Toph's Snow Chap 13
Chapter 13: Lullaby
AN: The song is Lullaby, form the Noir original soundtrack. Listen to both the English and Japanese versions. I love it, it's such a pretty song, in both languages.
Disclaimer: I claim no ownership to anything but my characters, the rest isn't mine. ;)
Week 21 (September 29-October 5, month 5)
Third Person Kazuka
Kazuka recovered slowly. She caught a cold that caused her temperature to go up dangerously high. She spent three days in bed, covered in blankets, but shivering violently and they were almost to the Fire Nation when she was finally deemed healthy again.
The second night after she was rescued, Xiao came to visit her, creeping into her room at some odd hour of the night to check on her. Kazuka didn't have the energy to be mean to him, so she settled on being civil.
"Hey. How are you?"
""Fr-fr-freezing." Her teeth chattered as she tried to talk.
"Look, I'm sorry about what happened. When we put your bed on that box, we didn't think it would fall off the ship."
"A-at least-t-t I'm alive." Xiao walked over to the bed and moved as if to wrap his arms around her, but stopped.
"Can I? I'm much warmer than those blankets." Kazuka considered it for a moment and then moved over on the bed, but Xiao instructed her to move forward, so he could sit behind her. He got on the bed and leaned her back so that she was leaning on him with his legs on either side of hers.
He wrapped his arms around her torso, hugging her close. Kazuka sat stiffly at first, but relaxed as she warmed up. Within a matter of minutes, Kazuka stopped shivering and relaxed completely.
"Why did you come after me?"
"It was my fault you fell and I know you can't swim."
"You remembered that?"
"It was only seven years ago."
"That's a long time Xiao." Kazuka stopped to cough. "We were best friends back then."
"Yeah, and then you turned into a bitch, no offense, and stopped talking to me." Kazuka's laughter turned into body wracking coughs.
"You okay?"
"Yeah." Her voice was a little hoarse. "I became a bitch because you were better than me and I wanted to be the best."
"I never understood your obsession with being the best."
"I'm not sure when it started, but I've always been compelled to be better than everyone else. That's what my dad told me while I was growing up, 'be the best and you won't have to answer to anyone.'"
"That's rather harsh. All my parents told me was to stop falling into the water. That's how I learned to swim actually. I used to fall into the water twice a day and someone would have to come get me. Eventually, I picked up how to swim from the others; I was only four so they hadn't really taught me how to swim yet. I was a naturally once I figured it out. I was in the water all the time, despite the cold. My parents were really surprised when I turned out to be a nonbender."
"Wow. I tried to learn to swim, but it never worked. I guess I'm just one of those people who just can't swim."
"You can swim. You just haven't had a good teacher yet."
"Hey! My dad taught me!"
"Well no offense to your dad, but he obviously isn't a good teacher."
"He is too."
"Is not."
"Is too!"
"Is not."
"This is stupid! We're fighting like little kids."
"It was fun wasn't it?"
"Yeah, but-" Kazuka was interrupted by a yawn.
"You should go to sleep."
"I'm not tired."
"Okay then, don't go to sleep." Xiao started to hum something. Kazuka yawned again.
"What is that?"
"An old lullaby my mother used to sing to me. It's an old Northern Watertribe song."
"Oh…Could you teach it to me?"
"I'm not much of a singer, but sure. I'll teach you the Chinese version." (A/N: They speak Chinese as the normal language)
"Okay." Xiao started to sing, and what he said before was untrue, he had a great voice.
"The snow in the air
To sing me a lullaby
My winter, come hither, to me
The dark nights to come
So, kiss me for good-bye
The grace of the godland is near to you…
Show me the flowers invisible
Sing me the hymns inaudible
The wind is my voice
The moon is my heart
Come find me, I'm on every hills and fields
I'm here…
Ever you're near...
The snow in the air
To sing me a lullaby
The angel of rebirth is here
So let all your pain
Sleep within the husha-by
The grace of the godland
Grace of the godland
Grace of the godland is near...
So close to you…"
"Wow, that was beautiful; and you have a great voice. You said the Chinese version, is there another one?"
"Yes, there's the version in the old language of the Watertribes."
"Will you sing it?" Xiao nodded and stated singing again. As Kazuka leaned against him, she could feel his chest vibrate with the words.
"Yuki ga furu
Shizukana Lullaby utau awai yokogao
Toji komerareta chiisana heya wa
Ai to yoberu kiga shiteiru
Kotoba mo iranakute
Omoide ga yawaraide
Yasuragi nante shiranai kedo
Ichiban sokoni chikai bashode nemuritai dake
Anata no sobani iru
Yuki ga furu
Shizukana Lullaby Sotto yoru wo uzumete
Kanashii kotowa shiritakunaino
Dakara zutto utatteite
Yoakega kurumade
Zutto kono mama"
"It's even prettier in its original language."
"Yeah. My mother would sing that to me whenever I couldn't sleep."
Xiao spent the next ten minutes teaching Kazuka the song. She couldn't sing much because it caused her to have a coughing fit, but she memorized the words for later.
Soon, Kazuka was having trouble keeping her eyes open. Xiao started to leave, but she stopped him.
"Please…stay." Xiao seemed to think it over and finally moved to lie down beside her, facing her back. Kazuka scooted closer to him, attracted to his warmth and Xiao wrapped his arms back around her torso, pulling her against him.
Third Person Xiao
Kazuka's breathing evened out as she fell asleep. Xiao was still awake, unable to relax because of their proximity. Eventually, he did fall asleep; wondering what would happen if he was found here.
Third Person Sokka
Sokka came to check on Kazuka during the night and when he opened her door, he found that she was not alone in her bed. Sokka smiled, they reminded him of himself and Toph. A pang of loneliness hit him as he thought about it.
I wonder what Toph is doing.
Sokka backed out of the room and closed the door quietly. He decided to leave Xiao where he was, even though Xiao was technically supposed to be in his room.
Third Person
Ba Sing Se
Toph was still driving Katara up the wall. She moped around Katara and Aang's house all day so that even Satomi was getting tired of her. Toph stayed in her room most of the time, but when she left it, all she would talk about was when Sokka would get back. Finally when Katara was completely fed up, she mentioned to Toph, that she still had a nursery to decorate. With that reminder, Toph threw herself into decorating to get her mind off Sokka's absence.
Toph planned to move into Sokka's house soon. Her house wouldn't be much of a problem because she had built it using earthbending; all she had to do was remove her furniture and household items, then bend it back into the ground. There was already a prospective buyer for her lot. A young woman by the name of Song, had recently moved to Ba Sing Se, and wanted to start a general education school for children between the ages of seven and sixteen. Toph's land plot was big enough for a school and a yard for the students to exercise in. Toph planned to sell the land to Song and even offered to help her with the school in any way that she could; Katara had also volunteered to help between her schools hours.
With the appearance of Song, another person they hadn't seen in a while showed up. Haru, who seemed to be completely smitten with the girl, had followed her from her village, where they had met, to Ba Sing Se. He seemed determined to marry her, although she resisted, Katara and Toph could see that she was going to accept any day now.
Haru stayed at a nearby hotel while Song had been offered a room in Katara's house. Haru spent most of his time at Katara's house, helping out and going with Song on errands for supplies for the house and Katara's school where Song was employed temporarily.
Katara's school had reopened for the fall session at the beginning of the month. A few of her more advanced students were almost ready to graduate. Satomi had joined the youngest of her students, two eight years-olds and a ten year-old, although her apprenticeship wasn't official yet. Katara preferred Satomi to work with the younger students, but usually she didn't get her way and Satomi ended up working with the older students.
Katara enlisted the help of people in Ba Sing Se who had minor aliments for her students to practice on. She always had her benders try whichever technique they were using on each other first before she let them try on the patients, hoping to prevent any mishaps. Song turned out to be a great help at the school, making bandages, helping nonbending students in their learning. She knew a lot about healing and used her knowledge and gentle teaching techniques to reinforce Katara's lessons.
On Thursday night, Haru officially proposed to Song and she finally accepted. Katara, excited that she had two weddings to plan, used any spare time she had to suggest ideas to Song on the details of her wedding, which was to happen in the spring.
Chapter thirteen is done! Yay! Virtual cookies and hot chocolate for all who have stuck with me this far!
Jaa nee!