𝑯𝑰𝑫𝑫𝑬𝑵 𝑫𝑹𝑨𝑮𝑶𝑵, 𝒂: 𝒕𝒍𝒂

➳ 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘪𝘹: 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭

"That was awesome?" Kida demands. "You could have died!"

Yoko shrugs. "Isn't that part of the thrill? I mean, you totally live on the edge by robbing all those people."

Kida's jaw practically drops to the floor. "You know that I'm the Hood?"

"Of course," Yoko states matter-of-factly. "I figured it out a few days ago." Yoko tries to move her leg, but Kida stops her. She needs to set the break first. Well, figure out what Yoko knows, then set her broken leg.

"How?"

"I'm very observant for an eight year old," Yoko declares. "First, you're like the best archer I've ever seen. I also saw the cape when I looked through your stuff." Kida looks to the girl accusingly, but she puts her hands up. "I've only done it a few times! Plus, you're not as subtle with sneaking away at night as you think. You should be more careful," Yoko teases.

Kida rolls her eyes. "Maybe you should be less observant," Kida sasses. Yoko sticks her tongue out.

"Whatever," she scoffs. "Can I be your sidekick?"

Despite the situation, Kida smiles. "Maybe one day," Kida offers. It would never happen, anyways, because they'll get to Ba Sing Se soon enough and Yoko would reunite with her sister and Kida would go off on her own again. Still, it was nice to dream.

Yoko shrugs again. "That's better than nothing."

After Yoko tries to move her leg for a second time and is met with pain, Kida finally takes action. She finds a branch and ties it to Yoko's leg with some strips of cloth, creating a makeshift splint.

"There," Kida says once she's done. "We'll have to stay here for a day or two before you're ready to walk again."

»»---------------------►

THAT NIGHT, KIDA DECIDES TO STAY BEHIND AND MAKE SURE YOKO IS OKAY. Yoko is not entirely pleased with this decision.

"But you need to go rob that house!" Yoko argues. She's on the ground with a blanket over her, unable to move because of her injury. "There's money just begging to be stolen and given away to people who actually need it!"

Kida shakes her head. She lays down next to Yoko. "It can wait one night. I'm tired," she lies. Really, it was the fear of losing Yoko earlier today that made Kida stay tonight. And the fact that their journey will come to an end, and Kida will no longer have Yoko around to keep her company. Sure, Yoko can be overly energetic and curious, but Kida grew to find it endearing. Underneath it all, Yoko really was a sweet kid. Kida just hopes that her positivity won't be tainted by the harsh realities of the real world, but even that is hoping for too much. For now, Kida needs to keep Yoko safe and out of trouble while she still can.

Yoko sighs. "I wish I was as brave as you."

"You're not," Kida says. Yoko whips her head at her and frowns, but Kida continues. "What I mean is that you're braver than me. When I was your age, I couldn't imagine traveling across the country on my own. And, I've never seen someone try so hard to learn archery."

"That's not what I mean," she huffs. "You can ambush a bunch of Fire Nation guards by yourself and rob houses without getting caught. You make your own rules and don't care what the consequences are."

Kida shifts uncomfortably. It's weird, hearing about her escapades from Yoko, as if she's some kind of hero who throws caution to the wind. Maybe that is who Kida has become, but when Yoko says it.... She feels a little exhilarated by Yoko's words, but also uneasy. Maybe she's been spending a little too much time ignoring the fallout of her actions. Running away leaves someone else to deal with the consequences, because spirits know that the Fire Nation won't let anything slide without someone to punish. And since they haven't caught the person responsible....Kida doesn't even want to think about it, which is actually part of the problem. "It's not that simple, kid. At least, it shouldn't be."