Hey y'all! It's the newest chapter of Walking a Wire, and I gotta say, either these chapters are getting crazier or I am. Well, I did warn you to get a seat belt. After finishing my Math final, I had to do something to avoid going crazy from nerves, so I hashed out the rough draft for this about eight, and finished it about three-thirty this morning. Just thought I would let you know that, yes there might be spelling/grammar errors, but hopefully I'll catch them this weekend when I get out on break and have all the time I could ever want to proofread.
Still no ownage of Avatar beyond the DVD's, and with that out of the way, here's the chapter. Enjoy!
Chapter XIV: The First Day on Ember Island
Akira felt the first rays of the sun hit him in the eyes as he struggled back to consciousness. The nightmares had come back, although not as bad as before. Shaking his head to clear the cobwebs, all he could remember was swimming, and a storm, and having to make a choice. He frowned, seems familiar, like it's one I have a lot. Does it mean something? Banishing the thoughts to their place in the back of his mind, he began stretching out the soreness in his limbs, then noticed that there wasn't any. A good bed and a day of no work, I feel like I should still be dreaming. Stepping out into the shared living room, he was completely unsurprised to find Ty Lee in a one-armed handstand on a low table, her face scrunched in concentration as she wavered in place. What was surprising was her clothing, consisting of a pale pink two-piece suit shot through with deeper reds and even some purple, with the short skirt cut into layers of color. Under normal circumstances, it would have been distracting, and given her current position...Agni blast it! I need to get out of here, now. Where's breakfast? Noticing a small tray of fruit sitting on the table, he watched as she switched arms, grabbing an apple as she changed and causing a small tremor to go through the room as her weight came down on the table once more.
Taking a bite from the apple, she seemed to notice him for the first time, "Good morning!" she called out, or at least that's what he assumed she said--her mouth was so full of apple that it was hard to be sure. Vaulting herself off the table, she landed directly in front of him, and threw him a wide smile, "You're up early!"
"I rise with the sun." he said simply. She grinned and threw herself backward onto one of the couches and sinking into the cushions. "Why, dare I ask, are you dressed like that?"
She glanced down at the swimsuit, blank confusion registering on her face. Looking back up at Akira, comprehension dawned, "Oh of course, I didn't tell you! We're going to the beach today!"
Akira felt his jaw drop several feet. Finally, he managed to get out, "What?"
"The. Beach. We're going after you get something to eat, alright?" Trying to think of something to say, he grabbed a piece of fruit and took a large bite. The taste nearly turned his mouth over, the fruit was so sour. Shuddering from the sensation, he looked over at the acrobat with a finger pointed at the fruit in his hand, "What in blazes do you call this?"
"Umm, I dunno, but I don't think you're supposed to take big bites."
"No kidding." He looked down at the little fruit again, before taking a careful chunk out. Really isn't that bad if you don't inhale the blasted thing. Hey, I actually like this! Looking over the tray, he grabbed another that looked similar to the one he was holding, and headed back towards his room, "I'll be out in a second, just need to grab something to wear."
As soon as he shut the door, his mind began arguing again. He tried shutting it out, then settled for ignoring it as he hunted through his sparse belongings for something he could be seen in at this beach.
This could be good, you'll get to see what people do here, and maybe you'll have fun.
Don't make a fool of yourself, you're getting too close to losing it already.
It's going to be fine, I know what I'm doing.
Really? So, that moment in the other room was completely under control, hmm?
That was...different. I was surprised, she was...distracting.
You have to stay in control. For everyone's sake. Besides, she's going to wonder why you won't take the robe off.
I'll figure that out later, she's waiting.
Leaving his room, the fruit clamped firmly in his mouth as he used his hands to tie back his hair, he had taken only two steps before he groaned. "Shoes."
"Come on, you won't need them anyway. The beach is just right down there." Pointing across the small balcony, Akira saw she had a point--the sand began barely forty paces from the door to the small house where they were staying.
Walking out from the shadow of the houses, Akira felt the sun hit him full force, and the rush of energy was almost too much to contain. Grinning like an idiot, he easily kept up with Ty Lee as she quickly crossed the beach. Finding a spot near a small tidal pool, she shrugged off the small bag she had brought. Digging around, she finally emerged with a beach towel and began meticulously flattening it out along the ground. Akira took his own towel from where it was slung around his shoulders and lay it next to hers, not being quite as fussy with the state of wrinkles. Still looking for some way to burn off the massive influx of energy, he scanned the beach. Suddenly, his eyes locked on something a ways down the beach, and his lips curled into a grin that some would call evil. Ty Lee saw the change and grinned in return when she saw the object of fixation, an impish grin that boded ill for anyone foolish enough to cross the young gymnast.
"Who are you two?" The captain of the volleyball team asked them as they stepped up to the ring dug into the sand.
"I'm Ty Lee, and this is Akira. We were wondering if we could play a game." The other teen gave the two new arrivals a once-over. Then he stopped, and looked again. The girl was athletic, no doubt about it. The other one's robe hid most of his body, but he carried himself with a kind of energy that was almost frightening.
"Well, if you're absolutely sure, I guess we could set something up. Doubles match?" He called back to the pair, as he walked over to his team. Recieving a nod from the girl, he smirked--toasting newbies was the best part of the job, and impressing the girl in the bargain couldn't hurt. The boyfriend could be a problem, but Chen didn't care. His dad practically owned half the island--there was nothing either his money or prestige couldn't buy.
Setting up on the other side of the net, Akira noticed the questioning look he was getting from Ty Lee.
"I'll be fine, I just want to keep this on for now." He saw her shrug from the corner of his vision as he waited for the captain to serve. I don't like the kid, his body language is too arrogant. Maybe this oughta take him down a few pegs. He watched as the ball came down, saw the muscles tense as the boy prepared to serve, and smirked as he picked apart the opposing team's set up before a hand touched the ball. This'll be just like those games that Ling had us play in training.
Twenty minutes later, the other team threw up their hands in defeat. Except for a lone score brought about by Akira's robe getting in the way, everything they threw at the pair was thrown back with double the force. Ty Lee had made some amazing saves, using the net and support posts themselves as springboards on more than one occasion. Akira particularly enjoyed the look of confusion on the captain's face when a seemingly perfect strike was popped up at the last second by Akira's foot, only to be slammed into his face by the acrobat's hip.
"So, now that we've destroyed that nice boy's pride, what do you want to do next?" Akira snorted at the mention of the boy, who they learned was named Chen, as being nice.
"I don't know actually. I'm planning on lying down for a second, I'm completely exhausted." As he reached their towels, he collapsed onto his, letting his head flop back onto the cool sand.
"You sure you don't want to go swimming?"
Swimming. I could, but then--
But then you would have to take off the robe, and then--
Yes, I know.
"Uh, not right now. Maybe, uh, later, is that alright?"
"Of course, we've got all day!" She flopped down on her own towel, pushing herself up on her arms and popping her back. Agni, is she even aware of what she's doing? I bet she just gave several people a heart attack. Clamping down on his own mind, he tried to begin the concentration sequences Seargent Ling had taught them. Breathe in, hold, breath out completely. Breath in deeper, hold, breath out again, hold. That held him for about two minutes, until he became painfully aware of someone leaning over him. Opening his eyes, he wasn't remotely surprised to find himself staring into Ty Lee's brown eyes, now set in a quizzical expression. "Whatcha doing?"
"Breathing exercises. They helped us focus and get our heart rate back under control after hard physical exertion. Also, they calm the nerves."
"Oh? And why would you need to calm your nerves?" She leaned in again, an impish grin securely on her face, "Was the game really that intense?"
"You know full well why." Akira replied, letting his eyes fall shut, "And you're immensely enjoying tormenting me, aren't you?"
"Tormenting?" The open confusion in Ty Lee's voice made him reopen his eyes to see it mirrored on her face.
"Nevermind, I was exaggerating." But am I really? he thought somewhat dejectedly.
The morning dragged on, and at one point Ty Lee had to shake him awake before they could get lunch from one of the vendors along the beach. As they walked over to the vendor, Akira silently cursed--he didn't even remember falling asleep. To add insult to injury, he had rolled over in his sleep and covered half of his face in sand.
"So, are you ready to swim yet?" Akira silently groaned. He was running out of excuses to put her off, and by now was feeling a dread certainty that, eventually, she would physically make hiim take the robe off and get in the water.
"I, uh, it's--look, just not today, okay? We have all week, and I want to take it easy the first day."
"Alright, but you're missing out. At least take that robe off, you're going to tan funny."
"Ty Lee, in case you haven't noticed--"
"Don't worry, I noticed." She leaned up to whisper, "and so has every girl that's seen you all day." She returned to walking normally, with an odd look on her face, "your skin's naturally darker than everyone else's, so you have this, I don't know, exotic charm, I guess."
"Let's, uh, talk about something else shall we? I'm, uh, kinda not used to people talking about...that." She thinks I look good? Wait, why is she bringing this up now? Great, finest training the Fire Nation can provide, and I have no idea how to respond to this. They reached the vendor, and after some complaints about the price of food they walked away with some kind of meat and vegetable combination on a stick.
"I dunno, it still needs something." Akira said, chewing thoughtfully. Holding out his hand, blue flames consumed the food, leaving it looking slightly withered from the heat. After taking a bite, however, Akira's face lit up. "Perfect. Whatever this stuff is, it makes some blasted good jerky. What?" Ty Lee had a half amused, half nauseous look on her face.
"Oh nothing, it's just, well, how can you eat that? I mean, it's all burnt and everything, the vegetables don't even look like vegetables anymore."
"To each his own. I happen to love it." Akira grinned as he took another piece of meat. "Are there any good restaurants on the island?"
"You're eating lunch and already thinking about supper?"
"I'm a soldier, we're always looking for another meal." Akira laughed at the look on the acrobat's face, and unfortunately didn't see the leg until he had already tripped over it.
"Hey, watch where you're going, lizard-brain!" The shout came from a young man laying on the sand, apparantly in the middle of a conversation with a sunbathing girl.
"Sorry, I'll pay more attention next time." As he walked off, he heard the boy resume the conversation.
"So, like I was saying, I happen to have quite a few battles under my belt already."
"Oh, really? Oh, that sounds dangerous!"
"Yeah, well, we soldiers somehow manage to make it through." Akira let out an irritated growl. Stupid recruit, shooting off your mouth to the locals. It's gonna get you in hot water someday, and if I wasn't making a conscious effort to stay calm and relaxed, I'd put you there myself.
"I'll bet you didn't know this, but I was at some of the worst battles in the whole Earth Kingdom. You ever hear of the Battle of Three Pillars?"
Akira stopped dead. The Battle of Three Pillars? He couldn't have been there, could he? If he's just making stuff up... With another low growl, he turned and walked back to the boy.
"So what unit were you a part of?"
"Huh?" The boy looked almost offended at having his conversation interrupted yet again. "What are you talking about?"
"What unit were you attached to? If you were at Three Pillars, surely you must remember the unit you served under, it was a pretty memorable battle."
"Uh, yeah, of course I remember!" A nervous glance at the girl next to him, "I was with the, uh, the--"
"Erccha Company? They went through the worst of the fighting."
"Yeah, Erccha Company! That's the one! Yeah, it was really tough out there, but we really gave those Earthbenders the pounding of their lives! You, uh, another soldier?"
By way of answer, Akira grabbed the boy's shell necklace, hauling him up to where they were standing nose to nose, "Hey! What in Agni's blessed name are you doing, who are you, you--uh, you--"
"For your information, lizard-brain, Erccha Company doesn't exist anymore. Do you know why? Every blasted one of them was killed by an Earth Kingdom ambush. That ambush turned the battle from a near victory to a complete rout and has ended all Fire Nation expansion into the area. Also, not that you would care, but I lost a friend to that battle. You want to know who I am, civilian? Captain Akira Hideyoshi, leader of the High Guard White Unit, and I would like to remind you, impersonating a soldier is a crime on the mainland punishable by six weeks in prison. Do I make myself clear, civilian?" The last was spoken in a whisper, but the boy looked as though he was close to fainting anyway. Finished, Akira threw the boy to the sand, where he simply curled into a shaking ball. Akira pushed himself blindly through the crowd that had gathered, seeking only solitude. Turning from the room, he made his way down the beach, heading away from the well-trod sand and surf. Well, congratulations, how long did that take, half a day?
Shut up, I don't want to deal with this right now.
But you're the reason you have to deal with this! You chose to...to attack that poor kid!
He deserved it! I am not going to let him sit there and insult Soru's memory!
But did you have to do it like that? What's wrong with you, are you trying to make people hate you? Good luck on ever getting back on that beach!
Just shut up, I said I don't want to deal with it!
You're going to have to deal with it for the rest of your life! Face it, this is who you are! The cold, violent soldier who just can't seem to wear the porcelain mask as well as the others. And now that she's seen the real you, good luck on even staying the same room
"Shut up!" He felt the air around him crack with the force of the outburst, and he found himself kneeling in a circle of glass. Drawing a shuddering breath, he stood shakily to survey the damage. Stones the size of a small komodo rhino lay cracked and smoking around him, and his foot crunched through the layer of glass with a sharp stab of pain. Gritting his teeth, he made his way from the destruction over to a rock facing the sea. Turning up his foot, he saw several small shards glittering in the heel and along the arch of his foot. Letting out a sharp exhale, he began withdrawing the fragments before they could be ground in further. The work was tedious, and by the time he was sure the last one was out, the sun was beginning to sink into the horizon.
"I saw you head off this way, didn't think you would be this far out." Oh, well this is just perfect. Well, let's get this massacre over with. He shifted, looking out the side of his vision to watch Ty Lee picking her way around the glassed sand.
"I didn't figure that anyone would actually come this far out. Guess I was wrong."
"Akira, why did you leave like that?" Ty Lee sat down on one of the cracked rocks behind him. Her familiar heat signature amid the violently rearranged scene was disturbing for some reason.
"Why? Didn't you see the kid crying on the beach? I terrorized him, scared the poor kid senseless. I thought you would understand."
"Understand what?"
"Understand me, what I am now, what I've become."
"And just what have you become? A leader who cares how people see those he leads? A friend who's not going to sit around and let someone insult the memory of someone you cared about?"
"I'm a soldier, Ty Lee, and not just a soldier but a High Guard. We're the cold-hearted killers they call in when ordinary soldiers just can't cut it. I've leveled an Earth Kingdom fortress single-handedly, Ty Lee. Do you think an ordinary human being could have done that?"
"No, of course not."
"Then you see the point. We're not men, Ty Lee, not anymore. We're walking weapons, and when our fuel or ammunition or whatever it is runs out, we're discarded."
"Stop! Just stop talking like that!" The outburst finally made him turn and look at her, to see her chocolate eyes shining in the fading sunlight.
"Stop talking like your expendable, like your not human! Is this--is this how you really feel?" Akira mutely nodded, "That's ridiculous! Who put all these completely stupid ideas in your head?"
"Nei. He was the one who told us all that. He made sure we understood what it meant to be a soldier, and--and he was right, Ty Lee. Now just listen for a minute." He held up a hand to stop her coming comment, "I know that you won't agree, but--he was right. Seargent Ling told us a lot of good stuff, and there were times when he told us to forget stuff that Nei had taught us, but--but he never even talked about that part. He knew that we knew who we were, what we were, and he never changed it."
"I--this--why?"
"Nei made sure it was drilled into our heads. In my case, it apparantly wasn't enough."
"What--?"
"I forgot what I was. I let go of control and let my emotions guide my hand, and I...regretted it."
"The--the servant woman?"
"The servant woman." He nodded. The memory was burned into his mind, every detail perfect down through the intervening years.
They--he and Ty Lee--had been on their usual runs through the city, jumping the rooftops and chasing each other down the side streets. He remembers that Ty Lee was the one to notice--maybe she was just more attuned to that kind of stuff. The woman was being harrassed by a group of soldiers, and it was quickly getting out of hand. Two of the soldiers grabbed and pinned the woman against the wall, while a third was waving a small flame in front of her face. The woman had been crying, pleading with the men to let her go. Ty Lee had decided to do something. A soldier standing guard was instantly down on the ground, barely having time to feel the girl latch onto his shoulder as she flipped over him. The other guard turned as the man hit the ground, but hadn't been fast enough to avoid paralysis courtesy of Ty Lee's practiced strikes. The three men dealing with the woman had noticed then, and were just turning when one dropped to the ground, his helmet dented by the fist-sized chunk of brick that Akira had hurled at him. The soldiers fought back then, really fought, but they had been outmatched from the beginning. His Rank Guard training almost complete, Akira went through the men like a lightning strike through kindling. The woman, of course, had been gushing apologies and gratuities, but before much could be said beyond a simple, "You're welcome." Nei had been there. Surveying the downed men, his gaze found Akira standing in the middle of the street, and before anyone quite knew what had happened, he was marching him up the street with a string of obscenities coming so fast as to be running them together.
"I remember, that was the last time I saw you until back on the ship. You sent the letter a few days later, didn't you?"
"I did, but--but I wasn't finished. After Nei took me back to the barracks, he--he reminded me of what he had told me after my bending demonstration. He had said, 'Step out of line like that one more time, and I will personally remove every inch of skin I can reach.' Something like that anyway."
"So what--what happened then?"
"He certainly gave it a Agni-damned good try." He unclasped the robe and let it slide off, and Ty Lee gasped.
Yes, MAJOR cliffhanger here, but I didn't see how I could write it any other way, so sorry. Oh, and as for Akira's slight swearing, I couldn't think of anything else strong enough for the situation. He IS a soldier after all, and soldiers are not known for nice language in the best of situations.
In case you were wondering, I thought I might as well use Chen from The Beach, seeing as he has almost no other good use besides the arrogant-brat-who-needs-a-major-attitude-adjustment. Hope you liked this wild chapter, and I'll update as soon as I can, faithful readers!
God is still the source of all talent, I can only hope I'm using mine to the best of my abilities--NullChronicler