A/N: Hello, everyone , thanks for all the views and reviews. I would like to thank especially to P.A.W.07 (wow, I'm a big fan, Reluctant Hero is just the greatest) who offered a kind review a made a valid point. So, I would like to use this space to ask for any volunteers who would like to beta read/proofread this story for me. Since I'm not a native speaker, I realize my shortcomings and any help will be appreciated.
10. Old Grudges
She found him in the same position as she kept finding him the whole week. "Lee" was sitting by the window in the thin stream of light that came through the grating in the early hours of the day. The window was the only source of light in the room, besides the fireplace, and it was only this morning hours that the sun shone directly into the room.
And for the whole week, every day since his awakening, Suki found "Lee" meditating in that stream of sunshine with unceasing effort. The first day, it struck her a little by surprise, as Lee didn't seem to be the meditating type, but when it came to the village's prisoner, she tried to not have any prejudices and take an open-minded approach.
Still, he made an unusual image for her each time she walked in. Sitting in the thin stream of light and facing the sun, she had the view of the right side of his face scowled in deep concentration. Somehow, even though he really was meditating, she was more reminded of a predator preparing for a right moment to strike. The image of him spoke danger to her, even in spite of that ridiculous hairdo (she realized that she would have to let him shave his head).
She did the same as the other days, she put the tray with breakfast on the ground. Today it was rice and egg omelet, and as it was instructed by healer Taska, still warm. The boy, as usually, didn't even open an eye at the noises of her moving. She already stopped greeting him or even warning him about his food going cold (when they already made the effort making it warm), when he was in meditation, since she wouldn't receive an answer anyhow. So she just left him there, doing what was certainly more important for his recovering. Also this was probably his last time having a peaceful morning, before it would be decided what will they do with him. For a moment she considered, if she should warn him about it, but then he probably already knew.
Suki left the hut. "We will question him today, so stay put," she said to the girls on guard duty.
She wanted to go after the village healer, but one of the girls stopped her. "Is he fine then?"
Suki only then noticed that it is the two girls she found their prisoner with – Mika and Cho. Both seemed concerned. Especially Cho, even under the face-paint was recognizably worried.
"He is fine. Sun-bathing and all, just like every morning."
"Is he – is he a firebender?" Cho visibly gulped at the prospect Mika was offering.
"Most probably, but I would like to see a proof or hear it from him. He hasn't used his bending yet. We can't know for sure." This unsureness made her really nervous. And she blamed it on healer Taska. She was really strict about not letting them ask the prisoner questions. At least not until captain Hideko returns back to the village.
The leader of Kyoshi Warriors was on a tour around the island for the last two weeks. As the leader of the only defenders of the island against the glooming shadow of the Fire Nation, she was meeting the representatives of the other villages of the Kyoshi Island and checking on the rest of the Kyoshi Warriors units scattered around the island. When they discovered the suspicious boy on the beach, they sent a messenger pigeon after their leader. The reply said that Hideko will cut her trip short, only making the most necessary stops. Suki tried to convince Hideko through a second message that she is capable of handling the matter, but the answer only said that she will be back in a week and not to over-work herself. Did their captain think she wasn't competent? Suki felt a sting of disappointment of her captain's mistrust. She liked to think of herself as captain Hideko's right hand. But it looked like that when it came to serious matters, she still wasn't trusted enough.
And the prisoner's behavior surely didn't help her irritated mood during the whole week. She saw the relief on his face, when Taska first saved him answering her question. Since then, Taska asked him every day in front of her or other Kyoshi Warrior, if he wasn't asked unnecessary questions. The boy every time looked into her eyes and for a moment, as if considering his answer, before denying. Suki felt like he was doing it to mock her and it drove her mad every day. Especially, because Suki respected the healers request and told the other girls to respect it too. On the other hand, she has been all the more looking forward to this day. She planned to ask captain Hideko to allow her to be present during the interrogation. She was ready to be really persistent in the case the captain would have any objections.
"I have to go after healer Taska to get the permission for interrogation. Don't be nervous. We are well trained to fight benders, especially firebenders." Captain Hideko was extra focused on the sets for firebending defense.
"I know, but I've never fought a real firebender before," said Cho in a silent voice.
"That he doesn't know," said Suki in response and winked on the younger girl trying to cheer her up, ignoring her own feelings about the matter, which were very similar. Then she hurriedly left, so that her mask of encouraging smile wouldn't slip off.
She, as well as most of the younger warriors, has never fought with a firebender before and somehow, her gut feeling was telling her that it might change soon. Actually, she noticed that after the mysterious appearance of their prisoner, she unconsciously started to train harder than before. She started to realize that the status of neutrality of their home could gave them a false feeling of safety. Those Fire Nation war ships really weren't that far from their shores. Their neutrality will quite possibly need better defenses in the future. And with the arrival of the suspicious boy, things might have already started moving.
Suki arrived at the front door of the village leader and knocked only once, when the healer answered almost immediately. She must have been expecting me, Suki realized.
"Captain Hideko is returning today evening. She would like to interrogate the prisoner, if possible," said Suki directly.
"I know, Suki. First – just come in," said the healer in an almost nervous way and pulled her in.
Suki went after her a bit hesitantly. Taska led her to one of the back rooms and Suki suspected that she wants to have a private conversation.
"My husband is not home, but still my infirmary is off limits even for him," she smiled a little, closing the door behind her.
"Healer Taska, I only wanted your consent for…"
"I know, I know… but first I need to talk with you – about the boy and captain Hideko." Suki was confused. The healer seemed really troubled. Suki could understand that she would like to talk about her patient, but why about the captain of Kyoshi Warriors? And why behind closed doors?
"Why about captain Hideko?"
"First about the boy," the healer stopped her. "I think I can say that we both assumed the same thing about the boy without stating the obvious."Suki started to understand where the dialogue was going.
"Yes, the prisoner is most likely a firebender. It is pretty obvious, even if he didn't firebend in front of us. He doesn't even try to hide it. He's meditating in the sun every morning, in the evening in front of the fireplace. And also there is the incident of the night he first woke up." Of course these were only indirect evidences for their assumption, but the fact that the healer seemed to think the same as her, made her even more sure about it.
"The hypothermia affected him pretty badly. If I were to guess, I would have thought a firebender would recover faster than other benders or non-benders. Not the opposite. He must have been really close to passing to the Spirit World. If you wouldn't had found him, Suki, he surely wouldn't have survived."
Suki nodded. Despite all the problems he brought with his appearance, she was glad that she found him. And that she found him alive. The boy couldn't be much older than her. Suki couldn't imagine how it would be to find a dead body of a teenager on the beach that morning. Firebender, or not.
"But there is something… he keeps something away. The scar on his back. It can't be natural."
"Couldn't it be that some kind of coloring got into the wound?" Suki didn't get what the healer was getting so worked up about.
"I really don't know and can't imagine the cause of the color. But his defensive reaction when I asked him about it was fairly suspicious, if I were to judge. And I'm afraid if we were to push him about it he could strike back at us somehow. Especially, Hideko… I don't think… maybe we shouldn't tell her about it."
"Healer Taska, she is my superior. I'm not allowed and I don't want to keep information away from her," Suki protested to Taskaʼs proposition of lying to her captain.
"I know and understand, but first you have to listen to what I have to tell you."
"Okay, Taska, I'm listening," said Suki and was sure that she will not like what she's going to hear in the next minutes.
"How much do you know about your leader's past?" asked the healer and while Suki was thinking she started to roll some fresh bandages into nice small bundles prepared for a case of need.
"Well, I know that she is not from Kyoshi, if that's what you mean?"
"And anything concrete?"
"No, not really. She's not really a talkative type when it comes to personal matters," she had to admit and when she thought about it, it almost surprised her how little she really knows about her captain.
The healer sighed. "I'm not sure, if I should be the one telling you about this, but at least someone must understand …" her voice jittered. And Suki knew that she really wasn't going to like what she will get to know.
"Your captain is from an Earth Kingdom village just across the sea to the east. It is a Fire Nation colony now, but it wasn't 15 years ago."
Suki counted – she herself probably wasn't even born yet and captain Hideko was probably about 10 years old and able to remember the colonization.
"The village resisted the colonization, but it resulted only in half of the village being burnt down. The local earthbenders put up a lot of fight for their independence but they were easily stopped by the overwhelming numbers of the firebenders sent to stop the resistance. And these troops were not hesitating about burning houses and people."
Suki flinched at the idea of a burning hell that the village must had become that time. She couldn't imagine what it might had been for her captain to experience at all.
"Captain Hideko never mentioned…. I had no idea-"
"Her mother died in a fight with a firebender. She was one of the earthbenders who defended the village. At least that were the words of Hidekoʼs father. He died because of severe burns shortly after the refugee boat hit the shore of Kyoshi. To this day, I have no idea how they got across the sea. It must had been the work of the spirits." Taska laughed a bit nervously, while rolling a bandage into an exceptionally tight roll.
"Anyway, the father was carrying her only daughter who was also badly burnt. Her whole back was one big wound. I had to put all my knowledge and supplies of herbs into healing the poor girl. But I couldn't… couldn't help her father." Taskaʼs voice broke and Suki also noticed the tears she was trying to fight back.
Suki was speechless. She had no idea about the tragic past of their captain, even after spending four years among Kyoshi warriors. Did any of the girls know about it? Maybe the older ones? But why would be Taska so secretive about it, if others would know? How could she not notice any scars Taska mentioned? Suki realized that she actually did not remember when was the last time she saw their captain out of her uniform.
Suki stood up to help the healer with the bandages as she kept rolling and unrolling one multiple times. "I'll help you," she said and took the bandage out of the trembling fingers of older woman.
"Thank you, my dear," said Taska and dried her eyes with the sleeve of her warm dress. She had to take a minute before continuing with the awful story.
"Hideko was one of the few survivors from that boat. Some of them did not even last to see the shore of Kyoshi."
"That's terrible." Suki was starting to realize how lucky they were for not taking part in the war. The horrors that the rest of the world have gone through were out there, detached from their little world, until now. Until she got to know that their captain was a victim of them, until the suspicious boy got cast out by the sea.
"Most of the survivors left Kyoshi after they were healed because of the strict policy against outsiders, but Hideko was an orphan. She had nowhere to go. So happened that Kyoshi warriors took her in and raised her. I think that's why Hidekoi did her best – as a way of thanking them. And now, she is their - your – leader."
Suki was stunned by this story. She was still shocked she was learning about this only now. Of course, these were really private details about their captain, but they only made Suki admire her even more. There was no other girl in their group who deserved more to be their leader. Suki admired Hideko from childhood, if not idolized her. She was the reason she joined the warriors. It was because as a child, she and her mother were saved by her from a wild rhinolynx when they were on their way home from the neighboring village's market. Ever since that day she wanted to become a Kyoshi warrior.
Suki rolled up the last bandage and put it neatly in the row to the other rolls.
"But why did you tell me about this? Why now? What does the prisoner have anything to do with this?"
Taska sighed again and Suki got really nervous. The old healer made it seem as if the worse part of what she wanted to tell her was only going to come.
"Suki, do you remember the incident with that Fire Nation trading ship five years ago?"
Suki was lost. She had to remember really hard what the incident was about. "There was a firebender, right? There was a small fire? But it was before I joined the warriors."
"Yes, that's right." Taska put away all the bandages and now focused solely on Suki.
"Merchants from the Fire Nation were forced to stay a night on the Island because a big storm was passing. They were housed in an inn at the port. The warriors from the port town asked the girls from our village for a small support group. For any case. And Hideko was one of the girls sent there." Taskaʼs hands curled into fists.
"There was a brawl in the inn. The drunk merchant used firebending, but before anything more serious could happen, the girls pacified all of them. Hideko was the one who stopped the firebender. And it wasn't exactly that she stopped him. More like… more like… beat him." Taska was shaking again. Suki couldn't imagine what could have happened. Was it really that bad, that only a memory made the local healer shake?
"I was tending the man after the incident. He was beaten unconscious. You know, it is usually the poorest firebenders that don't make it into the Fire Nation army. And the Fire Nation doesn't waste its bender potential. Even female benders are recruited into the army. He never stood a chance against Hideko. She really… she really…"
Taska didn't finish. Her voice broke. And Suki didn't know what to say to that. She just stood there with thoughts rushing through her head. How was she supposed to react to such a story? And what did the healer want her to do with this information?
"Suki, I'm not saying that the boy doesn't need to be interrogated, but please, try to keep an eye on your captain. Just make sure that the process won't hurt anybody. And I'm not talking only about the prisoner. I understand she has a right to hold a grudge against the Fire Nation, but she should not let the past keep clouding her judgment."
"Taska, I can try to advise her, but… she is our leader. She is the best of us. I mean, it was quite a few years ago. I don't think anything troublesome will happen."
"Her family died even longer ago and still, the merchant was leaving without a few of his teeth and with a broken nose and ribs." Taska did not let her gaze off of Suki.
And Suki was beginning to feel pressured. "Fine. I promise I will try to step in if a situation will arise."
It was late afternoon and Suki couldn't prolong it any longer. Their leader could be back any moment. After her conversation with healer Taska, she had to warn the prisoner boy, even though she still did not want to believe that her captain would do anything that would not be of reasonable judgment.
So for now, she had to stop pacing around her room in the barracks and give the prisoner a visit. She took the razor she borrowed from the table and almost ran to the small hut at the edge of the village. The girls at guard greeted her and she nodded in acknowledgement. She stormed into the room without any warning and caught Lee in the middle of performing a kata.
He broke off the posture quickly and observed her with a blank expression. Suki eyed him for a bit, being almost sure she just interrupted a firebending routine, but she still had not caught a glimpse of a flame.
"What do you want?" asked the boy impatiently with his eyes narrowed, and especially with the scarred one, almost closed into a slit.
"You're not the one to ask questions," said Suki coldly.
"Here, you could use a shave. You're starting to look ridiculous." She put the shaving equipment on the low table and waited. But "Lee" did not react or move.
"Well, you can get on with it, because I'll wait here for you to finish and we do not have all day."
"Lee" approached the table slowly and looked on the razor.
"Do not have funny ideas! So just move slowly or I…" but Suki didn't even get to finish and the razor was already in his hands. Her hand jumped for the katana at her side but she did not need to draw. "Lee" just brought the razor to the top of his head and sliced off the high ponytail. Then he just dropped the razor back on the table and, without a single emotion showing, he threw the sliced hair into the fireplace. It quickly caught on fire and filled the room with the characteristic smell.
"Is that all you wanted?" asked "Lee" still with a plain voice, although turned away from her, so she didn't see his face.
Suki was caught speechless by the sudden act, her hand still on the katana.
"Well, yes…. No… I mean no." The small shock didn't allow her to think straight for a couple of moments.
"Tonight, you will be interrogated by our leader."
"It's about time," he said flatly.
"Listen, I don't know what or who you are. In any case, just don't make things worse for yourself. All you have to do is answer some questions. Most importantly, don't use firebending because…"
At that "Lee" scoffed and that stopped Suki.
"We know you're a bender, don't try to deny it."
The boy turned around with a scowl on his face. Suki would say that without the ponytail he looked even more ridiculous, but the fiery look in his eyes made him almost scary instead. He walked closer to her in a manner that made Suki think he was trying to intimidate her.
"Don't you think that if I could use firebending, I would be long gone from this wretched hut?"
"I don't know why you haven't used your bending yet, but be assured that it wouldn't make your chances of escaping any higher than they are without it." She returned him the hard gaze.
To that he didn't have anything to say, so he just settled for another small scoff. For a moment he seemed to size her up and when he made a small glance at the razor laying on the table, Suki reacted.
"Don't even think about it." With one hand she pointed her unfolded fan at his eyes and with the other she took the equipment from the table. "Lee" did not move at all and didn't seem to mind to be rid of the single weapon he laid his hands on during the whole week.
"I came only to warn you to not make things harder for yourself. Who knows? Maybe you could be let on the next merchant ship and be back in the Fire Nation by the next week. I certainly wouldn't mind." Suki withdrew the fan and let their stuck up prisoner stand in the middle of the room.
She couldn't believe the guy. And also her captain. Why do they need to keep him here? They could just let him go. Not that there was anything on the island he could spy on. She had the feeling that the longer he stays here, the worse the outcome of the whole situation will be.
A/N I'm apologizing in advance, but the next update will be quite possibly delayed, because I'm going to work on my diploma thesis for the next few months. And although, this chapter is a bit short, I had to put something out before I start seriously studying. But just as a teaser, things are going to get complicated with the arrival of the leader of Kyoshi Warriors. She is going to be one tough girl. Storywise I worked quite a lot on this little Kyoshi Island arc.
Hope you will like it Feel free to review!
