When Waves Meet the Sand

The thin stone crumbled underneath her body, and Megumi flew out into the street, landing on the sharp debris and cutting open the back of her shoulders.

Agony shot down her spine as damaged skin was reopened, and the Firebender grit her teeth to keep in a scream while shoving herself upright.

Skidding on the ground, Kana hissed at the deep gashes littering her crossed forearms, the metal guards shattered despite her efforts.

With a stomp of her foot, a rock wall was raised from the ground, blocking the earth dragon that tried to swallow the two Benders whole.

“Get up, hothead.” The Earthbender ordered, punching their defense into a deadly projectile at the attacking shinobi. “We ain’t done fer yet.”

“Some parts of me would beg to differ.” Megumi grumbled, shaking herself off and standing.

Facing down seven of the nin that had ambushed them, she sighed, rolling her shoulders and wincing at the sting as the cuts were pulled.

“Any ideas?” The Firebender wondered, igniting fire in her hands.

“Smash ‘em till ‘ey stop movin’ sounds good.”

Megumi rolled her eyes.

“Of course it does.”

A kunoichi started flying through hand signs, and both Benders tensed.

“I go high, you go low.”

“Aye-Aye, captain.”

Fountains of mud shot from the ground like pressurized water from an angry Waterbender, and Megumi jumped out of the way, shooting off streams of fire while Kana stopped the attack with both hands and threw it back.

With the Earth-Type users caught in a deadly game of catch, Megumi was faced with four opponents, two of which were the shinobi that had gotten the better of Kumiko the last time.

She planned on getting some retribution.

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Kumiko’s heart was racing faster than it ever had before.

Every beat was a separate, chaotic thought.

‘Are they alright?’

‘Did they make it?’

‘Are they in danger?’

‘Will I be too late?’

‘Will I fail again?’

The last drove her faster, trees blurring with the speed of her running, and instinct was the only thing that kept her from crashing.

Jumping up and over a moss-covered boulder, Kumiko took a moment to check the deserted streets before racing on.

She would not let them die.

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Stopping on the edge of a small clearing, Fubuki turned her head to the left, spotting a village beyond the line of trees there.

A sound caught her attention, and her ears cocked forward in surprise.

With a loud, ground-rumbling growl, the Polar Bear Dog leapt into action.

She would not let anyone hurt Kumiko.

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Taking a deep breath to steel herself, Kana side-stepped a flurry of kunai, sending a pillar of earth out to ward off the charging kunoichi heading towards her.

The battle was drawn-out, with neither side giving ground or dropping their defense, and the Earthbender was feeling the beginnings of fatigue.

Megumi was not fairing any better, facing down worse odds, and was littering with bruises, though she was determined not to let that poisoned whip land a hit.

The moment that poison entered her bloodstream…

Dodging a well-aimed kunai, the Firebender grunted as a meaty fist slammed into her torso, sending Megumi flying off her feet from the force.

Agony crippled her senses as she landed, back burning with sluggish wounds, vision blurring with reflexive tears…

Willing her senses to stop rattling around like dice in a cup, Megumi was left staring up at one of the shinobi wielding a kunai, fully prepared to stab her in the heart.

She braced herself for death-Water slammed into the man’s chest, sending him tumbling back, and Megumi looked back to see Kumiko standing there, water swirling around her hands.

The Waterbender had never looked so enraged before.

The whip-wielding ninja, confident from his last victory, sent his weapons swinging towards the white-haired girl’s head in a clear move to decapitate her.

Leaning back until her torso was parallel with the ground, the blades missed by a scant inch, and Kumiko spun back upright before her opponent could regain control.

Condensing water in her hands, she shot the ball and struck him perfectly in the chest, freezing the liquid so it pinned the boy’s arms to his sides.

He hit the ground hard, and the other four shinobi looked from him to the angry Waterbender in growing trepidation.

Kumiko glared back, body unnaturally still.

The calm before the storm.

“Stay away from my friends.”

Three rapid-fire water bullets struck the four nin down, freezing them to the ground or to adjacent buildings, before Kumiko turned and sent a wave that knocked the three Earth-Release kunoichi over.

Taking the opening this provided, Kana shackled their wrists and ankles to the ground with rock.

With the threat neutralized, the Earthbender slowly began to realize what had happened as the adrenaline ebbed.

“Sweet’eart! Yer a’right!” She shouted, still breathless.

“We thought…” Megumi started, relieved and guilty.

‘We thought we’d lost you…’

Checking over both of her teammates, frowning at their wounds, Kumiko’s darkening blue eyes narrowed.

“Where’s Genma-sensei?”

At that moment, the town hall behind them exploded in a shower of stone and dust, revealing said Jonin through the rubble.

He was rather battered, one sleeve torn off and headband ragged around the edges, and Kumiko’s eyes darkened to a deadly shade of night sky.

The Suna Jonin had no idea what was about to hit him.

Mid-charge, a fully grown Polar Bear Dog pounced on him with a snarl, ripping into his shoulder with sharp fangs.

Shocked by the sudden display, Genma could only gape like a fish as Kumiko stepped forward, pulling Fubuki off the delirious shinobi.

Staring into her stormy eyes, Genma realized that he had never seen them so dark.

“Chiyo-sama?”

Seemingly ignoring him, Kumiko stalked by him, heading straight for the cowering Manzo as her animal guide went back to Kana and Megumi, pacing.

He had clearly not expected such an explosive display of Ninjutsu, or had just not expected his hired goons to lose so suddenly.

Either way, he was shaken, mask broken to reveal the insecure, trembling coward beneath.

In that moment, Kumiko had no mercy left to care.

Grabbing him by the front of his shirt, she hefted the pudgy man up and glared, the very embodiment of righteous fury.

“You call yourself a leader?” She growled. “What sort of leader terrorizes his village into silence? What sort of leader turns on his family for power?”

Pain and anger warred in her chest, but it was the rage that made itself known in her aura.

“What sort of man hunts down children, and feels no guilt for killing his own brothers?”

“Pl-Please, don’t kill me…” Manzo begged, sweating profusely. “I’ll give you anything you want, just don’t kill me!”

With a strength no one expected, Kumiko lifted him clear off the ground by his collar.

“You think that anything can make what you did right?” The Waterbender demanded. “You turned on your family! You killed the only people in this world that would always love you!”

“Kumiko-chan…”

Anger evaporating more quickly than a shallow puddle under the summer sun, she turned her head to see Tomoko’s wide green eyes filling with tears.

Slowly lowering Manzo, the young Avatar searched all five of their faces.

They were so tired…

Facing the so-called mayor of Shinkiro no Mura, she scowled.

“But I won’t let you hurt them anymore.”

With that, Kumiko dropped him and began to walk away, rage settling like a disgruntled beast deep in her chest.

Seiji was the first one to spot the blade his uncle pulled from an inner shirt pocket.

“NO!”

Kumiko turned just in time to watch that blade sink into the boy’s heart instead.

Megumi and Kana jerked forward on instinct, already knowing it was too late, and Genma blocked the other children from getting any closer as Fubuki howled.

Frozen, Kumiko could only stare as Seiji toppled to the ground, coughing up blood as Manzo glared.

“Stupid boy.”

That was all she could take.

With a violent thrust of her palm, water struck him in the chest and sent Manzo into a wall, freezing into spikes that threatened to pierce his throat.

Kneeling by Seiji’s side, Kumiko turned the boy onto his back, gloving her hand in water and pressing it to the gushing wound.

“Don’t worry, you’ll be alright.” She assured, tears stinging her eyes. “Just hold on for a little longer, and you’ll be just fine…”

Kana turned away, fists clenched, and Megumi closed her eyes after hearing the words the Earthbender muttered to herself.

“She’s lyin’.”

Blood dripping from his mouth, Seiji grabbed her wrist in a weak hold, tugging to bring Kumiko’s attention away from his bleeding chest.

Tears slipped down her cheeks as the young kunoichi recognized the look in his eyes.

He was ready to die.

“T-Take…care of…th-them…”

Seiji choked on his own blood, and Kumiko closed her eyes as his heart gave one last beat…

And stopped.

Reaching up, she used her bloody fingers to draw a moon symbol on the boy’s forehead, not needing to look.

“May the moon light your way and the ocean pull you true.” She whispered.

It is a common Water Tribe prayer to help ease the passing of a soul, calling on the Moon and Ocean Spirits to lead a person across the threshold into the afterlife.

Fubuki pressed against her back, whimpering softly, and a sob caught in her throat.

Standing, ignoring the blood staining her clothes and hand, she faced her team.

“They’re coming with us.” Kumiko stated firmly, the set of her jaw showing that she would not be dissuaded.

“Chiyo-sama, they are orphans of another village.” Genma reasoned, solemn. “You can’t just take them.”

Looking down and away, she found four teary pairs of eyes staring back, heartbroken but hopeful.

Her eyes.

“Then I’ll adopt them.” She replied, throat choked with emotion.

All it takes is one person.

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“What are we going to do with them?” Megumi wondered, keeping sharp amber eyes on their eight prisoners.

Kana was a few yards away amusing the children with mud faces, which seemed rather popular, with Fubuki curled around the four small backs for security and warmth.

Genma, Megumi and Kumiko sat on a log not too far off, watching them while cooking dinner and guarding the beaten shinobi.

“They’re rogue nin from Sunagakure.” Genma clarified, chewing thoughtfully on a senbon. “As allies, we should return them to Suna for sentencing.”

“That’s far out of our way.” Megumi noted, augmenting the flames as Kumiko turned the meat. “What do you think, Kumiko?”

Pausing thoughtfully, the white-haired girl sat back on her haunches.

Was it a good idea to go?

Something inside her said ‘yes’.

“I think we should.” The Waterbender stated, smiling brightly. “It might be fun!”