As a child, Miyuki remembered thinking that she wished she could dance on moonbeams. During the day, the streets of Agna Qel'a had always been too crowded for her liking, so she had taken to midnight strolls even as a child. As she glided through the now empty streets, Miyuki wondered if this was as close as she would get to achieving that childhood wish.
Midnight was the perfect time to practice her bending undisturbed, and while she didn't particularly need the practice, it had been a while since she had snow and ice so readily available for her to bend. Not to mention the fact that for the first time since she arrived she felt free of all the stares and whispers that seemed to follow her wherever she went.
It used to bother her quite a bit, and she had taken to playing the good girl to try to get them to back off in those days. If there was one good thing that came out of all the trouble that Hahn caused for her, it was the fact that she no longer had some impeccable image to hold up. All the anxiety and pressure that she used to feel over that was long gone. She still didn't like the attention she was getting, but that was just something to work on. Other people's opinions of her shouldn't affect her at all, good or bad.
Miyuki sighed. This was why she needed this walk. She needed to clear her head. There were other, more important, things to focus on at the moment. She rounded the corner that led to the entrance of her secret bending spot before stopping abruptly when she found a familiar figure waiting for her.
He grinned easily when he met her gaze. "I thought you'd be going for a walk, Miyu."
She punched her friend's arm. "For a moment, I thought I needed to find a new bending spot. What are you doing here?"
"I was hoping we could catch up. I'm busy during normal hours with my job, so now's the only time that we're both free."
She wanted to bend and burn off some steam, but she could do that anytime she wanted. Talking to her friend, on the other hand, was a rare opportunity. "Let's go then."
There were times when she and Kyo would fall into a certain sort of silence, but more often than not, they would talk in hushed voices. He started by asking her about her day and the sparring session that she had with Pakku's students. There was a certain normality to it all, as though this would have been her daily life if she hadn't left.
When they ran out of things to say, he asked her about her time away, prompting her into stories about the strangest job requests she'd taken on before. Seeking out strange pets for wealthy families, finding the secrets behind restaurants' successes, obtaining exam answers... It was a shame that she had to exclude any mention of Zuko, because some of the most interesting things happened when she was with him on his search for the Avatar. Regardless, Kyo seemed amused enough with the stories that she could provide without omitting any details.
It was admittedly fun traversing the moonlit streets of her hometown with her childhood friend again, but something about it felt lacking. She wasn't sure why this was the case or exactly what the cause of it was, but that was that. Something was missing.
She cast a glance at her childhood friend, and he smiled at her warmly when he caught her looking at him. "I know that you're planning on a short stay, but I'm glad you're back, Miyu. I missed this, you know? I missed you."
She couldn't help the laughter that bubbled past her lips. "Yeah? You know, I'm surprised I've managed to retain such a strong presence despite the fact that I haven't even been anywhere near here in almost a year. The rumors about me are seemingly endless." She rolled her eyes. "A child asked me today if it was true that I ran away to marry an earthbender, and then his friend corrected him and said that I ran away to marry into a wealthy Earth Kingdom family."
"And what did you tell them?"
She grinned at her friend easily. "To take their best guess at it, of course."
He pushed her arm with a laugh. "Don't make fun of the children, they don't know any better." He burst into a fit of laughter. "You haven't changed at all, Miyu."
"You haven't changed either, you know." She felt her lips tug into a faint smile. "And the children need to learn how to think for themselves, or they'll be sucked into the ignorant vortex of town rumors in no time."
They joked and laughed as they made their way over canals and across bridges until there was no one else in sight. She hopped up onto the ledge of the bridge and sat down. "Still, I'm surprised at how stagnant things are here. Maybe it's because I'm constantly going to new places now, but nothing has changed at all here."
It was a little disappointing, if she was being honest with herself. A part of her must have hoped that this place would improve while she was gone, or because she had left, but she supposed that was just wishful thinking. There was a bit of conceit mixed in as well, considering the fact that she hoped that she would be the trigger, admittedly, but it was wishful nonetheless. That was the way of wishful thinking though. It was just that. Wishful.
Like the predictable ebb and flow of the tides, things in the Northern Water Tribe seemed to be ever constant with the general closed-mindedness in regard to changing traditions. Izuki and Kyo were the only things she'd ever liked about this place, and her trip back here only solidified that fact in her mind.
Her friend smiled weakly in return, unable to deny her assessment. "Well, if people getting married counts, then not really. But you know how things are. The elderly don't really like change and a lot of the younger ones don't really know better or are content with the way things are. Things will slowly change though, Miyu."
She sighed. "True. Like rock eroding against the waves, things will slowly change here too, I'm sure. Emphasis on 'slowly.'"
It was quiet between them for a long moment. "Do you remember when we were kids and we used to talk about traveling the world one day?" Kyo asked as he dangled his feet over the ledge.
Miyuki leaned back to admire the night sky and nodded. "Of course. We used to talk about going to see Ba Sing Se and exploring the crystal tunnels or going to the beach and kicking back on one of those tropical Fire Nation islands."
"So after going out there, what do you think?"
She thought about it for a long moment. "The world is vast and so many small things from one village to the next are different. There are good people and bad people, and cowardly people and brave people." She grinned. "And I've yet to see them all."
"So being out there- you like it then?"
She hummed thoughtfully for a moment as she tried to think of a comparison that was more directly related to him. "Do you remember those waterbending puzzles that old man Po used to let us try?"
"Yeah, you would challenge them again and again until you found the solution with the fewest steps possible."
She nodded. "When I'm out there, every day is like tackling a new puzzle."
"Then you must be really happy," he murmured.
"It has its challenges," she admitted with a sigh as her thoughts drifted back to that first set of long, difficult months when she was just setting up. "It was hard starting a business and hard finding and making a place for myself, but you know how I am."
"Tough as a polar bear dog and as stubborn as an arctic hippo."
She punched his arm playfully at the comparisons. "Flattering."
He laughed fully and punched her arm back. "Hey, nothing but the best for the prettiest bachelorette in Agna Qel-" Kyo seemed to choke on his words the moment she inhaled sharply at the sight before them. Their eyes followed the dark colored snow that started to fall from the sky.
"Fire Nation," Miyuki said just above a whisper.
Kyo's eyes widened. "What?"
"The soot and smoke from their ships mixes with the snow and- It doesn't matter right now. We've gotta go."
Her friend leapt to his feet and she followed suit. They began to dash through the streets using waterbending. "As expected, you were right, Miyu. The Council spent too long debating what you said when they should've been taking action. We need to warn everyone else."
She nodded. She hated a lot about this place, but she wasn't lying when she said that she cared enough about them to come back and warn them. There was no one she hated enough to let something like this just unfold without her doing anything about it.
·:*¨༺ ★ ༻¨*:·.
To their credit the Council summoned everyone of Agna Qel'a quickly. She sat with her brother as Arnook addressed them from front and center. "The day we have feared for so long has arrived. The Fire Nation is on our doorstep. It is with great sadness that I call my family here before me, knowing well that some of these faces are about to vanish from our tribe, but they will never vanish from our hearts. Now, as we approach the battle for our existence, I call upon the great spirits. Spirit of the Ocean! Spirit of the Moon! Be with us! I'm going to need volunteers for a dangerous mission."
The Southern Tribe boy, Sokka, was notably quick to volunteer himself.
"Be warned, many of you will not return," the Chief continued, "Come forward to receive my mark, if you accept the task."
She glanced at her brother to see if he would volunteer himself, but he made no move to do so. It brought some level of relief to her heart. He was a skilled warrior, but she felt at ease knowing that he would not be taking part in whatever Arnook had planned.
He leaned closer to her and whispered the phrase "infiltration team" before moving back to his original position. She nodded subtly.
When the call for the elderly, women, and children to evacuate came, it was her brother's turn to glance at her. She stayed seated where she was next to him.
"Did you hear, Miyuki? Women should evacuate."
Her eyes scanned the crowd for the source of the voice and landed on Hahn. He cast her a smug look and she stood. "Thanks, I heard. I don't plan on evacuating though."
He scoffed. "It's your life to lose, I guess."
"It is, as a matter of fact. I'd spend more time worrying about yourself though." She shrugged. "The Spirits know I've seen more actual combat than you have." She looked around the crowd to see if there was anyone else that felt like dissenting.
"Do as you will, Miyuki," she heard Chief Arnook agree. "The Spirits know that you'll do so regardless."
She bowed before taking a seat again.