Several days ago...
Miyani rushed through her flight check in record time. She'd been itching for a reason to see Sen anyway, and the fact that his father had reappeared after years was a very good reason. She wanted to get to him as soon as possible, and so she skipped her usual engine inspection. From the sidelines, a bitter figure watched her take off and smiled, thinking his sabotage had worked.
Flying at night was not Miyani's preference, so she hoped that heading into the setting sun would give her a little extra daylight to work with. She scanned the horizon, watching for all the usual landmarks on her flight from the Fire Nation to Republic City. She knew she was on the right track when she caught the most familiar landmark of all out of the corner of her eye.
The twin spires of stone rose up from the ocean just to her right. She'd always been drawn to them, for some reason. There was nothing particularly remarkable about the paired stones.
Except once a year, on the solstice.
Miyani clutched at her temple. There was a sharp, familiar pain in her mind, not all that different from the Hssk's manipulation of her memories during their battle. Something long-forgotten drawn to the surface, brought forth by thoughts of stone spires -and fathers.
Clutching at her head, with one hand, Miyani pulled on the controls with the other, veering off course. She wanted to take a closer look at the stones. Something about them had always felt familiar, but now she had a deeply-rooted instinct that there was more to them. She never got to go as close as she was hoping. There was an all-too familiar thunderous burst, and things went white.
"You see those rocks over there?"
"Ye- yeah I do," Miyani lisped. She was at the age where her baby teeth were falling out, and she'd recently lost one of her two front teeth. As a result, she tried to avoid pronouncing words with an 's' sound due to her new lisp. She could easily see the massive twin spires on the eastern horizon.
"Have I told you what they really are?" Shiro asked. Miyani shook her head and continued to kick her feet through the water by the dock they were sitting on. Shiro took her by the shoulder and held her close with one arm, gesturing to the horizon with the other.
"They're actually the jaws of a great dragon, sleeping beneath the sea," Shiro said. Miyani let out an awed coo. "But don't worry! This dragon's sleeping. You see, when the world began, it was dark and cold, so the mighty dragon breathed a great fireball to bring light and warmth to us all. Can you guess what that was?"
"The th-" Miyani struggled to say 'sun' with her lisp, before pointing to the sun itself. "That!"
Shiro laughed at her childish games, but he had to admit she was right. His attempt to trick her into lisping had failed.
"Yes, Miyani, the sun," Shiro said. "But all fires burn out in time, so the dragon chose a resting place where the sun would pass through his jaws again, and reignite it. Every summer solstice, the sun passes through the jaws of the dragon and reignites. That's why it's the longest day of the year."
"Do you think the dragon will ever wake up?" Miyani said, worried. "What if it eatth uth?"
"Ha!" Shiro laughed. He grabbed Miyani with both hands and pulled her close. "It'll take a bigger dragon than that to get past your dad!"
Miyani bolted upright. The motion sent a stabbing pain through her arm and shoulder. Confused and disoriented, she winced and took a deep breath to shake off the pain before regaining her bearings. She was in a bed, at least, with a thick, coarse blanket over her. Miyani pulled the blanket aside, and saw that she had several wounds, all of which had been carefully bandaged. She tested out her legs, and found that they were moving just fine. She stood from the bed and looked around.
The cabin had little in the way of amenities, but it was charming in its own way. Miyani respectfully avoided touching anything and headed for the door. She could see the sun shining through cracks in the wooden slats, and she stepped through into the light.
The afternoon sun rose high over the small island, and the lone cabin upon it. Miyani caught a familiar sight and turned to see the two rocky spires. The jaws of the dragon -or so her father said. Miyani stared at the twin stones in silence.
She'd never been able to remember anything before the tattoo. The Hssk had drawn some of the most painful memories to the surface, but left out the comforting ones -the days before she'd been captured by the Seventh Kingdom. Try as she might, she'd never been able to remember on her own either. Sen assured her that trauma could cause memory loss. She took him at his word that her amnesia was perfectly normal, and that had been enough for Miyani. She had a new family, and new happy memories now. She felt no need to dig into a past she couldn't remember.
But now she could remember. Now she had to remember.
"Oh!"
Miyani turned sharply to see an old woman hobbling up the rocky slopes, holding a basket of vegetables in the crook of her arm.
"I wasn't expecting you to be up so soon," the old woman said.
"I'm pretty tough," Miyani said. She gestured to her bandaged injuries. "Did you do this?"
"Yes, I did. I hope it's alright," the woman said. "I didn't have much to work with, especially for someone of your size."
"It's very good, thank you," Miyani said with a brief bow. The woman hobbled forward and bowed back.
"I'm Eku," she said. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Miyani."
"Oh- you know who I am," Miyani said, surprised. Eku smiled and nodded.
"I heard stories about you and your friends on the radio. I never expected you to wash up here, though."
"I never expected to either," Miyani said. "How did I get here?"
"Well, I don't know for sure, but I woke up in the middle of the night last night when an explosion happened," Eku said. "I assume that was you?"
"Well, I didn't do it, if that's what you're asking," Miyani said. "Something must've happened with my plane."
Miyani glanced at the sea, and at the stone spires. There was a vast expanse of ocean between there and the island she currently stood on.
"But, how did I get to the island?" Miyani asked. "I must've crashed miles away, and it seems like I was out cold."
"Well, it's a curious thing," Eku said. "I was standing on the docks, trying to see what had caused the explosion, when a pair of dolphin-seals dragged you to shore right next to me."
Miyani raised an eyebrow. She'd occasionally seen dolphin-seals splashing in the waves from a distance, but none had ever come near her. Animals didn't usually like her.
"I'd heard stories of them saving people lost at sea, but never seen it for myself," Eku said. "What wonderful creatures."
"I guess so," Miyani said. Eku smiled at the waves and nodded. She patted the basket of vegetables at her elbow.
"You must be hungry," Eku said. "I've got plenty of food fresh from my garden. Let me cook you something."
"I'd appreciate that," Miyani said. She followed Eku inside and took a seat at the small, two person table. One of the chairs had been gathering dust for quite some time. Eku set her basket of vegetables on a counter and began chopping them. Once she was done, she dumped her gathered cuttings into a stew pot and sat across from Miyani.
"Tell me, Miyani, how did that war of the Avatar's end?" Eku asked. "I came out here before it was all over, and I couldn't bring my radio with me."
"It...it went as well as a war can go," Miyani said. "The Avatar won, and the world's at peace again."
"Good, good," Eku said. "My husband, Daru, always believed the Avatar would return and set things right. He passed before he had a chance to see the war end, though."
"I'm sorry to hear that," Miyani said. She glanced around at the small abode. It did seem to be built for two people. "Was this your home?"
"In a manner of speaking," Eku said. "When Daru and I were young, our families didn't approve of us being together. We had to come out here to be alone. Our families eventually learned their lesson, and we went back to the city...but some of our happiest moments were spent here, together."
Eku looked around the small shack, and Miyani could see tears welling up in her eyes.
"We spent sixty-two wonderful years together," Eku said. "When he passed, I returned here, to spend the rest of my days among all my happiest memories."
"That's...beautiful," Miyani said. Eku looked at her, and her smile brightened.
"I hope you and your beloved can have a story as happy as ours," Eku said with a sly smile. Miyani went red in the face. "No need to be shy. It's easy to see in the way you smile. You understand true love, just like I do."
Miyani nodded, and left it at that. She certainly hoped she understood love, at least. Eku stood and checked on the stew. Finding it satisfactory, she served a bowl to Miyani, and then prepared one for herself. Miyani didn't enjoy the flavor, but she was in no position to be picky.
"You're welcome to stay here as long as you like," Eku said. "I'm sure your friends will come looking for you soon."
"Thank you, but-" Miyani hesitated. "I think I need to go. I need to see something to the west."
In what few fragments of memory she now recalled, the stone spires were to the east, framing the rising sun in the distance. On this island, they were just a few miles to the west, catching the sunset, not the sunrise.
"Are you sure?" Eku asked. "Wandering will make it harder for you to be found."
Miyani looked at the bowl in front of her. She'd never liked tomato-carrots. Not even when her mother cooked them -something else she now remembered.
"I know," Miyani said. "But there's something I need to find."
Eku didn't bother arguing. She'd heard such determination once before, when Daru had said he was tired of having to live in secret, and that he was going to face their families. Through sheer force of will he had made them understand and accept their love -and now Miyani spoke with the same fire in her voice. Eku knew that whatever she had set her mind to, she would not fail.
Over the next few hours, Eku returned to the garden to gather food and supplies. She spent most of her spare time in the garden, so she had no shortage of food to share with Miyani. With enough food to last a few days, and a fishing pole to let Miyani find her own food, Eku advised Miyani on the quickest routes west, and where it was safe to swim, though her knowledge only extended so far.
"Thank you for everything, Eku," Miyani said. She had spent so much of her life thinking stranger's would always hate her at the mere sight of the red tattoo on her forehead, and now a complete stranger had saved her life. Eku returned to the cabin once more, bringing out a small metal box.
"There's one more thing I have for you," Eku said. She opened the box, revealing two small brass hairpieces. Though not the ornate golden versions worn by the nobility, they were clearly ceremonial wedding garb.
"Daru and I wore these on our wedding day," Eku said. "I'd like you to have them."
"Thank you, but, I couldn't," Miyani said. "Those must mean so much to you."
"They do, but that's exactly why I want you to have them," Eku said. "Daru and I never had children of our own. When I'm gone, these will just be another old thing gathering dust in an empty cabin. It would make me happy to know that they'll be part of a new love's story."
Miyani hesitated at first, but gradually took hold of the box. Despite the age, there was still a shine on both the hairpieces, showing that they'd been well-cared for. Red in the face once again, Miyani snapped the box shut and put it in the bag Eku had given her.
"I promise they will be," Miyani said. Eku smiled and stepped forward to wrap her arms around Miyani's waist.
"I hope you find everything you're looking for, Miyani," Eku said.
"I will," Miyani said. Eku broke the embrace and Miyani turned to the west. She wandered away, seeking the past, as Eku hobbled to the docks, sat down, and thought of Daru.
Miyani's passage kicked up a cloud of sand as she ran down the beach. Shiro saw her run by, and put down his basket of fish, but didn't catch up to her in time. By the time he got into the house, Miyani had already slammed the door to her room shut, and Makoto was trying to convince her to open it.
"Did she say what this is about?"
"What do you think?" Makoto said. She crossed her arms. "She comes running home from school early. It's those girls, it has to be."
Shiro sighed. Miyani's height and clumsiness made her a target for bullying at school all too often.
"I'll talk to their parents again," Shiro said. "Should we let her cool down?"
"Just a few minutes, I think," Makoto said. She leaned in and whispered into Shiro's ear. "Wait a little while and then offer to take her fishing."
Shiro nodded and winked. Miyani loved nothing more than to join her father in the fishing boat and coast on the waves. It was an easy way to break her out of a bad mood. Shiro kissed his wife on the cheek and then left to retrieve the baskets of fish he'd already brought to shore. When Shiro had unpacked his boat, he knocked on Miyani's door.
"Miyani, your mother's getting ready to take the fish to market, but I think we could use one or two more baskets," Shiro said. "Do you want to help me fish up a few?"
"No," Miyani spat. It was muffled by the door, but the intensity of her shout surprised Shiro all the same. Shiro knocked on the door again.
"Are you sure?" Shiro asked. "There's a lot of big waves today, we could that thing where we aim the boat right at them and practically get launched-"
"No!" Miyani screamed. "I don't want to go outside ever again!"
Shiro sighed. Times like these he regretted putting a lock in Miyani's door.
"Will you let me in, Miyani?"
"No," Miyani sobbed. Shiro shook his head,
"The girls at school were making fun of you again, weren't they?"
Miyani's only answer was a cry of frustration, which Shiro took as a yes. At the age of seven, Miyani already stood head and shoulders above the other girls her age. She was nearly as tall as some of the grown women in the village -a fact that the other children never let her forget. She was tall, uncoordinated, and had a strange numbness in her hands and feet that no doctor could explain. All together, she was a perfect target for the latent cruelty of kids -if they weren't mocking her with their words, they would throw things at Miyani to see how long it took her to notice.
Shiro sighed and pressed his forehead against the door.
"I'm sorry, Miyani," Shiro said. "But everything they say is wrong. They're all just young and foolish. When they grow up -when you grow up- you'll understand that differences aren't something you make fun of. They're something you appreciate. Do you know why?'
He received no answer. Shiro kept talking and hoped for the best.
"The things that make you different are what make you special," Shiro said. "The other children don't appreciate that yet, but your mother and I do. You are an incredible gift, Miyani. The best thing in the whole world."
Shiro thought he heard some shuffling on the other side of the door. He paused to be sure, and smiled when he saw the door open a crack. Miyani's room had no windows, and she had apparently snuffed out her candle, as all Shiro could see was the smallest sliver of her face amid the darkness.
"You and mom aren't different," Miyani mumbled. He could only see a small part of her, but Shiro could see that she had been crying.
"Oh yes we are," Shiro said. He leaned down -only slightly- to eye level with Miyani. "You know how I can do this?"
Shiro wiggled his ears. Miyani coughed slightly, as a sob and a chuckle clashed. She liked watching her fathers ears wiggle.
"Most dad's can't do that, but I can," Shiro said. He leaned in close and started to whisper. "And hey, don't tell her I told you, but your mom's got really long toes."
"What?"
"Really, I swear," Shiro said. "They're so long she can curl them up and grab things with her feet, exactly like a hog-monkey."
"No she can't," Miyani said. Shiro saw a sliver of a smile on her face.
"Oh yes she can, and I'm sure if you ask her she'll show you," Shiro said. "As long as she knows it would make you smile. That's what our differences are for. To do something special, that will make other people smile."
Miyani's smile faded, and she retreated from the door, though she left it open. Shiro dared to crack the door open as she retreated into her room. Miyani was staring at a corner in her room they used to mark how much she'd grown. A series of pencil marks on the wooden wall started close to the ground and shot up, up, and up. She'd been completely normal, up until about two years ago, when she'd started to grow exponentially.
"I've never made anybody smile," Miyani said sadly.
"You make me smile all the time," Shiro assured her. He walked up to her and put a hand on Miyani's shoulder. "And your mother. And someday you'll meet even more people who understand how special you are, and you'll make them smile too."
Shiro himself stared at the growth chart they'd made for Miyani. He was uncertain why she was so different, but he knew that difference had a greater purpose.
"Someday you're going to find out there's something only you can do," he said. "That you're different for a reason. And then it'll all make sense."
Shiro was caught off guard by his daughter grabbing him suddenly, tightly, and starting to cry. He embraced her in turn, and held her close.
"It'll all be okay," Shiro assured her. "I promise."
Miyani stared at her reflection in a tidal pool. The red eye on her forehead stared back.
Her father hadn't known what he'd been promising at the time. But he'd been right all the same. Miyani broke the staring contest with her own reflection and looked at the shore ahead of her.
The twin spires, the dragon's jaws, stood straight to the north now. She was getting closer, but she was not there yet. Miyani looked at the waves. The seas were choppy, difficult to cross even under the best circumstances. Miyani didn't even have a boat, so these were close to the worst circumstances she could hope for. For most people, this would've been where their journey ended.
Miyani was not most people. She was different.
Her father had been right -but there was more to people's differences than simply making each other smile. People were different so that they could learn from one another -to see the things their limited perspectives didn't allow them to see alone. Together, their differences made them more than what they could be alone.
Following Sen's example, Miyani scanned her environment, took in her surroundings, and found something she could make use of. Miyani walked over to a dead, withered tree and took hold of it with her uninjured arm. Her prodigious size came with prodigious strength, and with a single sharp pull, the tree came free of it's fragile roots in a shower of splinters. She dragged it one handed towards the shore and set it down in the sand.
She broke off inconvenient branches one by one, and kept just one that was large enough to keep a proper grip on. Ariak had once told her a story of using a floating log to travel ashore during one of his Shorewatcher missions, a feat she now planned to mimic. With some slight personal touches.
Of all the lessons she had learned from all of her friends, she now meant to apply one she had learned from Whistler: Sometimes an explosion is all you need to solve a problem.
Miyani pushed herself and her makeshift flotation device into the sea, and, aiming very carefully behind her, fired a blast into the ocean behind. The surf burst in a broad flash of light and a roar of water, and the shockwave created an actual wave that carried Miyani across the water, towards the next island in the chain -one step closer to what she was seeking.
"Now remember, breath is the most fundamental form of firebending," Makoto said. "It's how we firebenders take in the heat around us to focus it into fire."
Makoto took a deep breath and went through a series of firebending stances, and Miyani mimicked her.
"Very good. Remember to breath as you move," Makoto said. "Let the breath and the energy flow through you."
Their firebending lessons continued at a slow, cautious pace. Miyani's firebending was weak on a good day, and her self-esteem had suffered enough already in the past few days. Makoto didn't want Miyani to feel even more inadequate by pushing her through a lesson she couldn't pass. For today, she kept it to the basics, things she knew Miyani was good at. Mother and daughter went through the dancelike motions of their firebending style, with every movement perfectly in sync.
"Excellent work," Makoto said, after enough time had passed. Miyani pursed her lips and stayed in stance.
"Can I do more? I want to learn better firebending," Miyani said. "I heard people in town say there was a lot of fighting going on."
Makoto frowned. People were talking more and more about the uprising in the south. Some group called the Seventh Kingdom was taking advantage of the chaos after the White Lotus' destruction to try and conquer territory.
"That's all very far away from here, Miyani," Makoto said. "You don't need to worry."
"I know, but, people still live far away, don't they?" Miyani asked. "What if they need my help?"
Makoto smiled and tussled her daughters hair.
"That's very kind of you, Miyani, but you're just a little girl," Makoto said. "They don't let you join the army until you're twenty-four."
"Aww," Miyani said. "But I should be practicing, right? I heard it on the radio, the Fire Lord said that firebenders are the best fighters ever, and we should be helping protect the world!"
Makoto's smile faded. She didn't approve of Goto's attitude towards warfare. There were some battles worth fighting, yes, but his cavalier attitude towards violence was being a bad influence on her daughter.
"Come with me, Miyani," she beckoned. Miyani took her mothers hand and walked away from the beach with her. They practiced only a short distance from their seaside home. Miyani had never been more than a few hundred feet from her house, given the small size of the island they lived on. While she sometimes dreamed of far off lands, of exploring the vast expanses of the Earth Kingdoms, or the icy wastes of the poles, she had never been unhappy with her home, as small as it was.
"Where are we going?" Miyani asked.
"Just to my workshop," Makoto said. Miyani squeaked excitedly. "You're still not allowed to touch anything."
"Aww."
Makoto undid the lock that held the door shut and opened the door to her pottery workshop. Rows of tools sat alongside completed pots and figurines on shelves above a spinning wheel and the heavy iron kiln she used to fire her works. Miyani looked at all the fancy ceramics lining the workshop, but dutifully did not touch any of them. Makoto walked over to the kiln and knelt beside it.
"Now, come here," Makoto said. "But don't touch. It's hot."
Miyani knelt down beside her mother and held a hand out cautiously. Makoto took her by the wrist and held her hand just a little closer to the kiln.
"Do you feel how hot it is?"
"Not that hot," Miyani said. She didn't want to touch it, but it wasn't quite as hot as some of the heat she'd felt during firebending.
"That's right," Makoto said. "When I make pottery, I need a small, gentle flame, that lasts a long time. But when firebenders fight, they need short, intense bursts of fire."
"I guess," Miyani said.
Makoto opened up the hatch she used to ignite her kiln and blew into it slowly, igniting her breath with a gentle, rolling flame. The kiln surged with new heat -but not much.
"I never learned how to fight, because I chose to use my fire for art instead," Makoto said. "There's a place for all kinds of fire, and all kinds of people, in this world. You're going to have to decide for yourself what kind of firebender you want to be. An artist like me, or a warrior like in the army."
"Okay," Miyani said, half-heartedly. She had lost interest in her mothers lecture and was looking around at the ceramic figures. She pointed to a row of figurines in the shapes of various animals.
"Can you make me one of those?"
Makoto sighed, but smiled. At least she'd lost interest in playing soldier.
"I'll think about it," Makoto said. "Now I have a lot of work to do today, so go find your dad, okay?"
"Okay."
Makoto kissed Miyani on the forehead and sent her on her way while she got back to work.
Miyani looked at the embers of the campfire she'd built. A small, gentle flame.
She sat on the outskirts of a ruined town, alone amid the collapsing buildings. Miyani kept her eyes on the fire to avoid looking up at the ruins.
More and more of her memory's flowed back into place. At the start, it had all been brought to the fore by big pieces -thoughts of fathers, the sight of familiar landmarks. Now it seemed like everything she saw came with some new connotation, some echo of a life long-forgotten. The sand under her feet, and the fire that lit her night all held some sort of memory. The ruins held memories of their own, ones she didn't know if she was ready to face.
These empty, lifeless buildings had not been her home, but they were close. She had a feeling in the pit of her gut that the next island on her journey would be the last. Looking at the ashen ruins around her gave her a dread vision of what she would find. Her story would not end like Sen's. Lokus, the Seventh Kingdom researcher who'd abducted her, had been known for his cruel innovations, not his mercy. There would be no home to go back to. No long-lost family rushing to greet her.
It was gone. She knew that. It was all gone. All taken away. Miyani looked down at the faint scars on her hands, the cuts that up until now had been her earliest memory.
She stood, and walked away from the fire, taking her final steps. She already knew what she would find, but she still needed to see it for herself.
"What's that?" Miyani asked. Makoto turned around to see her peeking through the door, and hid the figurine she'd made from view.
"You asked for something, so I made you something," Makoto said. Miyani pushed forward into the workshop but Makoto held out a hand to stop her approach.
"Oh no you don't, no peaking," she scolded playfully. She put the figurine in the kiln and latched the small door shut, keeping the figure out of sight. "You can see what it is tomorrow, when it's ready."
Miyani sighed and obeyed her mother. She sat down outside the workshop and waited for her mother to exit. After Makoto was done, she took Miyani by the hand and led her back to the house. The sun was setting, and Shiro was sitting at the kitchen table with a newspaper in his hand, looking concerned.
"Miyani, go play with your blocks, I need to talk to your mother," he said. Miyani rolled her eyes and complied. She liked her blocks well enough, but they fell apart too easily. She felt like someone should do something about that.
"What's happening?" Makoto demanded, as soon as Miyani was out of earshot.
"You remember we sent that letter to the mainland, trying to get in touch with a doctor who might know more about Miyani?" Shiro said. "The ship was intercepted. The Seventh Kingdom Navy is in Fire Nation waters."
Makoto put a hand over her mouth. The conflict had started miles away, near Whale Tail island. It wasn't supposed to have gotten to their home at all, much less so quickly. She tried to be sensible in spite of the sudden changes.
"Well, it would make sense they'd want to stop communications," Makoto said. "But they've got no reason to come here, right? We're so far out of the way, we should be safe."
"Maybe, but I think we should start making a plan," Shiro said. "Putting away some money so we can move to the mainland if anything happens."
The two considered their options, and what would be best for Miyani, as the light faded -and a fleet of ships rolled over the horizon.
Miyani found what she had expected to find.
She walked slowly past the ruins of the school, the marketplace, the docks. Every step took her closer to home. The waves still struck against the empty shore, but she couldn't hear them crash. The wind was still blowing all around her, but she did not feel it's rush against her skin. All she heard was the silence of lost voices, all she felt was the absence of long-departed family.
The tears started to flow down Miyani's cheeks the moment she caught a glimpse of her final destination. Blackened stones and fractured timber stood in the place she'd once called home. She had spent the past few hours preparing herself for what she knew she would see and the sight of it still stabbed through her heart like a knife. Her knees nearly buckled underneath her, but she pushed forward regardless. Towards what had been her home, the pile of charred wreckage that had been her room, towards the pile of burnt timber where her mother's workshop had been.
The pile of wreckage that was suspiciously taller than the rest.
Miyani's slow pace suddenly sparked with frantic energy, and she ran to the pile of rubble. She took hold of one ashen beam with her hands and threw it aside, then pushed aside a shard of the collapsed walls. She pushed, moved, and dug away the ruins -and found, standing, still intact, her mother's kiln.
With the latch that held it shut still in place.
With a trembling hand, Miyani undid the latch, and reached inside.