DISCLAIMER: me no own AVATAR.
I'M SO HAPPY TO BE BACK ON FF . NET!
Chapter 12: Memories Part 1
The frozen winds blew acorss the frigid tundra of the North Pole. Well, not the grand city all people across the world associate with the North Pole. No, that place was a bit warmer than the place I'm thinking of.
It was a small tribe of outcasts, miles away from the North Pole, thrown out by the city's legal system, they considered this punishment worse than death: to be banished from the city and sent to live in the wild cold snowy plains of the North. But this tribe had shown up the city very well.
In the heart of the small village of outcasts, two young children played. Both ten years of age, one a boy, the other a girl. The boy had the normal tan skin of the tribe, with sharp, piercing blue eyes and tangled hair that reached his shoulders (much to his mother's horror). His name was Rough Water. The girl, by contrast, was the most unique girl of both the North and South Tribes. Far more unique than the Princess of the North Tribe, who had been touched by the Moon Spirit. (Ok, that might have been an exaggeration.) Her skin was pale, like a firebender's. Her eyes were green. Here hair was black, but done up in the traditional braid and bun that supported her mother's heritage. Her name was Waters Bend.
The children were kicking and throwing a seal leather ball back and forth at each other, enjoying the day.
Waters Bend ran up to the ball(which Rough Water hadn't managed to kick hard enough to reach his playmate) and kicked it hard, sending the ball flying over Rough Water's head, and landing near the edge of the village.
"Hey Rough Water! Go get the ball! It's on your side!" Waters Bend called. Rough Water sent her a playful glare, before he ran off to get it.
As Waters Bend watched him fetch the toy, her mind wandered back to three years before...
"Hey Rough Water?" Waters Bend called shyly. The boy looked at her.
"Yah, Waters Bend?" He replied upon his return with the ball.
"Remember how, when we were seven, you asked me to marry you when we got older?" Rough Water's face went deadpan. How could he not remember?
"And you said 'no', then bended a bunch of snow on my head?" Rough Water raised an eyebrow. Waters Bend grinned sheepishly.
"Yah. Um, is it too late to change my answer?" Rough Water just stared at her, Waters Bend was so frightened, she hoped he would reply positively, he was her last friend...
But then, Rough Water's eyes brightened, and he smiled and laughed, running up to Waters Bend, he dropped the ball and hugged her.
"Thank you, Waters Bend! Thank you!" He cried out joyfully. Waters Bend sighed, and returned his embrace.
"Now," Rough Water started. Waters Bend looked up, her eyes shining.
"Go get the ball!" Rough Water yelled, kicking the ball that had been resting at their feet out behind her. Waters Bend laughed, and went to go get it.
But as Waters Bend stood up with the ball in her hands, her eyes turned out to the ocean, and on the horizon, she thought she could see a dot, far off in the distance.
"Waters Bend? You alright?" Rough Water called. Waters Bend shook her head, and turned to face him.
"Ya, I'm fine."
The black dot shouldn't have worried Waters Bend. Stuff like that was always seen out at sea. But, it was the fact that the dot seemed to get bigger everyday and that her 11th birthday was coming just seemed to blend horribly.
That, and the fact that her parents seemed to be arguing over the dot left Waters Bend even more distraught.
"ABSOLUTELY NOT! I REFUSE TO LET HER GO!"
"IT HAS BEEN A TRADITION SINCE SOUZEN STARTED THE WAR!"
"I THOUGHT YOU LEFT THAT STUFF BEHIND WHEN YOU MARRIED ME!"
"I'M NOT LEAVING BEHIND A TRADITION!"
"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU'D DO THAT TO OUR DAUGHTER!" Waters Bend's mother, Calm Water screeched.
"DOING WHAT? SHOWING HER THE REAL WORLD? WE CAN'T WRAP HER UP IN A CACCOON FOR THE REST OF
HER LIFE!" Waters Bend's father, Kiroh roared back.
"Mommy? Daddy?" Waters Bend said shyly, poking her head out from behind the tent flap that supposedly marked 'her room'.
"Waters Bend, sweetie, what are you doing up?" Calm Water asked sweetly, kneeling next to her daughter.
"Well, it's kind of hard not to sleep with you and daddy yelling." Kiroh sighed, and joined his wife beside his daughter.
"We're sorry, honey. Now, go to bed, there's a big surprise coming for your birthday!" Kiroh said, his eyes twinkling. Waters Bend squealed.
"Oh thank you mommy! Thank you daddy!" The ten year old cried, running up and hugging both her parents around their necks, before scurrying back to bed. Soon after, Kiroh followed his daughter's example, and went to bed too.
But Calm Water stayed up all night, crying, thinking of her daughter's fate.
Waters Bend sat on the edge of the ice before it broke off into icebergs, watching the horizon. The black dot had taken shape, and looked like a ship. The waterbender sighed, and looked up to the sky.
"Waters Bend! Waters Bend!" The ten year old turned around and stood up at the recognition of her voice. She smiled when she saw Rough Water running towards her, smiling and waving, holding a brown parcel under one arm. She smiled, and waved back. Rough Water stopped in front of Waters Bend, bent over, gasping.
"I think someone ran a little too fast." Waters Bend teased. Rough Water collapsed on the snow, laughing.
"Um, I know it's a bit early, but..." Rough Water grinned sheepishly, and held out the brown parcel. Waters Bend squealed, and tore off the paper to find a box. She opened the box, and found a satin blue ribbon with a blue pendant attatched, with the Water Nation symbol etched into it.
"To make it official." Rough Water said shyly. Waters Bend smiled up at him gratefully, and hugged him tightly.
"Thank you so much, Rough Water!" Waters Bend said happily as she put on the necklace.
"Promise you won't forget me?" Waters Bend let go of Rough Water, and stood up with him, confusion etched into her face.
"Why would I forget you?" She said, trying to make it sound humorous. Rough Water rubbed the back of his head.
"My mom says I'm not allowed to talk to you anymore." He said sadly. Waters Bend looked upset.
"Why?" She asked. Rough Water sighed.
"I gotta go." He said, and walked away, leaving Waters Bend standing be the sea, sadness and confusion covering her face, the gentle sea breeze her companion now.
"Waters Bend, come here, please." Kiroh said gently. His daughter nodded, and crawled up next to him. It was the night before Waters Bend's eleventh birthday.
"What is it daddy?" Kiroh sighed, and pulled out a very small chest.
"Sweetie, the Fire Nation is coming tomorrow." Waters Bend's eyes were wide, and she was up in an instant, declaring she was ready to defend her family and friends no matter the cost. Kiroh chuckled at his daughter. She took after him.
"No, Waters Bend, they're coming for you." Waters Bend stopped, and stared at her father.
"You're, you're kidding, right?" Kiroh sighed.
"I wish I was. But you are going to learn firebending with Prince Zuko, and you will be taught by General Iroh." Waters Bend looked up at her father sorrowfully. Kiroh opened the chest, revealing darkly colored clothing. He took out a black and red kimono, sleeves, pants, and metal boots.
"This is what you will wear when you meet Prince Zuko. It's been in my family for many decades."
"And then I get to wear my regular clothes, right daddy?" Kiroh sighed.
"No, as long as you live on Prince Zuko's boat, you will wear this outfit." Waters Bend's face fell. Her father sighed again, and pulled out a tight fitting deep crimson, almost black ninja outfit, leather boots, two daggers, and a belt with two pouches.
"In my family, there is a tradition that the firstborn would become a member of an elite group of ninjas known as the Red Ninja. There was only one Ninja every generation. The Ninja would travel the world, helping people wherever they could, almost like an Avatar." Waters Bend felt a small smile on her lips.
"But when the war started, we disappeared, as all the firstborns were called to war. (All the firstborns were men.) But now, Waters Bend, I want you to continue on this legacy. I want you to continue it, when you feel the time is right." Waters Bend nodded solemly.
"Never let anyone find these clothes. Never." Kiroh said gravely. Waters Bend sighed dejectedly.
"Yes daddy."
The next morning Waters Bend stayed in her family's tent, as the whole village just seemed to glare at her.
But then, the ship docked, and a small group of Fire Nation soldiers walked down the gangplank. Calm Water, who had been outside cleaning, saw the soldiers and rushed in her tent.
"Hurry, Waters Bend! Get changed!" Waters Bend quickly rushed into her kimono, wrapped up her Ninja clothes, making it look like a small lunch, and didn't even have time to find her necklace.
Waters Bend walked solemnly through the village, villagers glaring at her as she and the four guards surroudning her walked past the people's tents. Then she walked past Rough Water's tent, and saw him staring at her from behind his mother.
"ROUGH WATER!" She cried out, and before the Fire Nation soldiers could stop her, she ran up to Rough Water.
"You're not wearing the necklace." Rough Water said in hurt as Waters Bend grasped both his hands.
"I know, I'm sorry! Rough Water I'm so sorry! It's gone! Someone took it!" Rough Water glared at her as the soldiers dragged her away from him.
"I'M SORRY, ROUGH WATER! I'M SORRY!" She cried.
Waters Bend stared up with empty eyes as the gangplank of the Fire Nation ship. Her father stood nearby, wearing armor just like the soldiers'. Where had he got that? She's never seen it before.
Then two men walked down the gangplank. One was chubby, and had gray hair, while the other was young, lean, bald (except for his topknot) and had an ugly scar over his left eye.
"General Iroh, it's a pleasure to see you again. Prince Zuko, it's an honor to meet you." The young man called Prince Zuko bowed to her father, while the General smiled warmly.
"It's good to see you too, General Kiroh." Iroh said with a bow of his own. Waters Bend's head snapped up to her father. He had been a general in the Fire Army? When had this been? How come she hadn't been told? Prince Zuko looked around the village with distaste.
"Honestly, General Kiroh, I don't understand why you gave up the great life of being a General for this," Prince Zuko waved his hand at the snow.
"And just so you could be with some peasant." Waters Bend's eyes flashed dangerously and she lashed out at the Prince. With the guards no longer guarding (surrendering her for their employers) Waters Bend drew up a long whip of water from the ocean and threw Zuko into a snow pile nearby. Then she sent the water down Zuko's throat and held it there. Very quickly, Zuko's face turned red, then blue.
"Waters Bend! Stop! STOP!" Kiroh yelled. Glaring at Zuko, Waters Bend removed the water from Zuko's throat, and tossed it harmlessly into the snow.
"Never insult my mother like that again." She hissed. Kiroh sighed.
"I'm sorry. It's the Fire blood." Waters Bend sighed. Being part Fire Nation, the ultimate treachery, and she couldn't even help it.
"That's alright. She'll need it for firebending." Iroh said wisely. Then Iroh, Zuko, and Waters Bend walked up the gangplank with the soldiers. With one last look over her shoulder, Waters Bend said goodbye to her father.
"Goodbye, dad." She said sadly.
"Goodbye, Waters Bend." He replied. When Waters Bend turned around, she was face to face with Zuko.
"Ok, first things first," Zuko snapped.
"As long as you firebender, you will never again be Waters Bend. From now on, you're Flame..."
And now you know where Flame got her name!
and you know what? i'm getting my attention span back! yay! i can stay in front of a computer screen and write a chapter just a bit longer! woot!
INSANITY AT ITS FINEST
LONG LIVE THE HIPPIES!
Zukoscute2
