fighting experience. The one with the longer hair had a sharp, long face, but gentle eyes. And he was smiling constantly, a completely happy guy. He was doing all the talking, while the other guy, a bit shorter, but still over six feet stood silently beside him. That one had a half smile on his face, and looked awfully uncomfortable. Kya smiled to herself, taking a closer look at him.
He had one small, bright blue bead hanging on the right side of his face, right in front of his ear. He was clean shaven, like most guys his age, with a strong royal jaw line.
She narrowed her eyes at him. He was quite a handsome fellow, if she didn't say so herself. She glanced back over at Aleeka, making sure she didn't see her gazing at him. Kya looked back at the group, and the two guys. The one continued to do all the talking, while the other butted in every once in a while, but was too far away to hear what any of them were saying. What do I care anyways? Kya thought.
Suddenly, the one she had been examining closely, suddenly brought forth a genuine smile as he laughed at something the other one said. Kya felt her heart pattering. What in the world? His smart smile and happiness was shown through his outer shell and Kya was able to see his true self just from that smile. She blinked, as if not sure the image was really there.
Without looking at Aleeka again, Kya breathed, "Do you know who they are?"
Kya continued to look at them, narrowing her eyes, trying to figure them out. She was too absorbed, she didn't see Aleeka give her a sly smile, and look at her determined face looking in their direction.
Aleeka smiled, and then turned back to the group, satisfied that her friend was interested in these guys as well. Kya had always been sort of a tomboy, and always was fighting with guys, not ever interested in them.
"The tall one-" she started.
"They are both tall," Kya breathed.
Aleeka flicked her eyes in Kya's direction, and then back to the group.
"The tall one with the longer hair," she said, a little bitter taste lacing her words, "Is Bato. My older sister likes him a lot." She paused, "And the one with the shorter hair, the proud standing, calmer one is Hakoda. Kanna's son."
"Hakoda," Kya whispered to herself, his name tingling her tongue, "There is something strange about him."
Aleeka's eyebrows raised, wondering who the new Kya was. "Well…" she drew out, "He is the one that is said to be destined to be the next chief. He has been training ever since he was nine or ten and when he started the adult league, he has never lost once. I've seen him fight too, and….well, it's amazing. I have never seen anything like it before. He is absolutely…. I can't even think of a word for it."
Kya's eyes widened. The next tribe chief huh? He's that good? Kya suddenly winced, realizing she had been chewing on the inside of her cheek. She shook her head and sighed.
She placed a hand on Aleeka's shoulder, smiling softly.
"Come on Aleeka, let's go. You're too good for either or them."
Aleeka laughed her pure laugh, "So true. So true."
They started walking away, arms linked together, but before they got out of line of sight, Kya snuck a look back at the group over her shoulder. The one called Hakoda, laughed at something, and his eyes looked around him, his ever trained eye instinctively taking in his surroundings. His eyes met Kya's for a moment, his face going blank, eyes wide.
Kya's mouth dropped a bit, and she felt a furious blush creep up on her face. She quickly turned, tightening her grip on Aleeka's arm and walked briskly away.
The crisp air breathed on her face as she exited the schoolroom once more, about a week later. That was her last class for about another two weeks. She stretched her arms high above her head. And to top it off, her fifteenth birthday was this week, on the night of the full moon. Her upcoming days were looking wonderful, and to this Kya smiled.
Everyone had bustled out, and went their separate ways. She saw Manu and his friend run off somewhere, and was half tempted to chase them. She stopped herself however. Lately Manu had been acting strangely, looking at her weirdly and grinning a lot. She felt uncomfortable around him now, even though she had known him since they were crawling around in the snow.
Kya grimaced to herself, and kicked a small snow pile, and decided to head home. She would no doubt have to do chores, because Leyna had been off somewhere lately, arguing with their parents that she needed space and wanted to hang out with friends.
Yeah right, Kya scoffed, She just wants to hang around the fighters and flirt the entire time! Bleh!
Fighters.
She had been wanting to see the guys train. She looked over her shoulder to see if there was anyone around. Maybe I'll go and watch. Just for a few minutes. That's all.
Her nerves were giddy at the thought of watching. It was exhilarating to watch fighting, much like it was when the south pole held their annual tribe's games.
She bit her lower lip, grinning and walking briskly towards the outside of the village walls, where they trained.
Coming up to the arch, she poked her head around the archway and looked at the group of fighters, sparring against one another. Her eyes got wide while she watched a group of four guys go against each other, two people on each team. They each had a traditional water tribe sword/club thing that Kya was unfamiliar with, but had seen her father carrying one every once in a while when he went hunting with a group of men.
Kya stepped outside the arch and walked a bit closer to where there were a few other observers sitting on a snow pile. She was happy to find that her sister and her friends weren't there, and Kya focused her attention on the men fighting. Her eyes got wide as she realized two of the guys that were fighting against each other were none other than those of Bato and Hakoda. Kya swallowed hard, and continued to watch them.
Bato swung his leg towards Hakoda with a kick. Hakoda jumped as quickly as he could, and lunged at Bato, his knee making contact with Bato's stomach. The grunt that emitted from Bato's mouth reached Kya's ears and she winced, and watched as he fell to his knees.
Meanwhile, the guy from the other group had defeated Hakoda's teammate and was now striking at Hakoda from behind. Hakoda whipped his head around, bringing his sword up quickly and made contact with his opponent's moments before his head would have been hit. From this view, Kya could see his face.
His jaw was set, his eyes bright and full of energy. His short wolf tail was kind of falling out of the ponytail, slightly falling to his left side of the head. He narrowed his eyes, pressure being applied to his opponent's sword, and then a grin spread across his face.
Kya watched in amazement that he was holding his own against the large guy against him. All of a sudden, Hakoda took his pressure off and ducked to his right, landing on one knee and foot. The enemy was caught a bit off balance, but straightened himself up in time to black Hakoda's sword as it came to his neck area.
But his strength was too much and the opponent's sword was knocked away. Hakoda slipped behind the guy and held his sword up against his neck. Kya's eyes went wide as she watched Hakoda whisper something in the guys ear. A smile crept onto Hakoda's lips and he broke away, punching the guy in the shoulder. He laid his sword on his shoulder and smiled as the guy punched him back, chuckling about something.
Kya was on her feet, running back towards the village, her stomach in knots. She knew her face was quite red, and she ducked behind a pile of snow, breathing hard. She blinked her eyes rapidly and finally sighed, a small smile playing on her lips. He is an interesting one indeed. She closed her eyes and leaned her head against the wall behind her. That Hakoda. I wonder if I will ever be able to talk to him.