Thanks AvatarAiris. Um, it seems that you were the only replier to chapter nine. That makes me really sad. (well, happy that u liked it, but not happy that others aren't replying) :( come on people, i need some support, writing is all i got! So, I just finished chapter Ten, the beginning of the journey. I hope more peoples are reading this, and if you are, you could at least reply. :(

For those of you who are reading, I hope you like it. I won't be posting until, probably Saturday. I'm going over my grandma's till Friday. Please r&r, I expect more replies when I come back!!

- sunlit insomnia

Ten

Small stones crunched under Misaki's feet, leaving imprints in their soles. The silence between her and Daiki was deathly sickening. Silence meant she had time to think, and being able to think meant she could re-weigh her options about this journey.

"I need a distraction," Misaki finally admitted.

"What kind of distraction?" Daiki asked, looking over at her.

"Something to take my mind off reality."

Daiki smiled, raising his eyebrows.

"What's your favorite color?" he asked.

Misaki stopped and put her hand on her hip.

"What?!" Daiki asked innocently, chuckling

Misaki rolled her eyes and continued walking. Daiki skipped a step to catch up to her.

"What was your life like before the fire nation invaded your home?" Misaki asked.

"Well, when I was four my father left. He and my mother had met during a fire nation invasion. My father was a soldier who was drafted into the war. He didn't want to fight, but he had no choice. One day, while at a small island, just outside the northern water tribe, he captured my mother. She was a skillful water bender and healer, and one of the only women who were put on the battle field.

"The fire nation was taking in captives, forcing the northern water tribe to accept defeat. My father was in charge of watching the prisoners, and that's when he met my mother. They accidentally fell in love and my father secretively let all the captives go. He disguised himself as a water tribe warrior and lived with my mother until they had me.

"By then the fire nation had found out what he had done and they were on an avid search for him, determined to have him executed. For four years, he secretively hid out with me and mother, but he knew it was too risky, he didn't want to put us in danger. I hardly even knew him when he left, but he left with me the best gift of all- the ability to fire bend-"

"Wait! You're a fire bender!?" Misaki screamed.

They had been traveling in the woods for a quite a while, and had come across a dead end, a waterfall.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Misaki asked.

"I just…" Daiki stammered.

He ran his hands through his hair nervously, trying to stay calm.

"I just didn't want you to not trust me. I wouldn't hurt you."

Misaki looked down, ashamed for her out burst. She kicked a rock under her foot, accidentally forcing a slanted board of earth out of the ground.

"I'm sorry."

Her voice was weak. Biting her lip, Misaki continued to stare at the ground. Daiki followed her gaze. He put his hand on her shoulder and turned her face to his.

"It's no big deal. And it's better that you learned early on anyway."

Misaki looked up at him. A small smile played on her lips. Her cheeks stained pink, and she looked out at the pool of water.

"Let's take a rest," she said.

Daiki nodded. They were in a pretty secluded area of the woods, no noise of civilization could be heard, only the crash of the falls and cooing of birds. Misaki dropped her bag by a stump and plopped herself onto it. Daiki settled next to her on a sideways tree log.

"So what happened after your father left?" Misaki asked.

Daiki smiled, "My mother taught me water bending, and I trained to be a warrior. I could never stop thinking that my father was somewhere out there. But I never knew if he had actually lived or been…killed. I was too busy thinking about defending the water tribe, that I didn't take any time for myself. That's why I came to Ba Sing Se. That's why I'm here with you."

They smiled, looking out at the pool. The mist from the fall sifted over them, cooling the air. Misaki jumped up off her seat and skipped over to the water. She stripped off her over-clothes and sat by the edge in her bathing suit.

The water cooled her feet immediately. Kicking around the water with her feet, tiny waves followed their trails. Daiki jogged over, already in his bathing suit. He crouched down next to Misaki, looking from her to the water. He smiled and brought his hands up. A long tube of water emerged from the pool and floated in the air. Daiki motioned it around in funny shapes. It was a ribbons that danced across the sky. Misaki watched it with interest, but it gave her an idea.

In a swift motion, Misaki brought her hands up in a triangle, clenching them into fists as they ascended. Two slates of rock burst through the water, puncturing the dancing ribbon and creating a giant splash. Water poured over both Daiki and Misaki, making her hair droop down over her shoulders.

"Ha ha ha!" she laughed.

Daiki growled and attempted to water bend Misaki into a hold. She sank her hands into the ground, covering them in stone gloves. Rapidly, she punched the twists of water away from her face. Using the ground as a trampoline, Misaki pushed off of the ground with her fists. She cannoned into a back flip, landing with precise balance. In front of her, Daiki charged head first for her stomach. As quickly as he had started the tiny fight, he had ended it playfully. As Daiki flung Misaki over his shoulder, laughing the whole time, Misaki unclenched her fists, letting the rock fall off her hands in clumps.

She couldn't help herself from giggling as Daiki ran around with her leaning over his shoulder. He ran her over to the pool.

"Let's go swimming!" he yelled.

He tossed Misaki in the air. Her body hurdled over the ground. As she flew through the air, Misaki pulled her arms up fiercely. Two giant slates of rock punctured through the ground and slid forward as Misaki slipped through the air. The rock hit into Daiki, making him lose his balance. He tripped to the ground and the stone pushed his body over the edge of the ground and into the pool.

Misaki and Daiki hit the surface at the exact same time, sinking into the cool water. Misaki swam gracefully to the top of the pool, still choking in laughter. She waited for Daiki to come back up.

Everything was silent once they had surfaced. Even the crashing of the waterfall had been silenced in their little playful fight.

"You're some earth bender," Daiki complimented, out of breath.

Both of them were gasping for air, faces red, and flirty smiles playing on their faces.

"You're not half bad yourself," Misaki said back.

She let herself float on the top of the water. Her ears enveloped in water and she closed her eyes, only feeling by the tiny waves in the water. Daiki swam next to her and watched her face. Her smile curved up and she opened her mouth to speak.

"What are you thinking?" she asked calmly.

Daiki hesitated and sank back a little. This made Misaki's smile grow even more.

"Part of being a good earth bender is being able to see without eyes. I could feel your vibrations in the water. You were staring at me."

Misaki let the bottom half of her sink under the water. She opened her eyes and smiled at Daiki.

"I'm glad I'm getting to see this side of you," he smiled.

"Me, too," Misaki smiled, looking up flirtingly at Daiki.