Author's Note :

I LOVE AVATAR FOR EVER !

OOOOOOOOOOOOH THE FINALE !!
that was just so perfect, I couldn't sleep at night ! it was so intense, it even knocked off my... 'time of the month'... I was just so sad and so happy at the same time ! I kept telling myself 'at least they're happy now'. idk, i creept myself out...
OH ! and azula ! AZULA ! i want to know where she IS ! i NEED IT !! who cares about ursa, except zuko ? sorry, i meant... FIAH LORD ZUKO ! though fire lord azula would have been totally awesome if you ask me. I'm a huge azula fan girl...
and we saw June again ! I'd have bet Iroh was with her ;) but no... Too bad we didn't see Jee ! neither in ember island players, nor in the fianle. But that's because he was 'busy' with Oyone that day...

btw if should try to put a word in this story, just so you know she's still alive. hehe.

In this chapter :
Jee does subtle fan service
Cannon characters introduced, but just so you know, cause he's a minor CC, and he's hard to pick : colonel Qin is actually Younger War Ministry Qin.
OCs that will reappear later and serve for drama-food introduced
very lame soldiers jokes and stupid awkward situations that make me want to hide
a little story à l'arlésienne that actually had me teary-eyed after i had written it.
hopefully a well-rounded character construction

Next chapter :
MOAR not-so-subtle fanservice
maybe drama (depends on chapter lenghts)
finally some manly men's action !

Thanks to Kez-o the brave for faving !
and for Newguy 22 who's the only one to review ! cries

My favourite moment in those icy lands was Shower Time

My favourite moment in those icy lands was Shower Time. And NOT for the reasons you think ! No, I liked it because of the boiling water's warming up my skin, until red patches covered every inch of my body. There was no better feeling after a long, boring, and freezing patrol in this dumb place.

The shower, and plus, the hot one, was still a luxury - especially when the smallest drop of water was trapped in rock hard blocks of ice - and we soldiers and petty officers could only use it once a week. The rest of the time we had to stick to a rag, a bar of old soap and a freaking basin of cold water. But when the day of the shower came… That was such a relief ! When they say the best things in life are the simplest, of course I'll tell you they're not really right, but they're not totally wrong either. That was just a shower, but that was really good.

That's why that one time, I wasn't really bothered the guy next to me was so… 'happy'. I mean, I'm a man, and when you're a man, sometimes, when you feel real comfy and all, parts of your body visibly relax, and part of your body visibly hardens, just a bit. Those things happen. Like, when you just woke up from a good and deep sleep, and you still feel very calm and warm from the bed… Firebenders rise with the Sun, I'll tell you.
Now, that's just my point of view, but I think that's because the closest thing from Love is radiant, soft warmth. Not a searing one, no, more like a smooth woman skin's temperature's. The one you can feel when your belly slowly rubs against hers. Anyways…
What I mean is, I didn't get worked up because of a simple physical reaction to the contrast between the tiresome freezing rounds and the nice hot showers. That's something I could understand.

But the thing is, I had the nasty feeling the guy was giving me eyes. I told myself I was paranoid, and I tried to brush it off, but it lingered… and I didn't like it did so on that place.
Man, the one time of the week you can really unwind and enjoy a normal temperature, you'd think you'll make the most of it, but nuuuuh !
I didn't even know this guy I had never seen him in my life !

- You'd better stop breathing down my neck !
The man looked at me for a second like I was crazy, then he shrugged.
- Sorry. Too bad for you.
And he went further away. Just like that.

That kind of ruined my shower, because it sent me on a train of thought that ran faster in my head than the water down my chin. The droplets' sound was echoing weirdly in my ears, that was giving me a dizzy feeling, so I might as well have dried myself and sat.
Of course, I had known loneliness was something not every man was equal before, to put it in nice words. I had caught a few innuendos from Sweetie, the engineer from my very first mission. He was a respectable man, and I was clearly not interested, but if I had made the first move, I'm pretty sure he would have followed suit. That was weird, how it seemed so obvious now.

Selfless friendship, uh ?

I stayed some time deep in thoughts about what had happened, now and back then, until I had put my entire armour back on. And then it dawned to me. I just didn't care. And, what a dummy I had been, I had just dropped my only hot shower of the week !
And what for ? I could have postponed useless thoughts for after the shower, couldn't I have ? I was raging ! I swore that would not happen again !

Imagine the way I felt when the next day, the same guy spotted me in the dining hall and headed toward me. The refectory was crowded, and I was just a random red armour among the men of my unit – who I had hit it off with since the 'poster' incident. Yet, the guy had managed to recognise me. Well, I had been too lucky until then…
My brows sunk low on my forehead as the younger man of the unit incredulously shouted out.

"you know him ?"
I turned around to the young man – and away from the annoying one coming my way.
- Well, who do we have here ? You're the man from yesterday ! he cheered.
Then he slumped down onto the bench, right next to me, pushing my friend Kazuo aside. That's something I'd have considered silly, seeing how muscular and in a permanent pet mood he was, but surprisingly, he just shifted without a single gruff.
- Listen, I wanted to say I'm sorry. I acted really coarse, and, I apologize. I meant not disrespect.
- I'm surprised you remembered my face. I said without even looking at him. But he was not put off.
- Oh, well, the first thing I look at in a man's his face, so next I can have all my time looking at the rest.
- Who are you ? I snapped back at him, before my eyes fell on the design of his chest plaque, which definitely marked him as a sergeant – two ranks higher than me.
- My name's Hao, and I'm a good friend of Colonel Qin. You know, the guy in charge of this whole camp… His father works at the War Ministry, propaganda secretary or something… But, that's not relevant, right ?
Sergeant Hao… I looked around me for a brief second, but everybody's eyes were riveted on their plate, and I found no support.
- …No, that's not. I answered slowly so each word had its own weight.
Then there was an uncomfortable silence, before Hao started to madly laugh out loud. He wiped a tear on the corner of his eyes and tapped my shoulder.
- I'm sorry, that was just too good. I like you ! I knew the moment I saw you you had some, not someone to mess up with, right ? a tough guy. That's cool, I could spend some time with a man like you. That'd be a welcomed change, most people just kiss my ass in this place. Not that it's unpleasant ! But a good butt kicking is sometimes much more appreciated, makes you fall back into place just nicely. Gentlemen.

With that he got up, made a quick bow to the table, turned on his heels and left.
- …Now what the… I asked to myself
- Hey Jee, looks like you've got yourself a way to cut down dramatically on your brothel expenses !
- Shut up, Kazuo ! You were not so talkative when he was here !
- At least, you know what you have to do if you want to get promoted. Laughed a third man with a goatee.
- That's gross. Jee doesn't have to sleep around to get promoted. Do you know how quickly an officer dies nowadays ? The army has to replace them ! His turn will come !
- Thanks, that's really reassuring.
- You welcome Sir !
- By the way, you have quite an impressing face when you're not happy, no wonder you have to pay them girls. A heartily laugh gained the table.
- Why, your last comment makes me so sad ! Just thinking about how many push ups I'll have you all doing for it, almost makes me tearbend ! Come on, give me another ouzo !

And the following week, finally, after months of white cold and biting winds, Spring arrived. It was a late spring, that came all of a sudden, one morning. I got up and I smelled the air, and somehow I knew. I could feel the heat from the Sun filtering deeper down my skin, and the next day, loads of snow crashed down from the branches to the ground, were it melted in balm waters.

For the next week the damn place was but a swamp, with mud everywhere. The air was still chilly and the sun a pale yellow all day long. Kazuo's genuine talks during patrols had been becoming a pleasant routine I was eager for, especially early in the morning.
Kazuo was middle-aged, yet only a grunt, since he had only been in the army for four years including his full training. He had spent his two years of service in those northern colonies. Not very enthusiastic about his job there, even less ambitious, and doing nothing particularly noticeable. That's for the formal part.
More importantly, he was a short and beefy man with a blunt personality. He knew what he wanted and the second he decided something was gross, the whole world knew it. Always loud and clear, never in your back. Kazuo had basically two ways to interact with people : frown and say as few as possible when he agreed with what you said, and flame and shoot you down if he did not. Thanks Agni, he was not a firebender. Or else, no one would have survived… The truth was, Kazuo was bitter. He had slowly lost his faith in the human kind after a life of hard work, which had only been rewarded by the horrible demise of his only son.

Kazuo's son had been working in the famous Suspended Prison. Just as the Boiling Rock was firebenders jail, the Suspended Prison was a strong hold from which no waterbender could escape. The whole building was stitched up on huge metal pillars, several meters from the ground, in the giant basalt crater of an ancient volcano. This way, the jail itself appeared suspended inside the dry rocks cage, away from any source of water.

The insides were not much different. Each prisoner was put in his own cage, made of metal, suspended in the air. Pipes and drains ventilated this very same air so it never was damp enough for any kind of bending. And of course, the access to water was highly supervised, even for the soldiers. The prisoners were barley kept alive, and any rebellion was met with exemplary sentences. They did not benefit of the leniency fire citizen could get from their own kind…

Kazuo's son had been Called. Proud as a young man can be, he considered it an honour to play his small part in the great project of expansion of his Nation. Everybody in the house hold, including Kazuo, had been raised to be as much a patriot as concerned for the duty towards one's ancestors. So he left with his heart light. Convinced by a century-experienced propaganda and the desire to believe in something greater than him, he followed every order he was given, respectful of the hierarchy and his superiors, and blind to their mistakes as much as his. His prisoners' faces faded in the Brightness of the Honour he had to be there.

And Kazuo's son indeed seeked to do his best in return. He was a zealous soldier as well as a caution and unshattering guardian. And though he did not always felt comfortable with the way he had to deal with the prisoners, he was so brave as to sacrifice his own peace of mind for the world's greater good, to which these rebels were an obstacle to.

And this, until the day a water tribe woman escaped. Her name was Hama, but no one ever used it, she was just a weary shadow held in chains, like plenty others. And she had been there, motionless, for years.
When Kazuo was called to his dying son's bedside, the later explained to him how one day, by a simple flick of her fingers, he had felt his whole body tremble, his own blood dangling inside like he were just a sac filled with water. The fascination and sheer horror of losing control on his body still vivid as he laid, he told his father how she pushed her will through his veins, how he saw his own hand open the cage, as if in a dream, only it was really happening.
Kazuo's son blood had left his legs and belly for his arm, and never got back. What was first numbness quickly became crawling pain and weakness, and he was unable to even stand. He had tried, but it was futile, and the ground had met his head.
The physician had diagnosed an important loss of blood in his insides from the spreading bruises on his chest, but Kazuo's son was denied any possible cure. The fact was, he was suspected to have introduced water when it was forbidden, thus allowing the water woman to escape. This was the only plausible explanation, the only one the Warden took. And Kazuo's son was at the best labelled an idiot and a coward.

If Agni took pity on him and let him live, the Warden was yet ready to forgive his misstep. Unfortunately, Agni had a very busy week, with all those Glorious battles to lead against the earth kingdom, he didn't have the time to make a detour to see Kazuo's son by himself. He probably thought from his common sense the physician could do it for him… Communication problems.

Kazuo deeply loved his country, and was proud to be Fire Nation, but this had never left him. After a long and hard battle inside of his mind, he eventually decided he had to engage in the Army himself. To clear his son's honour, in the name of his family, and because it was his duty. What kind of father would he be if he let his only son die for his land without even getting involved himself ?
It was a touchy subject, but I think Kazuo felt guilty, and disillusioned. And this, in many ways… But as much as he knew there was nothing to hope for anymore, he badly needed to cling on something. Or else he would have sunk, and in the memory of his son, who had stood still, he could not allow this. He could not accept his son had died for nothing, there had to be something, and this something he had to hold onto.

This made Kazuo a hard-nosed, short-tempered, grave and silent man, who always had much more than he let out.

He never really bound to anyone, he had lost the desire to one fool after the other. And he always looked the fussing from afar, behind a useless-talk-proof frown.
…Except, when we marched to the cold track between each town. Then, he seemed to know every single little thing happening to camp, while he spoke to no body. That was sometimes a bit creepy, but Kazuo said you just had to listen, and that I was a good listener.

Truth is, I had no idea of what I could have said after such a sad story…

Now with insight, I realize, Kazuo probably just wanted to be the one to do the talk, for once in his life. For letting the opportunity slip before, he had learnt how precious it was, and he seized it everytime there was someone to listen.

And boy, is listen a different word from hear !

- Do you know the last one ? General Piando is tired of the Army. He wants to retire, and I heard the Dragon of the West already has offered him to teach the crown prince in the way of the sword instead. Food for thoughts, uh ?

PLEASE review !
- from 0 to 10, how lame were the jokes ? ;)
- what's that big drama going to be ?
- what cannon character would you like to see in this story ?
- am i ever gonna make it to avatard the last mister ?
(one can dream right ?)