First Person POV...
Dust tickled my throat as I shifted, feeling more rubble shift around me. Groaning I blinked myself awake and tried to take a deeper breath, however as I swallowed more dust I only started to hack with painful coughs, my chest feeling like it was on fire and I was desperate for water.
There were several beams crossing over me which had opened a small pocket of space around my body, probably saving my life in the process. The only problem was, I couldn't remember how I had got here or what had happened. In fact…I had no memories at all.
"Please…someone help…" I rasped, starting to crawl towards what looked to be light. "Help me. Please." Gradually feeling my voice return, I managed to give a louder shout as I crawled over another section of what looked to be a wall. Had an entire building collapsed on top of me?
Feeling exhausted and very hurt, I managed to push some rocks aside however this made an entire section of the rubble slide and I instantly covered my head, crying out in fear however the rubble slid around me, allowing me to remain untouched.
Sighing with relief I tried to move forwards, however the wooden beams had now slid further down and I was anchored in place. "Someone! Anyone!" I yelled again, tears streaking down my face as I felt my leg sting with pain as well as my head and chest. In fact every inch of me was in various states of pain, however it kept me awake, so I held onto it. "Help!"
Suddenly there was the sound of rock shifting, grinding and groaning as it was lifted up and light flooded inside, making me press my eyes tightly shut as I shivered in my prison of burned rubble and ashes, trapped and frightened. "I don't believe it…" A voice whispered in shock, accented and very comforting to the ear. "She's alive."
"Uncle, help me." A younger voice requested and I managed to shift among the ashes that surrounded me. I could smell that the wood and rubble had been burned, so perhaps there had been a fire and I had been trapped inside when the building had come down. Both strangers managed to lift the section that had caved on top of me and with strong arms, the younger boy flung the beams of wood away from me and turned me over slowly, allowing me to breathe freely as I slowly opened my eyes, which were still adjusting to the light.
I found myself staring up at a boy with inky black hair which was shortly cropped. His face was sharply defined and he looked down at me with shock and wonder, one hand supporting the back of my head as I blinked once, staring up into his golden eyes in awe. "Who…who are you?" I asked him with a slight shiver at the handsome face that stared down at me.
"You don't remember?" I frowned slightly in confusion.
"Have we met before? I don't remember…I…I can't remember anything." Suddenly I began to cough, my throat burning for water and I whimpered, lifting a hand to touch my chest which felt like it had the weight of the world pressing against it.
"Nephew, we must help her. She is weak and hurt, and will surely die if we leave her hear." The soft sounding man said as my eyes flickered over to him, taking in his bearded features and concerned gaze before my eyes widened in panic.
My hand flew to the boy's and I gripped his fingers tightly, startling him. "No, don't leave me, please." I begged in a whisper, my eyes sliding shut of their own accord. "Don't leave me alone…" but then the world around me faded, and I was left with nothing but the darkness as I searched fruitlessly for a memory of any kind, but all I received was the image of the handsome boy lifting me up from the ashes that I lay in, his golden eyes drawing me steadily closer and closer.
The next time I awoke, I felt a hundred times better. Sitting up I wriggled my toes, then my feet before curling my legs up underneath me, looking around curiously. "Ah good, you're awake." The old man's said with a warm smile as he poured tea into a small cup. "Here, have some tea. It'll help bring back your strength." I glanced at him for a moment before shifting forwards but the moment I reached out, I recoiled in pain, my hand flying to my shoulder and I saw that I was wrapped in bandages and my skin felt sticky with a salve that had been applied underneath. "You must take it slow. You are still injured."
"What happened to me?" I asked weakly as I crawled forwards then accepted the cup with my other hand. "How did I become trapped like that?" The man spluttered into his tea, coughing slightly before giving a nervous smile.
"Well uh…you see…"
"We found you like that." Another voice announced and my head turned sharply to see the boy standing in the open doorway. "We were just passing through and heard you call out." He entered the small, pitiful shack that we were residing in then sat down, accepting some tea.
"Oh…" I replied, turning my head and blushing slightly at his presence. My eyes reflected in my tea and I was startled by how blue they were.
"So my dear, how much do you remember?" The old man asked curiously and both of them turned to look at me almost intimidatingly and I blushed further.
"Nothing really…not even my own name." Giving a sigh I then put on a smile and looked back at them both. "So what're you're names?"
"Oh! Well…my name is Mushi." He introduced and I gave a smile to him before looking at the boy, who didn't look back at me.
"Lee." He stated blankly and I felt a little deflated at his rude ignoring. After a few moments of uncomfortable silence, Mushi lifted his arms with a cheer.
"Well, if you cannot remember your name, then we shall have to give you one! Let's see now…" He said as he scratched his beard thoughtfully. "How about…Thyra?" Lee shot him a look and I pondered over the name before making a face.
"That sounds a little old fashioned." Mushi blinked in surprise.
"Oh. Alright then, uh…how about Yuan? Hikari? I know! Janya! No? Alright then…Kanoana? Kosame? Mayumi?" All the while I was shaking my head, smiling as Mushi began to laugh. "Maybe you'll like this one, it means 'thunder and lightning', Raeden." He gave me a hopeful look but I shook my head. None of them sounded familiar and I didn't particularly like some of them. They all had extravagant meanings or were too simple. If I'm going to be choosing my own name, then I want something that I could like for a long time until I get all my memories back. If I do. "Uh…" Mushi scratched his head, trying to think of another name.
"Sakiya." Lee suddenly spoke, still not looking up from the flames and I paused slightly, thinking over the name. It was sweet sounding and seemed to fit. I liked it.
"Sakiya." I agreed with a nod of my head then took a sip of the tea. Instantly my eyes widened. "This is good! What herbs did you use?" I wanted to know and Mushi instantly chuckled before starting a very long lecture about the art of brewing tea and the uses of certain herb combinations that were his favourites. He talked for nearly an hour before finally Lee jumped to his feet.
"Enough! We've wasted enough time. Uncle, we need to carry on with training." He stated then went outside, making me stare after him at his sudden and unexpected outburst. When he was gone from sight, I turned to his uncle.
"Is he always like that?"
"No." His uncle said before chuckling merrily. "Usually he's worse. You rest and let your wounds heal. We will not be far." He promised as he rose to his feet then followed after his nephew. "Help yourself to more tea, Saki." He invited and I gave him a wide smile before pouring myself another drink.
Finding myself suddenly very tired, I lay back down on the ground and allowed myself to rest some more, still finding my mind to be empty of all memories. Where were my family? Did I even have any? Puzzled by the mystery of my past, I wondered of what to do. Perhaps I should go with these kind people who had saved me. They may not be family, but they were people who could protect me in this world I did not know.
The next time I awoke, I started to take off my bandages. The ones wrapped around my arm revealed reddened skin from burns, however it seemed that very little damage had actually been done and I quickly covered them up again before I reached for my hair.
It was woven into a plait all the way down my back, but it was filthy and tangled, so I let it loose and started again, tidying it up a little before I slowly began to get to my feet. At first I wobbled, biting down on my lip as I spread my arms, trying to find my balance but then my legs lost their stance, unable to hold my weight and my knees buckled, however as I gave a small squeak of worry there was a gentle voice from behind me as someone caught me, supporting me upright.
"Careful." I looked up at Lee with wide eyes before turning away to hide my blush. "Here, you shouldn't be trying to walk so soon. You need rest." Lee told me as he helped me sit back down again.
"Thank you." I said, tucking some of my fringe behind my ear to see him a little more clearly. Lee nodded his head and started to draw away, intending to leave so I thought quickly for an excuse to keep him here a little longer. "So where are you from?" I asked him and he paused slightly.
"Far away." He answered finally and I gave a slightly confused look.
"You don't want to tell me?"
"No." He emphasised, clenching his fists as he refused to meet my gaze. My eyes were drawn to the scar on his face, covering his left eye completely until it was almost sealed shut, however you could still see a golden gleam from deep within.
"Oh…I see." Curling up I hid my disappointed face away from him. Lee stood there for a moment, pausing slightly but then turned and walked away just as his uncle appeared through the doorway.
"Well children I have good news!" He announced before trailing off, seeing Lee storming out and me curled up in the corner of the room. "Uh…is now a bad time?" He questioned so I smiled and sat up.
"No, of course not." I told him and I scooted closer to the teapot where Mushi sat down.
"I see my nephew is still getting used to your company." Mushi said as he added some new herbs to the water to let it boil. "He's just a little uptight at the moment. He wants to get moving." Instantly I felt guilty, lowering my head.
"I am slowing you both down. I am sorry." I said but Mushi quickly shook his hands, trying to backtrack.
"No! Of course not, it is not your fault, we are glad we were able to help you. Don't worry, we will help you find somewhere to recover and once you have your memories back, you can find your family again." He told me and I bit my lip thoughtfully, giving a sigh.
"But then you and Lee will leave." Mushi slowed his stirring, glancing up at me as I kept my head bowed. "I don't know what it is, but I cannot help but feel that I am alone, that I do not have any family." I revealed and Mushi started to stir again, closing his eyes in thought.
"Oh? How so?"
"Well, I keep on getting this feeling of grief. Like someone has removed a part of me that I know should be there. Perhaps I have lost my family, and I really am all alone. If I am…then what do I do? What if my memories never come back? I…I'm frightened Mushi. I do not want to be alone." I fretted so Mushi reached out and rested his large hand over mine which was gripping my knee tightly with worry.
"Do not worry, my nephew and I shall take good care of you, and if your memories do not return by the time we are ready to leave, then you shall travel with us." He said and I instantly relaxed, giving him a smile. "I know how you may feel, Saki. I lost my son in a great war, and my beloved wife many years before. A great pain that I think I shall never forget, but as long as I have my nephew, then I know that I shall always be happy. He is all I have left, and now, you are part of our little family too." Unable to contain my joy at his words, I flung my arms around him and embraced him tightly, despite the pain that shot up my leg.
Mushi gave a deep chuckle, resting his hands on my back until I pulled away, eyes shining brightly at him. "Thank you Mushi." I told him before kissing his cheek. "You're a sweet man. Lee is lucky to have an uncle such as you." Mushi inclined his head gratefully to me before pouring out the tea.
We stayed another day in that deserted place before moving on. One of my legs had been injured in the collapse, so I struggled to walk however it turned out that Lee and Mushi had an ostrich horse which they allowed me to ride with Mushi for company, Lee leading it by the reins.
Mushi enjoyed the countryside, singing many songs and I giggled at his cheerful nature, listening and learning some of the tunes that he sang. "Well Saki, now that you're one of us, you must learn to sing all my favourite songs." Mushi said with a teasing gleam in his eyes. "My nephew is a wonderful musician though he will never admit it, perhaps one day you two could play together?"
"That would be great, if I knew how to actually play something." I answered with a laugh. "Maybe I do, but for now I have no idea."
"In that case, sing! Everybody knows how to sing, the louder the better, no matter how bad you may be!" He said before starting to sing again and I smiled brightly, giggling as he gradually sang louder and louder, making Lee clap a hand to his ear to try and block out the sound.
After a while though, Mushi began to groan, rubbing his aching back and I looked over my shoulder with worry at him. "Mushi, are you alright? Is it your back or your shoulder?" I questioned, drawing Lee's attention back towards us.
"Maybe we should make camp." He suggested in his soft, silky voice and I gave him a nod of my head, however Mushi waved a hand.
"No, no, please don't stop on my account." However after continuing another few paces, Mushi let out another long pained groan so I reached out and pulled on the reins, stopping our mount and Lee sighed with a roll of his eyes as Mushi jumped off, stretching out his back and walked over to a rock to settle down with a sigh of relief.
I made to get down, however the moment I put pressure on my weaker leg, it collapsed underneath me and I lunged for the saddle to grip on, however Lee was quickly at my side. "Here, let me." He said and as easily as if I weighed less than his uncle's teapot, lifted me clean off the ground and I instantly clung on tighter, curling up as my stability was taken away from me. "Rest." He ordered in a simple tone before placing me down on the rock beside his uncle, who slyly glanced at us both as I blushed and looked away with a nod of my head, feeling my heart give a strong thud as his arms shifted around me before withdrawing.
Lee shot me a look before turning away to see to the ostrich horse and I exhaled softly, lowering my head. "You know, I think my nephew is becoming quite fond of you." Mushi noted and I perked up a little.
"Really?" I questioned hopefully, both of us whispering so that he would not hear. I gave a blushing smile before looking away, hiding under my messy fringe to watch as Lee kept hold of the mount, however it suddenly twitched and became highly alert to its surroundings.
"What now?" Mushi demanded to know in an annoyed voice as Lee already took a defensive stance, watching carefully as the ground began to tremble slightly. In fear I gripped onto Mushi's sleeve, glancing around with nervous eyes but he rested a reassuring hand on mine as I moved closer to him.
Suddenly some strange men burst through the foliage and surrounded us all, riding rough rhinos and all wore frightening expressions of dark glee, making me whimper and Mushi tightened his grip on my hand to offer me more comfort before standing up. "Ah! Colonel Mongke! What a pleasant surprise." He greeted politely and I stood up also, wringing my wrists nervously as I glanced around the scary men.
"If you're surprised we're here then the Dragon of the West has lost his touch." The colonel said with a stern smirk as he reined in his mount. Huh? Dragon of the West? What did that mean? Just then the colonel sharpened the blades on his bracers and I flinched, glancing around once more as all his men readied their weapons also.
"You know these guys?" Lee demanded, still holding his stance as I cowered between the both of them quite happily. There was no way I was going to face one of these men, they looked like they could eat me for breakfast!
"Sure. Colonel Mongke and the Rough Riders are legendary. Each one is a different kind of weapons specialist. They are also a very capable singing group." Mushi answered with a chuckle and I felt slightly relaxed by his calm exterior. Maybe they won't attack and we're all going to be perfectly fine.
"We're not here to give a concert. We're here to apprehend fugitives!" Fugitives? Like who? We're just travellers! Right?
"Would you like some tea first? I'd love some. How about you, Kachi? I make you as a jasmine man. Am I right?" Mushi offered to a specific man who only narrowed his eyes further at Mushi.
"Enough stalling! Round 'em up!" The colonel ordered and instantly, a chain and ball were flung directly at Mushi, making me gasp in surprise however both Mushi and Lee instantly began to fight back. I stared in shock as Lee punched the air, shooting blasts of fire at his opponents and instantly I knew that something was wrong. A sense of trepidation washed over me and I stared wide eyed.
I knew that the Fire Nation were my enemy, that knowledge seemed to be etched into my very core, however I couldn't believe that these people were part of the nation that was destroying the world. Dragon of the West…where had I heard that before?
"Saki!" I heard Mushi call out my name and I blinked, waking up but then I saw a figure loom in front of me, lifting a war hammer up high and instantly I was afraid. My mouth dropped open and I cried out, turning to try and escape but the moment I tried to run my weak leg gave out from underneath me and I fell to the ground, this time with nowhere to go.
Spinning around I saw the hammer lift higher into the air as the man roared, starting to swing it down and I hid my face in my arm in a feeble attempt to shield myself, however I heard Lee give a shout and a blast of golden flames slammed against the man, sending him flying into one of the rhinos and it bolted away after kicking the guy in the jaw, effectively knocking him out. "Get up!" Lee ordered harshly and I flinched away from him but did as I was told, getting to my feet and using the rock for support as Mushi leaped onto the ostrich horse and rode towards us.
Lee suddenly grabbed my hand and when he jumped up behind his uncle, he swung me up behind him and anchored a hand against my back to keep me seated as the speedy creature raced away swiftly. "It's nice to see old friends again." Mushi noted with a chuckle as we all escaped from the bounty hunters.
"Too bad you don't have any old friends who don't want to attack you."
"Hmm…old friends who don't want to attack me…" He murmured in thought as I gripped onto Lee's shirt tightly, looking fearfully over my shoulder to see if we were being followed, however we seemed to have luckily escaped those mean brutes this time.
We didn't stop until we were sure we had lost them, however the moment the ostrich horse had slowed down I flung myself from the saddle, not caring as I crashed to the ground. "Saki!" Mushi called out with worry, pulling up short as I quickly flipped onto my back and scrambled away.
"Who are you?" I demanded to know, backtracking away from them both as they dismounted. "You're…you're firebenders, and why did that colonel call you Dragon of the West? Why were they after you? I thought you were earth nation fugitives!" I yelled at them, tears streaking down my face as my confusion made it hard for me to control my emotions.
"Please Saki, just listen to us." Mushi requested gently as he took a step forwards. "We're not going to hurt you." Taking deep breaths I curled up with my back pressing against a large rock face, now unable to move any further so I hugged my knees to my chest. "You see…I was a great army general for the Fire Nation, but I am tired of all this fighting. We are escaping to try and lead normal lives somewhere we can be safe. My nephew and I did not lie to you, we only concealed some of the truth." I looked up at him through over my arm, hiding my face but Mushi gave me a smile as Lee walked forwards, ignoring my flinch as he came to kneel before me, meeting my gaze sternly.
"I know you're scared, but we've got to move on. Don't worry, we won't let anything happen to you Sakiya." He told me then reached forwards, resting his hand on my shoulder despite my teary eyed crying. "I can understand how confusing this must all seem, but you have my word when I say that I'll protect you." Slowly I lifted my head, meeting his golden gaze before without thinking, flung my arms around his neck tightly and securely, crying against his shoulder and for a moment, he was stunned and didn't put his arms around me in return, until finally he rested his hands on my back and his other curled around the back of my head and slipped into my hair gently. "Come on. We'd better get moving." He said and without another word lifted me up to carry my away.