A/N: Thanks again for the reviews, with a special thanks to OmniSchreiber for his especially in-depth analysis. Much appreciated!
Chapter Two: Long Walk Home
The rigid bristles of a broom swept backward and forward over the cobblestone road, clearing the last remaining splinters of the Jasmine Dragon's door, which had been so ungraciously torn open just an hour ago. It was almost midnight and a half-moon hung lazily in the sky, providing barely enough light to finish the work. Ren leaned casually on the handle of her broom and wiped the sweat from her brow, not particularly thrilled with the situation thrust upon her by her over-apologetic sister, but still content with a job well done. Jeez. That door must've split into a thousand different pieces, Ren mused. That Toya kid might need to lose some weight…
"All finished up?" said Miyumi, coming out the shop entrance. She hefted a soggy mop over her shoulder. A few dark splotches could be seen on her nice dress from the various spilled drink she had cleaned, but she didn't seem too concerned.
"Yes, ma'am," Ren said snidely. "Want me to shine your shoes as well?"
"Knowing you, Ren, you're more likely to rip my shoes off and stomp them into mulch before you shine them," she teased. "Besides, I need you to take care of one more thing for the night."
"Which is?"
She thumbed to the front wall of the tea shop. "Could you take that guy home?"
Koda, the "guy" she was referring to, was still slumped against the front of the tea shop in a motionless heap. His head lulled lazily back and forth, his mind somewhere between wakefulness and sleep. Several rips in his clothing complemented the plethora of bruises covering his arms, legs, and face.
"Why?" asked Ren. "He'd know his way back home better than I would."
"Oh come on, Ren," Miyumi pleaded. "The poor kid can't even stand up straight. I just want you to make sure he doesn't get mugged or anything. You know how dangerous the streets get at night. Just take the kid home; I'll finish up cleaning here and I promise I'll meet you back home in an hour, 'kay?" She patted her little sister on the head and smiled before walking back inside the teashop, mop in tow.
Snorting, Ren turned and faced the boy slumped against the wall, who was now starting to drift off, and limped over to his side, her hip still throbbing from when it had been hit by Toya's boulder. Deciding it was faster to just get to the point, Ren nudged him roughly with her foot. "Come on, buttercup. It's not getting any earlier and you're cutting into my sack time." When he didn't even attempt to budge an inch, Ren looped her arm under his and forced him into a stand, eliciting a groan from Koda.
"Owwwwuch. Alright, alright, I'm goin'. Just watch the ribs…"
Ren gave a satisfactory smile. "That's more like it. Now, where does your scrawny butt live?"
*****
An unusually cool breeze swept in from up high as Ren shuffled through the streets and alleys of Ba Sing Se with Koda, the boy using Ren's arm to support his own steps. Most of the street torches had been lit by this time and cast a gentle glow on the avenue that Ren thought went well with the comfortable silence that had settled over the city. She was actually thankful for the peace and quiet for once. For pickpockets, muggers, and various other shady characters, nighttime in Ba Sing Se was a safe haven for dirty dealings. Ren guessed it had something to do with the city itself; with a population well over several million, the immense city just didn't have enough of a security force to cover even half the streets.
Unconsciously, Koda snuggled closer to Ren for extra warmth against the wind. Very consciously, Ren shoved him back a few inches. "Not so close," growled Ren. She sniffed and then crinkled her nose, overwhelmed by the repugnant smell of strong alcohol. "Ugh... you smell terrible. Were you drinking?"
"Hmm?" said Koda sleepily. "What, me? Drink? No, of course not. My parents would kill me. I fell into some sake when Toya punched me into that table."
"Wouldn't surprise me either way. You might as well have thrown yourself into his punches."
Koda winced at her comment. "It looked that bad, huh?"
"I just don't get why you would step in like that when you can't fight worth crap."
"It seemed like he was bothering you," Koda said. "Toya can get pretty annoying sometimes. I would know; I went through eight years of primary school with him."
"If you don't like him so much, why don't you just avoid him?" asked Ren, genuinely curious. "It's not like you ever have to see him again."
Koda sighed in displeasure. "Oh, how I wish that were the case. Graduation was one of the best days of my life. It meant I didn't have deal with all the smug comments and occasional beatings. Then my father signed me up for the Dai Li. When I saw Toya there, I tried to get out of it. But my dad wouldn't have. He said it was too valuable an opportunity to pass up. Said it builds character."
Koda stood up straight and puffed out his chest in imitation. He spoke in a deep voice. "' Being a part of the service was one of the best decisions I ever made! Just look at the man I am today: tough, intelligent, and studded with medals! I even met your mother on the frontlines. Ah, she was such a beauty back then. And I owe it all to the service. I hear these Dai Li people are the best of the best and that's what you deserve, my boy. Only the best!'"
After his speech, Koda seemed to lose his balance and collapsed. Ren jumped forward and was able catch him before he could hit the ground, heaving at the strain his dead-weight. The effort caused another spike of pain through her injured hip, but she shrugged it off and propped him back up against her shoulder. "Are you sure you don't have a concussion or something?"
"No, no, I'm fine," Koda insisted, though Ren wasn't completely convinced. "I think we need to take it a little slower though." After the pair adjusted their pace to an even slower crawl, Koda continued. "Where was I? Oh right, the Dai Li…"
"Hold up a sec," Ren put in, raising her hand up. "You're in the Dai Li…" Koda nodded. "…and so is Toya. And myself. And my sister. Was there anyone at the Jasmine Dragon who wasn't a candidate? I mean seriously, was Toya's friend…"
"Actually yes. Hidei signed up as well." Koda smiled, to Ren's disbelief. "Small world, eh? I used to be friends with him as too. Nice kid, bit quiet though. Never spoke more than a few words at a time. But then he started hanging with Toya and he changed."
There was another long period of silence before either of them said anything. As they walked, they passed by the Fire Nation embassy, a tall, bright red and gold building with spiked spires that stabbed at the night sky. It contrasted greatly with the square aesthetic of most other Earth Kingdom structures, which mirrored the feelings that most Earth Kingdom citizens felt towards it. The embassy had been built to help develop the new unity between the two nations, but it was almost having an opposite effect. Citizens sometimes spat in disgust at its stones as they walked by and gave no respect to visiting dignitaries. The hate was like a young boy's open wound, one he would refuse to bandage and would pick at daily, never allowing it time to heal, and it was a sentiment that Ren carried completely.
When Ren glanced back at Koda, she noticed he was staring dizzily at her face. It took Ren a moment to realize that it must've been the thumb-sized scar across her nose he was gawking at. "It was a knife."
"Excuse me?" Koda said, shaking out of his stupor.
"A knife made this," she said, indicating the faded mark. "I was out late one night, past curfew. I was supposed to meet my sister at her guard post so she could walk me home—she was still a city guard when this happened. But I was too busy exploring the streets. I'd never been in the outer-ring and it was like nothing I'd ever seen before: dank, dirty, but so full of life." Ren sighed and took a moment to reminisce on that night. A second later she snapped back to the present.
"Anyway, I realized I was late and took a short-cut to the guard post. As fortune would have it, it was that one night that I got jumped in an alley on the way there by three guys, one with a knife. He asked for my valuables, I told him to shove it, and he didn't take that very well." She mimicked holding a knife in her hand, swiping forward at the air. "If I hadn't been so quick, it might have been worse."
Koda nodded. "Then when happened?"
"Luckily, that's just when big sis decided to show up. The thugs weren't expecting a rescue and hadn't bothered to watch their backs for anyone, city guards especially, and before they knew, all three were pinned under a few hundred pounds of earth." Ren sniffed, and added, "Coulda taken 'em myself if I wanted."
"Wow. Your sister sounds like quite the girl," said Koda.
Ren shrugged in response. "We've always been close. I would've done the same for her."
At long last, Koda gave the signal to halt. "You can stop now; this would be my abode."
Ren halted in front of a very elaborately made gate guarding an even more elaborately decorated garden. Several large bushes were cut into various animals, landmarks, even people, and were set along the pathway. A fountain, at least thirty feet in circumference, stood in the middle, brilliantly reflecting the dozen or so colored torches set around the sides. If one looked long enough, they might confuse the sparkling water of the fountain with the twinkling stars of the sky.
"Nice lawn."
"Really? I thought it was a bit overdone. Dad loves it though." Koda fished through his pockets until he found a small key, which he inserted into the gate's lock. With a small click, the gate swung open, but Koda didn't leave. He stood for a moment, and then looked back at Ren, sincerity filling his large, green eyes.
"Hey, uh, I just wanted to say thanks. For helping me out, I mean. You didn't need to get involved in my fight."
Ren stared for a second, not expecting this, and then quickly averted her eyes. "Oh, well yeah. No big deal. He had it coming anyway."
"That he did. And by the way, it would probably be in both of our best interests if we keep our little scuffle on the DL."
She stared at him blankly with a perplexed expression. "The…'DL'?
Koda stared right back at her skeptically. "You're not serious, are you?" Seeing that she was, he sighed and shook his head. "It means don't go spreading the story around."
"Why? What's wrong with a little fight?"
"These military-type people look down on fights," said Koda. "They see them as signs of undisciplined soldiers. I would know, my dad was…"
"A soldier," Ren finished for him. "Yeah, I got that."
"Right, well, I guess I'll see tomorrow at for training then."
"Yeah." At that, Ren turned her back, but Koda blurted out, "You know, we could be friends!" Ren turned back to face him, staring curiously. "It'd be nice to have someone to count on during training. I hear it's some of the hardest stuff you can go through."
Standing awkwardly in the middle of the street, Ren quickly came up with an answer. "Uh, sure. That sounds…fine."
"Great… I'll see you there, then."
"Yeah."
"Tomorrow."
"Yep."
"At the headquarters building."
"I'll be there."
"Have a nice walk."
"Will do."
"Alrighty then."
"I'm leaving."
"Yeah, that's probably best."
Ren quickly turned and started down the road, still limping, hoping to get away from the awkwardness. This whole night had been strange, she decided. She heard the clang of the gate closing behind her and footsteps rapidly walking away. Koda.
Ren chuckled to herself quietly. "What a weirdo."
***
The following morning, Ren and Miyumi stood together, staring down the unimpressive headquarters building of the Dai Li. It was, for lack of a better adjective, bland. Its architecture was strictly rectangular and was covered in the same, pallid shade of beige. There wasn't a single piece of decoration or flair to distinguish the building from the dozens of other warehouses that lined the street.
"This place definitely needs a decorator," said Miyumi. "Well, no use standing around. Coronation starts in ten minutes, so let's…"
"Girls? Girls, is that you?" said a high-pitched squeak behind them. "It is! Oh, thank the spirits I found you!"
Ren recognized the voice immediately and buried her face in her palm. "Oh boy…"
The sisters turned round to see their mother, dashing up the street toward them. Ren and Miyumi's mother was a surprisingly round woman when compared to her thinner daughters. Her tiny eyes were filled with obnoxious tears which streamed down her rosy cheeks that didn't show any sign of abating. She jumped up, wrapping her arms around the necks of both her children and smothering them to her breast.
"It's okay, Mom," Miyumi said, her voice muffled under her mother's crushing embrace. "We'll be fine."
"Yeah, Mom. We already said our goodbyes, remember? You were crying for an hour and a half."
"I know, I know," the portly woman sobbed. "I haven't stopped. I just wanted to see you one last time."
"Mom, we'll see you next week. We get a free day every week. We've mentioned this three times…"
But this just seemed to make her hold them even tighter. Just when Ren thought that she'd run out of oxygen, her mother finally released her and her sister. The flowing river of tears was now only a trickle and she spoke again, as serious as she possibly could, given her state. "Now, you take care of your sister, you hear? Never leave her behind and always look out for each other." Ren thought that this kind of comment would be directed to Miyumi, the elder sibling and the responsible one, but her mother seemed to be including her just as much as her sister.
"Will do, Mom," said Miyumi.
"Sure thing," promised Ren as much as she promised herself.
Their mother wiped her eyes and looked at them. Both Ren and Miyumi were able to see the swelling pride she had for them. "Your father would be so proud."
At the mention of their father, the sisters looked away and began shifting uneasily. That's right, the mother thought. It's been four years and they're still hurting. She quickly changed the subject. "Well, go on now. You mustn't keep them waiting!" After giving them each one last suffocating hug, she took something out her pocket. She held out two necklaces, each carrying a small, sapphire colored stone in the middle.
"What's this?" Miyumi asked.
"They're ram-trout tears. Legend says that the whenever a ram-trout weeps, it only cries two tears. Whenever one of you is hurt or separated from the other, these tears can help you find your way back together."
Ren raised an eyebrow. "You got these from that sketchy pawn-shop owner, didn't you?"
"No more time to talk!" said her mother as she shooed them both to the door. "You're going to be late!"
"See ya, Mom," Miyumi said as she led her sister through the front door. "We'll visit you next Thursday. Don't worry too much!" When they were inside, a lethargic desk clerk pointed them down a bare hallway, where she said they were to fall in with the rest of the trainees. "Sure was nice of Mom to see us off," she said, fingering the necklace around her neck as they strolled quickly down the bare hallway.
"Yeah, twice. I really think she overdid it with the tacky trinkets, though."
"Tacky? I think they're cute."
"Whatever."
"Anyway, sis, I need you to do something for me." Miyumi stopped her sister and bent over a little, looking her right in her eyes. Her voice suddenly had a deathly serious tone. "I need you do to do exactly as I say, when I say it, without fail, even if you don't exactly agree with it. These people are harsh and will rip you apart if you make a mistake, but you need to stay strong."
"Don't worry about it, sis, I'll be fine…"
"Promise me then," pressed Miyumi. "Swear to me. Do you swear, Ren?"
"I swear."
Content with her answer, Miyumi continued down the hallway. Ren stared at her sister's back for a moment, contemplating her strange change in tone for a moment, before realizing that she would be late if she dawdled any longer and rushed to catch up.
While at Miyumi's back, she allowed her limp to be more pronounced. She didn't know exactly why she still shielded her injury from her sister's eyes, but it might have had something to do with pride. Or the thought that having an over-reacting sister fussing over her wound was worse than the wound itself. Ren decided it was the latter.
Finally, the two entered a fairly large room where they found the rest of the twenty-eight trainees, each standing in two lines of ten and one line of eight. Silence permeated the room, giving it an almost chilling mood. Ren quickly scanned the recruits, standing rigid and expressionless at their positions, and she saw to her disappointment, but not necessarily to her surprise, twenty-eight boys. Ren and her sister were the only girls who made the cut. She quickly spotted the bulky Toya, and the tops of Koda and Hidei's heads as well. Koda noticed them and waved enthusiastically. Ren returned the gesture (though with a bit less spunk) as the two sisters quickly slid into positions at the front of the formation before a commanding voice spoke up.
"Settle down, cadets!" a tall man with an eye patch shouted at the silent room. "I'm going to make this as brief as possible because we all have much to accomplish. As most of you may already know, I'm Lieutenant Tai Sen, second in command in this program and head instructor. You do what I say, when I say it, and I think we'll get along famously. "
He held up a hand and gestured to two passages to either side of him. "To your far right are the barracks. You'll be sleeping there for the entirety of your training so I'd suggest you get comfy with it. To your far left is the mess hall. That's where you'll eat and spend any free time, if, by the spirits' good graces, you get any. Then there's this room and the other immediate classrooms lining the hallways. Any of the more physical instruction will be handled here."
He glanced at the crowd, thirty sets of eyes gazing back. "There will be four classes a day for each trainee. Based on the test scores of your entrance exams, you'll be placed in certain classes that will maximize your strengths and reduce the margin of weakness."
Ren swore under her breath. 'Reduce the margin of weakness'? she repeated to herself. I'm guessing that means more sorry attempts at earthbending. Yippee.
"Now, before you are dismissed, I'd like to ask something of a few specific trainees." His eyes singled out one boy. "Cadet Koda!" he called, his voice changed from a bored lecture to a sharp bark. "Step forward."
There was a second of stillness. Ren, not daring to take her eyes off the lieutenant, imagined that Koda was still processing that it was his name that had been called and not some other Koda. Then she heard a scrambling of shoes against tile and Koda frantically broke through the front-most line to stand in front of Tai Sen. "Uh, yes… sir?
"I'd like to inquire as to how you got those cuts and bruises," Tai Sen said.
"The cuts? Um, yeah, well…" Koda eyes searched the floor, his mind frantic." You see, I ran into a nasty cat on the way home last night. Thing nearly scratched my face off."
"Indeed. Have to watch out for those felines, right cadet?"
"Uh…yeah. I mean yes. Yes, sir."
The Lieutenant glanced away from him back to the rest of the trainees, their eyes still motionless. "Cadet Hidei, please step forward."
Hidei stepped forward casually. A bandage crisscrossed his nose, which Ren had presumably broken the previous night. "Sir?"
"I'd like to ask what happened," he said, tapping his own nose.
"Low branch," he said curtly. "Wasn't looking."
"I see. Cadet Ren, could you step forward as well?"
Ren stepped forward cautiously. "Yes, sir?"
"Why the limp?"
Ren stiffened. She was both frustrated and amazed at once that he had seen through her façade. "I…I fell down some stairs."
Tai Sen arched an eyebrow. "Stairs?"
"Yes, sir. Stairs. Clumsy me."
"Yes, clumsy." He directed the next question to the three in general. "These injuries wouldn't happen to be related, would they?"
"Nope." "No." "No, sir."
"You do realize that while fights are against Dai Li protocol, lying to an officer is a much more severe offense?" The three slowly bobbed their heads up and down, much to the lieutenant's chagrin.
"Fine then. I have one final person to call up." Ren breathed a sigh of relief. He's going to call Toya. Hopefully, Toya will fib like the rest of us. He'll have no choice but to leave us be; he doesn't have the proof it takes to punish us. "Senior Cadet Miyumi. Please step forward!"
The color left Ren's face as the blood drained away. How?! How could he have known Miyumi had been there? She hadn't participated in the fight, and therefore didn't carry any marks like the rest of us. How could he possibly know she was involved?
Miyumi stepped to the front of the group with the rest of the misfits. "Yes, lieutenant?"
"These cadets tell me that their injuries are, in fact, from separate incidents. I don't believe it one bit, but I would like you to confirm my suspicions." Tai Sen paused for a moment before looking Miyumi right in the eye and speaking again. "Was there or was there not a fight between these trainees?"
At first, Miyumi hesitated, seeming torn between decisions. Come on, sis, Ren pleaded mentally. If it's anyone who'll stick up for me, it's you… Miyumi clenched her fists, as if hiding the frustration she felt from showing on her face, and said, "Yes, sir. There was a fight."
Ren couldn't believe her ears.
"I'm assuming all three were involved then?" Tai Sen pressed. Miyumi nodded, a look of pain and betrayal scrawled across her face. "Well then, this definitely puts a damper on the rest of your day," he said, turning back to the rest of the trainees. "Seeing as the three of you are members of the Dai Li, you should know there should never, under any circumstance, be any physical conflict between agents. Furthermore, lying in the face of an officer is not only unacceptable, it's insulting. As such, the entire trainee class will be taking a little jog around the circumference of the inner ring tonight. Approximately fifteen miles."
Several painful groans were heard from the lines, while others just stood silent in shock. "This work out will continue every night until I see fit," continued Tai Sen, rising over the dissent. He nodded to Koda, Hidei, and Ren. "Those of you who are injured will need to see our resident medic before you start your exercise. I want you boys and girls especially to be in tip-top shape for the run; I expect you to be leading it."
Tai Sen turned his back to thirty furious cadets as he walked toward the exit. One boy was unable to hold his tongue that long, however. "This…this isn't fair!" he yelled. "Why are we being punished for some stupid fight those other guys had? It just isn't fair!"
Tai Sen halted, the boy's words seeming to hang in the air for a moment. He then spun around, a fierce look on his face. "Which one of you said if that?" he said with a dangerous growl. The crowd of cadets quickly dispersed, shuffling to either side of the room, revealing a skinny, pale, frightened looking boy. His wide eyes shifted nervously from his fellow cadets to Tai Sen, who slowly approached him with a menacing gait. Tai Sen locked eyes with him for a moment before screaming, "Fair? Fair? You think it's fair that we have to pay taxes to fix the damage the Fire Nation to other cities when we still have problems of our own? You think it's fair that my eye was taken from me and now I have problems with depth perception? No cadet, of course it's not fair! Welcome to the real damn world!"
The boy was scared stiff, shaking uncontrollably as Tai Sen continued his speech to the rest of the cadets. "There are three things you need to know under my command! Firstly, you will always call me sir. After every damn sentence that comes out of your sorry mouths. I don't care if you're asking what flavor of tea I want. Second, you will always follow my orders, to the letter. No deviation. Lastly, you will not question my orders. Ever. If you do, the penalties will be swift and exact. Got it?"
There wasn't a peep from a single person as the lieutenant stared them down. Ren had felt a little intimidated when she'd first seen Tai Sen, his commanding demeanor and his soldier's stature both very imposing. But now that she saw a bit of a different side of him, a much less stable side, she realized she'd have to tread carefully if she was going to make it through this. No more mistakes.
"No, it's not fair," said Tai Sen repeated, turning to the door. "But you're in the Dai Li now. That means we do things as a team. So I'd expect these nightly outings to continue for as long as your team plans on being stupid." Before exiting, Tai Sen's anger broke, and he chuckled. "Oh, and have fun with the jog. The weather's just lovely this time of year."
