The sound of the sharp curved blade swung violently and missed the falling leaf. She tried multiple times, and still failed. The little girl wears a simple blue robe, she is practicing her combat skill with a katana, swinging it with great effort and concentration. It is said amongst her people, that if one can slice a falling leaf with a sword, that person would be considered a very accomplished swordsman.
While slicing stationary bamboos with the blade is simple and straightforward, it is believed that the patience and skill required to slice something moving is much more demanding. When a leaf falls, it's supported by nothing but the wind, which itself is unpredictable. The wind knows no direction nor origin. Thus, any tree leaves guided by it also becomes wild in its movements and behavior.
Another piece of leaf disconnected from the cheery tree next to her. It fell gently as its body turned to all directions, confusing the little girl. But she will not let the unpredictability of her target get the best of her.
"Take this!" the little girl grunted. She used her full force to slam her katana downwards. This time, she is certain she will succeed.
When the blade touched the surface of the leaf, she thought it will easily be slice into halves. As long as she follows the swing with more force, she will certainly cut the dropping leaf.
However, before a smile can appeared on her face, the leaf only moved out of the way despite with a gentle gust of wind. It harmlessly slipped sidewards, past the sharp edges of the girl's Katana. With that, it transitioned smoothly out of the blade's harm, and landed on the dirt.
The girl panted in dejection. She wanted to throw her katana down and stomp on it to vent her anger. She has been trying for hours, on this hill that overlooks her town, and it still haven't worked. Perhaps she is too young for this, too weak to be using the blade. Or maybe, the blade she holding is simply not sharp enough. It is after all just a training sword used by trainees, so they are often blunt and not as effective as the ones used by professional Kyoshi warriors. In her mind, as long as she have a very good sword, she can easily accomplish great feats and become an excellent warrior.
"Aren't you a bit too young to be using something so sharp?" A croaky voice of old lady spoke from behind, inciting the girl to act protectively.
The girl, feeling that she might be in danger, quickly jumped around and slash the katana towards the figure.
Before she can land the attack however, a simple wooden stick parried her strike. The old lady deflected the blade away from her, spinning it circles. This caused owner of this blade to lost balance in the face of this experienced maneuver. She almost tripped herself when her blade got swung out of her hand, and landed under the tree. She recovered, realizing the grave mistake she almost committed.
"Great grandmother!" the little girl squeaked worryingly. "You shouldn't just sneak up behind me like this! I could have hurt you!" While the voice of the little girl was demonstrating concern towards the matriarch, she also faults herself for acting too quickly. Akahana always told her to be on guard, and never allow possible pirates sneak up on her. But today, she almost hurt a very special person.
"I think you are a hundred years too early to even land a scratch on me! Your sword skills now would be best described as if they were cutting up vegetables! You are training to be a warrior, not a cook!" The elder chuckled on her joke, pointing her walking stick at the very young girl. She then moved under the tree, and slowly bend her back to retrieve the katana.
The little girl can feel, that even this simple action is difficult for elder, whose advanced age hindered many of her body's movement.
"My back is not as flexible as it once was, unfortunate!" The elder noted painfully, but quickly returned to the main topic itself. "Anyway a sword is like an extension of your body," she explained. "It is a weapon that grant a user the capability to cut through objects more effectively." The woman examined the blade. The stainless steel shined in the presence of the sunlight, producing a momentary gleam. "It is often said that a good weapon is all it takes to make a person very powerful."
The little girl felt that was all already self explanatory. A sword is supposed to be a sharp object that you swing around and cut things. Why is her great-grandmother saying all of this?
"You must not forget the most important philosophy of a Kyoshi warrior, use our opponent's force against them. When I started my training at the age of eight, I was told to believe that there is a spirit in every sword. That an excellent sword allows for its user to defeat many enemies." The elder sighed before continuing, it's as if she is adamantly admitting something. "But it is only after that I have ventured out to the outside world, meet many people, and learned new knowledge, did I realize that at the end of the day, a sword is still just a piece of metal." The elder's word's throw the little girl off, confusing her, but it made the child listen more intently to what the seasoned veteran is trying to say. "No matter how beautiful or flawless a sword is, it is nothing more but another object that rusts and breaks like all of us. Instead, we must learn to see the more important skills within ourselves, rather than relying solely on the quality of our weapons to determine the battle's outcome."
The elder didn't let go of the katana, instead she waited. She positioned it at the side of her waist, as if the blade is unsheathed. The old lady's posture looked like she is about to pull the weapon out with only one hand.
The girl watched patiently, she doesn't want to interrupt. The matriarch is trying to teach her something, some sort of important lesson that she can remember for the future.
A gentle wind blew across them, causing both of their hair to follow in the same direction. A single piece of leaf, disconnected from the tree branch above her. It slowly made its way down, closer to the elder's position. The old woman waited patiently, as her target finally entered her range. With one quick swipe, so silent and precise, she cleanly sliced the falling leaf into half.
The little couldn't process what just happened, it ended so quickly that her eyes cannot comprehend how the matriarch managed to do it. She went over and picked up the two now severed leaflet. They still retained its green and fresh pigment, none of it is spewing out despite the damage inflicted.
The girl continued to observe, she noticed the incision that cut through the leaf was straight and flawless. Almost as if something magical was applied here.
"Can you teach me this?" The child asked the matriarch with bright eyes. She wanted to learn this so that she herself can also practice and master the blade.
The matriarch slowly shook her head, and watched toward the horizon. "It is good that you have an eagerness to learn, to improve and better yourself. The fact that you are starting your training at the age of four already shows your commitment to becoming a Kyoshi warrior. But you are rushing it, you need to set a strong foundation for yourself. I cannot teach you this my child, because what I just did was the fruit of my own training rather than what I use to achieve mastery over my weapons." She then made a long tired sigh, which made the little girl wonder what is bothering the matriarch.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
"Nothing," Suki smiled, watching the sunset beyond Kyoshi island. "It's just, I find it funny, that no matter how much achievement one has, or have something that is dear to you. You will always lose them." She looked at her arm. It wasn't as strong as they once was. She was once a strong fighter, a veteran of the One Hundred Year War. Even though she is a non-bender, that never deterred her from fighting and defeating enemies much stronger than her.
She has many accomplishments, but how much of them actually mattered to her personally? She took a single picture out of her green kimono, it is one of the few pictures she always carries around with her. A piece of drawing that depicts six people, made before they participated in the war. Suki is in it, she stood next to five other Kyoshi warriors which Mayumi did not recognize.
"Great grandma," Mayumi asked innocently. "Who are they?" Wondering who the five woman in the picture were. They all have dark hair, but with identical face paint as Suki.
Suki took a look at Mayumi, and smiled. "You see that one in brown hair? That is me!" She chuckled, almost excited. "These others girls are my close friends. We used to guard the island together from pirates and the fire nation." Suki paused, looking at the sunset again. "Such good girls they were, they followed me from start to finish. I sure do miss them. It's a shame that I am not as young as I once was."
"You are still young!" Mayumi exclaimed, trying to cheer Suki up, which the old matriarch knew and acknowledged the kindness.
"We all must go someday my child, and eventually I will see my friends again. I am sure my own husband would also be glad that I can once again dress him up as a Kyoshi warrior and beat him up!" Suki now giggled a little bit.
"Beat him up?" Mayumi asked, thinking Suki's husband was not a very good person. "Was he mean to you?"
"No my child!" Suki hastily clarified, trying not to laugh at Mayumi's wild thoughts. "He's not that type of person."
Suki then proceeded to reveal a necklace under her kimono. A round piece of stone curved uniquely, painted in the color of blue. It is fastened to a choker, and hangs around Suki's neck. Judging by the design, Mayumi knew this must be from the water tribe.
She leaned in to take a better look, not entirely sure who is the one that gave it to Suki.
"My adventure with the Avatar and his friends have taken me to many places. At one point my husband gave me this, a water tribe betrothal necklace, a sign that he wants to marry me. But since I myself is not from the water tribe, the girls and I decided to make him eat half a bowl of rice, to see if he actually cares about me and my culture."
"He did it right? He ate the rice?" Mayumi questioned. According to the customs of Kyoshi island. When a man wants to propose to a woman, he must went to her house to ate half a bowl of the rice provided, if the woman accepts him, she in turn will ate the other half.
"He did," Suki replied, holding back her smirk. "Not before choking on himself after swallowing some of it!"
Mayumi laughed along with the old lady. It's good that she can temporarily put her mind off her training and have some fun.
"Anyway," Suki continued. "We lived a very happy life together. While he was busy with his duty in Republic City. We never allow our bond to disconnected regardless of the distance. I still remember that I would play my favorite music with my gramophone just to see his annoyed face! Hehehe."
"I wish I could have see him," Mayumi commented. Imagining having another family to bond with. "It must been nice have married to somebody who you very love."
"Definitely," Suki reinforced.
They both admired the sun that is slowly setting across the ocean. The clouds bathed themselves in orange as they reflected the sun's rays. It was a precious moment. A moment not easily obtained. They took their time to watch the sun gradually lowered itself, until only few of its light is still visible. There was a long silence between the two, it was finally broken when Suki asked Mayumi to do something for her, something very important.
"You know my granddaughter, your own mother, Akahana, is pregnant with a baby girl." Suki verbalized. Hints of concern can be extracted by Mayumi, who have learnt from a young age to read another person's voice and expression to better understand them. "You must be very happy to have a new sister to play with, right?"
"Of course! The doctor told me personally that I will get a sister!" Mayumi eagerly replied. But she cannot help but anticipate Suki is trying to tell her something less pleasant.
Suki coughed a little bit, and went on and said. "I cannot help but be concerned. For you already know, I am not going to be around for ever. And I-"
"Please don't say that," Mayumi pleaded, cutting into Suki. The little girl gripped her hands into fist the moment she heard it. "I don't want to hear that! You are going to be with us for a long long time! You hear me!" She hate to hear things like this, which Suki did complied by not going further.
"It's ok my child, all I wanted you to do is promise me something both very simple and important." Suki breathed some air, and continue to give Mayumi the momentum task. "I wish you can protect this new sister of yours once she is born. As the older sibling, you need to set an example as well as protect her from danger. Never put her in harms way. That is my last and final wish. If you can assure me that, your would make this old lady very happy."
At this current point in time, Akahana is not on Kyoshi island. She has ventured out to the world and Mayumi was told by her father that she is doing something very 'important'. While she has yet to replace as one of the three Kyoshi warrior leaders, everyone knew the young mother is in no condition to leave her home and endanger herself. Not even Hakaru can convince her to forfeit her quest, neither was the doctor's advice able to sway her. She may be a strong warrior, but have a developing life inside her while wondering the volatile Earth Kingdom mainland may not be the best.
"But, mum can do that, she is strong." Mayumi replied. She felt a little nervous at this prospect of being her sister's protector. "Why are you asking me as if I would be the only one left to do so?"
"Because I'm just worried that your mother might be overthinking things and go crazy, there some family history that I don't want to tell you since you are still young. But if for some reason she is gone, it is up to you and your father to keep your little sister safe!" Mayumi felt Suki's words are prudent enough, even though the matriarch never specify what her mother is overthinking about. However, Mayumi is certain that the death of her grandparents may have something to do with this.
"I will, I can promise you that." Mayumi assured, already feeling a great sense of burden the moment she accepted old lady's request.
Mayumi gave the matriarch a tight hug, trying to not let tears flow from her eyelashes. She wanted to do it now, in case she would never get to do it again.
Suki was uneasy, she knew Mayumi is still too young to handle the truth and burden of what many adults must face. But she knew there is still one more thing she can do for this future Kyoshi warrior.
"There is no need to cry," Suki said soothingly. She tries to comfort Mayumi by gently patting her back. "You will be a great Kyoshi warrior, a daughter and sister to those around you, and I know you will." It failed to stop Mayumi from crying, but she spoke on. "Even I may not be there in the future to guide you, you should know that I will always watch over all of you no matter what. Like my friend once said, family always finds you. I just want to say out of all the achievements I have in this life, none of it is as great as my own family. With this knowledge, I am sure your sister would safe under your wing." Suki finally hugged Mayumi, giving her an embrace she deserves.
With this done, the sun finally set, marking the end of this very day. The moon soon slowly took over, illuminating itself high up in the starry night.
Mayumi saw this, the stars circled the moon as if the crescent entity is much more important than them. She rose from the back of Khenbish's sky bison, whose fur is ever more soft and comfortable. It's the middle of the night, but Mayumi couldn't sleep. She felt she can still hear Suki's words ranging in her ears, reminding her the promise she made to protect Satchiko with her life. When she looked around, Mayumi notice that Satchiko is still sleeping.
The younger Kyoshi warrior slept soundly on this bison. Since the same baby bison just so happens to also be sleeping on the one they are on, Satchiko used this perfect opportunity to turn this baby bison into a pillow.
Mayumi watch Satchiko sleep. It may not be significant, but it felt peaceful. Yes, the sleeping Satchiko is drooling on the baby bison's fur, but it's still fun to watch nonetheless. As Mayumi used a handkerchief to clean Satchiko's face, she cannot help but remember Suki's words. The action of Mayumi so far has possibly done more harm than good for her younger sister. If it wasn't for them stumbling across Batu in the wilderness, both of them would have probably been taken captive by the Acolytes of Vaatu. If the four bandits they encountered are indeed one these 'acolytes', and they belonged to the same group as the pirates that raided them. Then Kyoshi island would be in a very difficult position with the two daughters of one of its leader being captured. Who knows what hideous demands these terrorist would make, when they use the two sister's life to threaten Kyoshi island.
Batu snored loudly on the other side of the bison. The boy was rather restless by the fact that he is sharing the same camp with those air-nomads. In fact, the place they are now at are quite close to where those four monks have stationed their own bison. Mayumi noticed that his blankets are not covered properly, his upper part of his body is exposed to the cold dark night. While he is still wearing his brown fur clothing, he would still get a cold since it is almost freezing right now.
Mayumi only rolled her eyes and smiled, she fixed the blanket so it would cover the kid more adequately. She doesn't want the boy to catch a cold, nor does she wants to make his family and clan worry more.
Mayumi's ears flickered when she felt something flew by above her. No, there must have been two of it. She looked up in the sky, only to find the same moon and stars which she has expected. Should she sound the alarm? Are bandits invading again? It's all just silent now, so quiet that she can hear the crickets sing their songs.
She breathed in, and out. Savoring this moment of peacefulness. Even in times of difficulty, a clear mind is never a bad thing.
Before she can act, she heard a very familiar music. The sound of the Erhu played to a tone so similar to the music Suki once listened to regularly. A song so old and so famous, that it has become a legend even to this day.
Without much thought, she jumped off the bison after making sure Satchiko and Batu are tugged in bed, or the bison's fur to be more specific. She hopped off, and searched for the origin of that beautiful music. Whatever happens next, she will have to find out herself.
Author's notes:
-Akahana is said to have replaced someone else as the Kyoshi warriors leader of her own village, but who is she? Let's find out...in a future chapter!
-The whole thing about a man eating half a bowl of rice as way of proposing to a woman might sound weird. However, it is part of the Japanese Ainu culture, which is also the inspiration for Kyoshi island and the villagers who wear blue clothing that bares incredible resemblance to their real life counterparts. In fact, this chapter is partly inspired by a Reddit post, credits to kkachi95.)
(I unfortunately could not get the link to work, but it is a visualization that better explains how this how tradition works. I guess will have use my world class improvisation to explain this!"
Action!
Character A enter house. "I want marry you, gib me rice!"
Character B put rice of table. "Eat half bowl of rice first!"
Character A eaten half bowl of rice. "Now you finish other half!"
Character B didn't finish other half. "No, you dumb and ugly!"
And so, character A was rejected by character B. Morale of the story, character A should have put some tomato sauce on the rice so that character B will not be able to resist the rice's supreme tomato sauce taste.
The end.
