Sorry last chapter took so long to get out (and it was short too). Then I got sick really badly (huzzah for recovering!) and next week starts finals. Enough with the excuses, on with the story!
Disclaimer: I don't own anything except Sayuri!
Sayuri sat with her long legs folded under her, watching the sun gently start to set in Republic City's park. The sky turned pinkish and the birds in the area quieted down. She placed a long black bookmark into her history textbook and shut it. A thump landed behind her, making her jump in surprise. She turned to see Amon standing in a strong stance. Sayuri tilted her head a tiny bit.
"Hello."
Amon stayed quiet but Sayuri could feel his eyes on her. She looked up at his face for a moment before flicking her view back to the sky. After a few moments Amon sat next to her on the grass, cross legged.
"You are a water bender."
Sayuri nodded.
"And you are the leader of an anti-bending revolution. Quite a pair we make, huh?"
They were both quiet again. Sayuri cautiously stretched her hand out between them, slowly at first, but then quickly found Amon's hand. She was surprised and a little confused that he did not pull away from her. They did not move until the sun completely disappeared and a few stars started to fade into the sky. Sayuri tucked a lock of her black hair behind her ear.
"It's getting dark. Maybe we should…"
She trailed off, but Amon stood up anyways.
"We cannot do this again."
Sayuri laid back down on the grass, looking straight up at the sky.
"Why? Because you hate me?"
Amon rushed to interrupt her.
"No, I do not hate you-"
Sayuri quickly propped herself up on her hands.
"You hate people like me? You think I'm unnatural? That I need to be fixed-"
"Cleansed."
"Use whatever word you wish, it makes no difference."
Amon turned away from Sayuri.
"See? You're not even trying to convince me otherwise because you know that it's true!"
"Stop being foolish!"
Amon clenched his fists.
"I am leading a revolution. I am this close to getting everything I've worked for-"
"And now you're worried that I'll put doubt in you! You know it's wrong to do what you're doing, you just need a push!"
"Don't try and change me! I know my beliefs are right!"
Amon screamed at her.
"How can it be right to hurt innocent people?"
"Do not make benders out to look like innocent people!"
"But they are innocent people! What have I done that is so evil? Nothing! I just happen to be able to bend!"
"I barely know you, you could be-"
Sayuri stood up, her hair spilling into her face. She rushed at Amon, throwing a punch at his chest. She pushed him until he grabbed her wrists, holding her steady.
"You're right. You barely know me, so do not accuse me-"
"I'm not accusing you of anything!"
"Bull!"
Sayuri looked up at him, her eyes suddenly brimming in angry tears.
"You have a power, a power that can hurt people! You can easily kill a non-bender if you felt like it! Benders… Benders are monsters!"
He released her hands and pushed her away. She looked up at him with tears streaming down her face.
"I am not a monster. I am not some weapon used to kill people! I am a human being!"
Sayuri wiped her eyes and put her hands around her shoulders. Amon turned around, facing away from her.
"I… I need to leave."
Sayuri sighed deeply. She nodded, still not looking at him, as she heard him start walking away.
Sayuri stayed in the park long until the moon had risen up and her eyes had dried. She felt humiliated. She couldn't really expect Amon to be anything more than a threat to her, could she? Sayuri grabbed her textbook and headed off into the streets of the city. She hoped she would get home before her dad noticed her absence, but he worked such long hours at the factory to support her she doubted he would do little else then jump right into bed. As she walked through the main roads, Sayuri remembered Amon's warning from when they first meet.
"This city is not very safe after dark."
She huffed. He doesn't even care about her, why should she follow his advice now? In the back of her mind she remembered a shortcut through several alleys that she used to take. The wind gently blowed Sayuri's hair into her face. She pulled a hair tie off her wrist and quickly fixed her messy hair. She decided to take the shortcut and she confidently turned off the main road into a long unlit backstreet. The road was completely quiet, save for a few animals rustling around in garbage cans.
After walking down the alley for a few minutes, a loud crash echoed from behind her and she quickly took a defensive stance. Sayuri turned around, but saw nothing.
"Just my imagination."
She whispered to herself.
"Or not."
A low man's voice replied to her, mid-laugh. Sayuri turned around to face the man who emerged from behind the shadows. He was a scruffy older man with ragged clothes. Sayuri rolled her eyes.
"You seriously do not want to annoy me tonight. Just go away, ok?"
The man reached into a sleeve of his long shirt and pulled out a dagger.
"I just want a little money, I'll leave you alone once I get all your yuans."
He cackled. Sayuri shivered and backed up a few steps.
"I'm warning you old man…"
The man walked closer.
"Who are you calling old?"
Sayuri reached for her belt and popped open her small pouch of water. She bended it out and lashed it at the man. He quickly dodged her and ran closer. He pointed the dagger at her with a smirk. The old man was practically at her throat and Sayuri stopped, mid-attack.
"Want to try anything else?"
The man pushed the knife closer.
"I didn't think so."
Sayuri quickly kicked the man in front of her and watched as he fell backwards. He grabbed her shirt and she pulled back just as the tip of the knife scratched her forehead. The man lost his grip on her and fell against the stone street with a groan. Sayuri bended the water into a frozen spike and held it to his neck.
"Stay away from me."
She stole his dagger and left him on the ground as she sprinted away.
Sayuri was in the middle of pondering over buying fruit at the market when a hand tapped her shoulder and pulled her backwards. She gasped but another hand was placed over her mouth and before she knew it she was standing inside an abandoned store. She blinked a few times, waiting for her eyes to adjust to the dim lighting. Amon suddenly was standing in front of her; a small line of chi-blockers backing him.
"No need to be so dramatic about getting me to talk to you."
Sayuri folded her arms and swept her bangs out of her eyes. Amon turned around and nodded to the chi-blockers, who suddenly turned around and left the room. Amon walked closer to Sayuri, suddenly reaching between them. Sayuri had a fleeting thought that her bending was about to be taken away, but Amon's hand moved to her face instead. He traced the light cut that was diagonally slashed from her eyebrow to the top of her forehead.
"What happened?"
Sayuri did not brush away Amon's hands, but she sighed.
"Nothing."
She regretted not remembering to heal herself before she left the house this morning. That was one of her favorite perks of water bending.
"Does it hurt?"
"Not at all. It's just a little cut. Is that all you forced me in here for?"
"I did not mean to force you. You can go whenever you want."
Sayuri stayed silent but did not move.
"How did you get it?"
He was looking at her cut again. She hadn't thought it was that noticeable.
"It was when I was walking home from the park yesterday. Some guy tried to mug me-"
"You were attacked?"
Amon's voice was sharp.
"No, it was just a little fight is all. He barely touched me."
"I told you to be more careful but you didn't listen, now look at yourself!"
"Relax! I can fight for myself you know! Don't pretend like I need a defender all the time, because I don't!"
Amon gritted his teeth from behind his mask. Sayuri watched him carefully.
"You know, it wasn't a bender that tried to mug me. It was a non-bender. They aren't as innocent as they pretend to be."
Amon clenched his fists.
"Stop trying to sway me!"
Sayuri closed her eyes and touched her cool hand against her cut. Her head was starting to pound and the last thing she felt like getting was a migraine. Amon pushed her hand away and put his to her forehead.
"Are you alright?"
Before Sayuri even noticed what was happening, Amon had a chair beneath her and she was sitting down. She opened her eyes again but even the dim light was bothering her. She tried not to squint when she looked at him.
"I'm fine."
Amon frowned , suddenly glad his mask didn't allow Sayuri to see what his expression was.
"I can tell that you're squinting."
Sayuri pouted for a second before taking out her pouch of water. She hesitated for a second, but continued to open it. She surrounded her hand with the liquid, now watching it light up a lighter shade of blue. She put her hand on her cut and closed her eyes. It stung for a second, but after a moment she could feel the cut heal. She took away her hand to reveal smooth skin. Amon carefully watched her as she bended her water away again. After a few moments, Sayuri stood up again.
"Wait- I think we should talk about what happened."
"And say what? You think I'm a freak, I disagree. End of story."
"That's not what I think about you."
"I find that hard to believe."
"Sayuri, listen to me-"
"I'm tired of listening to you now, Amon."
The pair were quiet. Amon stepped to the side and Sayuri passed by him towards the door. She paused as she reached the handle, but didn't look back. Sayuri opened the door and stepped out into the sunlight, allowing the door to slip closed behind her. Amon stared the where she had stood, wondering if he should go after her.
"Amon, sir, the Lieutenant wants to speak with you right away."
Amon turned towards the lone chi-blocker. He nodded and turned to go out the back door of the store.
How'd you like it guys? I hope it was good, I had to edit this chapter a couple times to get it right. I have some new ideas for the ending though ;) Haha, opps, its one in the morning, I should probably get to sleep…. Or maybe start on the next chapter… :)
Also, I just noticed none of my line breaks were working! And the link I used still doesn't work! Ugh. Hope I at least fixed the line breaks this time *_*