When Waves Meet the Sand

Against his deepest wishes, Genma knew that the group had to go on.

They had to trust that Kumiko could take care of herself and join up with them later.

If not...

He did not want to think of that, considering what horrible things the Hokage would do to him for losing his daughter.

Megumi and Kana were silent, one carrying the load in place of the rogue Polar Bear Dog while the other transported their new prisoners on a floating platform of rock.

If Genma had not looked any deeper, he would have thought they were untroubled.

The fire in Megumi's eyes and the tension in Kana's jaw belied their blank expressions.

They were seething.

Nothing would stop the two Benders from finding their Avatar.

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When the team finally reached Shinkiro no Mura, Megumi and Kana's patience were threads at best.

Though accustomed to waiting, they were tormented by thoughts of what could be happening to Kumiko the entire time.

This left both Benders chomping at the bit, eager to finish the mission as soon as possible in order to begin searching.

Genma, though preoccupied with his imminent demise, scanned the small village suspiciously.

Shinkiro no Mura may not have been the largest settlement, but it certainly did not look on the edge of financial ruin.

Hidden between trees and behind boulders, each house was sturdily built and freshly painted to blend in with the scenery.

People were walking about, dressed in well-maintained, brightly-colored clothes and shopping at well-stocked market stands without a care in the world.

Gold eyes narrowed skeptically, and Megumi scowled.

This looked more like a community of rich merchants than a village on the verge of poverty.

"Ah, there you are!" A large, round man shouted jovially as he approached. "It's a relief to see you. I'm Tadao Manzo, the mayor of Shinkiro no Mura."

"I'm Shiranui Genma, and this is Chinatsu Megumi and Misaki Kana." The Jonin introduced, gesturing to each girl in turn. "I'll need to ask you some questions before we can get to work. Do you mind if these two take a look around after finding a place for these bandits?"

A tick was briefly visible in his jaw, and Kana's frown deepened at the sudden jump in his heartbeat.

"Not at all! Would you like someone to escort you?" Manzo wondered, smiled slightly strained now.

Megumi shook her head in the negative, suspicions growing.

"We will be fine on our own, Tadao-sama."

Taking the hint, Kana turned towards the jail, where she could sense a few bodies and the ring of old metal.

As she followed, the Firebender took notice of how people nervously shifted out of their way, guiltily staring at the ground.

"What do you think?"

Kana tilted her head in thought, vibrations tingling up her legs like gentle pinpricks.

"...I thin' we've a lot 'a work ta do 'ere."

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Sniffing the disturbed ground, Fubuki's floppy ears cocked forward as her owner's scent became apparent over the smell of mud.

Now that she had the trail, the Polar Bear Dog bounded after it, intent on finding her owner.

One should never get between an Animal Guide and their Avatar.

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Fire sparked at the tips of her fingers, a sign of impatience that Megumi was quick to smother as she followed Kana through the houses.

With their attackers safely locked away for the time being, the two were free to investigate.

It was the last thing either of them wanted to do.

"Ya min' keepin' the 'eat down?" Kana voiced, exasperated. "Roastin' us alive ain't gonna 'elp anythin'."

Closing her eyes, Megumi calmed the heat in her gut with a deep breath, tightening the hitai-ite tied around her neck.

"Gomen. I'm just frustrated."

"Ya an' me both." The Earthbender agreed.

She stopped suddenly, intrigued, which caught the redhead's attention.

"What is it?"

"Seems like we've got a visitor." Kana noted, turning her head to the right.

They were at the edge of the village, which was marked by a line of moss-covered boulders.

Shadows lurked at the base, and Megumi spotted two that were vaguely humanoid in shape.

Pulling Kana into the darkness of a nearby alley, the Firebender kept an eye on the lurking figures, calculating their trajectory.

"They seem to be heading for the market."

"Weird place ta steal from if yer a thief." The brunette mused, a frown forming on her have-hidden face.

Unable to argue with that logic, Megumi began to follow them from the shadows.

"I'll follow them. Try to cut them off further ahead."

"Aye-Aye, captain." Kana drawled, turning and taking off down the alley.

Rolling her eyes, the teenager continued trailing her targets, crouched low and hidden from view.

Something felt wrong about this whole thing, but she could not quite put her finger on it...

As she passed by a seemingly-abandoned building, Megumi frowned when the door opened and men stepped out, wielding scythes and crude blades.

They were not quite as stealthy in their pursuit of the supposed thieves, but it seemed they were not spotted by anyone besides her.

'Strange...'

The market was soon within sight, and Megumi stopped at the edge, following the shadows with her eyes.

Kana appeared next to her, scowling.

"There's a problem."

For a moment, Megumi wondered what was wrong.

When she saw the two figures clearly, there was no need to ask.

They were hunting children.