A/N:
(Bold= Whose POV it is)
So, this is basically the beginning of Jet and Raina's(formerly Hatomi) relationship. R&R
WARNING: Some of the chapters are VERY long, while some of them are shorter. It all depends on whose POV it is and what type of situation they're in. The reason I like changing POVs is because you get more of what another character might be thinking at a certain time. And, sometimes, I only want very small yet crucial commentary from a character. Just be patient with me. :)
Jet
I was walking in the rain- very heavy rain-, looking for nothing in particular, when I saw her. A young girl, maybe a year or two years younger than me, sitting on the edge of the stream, dangling her feet in the water. At first, I thought she was Fire Nation. But then, I noticed what she was wearing. Green. A clear symbol of the Earth Kingdom. She was a friend. Well, sort of. She certainly looked like an Earth Kingdom girl; she had long brown hair and those symbolic bright green eyes. Everything about her was Earth Kingdom. Except her skin. It was pale and perfect. Fire Nation, I thought. Unable to wonder whether she was Earth Kingdom or Fire Nation any longer, I approached her. Her green eyes were on me instantly.
Startled, she kicked her feet out of the water, and hopped into the nearest tree. I tried to locate her, but was unsuccessful, as she had either climbed to the highest branch of the tree, or was just extremely well camouflaged. "Wait!" I called to her. The only response I received was a small rustle of leaves. "I'm not going to hurt you."
Suddenly, I felt her weight drop down on my back and pin my arms to the ground. Why didn't I bring my swords with me? You're such an idiot! I chided myself before I heard the girl speak.
"Like you could if you tried," she hissed into my ear. And to my surprise, she let me up. I scrambled to my feet and stood in front of her, and I couldn't help noticing how slim she was. Maybe it was natural. Maybe it was because she hadn't been eating properly. Either way, I looked her up and down, and then offered my hand. "I'm Jet," I told her. Her eyes narrowed in suspicion, but she eventually took my hand. She didn't give her name, though.
"You got a name?" I pressed.
"Of course I do," she snapped. She seemed tough, but the bags under her eyes and the bruises on her arms betrayed her seemingly unbreakable air. "It's Ha-" She was cut off by a loud clap of thunder, which made her jump into me. Her cheeks turned pink as she shoved herself away from me.
I grinned. "Nice to meet you, Ha," I said. She smirked at me, but didn't snap anything back, so I figured that was a good start. I leaned smoothly up against a tree. "You're a little young to be out on your own, aren't you?"
"You don't look much older than me," she said back with an edge in her voice, her eyes wandering all over my body.
"You're probably right," I shrugged. "How old are you?"
"How old are you?" She crossed her arms and cocked her hip.
"Only fourteen," I answered.
Her eyes widened to their natural roundness as she told me, "Only thirteen."
"Nice age to be," I said. "I remember when I was that age."
"What, you mean last month?" she said sarcastically, grinning and rolling her eyes. "Yeah, those must have been the days."
I laughed to myself. "You're alright," I told her. I walked toward her and circled her like a wild bear-dog circles its prey. "Now..." I put my hand thoughtfully to my chin. "About that name of yours..."
"Don't worry about it," she said. "I hate my name anyway."
"Fine," I said. I lifted my head to the sky, blinking rapidly to keep the rain from dripping into my eyes. "What are you doing out in the rain, Ha?"
"What does it matter to you?" she snapped. But she closed her eyes after a moment and sighed. "I ran away from my father."
I nodded. "I can see that you've been hurt by the Fire Nation," I told her.
Her eyes widened. "How-" she began.
"Because I can sense it," I told her. "I can sense the way you feel about firebenders and the Fire Nation. That's something we have in common."
"My father is a firebender," she admitted. "…and he murdered my mother. She was from the Earth Kingdom. A non-bender."
"I see," I said thoughtfully. You look a bit like someone from the Fire Nation, I added to myself. "Listen, I have a group of friends who feel the exact same way about the Fire Nation as you do."
"They hate them?" she asked flatly.
"Well, yeah," I told her. "And sometimes, when there's a Fire Nation camp nearby, we raid 'em." Her eyes widened with interest at this and she smiled. "You've already proven that you're strong and fast enough." I rubbed my arm that she slammed against the ground when she attacked me. "You wanna come with us on our next raid?"
She hesitated. "So..." She put her hand on her chin. "You're a group of guys, living with no rules, no one to tell you what to do...and you fight Fire Nation soldiers?" I nodded and grinned devilishly. "Alright. I'm in."
I nodded in approval. "Good." I took her by the hand. "Come on." I grinned to myself, thinking about how I had teased her about her unknown name. What are you doing out in the rain, Ha? She probably hated me for that. Suddenly, I had an idea. I smiled ear to ear and looked down at the girl. I have a name for you. "Raina."
She looked at me, her eyebrows lowered in confusion, then, she grinned, and nodded, seeming to understand what I meant.
