Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Avatar the Last Airbender
It was just another peaceful day in the Water Tribe. More peaceful than usual, in fact, considering the new guardians that had become points of worship for the people. The towering ice sculptures of the great spirit's making loomed over the village, intricately carved and imbued with the essence of something ancient.
Each of the gazes from the figures, whether fierce or soft, seemed to watch over the tribe and rather than being afraid, somehow they brought comfort to the superstitious people.
The secluded community had embraced these sculptures with all their might, lighting offerings at the smaller versions that tried their best to capture the likeness while sharing tales of their perspectives of his arrival.
The Great Ocean Behemoth. Leviathan. The Child of the Spirits. The Conqueror.
He had many names and the fever only seemed to grow. His name spread far and wide barely tempered by the fact that he rested inside his temple with their best offering.
Princess Yue. She, who was blessed by the moon itself. The only one who in hindsight was sufficiently good enough to be his.
For Nami and Kai however their duty went far beyond mere praise. Two twins who had lost their parents, not to the fire nation but to the unforgiving tides, had found themselves granted an immense honor. That being guarding the grand door to his chambers for today's shift by the High Priestess Hama, the leader of the Order of The Leviathan.
And so they stood, slightly nervous despite both being trained intensively, Kai more than Nami who was now blossoming under the new traditions that allowed her to do so.
…
"It sounds like fun…" The blank voice said with a hint of longing.
Nami with dark hair and brown eyes clenched her bear seal teeth spear, hearing a cackling voice akin to a bloodthirsty maniac bouncing off the walls and a tiny feeble squeaking to accompany it.
Soon after the sound of massive amounts of water rushing like a powerful tide was heard.
"To be taught by the Great Spirit himself…Princess Yue is lucky…" Another blank voice filled with some envy spoke.
The twins stood silently hearing every terrified squeak and splash of water as the Princess got the most premier teaching there was.
"Sister."
"Of course."
Both twins, anticipating the rapid footsteps, quickly shifted into position. With a synchronized movement, they bent the ice, pulling the door open silently. As the cold air rushed in, they went back to their positions already having done this dance many times.
"Help meeeeee!" Like a frightened rabbit darting from a predator, the white-haired princess had bursted through the open door with a stream of water behind her, landing unsteadily on her feet looking around in a panic.
Drenched from head to toe, dressed in all black form fitting robes, she looked back with frightened eyes, quickly scrambling away with more streams before eventually forming a wave to carry her.
Right in time, as a massive, swirling sphere of water crashed against the wall where she had stood moments before, the force sent torrents cascading over the unfortunate guards nearby.
The guards, usually unflappable, couldn't hide their shock, their pupils dilating in awe as four enormous water tentacles wrapped around the doors, anchoring themselves as if seeking a foothold.
Emerging from the depths of the room, a golden-haired boy appeared, suspended mid-air, clad in sleek black robes like the princess, his face twisted into a wide, unsettling grin, exuding an aura of both mischief and menace.
"Great Spirit! It's an honor to be in your presence!" They both stood at attention taking in every bit they could as he turned to them with a confused look.
"Oh it's you guys! Sorry about that! Here let me-"
Right after the water that had soaked them both was pulled easily from their clothes cleaning them as well as they looked up with wide eyes.
"Right well, good job guys. I know standing around is super boring! Now I'm off to catch a rabbit mouse!" He smirked before his new appendages began carrying him away, lightly puncturing the walls with each heave forward.
They gazed at his departure in a daze before looking at each other.
"I'm never washing this again."
"Agreed."
If anyone had witnessed the current scene, they might have likened it to a demon lord tormenting a poor little princess.
"Yuuuuueeee!"
Yue stifled a gasp, her heart racing as the slow sound of scraping ice grew closer. She was nestled deep beneath the long stairs that led to his sacred room in hopes she had found somewhere safe.
"Yuuuuueeee!" The voice echoed again, now layered with a chilling playfulness that sent a shiver down her spine. The scraping intensified, and the shadow of long tentacles he had become fond of slithered into view as she gulped, her teeth chattering knowing he was right at the top of her!
"Yuuuuuueee? Where are you~?" He sounded amused as she held her breath seeing a tentacle move down the stairs, the light blue whip of water flowing back and forth dripping water silently.
With every passing second, the atmosphere thickened, as the girl began sweating seeing him not moving. Her lungs ached but she tried her best to keep quiet.
Slowly, the spirit began moving away, down the stairs calling out her name and Yue let out a raspy gasp seeing the water tentacles move away without discovering her.
She had gotten away from the great spirit! She had beat him!
Her entire body relaxed and she chuckled, clenching her hand cutely. Finally! After so many torturous weeks she had beaten her master!
She was free to serve him!
Yue, feeling confident, dared to peek up the stairs, popping her tiny head out making sure he left but funnily enough the first thing she saw was fur boots.
Confused, she looked up, her mind becoming progressively more blank as she eventually stared up into bright blue eyes.
"Hey. How are ya?"
Yue's mind exploded.
Do you know that feeling?
When you just got out of a scary situation and all your body's defenses completely shut down for a single second to release all your tension?
When in that exact moment the worst case scenario pops up right in front of your face without warning?
No?
Well Yue did.
Her mouth opened slowly…
Collectively as one the water tribe looked up to the flock of birds that flew away from the western direction of their tribe. It was as if something had disturbed them all at once…
Wasn't that where the great spirit lived?
"Ehm that probably wasn't very nice…" Naruto said sheepishly as he dragged his unconscious friend back to his room, holding her over his shoulder.
It had actually been a part of her training if that made sense. Tag. Ever since that talk with his mom, he had been training his butt off as much as he could, whenever he could. Which granted, wasn't much because he was still not quite at 100% from that run in with the fire nation.
Not that it mattered. He would almost never need to use all that power again and he took the time to perfect his craft even better.
However as he did that he became a bit closer with the princess under his arm who went to all lengths to help him as best as she could.
It was at that moment what his mom told him rang in his ears. The fire nation would stop at nothing to have him. Not even just them but anyone who wanted a piece of Naruto pie.
And they would use anything…
He had looked at the princess who had looked a bit startled at the intensity of his stare and had ordered in his best super spirit voice-
"You shall learn how to serve me better!"
It had been super embarrassing to say and he had felt bad preying on her worship but the results had spoken for themselves when her eyes shone and she had squealed, hugging him before quickly pushing him away, stammering apologies.
Now she was an expert in running using water bending! It seemed she took like a fish to water when it came to the art of escape. Now if only he could get her to actually hit something that wasn't a hunk of ice…
He hadn't made much progress with that one…she was really soft honestly.
'Well I ain't my mom who'd force that on someone. Weirdo.' Naruto felt completely comfortable making the comparison, feeling no need for her to do so.
His mom was crazy after all.
He laid Yue gently in the bed, patting her forehead before he looked around for something-
"Ah there you are!" Naruto smiled seeing the box he had requested in the middle of the big room. Walking up to it Naruto was about to rip it open before he stopped.
"Precision…how would you open this as a regular water bender." That was what Naruto found himself asking many times. Not because he thought he was weak but he was trying to gain better control over his power.
"Ah I know!" Naruto took a knee before he sent a single breath in, taking the little moisture that was in the air inside his mouth, before blowing out a chilling breath of thin freezing mist all over the crate.
When he was done it was like an icicle, completely brittle so he punched through the top easily causing the entire thing to crack and topple to the floor.
"I can't believe we didn't have any black dye here!" Naruto smiled seeing the sealed package as he opened it up. It was strange that the tribe didn't have dye here but he had gotten befuddled looks when he asked about it and apparently no, fur dye was not the same as hair dye and had he actually used it….
Naruto shivered.
"Mmmmm-" Naruto glanced over to his friend who was shifting on the bed yawning.
"Hey you're awake, great!" She flinched before turning over to look at him with sad eyes.
All of sudden Naruto felt really guilty. Wow she was really good at that.
"I failed? I don't think I'm qualified to serve you any longer-!"
"Atatata! Stop right there! I lied. You never had to be a good bender to serve me. I just wanted you to be able to defend yourself if you're going to decide to serve me!" Naruto immediately stopped her raising a hand as she stilled.
"Y-you mean all those nights worrying that you were going to replace me were a lie?"
'Uhh-' Naruto looked at her with wide eyes. Where did that come from?! He didn't know she was…
After being stared at by pitiful blue eyes Naruto dithered before deciding to nod his head slowly.
Her head lowered, shoulders began trembling and Naruto realized that 'oh crap' he may have gone too far.
Glancing around in a slight panic, Naruto tried to figure out how to get out of the situation but nothing came to mind.
'Well apology is a good place to start isn't it?' Squaring his shoulders, promising to own up to his mistake, Naruto looked back to her ready to make amends before his eyes bulged and he threw his hands up instinctively.
"You big meanie! Bad spirit! Bad!" The girl had surged forward and began wailing on the boy like no tomorrow. Hailing rather mild but very sophisticated insults that had his head spinning as he allowed the weak tiny fist hit his arms nonstop until she was tired. The training did backfire however as she had much more energy than before.
'I'm okay with this!' Naruto thought with a sigh of relief, grinning seeing her finally hit something. It was a bit evil of him but he couldn't help but feel glad that she too could get angry when pushed.
He had less to worry about that way.
"Hah hah hah hah." Naruto let his hands drop as he peeked at her through them, seeing her panting in exertion as her hands finally came to a stop resting down at her sides.
"Are you okay now?"
"Grrrrrrr!"
"Ehm okay then." Naruto scratched his head looking towards his arms. They were a bit red but didn't hurt much. He glanced back up seeing guilty eyes glancing away as he smiled.
"Yui? Have you been practicing your healing?' He laid his arms down and she looked towards them hesitantly, not saying anything.
Soon enough Naruto was looking down at his hands covered in a slight glow as the orb of water flowed back and forth around it.
"See? All better right?" He lifted them showing the improved condition as she slumped with a sigh.
"I'm sorry, great- Naruto, it's just…"
"It's okay…I shouldn't have pushed you."
She nodded slowly but said. "Yes…but you did it because you were worried great- Naruto! That's more than I can ask from you. Thank you."
Naruto scratched his head not sure that was exactly the right reasoning she made but all the boy knew was that he was glad she wasn't angry anymore.
"Cool! Now do you want to come visit the tribe with me? I bet you've been missing your parents huh?!" Naruto kicked off the bed moving towards the dye again with his little follower quick on his heels.
"You may not get very far great spirit. Everyone is still a bit…" The girl kneeled politely, smoothing at her black pants as the boy unveiled his secret plan.
"Not with this! With this we will go completely unnoticed!" Naruto held the package up like it was the Holy grail grinning as he saw her eyes shining.
"What is it?! Some kind of sacred treasure cultivated by the spirits?!" She looked so excited as Naruto looked at her strangely.
"No, it's hair dye."
"Oh…"
"Don't sound so disappointed!"
"Oh..I mean oooohhh!" She began clapping quickly and Naruto puffed his chest out not caring that it was fake.
"Yes, with this I will be able to walk among people completely unnoticed! I've always wanted to see how your tribe looked and now I can. There's just one problem…" Naruto quieted down as he looked at her embarrassed.
"What could possibly trouble you Naruto?" She asked in concern.
"I don't know how to use hair dye…"
"...you're not what I expected Naruto."
"Ehehe I'm great aren't I?"
They hadn't wasted any time. With Yue who was surprisingly skilled with dyes they had both been turned from their regular vibrant colors and made to look like the rest of the population.
Of course that was only after Naruto was able to convince the girl that yes, he could turn their hair colors back without much trouble. She had been a bit iffy but after demonstrating it she too, had jumped on board.
The girl liked her hair.
Naruto did too. It was pretty and really long. Like she never cut it before.
Of course Naruto who had been planning this for a long time already had separate, more humble clothes out to change in and his escape plan ready.
He had just finished putting on his brown fur boot when a question occurred to him.
"Where do you wanna visit first? I don't really know the village…ehm tribe like you."
His long black haired companion who had been putting on a fur scarf paused.
"Perhaps I can show you the shrine dedicated to the guardians Naruto? It could be a great place to start."
Naruto grimaced.
"I guess that's okay…I had been wondering about how everything was going." Actually Naruto could hardly remember even making them but he wasn't about to tell anyone that ever.
That just wasn't cool.
"Get on! It's time to make our escape." Naruto bent down gesturing for her to come forth but she simply gasped.
"S-such sacrilege!"
Naruto sweatdropped. Hadn't she just come from wailing on him? Granted he caused it but still…
"Yue! Stop being weird and let's go!" He cut through her rambles of "How could I ever touch the great spirit" and "Why am I hesitating touching the great spirit!"
He heard an intense breath being released behind him before he felt her familiar but strong Chi approaching him.
"My apologies great spirit but Yue will be selfish this time!" Sounding like she was giving into an addiction the girl climbed on top of the boy's back.
Naruto stood up but shivered at the hot puff of air on his ear.
"Yue is touching the great spirit! Ehehehehe~"
Naruto began sweating thinking this was a bad idea. If she was this bad when she had been near him for more than a month, how would those people who had only seen him as a tiny dot for a second feel?
This was actually kinda scary?
Anyway he didn't waste anymore time. Gripping the wall with his fingers making small ledges, Naruto who once used super strength to scale walls instead made it easier as he was at the ceiling in no time.
"What now great-oh okay." The princess blinked as Naruto simply pushed forward and touched the thick ice block roofing, turning a small part into water before pulling back and letting the new orb of water float near him.
The boy climbed out of the small crevice before replacing the ice block and looking around at the peak of his temple.
"Huh? That's more guards than before." Naruto blinked seeing smaller towers of ice surrounding his larger one.
Smaller in relation to his. They were still pretty dang big.
"Of course great spirit, your order grows every day and it is hard for High Priestess Hama to reject those who have a sincere desire to worship you." Yue filled in immediately.
Naruto frowned.
"Don't you guys need these people to do things other than guard me?"
Yue gasped and Naruto sighed.
Here we go.
"Truly magnanimous, great spirit! You are truly worthy of worship. There is no need to worry, Priestess Hama has assigned 3 squads to help out with both hunting and gathering for the tribe and the order. In fact there has been an increase in our supplies due to their need to prove themselves to you! Please don't worry! I'm sure the Priestess would be sad!"
Naruto was mind boggled. Was she trying to tell him this was a good thing? Was it a good thing?
Was he the problem thinking otherwise? Wait, was he being brainwashed?
Naruto sighed and shook his head.
"Well so long as no one is getting hurt I guess, how do you know this anyway Yue?" Naruto asked casually as torrents of fog began pouring out of his mouth spreading rapidly.
Yue who was gaping at the sight of so much land being covered in fog in seconds quickly answered.
"When I'm not with you great spirit, I sit around and listen to your followers speak. It's usually in the morning where the Priestess holds her…training sessions."
Naruto hadn't heard the slight inflection in her tone so he simply nodded, puffing out one breath of fog before he stopped.
All the tower's lights were on now, desperately trying to scan through the blanket and he could feel the slight tugging too of them trying to bend it but it was futile.
"So mom is really serious about this huh? I wonder if she's teaching them that?" Naruto asked more to himself than her as he kicked off the high tower before encasing them in a bubble all the down to the floor.
"Thaaaat?!" He ignored the question as he began dashing past the towers to the large gate he spotted. He couldn't see it but he already memorized it.
That and he could feel his mom in that direction. He had been working on being able to sense Chi and while it was still hard to differentiate between people he could still sense those he was close to.
He wondered what she was doing?
'What am I thinking? Probably something crazy!'
"So the earth nation still remains on the defensive you say? I understand what you're saying Chieftain Arnook but I truly can not comprehend it. Not when they have such an advantage…" A council member said at the table around the fire pit and Arnook sighed.
"I would not say they are so much at an advantage, more that the playing field has evened out somewhat. They are still hurting more than them." Arnook mused looking towards his brother as the man closed his eyes in contemplation before looking at another one of his council.
"Ba Sing Se, even before the siege of the dragon, never stepped out of their comfort zones to deal with the fire nation encroaching on them. Granted they are spread wide due to their massive numbers and many provinces but to think they waited for them to rip through the nation before reaching them is ludicrous." The elderly man sighed, rubbing his beard as if deeply troubled as Arnook spoke looking down at the report.
"Of course, the only reason the siege lasted as long as it did was because they had the many supplies from the lesser villages. It would have been hard but I still don't…" The man slammed the report down, getting silence to reign.
"I don't understand why Ba Sing Se is so…docile. You would think with the fire nation retreating they'd at the very least try to bolster themselves but it's like everything has come to a standstill! They've repaired their outer wall so we know they care about defenses however-" The man held his head at the troublesome issue.
Unlike before the earth kingdom had a prime opportunity to bring themselves together. They may not have the naval superiority to attack but they could at the very least make sure the fire nation wouldn't run through them again right?!
However at this rate, if the fire nation came back and Arnook knew they would, they would have an even easier time taking it all back.
While the entire world had been watching the fire nation, everyone else with even a hint of power was watching the earth kingdom for it was their response that mattered more at the moment but-
They did nothing.
Trying to think of a solution, Arnook's eyes widened and he gulped painfully as he spotted the curvy woman sitting peacefully as she drank her cup of tea under her blue veil. How foolish, how could he have ignored her when he had specifically asked for her presence?!
"My apologies, High Priestess! I do not know if you had anything to share regarding the situation." Arnook looked down with a sigh feeling a bit foolish.
It was his statement that turned the nervous attention in the room to the Priestess and her aid. It wasn't hard to see why. A single word from her mouth was just as influential as the chief's if even more so at times.
That wasn't even talking about the one who she worshiped. A single mouth from their mouth would serve to change the entire direction of the tribe and it wasn't an exaggeration.
Arnook had been a bit displeased at the implications at first and who wouldn't after having their power shared? However with a very reasonable dressing down from his wife made him understand that this was a blessing in the truest sense.
Afterall who on this entire planet, even past or the future could say that they had the personal protection and guidance of an all powerful benevolent spirit?! In fact he became very proud when that fact sank in.
Though the thought was in bad taste, not even the Air Nomads, those acknowledged as the most spiritually aware, had gained a boon like this.
The Priestess placed her cup down with a sad sigh that told much of what she thought about the situation.
"This situation is indeed truly perplexing, to be so desensitized to your very own nation's plight is something I could not imagine before now." Her voice came softly yet with a hint of undeniable strength that had the man nodding.
"Indeed Priestess Hama, despite their losses, which I truly understand were grievous, they should have at the very least tried to gather a defensive force. Who knows if they'll attack Ba Sing Se once mor-"
The man was interrupted by the woman's light laugh.
"My apologies Chieftain Arnook. My words did not come out clearly at all. Ba Sing Se is the last of my worries at the moment."
The man's face froze for a second before he regained his composure.
"Then who is Priestess? The main city are the ones who took the brunt of the fire nation's forces and they along with Omashu are the only ones with the power to properly fend them off."
The woman inclined her head as if in agreement.
"True, however Ba Sing Se is the greatest jewel of the Earth Nation. It is a given that they will survive the onslaught unlike the ones under their protection who they left to be captured and killed. For me to spare even a single worry for them now would be foolish."
Everyone took glances at each other at the sheer venom that came from the woman. It surprised each one of them for they hadn't seen such a display from her ever.
She coughed politely and the venom was gone making them wonder if it was real.
"They, despite being taken by surprise, were more than able to mount a defensive that forced defeat. No Chieftain, I'm far more worried about the many villages annihilated by the dragon of the west on his conquests of delusion." The voice came out sympathetic and deeply pained so Arnook gave the woman a look dismissing the earlier statement.
"You're right, Priestess. Refugees will be looking for places to relocate from those fire nation colonies. I imagine many will collapse without their presence anymore. If there's one thing, the fire nation is good at its leadership." The man acknowledged bitterly.
It seemed like the nation had everything perfectly prepared to dominate everyone else in the world.
"That and supplies. I imagine while the fire nation wasn't able to bring everything, they certainly didn't forget to destroy them. It would be easy with that insidious power only meant to destroy." Hama added.
"A bleak situation all around…" Arnook summarized with humms of agreement spreading all around him.
However surprisingly Priestess Hama came with a proposition.
"That is why I wish to send some aid to those who have been affected the most."
It was like someone said the fire nation was at their waters.
"P-priestess?! You wish to break our neutrality?"
"Our what?!"
"Neutrality?"
One voice spoke baffled and the other maliciously curious as everyone looked towards the man, all with varying expressions.
The man shrank back but didn't falter.
"My apologies, but what other term would accurately describe our stance? We have remained unyielding in the face of the Fire Nation's numerous atrocities. While I respect Priestess Hama, I-I must argue that involving ourselves in this conflict would be unwise." The man's voice became weaker with every word.
Arnook pounded his hand on the table, the force of his frustration reverberating through the room.
"Our so-called neutrality is not simply a matter of being unyielding! We carefully weighed the consequences and determined that it is in the best interest of our people to refrain from engaging in conflicts that are unlikely to yield favorable results. Our survival hinges on our ability to navigate properly!"
Arnook took a breath.
"For you to suggest otherwise…Narek…my apologies to Priestess Hama." He looked desperately towards the woman ready to try his best to alleviate the situation but-
"There is no need to apologize, Chief Arnook. What Narek says is very true. The northern tribe is very well known for their stalwart stance. I have no wish to jeopardize such a thing." He could hear the smile in the woman's voice but what she said was the last thing he wanted to hear!
Then she went and made the situation worse.
"That's why I specified that I will be sending the supplies to those in need. There is no need for the water tribe to carry any burden concerning these affairs-
"No! We will be more than happy to help you in this endeavor. Allow us to share the burden for the Child of the Spirits!" The woman nearly scared the spirit out of him with her words.
She may not notice but she was basically saying that she, the representative of the widely accepted guardian of their tribe, was going against their long standing status quo.
The problem with that was, with them not doing anything to help said women, that in turn meant he wasn't helping said guardian.
That was a no.
A big no for obvious reasons.
"Oh? While I welcome the help chief, what changed your mind? I wouldn't want to force your hand." The woman's voice was still soft, leading the man to think she had no idea the disaster that nearly hit them.
Sighing not wanting to burden her with the knowledge the man simply said.
"It's simply the right thing to do, Priestess. Nothing less, nothing more. How could we not help them when they clearly need relief from the fire nation? It would be inhumane otherwise." A smattering applause that followed clearly showed, while not on board they also followed his train of thought as he did before.
Looking over to the woman hoping that she was appeased, the man instead shivered, feeling a deathly chill as the woman's veil was turned towards him.
Just staring.
Nothing else.
Her voice came but something he couldn't put his finger on tinged it.
"Thank you for your help in these endeavors…Chief Arnook."
They would go on to discuss many more topics, almost until the night but he still hadn't been able to shake the feeling that something terribly wrong had happened.
"Fuuuu~ How disgusting…" The words were accompanied by the loud sound of teeth gnashing that served to honestly terrify the young handmaiden as she watched the once composed Hama completely lose it as she smashed her foot against the front of the boat, anger radiating from her form.
"Filthy."
Bam
"Lousy."
Bam
"Hypocritical."
Bam
"Trash! I'll kill you!"
Bam
Crack!
Yara flinched, quivering, hearing the wooden tip of the boat crack under the woman's feet, pulling her hand back into the water as she propelled the boat forward, down the tribes built in stream systems.
The sound of wood meeting flesh slowly stopped and only ragged breathing was left to fill the void.
"Ha ha ha…the audacity… he'll pay for it 1000 times over. I swear it."
'...the high Priestess is especially mad today. She's never gotten this bad. I wonder why?' She didn't think the Chieftain had said anything too bad.
Well it wasn't her business. She was just here to serve the great spirit and fill the void in her life.
Maybe that was why she was picked?
"Mindless bear dog shit, fucker-"
'Oh my, I don't think you can do that with a rectum Priestess Hama. Especially the chiefs.' Yara mused, pulling back her brown hair idly looking at the vein pulsing on the woman's neck.
Who knew the Priestess had such a vocabulary?
"Maybe we should leave! We're only getting diminishing returns here anyway." The woman grumbled annoyed but seemed to end it there as she became quiet soon after.
"Yara dear."
Flinch
"My Priestess?"
"You will not utter a word."
"...yes mam."
"Good, I know there was a reason I chose you."
The girl's chest puffed up in pride as her cheeks blushed at the compliment. That was more than she had ever gotten in her life and it felt good.
"Now tell me, what do you think of the problem with the earth nation's lesser cities? Do you think there's any salvaging them?"
The girl blinked slowly before doing as she asked, thinking about it. Sadly she wasn't very smart so she could only come up with something rather basic.
"My Priestess, I think the first person who feeds them will get their loyalty." She remembered going hungry many times in her offshoot village faraway, the worst being when the blizzard had wiped away half the village.
It was a treasonous thought but if even the fire nation had come and offered her something she would have ran in their arms.
Hunger was a different thing altogether and she never wanted to experience it again.
So she simply bowed her head readying for her punishment but instead she got a rather disbelieving yet enchanting chuckle that shocked her.
"That..is an excellent idea dear. More than you know. I will properly reward you for such but for now take me to the temple. I need a bit of cleansing from that filth and there's only one way to do it." The way she said the last sentence didn't shake her nearly as much as being complimented twice in one day.
Hama's eyes widened in disbelief as they approached not the grand temple that housed her child but one of the many recent shrines dedicated to the worship of the creations of her child.
"On second thought, take us over there," she commanded, her voice firm and decisive and without hesitation, the boat was maneuvered toward the massive structure that loomed ahead, surrounded by many residents.
"What in the spirit's name has happened here?" Hama wondered aloud, she was accustomed to seeing devotees offer their prayers and tributes like the sheep they were, but the usual ebb and flow of the crowds seemed disrupted.
"They typically know when to leave for others," she mused, scanning around her for any sign of what was amiss.
As the boat gently nudged against the icy walkway, she glanced at the girl accompanying her. "Stay back," she instructed simply before making her move.
With some caution, Hama stepped onto the ice, the cold seeping into her bones as she began making her way closer.
As she moved closer, the murmurs grew louder, an undercurrent of awe rippling through the crowd. Hama's heart raced but still pushed to confront it. It was better if she knew now rather than waiting for one of her men to tell her.
"It's Priestess Hama make way!" She wasn't surprised she recognized, happy even, as the crowd began parting in a hurry for her arrival.
"Make way!"
"Move-!"
"Good day Priestess, how are you?"
"I love your hai-!"
Hama stopped listening to the 50th sentence directed at her as she finally made her way to the entrance of the shrine guarded by two of her men, who did not impede her.
'Now let's see what's…going…on?' Hama blinked looking around at the people kneeling before the smaller statue of Kurama. The statue that she very much did not remember being so life-like before, nor curled around a massive pillar of ice snarling like an evil spirit.
From the back of the crowd Hama watched intrigued as a mother and her babe walked up to the jaw of the beast and raised her baby up to it.
'Are they sacrificing it?' Hama blinked, feeling distinctly uncomfortable at the sight, about to stop this foolishness immediately. If this got back to her child somehow…
However instead Hama watched with astonished eyes as a small, nearly unnoticeable stream of water, slowly, very slowly dripped from the jaw of the fox rabbit spirit before a single drop of water drained onto the baby's forehead before stopping.
Said baby glowed.
Hushed gasps filled the air.
"S-she's breathing! She's breathing! My baby!"
'Oh dear, this might be a problem.' Hama gaped as the cheers echoed throughout the shrine. It may have only been a single drop but-
Did her baby just make…Spirit water intentionally? The most potent healing ever known?!
Somehow this was the most surprising thing she had seen yet…after all even she knew about the mythical water from when she was a child.
It just made it all the more real.
His power.
(Break)
Hama hadn't wasted any time in getting back to him feeling like a little girl again without a hint of shame. So what? He was her child so she could admire his prowess without being judged!
Of course she didn't dismiss her guards when they told her of the unnatural fog, already confirming that he finally decided to step out of his 'Self imposed' training.
She had not understood why he was so hard headed about staying inside, considering she would have never allowed anyone to touch him in his weaker state but she adhered to his wishes.
When she reached the main door she didn't wait for her guards to open the doors. No with a stomp and a slight grunt Hama opened them herself before swiftly moving inside.
She had emulated her child a bit, realizing that he did not subscribe to the rules of push and pull like so many other water benders.
No, water was under his control and its shape was only limited to his imagination. It had been years of effort to say the least but at least she could say she was the first bender to learn under the newest original bender no?
Slowly she came up the stairs and to the door of his chambers that were already open.
She glanced at the two skilled twins with a acknowledging nod before she made her way inside the room.
She sniffed.
'Hair dye…' Deep amusement filled her eyes. It was easy to recognize considering she was the one who taught him about it first. So that was how he got around huh?
Hama's eyes shone brightly seeing her boy curled up on his bed snoring all vulnerable with black hair. She could just eat him right up with how cute he looked.
'He seems to have grown a bit.' She thought critically hyper aware of his growth at all times.
Sitting on the bed with a maternal smile the woman was about to run her hand through his hair before she paused her eyes narrowing in displeasure.
'This little girl…' Hama pursed her lips looking at the similarly black haired child dozing off into her child's arm being spooned as her eyes twitched.
Hama gazed at the girl for a long moment remembering her previous interaction with her father.
Negative emotions raged in her eyes as she glanced between them before pragmatism won out.
True, she could take out her anger on the child but why should she? She was in her clutches. Her's.
Willingly given. There was no need to harm something she had already gone some lengths to mold.
'Yes, she's far more useful to have around.' Hama thought as she stripped silently, still feeling uneasy with the girl so close.
The girl could be used to hit the man where it hurt the most and she wouldn't even need to force her. Thereby not hurting her child or coming out as the villain in the conflict.
"Yes, I shouldn't allow a single bout of emotion to rule me. The long game will be far more satisfying." Hama finally kicked off her boots leaving her sparsely covered but she had a solution for that.
The shameless woman slipped under the covers and immediately big spooned her son and reluctantly the little girl too.
"...mom…you're being weird again…" The woman blinked astonished to hear her child up before he yawned going back to sleep.
The woman silently pinched his cheek. She was not weird!