Kyoshi's Most Promising Warrior
Suki, the most talented trainee on Kyoshi, watched the sharp-faced man as eagerly as any student would their master. If you asked her, she'd tell you that this Water Tribe man was odd. By far the most skilled fighter she'd ever seen, but odd nonetheless.
He was young, perhaps three years older than Suki herself, but there was something about him that made it seem like he knows more than he should. Like he's seen more than anyone should have to. He's coldly analytical like the most war-worn soldiers she'd ever met, yet if you looked passed all that, he seemed no older than sixteen.
Suki is a clever girl with an innate talent for combat. She's able to look at someone - anyone - and figure out how much of a threat they'll be. At least, that's how it works for everyone except one person.
Three guesses.
Suki couldn't find anything off-putting about the way he moved. Sure, he was fluid and certain in his movements, but Ms Kinu moved much the same way, a habit developed from years of serving boiling tea.
When she first saw him, she thought it odd he was in a tree, sure, and was surprised by the grace with which he landed. But not for a moment did she think of him as a fighter - especially one as capable as he was now revealed to be.
She certainly didn't expect him to be so respectful, either.
He pointed out how she could improve her execution of the Kyoshi style, but never attempted to perform it himself, and even mentioned asking Captain Hua for permission.
Instead, he used a kata of his own to demonstrate. The style, if you paid attention, was compatible enough with her own, but it was still decidedly different.
But she digressed. What had caught Suki's attention wasn't the style, but the way he performed it. Comparing the way he moved while fighting to any one thing would be a gross understatement. One form flowed into the next like a carefully curving stream, but it was vicious and relentless like a raging wildfire. When he stood, it was deeply rooted and unmovable, but in a heartbeat he could be as fleeting as the wind. It was sort of hypnotic, in a way.
Suki very much wanted to learn it, but she didn't quite trust this Tobirama quite yet.
Suki is good at reading people, and he seemed cold yet reliable, but she was proven wrong by this man before.
Besides, what he was doing raised no small amount of suspicion. He had approached Suki, completely undetected, then offered a way to improve her technique and asked for nothing in return.
Suspicious as he may be, Suki could still learn something valuable from him. But she'll cut him off the moment she detects an ulterior motive.
Tobirama adjusted her form - lowering her hands just a bit and slightly raising her center of gravity. He stepped back, eyes narrowing even further than what seemed to be his perpetual glare.
"The next time you run through, try it like this. If it helps, think of a willow tree, while firmly rooted it remains flexible."
Suki nodded. She may not trust him as a person, but at the very least, she trusts what he's capable of.
Tobirama squinted, trying to make out the figure in front of him. Pain throbbed behind his eyes - the result of strain - but is wasn't something he hadn't dealt with before, he could handle it.
But maybe he should ask Seishū for some painkillers when he got back.
His eyes were in a terrible state, and he needed to get them healed before he suffered any permanent damage. Or - the preferred method - just figure out the secret behind healing with waterbending.
He'd been theorizing as he watched Suki run through her kata, and he just couldn't figure it out-
Oh. He's an idiot.
The human body is primarily constructed of water. It would take some experimenting, but Tobirama was confident that he could work something out.
With that sack of rats handled, Tobirama returned all of his attention to the girl in front of him.
Tobirama found himself quite liking her. Suki's a talented combatant and vicious to boot, though not in a malicious way. She reminded him of his old cousin, Toka, and even of Katara, too.
Gods, he missed them. Toka, he could never see her again, and he made his peace with that. But Katara.....
He didn't think he could face her again with the world in such a state.
The only reason he exists here is to end the war. Supposedly with the help of someone else, but Tobirama didn't even know their name.
But the point still stands, if he couldn't do the one thing he existed for, how could he face his little sister again? When he thought of her and Sokka, Tobirama couldn't help but remember his brothers - the ones he used to have. He loved them all the same, Hashirama, Kawarama, Itama, Sokka, Katara. They're all his siblings, no matter which life they'refrom. His love isn't divided between them, rather, it multiplied.
That was the thing people never seemed to understand about Tobirama. While he seems like someone who doesn't care at all, the truth is that he perhaps cares too much.
But the fact remained, if he wanted to end this war, he'd have to start somewhere.
He looked at Suki, "Well done. If you can perform the kata like that one more time, we can move on. Begin."
Suki wiped sweat from her brow, lowered herself into a ready stance, and lashed out with her fan.
Something that could have been a smile crossed the scarred man's face.
From the spirit world, a tall woman with a painted face looked on. This girl learned quickly. With time, she'd do quite nicely.
Avatar Kyoshi flickered out of existence, evergy drained, returning to her stasis in the mind of a young monk.