Juno lunged, arms circling wide, as the flying daggers spun past her, catching the projectiles neatly in swirling balls of air. She held the form for a moment, took a deep breath, then relaxed, listening to the plinking of metal striking cement around her.

Sakura groaned. "Aw man, I thought that third one was getting past you for sure!"

Juno grinned, and pulled the handkerchief serving as a blindfold up onto her head. She went around and picked up the fallen kunai knives, then passed them back to the pink-haired girl, handles first.

It was mid-afternoon, and the sun was shining hotly down upon their heads. They were in the middle of a string of good weather, an unusually long one for the typically wet climate. Juno was grateful for the sun and heat. It was one of the things which had made guarding Tazuna and the construction crew much more tolerable. The first few days, when Juno had been accompanying him alone, she had spent the time crouched miserably under an awning, alone with her thoughts and the sound of raindrops plunking against the fabric roof.

Another thing improving her mood had been deciding to pass the time 'training' with Sakura. It had now been several days since Kakashi had deemed the girl competent enough with the tree-climbing exercise to join Juno during guard duty. The first day, Juno had heard enough passing remarks from the construction crew about the wisdom of having two 'little girls' as body-guards to work her into a fairly bad mood.

Hence the 'training'. It was more like playing really, just flashy demonstrations of their skill and athletic ability. Juno had had Sakura walking around on her hands while she took potshots at her from a few paces away with small airbending bursts to try and knock her off balance. They tried to trip each other using only their feet while balancing tin thermoses on their heads. They tried to see how many balls of water Juno could juggle before she lost control and they all fell to the ground in a shower. Juno refused to do that one until Sakura agreed to stand next to her, so that when she inadvertently lost control, they were both soaked in the process.

With the undeniably impressive show of their abilities, the comments from the construction crew ground to a halt. Instead, they had to contend with their antics becoming subject to betting pools and shouts of encouragement, or taunting, from their audience.

Juno had made a tidy sum of money over the last few days. It was something she had felt a little bad about at first, considering she had been raised believing that gambling was a vice. But it had been such easy money. The crew, who clearly could not know the full extent of her or Sakura's abilities, chronically underestimated them. Plus, she knew that money, or her lack thereof, was going to be a problem once she left the comfort of Tsunami and Tazuna's hospitality. It wasn't something she ever had to worry about before, seeing as her accommodation and care had always been taken care of by others. She was going to need a crash course in 'being an independent adult' before long.

This current exercise, in addition to contributing to her new 'independent adult' fund, was fun practice for her in any case. It capitalized on Juno's strongest bending ability, which was her passive airbending sense. As long as there wasn't too much interference or distractions, Juno had the ability to sense even the tiniest shift in air currents in a twenty meter radius around her. It made her particularly adept at sensing, and countering, incoming projectiles. Her airbending masters had lauded her ability as one of the strongest cases of passive airbending sense they had ever heard of.

Being blindfolded and having Sakura throw a series of kunai knives in her direction, then attempting to catch them with airbending spheres, was a good test of that ability. The weather was clear and there was very little wind, so Juno could handle the half dozen targets Sakura sent her way with ease.

They decided to take a break. They collected their recent winnings from the betting pool, moved to lean against the edge of the bridge, and sipped on the chilled tea Tsunami had packed for them. The conversation between them was easy. Juno liked Sakura; she was tenacious and spunky, not to mention wickedly clever. She was certain Sakura had intuited the real motivation behind Juno's 'training' in an instant, but had been just as keen to tackle the prejudiced beliefs of Tazuna's construction crew as Juno had been.

Juno got the sense that Sakura didn't have many female friends. She seemed almost desperately happy to have another girl to chat with, and was following Juno around everywhere like a little turtle-duckling. Juno didn't really mind. Asa wasn't allowed to be with her while on guard duty because he found it impossible to resist climbing the scaffolding and large cranes, and disrupting the workers. Without her chattering and amusing leopard-money to keep her company, Juno had gotten really bored, really quickly. Chatting with Sakura was a great way to pass the time.

Besides, Juno appreciated the opportunity to be candid with Sakura about some of the questions she had regarding her new home. It was nice to not have to censure herself and ask whatever dumb or inane thought that passed her mind. Every day, and every conversation, brought to light new information that better prepared Juno for the future. She was also able to draw some conclusions about the state of the world by reading between the lines of what Sakura said or how she behaved.

For example: it was apparently a pretty common belief that women were less suited to fighting than men, even among the ninja ranks. This belief wasn't totally foreign to Juno; the Northern Water Tribe was somewhat infamous for segregating bending techniques among their populace, healing for women, fighting for men. It was depressing to think that that was a widely held view here. She could see the evidence of that belief on Sakura even in the short while she had known her. She let the more boisterous boys talk over her, and often looked to them for guidance instead of taking the lead. She also obviously felt awkward when she surpassed their skills with chakra control, being more concerned with Sasuke's perception of her than her own training or achievements.

It was a little difficult for Juno to wrap her head around. She had been raised almost entirely surrounded by powerful girls and women. The Eastern and Western Air Temples housed the female monks and acolytes among the nomads. It wasn't exclusive by any means, they often had boys and men travelling though, and air nomads were not prone to staying in one location for long. But the temple was staffed and run almost exclusively by females. The council of elders were women, the cooks, the bending masters, the diplomats. There was no work thought to be outside their abilities, or tasks that they would be better suited for just because of their gender.

Juno did her best to encourage this attitude in Sakura. She knew it would be difficult to break her from her ingrained ideology entirely, but hoped that the slight hero-worship Sakura held for her would give what she said a little more weight. Plus, she was still young. A solid female role-model could work wonders. Juno wasn't sure how long their paths would continue to cross, but she did her best to at least plant the seed of discontent in Sakura's mind while she could.

The first thing to nip in the bud was this 'dieting' nonsense. Juno had wondered aloud why Sakura hadn't finished her lunch considering the relatively difficult exertions they had been participating in throughout the morning. Sakura explained that she didn't want to eat too much because she would look 'fat' and that everyone knows boys like skinny girls. Juno listened in quiet horror as Sakura told her about the latest 'diet' she had read about, which involved eating no bread and fasting every third day. With thoughts of the emaciated bodies of the pandemic victims Juno had seen just a few short weeks ago racing through her mind, she butted in.

"Sakura, do I look fat to you?"

"Whaa? No way!"

"Well, I've just eaten twice as much as you have. AND I'm pretty sure I did last night at dinner too."

Sakura was quiet, thinking back to the evening prior.

"You're training to be a warrior, right? How do you expect to do that if you starve yourself?" Juno posed dramatically, and flexed her biceps "You can't build muscles like these if you don't eat! I'm surprised your teacher hasn't gone over this stuff with you."

Sakura fidgeted slightly. "Uhh, well we did have a few lessons on nutrition and health at the academy, but all the other books and magazines I've read have said that I should minimize my calories if I want to keep a trim figure…"

Juno had never felt the compulsion to burn books before, but she did so now.

"Well, why is a trim figure so special anyway?"

"That's just what everyone thinks."

Juno heaved a disgusted sigh. "Well, people have all sorts of silly ideas about what makes others worthy of their time. It's the same where I'm from. Clothes, wealth, the style of their hair, or whether they have the right kind of accent." She paused, and looked at Sakura directly in the eyes. "Sakura, none of that stuff matters. Think back to the people you admire and like. Do you particularly care whether or not they adhere to these standards?"

She was gratified to see that Sakura was paying close attention. "I've only known you for a few days, but I already like you. You know why? You're smart, fun, and spunky. I like that you laugh at my jokes and that you are kind to Asa. None of that has to do with your looks."

"Well yeah, that's fine for making friends, but, well.." She shuffled, blushing slightly, "I like someone and I want them to, you know, 'like' me too. That stuff means they need to like your looks, right?"

Juno was quiet for a moment, getting her thoughts in line. She felt like this was an important conversation to get right. Sakura had been told some pretty questionable things, in her opinion, but seemed receptive to what Juno was saying.

"Well, looks are definitely a part of that sort of thing, but less than you'd think. Personality and compatibility is way more important." Juno said. "Think of the most beautiful person you could imagine. If you met them, then saw them kick Asa or kill a defenceless baby bird, would you think they were someone you'd want to be with?"

"Ugh, no way!"

"Okay. Now, on the other hand, there's plenty of people who won't seem like much to you at first, but because you get along so well, they become good-looking in your eyes." Juno sighed. "It's a thing that's difficult to explain. But I can tell you for sure that there will be people who will find you attractive just for the sort of person you are, or otherwise think you're ugly for the same reason."

"What if there is someone I really, really want to like me, but it doesn't seem like they like the sort of person that I am?"

Juno smiled wryly. "Well, that's not something you can control, unfortunately. It can definitely hurt a lot if someone you like doesn't return your feelings, but all you can do is keep working toward your goals, improve your skills, and grow as a person. If not them, then someone else will come along who will see your value."

They sipped the rest of their tea in silence. Juno wasn't so naive as to think that a single conversation could unravel the convoluted relationship Sakura currently had with her self-esteem, but it was something.

Sakura broke the silence as they were stowing their thermoses. "Did you leave anyone special behind? In that other world?"

The question shouldn't have thrown her, considering the topic of conversation, but it still managed to. Juno felt a sudden spike of sadness pierce her gut. She hid her reaction, not wanting to let Sakura know how much the question upset her.

Some of it still managed to leak through, and she turned to face the girl with a sad smile. "I left many special people behind. The kind of special you're thinking of…" Juno trailed off, adrift in memories. "Yeah, there was someone. I hadn't seen him in a while because I was busy with Avatar training, and then with the pandemic. But we wrote to each other a lot."

The monks taught her that sadness and pain were emotions meant to be felt fully, and not shied away from. Juno had always been honest and true to this teaching. But she felt that the middle of a bridge in front of a group of men who already thought that women were too emotional and not suited to combat was not the time or place to give voice to her grief.

Sakura once more showed her perceptiveness, something Juno was highly grateful for, and she changed the subject to lighter topics. They whiled away the remaining hours of the afternoon debating the relative benefits of fighting in skirts or pants, and whether or not they thought Kakashi was good-looking under his mask.

"Sakura, what did I say about judging someone for their looks?"

"Okay, do you think that you would like his face if you saw it though."

"Well, it does look like he has a nice, strong jaw. I do usually like those…"

And so it went. Juno was practicing her plaiting techniques on Sakura's hair, and was just finishing tying off a passable imitation of a recently fashionable warrior braid among Fire Nation girls, when Tazuna approached them to indicate that the work was over for the day.

They walked back to his home together, with Sakura delicately running her fingers along the length of her new hair-do. "I can see how something like this would be good for keeping your hair out of the way while you're fighting."

"I think that's the general idea behind the style." Juno said. "Plus, it just looks cool."

If Tazuna had an opinion, he kept it to himself.

They stopped in town so that Tazuna could purchase foodstuffs for dinner. They walked down the dusty streets in silence. Everywhere Juno looked were signs of the poverty Tazuna told them was the result of Gato's influence. Beggars, gaunt, unwashed bodies, and dilapidated homes. It made her extremely uncomfortable, even though she had seen such things before. She remembered the first time she had been witness to abject poverty. It had been shortly after she had left the Western Air Temple to begin her Avatar training. She had crossed the northern reaches of the Fire Nation to reach the capital, where her fire bending master resided. During the journey, they had come across a man begging in the streets of a Fire Nation town. Juno had naively turned to her escort to ask what the man was doing, and why no one was helping him when he obviously needed it. Monk Kestra had to explain the concept of currency, and 'poverty' to her. It was a mind-bending concept to a child raised in a communal-living monastery.

Juno's earnings from the betting pool didn't last long during the trip through the town. She found it hard to justify keeping the funds when there were so many others who clearly needed it more.

That night, after dinner, they heard the story of Inari's father, Kaiza. It upset Naruto enough that he spent the rest of the night outside training. It didn't take more than a day after that for both boys to master tree-walking to Kakashi's satisfaction. They pursued mastering the skill with almost frenetic vigour, driven by righteous anger from hearing the tragic tale. It even spurred Juno into pushing herself particularly hard with her daily calisthenics the following morning.

Kakashi was almost completely healed by then. He still used a single crutch as an aid when taking trips outside Tazuna's home, but Juno was sure he would be back to his usual ability before the night was through. He seemed to be the kind of person who resented convalescence. Juno knew many other warriors who had the same problem.

At dinner time, with both boys wolfing down their food like demons, Kakashi announced that they would all be accompanying Tazuna the following day for body guard duty. Juno finished eating her rice, quietly amused by the boy's antics. Their sense of rivalry was so intense it was slightly exhausting to watch. Luckily, it looks like they had both learned their lesson from the evening earlier in the week, when Juno insisted they both clean up their own vomit from eating too quickly in a bid to outdo the other.

Tsunami was cleaning up the dishes when Tazuna spoke up.

"I've been meaning to ask you this but I haven't had the chance until now. Why did you stay and protect me even after you found out I lied to bring you here?"

Juno had begun contentedly stroking Asa's sleepy form as he lay sprawled on her lap. She halted her languid motion for a moment, then continued, listening intently for Kakashi's answer. She hadn't had the opportunity to spend much time with the team leader to this point, and was interested in his rationale behind the decision.

"Those who stray from the path of justice have no courage, but under the wing of a strong leader, cowardice cannot survive."

"Huh?" said Tsunami, echoing Juno's thoughts.

"That was a quote from the first Hokage." Kakashi said.

"Hmm."

There was silence as they all contemplated the quote. Juno was intensely pleased to hear it. From what she had gathered during her conversations with Sakura, ninja society was rather mercenary in nature. They operated under a military dictatorship, with the highest authority, or 'Hokage' often being the strongest warrior. Missions were completed in exchange for currency, and ninja villages competed for prestige in the name of securing the most contracts for their ninja to complete. It seemed to Juno like a cut-throat way to run a society.

But, with this simple quote, Kakashi had renewed Juno's faith in the relative goodness of humanity. It appears as though ninja were not all as profit-driven as she had been led to believe. If Kakashi wanted to complete the mission out of respect for Tazuna and the late Kaiza's sense of leadership and courage, with no expectation of reward, then perhaps Juno could find herself a place in this world without completely sacrificing her ideals. She felt a smile spread across her face, and gave Asa a vigorous scratch in his neck scruff.

"But why?" Inari spoke up, voice wobbling.

"Huh? What did you say?" Naruto lifted his head from where it had been laying on the table to look at the boy.

"Unh!" Inari slammed his fists on the table and stood up. "All this stupid training is just a waste of time! Gato's got a whole army. They'll beat you down and they'll destroy you. These cool things you all say - they don't mean anything! No matter what you do, the strong always win and the weak always lose."

It was a heart-breaking speech to hear from one so young. The brutal death of his father clearly still tormented him. Juno wished there was something she could do to ease his suffering.

"Just speak for yourself. It won't be like that with me. You got that?" Narotu shot back. Juno was somewhat taken by surprise. Naruto had seemed like such a happy-go-lucky kid. Where was this aggression coming from?

"Why don't you be quiet!? Looking at you makes me sick. You don't know anything about this country! You're just butting in. Always laughing and playing around, you don't know what it's like to suffer and be treated like dirt."

"Listen to yourself whining and complaining like some sorry little victim"

"Uhh!" Inari was shocked, as was Juno, by the harsh words from the usually boisterous blonde.

"You can whimper all day for all I care. You're nothing but a coward!"

"Naruto, you went too far." Sakura cut in scoldingly. Juno was grateful. She didn't want to step on anybody's toes by disciplining him when that clearly should have been Kakashi's role. Juno's eyes cut over to where the silver-haired man sat. He was as wide-eyed as the rest of them, but seemingly hesitant to interfere. It looks like this would be another instance of that 'hands-off' teaching approach. Juno couldn't help but resent him slightly. It was unfair to leave dealing with this situation to Sakura.

Naruto growled and stood, then stalked off, hands in the pockets of his orange jumper.

"Naruto…" Sakura called after him plaintively.

Inari sobbed quietly at the table. Then he too stood and disappeared through the doors leading to the docks.

The rest of them sat in silence around the table. Juno was the first to break the tense atmosphere by standing to assist Tsunami with clearing up the dinner dishes. Juno had picked up a lot about how the devices in the kitchenette worked over the past week. She headed over to the sink and started to fill it with soapy water. The older woman came beside her and began drying the dishes Juno passed to her. She heard the others begin to speak quietly at the table.

After a moment, Juno noticed that Tsunami's shoulders were shaking slightly. She glanced towards her face and saw that she was silently crying. Juno said nothing, just bumped her hip against Tsunami's gently. They finished with the dishes, and, after drying her hands on a dish towel, Juno entwined their arms together before leading the older woman up the stairs. Tsunami then directed them towards her bedroom, and they sat together on the settees in the small entrance area. Juno didn't speak, just patted the older woman's hand soothingly.

Tsunami sniffled, and wiped at her eyes. "I'm sorry, you'd think I'd be tired of crying by now."

Juno smiled gently. "You know, the monks had a saying where I was from. 'Grief, like a poisoned blade, cuts deep and makes the soul fester. Tears, like blood, flows from the wound and flushes the poison out.'

"They sound like a wise people."

"Yes."

They sat in silence, with Tsunami patting at her eyes. "You know, words can also help flush out the poisonous grief," Juno prodded. She was falling back on the example set by Monk Kestra all those years ago. From when she was twelve, newly realized as the Avatar, and mad with grief over the tragedy that preceded the event. Kestra had given her space to vent and rail and cry out, and often just listened, and gave simple comfort. No platitudes, or parables, or teaching moments. Juno had a feeling that this kind of support was hard to come by for Tsunami. She had a grieving son, a busy and at-risk father, and a community at war for their survival. It's hard to give yourself space to grieve when you are being pulled in so many directions.

And so Tsunami spoke. She gave shape to her grief. It was the shape of a man with strong arms, and a disarming grin. It was the shape of a love between a father and a son, a man and a woman, and a hero with an entire community.

And it was the sudden absence of that shape. The gaping hole that was left behind, torn away by a greedy and sadistic man, mad on power and control. It was the limping spirits of the townsfolk, the abject fear and loss of hope, and the devastation of her young son.

"I just don't know what to do with him!" Tsunami sobbed, face in her hands. They were sitting on the floor now, side by side with their knees drawn up to their chests. Juno had her arm wrapped securely around the older woman's shoulders. "He used to be such a sweet boy, but you see how he is now. He's constantly lashing out and he's so full of sadness and despair. It breaks my heart to see him like that, but I have no idea how to help him! I feel like I'm barely holding it together myself most days."

Juno just stroked her back soothingly, running her hand over the woman's long silky hair.

Tsunami suddenly lifted her head and gave Juno an intense stare. "Promise me you won't let anything happen to my father! I couldn't bear it if I lost him too. You have got to stop Gato!"

"I promise. I'll protect him with my life."

Tsunami shook her head. "Well, don't you go and get yourself killed either. You've just got here, there's so much of this world for you to see…"

Juno smiled. "I have no plans to get myself killed. This is what I do, Tsunami. It's my sacred duty. Gato has disrupted the balance in the Land of Waves, and I'll set it to rights." She paused, then continued, "And if I do die in the attempt, my body will return to the earth and my spirit will reincarnate. The great wheel of life shall continue to spin…" she grinned, "but to be honest I don't see that happening. I'm pretty strong, you know."

"Pfft, well I guess you'd know best."

"You know it!"

Tsunami dried her tears. It was late by that point, the sun having set many hours ago. Juno went downstairs and got ready for bed, then quietly crawled into her bedroll. She was gratified to see Naruto snoring away in his own bed, Asa curled snugly around the boy's neck. Rolling onto her back, Juno loosely flung her arms above her head and stared up at the white ceiling. Light from an outside lamp was bouncing off the ocean waves and cast dancing reflections onto the ceiling's surface. With the soft sounds of the sleepers around her, Juno drifted off to sleep.