So it's… me against the world today
I'm gonna do it my own way
Though nobody understands
I'm gonna make a one girl stand
-- Me Against the World, Superchick
Lieutenant Suzume had dealt with many different and difficult situations. Being a female officer brought many more troubles than she would care to recall. From insubordination to the daily staring eyes, the female lieutenant had to constantly throw up a wall of composure. Saving face became her daily, if not every other daily, motto since the beginning of her commission. She fought for her honor with words and actions and proved herself through blade and strategy. Nothing could faze her short of losing the commander she had come to admire.
Well, that and taking care of this small child the commander put in my care, thought Suzume as she held the boy's hand walking down the mountain side.
Behind her she could hear the muffled laugh of her subordinates joking at her expense. A quick glare to the rear sent chills down the jesters' spine. Stone-face returned, she clenched her dignity with an iron will and counted the steps back to the camp with eagerness. At the bottom of the mountain, horses were brought for the officers. Suzume mounted the horse and assisted the boy as he fumbled with the stirrups. With the child hugging her waist, the lieutenant rejoined the formation with a light tap to the horse's sides. As they rode, she lifted up her elbow and glanced at the white mess of hair that pressed against her back. She then felt the sensation of something moist running down her back. The lieutenant could hear it but she was certain that the boy was crying.
"Lieutenant Suzume!"
The lieutenant snapped her head around and saw Commander Tseng riding up on his own horse. "Sir," she replied rendering the proper salute.
The commander bit his lip; a sign that meant he was about to say something discretely. Suzume leaned towards the commander as he spoke.
"Before I give you your orders I need your analysis of the boy. His… well current behavior in accordance with his situation will warrant special attention until we figure out a more permanent setting."
"Well sir, he has been very obedient an cooperative. He has also been very silent and self contained. I believe he currently crying as well."
"Yes… hmm. It is good that he's crying but I do not want to wean him just yet. You see the child…" The commander leaned in closer and whispered into the lieutenant's ear. "From what one of the detainees has told me, the boy has just lost his mother to the attack. That aside, he isn't old enough to know how to deal with the pain he's feeling." Commander Tseng then pulled his reigns back and trotted his horse around to the other side of the lieutenant. A bad taste collected in Suzume's mouth as the commander smiled at her.
"So in collecting what I know so far, I deem it best that the boy stay in your care until told otherwise. I do realize what this means but presently it can't be helped and I don't trust anyone else to do the job correctly."
The female lieutenant felt the color escape her face as the commander assigned her as babysitter to the survivor.
"As you carry out your task in whatever ways you deem fit be weary of his behavior but also think of his pain. I will have supply bring anther sleeping cot to your quarters along the appropriate blankets and so on…"
Suzume felt faint for a single moment as her composer cracked.
"Lastly," the commander continued, "I need you to go and alert medical immediately and tell them to be ready for our unconscious patient. Now make haste and deliver the message. After that you are dismissed to situate the boy."
The Lieutenant's lip quivered as she saluted the commander one more time and rode ahead towards the campsite. A few minutes later she came upon the northern watch position and informed them of the situation. Arriving at the medical tent, Suzume dismounted with the boy and walked though the flaps. The first person they saw was one of the nurses changing the caste of a soldier's leg.
"Aida," spoke of Suzume, "I need you to prepare for an incoming patient."
"Lieutenant Suzume, I didn't hear you coming…"
The nurse's face started turning green and her face started shaking. "Aiiiieeeeeeeeeeee!" The nurse continued to scream and got up only to let the soldier's leg fall hitting the bed.
Suzume looked herself over but found nothing noteworthy but when she turned to the boy she found half his lower face caked with blood. She immediately grabbed a clean sheet off one of the beds and applied a good portion of it to his face. At that moment Yuri came running from the back room and followed Aida's pointing finger.
"Lieutenant is everybody okay," asked Yuri as she grabbed a big gauze patch and, rushing over, applied it to Suzume's back. "What happened? Your back… it's dry?"
Suzume twisted around and found a patch of dried blood trailing down her uniform.
"Oh that must be the boy's blood. He was riding with me… I thought he was crying… he never made a sound and wasn't bleeding when I first saw him."
Yuri scanned the boys face for fresh blood. She had to admit that the white hair with that amount of blood looked very surreal. "It may look like a lot of blood but I don't believe he's even lost half a pint. I'll bring a wet sponge and clean his face off but good luck get the stain out of your uniform ma'am."
"That, is none of your concern. Just clean the boy up so I can leave."
Yuri came back a moment later and cleaned off the boys face. After all the dried blood was gone she found that the source of the bleeding was a small and very recent scar in the shape of a tear.
"The scar doesn't seem to be very deep and the bleeding has stopped so I do not think a bandage will be necessary. Just make sure he gets extra food and water tonight. But um… who is he?"
Suzume propped the boy onto a nearby bed them beckoned the nurse away from him. "I have not been told his name but he now the sole survivor of the northern air-temple."
"Oooo, that's got to be rough on him, He is so young."
"But that aside I've been directed to tell you that the woman we've been chasing is going to be brought here first. She's unconscious and maybe injured."
"You mean the air-bending woman who destroyed the Western air-temple?"
Both women turned around to find the little boy listening intently with an unending gaze. Yuri put her hand to her mouth while Suzume turned around and made a constipated face.
"Hmmph, well we'll being running along."
"Ah, yes… he should be fine now but if the bleeding should continue please notify me."
Yuri tried to right off what just happened but she could feel in her gut that something was wrong.
Later that evening Suzume took the boy to the chow hall for dinner. The menu consisted of a tossup between soup or rice. Both received their meals and sat down to eat. As he ate she saw a speck of rice stuck to his cheek. With the tip of her finger, she swiped it off and ate it herself. Stillness hovered over the entire tent as she saw everybody staring at her. With a single movement she flicked a knife she had hidden on her person at the tents middle pole. The sound of metal striking wood was soon followed by the tent's inhabitants continuing there evening meal. Suzume, meanwhile, was sucking down the hot broth from her bowl to hide her glowing red face.
Author's Notes: If you notice this past couple segments are about the main survivors of the Northern Airtemple. Since Ying had become a mute from seeing his mother die I felt that the perspective should be one that looks at him in the same way his mother did. Suzume, (yes I finally gave her a name) I thought, would make a good mother figure. Her development goes against her grain of pride and image.
