One night, on a hot, groggy night in July, Seiji didn't come home at eight like he usually did.
Surprisingly, my mother and him hadn't gotten into an argument that week, so I wondered what had happened.
"I miss Papa!" Akash whined. I scowled at him.
"Suck it up," I answered.
"Akira, is that any way to talk to your brother?" my mother asked, cross with my attitude.
"He's not my brother," I mumbled.
"Excuse me?" my mother raised her voice.
I glanced at her, a little hurt at the anger in her voice. She really loved Akash.
"I said I was sorry," I said, giving a fake smile to Akash, who seemed content with the apology. He jumped up and hugged me before proceeding to run around the house. I had winced at his hug.
The minute hand on the clock slowly inched forward as my mother paced about the home, incredibly nervous. I didn't blame her. The Triple Threat Triads and their gang wars were incredibly dangerous, and I had heard on the radio of people getting killed in the crossfire.
Thinking about the Triple Threats struck absolute, animal rage in me.
They had killed an innocent little girl just a few weeks ago.
Her name was Jia, and she was four years old.
I hadn't really known little Jia, but I saw her sometimes. Jia had dark skin, like a member of the Water Tribes would have, but her amber eyes shone with a fierce brightness. She had lived with her father, Fa, in the apartment next door. They were nonbenders. Before her death, while I studied (Seiji had insisted that I further my education even if we couldn't afford school), through the window, I would always see Jia and Fa walking down the street towards the Republic City Park, her hand clamped onto Fa's pointer finger. Such a sight was endearing, and I swelled up with affection for the pair, so innocent and happy with their lives, despite the fact that they had so little.
And just like that, all of it was gone.
Jia had run further ahead than her father when they were walking home from their daily trip to the park. She had decided to take a short cut through an alley, where a Triple Threat earthbender had hit her with a rock before running away. She died in her father's arms.
When I had overheard my mother crying and telling the story to Seiji, I had felt so empty and hollow inside.
How could someone do that to a little, innocent girl? Could fate have really been that cruel? If Jia had been a bender, would she have lived?
My musings were interrupted by the sound of a door slamming. I quickly glanced at the clock. It was 9:30. Seiji was an hour and a half late home from work. Suddenly, I heard his shouts. They were drawly and groggy. I quietly cracked my door open a bit and peeked through the opening, and my eyes found Seiji. His pupils were dilated and he was staggering.
In other words, Seiji was drunk.
My mother helped him to the couch, where he made outrageous demands of her.
"Get me some sake, you lazy woman! And where's that damn girl! Bring her over here!"
"Sake will only make you feel worst. Please, just get some rest."
"Don't tell me what to do! I'm the man and I make the rules! Now go get me some sake!"
"But—"
He grabbed her hand and pulled her close.
"Do what I say. NOW."
My mother gulped, and she retreated to the kitchen. I slowly made my way over to Seiji. He looked at me, and scowled.
He looked awful. His usually neat hair was tangled, and his breath smelled foul of ale. My mother came in with the sake. He gulped it down in an instant and demanded more. He downed the next one, and the one after that.
He continued to berate my Momma, which woke Akash up. The brat came into the living room too.
"Papa, what's wong?" he asked, rubbing his eyes.
Seiji turned to his son, his eyes bulging with fury.
"YOUR MOTHER IS A STUPID BITCH, THAT'S WHAT!" Seiji screamed, his voice rattling my bones and making my body quake.
Akash's lip trembled, and my mother stood in the corner and dropped a tray, tears slipping down her cheek.
A small cry escaping her lips, Momma ran into the kitchen. Akash began bawling, and ran inside to his room, screaming, "Daddy mean man! Daddy mean man!"
But me, my eyes bore into Seiji's, fire consuming my insides, my blood boiling with the heat of a thousand volcanos. No one talked to Momma like that. No one.
Our stare down continued, until his face began to contort. Seiji spilled out his innards all over the floor. The vomit had a pungent odor that made me nauseous. Not being able to take the sight of the slime on the floor, I threw up as well. Seiji came over to me.
"ARE YOU DESECRATING THIS HOUSE, YOU LITTLE RUNT?" He grabbed my forearm. I struggled to get away. Seiji's rancid breath suffocated my nostrils. He lifted a hand to slap me right when my mother came into the room.
Aghast, she ran in front of me and shielded me with her body.
"DON'T TOUCH HER!" she bellowed. I could feel her shaking. Not with fear, though. But with anger.
Momma could be described like a turtle duck. She was gentle, loving, and caring, and always sacrificed her own need for those of her children. But if anyone messed with her kids, she would crash down on them with the fury of the Avatar State.
Seiji and Momma screamed at each other. Seiji's voice was like thunder; it was loud, rambunctious, and stark mad. My mother's was like lightning; heated, crackly, and passionate.
I stood, frozen amongst their arguing, like the rain in their storm, idly watching as they shouted and yelled. I was crying. I had no idea what to do, how to stop them. I just wanted it all to end.
And then, it happened.
Seiji slapped her.