Stephanie Tales of Yukio 2015
Prologue
"Anana, my name is Sister Hitomi. I was Lyn-Chen's older sister," a new nun said nervously to a young mother holding her baby boy in her arms.
"I'm sorry for your loss," Anana said, speaking about the tragic death of the past Avatar. She had been so young. Only thirteen.
Anana invited the nun into her home and sat on a mat on the floor. Hitomi sat down next to her.
"Thank you," she said, truly appreciative, but still with fear in her voice. "But this trip isn't about my sister. But it is about the Avatar. And your son."
Anana grew tense at the mention of her son, Yukio. She tugged at a strand of her brown hair that had fallen out of her braid. She looked around her modest home in the South Pole. She was already nervous enough with her husband gone, and having a strange visitor made her nervousness transform into anxiety. But adding her son into the conversation? It was just too much for her. "What do you want with Yukio?" Anana asked, clutching her baby tighter to her chest. She was ready to defend if necessary.
Hitomi hesitated. She was having trouble with her anxiety, too. She took a deep breath, then spoke. "I mean him no harm," the nun promised. "What brings me here is part of a long story. I believe it is essential to share with you."
Anana narrowed her eyes. She focused on her kitchen sink and turned her head, which turned the faucet on. She wanted to be prepared.
Hitomi didn't blame her in the slightest and did not plan to comment. While she had no children of her own, she was quite protective of the children in her Air Temple.
The nun took a deep breath. "I received a letter from my sister on the day that she passed. It told me of where to find her diary and that I mustn't let anyone else read it."
"What did it say?" Anana asked, not seeing the point.
"Lyn-Chen wrote about her gift of future sight in explicit detail. Her diary contained information on the next Avatar. Every single detail of his life. From his birth to his death. Everything is there. Yukio, your son, is the Avatar," Hitomi answered.
Anana looked at Yukio and remembered the intense dreams she had while she was pregnant. She had visions of Yukio as a young man using all the bending disciplines -Water, Earth, Fire and Air – along with six other masters, four bending Earth, two bending Fire. Anana had originally passed them off as her pregnancy qualms, but she never truly believed that dreams were just dreams. Did Lyn-Chen see similar things? "Do the White Lotus know?"
The White Lotus had been doing more harm than good for the Avatars and their families the past thirteen years. They had mostly taken over Air Temples, bringing food and technology. They didn't want or need this things. And while most of the world did not know or care, Anana did. She had great respect of the four nations and their differences.
Hitomi shook her head, "They don't know for sure. But they're curious." It was against her honor to lie, but this was for a necessary cause. "Ani is the only one who knows about Lyn-Chen's gift. And I'm not entirely sure how she found out."
Anana was surprised to hear her Ani's name. Ani was Anana's eldest sister, the favorite child of her parents. Anana had gotten over her bitterness toward her sister until she learned that Ani was chosen as Lyn-Chen's Waterbending master. Anana's dream was to teach the Avatar, but it was crushed by Ani, as usual. "Of course she does," Anana mumbled. "She always does."
Hitomi laid her hand on Anana's shoulder
"Lyn-Chen had visions of you, too. She said that 'a Southern Water Tribe woman at twenty two years of age, whom is a master Waterbender, will give birth to my successor'. You are one of six female masters," Hitomi answered, "The White Lotus are coming."
Anana immediately knew that she didn't want the OWL to take Yukio away from her. Spirits knew how they would raise him. She clutched him even tighter. "Sister, what should I do to keep him?" Anana asked.
"If you want to keep Yukio, move to the North Pole immediately. I have a bison waiting," Hitomi answered quietly, "and don't explain to anyone why you decided to leave. Including your husband."
"Okay. Let's go."
Seventeen years later
I looked up at the clear blue sky over my head. Here you could always see the moon, even in the brightest of days, like today. The sky was mocking me: Enticing me to stay home and never even think about the city of Ba Sing Se.
But I had to finish my training. I had to become the fully realized Avatar. It was my destiny. It was my job to restore balance to the dangerous world that I lived in. My mother had kept me safe for my whole life, but she couldn't save me from this. This, dreadful task looming, figuratively, above me.
To make matters worse, I was replacing the beloved Avatar Lyn-Chen. She was an Air Nomad. An absolute beauty and a prodigy. She mastered Airbending at age seven. She was perfect. She became the youngest nun in history. She would've continued with her training, but she died months after she started Waterbending. It terrified the world. In her thirteen years, there was peace. But my time wasn't so lucky.
Just then, I felt a sharp slap on the back of my head. Water splashed to the ground. "Yukio, I have been trying to get your attention for the past ten minutes. We need to go down to the canal so you can catch your airship. Everyone is already down there. They aren't going to wait for you all day, sweetie," my mom said.
"Actually, I'm the only reason they're here, so they have to wait," I answered.
My mother clucked her tongue, "Don't get smart with me. Go!"
I sighed. The canal wasn't far from my house, but I still hated walking there. I hated walking in general. The Order of the White Lotus had sentries following me everywhere I went. I tried to tell them that I was a master Waterbender and I could take care of myself, but for some reason, they never seemed to listen to me. They also never talked to anyone but my mother and themselves. My mom scolded me every time I was 'rude', but I was still annoyed by them. After all, they were sent by my annoying aunt, and a Grand Lotus, Ani. My mom sighed, as if she read my thoughts about Aunt Ani. They'd been feuding for years.
When I got to the canal, Ani was waiting for me, along with all the citizens of the North Pole, and surprisingly my mother. Ani wrapped me in a hug when I reached her. I didn't hug her back. I did not appreciate her. My mother sighed, whether at me or my aunt, I couldn't tell. Not one bit. "How's my favorite nephew?" she asked, pushing me away by my shoulders. "You're so tall now! Just like your father!" my mother sighed again.
"Hello, Ani," my mother said half-heartedly.
"Ani, I'm your only nephew. My cousins are all girls," I pointed out, ignoring the fact that my mother had said anything.
She just laughed, "You're funny. Just like your father!"
I sighed internally. Ani was always too excited. And she always talked about my father. I wasn't completely over his death yet (my mom hadn't either), and Ani always brought it to attention. It was completely insensitive. My mom sighed louder and rolled her eyes in my direction. I chuckled once, but disguised it as a cough. Today, I just didn't want to deal with Ani. I wanted to be sad and miserable. I had never left the North Pole, let alone been on an airship.
"You're going to love this airship. The Lotuses borrowed it from Fire Lord Dukran! She has great taste. You could even use a portable telephone in here!" Ani gestured to the airship. I glanced at my grandfather, who was admiring it. "Well, get in! We'll be on here for about thirty minutes," Ani said, as if thirty minutes was an eternity. I didn't even want to think about how rich she was. "You'll meet your Earthbending master soon. Did you talk to her on the phone yet?"
I nodded. I had talked to Master SoonMin on the phone a few weeks before. She sounded very kind. She said she knew how nervous I felt. She said that she had to leave her home to learn Earthbending, too. It made me feel slightly better. She sounded motherly, even though she had no children of her own. "Why didn't she come to pick me up?" I asked, trying not to sound unhappy.
"SoonMin is the trainer for all the Dai-Li agents and the Kyoshi Warriors in Ba Sing Se. The greatest general that ever lived. She wanted to pick you up, but she's in a military meeting all day. She sends her apologies," Ani said, officially, "She says that her other students will show you around the palace."
"The palace? Why the palace?"
"That's where you'll be staying, Yukio," Ani answered.
That irritated me. Treating me like I was royalty was ridiculous. Up until a year ago, I was merely the son of two respected generals. Now, I had more respect than either of them. It was more than I could ever deserve. I had done nothing but be born as an Avatar. I would have chosen a different path. One where I could be a simple healer instead of some magical, spiritual warrior. Did the world even need an Avatar? The spirits lived in harmony with everyone now. I sighed.
Okay, here goes everything. I thought. I turned away from my aunt to face the whole Northern Water Tribe. At least they still saw me as the awkward Southern Water Tribe child. They were all smiling. I was going to miss them. They were all my family. I grew up with most of their kids and babysat a lot more. And since my grandfather and I were the only healers in the tribe, I delivered many of the young children.
My mother hugged me and took off my parka. She took another parka from my grandfather's -who had come to stand at my side, without me noticing, apparently- arms. She handed it to me. "Yukio, this was your father's parka from when he was in the Navy. He told me to pass it down to you in his place. He loved you so much," she said. There were tears rolling down her cheeks, but she was still smiling. "You probably won't need it much in Ba Sing Se, but I want you to have it just in case."
I slid the parka on. For a moment, I imagined all my father's adventures in it. But I also imagined all my new experiences in the Southern Water Tribe-style coat. I remembered how my father looked in it. He wore it so often that my mom was constantly repairing it. I hoped that I looked as good as he had. My mom laughed, once again, as if she read my thoughts. "You look a lot like him, Yukio," she said.
"I really think I look more like you, Mom," I said, smiling at her. Her eyes – my eyes were the same size, color and shape– sparkled as the sun passed over her face.
My grandfather cleared his throat, catching my attention. "Here, Yukio," he said. He shook a vial of water out of his pocket. "I thought that you might want some of the water we use for emergencies. This is water from the Spirit Oasis. Since it's brought other Avatars some use, I figured I'd continue the legacy," he said, in his gruff voice.
"Thank-you, Grandfather," I said bowing. I really appreciated him. I would probably miss him the most. After all, he had taught me to heal. Healing was my passion. I hoped that I would never lose the gift.
I bowed to the Tribe, then turned and got on the airship
Book One: Earth
Chapter one
When I arrived in Ba Sing Se, I was immediately taken to the palace.
I had never seen a Sato-Mobile, so I was surprised to see so many in the city. We didn't have many roads in the my village (because we still used gondolas for transportation) let alone Sato-Mobiles. It was a strange feeling to ride in one. The idea of moving with such speed while stationary baffled me. It just didn't seem natural. Especially as the buildings and lights sped past me.
Also, from what I could tell, all of the houses looked the same. They were sectioned off by walls. Each section had its own name. One area was called 'The Garden Village', which I didn't think was suitable because there were no visible gardens. And some houses were one building, several stories high, and appeared to contain several homes. And all buildings appeared to be made out of stone. In the North Pole, our houses were made of mostly ice. It was all we needed, since the snow never melted.
Of course, the biggest difference was that there was no ice. There was grass and earth. The city also had no oceans or ponds or rivers. Just walls that separated people. The city was so large, that I assumed people would get lost if there weren't any partitions. Of course, there was that nagging feeling that the walls served other purposes, as well. It was obvious where the wealthy lived.
But the strangest thing of all was the palace. I thought it would be a beacon, like the temple in the North Pole, that shown brightly. But the Ba Sing Se palace was surrounded was tall, red, stone walls. They were so large and wide that I thought they were actually the palace. It was upsetting. Where did the people give thanks to the Spirits from?
When I got inside of the walls and saw the actual palace, I was left speechless on the steps at the South Entrance. A guard opened the Sato-Mobile door for me and I stepped out onto the cobbled steps. I looked around and tried to think of words to describe the beauty of Outer Court. There were so many green and gold buildings. I saw some Dai-Li agents training on the lawn and Kyoshi Warriors practicing Chi-Blocking in the square. There was a massive, golden door into the palace. "It can be a bit overwhelming," A girl's monotone voice came from behind me.
I turned around and saw a Kyoshi Warrior. She looked younger than the other girls I saw in the outer court. She was also dressed differently. Instead of a kimono, she wore a green robe with a thick vest over it. Her sleeves were loose, but close-fitting at her wrists. She wore boots with thick soles and a gold headdress. She wore her black hair in a long, thin braid.
"I'm ChoHee. I'm one of SoonMin's students. She's currently in a meeting. She sent me to show you around the palace," she said, dully. "We need to wait for my sister. Let me apologize in-"
A smaller girl in similar attire bounded toward us, turning cartwheels as she went. "Hi, ChoHee!" she greeted in between cartwheels. She didn't even sound like she was doing any activity; her voice was so even.
"Advance," the girl, ChoHee, finished weakly.
The girl did a final move, a backflip, when she was next to her sister. "I'm MiHee!" she said, happily. She grabbed my hand and shook it roughly. Then, she pulled me into a stranglehold hug. ChoHee all but pulled her off of me. I mouthed 'thank you' at ChoHee and she nodded back. "I'm so excited to meet you, Avatar!" she shouted.
All the people who were in the square turned to look at us. Even the focused Kyoshi Warriors practicing and some Dai-li agents who were sipping tea glanced our way. I looked down. I wanted to cover my face and run, but I would've gotten myself lost. I could see the headlines, "Avatar Arrested For Running Around Palace Grounds". I shuddered at the thought. "Nice to meet you, MiHee and ChoHee." I said, trying to sound as if I'd ever had a fan. I bowed, unsure of how to greet a warrior.
MiHee just giggled. ChoHee looked embarrassed. "Well I suppose we should get going," ChoHee said, tugging at her braid. She grabbed her sister's hand and they led me around the grounds.
"We're the only people who aren't royal who have been in the King's personal home," MiHee said happily, turning down a long, wood-paneled, dimly-lit hallway with no doors. At the end of the hall, she pulled a brass key out of her pocket. Then I understood why the hallway was so dark: ChoHee put the key into a piece of the paneling and a big metal door slid open.
We walked through the door and into another small hallway. "This is where the boys' dorms are located," ChoHee said, gesturing, "The girls' rooms are at the other end." Then she pointed to the middle of the hallway. "Those are the bathrooms. You aren't allowed to pass them unless you have permission. No boys allowed in the girls end and vice versa."
"Of course," I said.
"We have to go," ChoHee said. "Get-"
"We don't have to go, ChoHee," MiHee interrupted, winking at her sister.
"-settled in," ChoHee said, once again, with no vocal inflection. She didn't acknowledge her sister's awkwardness. "MiHee, you have climbing practice in five minutes. And I have Archery. So we do have to leave. So we will see you soon, Yukio." They turned to leave.
Both ChoHee and MiHee waved awkwardly, but ChoHee was the girl that I was watching. She smiled slightly. She turned around, opened her Kyoshi Warrior metal Tessenjutsu fans (which gave her a boost), and ran swiftly down the hallway. She did a back handspring over a chair in her way. I didn't notice how graceful her movements were. She seemed to be dancing. She seemed completely focused, yet, somehow peaceful.
ChoHee fascinated me, and it scared me.