Author's note :

A big thank goes up to Newguy22 who gave me such a great encouragement ! I promise i'll keep updating, even if i have to break 3 other PCs to do it !

Next chapter is coming out a bit slower i'm afraid, it's a real pain to write. It's too big, too vague, too erratic, give me the machete ! Just like if this one wasn't already hard to write ! I delayed this one a bit so there was not such a huge gap between the two... Hopefully, later chapters will be easier to make up. Stay tuned for blood, war, violence and passion - i have to sell it, right ? - and in the meantime enjoy your jee x sai romance coughcough and mild teenage angst coughsuplungs !

And PLEASE, review ! I need to SOCIALIZE !!! sooo badly ! i'm sooo confused ! and i'm angry at myself too ! whatever...

- Well, by Dilong the earth dragon. That's what I call a radical back-up for a radical messing. Oyone said while pulling a wild strand of hair behind her round ear. 14 is very young, I didn't know Fire nation was so eager to send its children on the warfront. She frowned in obvious disgust.

- Fourteen is the age you can enter the army, but you don't get to fight at least before you turn 16. The first two years after you joined are just training or minor missions. And I don't think the earth kingdom is any more protective. The soldiers may engage themselves at 18, but the training provided does not excess six months in the best cases. And that's usually not enough. If they want to be prepared the men have to train by their own before, or have private lessons. Good ones cost a lot of money. Am I right ?

Oyone's look averted him. She quickly chewed on her bottom lip, and Jee smirked in amusement.

- A war costs a lot of money. Sometimes our wise rulers have to make a choice.

Jee muttered with a scowl. The words tasted bitter in his mouth. He extended his arm so as to reach behind Oyone's left ear and free the lock of black hair. It felt smooth and faintly fresh. She just gazed at him. Her face was not stern anymore, he could even swear she was almost smiling. Well at least, he was.

- So… what about your training ?
Oyone asked with a roguish smile, just before putting back her hair behind her ear.

" Well, maybe you should know before I engage I went to Sai.

I sat in the tavern and drank a single beer. I soaked on it for hours. I just waited for the night to come. I was not there for drinks. Anyway I couldn't afford to order much. When the most of the customers were drunk and drowsy, she came as usual to sit in my crossed legs. 'So why aren't your friends with you tonight?' she asked. I said I got into troubles and I didn't want them to get involved. Minor troubles, I added, before I felt her stiffen a bit. 'Like every one of us' she answered. She didn't look worried. 'I have to talk to you' I said. 'Why' she answered. Then I told her what I had decided. I started to explain myself, but she cut in and told there was no need to. The only important things were that I was at ease with it, at ease with her, and that explaining was only talking away the time we had together. Then she turned her face to mine and gently kissed the corner of my mouth. Then she asked me to play something for her. I was a bit stunned, but I did it. I placed my hands on the pipa, and I started to play that same stupid song. The one about that woman on a beach, looking out for her victorious lover's ship to come back to her…

Suddenly small digits joined mine and her palms lingered on my hands. That was so overused, that was so conventional in a way. And it was all the more absurd since we were in that ratty place with drunkards in every corner… But still, it was perfect to me. It was just good, and I was thankful I got to live it.

After a while Sai's head was not nestled anymore on my shoulder. She rose and so did I. She straitened my jacket, and I smiled at her. Then I started to leave. I was simply going, without rush, but without second thought either. But when I reached the threshold of the door a small hand grabbed on my arm.

'Wait, do you know where you'll sleep tonight?'.

Sai was staring at me, with something strange in her eyes. That look of you women always get me down. I felt anxiety growing in my belly. I would have slept somewhere in a quiet street, it was just for one night. But now Sai was asking… And I started to reconsider the question. What would I answer ? what would she think ? and, well, what would this look offer ?

'Why ?' was all I go out. 'um, I thought if you wanted I could… make some space for you in my room." She was blushing a bit, and that look of hers dug into me little by little. 'That would be very nice of you' I answered. So Sai took my hand and before I could even grin, she shoved me through a narrow stair. Then she opened a door and there was a mattress in the middle of a tiny room under the roof. It was lighted by an oil lamp, laid on the only furniture of the room : a large old chest. 'make yourself comfortable. I'll be over in an hour or two at the latest.'

So I stalked closer to the bare mat and lied down. I stared at the roof and I tried to take a minute to proceed what had happened in the last two days. Then I think I have kind of dozed off because I woke up later, when the oil lamp was off and a small weight was cuddling up to me. I did not really react, I was too weary. I just fall asleep again. Next thing I remember I was slightly shaken awake. Sai was looking at me, her face very close and her hair tickling at my forehead. 'It's nearly dawn' she murmured 'it would be good to go on your way now'.

I stared at her for a moment. I said nothing. Then she smoothed my hair back a bit and smiled. She sat back on the bed and I sat upright. It felt like the air was thicker this morning.

The bed was warm and I was sleepy, but I had this tightening in my belly when I thought about the day ahead. Part of me wanted to stay there a bit. Yet I knew Sai was right.

It was time to go on my way. She had chosen her words perfectly. It was hard to swallow but I did not show it. It was of no use to linger anymore, and whining was just never my way. I nodded to Sai, and I left. I went down the stairs alone while she looked at me. Then I went out in the street. It smelled faintly acrid but there were no noises in that usually so vivid place. It was still early and most people were probably sleeping. It was such a contrast from the usual, you could have thought the houses were empty, if it wasn't for the light smokes rising from the chimneys. I bought a bowl of spiced pork soup to an old woman on my way, spending my very last copper pieces, and I arrived to Kawkab barracks. I knew this was mostly a training camp. A big one. And since we were at war since a century, I figured the army wouldn't spit on a new recruit.

A soldier near the main entrance indicated me the place where I was supposed to sign in. It was surprisingly easy. I was to swear on my honour I would 'serve my country and its glory in every one of my action', and declare 'I pledged allegiance to the Fire Lord and the Eternal Crimson Flame of Agni'. Then a chubby man asked me a few common questions, like my name, my father's, my age… and he noted everything down on a page of a big leather register, both in black and red inks. Then he apposed a signet, and cheerfully claimed 'welcome in the Fire Navy, soldier Jee ! You're gonna love it !'

I was… a bit sceptic, to say the least. 'Now take this and go to the third hall, on the left of the entrance courtyard.' He held out a small coupon, and just as I grabbed it another young man was coming to join in too.

It took some time to find that damn third hall. The camp was full of different grounds and courtyards, and it was not like there were a gigantic signboard on the way to help me. Not before long, the other new recruit caught up with me.

'Hey, you're lost too aren't you ?'

The guy looked just a bit older than me. He had an incredible haircut, really. The strangest I had ever seen. His all skull was shaven, except for 3 distinct strips of short hair running straight from his forehead to his neck. He noticed my staring at it, burst in a laugh, and said it was a 'tri-hawk'. Don't know where he got that hairstyle from. Not to mention its name.

'I'm Kannan, and I've been roaming in this place since I arrived too.' I suggested we look for the third hall together, and so after a bit more roaming, we finally found it.

Since Kawab was mainly a training camp for new recruits, the third hall was used as a huge storehouse were young soldiers got their package from. A stern man examined the coupon I received when joining. He disappeared between the piles of clothes and bags, and handed you a pile. There was your basic armour, you uniform, spare changes, sheets and a pillow, all packed in a long brown bag.

The guy seemed to like having us waiting for his petty directions.

He took his sweet time to get every thing and then said 'you arrive on the good day. Sergeant Lo is appointing the new recruits to their section this very morning. Looks like you won't have to wait in the old dorms for the next one.'

The man spoke with a strange expression on his face, like if he was forcing himself to speak to me. That got me infuriated, but I tried not to show : It wouldn't be good for my first day.

He gave a few other bits of instruction once Kannan received his armour and clothing, and then he'd look in a bunch of scroll. The untold message was clear enough, and we went to a nearby hall where we were supposed to line up to be appointed to our section.

'Don't worry about that guy' Kannan said. I wanted to reply, but then I looked at that incredible grin he had plastered on his face, and I forgot what I was about to say.

Surprisingly we found the hall quite quickly this time – more out random luck than orientation sense improvement – and we got in the crowd. I thought it was quite messy for some military place, but then I'd know the day you engage is the only day the army let what's under its control so.

After a long while, a man who was apparently Sergeant Lo called 20 people's names and yelled where they would have to go once he was done with the troops repartition. It wasn't voiced, but we were split in two main groups. Those who could fire bend and those who could not. And from this, it appeared Kannan was a fire bender too, and we would be in the same unit.

When he was done, he shouted "fall out" and we all got moving. The man of our section walked without a word and reached a large court where a few men in full armour waited for us. One had a large beard and a lager belly. He said he was lieutenant Sho, and was our martial art teacher. He said since we were students, he should be referred as master. I wondered how 'master sho' could possibly teach us anything about fighting with such a fat build.

He motioned to the man next to him, who wore a fire bender protective mask. He said he was our Master Jeong Jeong and that he was going to teach of us firebenders how to fully master our gift. A third man was introduced as Master Yi Lin, a 'cohesion teacher', and to make things clearer, he added he was a battle group specialist as well as a teacher of basic strategies and warrior skills expected from good Fire Nation soldiers. That man was already getting on my nerves, he didn't stop walking around the court and scratching his chin while he mumbled not so kind remarks on the first line of new soldiers in front on him.

Master Sho made some quite inspired speeches on patriotism and loyalty, that I found quite good at the time. Then he told us where we were supposed to sleep and rest. He gave us a briefing on our schedule. Then he commanded us to go change in our uniforms and armours, and then to come back in the court. Our first day would be simple chores, and we would be beginning our training that very same afternoon, once the non-volunteer soldiers would have arrived and have been split up too.

Because it's a fun fact you should know about. You shouldn't believe there were only young or lost men there for a second chance, or appointed soldiers who regretted bitterly their homes.

About half of the soldiers were enthusiastic volunteers, who wanted to take actively part in the war. They were called 'those who stood'.
The other half was selected directly by the administration. Each family had to contribute the war effort, and giving a son was a very current and accepted way to do so. We called these soldiers 'those who answered'. And contrary to what you could think, most of them were actually content with joining the army.

This was a real honour to serve your country.

That's why there were new recruits coming of their own to this camp every single day. And that's why the ones appointed to this camp were all so proud. They were here to gain Honour: to serve your homeland, to prove yourself a man, and avenge those who fell before you.
That, and the powerful propaganda system that kept draining people out of their peaceful country up to the war front.