Clink!
The metal fans clashed together as the two figure dueled. Each impact and engagement of these weapons would often create this sound.
At this current moment, the Kyoshi warriors are training in their regular spots near the ocean, improving their skills with their trademark fans and also other weapons.
While Satchiko and Kazuki fought on, Mayumi watched from the sides along with the other sisters, all the while sharpening her own weapon, the katana. From an early age, while the others trained their usage with maneuvers of metal fans, Mayumi preferred to solely master this curved blade. It's what makes her stand out to most of other Kyoshi warriors.
"Whoa!" Kazuki exclaimed as she was tripped, she felled down and crossed the circle on the ground. It looks like another win for Satchiko.
"Here," Satchiko said as she extended her hand to her fallen opponent. "Not bad, I barely defeated you this time!"
"Thanks," Kazuki got up with a tired tone, she sounds exhausted after the battle. Having just earned her personal headdress, Kazuki still cannot escape the fact that Satchiko cannot be easily defeated. Like many others, there is no shame in losing to a fellow sister, despite her being from the slightly younger generation and is still a trainee. The others watched as them both as they retired to their respective places, the spar has ended.
"Your sister is still the same as always, being one step ahead of us." A Kyoshi warrior beside Mayumi pointed out, "At this rate, she will get her own headdress for sure."
"Maybe", Mayumi replied affirmatively, but deep down, she felt the same progression for Satchiko may not be the same as herself and the other Kyoshi warriors.
A headdress is given to a trainee when she has achieved mastery in combat, the prime of their capacity, and it served as the fruit of their training. However, this unwritten rule is not specific. Since no bender has ever became a Kyoshi warrior other than the founder herself. In Satchiko's case, perhaps the reason she has yet been given a headdress despite her skill, is due to her appalling Earth bending.
This of course, merely speculation in Mayumi's head. The only ones who decide on who receives a headdress are the leaders of every Kyoshi warrior chapters, including Akahana. When a warrior has reached an acceptable mastery, then a headdress would be granted.
"Hey sis!" Her thoughts were interrupted by Satchiko's sudden intrusion. Her sister felt refreshed after what she considered to be a mere excercise. "Looks like another win to my perfect record!"
"Right" Mayumi responded with a smile. "I think you meant ALMOST perfect record". She pointed her katana at her Satchiko in a non-threatening way.
"Hey you don't count" Satchiko indignantly argued, even though she knew this is only for fun. "Neither does mum or Aunt, they are out of my league."
"I know, but there will always be real enemies out there that are stronger than anything you have faced." Mayumi said responsibly. "But their existence also motivates us to become stronger than what we are now."
"Ok, but hey, at least we don't have to worry about them for now." Satchiko said. "Kyoshi island is relatively safer when compared to what we endured the years before the-"
Before she can complete the sentence, she was distracted by a few moving objects on the ocean. The other Kyoshi warriors also looked outwards to the deep blue.
Three giant koi fish, all with red marking, gracefully swam across the water. They occasionally leaped out of the water occasionally.
While in the past the island has supported itself mainly from fishing. The elephant koi itself is significant as it has served many purposes for Kyoshi island. It is the primary export of their economy. Both as food and tourist attraction, there are many utilities this fish can provide. It's bladder for medicine, oil for fuel, bone for fertilizer, and most important of all, the meat itself.
Due to the nature of this giant fish, it is difficult to catch. Thus, making it's market value higher than average seafood. The technology of modern day fishing has certainly benefited the inhabitants of Kyoshi island, allowing the fish to be catchable as food source and income to some. While people on the island can occasionally be able to have elephant koi for a meal, it certainly wouldn't hurt to be able to catch one when there is a chance.
"I think I know what's on everyone's menu tonight." Satchiko carelessly announced. Mayumi and the other Kyoshi warriors looked at her with a perplexing expression. Even they all consider her to be the one wild card among all Kyoshi warriors, they do not believe she would be that reckless.
Without much thought, she sped towards the waters. The others watched in surprise as she dived into the water and swim towards the school of elephant koi.
"Wait, get back here!" Mayumi watched worriedly as her sister enacted this action. It's often risky to venture of into the ocean like this, a lot of things can happen.
Being an excellent swimmer, Satchiko soon found herself near one of elephant koi. Climbing and grabbing onto its fins, she steadied herself onto the giant fish. The koi struggled to throw the girl off, it dived repeatedly into the water just to resurfaced once again. No matter how rigorous it tried, Satchiko is still holding firmly onto its back.
After resurfaced from the deep, Satchiko felt exhilarated. Not only was this the first time riding this giant fish, somehow she managed to do very well. She watched the shore from a distance, where Mayumi, Kazuki and the rest are. From here, it looks as though they were cheering for her. They waved and yelled loudly, even though she couldn't hear a single thing.
"Time to guide it to the shores!" she thought to herself.
Pulling on the top fins, the young girl yanked the fish straight towards the shore, aiming to ram into it. She made sure to pick a spot that is not within the proximity of the other Kyoshi warriors.
The sand gets closer, as Satchiko prepared for the impact.
Smash!
The fish beached onto shore, creating ripples of sand near the site. Satchiko herself was forcefully propelled forward, landing into the sand herself. She managed to bury her head under softer sand due to the impact.
"Ouch!" She muffled from her sand filled mouth.
Pulling her head out of the sand, she whipped off any that has stuck into her eyes. Rubbing the sand from her tongue, she got up and pat herself clean. Afterwards she notice the others running towards her.
The expression on them was not what she expected. Instead of joy, all of them seemed worried.
What's going on?
"Satchiko! You ok?" One of the Kyoshi warrior asked.
Didn't know how to respond, Satchiko noticed Mayumi came towards her too. Checking if there is any injury.
"Guys I'm fine! There's nothing to worry about." Satchiko tried to calm the group.
It didn't work as she had intended. Even under their elaborate face paint, she can tell they wore a worrisome expression.
It was at this moment, another Kyoshi warrior pointed out towards the ocean, signally the seventeen year old to look as well.
She turned, but she soon wished she didn't.
A giant scale, protruding above the water's surface. Even though it didn't reveal it's full feature, it's easy to know what it is. It's movement was slow at the moment, but it still instilled fear in everyone on the scene.
The Unagi
The serpent like creature that tormented the ocean and those who dare travel across it. The other group of elephant koi that was there before are now gone, no longer seen leaping out of the water like before. Maybe it's presumably swimming inside the giant beast's stomach. The only one left is the one Satchiko just rammed onto the beach.
She isn't sure what her body is doing at the moment. Her breathing hastened as her limbs trembled a little, a feeling of weakness suddenly found itself on her. Just a moment ago she was boasting on how proficient she was after her duel with Kazuki, but now? It was replaced with something else. Fear. Few things in this world allow Satchiko to experience this very emotion.
She didn't knew that the beast was right there, so close to her. She even dived underwater with the elephant koi, yet she didn't notice it was there the whole time. The mere thought that she was this close to certain death sent chills down her spine.
She processed all of this, all the while the Unagi slowly disappeared, until all that's left is the flat ocean. It was a short and subtle encounter, but this will definitely be ingrained into Satchiko's memory as long as she lived.
"No one has been so close to a Unagi for a long time, is she very ok?" A Kyoshi warrior younger than Satchiko asked Mayumi. At this point, they knew the girl was referring to Satchiko's mental health.
Sensing the uneasiness of everyone, Mayumi drew out the katana she was just sharpening. She begin to rapidly cut the now dead elephant koi into equal pieces.
"Let's divide the meat, the birds can finish what's left." Mayumi announced to the other Kyoshi warriors as she began remove the fish's skin and slice the flesh. "Just please leave out some details if anyone asks you how you got it" She said it with utter sincerity, this is obviously hinting the rest not to reveal the fact Satchiko almost became food for the Unagi.
The others didn't know how to respond at first, but many simply nodded, after all, a fellow sister did risked her life to get them free Elephant koi fillet. The fact they witnessed all of that only made them more willing to just roll alone with the situation.
Despite their geographical access to Elephant koi meat, it isn't something a commoner can enjoy every single everyday. The different parts were shared based on the need of different individuals. Most opted for the fillet, whereas others wanted the other parts to sell for money.
"Mayumi, you mind cutting here? I want that oil." Kazuki said as she held out a small glass jar, which luckily did not break during the duel with Satchiko. Everyone else focused on the collecting, but Satchiko herself only stared across the horizon. She watched the ocean as the sun slowly set and the sky dimmed with orange color.
Mayumi only looked on as she helped the others with the knife cutting, she knew her sister needs to contemplate her action.
-Time skip to night
The pot is burning hot as the heat tries to escape the enclosure, it rattled rapidly right before Mayumi removed the lid and let the steam out. The smell of the stew instantly permeated the entire kitchen. But unlike the previous food made by her or Akahana, she knew this very dinner would taste even better than the best dishes they made. It's already difficult to procure small portions of Elephant Koi fillet, but today she even had the luxury to use some that is freshly caught.
Sometimes, Mayumi did felt a little conflicted about being a good cook. While it's very traditional for women to stay home to cook while the men are out at work, being a Kyoshi warrior itself did somewhat go against all of that. Yes, Kyoshi did want to empower women to not be subservient to men. Yet here she is, actually enjoying what she is doing, after all, the thought of others enjoying her own food has become part of her life. Especially if it's for her own family. She didn't felt guilty, not at all. She did only took up cooking after her mother got promoted from a trainer to one of the senior leaders for the Kyoshi warriors.
Bringing the stew out to the table, Mayumi was met with her motionless sister, who only slumped on the table while facing downwards.
"Cheer up! We are having giant koi stew tonight!" Mayumi attempted to raise her sister's mood. "Last time we had this was a month ago, and you said you still didn't have enough."
It doesn't appear that Satchiko have the usual appetite. Normally she would devour any koi fillet when ever they have them. But today is not that day.
Hearing foot steps approaching their front porch outside, both of them knew who they belonged to. Their parents.
Hakaru and Akahana walked in with tired expressions. They did so while still having a conversation.
"Those people in Republic city have crossed the line this time, first they raised those import tax, but now they are considering banning our fish entirely." Hakaru said with a calm tone, but that was only possible because he hid his frustration well. "I know they promised to protect the livelihood of certain sectors, but is doing any of this even logical?"
"It's not something you and the others can fix easily, you know that world better than I do." Akahana replied seriously to her husband. "It's only a matter of time they would focus on here." Unlike her two daughters, she still had the face paint on. Rarely is she seen in her natural face, as she only removes it either sleeping or on particular occasions.
They both just a few hour long meeting between the various leaders of the island, different villages often sent their representatives to discuss issues together. However, important meetings were rarely held at the temple high up on the mountain, where the discussion would be guarded in secrecy. The meeting both just attended just so happened to held there.
Mayumi isn't sure exactly sure what they were just referring to, she herself didn't have her father's intelligence nor her mother's experience as a leader. Perhaps it's something she needs to learn in the near future.
"I see that dinners ready, thank you once again." The older women expressed with gratitude to her eldest daughter. Hakaru sat down, and Mayumi soon joined them.
Akahana however, didn't say down immediately. She walked over to where Satchiko is and placed her hand on her daughter's back, implying her to eat.
"Every time Elephant Koi meat was served, you were the most joyous. It's your favorite food, is it not?" Akahana said in a gentle and calming tone. But at this point, Satchiko can sense her mother was onto something. She mentally slapped herself for acting a little suspicious.
"I'm fine Mum, thanks." Satchiko thoughtfully composed herself. Even though she knew she isn't.
"I heard many stories from the other Kyoshi warriors about how they caught the giant fish." Akahana continued, it's as though she wanted Satchiko to listen intently to what she had to say. She then walked near the window, looking out towards the town and the Kyoshi statue "One of them told your father that the fish voluntarily rammed itself on the shore, but I think my favorite one has to be from Kazuki, who said it's her own singing that captivated the fish's attention. Thereby allowing all of you to catch it." She finished with a little smile. It was genuine, but it did made Satchiko nervous even more. She remembered how despite Kazuki isn't the sharpest tool in the shed, she is just too honest to lie about something this major.
"I will admit, when I trained them I only taught them the art of stealth and combat, I left out the art of lying because that's more practical for our distant cousins, the Dai Li" Akahana proclaimed, Hakaru only know full well where his wife is getting at. "You should have seen their faces when they all struggled to even come up a barely cohesive narrative."
"You know the full story, and I should have know better." Satchiko finally bring herself to reveal the full thing. "I'm sorry I made them all cover up for what my own recklessness." She only said this because she didn't want Mayumi to be in possible trouble too.
Mayumi eyes her sister with the surprised expression, but her mother spoked on.
"Even without them, we know what happened, it's not like we weren't at the highest mountain on the island" Akahana explained. "We are forced to watch the whole thing." She insinuated deeply.
"Did... did the others also saw it up there?" Satchiko asked carefully, she knew she didn't want to anger her mother in anyway. At the temple, many high profile people were gathered, it would not be good for her parent's image if she was seen doing this.
"It was just me and your father, but you know that our reputation would be the least of my concern" she sternly said but without any hint of anger, something Satchiko didn't expect. "Our reputation is like sand, because when compared to the lives of ones you love, they mean nothing." She lectured closely.
"I think we are all very tired today, I supposed you want finish the dinner first?" Hakaru said in a neutral tone, he readjusted his glasses so that the light's shine would cover his eyes. He looked almost like a different person from Satchiko's perspective. Normally he acted like a simple man with simple thinking, who only matters himself with everyday things such as doing gardening or listening to petty complaints of the villagers. Being the chief of the main village, he does have a certain degree of intelligence.
But that was only from the perspective of most people. Those who have known him a long time would know he is anything but simple. Despite how much Hakaru hides it, the fact his own daughter almost died certainly affected him mentally. It's already astounding how both he and his wife is handling this whole thing.
"I'm good, I want to sleep earlier tonight, we do have another meeting up theretomorrow morning." Akahana was about to walk to her room when she heard Satchiko's voice behind her.
"I'm sorry... for making you worried about me," Satchiko said with a sorrow look. "Unlike last time, today I very messed up." It was rare for Satchiko to act like this. Most of her life she had acted with great confidence and pride, but now she felt humbled by her actions. It was difficult to admit her wrongs. Her facial expression is frowned with sadness.
"You don't need to say that, it's my duty," replied the older women as she headed to her bedroom. "As your mother."
The last part resonated with Satchiko deeply, she now felt very guilty for her past annoyance towards her mother's overprotective nature. After all, she was only trying to keep her child safe, like all parents would do. Satchiko watched the bedroom's door closed gently without a sound, it only adds to the current feeling of her mistake. For this whole time Akahana never even showed a shred of anger.
"Um, what about me?"
The question from his dad snapped Satchiko out of her own thoughts. She almost forgot she still need to apologize to him. Before she can even say it, her dad's words stopped her.
"The stew is getting cold"
That was all he said. It's as though he is trying everything to not overburden Satchiko. She knew what he meant, and she was thankful.
"Right" the young girl accepted gratefully, and proceeded to grab the chopsticks on the table. The three ate the meal quietly, usually there were more chatter. While the food was indeed better than usual, it is admittedly better to have this meal at other times.
-After the meal
Mayumi collected up the plate and cleaned them in the kitchen. Meanwhile Satchiko sat with her father near the lounge. He pulled out what appeared to be a box for a board game from the draws.
"It's been a while since I have played this," He said it as he blew the dust off the lid, which did made him coughed a little.
After clearing off the remaining dust, both from the box and his own glasses(which was blurred when he first blew the dusty lid). He placed the container on a small table nearby, and pulled out the content within. The board itself is round piece of wood with many grids, it's accompanied with many small round pieces of different symbols. All of them were very detailed, clearly this was made by a skilled woodworker.
"The game of Pai Sho, it's one of the few thing I brought to the island when I first came here." Hakaru said nostalgic ally. "An odd choice for travel long distances, but I'm glad I can bring it with me on my journey."
"I never played this, how does work?" Satchiko asked curiously.
"Well it's complicated, but let's just say different cultures have different rules, but universally, it's a game about chance and strategy" Hakaru explained in an almost enthusiastic tone. He held up one of tiles, which has a symbol of the white lotus flower.
"Each piece has it own usage, but often people underestimate this one."
"Why? Because this piece is not as important as the other pieces?"
"I don't know, but you must understand that the reason the white lotus tile was not held in high regard is because it's true value is not seen in a clear view." He said, while arranging the tiles to their respective places. "It's like how a Phoenix is portrayed as just a regular chicken."
"Your infinite wisdom is too sophisticated for me, dad, but in a good way." Satchiko clarified. She didn't want to offend him in anyway.
"Thanks, since I came to this island, this board game served as a reminder of the life I used to have." Hakaru stated, "But nonetheless I enjoyed every single day living here."
"Of course! you married mum, elected as the chief, you did quite a lot for someone who is from the outside" Satchiko complimented his history on the island.
"Well maybe not elected, but technically they did somewhat forced me to become the chief, and strangely no one complained." Hakaru muttered the last part at a lower voice.
"Well, your grandfather did say that was the only way he would allow me and your mother to be married, and that is to become the next chief of this village." Hakaru defended. "I didn't want to at first, but the votes were overwhelmingly against me"
"Against?" Satchiko asked in confused expression.
"Yes, the villagers voted for me, an outsider. They probably rigged the whole event just to justify me becoming their next leader."
"Well since you are smart, maybe that's a good thing, anyone would have wanted you to be the chief."
"I suppose it was mostly because my arm was broken, and a series of events down the road made them think I am suitable for the job."
That part caught Satchiko by surprise, she never knew his dad's arm was broken before. "You mind telling more about it? You never told me about how you became the chief."
"Gladly, it was when I arrived on Kyoshi island. Instead of arriving here normally as any tourist would, I came here on a raft." Hakaru tried his best to recapture his memory from at least 20 years ago.
"A raft?"
"Yes, I was a young wanderer back than, trying to find a place I could call home." He said after he found a spot on the couch to rest on. "The raft drifted me onto one of the island's remote areas."
"Go on" Satchiko requested, it's as if she returned to a younger age when her parents used to tell her childhood stories before bedtime.
"I didn't have much on my backpack that time, and as soon as I walked through the island's wilderness in search of civilization, someone else found me first and bent my arm." Hakaru painfully retold his experience.
"Who would do that?!" Satchiko ask incredulously. "Was it one of the older Kyoshi warriors? I think need to have a word with her!"
"You shouldn't, she's asleep." Hakaru said with a smile, he remembered her daughter still acted like when she was smaller.
"Wait...you mean..." Satchiko stared towards her parent's bedroom. "Her?" Referring to her own mother at a low volume. It was a bigger surprise, something she did not expect in a million years.
"Yes, but I am somewhat glad it was her that found me, she thought I was a. spy for the pirates at first, and got too carried away in interrogations" He said as he checked his left arm, which had healed over a while back ago. "But I if I were to known that breaking my left arm can exchange for the life I have today, I am willing for it to happen."
"Wait, this is going a little too fast, tell me what happened after she broke your arm." Satchiko persisted, that's the part she wanted to know.
"After failing to convince your mother, she tied me up and dragged myself back to the village." While it wasn't the most pleasant experience, the pain and humiliation he felt during that time wasn't too bad now that he thought about it. "The ground was quite rough, and onlookers watched as I was brought in front of your grandfather, the previous chief."
"His reaction?" Satchiko asked.
"Not good, your mother was scolded.
Flash back storytelling begin, at least 20 years ago*
"What in the world are you doing?!" An elderly man exclaimed in a panicked expression, for his daughter suddenly barged into the main village hut. It was even during an important meeting, and everyone on the scene were frightened when she violently thrown a defenseless man on the cold wooden floor.
"Father, this man is not a tourist." A young Akahana expressed. "I saw him arriving here on a raft, he is does not belong to same group of outside visitors." In all her days of guarding the island, she never expected her father to behave like this. But after sawing the faces of the other people in the room, she realized she picked a very inconvenient time to enter.
"You can't jump to conclusions all the time!" The chief argued. "Your recklessness can endanger both yourself and others! He could just be another tourist." He got up from the ground to confronted his daughter, while the others are still sitting on the carpets. Too afraid to get involved, they knew Akahana has a difficult temper.
"Wait, she's not lying," Hakaru barely got his word out, for his face was bruised from a punch earlier. "I'm not tourist, can someone please lend me a glasses? I can't see."
"You assaulted someone who is an intellectual!" The chief reignited.
"Well he said he was not a tourist, even someone like him could be spying for the pirates!" Akahana refuted with a renewed fury.
They both argued for a while. A girl, who is a little younger than Akahana looked through the building's entrance to see what the commotion was about. A blade that resembled a katana was strapped on her back. She's surrounded by other warriors and villagers alike, all curious about this bizarre event. A tourist even snapped photo of this.
The flash interrupted the two, who looked towards the tourist holding the camera. The tourist covered her face in fear with her hand, and retreated away from the scene. When they looked back, they noticed that Ayuma is cutting the rope with her blade.
After the rope loosened, Hakaru's body, which was sitting up before, fell towards his left. The fracture of his arm connected with the solid ground, creating a suddenly pain for him.
"Oh, you ok?" Ayuma asked in concern. "Sorry, I should have been more careful."
Hakaru didn't respond immediately as he is still trying to suppress his pain by holding his left his arm. Though he would preferred if Ayuma had supported him before he fell to the ground. He suddenly felt a little dizzy, as his already impaired vision has became darker.
The elder soon kneeled down to gently pick Hakaru up, trying not to exacerbate his injury. The body was placed flat on one of the carpets where the others were just sitting on.
"Is he going to be ok?" Ayuma asked.
"Call the doctor, and quick." The elderly chief ordered Akahana, who reluctantly stormed out of the room.
The chief placed his fingers near Hakaru's nose to check whether air is flowing through. "He may be fine for now, but there plenty of bruises around his body that may interfere with his blood flow." He said this after pulling one of Hakaru's sleeves, which had sections of dark skins, a sign of bruising and poor perfusion. One fatal punch from Akahana's fist is more than enough to put a man in critical condition, Yes, he may be taller than her by a little, but he would not be so lucky if she had targeted regions such as his neck and heart.
-A few days went by...
He felt his connection with the rest of his body. The first thing he saw when he opened his eyes were just blurry images of the ceiling. As tried to get up from what he assumed to be a bed, he heard foot steps approaching. Sensing danger, he pretended to be unconscious right before a person entered the room.
Judging the sound of the thundering footsteps, he knew who this figure may be. She opened the door and placed her two golden fans on the table, and put the water canteen on the ground. Her back was turned towards him as she began to remove her face paint, but he is still trying his best to act asleep. It was difficult now that he is also breathing faster.
"I remember they said that a prey would do everything to escape the grasp of a predator." Akahana suddenly said in front of the large mirror, while casually washing off her face paint like a she was removing makeup. "They would breathe faster right before their death."
Hakaru didn't move his limbs, he breathed more heavily as he heard those exact words she just spat out. He realize that his left arm was strapped in cloths, immortalizing his movement. While in normal clinical condition, this is one of the treatment for bone injury. Here, he does not want to be in this state at all, he knew he can't run.
"You were lucky my father was there to save you, or else I would have ended you myself." She said in a threatening tone. But Hakaru still didn't respond to her, even though he knew he can't keep up with the act any longer.
Suddenly, another person barged in, without knocking the door.
"Is he awake yet?" Ayuma casually asked, it's like she is asking the same question out of entertainment rather than obligation. "I hope you didn't suffocate him or anything."
"Why don't you ask him?." Akahana bluntly replied, feeling a bit agitated by her sister's question.
Ayuma only looked towards Hakaru, only to see him opened his eyes and silently signally her not to expose him.
"Yep, he is awake, I'm going out now, father wants to speak to him, so get him up." Ayuma exited the room, all to Hakaru's dismay.
"Oh I will," Akahana maliciously said after the door was closed. She stood up from where she was sitting. The next moment was drastic, she carelessly pulled Hakaru's collar to remove him from a flat position.
He isn't sure how to respond to this violent female in front of him, but complied as his vision is still blurry.
-The room next door
"Gentle!" The chief said as Akahana attempted to support Hakaru in sitting on the chair.
Finally at rest, Hakaru looked around to he room, his main focus is the blurry image assumed to be an older man also sitting in front of him. He knew that the women is also standing right besides, a feeling he is struggling to get used to.
"I apologize for my daughter's impulses" The chief sincerely said.
"Oh it's fine, I should not be entering Kyoshi island in that fashion, it's just I didn't have the money to board a ship here." Hakaru told the elder.
"You are very honest for a young man, how old are you?"
"Eighteen, sir, and I too am sorry for intruding you home." Hakaru attempted said, his mouth have healed a little.
"You don't need to be too poli..." The chief stopped as Akahana interrupted.
"Father, how can you be so sure he isn't from one of them?" Akahana referred to the pirates. "We had something like this happen before, why are you letting your guard down?"
The mention of that particular event made the chief silent. Akahana knee she made a mistake. She watched her father slowly went back to his room.
The door closed, gently. Hakaru was surprised by the sudden development he just witnessed.
"Is he... ok?" He asked Akahana.
"No" She replied a few moment after he asked that question. Her face no longer bear the very stern expression he had known since he just met her. Even though he couldn't see things clearly, her softened voice did give away her changing personality.
When he tried to get up, his bandaged arm seemed to be preventing him exercising more action.
"You shouldn't move too much, it will only make the pain worse." Akahana suggested. "We may both be young and at the same age, but your body is not built for combat."
"I know, that's why I escaped the conflict from the warring states on the Earth Kingdom." He said while still trying to lift himself up from the chair. "By nature, I am weak, and failed to even protect those I cherished."
He managed to barely stand up, but his body fell forward after it exhausted itself. But before he would fell to the ground, he closed his eyes and felt someone in front hugged him. This did stop him from further injuring himself.
"I know what that feels, that sense of hopelessness." Akahana's words and actions surprised Hakaru in every way possible, he never expected her to be capable of this. "You and I aren't so different, but unlike you, I don't have that same excuse."
Behind the pages-Author's notes:
I do hope that you have enjoyed that chapter of the fanfic, it is the longest and more difficult chapter I have written so far. With this particular chapter, I want to establish what our main characters are and what they stand for. Most importantly I want to highlight Satchiko's personality and morales, how she handled her own mistakes and flaws. Instead of being brash and disrespectful as Korra, I want our protagonist to be more relatable when someone from a higher authority(Like Akahana) confronting her about the wrongdoing. In my research on Avatar's wikia, I felt conflicted about Kyoshi island having more villages and other Kyoshi warrior groups. This is due to the cartoon ATLA only showing Suki's group and the one village Aang stumbled on. Some of the things you just read regarding to the social structure of Kyoshi warriors and the Elephant Koi was supplemented by my own ideas, so don't take them all as canon lore. I was particularly surprised when I found out that the Chinese 'Miao' ethnicity group, have women wearing silver headdress as part of their culture. Something that possibly inspired the Kyoshi warriors other than Samurai armor.
For those of you who have been reading this since the beginning, I would like to apologize for not uploading for more 2 entire years, for I got distracted by school and demotivated due to a series of events. Right now in 2020, I wish all of you would all remain safe, and happy. There will always be light on the other side of the tunnel.
From the author