Chapter Twenty-Five
A boulder charged its way over Kanto's head and the boy erected an earth column that disintegrated it mere centimeters from his face. He sent the column back to his brother and added three more. Shay launched himself over the attack, bringing two massive slabs of rock with him, which he hurled at his opponent.
The nine year old was able to smash through the first with his fist but as he raised a block of rock from the ground beneath him to defend from the second, Shay was already kicking through the piece of rock, breaking it into smaller pieces, and calling himself victor of the match.
The dust spread near Rya's sitting form.
The fifteen year old waved her arms around, trying to lift the particles from her line of sight so she could see what had happened. Kanto had a defeated look on his face that quickly cleared up at his brother's words, "You're getting better. But you have to try to predict your opponent's moves so that you can use the proper attack and defense", he said as he ruffled his brother's hair.
"That's enough sparring for today", Shay announced then. The younger sibling straitened his stance. "It's time for a new technique", "Uhh what's it gonna be today", the boy asked with enthusiasm. "What do ya think about rock hanging", the older one revealed with a smirk. "Sweet", Kanto exclaimed, "But isn't that just a Dai Li move, though? Won't you get in trouble or something", he asked with concern. Shay snorted slightly, a laugh Rya had come to notice through the week she had been staying in Ba Sing Se, "Don't be silly. Any earthbender can do this".
The seventeen year old instructed his brother, calling upon a piece of rock which he deformed into the shape of a hand. Kanto did the same with ease. "I can see you've been practicing", Shay acknowledged with pride. "You'll need these to attach yourself to any other piece of rock", he added before he let go of his earth hand.
The Dai Li agent then raised an earth wall, "You're gonna start with something vertical. Ceilings are a bit trickier", he said.
Rya leaned back against a tree trunk, tired from the day's work and the swordsmanship class she had given to Kanto.
She turned her face from the earthbending lesson and noticed the moon reflecting in the lake's surface. What was its name again? Lake Laotai? Laogai? It didn't really matter. It seemed peaceful in here, the way the small waves carried the shimmering moonlight. For Rya, it wasn't as nice as the beautiful warm colors of the sunrise but it came quite close. She wondered why Shay had brought them all the way from the Outer Ring to a place so far away that trees actually grew there, though.
She could hear the noise from the earthbending lesson, the occasional thud from Kanto falling on his backside as he figured out the mechanics of rock hanging, and Shay's laugh when that would happen. She found herself smiling too.
The black haired girl was actually… happy. Things were easier here. It didn't seem like she was running all over the place, trying to hide what she really was. She had to thank Clodagh for that, really.
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The girl jumped a bit when she saw her. She knew the firebender would come for answers but she didn't expect her to be waiting for her, sitting in the ground outside the restaurant. It was even odder because she seemed to be meditating, lotus position and all.
Rya opened one eye when she sensed a heat source inspecting her. Clodagh's questioning gaze. Of course. She stood to her full height and demanded that they needed to talk. The girl only nodded and led her inside, opening the wooden door with a set of old golden keys.
"How did ye know me shift started this early", she questioned. Rya only rolled her eyes, "I asked Mr. Farak, of course". "Oh", Clodagh muttered dropping her hand from her hip, "So… Ye want t'know how I knew ye were a firebender, right", she concluded. Rya nodded, but added, "And why you haven't given me up to the authorities yet. I would think everybody would be afraid of a firebender".
"You'll see in a few days thin's here are… complicated", Clodagh replied as she grabbed for a broom. She threw one at Rya, "Ye might as well help", she added. The firebender nodded and started sweeping the floors. The brown haired girl continued, "I wasn't completely certain when I said that ye were one, but then ye just gave it away when ye asked me how I knew".
Rya's face turned to one of disbelief, "Are you serious? This is my fault, then", a hand dragged across her face in exasperation. Clodagh only shrugged, "Yeah, I guess so".
"Then why did you help me get the job? How am I not already locked up?" The blue eyed girl stopped her sweeping, concentrating on how she would be able to explain.
"Well, for starters, I always like to give people the benefit of the doubt. And ye actually seemed to be a nice person 'n all. I usually tend to stick to my gut feelings. They never let me down", she answered with wink, leaving the broom leaned against a wall. Rya was a little flabbergast, but accepted her answer nonetheless. It seemed too weird to be made up.
"Thank you, I guess", the firebender muttered. "Plus, I feel like I need someone outside the city to talk with… This people are crazy", she said in a hushed, almost angry way. Rya's brow crinkled in suspicion. "What are you talking about", she asked. Clodagh pressed a finger against her lips, "Shush! We don't want the Dai Li to hear us".
Rya considered asking her why she was so afraid of the Dai Li but decided not to. Shay was part of it and he seemed nice. She had discovered that during dinner the night before.
"Okay, okay", the fifteen year old managed. Clodagh continued, "It's really tough being a bender that doesn't control earth, in this city, so I gave it a lot of thought yesterday and decided to tell you". "Tell me what", Rya asked, bewildered.
"'Bout me, of course! It'll make ye feel better as well", she answered with a laugh. The range of emotions this girl can muster in a matter of minutes is uncanny, Rya remarked with a sigh.
It was then that it happened. Clodagh propped herself in a different stance and suddenly a mass of water appeared from the kitchen and exploded into falling snow.
Rya touched a crystal in astonishment, "You're a waterbender". The tan skin, the blue eyes, it all made sense now. Rya was a little let down on herself she hadn't discovered it yet.
Clodagh nodded with a happy face, clearly relieved she had someone to confide in, "From the Northern Water Tribe", she added. Rya dropped to the bench beneath her with a sigh.
It turned out she wasn't the only one hidden in the city of Ba Sing Se. Clodagh was disguised there too. Time and time again Rya realized things were turning out to be different from what she had expected.
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Shay sat down near her as his brother practiced the new technique. He found it odd the girl he was beginning to know had been looking at the horizon with her orangey honey eyes for some time now.
That was actually what he had noticed first about her, on the day he met her. Her strangely colored eyes and the angularity of them, though they didn't seem harsh. Then it was the hair. Not only the blackness of it but also the style. She had half of it in a topknot, the rest flowing past her shoulders. Rya was such a strange character all in all. So different from any other girl he had ever met.
But she's really beautiful. A blush crept Kanto's cheeks as his train of thought came to that conclusion.
Kanto's seaweed colored eyes darted away from her to his training brother when he realized she was looking back at him with a flush of her own.
After a few moments of awkwardness someone spoke, "He learns so quickly. He's so keen on getting better", Kanto heard from his sitting companion. Rya turned her head to the earthbender, "I was meaning to ask you something". Shay shifted his body so he could speak to her more openly, the awkwardness from before forgotten, and nodded, telling her to go on.
"I was wondering why you teach him earthbending even though it can prove counterproductive to your wishes that he won't get into fights", she probed shyly. Shay's smile turned into a wry smirk as he watched, from the corner of his eye, his brother grip to the earth wall with all his might as he fell with a thump. He then considered her question.
"I think it's cruel to not let him practice his own gift. I believe bending is an extension of who we are and to ignore it would be… agonizing", the thought of his father teaching him this same technique popped into his mind and his previous smirk turned into a sad soft smile. "H-he doesn't remember much of our parents, they di-went away when he was four. They were powerful benders and doing this for Kanto lets me make up to him the time he didn't get with them", he finished melancholically.
Rya felt sorry for the both of them. Though she was an orphan too, she could never miss the parents that she never had the way the brothers did theirs. "I'm sorry for what happened… And for bringing it up too", she offered, with an understanding smile. "It's fine, it was a long time ago". Rya's face changed, trying to convey to him that it was okay to feel this away about such a thing but Shay was determined to be strong.
Rya fell asleep that night with her thoughts still on the seventeen year old that carried the weight of the world on his shoulders since the death of his parents.
Auhor's Note:
I'm sorry about the delay. This was a really tough chapter for me. It was my first time writing anything romance related so I hope it looks good. There was also a ton of stuff for me to do, college related...
Moving on from my depressed feelings... I'm actually really surprised no one figured out who Kanto is, but anyways... then it'll be more of a surprise, I guess.
Please rate and review, it'll make me extremelly motivated to write more of this, ya know?
Hope you're having a great day, wherever you are in the world, bbye ;)