Hot Night's Aftermath

[Teiú]

When Teiú opened his eyes there was no shoreline to be seen. A starry night sky was still present, but by horizon's line some light was being produced. The metal ship was sliding smoothly over swift waters. The firebender was laid to an old piece of a blanket. When he tried to get up, an agonizing pain put him back laid down. He didn't use his voice, but his heavy breath moved people around. An old woman came by. She said pleasant words that, though Teiú understood quite well, quickly escaped his thoughts. What she was doing, however, he knew. She took of the fabric from over his left arm. From just above his left elbow to the tip of his fingers his skin was severely scarred. His left shoulder was in bands. It reminded him of the arrow that hit him there back at the heated night.

When that old woman splashed some kind of mud over his burnings, a heavenly feeling took over him. Teiú let go a deep sigh of relief. Taking his right hand to his face, Teiú relaxed all the muscles of his body. But the calls of someone else snapped him out of it. Teiú stood sat. In front of him many men and women, all dressed in rags, were standing, peering directly at him. Nearest, was a small boy with a dirt face and hair over his eyes. A young woman appeared behind him. Her tears were overflowing. Teiú stared with surprise within him and surprise across his face. In a pretty careless way she hugged him tightly, to which he flinched, to which the old lady caring for him moved the young lady back. The woman smiled. In a voice that seemed almost a crying she thanked many times. The kid Teiú hold in his arms and brought aboard was her kid, and she wasn't measuring efforts in thanking him. All nearby were also staring at the confused firebender. Most if not all were smiling.

Incapable of reacting to that, Teiú just stood there, with an open jaw. A man in black, recognizable as one of Teiú's early team, came by and dissipated the crowd. When people had left the attention of young rebel, the man came by. He crouched, very closely to Teiú and whispered in the rebel's ear. Right after, he took Teiú's right hand from the ground and shook it with his own. His smile summed up his point. Teiú just answered with a tired smile, the best he could pull, then. Now, more conscious of the situation, while the old lady was bandaging his injured arm, his eyes scanned the place. By the ship's deck all and any were tending to the injured and tired. A vision, in particular, for the first time in his life so strongly, made his heart skip a beat.

A few meters away someone was trying to take off a band from the eyes of a skinny and little figure. The little person was insisting it shouldn't be done. But even if her raven colored smooth hair was such a mess and her white skin tanned by staying under Earth Kingdom's sun, Teiú was able to recognize her. He moved. The lady tending to him put him sat again. She finished just in time to tell him not to overdo himself. It didn't matter anymore. He rose, barely ignoring the pain in his bandaged arm.

It was her, he knew, he felt it. And what was with the eye bandage? That he knew as well. That was the last thing he asked of her before they got separated. That was, hiding her beautiful amber eyes. Now the one with overflowing tears was him. That as well, didn't matter. He came by. The young man trying to care for her turned to Teiú. Seeing this newcomer had a feeling for meager child, he tried to explain she wasn't letting him take off the bandage.

Teiú knelt in front of her. He touched her cheek. She flinched.

"Nah... Sets, Sets... it is ok... it is me... Teiú. You can show your eyes now..."

And the first rays of the sun were already caressing their faces

[set]

Since the chaos began some hours ago, the little girl had not stopped quivering with fear and anxiety. Though in danger, she refused to take off the bandage over her eyes because she dedicated herself deeply to the promise she made long ago—how long ago, she did not know—to hide her eyes for the sake of her safety, even though she could have taken them off and been capable of saving herself with sight of her surroundings. Though, her companion Hibiki successfully protected her from the fray, and they both made it to safety.

The girl had become thinner from lack of food and nutrition, so her limbs felt like literally skin and bone. Bruises were visible as well upon her tanned and sunburned skin, blended with dirt that stained both her outer flesh and rags. Now, her previously beautiful raven hair had been reduced to a short, tangled mess against her neck, barely higher than her shoulders—it used to come down to her waist.

Hibiki took care of her since they had escaped the chaos. Although he insisted they were safe, she continuously resented and refused to remove them. However, she felt a familiar tender touch against her cheek and a gentle voice soothe her. Both these and the speaker himself revealed his identity to him—Teiú. Indeed she did flinch at first, because she was still fearful, but she relaxed as the realization came over her of who knelt in front of her.

Finally, with shaky arms, she lifted her hands to behind her head. She untied the bandage, and it fell from her face—soft lids became exposed, still a bit of the light complexion that was her natural skin color. They opened slowly, then blinked, her long eyelashes fluttering and fluffing out after being pressed into her face for so long. Large, dull—but brightly expressive—golden irises glowed at the man before her. Her weak voice rasped in a whisper. “T…T-Teiú?” she squeaked quietly.

[gandalan]

Hibiki didn't understand. He really didn't. The poor girl was safe- why did she not take off her blindfold? It wasn't as though it would kill her. Or hurt her. He just wanted to make sure that a cut was healing well enough.

He had pulled her through the fighting in Pahoui. He had nearly been killed so many times. Fire blasts whisking past, bits of rock flying around him, dust, swords, arrows, spears. It had been a wonder that they made it out alive. He had found no true way to really put it to reason. The Spirits must have been looking out for him. He thanked them daily now. He had been a lucky one. Many were not so lucky. Many children. Many women. Many innocents.


Hibiki had always been one to be protected, so protecting somebody was a very different prospect. It felt very hard. The girl was suddenly clinging to HIM. He had always hidden behind Jialing, or Reed, but now, he was the one somebody else was depending upon. He felt weak. He wasn't strong. Not strong enough to face even a Fire Nation Grunt in battle. He could only ever run. But he'd been able to help Setsuko stay free too.

And so, now, trying to care for her, a man had come up to them. One of the more skilled warriors, if he remembered right. He was looking at Setsuko as if seeing somebody that he had missed dearly. He was not somebody that Hibiki had ever met, but she uttered the name, "Teiu..." as she removed her bandaging. But it was not something he had expected! For her eyes were of a deep amber color. He gasped, but did not judge- he was simply confused. He looked up at the man, then back at Setsuko, and the only thing he could think to say was, "Sir... thank you for saving us." He looked up at him in admiration. "After I threw the boulder, I mean... you... you fought for us. Thank you."

[Teiú]

As Setsuko untied her band, Teiú was quick at drying his tears. But when huge amber eyes peered at him and a faint voice whispered his name, his tears fell in profusion once again. He hugged Setsuko tightly with his good arm. She was smaller than he remembered and certainly lighter than before. And at that, this made him so preoccupied at her health status that he almost forgot how relieved he was for seeing her.

He let go of her to peer at the little figure. She was scratched, bruised and dirty. Teiú could see the marks of her bones beneath her skin, she was poorly nourished, as well.

His brown eyes peered back at her golden ones. "Yes, Sets, it is me. I... I'm... I'm so sorry... I. I won't let go of you anymore. I'm so sorry you've been through this."

The boy by their side threw words at Teiú. He seemed to be thankful. But then, standing in front of the person he swore to protect and, at that, he got separated from, Teiú couldn't feel the tiniest bit of admiration for himself.

He looked at the figure speaking to him. Drying his tears, he replied: "Don't thank me for that, boy. Instead, let me thank you for caring for my little friend here." At that, he stroked the top of Setsuko's head.

Teiú waved to someone at the distance. A woman in her thirties, carrying a huge bag by her side came by. "Got anything for the little girl here?"

"Yep." She answered, to what she delivered a canteen of water to his hands. She kept on: "But, eh... there were provisions aboard, but they are all Fire Nation's, don't know if she'll like it.

"No, this will be perfect, it will be fine." Teiú promptly answered. To that, the woman handed him two folded contents and one bowl. Upon opening them, one revealed Khomodo Rhino sausages. The other had dried rice. Teiú placed them in front of Setsuko.

"I guess you are hungry. Have them all. And you too, feel free." He said toward Setsuko and later toward Hibiki. "Sets... Sets... Can you... Can you remember how we got separated at Tachi Dai? Would you mind telling me what happened to you these past weeks?"

[set]

Without hesitation, the small girl began picking at the food in pieces and putting it into her mouth. As soon as she had a bit of something to digest in her stomach, she began to speak. Her voice, once nearly musical with squeaks and bounces of energy, had reduced to an almost weak whisper, withered from her malnutrition.

“I remember waking up on your back,” she began softly. “You fell down—collapsed, somewhere outside Tachi Dai I think. It was some time after that horrible man took me hostage. The town was in ruins when I woke up and everything smelled bad. There were Fire Nation soldiers taking prisoners. I didn’t want to break my promise of showing my eyes to anyone, like you said, so I took a piece of your shirt and used it as the bandage over my eyes to look blind. I tried calling for help because I thought you were dying, but they took me as an Earth Kingdom child and made me a prisoner too.” Her golden eyes saddened as she looked to him. “I thought you were dead, but I kept praying that you lived.” Her expression brightened. “And the spirits heard me!”

Setsuko then turned her head and smiled at the boy next to her. “This is Hibiki, Teiú. He helped me a lot—the soldiers were going to get rid of me for being blind, but he saved me.” She gestured to Teiú as she spoke now to Hibiki. “This is Teiú, Hibiki. I came here with him on a ship with this lady named Xin, but I think she went back to the Fire Nation now.” Setsuko paused at the boy’s shocked look. “Oh! Sorry, that’s confusing, right? I’m sure all of this is confusing.” The girl cleared her throat and ate another piece of sausage before continuing. “I am from the Fire Nation too, Hibiki, but I don’t like what these soldiers from the Fire Nation have been doing to the people here.” She glanced at Teiú. “I am not sure about returning home just yet.”

[Teiú]

As the little girl spoke, she resumed most of the events Teiú came to imagine that happened since they got separated. Indeed, that was his last memory, collapsing in some Tachi Dai street, his closing eyes gazing at the bomb barrage. She kept on till the time he found her. However, saddening as her story would be, right after she finished, she explained the actual situation to her friend, Hibiki. And what she said deeply surprised Teiú.

Setsuko's words threw the firebender out. Of all, that was the least he was expecting to hear. Was that the motivation this world's war gave to Setsuko? When she stated she wasn't willing to return to the Fire Nation, a deep feeling of sadness filled his inner self. His jaw let loose.

"Sets... why you say that?" He said, as gently as he used to. "I mean, eh... wouldn't... wouldn't you like to see your family? I mean, you miss them, don't you? You spoke about them so many times... your father, in his boat coming by noon, his ship filled with fish. Your brother, that though annoying was your partner in trouble, and all. Don't you miss your friends at school? And the red earth of Lun Yang? The whitest sand by the beach and the orange sun over the mountains?"

That though Teiú hated Ozai, his will was to give his family and friends back at the Fire Nation a better life. And about his love for his country, that was a feeling he wanted to share for all of his people. To hear and see one of his land's very child deep in disappointment with it was such a hard thing to bear.

He sighed. "Sets. Those soldiers you speak about... they are like you and me... and like everyone else in this boat. And like those suffering in this continent, no matter Fire Nation or Earth Kingdom. Please, don't think bad about them, they are victims as well. I will not say everyone is good because... because there are no such thing. But believe me... they are being fooled. Fooled by Ozai, you know him. We are all being fooled by him. And mocked by his lineage. He is the one throwing us against each other."

Realizing the heavy content on the subject, he smiled at her, letting his speech loose a bit. "But... don't give up. It will all be better. I found you. We will be fine from now on. And... well, we can do whatever you wish right now. Whatever you choose... I mean, I'll protect you. Better than before. We can surely do better around this land for a while, if that is what you wish."