An Actor's Lament

It was now nearing towards the late hours of the evening. To Kazuya's expectations, the first day had been long and boring the only interesting event being Chikayume and even that was not nearly as excited as he wished it would be. Luckily, his patrol was over, the night crew was now out and about which meant he was free to do as he pleased. Unfortunately, he now found himself in one of the lounges for the soldiers with half of them drinking away and making complete fools of themselves. Normally, he enjoyed making a fool of himself; he was an actor after all: he just preferred to do so while he was sober. Even Zano was making a complete idiot of himself then again when did that not happen? The sad thing of it all was Zano was also completely sober.

While Zano was not looking in his direction, Kazuya managed to sneak himself out of the lounge. Perhaps he could now explore the village a little without having to worry of looking professional. As he made his way towards the once busy streets of the village, he lit his pipe again.

It was strange to him that when there was no one around, the village was at complete peace. It annoyed him a little. He never was much for the quiet peaceful places. Kazuya always enjoyed the bustling areas such as those on Ember Island. What he wouldn't give to be there now. He remembered his mother taking him there once: how he loved the people gathering around but what he enjoyed more than ever was the play they had saw. They sat in the back, most likely in the balcony since tickets were expensive and his family did not have the money to get the greatest seats. Yet despite that, he remembered as soon as the play started, seeing the actors dressed up in the most vibrant colors, that was what he wanted to do for a living. Imagine, a twelve year old already knowing what he wanted to do for a living. Though that was a lost cause now, a dead dream destined to float to the bottomless abyss of the sea.

As he walked passed the main square of the market, Kazuya noticed a few toy swords lying on the ground. With curiosity, he picked one up, analyzing the toy. A grin formed in the corner of his mouth as he stared at the prop he had collected. He then positioned himself in front of the main area of the square as though he were on stage. He kept the sword at his side for now while at the same time imagining all the other characters in this particular play around him, communicating with him.

"My men, who have served me faithfully all these many years, tonight we shall face Death itself. Do not show Death the fear that may be running through your veins but instead look Death in the face and laugh for death is simply a new adventure." He paused for a moment as he drew his sword as though he were about to lead a group of men to fight. Though it was meant to be a hopeless battle in which the characters would die in just a few more scenes, Kazuya stood tall as he demonstrated the courage that was meant to be present during this particular scene. "Now let us fight Death with all our strength and if we should lose, let us start our new adventure together!"

Kazuya did not expect what was to happen next. To his surprise, Kazuya heard applause though very faintly. Alarmed, Kazuya turned in the direction of the applause. It further surprised him that Chikayume was the one applauding him. He was also a little happy to see her smiling.

"That was wonderful!" she said and surprisingly her enthusiasm showed through the quiet voice. Kazuya turned red a little. He didn't think he would ever hear someone compliment his acting again.

"Thanks, though I didn't think anyone was watching...." his voice trailed off, "You know, it's past the curfew. Shouldn't you be at home?"

"Do you act often?" she asked, completely ignoring the subject.

"Uhh, I used to....." Kazuya answered though he didn't really want to remember that fact.

"I've always wanted to see a play," she stated, "That was from The Fire of Agni by Nozuk right?"

"You mean, you've never seen a play before?" Kazuya asked, arching an eyebrow.

"No..." she sighed, "I've only read them but it's not the same as actually seeing one. Plays aren't meant to be read, they're meant to be seen."

"But aren't you ...you know, rich?" Kazuya asked. Perhaps he was wrong in his deduction. Chikayume blushed at his question.

"Bu...but how did you know that?" she said, sadly.

"Well, it's not like everyone has a lap dog to come and bring them home," he explained.

"M-mr. Shu is not a lap dog!" she fumbled with her words and Kazuya could tell she wasn't comfortable discussing this.

Before he could respond, he heard someone coming. Not to his surprise, another guard who was on patrol approached the two.

"Hey, what are you doing out this late at night? It's past curfew," the soldier said. Chikayume became a nervous wreck.

"I ..I....was...just.....I'm very sorry...." she began to stutter. Kazuya sighed at her response.

"I was just about to escort her home," Kazuya replied. The soldier arched his eyebrow, questioning Kazuya's statement. However, after seeing how nervous Chikayume was, he decided that perhaps it was best to have a soldier escort her home. Upon making this decision, the soldier nodded towards Kazuya, no longer willing to question the matter. Chikayume immediately walked over towards Kazuya so the two could begin traveling to her home.

With the guard still lingering behind them, the two walked away in silence for a few minutes. Kazuya hoped the girl's home was not far seeing as how he was simply overcome with pure laziness to bother walking for a long distance. He never bothered to look down at Chikayume partially due to the fact that he was embarrassed that someone had witnessed his performance. Lucky for him it was just Chikayume however if it had been any of the fellow soldiers, there is no telling what sort of trouble he could have easily gotten himself into.

Kazuya became relieved upon seeing what he thought to be her house in the distance. It was big enough to be the house of a nobleman or so he guessed.

"Kazuya-kun..." he heard a soft voice coming from below him. It startled him for a moment as Chikayume called his name.

"Yeah?" Kazuya asked looking down at her. The girl paused for a moment as her face turned red, embarrassment consuming her as she thought about what she was about to say.

"....Let's put on a play."

"Huh?" Kazuya asked, dumbfounded.

"Let's put on a play," she said again, her words hollow as the confidence withered away.

"Are you serious?" Kazuya asked as he raised an eyebrow, moving his pipe to the other end of his mouth. There was no way this girl could be serious. This was the dumbest idea Kazuya had ever heard in his lifetime.

"Umm...yes," she nearly whispered. Kazuya decided not to reply. This idea was ridiculous, completely ridiculous yet at the same time he could not help but to be interested in the plan. Not wanting to become hopeful, he immediately shut her comments down as a small joke, something that should not be taken seriously.

The two once again walked in silence as they finally approached the main entrance to the Ami household.

"Next time you should be more careful when out late at night. It's not like all the Fire Nation soldiers are harmless," Kazuya said. Chikayume simply nodded.

"The next time I'll meet you in the Yuu house," Chikayume said lowly. Kazuya raised his eyebrow again at the girl's words. However, before he had time to further question her, she was walking back into her household.

Kazuya continued to ponder the strange words of the girl.

Let's put on a play.