Chapter 272: A Kyoshi Farewell (1)
"Oh? Suki returned?" Three Kyoshi warriors smile at a large group. Unlike the uniformed cadets, the three women wear casual robes and washed-up jackets as they sit near a stream not far from a rushing waterfall as the scenery becomes lusher near this fertile region.
"She did," smiles Ria as the three Kyoshi Warriors of the other settlement glance at the new group. "And them?" They question curiously.
"Suki trained them, and they agreed to become Kyoshi Warriors like us."
"Some got forced into it," Jin mutters under her breath. Jin is Suki's first proper 'creation' as she still claims she only wanted to train. But she never knew how much slippery slope training with a Kyoshi Warrior could be!
Others pay little attention to Jin's grumbling as one of the three girls chimes curiously.
"Wait, you seven! Your faces look so similar!"
"That's cause we are similar, bitch," Ty Woo(6) smirks.
"Forget about them," Jie interjects, "You can meet Suki and the plunderer later with us."
"The Plunderer is here?"
"Is the Avatar here, too?"
Jie cuts their questions and chases to the point, "I know you guys don't believe what I saw. But you have protected Koi Harbor for a long time. Did you witness anything strange?" She asks while setting her full basket on the ground. "Please, I keep on thinking something is going on. I know I saw a strange group in the Kyoshi Attire walking from Koi Harbor into a cave behind the Crystal Falls near the Crescent Bridge!"
She points at the wooden bridge not far from downstream and demands, "Anything is fine! There must be something weird. Did no other merchant see a Pirate Ship near the Island?"
The three Kyoshi Warriors of the Koi Harbor look at each other meaningfully, something Michi notes as she inclines her head.
"Something happened, right?"
"Well, it was after you and Oyaji came to check things," reveals one of the girls. "There is a rumor going around in the Harbor that Avatar Kyoshi visits a few villagers in the Harbor at night."
This piece of news takes the group by surprise as the girl continues. "We all intensified our patrolling at night. We even went to check Avatar Kyoshi's relics in her shrine. But nothing. It's like Avatar Kyoshi decided to stop visiting the Harbor the second we got wind of it."
"Did someone play a prank on you guys?" Ty Liu(4) questions and looks at her sister. "It's like the prank Lin(1) pulled on us when we were kids, saying she could see our mother."
"I could!" Ty Lin(1) retorts indignantly.
Other girls behind the two groups look at each other as Kya mouths discreetly—Spirits?
"I'm sure you could," Ty Lee(7) pats her eldest sister's back knowingly. "And I totally did not sneak into our kitchen to eat the leftover dumplings meant for all of us in the morning because I was mad at you a lot." The other six stare at the innocuously smirking Ty Lee with their peeved 'aura' introducing itself to their expressions.
"I always knew you still look a little fat," Ty Lum(5) scoffs.
"What?!" Ty Lee retorts. "I'm not fat!... Am I?" She whips her head to look at the generous council of mothers who would always help other girls emotionally.
"Of course not," smiles Michi.
"You all look very graceful," Ursa compliments with apparent ease.
"Every mother would envy having you all as their daughters," Poppy nods.
"Ty Woo should learn some manners, but the rest are fine," Kya nods, too. But she soon feels everyone's gaze on her as Ty Woo's lips part slightly.
"Shouldn't we criticize bad manners?" Kya looks at her peers. "Katara would never talk like that, after all."
"But she would suck dicks with you?!" Ty Woo snaps as other Kyoshi Warriors find their cheeks stinging with embarrassment and filthy curiosity.
"Public manners are important, but I didn't mean to say you are bad," Kya soothingly smiles, "As Poppy said, every mother would envy daughters like you, including you, Ty Woo."
Ty Woo crosses her arms, grumbling as she averts her gaze.
"How cute," Ty Lao(3) smirks. "Woo's aura is so pink!"
"It's not!"
"It so is!" The other six sisters chorus.
"We don't have time for all this!" Jie interjects, her make-up covering her beet-red face as she demands the remaining three Kyoshi Warriors of Koi Harbor on their breaks. "Rumors began after we checked things, right? And they stopped the second you girls tried finding out the truth. Anything else?"
"Oh! There's another thing." Speaks one of the girls as she tries hard not to look at the Ty-Sisters and the four mothers. "The northern cliff has no Dumpling Weeds."
"What?" Jie exclaims. "The cliff grows the highest number of weeds. We go there every month to clear it out so that the weed's roots don't weaken the cliff."
The girl sighs and shrugs.
"It just disappeared. We checked it two days ago when one of the children in the Harbor went there to pluck some legumes for her soup."
Jie works her jaws as Jin shrugs as if putting things together.
"Weeding Dumpling Weeds from land sure sounds easy for an Earthbender, right?"
Other girls flinch in surprise before looking at each other slightly anxiously.
"We should go to Oyaji!" Ria claims suddenly as the remaining three girls look at each other. "We'll tell this to our chief and send a team to scout things out, too. Oh, and hey!" They call out to the quickly moving group of Kyoshi Warriors. "Ask Suki not to leave the Island without saying Goodbye! We want to see the Plunderer, too!"
"And the Avatar!" exclaims one of the three girls with a dusting of red on her cheeks.
---
"What is that?" Meilin blanks as the veritable picture of perfection nudge open the doors and elegantly trots into the Shrine after Suki has been sitting in place for 10 minutes. The scaled perfection with folded wings on her back is easily as big as the smallest Elephant Koi, deep-green scales with a moderate golden sheen cover her body from her back to her belly, and two grey-gold horns jut out from her head, matching the blunt spikes rising from her neck to her tail that maps her spine.
"SHE," Suki emphasizes, "Is a Dragon. Her name is Ignit."
Ignit raises her head and looks around before walking toward a pair of large boots on the counter.
"A Dragon? A DRAGON?" Meilin gasps. "The Mythical Beasts?"
*Sniff*
Suki looks at the curious Ignit sniffing things, smiling wryly. "Well, you can see Ignit is quite grounded in reality. Did Mingxia ever tell you the story of us trying to wear Kyoshi's boots?"
"You fell and got hurt while Mingxia laughed from the sidelines until one of the older Kyoshi Warriors caught you girls." Meilin nods, prompting Suki to smile.
"Mingxia really told you everything," she chuckles. "I miss her."
"Nothing you say will change my mind," Meilin narrows her eyes. "Not even Kyoshi could do anything if she appeared in front of me. That's why you threatened me by saying whose shrine we are standing in. Right?"
Suki shakes her head.
"It's not like Avatar Kyoshi will hurt you even if she appears. You didn't hurt anyone. Even if the Elephant Koi dies out near our Island, they still exist in other seas and oceans."
*Snort*
Ignit suddenly snorts, smoke steaming out of her nostrils as she looks around, hissing threateningly.
"Whoa!" A mischievous sound echoes in the shrine. "How about I go in peace? I was only doing things because someone asked me to~!"
A pale-yellow head peaks out from the wooden ledge supporting the ceiling, jumping down in front of Ignit to reveal some weird combination of a yellow cat and dog with a mustache standing on two limbs instead of four.
Suki and Meilin look at the creature in a daze as Ignit snorts again.
"Thank you for your magnanimity," the spirit grins, bowing slightly with his lanky limbs folding in front of his squarish body. "You're Ignit, right? Ra's adopted Daughter? Believe me, when I say this! I only scared a few families in the Harbor while mimicking Kyoshi."
"What?" Suki stirs as the mischievous spirit giggles, "Someone persuaded me to do this~, but I loved every second of playing around!"
Ignit eyes the spirit, warbling softly.
"Ah, did you ask?" The spirit repeats Ignit's question before shrugging. "Thank you for not burning the shrine and me along with it. Oh, and the trick to wearing Kyoshi's ghoulishly large boots is to—Ack! Sorry! Sorry! I didn't say your feet looked bad—"
A strange force suddenly devours the creature out of thin air, taking it away only Spirits know where, as Ignit huffs sharply, looking between Meilin and Suki until the latter smiles widely. "We'll be fine."
Ignit leaves the shrine with one last look as Meilin continues to stare at the space ahead in a daze, muttering: "I always wondered what other Spirits looked like after Reaper devoured me into that hopeless world. But that one looked so eccentric."
"They often are," Suki sighs sharply, claiming, "You won't succeed, Meilin."
"What makes you say that?"
"You said you waited for my arrival before acting on your plan. So, your group must be near the South Cost around Unagi's nest, right?" Suki mutters. "Your group will probably meet my Fiance and the rest. You met him before, right? Nik, I mean."
Meilin flinches as she stands straight.
"You're not going anywhere," Suki stands up after a second, blocking Meilin. "Remember? You don't want to fight me. The sentiment is the same for me. I don't want to hurt Mingxia's lover."
Meilin stares as Suki continues.
"And you said something about an Earthbender near the Village? You must have learned a lot of things from Mingxia, understanding the best hiding spot near the village is close to Oyaji's house down this path. I sent the Village's Kyoshi Warriors to pluck Dumpling Weeds' pods. Where do you think they will store the pods? In the Warehouse behind Oyaji's house."
The corner of Meilin's lips twitches as Suki concludes. "So, I'm not the one held in this shrine. You are."
"Did you plan all this?" Meilin retreats, leaning against the counter with a bitter expression.
"Coincidences," Suki replies, "Until I saw that Spirit. So, I ask you again. Whose Shrine do you think we are standing in?"
Meilin's expression changes as she slightly lowers her head, reaching for the sword on the counter.
"Haaa!" She attacks with explosive speed, the rustic sword swinging at Suki with full force. She relaxes her stance and avoids the blade in the nick of time before grabbing Meilin's arms and twisting it behind her back to make her cry out in pain and drop the sword.
"Use your opponent's strength against them," Suki whispers as she pushes Meilin away before grabbing the sword.
"What are you doing?" Meilin snarls as Suki turns around to deposit the sword in its rightful location.
"Respecting my culture, as would have Mingxia." She turns around, tossing her war fan to Meilin. "Show me what Mingxia taught you over the years. I doubt you can teach a lover sternly without things getting out of hand." She punctuates with enough experience as she takes her usual stance. "Let me see if Mingxia did a good job with you."
Meilin clenches the war fan in her hands before her shoulder drops as she sighs calmly.
"Fine by me," Meilin takes a similar stance with an unfurled metal war fan in her hand. "If Kyoshi is watching us, I will defeat you in your cultures, proving how wrong you all were to let Mingxia leave with criticism instead of the love she deserved."
"She found you, right?" Suki narrows her eyes. "I don't believe Mingxia would seek love more than she had, as you claim."
---
"That's it?" Toph sighs in disappointment as she pokes an unconscious Kyoshi Warrior with her bare toe. "They were nothing like Suki."
"Oh, it's a wonder why regular warriors don't easily pick a fight with an elemental bender," Sokka comments sarcastically as she shoots a glare in his general direction.
"You can't save them," utters a groaning woman in the Kyoshi attire as she feels someone pressing her foot down on her neck, choking her without any remorse. "Was I too lenient to?" Questions Mai, "Stop talking."
Around the group is a washed-up ship with other women in Kyoshi Attire lying in defeat.
"Nik," Yue calls out with worry as she looks at the unconscious Elephant Koi brought near the coast. "I can't deal with the medication they have ingested."
While Yue has an energybending skill from Tui, allowing her to use her chi to heal others more efficiently compared to Waterbenders, she cannot deal with the medications in their bloodstream. Nik cannot help but fall silent as he looks at the Elephant Koi.
How do you deal with something like that? If it was simple poison in their bloodstream, Katara and Nik could bloodbend and try dealing with the situation. But these Kyoshi Warriors made it sound like the medication travels from the bloodstream to the very frame of the affected parties!
"Mai, let me talk to that one," Nik turns around when he feels someone placing a hand on his shoulder. The broad hand isn't Yue's since she is away, and there is no one directly behind him.
"Open your mind to the possibilities," a voice whispers into Nik's ears. It's not overly sweet despite being feminine—a voice Nik recalls slightly. "If it's you, I'm sure you can find freedom in those possibilities."
'She' exhales gently, advising only Nik as everyone curiously stares at his dazed expression.
"The Avatar does not bend the four elements. An Avatar that believes in his notions is capable of doing anything. Four elements constrict the humans due to their origins, but Raava does not share the same fate. For instance, an Avatar can move the very plate of Earth to divide an island from a continent."
Nik mechanically turns to look at the giant Elephant Koi.
"Is it only the Blood you can bend in another's body? Our time might be short, but let me open a new possibility for you."
Nik's vision shifts as he stands under a dim grey sky on the same coast he'd been standing previously without his friends around him. A tall woman in Kyoshi attire stands in front of him, or rather, Avatar Kyoshi stands in front of him in her regular attire.
She redefines the word 'tall' for women, standing a head taller than the 190 Centimeter tall Nik.
"Avatar Kyoshi," Nik bows respectfully.
"Nik," surprisingly, she does the same. "I enjoyed how you dealt with Reaper. It must have been hard to kill yourself again."
"It was, at first," Nik smiles shakily before he shakes his head. "Do you want something?"
"When we first met, I called you honorable. I sensed your hesitation in that notion. I believe this is the last time we may meet for a while, so I shall give you a productive solution to your situation based on your answer."
Nik's shoulders relax as he questions himself, "Am I honorable or not? Is that it?"
Kyoshi smiles gently but doesn't say anything.
"I wondered that for a while after we left Kyoshi Island," Nik mutters. "But then I slept with another man's wife, got captured, and shit happened. I truly questioned this once I killed a man. I did not use tools meant to kill to complete the deed. I could have made it painless, but I didn't. I butchered him." He looks up, matching Kyoshi's deep green pupils. "I killed many more in Regret's world. I killed variations of those who hurt me with quite the joy. I-"
He recalls the more compassionate people around him, wondering how they would react if he revealed everything to them with such bluntness.
"I don't believe killers are right to call themselves honorable. And I might joke about it or be hypocritical about it—but I'm not Honorable. Sorry."
"Why do you apologize?"
"Can you blame me?" Nik smiles. "You whisk me away and pose philosophical topics without revealing your intentions. How does a man like me comprehend all that? I just want to live as well as I can in this life."
"You value life, right?" Kyoshi inclines her head. "Many great warriors claim to be honorable at the expense of another's pain. I taught the Kyoshi Warriors self-defense for the same reason—to help and not attack. Do you remember Aang telling you the injuries you received by Koh, the Face Stealer, can only be healed by Firebending and Earthbending?"
Nik nods. "This is what he meant by Firebending, right?" He snaps his fingers, producing a peal of Golden Flames."
"Flames of Nirvana. A talented Firebender learned it, too, long before by burning his life itself," Kyoshi nods. "Of course, since Tui and La never healed anyone before, Avatars like us in the Spiritual Realm never did consider the possibility of Waterbending having such a skill either."
"I see," Nik accepts whatever Kyoshi has to say at the moment.
"Will you return?" She questions abruptly.
"Hmm?"
"Will you return to this world?"
"I don't know. I barely survived this time," Nik smiles wryly. "And I have no control where I travel for the time being. Maybe once I'm stronger."
Kyoshi beckons Nik forward as a wave of gust rises the greyish sand around them to whirl over Kyoshi as she appears as a young woman in her early twenties. She wears her long, voluminous brown hair in a loose plate with loose strands falling on her forehead, framing her rather simple, freckled face. But she stands as tall as ever, her thick brown brows inclines up at the edge as she narrows her eyes.
"A plain face would be an accurate description, wouldn't you say?"
"Did you just read my mind?"
"I've lived for more than 200 years without losing this face. I know what others tend to think," Kyoshi smirks with a flicker of sadness in her eyes. "This is my parting gift," she closes her eyes, within arm's reach to touch Nik's head. "From one dishonorable one to another, who just want to protect our loved ones and live a selfish life of happiness. And when you return, I hope you are powerful and successful in your ambitions. The stories you would have amassed must be exceptional at that point."
Nik's lips part as he points out, "Wait- You should meet Suki instead. She couldn't meet you previously—"
Kyoshi hears none of it as a voice booms in his senses without Kyoshi speaking anything, "Live a long life. Longer than 200 years. I will share my bloodiest stories since I haven't found someone quite innocently brutal like you in years."
Nik's eyes widen as he sees Kyoshi's smile broaden.
'You never needed this power to live the way you wanted.' He hears her voice as he recalls his monumental task of getting saved by Kyoshi while he was busy saving Suki from Unagi's jaws. 'I lied that day. I knew you weren't the least bit honorable. I suppose I just wanted to mess with you a little. After all, I am a Spirit, too.'
Nik's gaze flickers as he snaps out of his daze, finding others staring at him as the wind paces to life again.
Memories and shared experiences fill him with one familiar feeling—the same feeling La gifted him and the Dragons shared with Zuko—an essence of comprehension and enlightenment.
There may come a chance when Nik could form similar essences to bestow on some lucky fool in their quest, but now, he stares at the screen marking his improvement.
[Earth Element Mastery (Expert→ Master): The manipulation and enlightenment of elements of the earth either in nature or through one's creation in the realm of a master. (Additional Info: Through constant training, a noob turns into an expert, and an expert reaches the realm of a master.)]
What Kyoshi shared wasn't anything strictly about Earthbending itself.
'Open your mind to possibilities,' she advises one last time before her voice goes silent.
What she shared is something undocumented in his library, a form of Earthbending similar to Waterbending's Bloodbending.
He stares at the silent Koi before confidently walking toward the large beast, placing his hand on its side.
"What are you doing?" June notes the slightest change as she leans forward curiously while still sitting on her paralyzed victim, thanks to Nyla's tongue.
"Waking this fish up," Nik chuckles as he looks at Toph smugly. Again, he has no right to be smug, but that is why he is the dishonorable one as he smoothly accepts his momentary growth over the Blind Bandit for granted, knowing she would find her way to top him using her virtuous talent like usual.
'Did Kyoshi get annoyed by other equally talented friends of hers? Wait, why would I assume she would have friends? She was kind of a bitch messing with my head like that.'
It's a good thing Kyoshi cannot read his memories.
"Toph, can you do this?" He goads as his chi drives into the Koi and seizes control of the skeletal frame of the aquatic animal before jolting it with such pressure that it creaks against the affected muscles, forcing the Koi out of the slumber.
{A/N: I'm not a doctor and don't know if shock therapy right to the bones helps a patient OD'ing on muscle relaxants. It's just Kyoshi things. Don't try this on your pet goldfish.}
***
Alternate Title: Finding the Group of Koi Harbor; The New Cadets; The Generous Milf Council; Jin Should Just Accept Her New Kyoshi Fate; Suki is 'That' Recruitment Officer; Planning Everything Coincidentally?; Ty Woo Has No Chill; Everyone Wants to Meet the Plunderer, But Nobody Asks How is the Plunderer—Looks at the Council of Milf—Fantastic!; Kyoshi Do Be a Bit of Spiritual Troll; After Making Nik Questions his Decision By Calling Him Honorable: Chill Fam, It's a Joke; Suki Taking the Role of Master; After Violating Meilin, *Suki*: Again; Ignit Sniffing Out Spirits and Kyoshi's Feet; The Dragon of Culture; Nik Earning a High-Profile Fan After Dealing With Reaper; Killing Yourself Constantly and Getting a Shot With Kyoshi YEARS Later, Nik: I See This as an Absolute Win; The Final Healing Package; Nik Amassing the Remaining Bits of Forbidden Techniques; A Masterbender
***
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