Chapter Text
Kanade’s life has always been quiet.
Which she loved, of course. While she might be (blissfully) unaware of the political chaos happening in the rest of the world, she was free to do as she wished in her little corner of the world. Her days consisted of buying ingredients, helping her dad out in their family’s handmade instrument store, and chatting with her friends when she happened to bump into them out and about. Rinse and repeat. Living in a small, secluded village certainly had its benefits.
Not even finding out that she was an Airbender managed to change much about her lifestyle. Except for maybe the added convenience of being able to lift objects that she was previously limited from carrying due to her lacking physical prowess.
The revelation that she could bend air was completely accidental. And unexpected, considering both her parents were non-benders. It happened on one of the many days Kanade found herself struggling to play a woodwind instrument, only to let out a sound much louder than she intended (or was possible of creating). She was quite certain the rest of the village found out she was an Airbender right there and then too.
She briefly tested out her abilities after that incident, but was unfortunately met with disappointment towards their limited usefulness with her beginner-level proficiency. The only thought going through 6 year-old Kanade’s mind at the time was:
Hmm. At least I can play the oboe now.
And that she did. She got exceptionally good at it over the next 11 years of teaching herself to play wind instruments using only her bending to blow air through each instrument. It started to become a regular act at her family’s store when she was 9, some customers coming solely to watch her perform. Kanade was pleasantly surprised that her idle practicing while waiting for her father to come home had become something people actively wanted to see. Sometimes, she would play two instruments at a time, if she was feeling particularly adventurous, which was always met with enthusiastic applause and extra tips.
It was through these performances that she met her current friends: Ichika, who shared her fervent love for music; Mizuki, a waterbender whose bubbly personality and fashion sense complemented Kanade’s reserved demeanor and lack of particularity when it came to appearances, and Honami, an earthbender who regularly joined Ichika and Kanade in their musical discussions and whose motherly nature never failed to put Kanade at ease. They were a significant part of the reason she was quite content on staying in her village for the rest of her life, tucked away from civilization.
As far as she knew, there was almost nothing waiting for her outside of her hometown. She had, however, heard relayed stories about the “Southern Water Tribe” from Mizuki, whose parents had narrowly escaped an invasion on their home and traveled to their current village while she was still too young to recall.
Mizuki’s own attempts to describe their vague recollection of her homeland were often met by wondrous gazes from Kanade, as she tried to imagine how living in a completely white and snow-covered land would feel like, a rather difficult task considering her village did not experience snow.
“You lived in a house made of ice? Wouldn’t it get really cold?”
“Yep! We had coats on basically all the time. Hehe, My sis and I would decorate each others’ when we were bored! It's a shame it's never cold enough to wear them here.”
“I see, that sounds really cozy… Say, if water tribes exist, are there fire tribes too? Did MEIKO come from one?”
“Hmm, I’ve never thought about it! We should ask her~”
At some point, it occured to Kanade that she had never heard of an “Air Tribe”. Which made sense, she reasoned, as no one else in the village was an Airbender. Even if it did exist, she was already perfectly happy with her quiet life in her quiet village.
The first and only time she truly considered leaving was when her dad fell ill.
She came home from her evening grocery run on that day, only to be greeted by an ominously dark and silent house. Kanade instinctually tensed up at the sight as she was struck with an odd feeling, although she could not pinpoint the exact cause of it at the time.
While her father should have been home by that hour, it wasn't abnormal for him to stay out a little past the closing time of their store. She paused at the entrance of their house, her eyes scanning the room for any possible reasons for her apprehension.
“I’m home,” she called out, tentatively, from the front door.
No response. She took a breath, and tried to push her tense feelings down with it. Heading to the kitchen, she began to prepare dinner, distracting herself with the details of a recipe generously given to her by Honami.
Kanade had been planning to surprise her dad by learning how to cook a favorite of his, egg fried rice. Despite her abysmal skills in the kitchen, Honami’s cooking lessons had clearly proven to be effective on even the most hopeless students, Kanade learnt, over the course of the last week.
Immersing herself in the preparation, her initial wave of anxiety gradually ebbed away.
It returned as quickly as it had left, however, when she had finished cooking, laid out the dishes and glanced at the door, only to come to the sinking realization that her dad was still nowhere to be seen, long after he was expected to be home. Her initial pride for successfully cooking the dish without any (major) errors was short-lived, as it was rapidly washed away by a flood of dread which weighed heavily on her shoulders, sending her into a brief moment of internal panic. Her mind raced with possible reasons for his lateness.
What if he was kidnapped…? But I doubt anyone here would do that…
Or he had errands to run? Surely he would have told me?
Or maybe he’s already home and he didn't hear me earlier… I guess it wouldn't hurt to check.
She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself before heading towards their rooms. Her steps gradually turned into a brisk walk as her sense of urgency heightened.
“Dad? Are you here?”
No response.
Kanade’s steps grew louder as she broke into a run.
She looked into her room.
“Dad?”
Still no response.
She halted when she noticed the closed door of her dad’s room.
Kanade hesitantly knocked twice.
“Are you in there?”
Silence.
“...I’m coming in.”
She opened the door.
Upon glancing into his room, Kanade’s attention was caught by a figure slumped on the floor, surrounded by fallen reeds and half-finished bamboo tubes. Her heart sank deeper.
“Dad? How did this happen…?”
She was by his side in an instant. She remembered checking his pulse, which she was thoroughly relieved to find was still there, although that didn’t stop her panic from settling in and tears from welling up in her eyes.
She remembered lugging him out of the house and shouting for help, and the next few moments were blurred by a thick veil of tears and clouded by her racing mind.
–
“-nade? What–”
“-r Yoisaki needs– ! Come–”
“ –here! Bring him t–”
“Easy, Kanade, it’s going to be fine–”
–
“-t happened? Please, tell me everything.”
The next thing she remembered was hearing her own sobbing in the healer’s office. She felt soothing circular motions being made on her back, and one glimpse of pink hair in her peripheral vision was all she needed to know that it was Mizuki. Honami and Ichika were on the other side, one holding her hand while the other was stroking her hair.
“They must’ve heard the commotion,” Kanade thought, “I definitely disrupted their evening.”
“I’m sorry, Ms Yoisaki, I’m not sure if you heard me, but I need to know what happened to your father before he was brought here.”
Kanade looked up to see a pink-haired woman who looked like an aged-up, fiercer version of Mizuki, and was also their village’s resident healer.
“S-sorry, I didn’t register what you said the first time,” Kanade’s voice cracked as she choked this out, her throat hoarse and painful after crying. She wiped her eyes with a tissue offered by Honami and cleared her throat before continuing, “He had already collapsed when I came home today around 6. I hadn’t noticed anything out of the ordinary before today.”
The healer sighed, and with some hesitancy, gave her diagnosis, “I’m afraid I couldn’t target the exact cause of this. The disease your father is suffering from is something I am unable to heal with my waterbending. I'm sorry, Kanade.”
Kanade’s figure visibly crumpled. She felt tears threaten to trickle out of her eyes, which blankly stared at the floor as she tried repeatedly to process this information.
“So it’s terminal…? Will he still wake up?”
The healer regarded her with a sympathetic look. “I believe he will remain in this state for a month, given his current state, but it's hard to say what will happen afterwards. Rest assured, I will do everything I can to prevent further deterioration of his body, if you request, but it will continue worsening unless the root cause of the disease is reverted.”
Kanade struggled to come to terms with the idea of living without her father.
Her father, who tirelessly tried his best to make sure that Kanade, in her 17 years of living, would never feel the absence of her mother.
Her father, who loved Kanade so much that he had never once shown his grief openly so that Kanade would never have to worry.
Kanade slumped into her seat, cradling her head in her hands. The thought of losing him, her last family member, her main caregiver, and her pillar of support all at once was an unbearable thought.
Keeping him alive when all she could do was stare at his comatose figure while he continued to suffer through the effects of his disease seemed like a detrimental solution to everyone involved.
At a loss, she broke down into silent sobs, the shaking of her hunched figure being the sole indicator. She felt several pairs of arms hook around her in attempts to provide solace.
How could I have let this happen? What will I do without him?
Why couldn't it have happened to me instead?
“Ms Yoisaki, if it makes you feel better, it was good that you sought help early; your father’s condition might have been beyond redemption had you arrived later. You still have the chance to say anything you want him to hear; I believe his level of consciousness is sufficient.”
Early? So it might have been curable if I had checked earlier? This was… my fault?
Kanade felt some movement on her side, and distantly heard Mizuki’s voice, “Mom, is there really no one who could cure this?”
There was a pause, before, “...I suppose the person I know most likely to be capable of curing this would be my waterbending master, who taught me to heal.”
There's a chance I can save him?
“But the last time I saw him was in the South, and after the invasion–”
Kanade suddenly stood, her mind made up, and she mumbled a “thank you” with a slight bow before leaving the office.
“Wait, Kan– !”
–
Kanade strode with newfound determination, a resolute flame burning in her chest, her pace quickening as she internally listed out her preparations for the next day, allowing the night wind rushing by her to dry her tears.
Her heart was set on her decision. She would make up for her carelessness by locating this waterbending master to heal her father.
Hmm. I think I overestimated how much stuff I could handle at a time.
A slight twinge of regret followed this thought, as Kanade faced the 5 bags of purchases sat in front of her. Focusing her airbending on multiple things simultaneously was definitely proving to be harder than she had expected. Realizing just how much she had come to rely on it, she made a mental note to work on this sometime in the future.
She attempted to hand carry the lightest bags containing food and clothes. A bit shaky, but she would manage. Definitely not with anything more though.
If she focused hard enough, she could lift two bags at the same time without accidentally tipping them over. Good enough for her. She would drop these back home, and come back for the last one later. If she made it back in one piece, that is.
“Oh, Kanade! Yaho~”
There was no mistaking the unique greeting of Mizuki. She turned around, attempting to return her greeting with a smile, only to see Mizuki bounding towards her to engulf her in a hug with as much strength as she could muster. Kanade felt crushed, but in a comforting way. She couldn't help but feel a warm smile come across her face.
“How are you doing? What's with all the bags?”
A look of desolation flickered across her face upon the reminder, but was quickly wiped away as she reminded herself of her mission. If Mizuki noticed, she made no sign of it, but Kanade knew almost nothing escaped their perceptive gaze.
“I’m doing better, don’t worry about me. I just… needed to stock up on some things, that's all.”
Kanade wasn’t sure why she refrained from revealing her intentions. Maybe it was the guilt weighing on her for planning to leave her hometown and everyone in it without so much as a goodbye. She was sure, however, people would try to stop her from carrying out her plan; it was dangerous after all, considering she knew essentially nothing about the world outside.
It certainly wasn't because she wanted to embark on this alone. God knows she needs the help.
“Ah, okay! You look like you could use some help, I’ll carry them home with you?”
Before Kanade could even try to refuse, Mizuki picked the remaining bag up from the floor, took one of the bags handheld by Kanade and one of her lifted bags. She felt slightly embarrassed watching the ease with which Mizuki carried them.
“You really don't have to, but thank you so much. I wasn’t sure if I’d make it through the trip home…”
They made idle chatter for the rest of the trip back to Kanade’s house, with Mizuki taking extra care to check up on Kanade’s state, which she was grateful for. While Mizuki never usually showed it explicitly, Kanade knew she cared deeply about her friends, and it was refreshing to see a more sensitive side of them.
Of course, their perceptiveness had a way of backfiring on Kanade too, as she struggled to maneuver around Mizuki's observations.
“...Whoa, that's a really huge water canteen you’ve bought. And it's double layered? No wonder you were struggling to carry all this home!”
“Umm, yes. I figured it would be more convenient.”
“Hehe, typical Kanade behaviour! What about these coats? 4 of them, to be exact… You must’ve made Madam Hoshino’s day, I've seen these sitting in her shop for ages!”
“Your fashion sense is beginning to rub off on me, I suppose…”
Kanade was quite sure her uncertain responses didn’t exactly get Mizuki’s seal of approval, if the worried glances thrown at her were any indicator. Nevertheless, they made it back to Kanade’s house without any major slips. She turned to Mizuki with a look of gratitude.
“Thank you, Mizuki. I really wouldn’t have been able to make it in one trip without you. I hope I didn't disrupt your plans too much.”
Mizuki waved this away with a dismissive smile.
“Anytime, K! I’m glad to have helped you.”
Kanade noticed her gaze looked slightly distant.
“...I’ll see you around then, Mizuki. Thank you very much again.”
Mizuki’s brows furrowed slightly as Kanade said this, her eyes not meeting Kanade’s.
Kanade tilted her head questioningly.
“Um… is there something else you want to say?”
Their gaze shifted to Kanade, and she sighed.
“Kanade, I really don't want to pry, but I hope you know that a lot of people care about you.” Mizuki seemed to be choosing her words very carefully.
“If you're planning to do something reckless… I’m not saying you should do it, but if you need help, you can count on me, alright?”
There was noticeable relief on Mizuki’s face after saying this, and she offered Kanade an understanding smile.
“Bye, Kanade. See you around.”
–
Mizuki's words replayed in Kanade’s head that night as she sorted and packed her necessities.
They seemed to know I was planning on leaving… which means she wanted to come along?
She couldn't wrap her mind around why Mizuki would be so open to the idea of leaving when her family was around. It was just for a month at most, sure, but who knows what was waiting for them out there? Traveling into the unknown was a terrifying thought for Kanade, but there was nothing she wouldn't do for her dad. Mizuki, however, had no reason to subject herself to this, if not to accompany Kanade.
Not that having company would be a bad thing. In fact, it would probably be easier with Mizuki around.
Kanade sighed, her mind still undecided. The last thing she wanted to do was burden Mizuki with her own mistake.
Putting her deliberations aside, she mentally reviewed her preparations once more. She had food, water, clothes, money, a sleeping bag (just in case) and a tent (also just in case), all packed into 2 bags for her to carry comfortably. She brought her favourite flute along, as well as her dad’s favourite music box to remind herself of him.
She told her dad about her plan (although Kanade would never know if he heard her), and informed Honami to update her on any changes in his condition through a tagged messenger hawk. Kanade felt a rush of guilt at the memory of Honami’s concern, although she ultimately understood and promised to keep it a secret.
I suppose that's all the physical preparations. Getting there, however…
Kanade had to admit, she wasn’t 100% certain of how her travel plans would turn out. There was never a need for transport in her town, after all; it was small enough to walk from one end to the other. She did, however, notice that some shops sold imported goods, which were regularly transported to the village by a huge cargo ship that docked at a nearby shore. And if her observations were correct, they were restocking tonight.
She decided it was time to test her theories out.
Carrying the (lighter) bag while using her bending to lift the other, she walked to the entrance of her house and turned off the lights.
She cast a last backward glance at her house, trying to absorb every detail of it into her memory.
“Goodbye, dad. I’ll be back for you. Please don't give up on me.” She whispered, before closing the door.
Upon exiting her home, she quickly realised that the restock was indeed happening today. It was hard not to notice the line of crate-carrying workers all traveling in the direction of certain shops, much like a trail of ants.
Good for me, Kanade thought.
She paused as her vision was caught by the Akiyamas’ house in the distance, soon accompanied by a resurfacing of her conflicting feelings.
I really shouldn't get Mizuki involved in this. Her family would worry.
The thought of this won her over. She tried to put her internal debate aside, and diverted her attention back to locating her target.
It was rather easy for her to follow the trail to its origin without being noticed, especially as she was shrouded in the cover of night. The shore was also much closer than she had expected; Kanade wondered why she had never noticed it before.
She approached the ship to get a closer look, only to find out that the boat was surprisingly, conveniently empty. Which wasn't very surprising, she decided on second thought, considering most of the workers were off unloading the ship. She had, however, expected to face greater difficulty with getting onto the boat.
As she headed closer, she focused her airbending on sensing nearby air movement, and upon ensuring that the coast was clear, she tentatively boarded the ship.
Unbeknownst to her, a pair of pink eyes followed closely behind with some disappointment.
–
Kanade internally marveled at the ship’s grand interior. Even for a cargo ship, it was finely embellished, with a smooth wooden deck accompanied by red accents present throughout the ship, which were adorned with intricate gold carvings. Clearly, wherever this ship originated took great pride in displaying their wealth.
This might just be the nicest place I’ll ever sleep in.
Most of it was, of course, covered by the abundance of large crates, some stacked tall enough to reach the floor of the upper deck. Kanade was slightly worried about the possibility of the boxes falling around that night, but was otherwise quite pleased with the amount of coverage they provided.
As she set down her things in a corner she deemed satisfactory, her attention was brought to an eye-catching painting, mainly due to its detailed gold border. And the fact that it was placed in the middle of the wall she was directly facing, making it rather impossible to ignore.
A family of three was depicted, with whom Kanade presumed to be their daughter situated in the middle of her parents. All three figures had strikingly purple hair, although Kanade felt it was ironic of her to think so, considering her own hair was white.
They must be the owners of this ship. Maybe I’ll thank them if I have the chance.
She got comfortable in her corner after a while, and once the excitement of her escapade wore off, she felt herself drifting off to sleep, unaware of the presence of the other figure alongside her in the storage unit.