Yasu Al's Journal

[yasu]

Dear Journal,

Mother insisted upon me writing all of my troubled thoughts into this little booklet she bought for me in the market today. She says that it is made from the finest pig-cow's pelt, and the stone is a real "tiger's eye". But truly, I don't see why I need it. What's the point in a little book I am probably not going to write in any ways? I won't keep up with it, but I suppose that I can do it...just for her. I'm getting a little put-off with Mother. She's been getting quite...lost...lately. Lost, I suppose, is the best word for it. Its like she is in slow-motion, and she seems to tune everyone out. It worries me, but at least she isn't tending to my very needs anymore.

Agh! Emi, my stupid, spoiled, bratty, terrible, selfish little sister! She just thinks that she can waltz into my rooms and brag, brag, brag! She thinks she can get away with it? "So what if Mom got you that silly little journal? She gave me a cat-owl!" Argh! The little girl had it coming! I successfully threw my brush at her head and told her to get out or else. I nearly threw you, Journal, but thankfully I thought ahead and changed my mind. She would've stolen it from me. And why does she get the pet, and I get this stupid book? Its not fair! I'm older, wiser, and the heir of this mansion! That little brat...!

But I won't let my anger get a hold of me. Not now. I've worked so hard to achieve prefect calmness--you know I was born calm? My parents thought something was eerily wrong with me, but I was just born that way. Always calm. Always easily put to rest. Its a burden sometimes, trying to be the calmest in our family.

Mother just came in, yelling at me about throwing my brush at Emi. At least, she had started to yell about that, I guess, but then she saw me writing in you, Journal, and she changed her mind with a bright smile. "I'm glad to see you have taken to it so well," she simply mused before shutting the door behind her. I swear, sometimes that woman is just too off.

I am anything but "taken" to it. I probably will stop writing the third day. Yes, I am sure I will. How could I possibly keep this up, when I am so excited about the Academy? It will be fun, and perhaps something new and exciting will happen to me there! Just a few months more, and I will be gone from this chaotic place!

Perhaps I will write more soon,
Yasu Al

[yasu]

Dear Journal,

That's right. I'm writing in you again. But, what else should I do while sitting in bed SICK. That's right, I'm sick. That's rather pathetic if you ask me. Mother says its because I haven't been exercising enough, and so my protection is down. Whatever; I've been chasing Emi around all week, trying to be "the good big sister" that I'm supposed to be...meaning I was chasing her around with my feather pen threatening her to give you back to me. That's right, Journal, that little brat took you from me! ...Not that I have become that entranced with you. Its nothing like that, I assure you.

Anyways, now I am sick in bed. My nurse-maid, my dear, dear nurse-maid that I consider more of a big sister than a servant, ordered me to stay in bed. What am I to do? I feel so bored, even though Father tries to visit me as much as possible. I'm afraid though, his limp leg from the war is giving him pain so he is in his study most of the time. I do get the occasional visits from Emi and Mother. It makes me simmer how Emi can act so sweet when really she is the exact opposite!

I know I am talking in rambles now. Or, perhaps now. I really can't tell, perhaps my fever is coming back up. Oh no, my nurse-maid is back and she is nagging at me for writing when I should be resting. ...Now she is yelling because she thinks I am ignoring her. Quite the opposite, I have assures her. Well, I should go. I will write back when I feel even the littlest bit better.

I guess I'll come back to write,
~Yasu Al

[yasu]

Dear Journal,

Not much to say. Still sick. Still in bed. Its currently sun-high here at the Manor House, and I have been moved to my window seat by one of the man servants strong enough to pick poor, thin little me to a far length. Guess who came to visit me today civilly? If you guessed Princess Azula, then you are wrong (who would want that child in their room, anyways? She's a monster!). It was indeed someone worse than the Royal Highness herself. It was my sister, Emi! She came baring a bouquet of flowers, offering them to me as a 'get-better-soon-so-I-can-annoy-you-fairly' gift. How sweet of her.

She stayed with me for a few minutes before wandering out of my room to go "frolic in the flowers" as my mother puts it. I bet Emi goes straight to the kitchen and munches on the rolls! The little rat. She can eat so much but stay so skinny! Mother has visited me once or twice, and Father's visits are becoming more frequent for he has to exercise his leg. Emi's pet cat-owl disappeared this morning; I could hear Emi screaming about it to Mother. Something about wanting it to get some exercise so Emi let it out in the garden. It flew away. The stupid child.

Nobody likes to be locked up.

~Yasu Al

[yasu]

Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear!! Dear journal, I fear for the worst. But before I begin with the present, I must begin from the beginning. Oh dear diary, I truly feel that this will be a dangerous turn of events.

I have been sick for more than three weeks, diary, with a fever and a terrible cough, as I had mentioned in my last entry. At last I was allowed to get out of bed, after having spent the past weeks in bed reading and not allowed to write at all. So my nurse-maid let me go into my mother's garden. I was walking down the paths, so lovely, they were. I was turning from the rose path into the daisy path when I heard voices: my mother's, and two other's, a man's and a woman's. I was confused, so I crawled onto my hands and knees and into the flowers. I sat there, listening to my mother talk to two cloaked people. They were talking about some sort of Rebellion. They were talking about an attack on the Fire capitol. They were saying such strange things, and it frightened me. I crawled as fast as I could, and stood up and, despite the pounding headache I had, ran as fast as I could to the only person I could go to: my father.

I ran into his office and collapsed into his arm, diary, and told him everything. Father loves mother so much, diary, so very much. Surprisingly, despite the things I told him, he believed me! His face went so pale, diary, I thought he was the one who was ill, not me! He set me down and rushed, and limped, out of his office toward my mother's private gardens.

I was being led back to my rooms by my angry nurse-maid when I saw my mother being led away by five guards of our estate, her head raised stubbornly, my father walking briskly in front of them. He looked so sad. She looked so defeated.

I haven't heard anything since then, after I was lead into my room. My nurse-maid will not tell me anything, and I can hear Emi's screaming from even my room, demanding for our mother. Oh, diary, what have I done?

[yasu]

Journal,

Its been three days. My nurse-maid has let me out of my bed permenately--It seems whatever I had has gone. Now I sit on a bench facing my mother's garden, under a terrace. ... Father still has not returned from...wherever he went. My nurse-maid informed me that he left on an important business trip. But what business does a retired general hold? I fear that he has gone to wherever they took my mother. Father...I'm afraid for him. He has not come back.

Emi has locked herself in her room. She's calling out for attention. That's all it ever is with her. My nurse-maid, who tends to have to look after Emi as well at times, has called out for some of Emi's little friends to come over today for a play-date. But their mother's won't allow them to come.

I wonder why?

-Yasu Al

[yasu]

Dear Journal,

According to our nurse-maid, Father has finally returned. And yet...I have yet to see him. I'm worried for him, and afraid. He was doing un-well while everything was alright and I have yet to hear of Mother, and I think that maybe I have destroyed all our lives. What if I have?

What if I've destroyed the last bit of peace in my world?

I'm afraid to go find Father.

I'm afraid he'll tell me what I already know.

Yasu Al