Family
On a little Earth Kingdom island known as Kyoshi, a youth sculpted of ice sat in the shade, eyes shut. A young, talented warrior moved through her kata - metal fans snapping in stagnant air.
"Again." Demanded a low, rough voice. "Just like that, and you can take a break."
The girl nodded, firm cords of muscle drawing tight to maintain her stance. The snap of a fan, the hiss of air over metal, the glit of the sun reflected off gold, and Suki tucked her fans back in her belt, bowing.
The corners of Tobirama's mouth twitched up and sanguine eyes blinked open. He stood with the grace of a serpent, striding to where the young girl stood. He placed a hand on her head, ruffling sweaty hair. "Good job, you're improving well."
Suki beamed, freckles stretching over cheeks still round with youth. "Thanks to you. Are we going to stop by Captain Hua's for lunch today?"
Tobirama nodded. "We are - though I suspect my days would be limited if we stood her up. And yours will be if you walk into her house smelling like that. Go take a bath."
Suki stuck out her tongue but hurried off anyway. Tobirama eyed the small white rabbit that had been following him since the festival but elected to ignore it in favour of heading into town.
Tui pinched the bridge of her nose. "By Raava's ear, Ōkuninushi frets far to much. We're not going to smite him if Tobi get a bruise."
A four-armed spirit draped themselves across his husband's shoulders. "Hm, does he know that?"
Tui blinked and La affectionately slapped her. "It's like a frog-squirrel looking after sabertooth moose-lion cub, beloved. He's terrified of making a wrong move."
Agni turned his head to kiss his lover. "Not the best comparison. Frog-squirrels fear nothing, harmless as they are. Tree frog-gliders are a lot more skittish."
Vayu shut his eyes, humming. "There're adorable, too."
La tilted her head. "Touché. But salamander-newts are cuter."
With a sound like ripping fabric, Sang-je appeared. "I spoke to a lovely human from the other plane, in a place they called the Midwestern United States, and they taught me a card game called euchre."
Tui blinked owlishly, tilting her head. "Uh, sure, I'll play."
Agni looked around his husband. "Did you grab any olives. The - what's it again? - kalamata? From...... uh-"
Vayu pinched Agni's nose, chuckling. "Greece, dearest."
Sang-je nodded, taking a jar from the pocket dimension that resided in his sleeve and handing it over.
Agni wasted no time opening the jar, humming happily. "Oh, by the way," the sun mumbled around a full mouth, "Where's Kali? They're normally with you."
Sang-je laughed. "They're fighting the soul-keeper, couldn't catch why."
"Huh."
Dressed in a comfortable indigo yukata - a gift from Seishū - Tobirama greeted Captain Hua with a small bow. The woman, in turn, smacked his shoulder. "Oh enough of that, you act too much like the mainlanders. I would know."
Standing straight, Tobirama smiled and obeyed her gesture to come inside. Sliding off his sandals and tucking them off to the side, Tobirama then followed the woman farther into her house. "Of course, Captain. I'll be sure to disrespect you as much as possible in the future, then."
Captain Hua scoffed and headed into the kitchen. "Oh shut it, brat. Take a seat, food's almost done. Where's the gremlin in the shape of a little girl?"
Tobirama hummed, moving to kneel on the zabuton. "Getting cleaned up. Probably despairing over her dirty laundry by now."
As if summoned, the shoji door slamed open and Suki - dressed in a green yukata that was clearly not hers - kicked off her shoes before stumbling in with all the grace of a rhino-turtle. "I'm not late! It isn't one yet!"
Captain Hua stalked out of the kitchen, brandishing a wooden spoon. "You're going to put your shoes away properly, young lady, or you'll be running laps until you vomit. And you best not slam my door again if you know what's good for you."
Suki quite promptly returned to the genkan with a quiet "yes ma'am."
Tobirama's hummed, sending a sidelong glance to the woman who had now returned to the kitchen. "I never quite noticed how close you two are. Are you perhaps relatives?"
Captain Hua barked a laugh. "Heavens no. I left all my family back in a mainland town called Gaoling. They were vassal lords under the Bei Fong family. Suki here lost her parents to illness some time ago, and sort of latched onto me."
Tobirama nodded, the dynamic reminding him of a bond he shared with children long gone. "I see. If you ask me, that girl is more your family now than whoever you left on the mainland. Such relationships should be treasured."
Hua spooned some lotus root soup - her grandmother's recipe - into three wooden bowls. She'll admit that she was initially wary of the pale Water Tribe boy - a face that didn't seem to show much, eyes that carried the story of a life long past. Now, she'll say with great pride, that she feels like she's got a sense for the boy now.
He's extremely expressive, if you know how to look. He's got a bleeding heart so tragically accepting of the truths of war. He's got a desire - vast as the ocean - to learn, teach, and protect.
And he does, indeed, seem to carry the story of another lifetime.
Hua has an uncanny ability to just know things. It's a fact of nature - the same as the unagi will swim and a phoenix will fly. Of course, every sea creature will drift to the sandy depths and every bird might injure it's wing. Hua knows things, she doesn't know everything.
But by the spirits, if she wants to know something, she'll damn well figure it out.
It is for this reason that she calls out to Suki on the genkan. "Oh, while you're out there, fetch me a fresh bucket of water, will you? Make sure it's from the deep well."
There's some muffled grumbling, but the shoji opened and shut obediently.
Hua turns towards Tobirama. "What about your family, boy? We've spoke of both of mine."
Tobirama's brow furrowed. "I've spoken of them plenty before."
Hua set the spoon down with a click. "I don't mean that one."
Now, there's panic written in the hard lines of a too-young face. He's not as good at hiding it as he thinks - perhaps, there's not enouth people that pay attention. "I don't know what you're talking about. The Southern Water Tribe is far too small, and the villages are too far apart."
Hua smiled. "I think you know exactly what I'm talking about, Tobirama, you're an awful liar. I can keep a secret, you can tell me.
And he does, like the weight of the world is being lifted from him.
Such a comparison is achingly accurate, Hua thought distantly long after the boy long had fallen quiet and Suki returned with the water.
Hua brings the soup to the chabudai. If she sits a little too close to Tobirama while she eats, no one says a thing.