The story of Yasuo

A tale of bravery

By:Brutus2d

Yasuo sat at his fire, feeding old branch limbs and dried leave to the consuming flames. Watching the flames consume and eat gave him some entertainment. He had been stuck at this military encampment for nearly nine months, and saw no prospect of leaving. Yasuo rested with his thoughts, and his worrying thoughts. It had been over two hours since his comrades had departed for patrol and scavenging. Both task usually took an hour or an hour and a half to complete. The talk around the camp, and around the fire was the usual stuff. Listening in to the guys around him, a fellow soldier named Hotaka was sharing the tale of his romantic misadventures, "So I said to her, I may be fire nations, but the green jade of your eyes burns me everytime I see them". "How'd she respond?" Katsuo inquired, another soldier. "Well, she grinned at me, and then said 'well how hot is this?', before spraying a bunch of fire rocks in my eyes". The men around the fire chuckled at the story. Yasuo jumped in, "Well one time I was talking to this water tribe girl right? And I tried the line "You eyes are the moon, and your hair is like a flowing river". The men around the camp seemed impressed enough, Katsou once again asking how the line worked out. "Well, she giggled, then handed me a glass of water saying, 'this is the closest you're ever going to get me tonight'". The group once again laughed at their misfortunes.

Soon enough, the stories died out as the men sat back, doing various time wasters. He had sharpened his spear, and was tasked with nothing else but musing over the thoughts of what excitement the patrol must be experiencing since that meant a guerrilla raid against them. He sat back when he heard bustling and excitement around the camp. The words "raid, battle, defense" tossed around like a volleyball. Rising to stand, he turned and saw almost every armed man in the camp rushing towards the palisades. He ran to join everyone, spear in hand. Looking from man to man, he finally stumbled upon a commander, a man named Hisoka. "Sir! What is going on? Why is everyone in a bustle". He turned to him and barked out harshly "Get in formation you useless grunt, rebels from New Osai are attacking". This revelation shocked and excited Yasuo as he went to join the first formation of soldiers. "An actual engagement, honor and bloodshed" he thought running forward with the men next to him, as they climbed the walls of the palisade, preparing for defense.

His assorted armor rattled as he gazed out unto the land, a mixture of clay soil and firs. To his left and right stretched fellow fire-nation soldiers, spears armed, the lone fire-bender mixed here and between the whispers of both excitement from the newest soldiers, and worry from the vetarans, his pulse pumping with adrenaline and blood lust, even in the moonlight the terrain appeared blood red. He whispered a small prayer to himself, "Emperor, give me strength, father give me honor, and ancestors give me courage"...

This meditative state of excitement and blood lust was broken in a second. Before he could finish his prayer, he felt the earth itself shake. The palisades with which he and his friends had labored hours on, met the double strike of both flying boulders, and sifted ground. As he tried to use his spear to steady himself, he heard the most terrifying war cry ever. From the bir trees came around a dozen spear armed earth nations rebels, behind them the offending benders who ruined his defenses. As the ground shook and trembled under him, he was jerked off the wall, thrown unto the ground like a forgotten speck of dust. As he lie, attempting to catch his breath, it became apparent he had escaped an even worse fate. The walls of the fire-nation encampment tumbled on top of one another, the cut wood both impaling and crushing most souls, the remainder left with serious injuries. Gathering his senses and balance, he rose to go help his fellow men in arms.

Rushing forward his spear bared, he was also ready to engage the earth nation militants. What little firebenders from the wall that remained, had set up a small wall of fire, only allowing entrench to a select few brave earth nation spear men. Charging forward he met his first enemy, the steel of their spears clanging in unison. Teeth grit, bodies straight, they gazed into each other's eyes. Only the eyes of the man Yasuo saw were not human eyes. They were the eyes of beast, of guard dogs unchained, ready to rip out the throat of whoever stood in their way. The engagement, was preparing to turn fatal.

They began their duel, spear against spear. With a flurry they each attempted to close the gap between the both of them, trying their best to avoid the enemies deadly blade. They locked blades, and it was at this point Yasuo attempted to end the engagement. Violent slashing at his opponent, aiming not to harm, but to force back. The results were expedient, the Earth kingdom soldier being forced further and further back. Finally, the soldier tripped and fell backwards off a piece of the fallen wall, his helmet and spear being lost. Taking this momentary opportunity, Yasuo charged forward, and struck his opponent's face with his fist. The results were instantaneous as the spearman was knocked unconsciousness.

Yasuo stood breathing, sweat flooding from every pour of his body, his lungs aching to catch breath. It was in this he watched the awesome power of the benders as they dueled, the way in which they flung fire and earth at each other, the flurry of punches and kicks, the flame of the firebenders bending and contorting, the rocks and the boulders of the earth benders flying like meteors. The combatants did not conduct themselves like men, like the vicious combat he had just experienced. What he was watching was finesses, in tune with nature, an art.