With some finagling, Yui had managed to gain passage for herself and Mikoto from Kyoshi to the South Pole, as well as get some winter gear for the both of them. Too many people were taking an interest in the child, and she didn’t like that, especially now that Longshot and Smellerbee had left them behind.

And her hair wouldn’t be able to protect her from the chill, either.

Yui’s original plan had been to disguise herself as a boy, and thus she’d bought men’s clothing in her size and cut off her hair. Then she realised the flaw in her plan, too late.

Despite Yui’s careful planning, the various people pursuing the boy managed to follow them onto the boat. They made themselves known the fourth day out, when Yui and Mikoto could no longer run. The young woman tried her best, however, which lead to a confrontation on the bow of the craft, Mikoto behind her, Yui doing her best to keep them away from him.

And then a massive fluffy monster landed with a crash between her and her attackers, and a slight young man jumped off of its head and blasted the attackers off their feet with a gust of wind. “Get on!” he shouted back at the two of them.

Yui didn’t hesitate; turning and snatching Mikoto up in her arms, she muttered a prayer and ran up the beast’s tail, hoping to get enough purchase to reach the saddle several feet over her head. The beast raised its tail to help her. Once the two fugitives were safely aboard, the slight young man leapt back to his position and the giant beast launched itself into the air.

“Mito, are you all right?” she asked the little boy quietly. He nodded, wide-eyed, clinging to her. She hugged him close and stroked his hair, then looked to their saviour. “Thank you.”

“No problem,” he said, turning back and grinning at the two of them. “You two okay?”

“Just a little scare, right, Mito?”

The boy nodded, still clinging to her, and not-quite-staring at their rescuer.

The rescuer, however, had definitely noticed him, and his eyes widened. “Um, I guess you’re Yui?” he asked her, after a few seconds. “‘Cause, if you are, your brothers’re looking for you.”

“Yes, I’m Yui. And this is Mito.” She smiled in relief. “I knew Ichiro’d start looking.”

“And I’m Aang,” the young man replied, bowing from the waist. “We’re gonna head to Omashu. That’s where we all split up to cover more ground.”

“Oh, you’re the one who took Kouji.” Yui grinned. “You made his fondest wish come true, you know.”

“What’s that?” he asked, curious.

“Flying on a sky bison. You should have seen him the night dad brought him home from the circus. Bison this and got away that…”

Aang grinned. “Well, he’s got a dragon now, and Qiang’s more than big enough to carry him.”

“I know. I dream it sometimes.”

“Neat!” He turned most of his attention back to where they were flying, now and then sneaking back glances at Mikoto, who, after about five or ten minutes of flight, had at least partially disengaged from Yui and was watching the sky drift by around them.

Yui kept one amber eye on the child, but eventually she asked, “Why do you keep staring at him?”

“He looks a lot like Zuko,” Aang said. “A lot. Just smaller and not scarred.”

“…that’s an odd coincidence,” Yui said, glancing at Mikoto.

He was leaning over the edge of the saddle, one hand holding onto the rim and the other clinging to Appa’s fur for balance, staring down at the ground.

“Yeah… coincidence…” Aang said, doubtfully, then turned forward again.

Yui moved to keep one hand on Mikoto’s shoulder. “Do you like flying?” she asked him.

He thought about it for a minute, then nodded.

“That’s good.” She ruffled his hair. “Have you ever been to Omashu?”

He shook his head. “Just the house with Mommy and then all over with you.”

“Omashu’s really neat,” she promised him, then began to tell him about the mail system. “Rumour has it that it makes a great slide.”

“Can we go down it?” he asked, bouncing a little and almost falling out of the saddle.

“We’ll have to ask, but I think it’d be fun, don’t you?” She smiled at him.

He nodded enthusiastically and grinned back up at her. Yui laughed and ruffled his hair again. “I wish I could keep you. You’d be an adorable little brother.”

“Why can’t you?” he asked, turning around to sit down so he was less likely to fall out of the saddle.

“…you know, I don’t know,” she said thoughtfully. “Zuko kept Kouji, after all.”

“Who’s Kouji?”

“Kouji’s my twin. I told you about him earlier, remember? The earthbender?”

“…Oh. Right.” He frowned at his hands.

“And Ichiro’s the firebender,” she continued, hoping to distract him before he got confused again. He nodded, still frowning at his hands. Apparently, it was a bit late for staving off confusion. Damn it. “Mito?”

“Yeah?”

“Are you all right?”

He nodded. “Just… the guards always said…”

“I think they were lying, Mito,” she told him softly, sadly. “I’m sorry.”

“Why?”

Aang, a little embarrassed to be on the sidelines of what was obviously intended to be a private conversation, kept his eyes forward and did his best not to listen in.

“I don’t know,” Yui replied. “I don’t know why they would lie to you about that. I wish I did, so I could give them a piece of my mind.” Her amber eyes flashed.

“They said, when I grow up, I have to fix it,” Mikoto said after a minute.

“…Fix it? How? Why?”

He shrugged. “They just said I had to fix it. Make it the way it’s s’posed to be again.” After another minute, he whispered, too quiet for Aang to hear above the wind, “What’s war?”

Yui’s eyes widened, and she softly explained it to him.

He looked more and more horrified, golden eyes growing wider and wider, as she went on. “Why would they want me to start one?”

She hugged him then, holding him close to her. “Because they’re wicked people,” she said firmly. He clung back to her, fighting back tears, wishing he was still a baby and allowed. Gently, Yui stroked his hair. “I won’t let them near you again, Mikoto,” she whispered. “I promise. You won’t have to start any wars.”

“Good.”

Yui rocked him and softly began to sing to him again.

“Deta deta tsuki ga

“Marui marui manmarui

“Bon no you na tsuki ga…”*

As on the first night, he fell asleep curled up in her lap, and now she turned to the Avatar. “Why would they want a five-year-old to start a war?” she asked him.

“…Have you ever heard of the Róng Yào ?” Aang asked her, after thinking for a minute of how best to explain.

“…is that the name for the guys with the flame emblem?”

He nodded. “Yeah. They’re a group of ultra-nationalists from the Firenation.”

“But why Mito?” She looked down at him and stroked his hair. “He’s only five — and they were taking him from his mother.”

“Because… well, because they think he’s Zuko’s kid,” the Avatar replied.

Yui’s jaw dropped. “Spirits,” she breathed, then her eyes widened. “Oh, no… is that why those men were so interested in him?”

Aang nodded. “Probably.”

Amber eyes narrowed to slits. “Poor kid…”

The Avatar just nodded again.

Current Location: my bed
Current Mood: cheerful
Tags: au, avatar, blood ties, fanfic

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