chapter two
Yanmei had seen everything that happened. she felt everything. from the shock of the electricity flowing through her body as everything in her shut down, to the agonizing feeling of the water flowing freely into her lungs, the waves swallowing her whole as they pushed her from one end of the lake to the other. pushing her through the small river leading to the ocean and dragging her onto the salty, sandy, and sticky shore.
she felt it all as she watched the battle unfold from a distance. she couldn't talk to anyone or feel them. she was a ghost. a spirit on the bridge of life and death. she had heard stories from Iroh that other spirits would be there and contact you in the spirit world, but Yanmei saw and heard nothing from them. it was if she was alone, and she had to watch herself and the people she cared about suffer as she began to fade away.
the pain she felt in her heart as she watched Zuko completely break at her downfall at the hands of his sister. she had never seen him so fragile. she had never seen him so vulnerable and upset over anything, not even his mothers disappearance. she never realized how much she actually meant to him as she watched him beg for someone to save her.tears fell down her face as she watched both her families grieve over her death. but the saddest part wasn't watching them lose her, it was the fact that Azula cried. they psychopathic and damaged princess who ended her life, cried on the shore of the lake after the Dai Li threw the body into the lake.
Azula didn't cry because she regretted what she did, or because she had lot the only person who was just as evil as she was. the only person who actually cared for her, who was her friend, who did everything in their childhood to protect her. she cried because she blamed Yanmei for the person she became. because the day that Yanmei blood bended her changed everything, and that small moment of weakness created a monster.
at least Yanmei wouldn't be there to see that monster, she had her own to deal with now.
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Manami had quickly gained her strength back thanks to Daria's medicinal tea and healing sessions twice a day. she was greatful for the family for letting her stay with them, they were a nice and welcoming family, something that Manami had always wanted.
a week has passed and Manami's memories have all came back, she remembers bloodbending Azula, being banished with Zuko, her dark episode at the North Pole, and her travels with the Avatar. most of all she remembers Sokka, she missed him so much.
they all think you're dead, they've moved on by now. who knows how long is been since you were defeated. the little voice in her head speaks. for years she had wondered why the voice was, but now she knows it's Vaatu. he helped create her spirit, so of course he had ways of getting in touch with her. Vaatu was the darkness inside her, most likely the reason for her dark episode long ago.
thought Manami didn't tell the family the full truth about who she was, she told them that bad people were after her, and she needed to keep her survival a secret to keep her safe. they surprisingly agreed to letting her stay with them, telling her that they understood the need to hide, seeing as Daria and her family did the same when escaping the Southern Water Tribe in order to keep their bending secret.
the group of four sat in the living room area. Raider was playing with Hira on the floor, and Daria was teaching Manami to knit. Hira goes to her mother, "mommy can Nami play dolls with me? i haven't shown her my dolls yet!"
"not now, dear. we have to go into town to get groceries and some new clothes for her" Daria tells her daughter. Manami was truthfully scared to go into town. would people recognize her? would they turn her in? kill her for real this time? would they hurt Daria and her family? her mind was rushing out so many questions that she didn't even realize she and Daria were now riding in the ostrich-horse into town.
"everything okay?" Daria asks her from the front of the ostrich horse.
Manami nodded, "yeah, i was just thinking"
Daria kept a smile on her face as they rode towards the town, "we should probably get you some supplies to change your hair a bit, how does purple sound? we could keep the black of course, but add some purple and it would be lovely. you'd look beautiful and it would match well with your eyes"
"that's fine"
"alright, purple it is. should be we it too? no. your hair is beautiful long. it would feel wrong to cut it. oh, we also have to get some Earth Kingdom clothes for you, i know the best shop in town with the best designs. my friend Kiya works at the store so i'm sure i can get some discounts for you..."
Daria continued to talk about the latest Earth Kingdom fashion and her friend Kiya for the rest of the ride. Manami started to zone out due to the thousands of worries running through her mind. she didn't want to go into town, for she was worried someone one notice who she was and try to send her back to the Fire Nation. but Daria lended her a hat so it would be harder to recognize her at first glance.
a couple moments later the pair finally arrived in town. it was a medium sized middle class town, but the markets were busy seeing as it was late noon and most adults were doing their shopping for the day. Daria first took Manami to the clothing store she spoke about and made the younger girl try on all of the clothing she liked.
"hurry, Nami! i want to see this one, it's my favorite" Daria giggled like a little school girl as she played dress up with the girl.
Manami laughed, "alright! alright! i'm ready" she pulled open the curtain and showed Daria the outfit. it was a light green hanbok dress with yellow trimming and yellow flowers decorating the bottom half. for shoes she wore a pair of brown flats.
"you look beautiful! we have to get this one!" Daria smiles.
"am i supposed to wear this everyday?" Manami questions. the dress was beautiful, but it was too fancy, and she'd prefer to wear a two piece with pants for a normal outfit.
Daria scoffed, "of course not, but you should wear it today. who knows, you might find a handsome boy to take home soon and you want to look your best," she and Manami had discussed her situation with Sokka, though she used a different name for him, and Daria thought it was best for her to find someone new if she wanted to start over from her old life.
"Daria! it's too soon!" Manami gasped but with a small smile. she loved how she could laugh and be herself with Daria, she hadn't had a good friendship like this since Katara... oh how she missed her friends.
"fine, fine fine... grab your other clothes and the ones we tried on and i'll tell Kiya we're done" Daria says and walks off to the front of the store where her friend was. Manami grabbed the clothes and met up with Daria who started to pay.
"i knew she'd like them. no teenage girl with a taste in fashion could deny these" Kiya said. she was a beautiful young woman with long, brown hair, green eyes and freckles on her nose and cheeks. she and Daria had some similar features. Daria also had brown hair but here eyes were bright blue and her skin was a bit darker. she was a bit younger than Daria, about 25 while Daria was 30, but the two were still best friends. Daria paid for the clothes, with a discount of course, and Kiya put them in boxes to keep them from getting messed up on the ride.
Daria smiled, "thank you again, Kiya. Manami and I appreciate your generosity"
"anytime, Dar! I hope to see you two again soon" Kiya grinned.
with that, Manami and Daria went to the food markets to grab some food and supplies for Manami's hair dye. while the two were paying for their last bit of fruits, Manami felt a pair of eyes on her from a distance.
"I think someone notices me, we should go before they try to do something. I don't want to fight then in public" she whispers to Daria. Daria furrows her brows and looks in the direction Manami was talking about. she grins when she sees a boy about Manami's age studyig the younger girl with curious but not suspicious eyes. he was infatuated with her, not wanting to hurt her.
Daria laughs, "he's not dangerous, he just thinks your pretty. is it so bad to have a boy want to go out with you? he's cute!"
Manami rolls her eyes, "he could be a spy... oh my agni he's coming this way!" she nearly chokes on air as she fixes her dress and holds the baskets she had been carrying in a better position. she had to admit, the boy was cute, and if he was interested in her she did want to look decent.
the boy stands in front of the two girls and smiles at Yanmei, "hello"
"hi" she says softly with a awkward smile. she was always nervous around boys when she wasn't in fight mode.
"I apologize if this sounds weird, but I've been watching you for a while but I've just been nervous to come up to you... but here I am" he chuckles while scratching the back of his head. Sokka used to do that when he was nervous...
"oh, it's alright" Manami smiles. she was probably more nervous than he was if that was even possible.
Daria looks between the two with a smirk, "i'll go take the things to the ostrich horse while you two talk" she says and walks away, leave the two teens to awkwardly stare at each other.
"i'm Shan Haku," the boy introduced himself. he was tall, kinda muscular, and had beautiful bright green eyes.
"Manami Lin"
"a beautiful name for a even more beautiful girl" Manami blushed at his comment. he was such a nice boy, she wishes she didn't have to lie to him. he cleared his throat and scratched the back of his head once again, "this is sudden... but would you want to go out for tea tomorrow?" he asked.
is he asking me out on a date? I can't! Sokka! but he thinks I'm dead. he's moved on with his life, everyone has. I have to get over him. I can't be held back by my past. I'm starting new, this is my opportunity to start a better life... but it's too soon... we'll just go as friends.
Manami makes up her mind on what to say and raises her eyebrow with a grin, "go for tea as strangers to friends or go for teas as you want to take me to your bed at the end of the night?"
the boy widened his eyes in shock, "I, uh, no. that's, uh, not what I was trying-"
she giggles, "I'm just messing with you, Shan. I'd love to have tea with you tomorrow"
Shan smiles widely, "so i'll meet you at The Dragon Tail at sundown then?"
"sounds good to me" Manami stands there for a second longer then nods a goodbye and quickly runs of to Daria. she nearly slaps herself in the face, wondering what the hell just happened and why she acted that way towards Shan. he was just a boy, a friend, nothing else.