Tigerswan chapter 10

Chapter Ten: Within the Walls

Smellerbee woke up the next morning, confused as to why she had Jet sleeping next to her on one side but no Longshot on the other, and for a few blissful seconds she didn't remember the night before. As she sat up, however, she glanced over at her friend and remembered everything. Longshot, her best friend, her world, was Fire Nation. The morning on the ship passed by awkwardly, she knew Longshot was trying to catch her eye, but she just couldn't talk to him right now. She was so confused and being around him made it worse.

The Fire Nation took her father from her, made it so she never knew her mother. They were the reason she had to grow up not knowing a real childhood, only knowing how to fight and kill.They're the reason you got to meet Longshot, a small part of her mind whispered. Smellerbee watched as they slowly approached the shore and she found herself thinking, it was true she had lost so much at the hands of the Fire Nation, but if she hadn't she never would have met Longshot. To her not knowing him was a possibility that she couldn't even imagine. Longshot was her everything, he understood her in ways no one else did and vice versa. As much as she wanted her parents and home back, could she give up everything she had? Being with Longshot had so far been the greatest adventure of her life. He had saved her in so many ways and never judged her for anything. Who was she to turn her back on him just because his father was from the Fire Nation.

"You seem troubled, my dear." Smellerbee turned, surprised to see Mushi standing next to her, she hadn't even heard him approach.

"It's nothing that concerns you," she muttered, looking back at the water.

"Perhaps, but to have you looking so distraught it must be something to you."

"I've spent my whole life being taught to hate something and have never seen any reason not to," she said finally. She wasn't sure what it was, but something about the old man made her want to confide in him. "But last night I found out that someone very close to me, someone I can't imagine my life without, is the very thing I hate."

"And what might this thing be?" Mushi asked quietly.

"Fire Nation. They destroyed my home, took away everything I ever loved and now I know that L- that my friend is one," she said equally as soft before hastily adding, "but he's not bad."

"My dear, it appears you have learned a lesson that most do as they grow older. The world is not divided into 'good' and 'evil', or Fire Nation and Everyone Else."

"It was so much easier when it was," she muttered, making Mushi laugh out loud.

"Indeed, it was. Remember, Smellerbee, it is our choices that make us who we truly are, far more than our abilities. I have known many men and women in my time of many different origins and I have found that it doesn't matter what someone is born, but what they grow to be," he patted the petite girl on the shoulder. "I hope that eases your mind, I best be off to find my nephew; I expect we'll be arriving soon."

*****

Smellerbee remained quiet, mulling over the old man's words while they disembarked and waited in the ticket line.

"I think Lee would make a good Freedom Fighter. He's just trying to find his way in the world, like us," Jet said, watching Mushi and Lee go through the gates.

"You don't know anything about him Jet."

"I know he didn't get that scar from a waterbender."

"Besides, I thought we were going straight now," Smellerbee pressed, she didn't want to fight anymore. She just wanted to be Hachi again and live in peace, she was tired.

"We are, and the new Freedom Fighters could use a guy like Lee. What do you think Longshot"

I don't want to fight any more. Longshot said, looking at both Jet and Smellerbee.

"I can respect that," Jet said with a nod. Once they were through the gates themselves Jet went to go find Lee and Mushi, leaving Longshot and Smellerbee behind.

"Um, Longshot?" Smellerbee said hesitantly. Longshot turned and looked at her with the same calm and thoughtful eyes that he always did, but she could see a little hurt in them too. "I- I'm sorry, about last night. It was just such a surprise, you being... what you are doesn't change anything. You're still you, my best friend and the person  I care about more than anything. Are we okay?"

We're okay, he nodded just as Jet was coming back.

"So, what happened?"

"They're firebenders."

*****

"Look at them, firebenders living right under everyone's nose," Jet said, watching Lee and Mushi. She and Longshot left the alley he had them hide in when the nephew and uncle walked past. Smellerbee still wasn't sure about Jet's story, it was possible she supposed, but even if they were they hadn't done anything wrong.

"Jet, you saw a man with a hot cup of tea. It doesn't prove he's a firebender," she tried reasoning with him yet again. "And what if he is, are we supposed to attack them? I thought we were starting over here, changing our ways,"she pleaded, glancing at Longshot, and once again enforcing in her way that she didn't care about his heritage.

"We are," Jet assured. "When I get the evidence I need, I'll report them to the police and let them handle it. Okay?" Jet continued following the odd family, leaving his friends behind.

"No he won't," Smellerbee said sadly.

No, he won't Longshot agreed, they looked after where he had gone for a moment before turning away. They still needed to find somewhere to live and it was obvious that Jet was going to be of no help in that department.

*****

It took them half the day, but they had managed to find themselves a small two room home and jobs for  the two of them. It wasn't much, Longshot would be helping a vendor with their stall while Smellerbee swept and cleaned up a dingy bar.

"We should probably go find Jet," Smellerbee said with a sigh, getting up from the hammock they had put up in attempt to make room for all three of them in the small bedroom. "He's probably at that shop." The pair left their new home and set out in search for their friend. Smellerbee's hunch had proved to be correct.

"Oh, hey guys," Jet said glancing at them for a second before returning to his spying.

"Jet, come on, let's go home."

"Home?"

"We found a place for us to live and jobs. We are starting over, you should too."

"But the Fire Nation is here, we won't be safe until they're gone," Smellerbee shook her head and pressed a piece of paper into his hands. "What's this?"

"The directions to our new home," she told him, searching his face for signs of something. Whatever she was looking for she didn't find, instead she just shook her head and began the walk home with Longshot. "We can't tell him," she told her friend after they were out of ear shot. "He'd never understand."

*****

Smellerbee washed her war paint off that night and changed into her usual sleeping clothes while Longshot put away their supper dishes. Crawling into her hammock, she watched her friend as he went about his own night time rituals.

"Longshot?" she asked, leaning over the side as he lay down on the futon that rested beneath her. He shifted to the side and peered up at her.

What?

"What's the Fire Nation like?" she asked softly. She had come to the realization that aside from her own bad experiences she didn't know anything about the land or it's inhabitants. She thought she saw Longshot sigh, and for a moment she didn't think he'd answer.

"I never went there."

"Oh, so why do you say you're Fire Nation then? I mean, you grew up in the Earth Kingdom and your mom was Earth Kingdom."

"We followed Fire Nation traditions at home," he explained, shifting completely sideways so they could see each other better, without Bee potentially falling out of her hammock. "I'm not ashamed of who I am."

"So, did your dad ever talk about the Fire Nation?"

"Yes. He said it was hot and humid. There were lots of volcanoes and the food was much spicier than it is here."

"Would you ever go there?"

"Maybe when the war is over."

"I've always wanted to go to Taku," she admitted suddenly. It didn't seem fair, learning so much about Longshot's life before her and not telling anything of her own.

Why?

"Dad always said it was once a great city, the centre of commerce, but it was one of the first cities to be destroyed at the beginning of the war because of it's close proximity to the Fire Nation. It's just ruins now, but I always wanted to see it. Maybe after the war people will go and live there again, rebuild it."

"You were close."

"He was all I had. My mom was killed as a warning when I was just a baby. Dad took me far away and trained me to be strong, to not be a victim and to fight for what was right. We kept bees and sold the honey in town," she laughed, suddenly remembering a long, forgotten memory. "I called our home 'Smeller Bee Hive', I used to think that the bees smelled for the right flowers." Longshot had one of his 'ghost smiles' as she called them; she could tell he was smiling, but to everyone else nothing had really changed.

Tell me more?

Smellerbee told him about her training and about Aunt Rukia, about how she was supposed to be like a tigerswan and about how she didn't have any friends growing up. Longshot listened the whole time, even when she came clean about the amount of blood she had on her hands. She was starting to fall asleep when she realized one thing she hadn't told him. The room was dark now, making it impossible to see if Longshot was awake or not and she didn't want to actively wake him if he was sleeping. Instead she whispered one last thing before rolling over and going to sleep.

"I used to be called Hachi."

*****

The next few days passed slowly, Jet would come in late at night and leave again before dawn. He barely spoke to them when he was there and they could see he was starting to get tired.

On their fourth night in Ba Sing Se they decided to try reasoning with him again.

"Jet, we need to talk," Smellerbee said as she and Longshot walked up behind him in the alley he was always spying in.

"What? Oh great, it's you guys," Jet said turning around to face them for the first time in what felt like forever. "Where have you been? I could use some help with surveillance here."

"We've been talking, and we think you're becoming obsessed with this. It's not healthy."

"Oh, really? You both think this?" She could see that Jet was beginning to get defensive again, but the warm weight of Longshot's hand on her shoulder and his silent agreement kept her temper in check.

"We came here to make a fresh start, but you won't let this go. Even though there's no real proof!" she explained, trying to keep calm, but firm. Someone had to be the voice of reason, she gestured at the tea shop across the street to emphasis her point. He'd been watching Lee and Mushi for how long now and seen nothing, even after stealing their spark rocks and other minor annoyances.

"Well, maybe if you'd help me-"

"Jet," she cut him off. "You've gotta stop this."

"Maybe you've forgotten why we need to start over. Maybe you've forgotten about how the Fire Nation left us all homeless! How they wiped out all the people we loved. If you don't want to help me, I'll get the evidence on my own." She looked down guiltily as Jet stalked off towards the tea shop. She didn't forget, she still was angry at the soldiers who had hurt her, but that was just it. She was mad at the soldiers, the ones who had actually done it. Lee and Mushi, whether they were Fire Nation or not,  hadn't done anything to her.

"Are we wrong?" Smellerbee asked, looking up at Longshot for reassurance, he gave her shoulder a squeeze and shook his head.

No, I don't think we are. They waited outside, hoping Jet would come to his senses and come home when suddenly a fight broke out and they saw Jet and Lee dueling in the street. Smellerbee reached for her own weapons to help, but her side was empty. They had agreed to leave their weapons at home, Longshot still wore his quiver out of habit, but he had no bow.

The pair watched helplessly as their friend fought Lee, calling accusations and trying to taunt him into bending.

"Arrest them. They're firebenders," Jet ordered as robed men appeared, she had heard about them. They were the Dai Li, and you didn't want to do anything to cross them.

This poor boy is confused," Mushi pleaded. "We're just simple refugees."

"This young man wrecked my tea shop, and assaulted my employees."

"It's true sir. We saw the whole thing. This crazy kid attacked the finest tea maker in the city." Smellerbee shook her head, begging any spirit who may be listening for the Dai Li to let Jet go with a warning.

"Come with us son," one of the agents said and for a split second she thought maybe things would be okay. Jet would tell them what he saw and let them take care of it like he promised. Instead Jet swung his sword at the guard, who caught it in his hand and disarmed him. Smellerbee shook her head as the bound Jet and dragged him towards a wagon, there wasn't anything they could do now except hope that maybe after Jet calmed down they'd let him go.

"You don't understand! They're Fire Nation! You have to believe me!" Jet yelled as he was tossed into the wagon, without a word Longshot and Smellerbee headed home, she had a feeling that this was the beginning of the end.