Everyday that she spent in the swamp, Konno would explore a little more of the area. She wanted to know where she was in the swamp, especially if she saw any more hallucinations. She didn't want to end up being lost in there without her items and food.
She glanced around slowly at the scenery. To her left was a large tree that towered above every other tree. She could barely see around the trunk, it was that wide. The branches hung off of it and they covered the sky from her point of view. She pressed her palms into the trunk for a second. A sort of peace spread through her body after she let go.
Konno took a second to take in how the sunlight filtered through the canopy. It's soft glow penetrated the water in wavy lines. It reminded her of locks of hair, gently moving to and fro with the small breeze. However, the longer she stared, the more it started nagging at her. Who did it look like? A face had joined the rays of light, and she gasped. Suddenly, she was back to that night. Her skin pimpled with the freezing air - or was it her thoughts that provided the cold? It had gotten very quiet as Yue's body fell limp to the ground. That changed when Eimi screamed.
Konno tore herself away from the memory. She wasn't Eimi anymore. She was the broken version of her old self, without all her walls to take care of her fragile heart. She thought they were rigid and solid, yet they were also fluid. They allowed things to enter into her heart that were destined to hurt her.
She took a quick glance back at the light. It didn't resemble hair anymore. It resembled the rope that was loosely wrapped around her neck, ready to grab hold if she ever jumped. Her own face stared up at her, but it was fractured. Those eyes that met hers didn't look like her own. Yet they were. They were just dimmer, dull to the pain. She didn't think she could ever get rid of the pain.
Night was starting to fall, and she needed to get back to her tree. She didn't trust being out at night, especially with a fragile mind. Taking a right, she traveled through the swamp. She usually stuck to dry land, but she had to traverse through the low water. Her feet got stuck in the mud at one point, and she had to take time to pull them out. When she looked up, she was surprised to see two men pointing weapons at her.
"I din' think anyone was traveling around our area," the taller, skinnier man said to the shorter one. "Did you, Tho?"
"No," Tho answered.
Konno wondered why they wore leaves as clothes. Did they not own any cloth? They stared at her quizzically, too. She didn't like how they looked at her, so she took off running. However, before she could slip into the trees, water wrapped around her arms and pulled her to the ground hard. She gasped for air as he her head went under, and panic rose up in her body. She writhed and kicked around, trying to get above water.
Suddenly, Konno was pulled up, and her head broke above the water. She gasped, taking in as much air as she could. She never wanted to go back under water. It reminded her of a different time. And this time, Sokka wasn't there to save her.
"There's no need for you to be afraid," the thin man said.
"I'm not afraid of you," Konno said harshly. She pushed her dark, soaking hair out of her face and stared up at the two men. A whip of water wrapped around her legs, making her stay put. "Now, let go of me."
"What do you think, Due?" Tho asked, glancing at his friend. "Should we?"
"She looks hungry, Tho."
"That she does."
"Do you want supper?" Due asked, looking at her.
"No."
"Come on. Let's eat."
The water whip released her legs, and she quickly stood up. Retreating a few steps from the two men, Konno held up her arms toward them. She knew she couldn't do anything to them, but maybe she could intimidate them. She didn't think she could do it, though. She was small and frail-looking.
"I don't want to go with you," Konno said, shaking her head. "I'm fine being on my own."
"Aw, come on, little lady," Due said. "We aren't goin' to hurt you."
She glanced at them. They didn't look like they were monsters or anything. And she was tired of eating burnt fish already. It had been a few days since she finally lit a fire to cook the fish, and when she finally did, she burned the majority of the fish. With a curt nod, Konno agreed with them.
They took her through the swamp. When they got closer to the others, shouts and yells erupted. A light flickered like they had lit a fire. She suddenly didn't want to go with them anymore. It had been such a long time since she saw people, and she was terrified. What if they saw right through her facade? What if they saw her pain that bubbled up whenever she thought of her sister or best friend?
Konno suddenly halted as her throat seemed to grow tighter. She swallowed, and the saliva would barely go down. She longed to be with people, to get lost in their monotony of life. It would drown out the buzz in her head and allow her to have some peace. However, a larger part of her desperately wanted to seclude herself away from people. That way, she wouldn't get hurt ever again.
"What're ya doin'?" Tho asked when he realized she wasn't with them.
Konno stumbled backward and tripped over a root. Her arms jutted out behind her just as she splashed into the water. It wasn't that high, barely reaching her elbows, but she could feel the fear rise of up in her chest. More people had trickled over to them, and they were looking at her like she was a strange person.
"I-I have to go," Konno said. Her voice shook as she stared at the mass of people. She thought they would converge on her, so she immediately got up and took off running. Her heart hammered in her chest. Why had she ever thought she was lonely? She was fine with being alone. It was the only thing she could handle.
Konno chewed on her fingernail. Her heart hadn't forgotten what she saw last night, and it kept racing underneath her chest. For the longest time, she thought she had a hollow spot where her heart was supposed to be. When she was younger, she didn't feel the things normal children felt. They were supposed to be happy. However, she wasn't. After she found out about the traditions of the Northern Water Tribe and after Hahn called her clingy, she grew distant from people. She let go of the fake happiness and allowed darkness to seep in. There was no going back after that.
She wasn't happy with her life then, and she still wasn't happy now. Nothing had changed. Yet everything had changed. At least back then, she had Navrek and Yue. They were her source of happiness. Now, she had no one. Now, she had no source of happiness. Now, she was the hollow shell of the girl she used to be.
Konno flinched at every noise. Her eyes darted around her area of the swamp. She couldn't sleep at all, yet she was exhausted. A low buzz echoed in her mind, keeping her awake. Her heart kept rhythm with the din of the insects. It beat almost rapidly against her rib cage, and it echoed in her ears. Her eyes burned as she stared at a spot on another tree near hers; her vision went blurry a long time ago.
A beam of sunlight shone through the canopy with a sudden rush. She had stayed up all night. She hadn't ever done that before. The exhaustion set over her body in waves, crashing over her head and pulling her under. However, she forced herself to stay above the water. She wasn't about to go under again. Never again.
Taking deep breaths, Konno took a bite of the fish in her hand. Something poked her cheek roughly, and she dug through her teeth. She fished a small bone out of her mouth and spat it on the ground. The metallic taste of blood spread across her tongue. The bone must've made her cheek bleed. At least it wasn't her heart bleeding out. By now, she thought it would be possible from all the stab wounds that she had endured.
Konno glanced up at the sky, and through a crack in the canopy, she saw the dim outline of the moon. The sun was slowly rising, but the moon was still out, watching over her. Her heart yearned to be with Yue again, but she couldn't. The only thing she could do was talk to the moon and hopefully hear back from her.
"Yue?" she tried out. The animals had stopped chirping, leaving Konno in silence. "I miss you a lot. I think this is the only way for me to stop going crazy. I'm terrified to see other people because they will look closer and find all my broken pieces." With a sigh, she dropped her head, closing her eyes. "Do you think you could send me something to help me get out of this? Anything would help. Please, just give me hope for a brighter future and -"
Before Konno could finish her sentence, the wind suddenly picked up with a ferocious bite. Her dark hair darted around her face as the gale whipped by. It wrapped around her, pulling her out of the hole in the tree. Her items flew up in the breeze, and she cried out as she saw the turtle seal that was still together flew higher than the rest. Konno tried to jump, to grab it before it flew away, but she couldn't reach it. It seemed like the wind had hands, pushing her down toward the ground. With a fierce wind, she slammed into the water.
The fear in her chest swelled. Her eyes snapped shut as water rushed around her. Her arms sliced through the current as she frantically tried to get her head back above water. Every fiber in her body screamed at her to get out of the water because that was a dangerous place to be. It would take her life without any hesitation. For some reason, she didn't want to die like that. She wanted to die on her own terms. Not from some freak storm or from the depression that pervaded around her heart. She wanted to achieve something in her life. Something great. And somehow, she knew she could achieve something great.
Konno's head broke through the water with a sudden rush. She clawed her way onto the dry ground and gasped in the fresh air. The wind had died down, and now it was a slight breeze blowing through her wet hair. She lay limp on the ground, taking deep breaths. Sunlight streamed over her body, warming her up. The moon had disappeared, but she could feel its spirit coursing through her veins.
Yes, she would continue to mourn for her sister. However, she had a new purpose now. She just didn't know it yet.