Fire...Air...Water...Earth... The Avatar has been revealed, and the world is ready to enter into an age of prosperity. But there are many forces unwilling to welcome her, or the new era she will usher in. As the Avatar and her friends struggle to maintain balance in the world, powerful enemies are emerging, set on ruining the new Avatar and everything she holds dear. She has but one advantage over her foes, and hopefully, it will be enough to save her and the world she cherishes. The Avatar's name is Usagi, a warrior of love and justice, and this is her story!

AVATAR

The Celestial Sailors

BOOK TWO: HEART

21: Heart

"Avatar, the time has come."

Vainamoinen spoke softly and sympathetically to Usagi as she squeezed Mamoru tightly. She stole one more longing look into his face, memorizing as much of it as she could. Apsu was very close to the city now, and Usagi would have to confront her—or rather, Apsu's Avatar. She knew there was no way any creature could stand up to Apsu and live, but Vainamoinen gave her no guarantees about Suen, either. "We go into raw uncertainty," he had told her. "Remember, we must not concern ourselves with failure or success, only doing."

Finally, she withdrew from Mamoru and announced she was ready. Vainamoinen took her hand, and Anshar took hers. At first, Usagi didn't know what significance the boy had, or what he could contribute, but then he told her: Suen was his long-lost older sister. The points all connected for her when she learned this. Why else would Vainamoinen be willing to risk the world's balance to shift them through space, at the exact moment where Anshar's life was in danger? He was going to help Usagi save his sister: he was the only one who could, now that Apsu had taken over.

"Though we are pressed by the urgency of this dire matter," Vainamoinen announced to those gathered around, "we have a moment yet to spare. Your highness," he said, bowing to Mamoru, "I wish you a long and prosperous life. If you take anything away from our brief encounter, remember this: that not all light is good, and not all darkness is evil. Ah, my dear lady," he sighed at Setsuna, "our parting is bitter. The loss of this old heart's first love was like the loss of a pebble, when it considers what sort of sorrow your absence will bring. Though you may consider the epochs placed upon my shoulders fleeting and ephemeral, I would be glad to bear them for thee. Do watch over this young Avatar in my place. She is...good." He smiled wistfully, bowed one more time, then turned away from them forever. In another instant the space around the three had opened and closed, and they were placed upon a wide-open field, miles away from the city.

"Whoa!" Usagi jolted in surprise, but calmed just as quickly. "Oh, right, space-bending. I thought we were just gonna walk out of the city or something."

"We did not have that luxury," Vainamoinen replied, his voice no longer melancholic. "Arriving at this very spot at this very time was absolutely necessary. This is where I will confront Apsu." He planted his staff in the ground, where it stood fixed like a tree, then sat upon the grass, crossing his legs as he put his hands on his knees. Usagi recognized the meditative stance.

"Um...you mean...here?"

"To be precise, in the Spirit World. Apsu is almost entirely a Spirit, so that is where we shall meet—and she will meet me there, of that I can be certain. It is where she is strongest, and I at my most vulnerable."

"Wait, so you're gonna fight her in a place where she's more powerful?"

"Correct. I must draw her to me, and to do that, the bait must be enticing. I made certain to stoke her ire when I broke her connection to her host, so she will certainly want revenge. But more than that, I am the greatest obstacle to her vile desires, aside from Raava herself, and it is the nature of all things to take the path of least resistance."

"So...let me get this straight," Usagi said, wanting to be sure she was clear on everything: "You're going to face Apsu, someone you've already said is way more powerful than every bender in the entire world put together, in a place where she's stronger; you made her angry, and you're the only thing standing in her way? And you're doing all this by yourself?"

"Yes," he said with annoying serenity.

"That's insane!" she screamed. "It's worse than insane, it's suicide!"

"Perhaps," he said, still frustratingly calm, "but there is no alternative." He saw the helpless, despondent look on her face, the strain and desperation. He saw, and was glad of it, for it showed that her heart was great. "Don't despair so much over me," he assured her. "I may die, but that does not mean I plan on losing. Besides, you have your own battle to attend to, one that is far more important than mine." Usagi let that thought linger in silence for a moment. She didn't want to leave this man, her mentor, alone to face the worst horror the world had ever known. She hadn't even thanked him.

She went in for a hug. Vainamoinen laughed and patted her head

"If only all souls had such encouragement when they faced perilous times! The most craven wretch in the world would march straight into their doom whistling all the while. Go now, my dears, and save that poor girl's soul. Let this old man build a bridge for you to cross over troubling waters." He waved his hand, and with that gesture, bent the space around them, sending them where they needed to be. He then drew a breath and closed his eyes to the mortal plane.

…...

Usagi stumbled as the space around her changed from an open field to the outskirts of a forest. She glanced around her new surroundings and gave a little shudder.

"I don't think I'll ever get used to that. Are you okay, Anshar?"

"Yeah. That was weird." He didn't look nearly as jarred as she was. Usagi offered a crooked smile.

"Heh, that old guy probably wouldn't like it if you used that word. Anyway, since this is where he put us, I guess this is where we'll find Apsu—and your sister. Uhh, or maybe they'll find us?" She cringed and checked around more carefully. Usagi had explained as much of the situation as she knew to Anshar (with Vainamoinen filling in here and there), but she still felt nervous about being here with him. Suen had been powerful, violent, and unpredictable before, but that had been when she was still mostly in control of herself. Now Apsu had completely taken over, and would certainly employ far deadlier attacks, with little regard for her host's safety. Usagi's stomach churned as she wondered if Suen was so far gone as to attack her own brother. Vainamoinen and Setsuna seemed to believe she wasn't, so if there was any chance at all she could be saved, then Usagi would take it.

Don't think about succeeding or failing, she told herself, echoing her mentor's words. Only do what you must. I have to talk to Suen and convince her to surrender her hold over Apsu once and for all. Mariner's off keeping Apsu busy, so I SHOULD have an easier time—plus, I have Anshar with me. I know Shingo and I don't usually get along, but if he were ever in a dangerous situation, I'd do everything in my power to save him...even if I was the danger. I know I'd never hurt him. Well, maybe I'd give him a good solid pinch, or pull his hair, or...

A noise drew her attention towards the forest. The wind was lashing against the trees, and the smell of burning leaves and resin wafted in the air. The ground trembled beneath her feet. Usagi shielded Anshar with her body, bracing herself for what was to come. In only a few moments, the forest withered away into ash, and the ground parted into a deep rut as the creature slowly hovered towards them, its feet levitating several inches off the ground. Whatever injuries Suen had sustained in her fight against Ishtar were now fully mended—Apsu's doing, and more out of necessity than kindness—but her eyes were sickly white, while the rest of her body radiated a foul, pallid glow. She wasn't even bothering with subterfuge: this was a counterfeit Avatar, one whom even Vaatu would not employ. Usagi met her dead stare unflinchingly.

"Suen, it's you," she stated. The creature snarled.

"So I've found you at last. You don't have your friends to protect you and you don't have that old man. Are you surrendering, or submitting to me?"

"I'm here to save you," she announced steadfastly. The creature let out an awful howling sound.

"Pretentious little filth! How many people have died because you chose to do NOTHING?! And now you want to save ME? Me! The most powerful person in the world!"

"Apsu, stop. I want to hear what Suen has to say. Let her talk."

"Stupid girl, I AM Suen! I am Raava's chosen, not you! I am her arm, I am her voice, I am her judgment on this rotted world!"

"I know you won't listen to me," she murmured, "so I brought someone you would listen to." She stepped aside a little, revealing Anshar. For the first time in over a year, he beheld his older sister, a mix of horror, sorrow, sympathy, and delirious hope on his face. Suen's change was far more drastic: the sickly aura that had been emanating from her body went away, and the color of life flushed in her face. Her fierce, empty white eyes were filled with the shimmering blue spheres of humanity, her feet touched the ground, and for a moment, she was herself again.

"Ah...Anshar? Is that...r-really you?" Her voice cracked in mid-sentence, its harsh cold tone giving way to the shy warmth she once enjoyed. They approached each other cautiously, Usagi keeping a respectful distance. "A...Anshar...I, I th-thought I'd n-never see you again..."

"I'm here now, Suen," he said, taking her hands, looking into her eyes, "and I promise we'll be together again. We can start all over, live together as a family, maybe do some traveling or start a little business together. Remember when we made that lemon-drink stand? Wasn't that fun?" Suen trembled with happiness.

"Y-yes, I remember. W...we always drank most of it ourselves, though. Gosh, that...that takes me back." They smiled together, perfectly content. Anshar's face turned incrementally solemn.

"Listen to me, Suen: I've spoken with Usagi. She explained everything to me. There's a monster inside of you, an evil spirit called Apsu. She's the one who's been deceiving you and controlling your actions. You need to get rid of her."

"Ah... Anshar..." Suen's voice croaked; her face twisted and warped; the whites of her eyes blotted out all color. "So you've been spending time with that false Avatar? I see she's already filled your head with her malicious lies. How could you say such horrible things about your own sister, much less believe them?! Or are you turning against me, too?"

"Suen, listen to yourself! Listen to me! Do you really think I've spent the past year looking for you just so I could lie to you? I love you! This monster inside of you is the only one who's deceived anybody." The creature growled; her hands tightened around Anshar's with an iron grip. He grit his teeth in pain but refused to back down. "Suen, tell her to stop!" he grunted. "She's...hurting me!"

"Stop it, you're hurting him!" she screamed, in her own voice. Usagi stood aghast as the most horrific spectacle she ever witnessed played out before her: Suen was shifting back and forth between herself and Apsu, the two forces actually fighting each other in a war for supremacy.

"He's on HER side! He thinks I'M the false Avatar! Anyone who gets in my way...yaaaiii... Anshar, help me! F...forgive m-meeeeeeeyeeaaagh! She's twisted his mind and turned him against you! If that's not evil, then tell me whah... I, I, I don't know what's happening! I can't see, I can't feel anything, I... Anshar, where are y...you fool, what are you doing? Drench the forest in the bluh...the blood of...ugh... It hurts, it hurts, it hurts so much!"

"Fight it, Suen!" Anshar called, pulling himself closer until he embraced his sister. "Fight it with all your heart and soul! You're the strongest, bravest, kindest person I've ever known! I just want you back so we can be together again!"

"I'll kill her and everyone she's ever known! I'll wipe all of you off the face of my world! Anshar, I can't! She's so powerful! If you can't even trust your own flesh and blood, then this world deserves to be cleansed! Shut up! I don't need you now that I've found—But you don't have any say in this, fool! Remember, you gave yourself to me WILLINGLY! I was wrong! You're wrong! But where would you be without me? You wouldn't have any friends, any power, any chance for survival... Remember how miserable you were after just one day without me? Yes—and I still managed to get by. I made a friend. I...oh, spirits! Keya, what have I done..."

Suen wept bitterly; the tears ran down to her chin and fell dripping into the earth. Even as she cried, the creature, Apsu, screamed, issuing waves of rage and frustration. Anshar held tight but it was too much for his small body. He was being forced away from her, his clothes ripping, his skin slowly peeling...

"I got you!" Usagi held fast to Suen, embracing her with all the love she could muster. She held onto Anshar as well, and together they braved the storm.

…...

There was a look of solemn reflection of the faces of the Cult of the Avatar as Ma-Ti spoke to them. They had endured pain, suffering, hardship, and even their idol's own righteous fury, yet still refused to abandon their zeal, but two hours listening to this boy speaking from his heart calmed their fires and opened their ears. He spoke with compassion, not anger; sympathy, not fear; his words were tempered with justice, but mercy also. Though many of them carried wounds from their battle with his friends, it was Ma-Ti's words that ultimately won the day.

"The Avatar still needs you," he said to them, "but not as you are. Blind obedience is not loyalty, just as fanatic devotion is not love. Her ways are steeped in balance, understanding, sacrifice, and the will to cast aside personal desires for the greater good. Sew discord and your harvest will be bitter, but give out of love, my friends, and it is love you will receive."

He stood there and let them meditate for awhile. Ma-Ti may not have been a bender, but he had a way with words, and could burrow into a person's heart and touch their soul in a way few others could. As the cultists reflected on their lives, and how their actions and decisions led them to this disappointing end, Ma-Ti suddenly felt as though the Avatar was calling out to him. He felt he was needed.

"Usagi," he whispered, the sensation of dread growing stronger. He steeled his resolve and turned to his friends. "Kwame, Linka, Gi, Wheeler! Right now, Avatar Usagi is facing her greatest challenge. Though we cannot be there for her in person, I want our hearts to be with her in spirit. Let her know that she has friends with her in this fight." He closed his eyes, clasped his hands, and bowed his head, praying. Wheeler pursed his lips and stepped forward.

"You got it, buddy! Come on, everybody, let's send her our best wishes." He took Gi's hand, and she took Kwame's.

"The whole crick's behind ya, Avatar, and so's Betty-Sue!"

"Let what little we have help you in some way," Kwame said. He look Linka's hand, and she took Ma'Ti's.

"You are strong, but we will make you stronger." Even the cultists stood and offered their prayers to Usagi—a symbolic gesture, maybe...

Or perhaps it was just what she needed.

…...

Kenji Tsukino was busy writing a report on the Ember Island incident when his wife, who was organizing his materials for him, abruptly stood up and looked through their hotel room window to the sky.

"Usagi!"

"What's that?" Kenji said. Iikuko Tsukino clutched her hands to her chest.

"Kenji, I suddenly got the feeling that Usagi was in danger, and needed our help." He stopped what he was doing and looked outside. A mother's intuition was a powerful thing, but he...

He felt it, too.

"Yes... I get the same feeling. But what can we do for her?"

"Pray," was Ikuko's only answer. "We can send our hearts to help her. Shingo, come here, darling. Your sister needs us."

"Wha?" he grumbled, sticking his head into the room. "How badly did that bun-head screw up this time?"

"Shingo, this is serious!" his father snapped. "Your sister's life may be in danger. The whole world is counting on her!" He frowned, but ultimately relented.

"Oh, all right...but she owes me for this." Luna, too, joined the family circle as they gave their daughter, their sister, their Usagi the strength she needed.

…...

"Do we really have to hold hands?" Salamander grunted. Ku Sheng grunted and forcefully palmed the petite woman's fingers.

"Jus' do it already. I reckon tha's err'one, Kotono. We all ready."

"Thanks," she nodded. The Fire Nation princess looked to her brother, then to Oboro, Kartti, Lark, Suo, Ku Sheng, and finally Salamander. They all stood in unison to send their thoughts to the Avatar. She smiled proudly at the tight-knit group—at her family and friends. If she could feel so emboldened by their love and devotion, she could only imagine how the Avatar must be feeling...

…...

"It's time, Liath." Bodmall looked up from her compounding mix, eyeing her longtime companion with trepidation. "The day we've been dreading has finally arrived: the Avatar has met with Apsu. She's putting all of her virtues and all of her shortcomings on the line. The whole world depends on the outcome of this. If you ask me, it's way too much pressure for any one person." Liath, smoking and drying herbs for storage, weighed this news with intense solemnity. Suddenly she and everything around her felt so very ephemeral.

"Yes..." Blinking, she stared at her companion, flushed with determination. "What can we do for her?" Bodmall smirked and raised an eyebrow.

"In the old days, we might've burned a holly tree, mixed the ashes into our ale, painted ourselves all over, and stood around the bonfire in a circle, chanting to the Primordials. Naked, of course, and drunk out of our minds."

"Good times," Liath muttered wryly. "So what's the alternative?"

"It isn't nearly as exciting," she grunted, rising to her feet, "but I have a few tricks up my sleeve." She called her staff to her hand and hobbled to an area that had not been touched by any tool. There, on the pristine grass, she raised her staff with both hands and shouted to the sky: "Cyflafareddwr, ni yw'r Fomori! Yn enw Luonnotar, Lugh, a'r Tuatha, rydym yn eich rhoi gyda'n pŵer! Derbyniwch ef a byddwch yn fuddugol! Derbyniwch ef a dewch â heddwch i'n byd!"

"It's a good prayer," Liath said, taking her spear in hand. She approached Bodmall, grinning: "Mind if I join you?" Liath gave her a coy glare.

"Normally this would be reserved for Derwydd, but I guess I can make an exception for you. You know the words." Liath smiled, raised her spear, and chanted along with Bodmall. Throughout the region of Taku, the last remnants of the Fomoriians joined their Derwydd in prayer, adding their strength and spirit alongside so many others...

…...

Even though they were in the middle of watching another performance of The Avenging Shadow, Naru and Umino could sense that their friend needed them. Silently, they looked at each other, and slowly, bashfully, held hands. Umino offered a timid smile, and Naru returned his skittish expression. They both blushed and squeezed their hands a little tighter.

…...

Even as the struggle between Apsu and Suen became increasingly more violent, Usagi could feel a refreshing wave wash over her, invigorating and strengthening her. She didn't yet know where this energy was coming from, but she was grateful for it, and thanked whatever force was responsible. She turned her focus to the girl she held in her arms, her face twisting and straining.

"Suen, I know you can fight this. I believe in you. I know you don't think very highly of me, and to be honest, I can't say that I blame you. But I want to get to know you, the real you, the Suen that your brother and your friends love so much. Maybe even we can be friends one day!"

"Ha!" Suen screamed, or rather, the voice of Apsu. There was no longer any lack of distinction. "That's a fine joke! Us, friends. The Avatar has ruined this world! Their neglect has sent it spiraling into chaos! My parents are dead because you did nothing!"

"Suen, don't let her speak for you. I want to hear what you think; I want to hear what you have to say!" Suen's face warped, as if it were being pulled in two different directions: half fearful, half consumed by wrath.

"Go ahead. Humor her!" A tear fell down her face. "I...I...d-don't...believe...a-any of th-that."

There was a very ominous pause.

"What? ...I s-said I d-don't believe any of that. Y-you...never did anything good for me. It...it's true that I was angry, that I felt helpless, that I wanted...to be able to do something, to...fight back. But your way was wrong. You only made things worse! I said horrible things, lashed out violently, hurt my friends, killed people... Y...you've caused me nothing but grief!"

Before Anshar and Usagi could make any capital out of this, the Apsu-side started writhing and screaming, cursing wildly, issuing obscenities and spasming uncontrollably. Usagi and Anshar weathered the storm, clinging even tighter, calling out to Suen. Just as abruptly as it began, Apsu's screaming stopped, and the creature glared at Usagi. The glimmer of a single sapphire eye blinked as more tears welled up.

"Usagi, Anshar," she whispered timorously, "help me."

"I'm here for you, Suen," Usagi replied, smiling bravely as she hugged the other girl. "I refuse to give up on you, no matter what. We will get through this together. I promise."

…...

When Vainamoinen closed his eyes to the physical plane, he opened them in the Spiritual. He sat there for a moment, enjoying the stillness of his surroundings: the frosty air blowing off a distant mountain, the little glowing creatures that flitted through the air, the pink flowers that waved their stalks when there was no wind... In the far distance, something like a mirage wreathed and coiled, circling the hazy horizon as it drank deep from frothy clouds. The head of a three-eyed horned wolf could just be seen crowning the long serpentine body—and then it was gone, billowing further away until even the ancient mariner's eyes could no longer see it. Vainamoinen would miss this place.

Then he called to Apsu in a voice only the Primordials could hear, in a language steeped in the soul of the world, taught to him by Luonnotar herself upon his birth. He called, revealing himself to her, and Apsu came, revealing herself to him. She was good enough to assume a fair human form, a mere twenty or thirty feet tall, resplendent in a lavender dress from the wait down. Gold and blue bracelets adorned her arms, her chest bare save for a humble sarong and a cascade of silvery hair that brushed against the ground. A large golden Tear of Apsu, the mother of them all, hung from her neck, and a tiara shaped like a blackish-purple sun wreathed her forehead. She was stern, beautiful, proud, and betrayed no emotion. Vainamoinen stood when she arrived, equally unmoved by her majestic appearance.

"Your eminence," he greeted her, bowing slightly, for though she was the foe of every living creature in the world, she was still, by all accounts, a goddess.

"What are you doing?" she demanded, her voice soft but powerful enough to split mountains. "You stand here alone, waiting for me. You call me here by name, using the ancient tongue of Summoning, openly declaring yourself. You cannot be here to bandy wits with me, and there are easier ways of killing yourself, so I wonder: what are you DOING?"

"Your eminence, I have called you here to discuss that Final Problem which beleaguers every soul that walks across the living world. To put it another way, your grace, I am here to ensure that you are separated from your host, stopped in your murderous ways, cast down into the Emptiness, and forgotten for all perpetuity."

"Ah," she said, sounding disappointed. "I had thought that out of all those souls you mentioned, yours would be the wisest when it came to your demise. I can foresee no victory in this discussion save mine, unless you have begged another Primordial to assist you?"

"No, I've not!" he announced, laughing coldly. "It has not yet come to that! But I shall make some small account of myself, your grace, while I am able. Of course, we needn't come to blows. You will find many friends willing to take you into their company if you would but give up this mad quest of destruction."

"Would I," she wondered flatly. "As I recall, I attempted diplomacy before, and with your esteemed mother, no less. My pleas fell on deaf ears. Life, she told me, should not bend itself so out of proportion as to cater to the 'whims' of a single Primordial. 'Let them have their noise', she said, 'for there is joy in it.' I cared not for joy, or any other form of expression. I wanted my world, my waters, and peace, and I couldn't have it."

"Because it was no longer your world to mold, your ladyship. Tenancy had been given to another the moment your work was finished, just as a house belongs to its occupants and not the architect."

"But it was MY WORLD," she snarled, her voice pealing like thunder. "It would be nothing more than a miserable rock floating lifelessly in space without me. If I wanted it a certain way, I had that right."

"No, Apsu," Vainamoinen said softly, eschewing formality, "you did not. None of the Primordials did. They all took a vow to never interfere until the life of their creation had been spent. For better or worse, the fate of this world rests upon those who live in it. You were prevented from carrying out your evil deeds before, and with the spirits of this realm as my witnesses, you will be prevented again—forever."

The ground rumbled. The sky flashed, lightning flickering violently. The mountains burst open with magma, and all spirits retreated. Apsu's body was shaking, and the vibrations alone were enough to bring disaster to the Spirit World. But it was worse than rage: she was laughing. It built up quietly inside of her and gradually grew more boisterous, until even Vainamoinen bent under the weight of it. And it was relentless. She laughed on and on, louder and longer than any human or spirit could conceive. The folly of anything standing against her was enough to drive her mad.

Then, as quick as a snap, it was over. She was now glaring at him.

"Very well, amuse me. Show me the kind of power you think will stop me. I could use a diversion, before I mutilate you." Vainamoinen's eyes glinted, and he removed his long red cap.

"I assure you, foul wretch, you will not be amused by my efforts—but you will have a very bad time." He then did the last thing Apsu expected, letting out a long, clear note of song that rose swiftly into the sky, surrounding the mountains and the horizons, penetrating deep into the earth and the oceans, enveloping everything and embalming the souls of all who heard it. The song was powerful without being loud, consistent without monotony, beautiful but unbearable. Apsu let out a grating screech and slammed long regal hands over her ears, wincing and backpedaling as she cursed. Fire and ice she could withstand, edge and point she could defend against, time and space were mere constructs she could bend to her will—but not this noise, this clawing burrowing noise, this relentless flaying scalding degrading melange of noise! And he kept singing, he didn't stop: one melody after the other, each starkly different from the last but effortlessly weaving into each other so that one couldn't tell where one ended and the other began. He kept singing! This man had command of the high arts, could alter the world as he saw fit, could call down thunder and move continents, rearrange matter and energy, pass through time and space—he could employ any number of countless offenses, so why did he have to choose that infernal SINGING?

"Fool!" she roared, hardly daring to open her eyes, the song was that painful. "I am older than you, stronger and more steadfast! Whatever trick Luonnotar passed on to you will do nothing more...than...than..." She let out a gurgling scream and bent over, keening in agony. Vainamoinen merely walked closer to her, still singing, his song changing but always the same, neither aggressive nor passive. He sang, sang, sang Apsu into submission, and watched as she endured his song long enough to offer rebuke. The black bolt passed directly through him and pinned him to the ground, and there his song ended.

The end of "Heart"

Next time: "Life Will Change"

Author's note:

Yep, I threw in a nod to Earthbound there. Apsu's description is as close to her features in the game as I could make them, but there are images available of her and the Opposito Senshi in case I was insufficient. I was going to have an over-the-top climactic battle between Vainamoinen and Apsu, but after doing a little more research on our boy, I decided to stay true to his character. Ultimately, Vainamoinen's penchant for song worked beautifully against Apsu's hatred for noise, and really, was the best weapon he had in his arsenal.

Bodmall's prayer translates as "Avatar, we are the Fomori! In the name of Luonnotar, Lugh, and the Tuatha, we bestow you with our power! Receive it and be victorious! Receive it and bring peace to our world!" The language I'm using is Welsh (or Cymraeg, if you prefer), so hopefully anyone who can actually read it will forgive any errors. Blame it on Google translate.