Fire Queen

chapter 23

"Tell me about life on the island," Hiroto asked laying next to the river, with his wet hair slicked back.

Ryu put her head back in the water for a second and then pulled herself up again.
"Why do we always end up talking about me and my past, what about your childhood?" Ryu asked, swimming to him.

"Because my childhood was boring, there is nothing to tell really" he replied shifting to his side so he can see Ryu.

"Come on, there have to be funny stories, everyone made fool of themselves when they were young, tell me about yours"

"There is nothing to tell really, my parents died when I was young, leaving me responsible for an infant and a crappy bar, and that's what my childhood looked like, bar and the monkey I raised"

"That sound Painful," Ryu said putting her wet hair up.

"No, why painful?" He asked confused.

"Not getting the chance to be a child, to live carefree, to not worry about the cruel realities of the world, sounds painful to me" Ryu replied getting out of the water.

He grabbed his shirt and spread it on the floor for Ryu to sit on. "Here the ground is dirty"

"You are laying on it" Ryu smiled.

"No, it's not dirty for me, I was raised in it" he fixed the shirt a little more. Ryu choose to accept this kind gesture

" I was raised in the dirt too, just different dirt"

"I don't think it was painful, I think I got something different from the rest that doesn't have to be bad"

"You don't think being buried under responsibility was bad?" Ryu asked, laying next to him.

"No, on the contrary, I found it helping me, It kept me busy when I needed it, if I had too much time on my hands I would have gone insane, losing my parents, the war everything would have derived me insane"

He pulled some grass from their roots and threw them at Ryu, "How dare you, I am the Queen of fire nation you know?" Ryu put her hand on her heart offended making him laugh.

"You highness here is some more," he said throwing some more grass. Making Ryu throw some at him.

"You know?" he said laying back down and looking at the sky with little clouds now starting to form.

"I think my little brother thinks that I was the one who saved him, but in reality he saved me, taking care of him made me want to live"

"I think," Ryu said making a small grass mountain on Hiroto's chest "It's beautiful, you kept him alive and he gave you the love you needed to stay alive, too brothers against the cruel world"

The mountain of grass moved as Hiroto let out a little laughter "See you don't talk like the rest" earning a little slap from Ryu on his arm.

"Ouch," He picked himself up making the piled-up grass fall from his chest.

"That's it, your Highness I think you need to cool down," Hiroto said standing up, he grabbed Ryu by her waist

"Nooo" Ryu screamed getting what he was planning.

"I am sorry" Ryu screamed trying to escape his grip.

"Not too little, too late," Hiroto said pushing Ryu into the River.

Hiroto waited on the shore for Ryu to swim up, but she didn't. After a few seconds, Hiroto started to get worried pacing around and calling Ryu's name.

After a few minutes, Hiroto decided to jump in, under Water Hiroto desperately looked around for Ryu and found her sitting on the floor of the river, calmly smiling.

They both swim up, "What the hell Ryu" Hiroto yelled.

"What? I thought I should cool down" Ryu smiled innocently.

"Unbelievable" Hiroto screamed getting out of the water.

"What, come on it was a joke" Ryu tried to explain following close behind.

"I was scared, Ryu I thought I hurt you," He said grabbing his shirt off the floor to dry his hair.

"That was the joke," Ryu said turning him to her, "Come on, don't be mad"

"I am not mad at you," He said finally looking at Ryu.

"I am angry .......... at myself"

"What why?" Ryu asked shocked.

"Because I didn't think it through, I could have hurt you, I allowed myself to do something that might have hurt you" Ryu could see anger in his eyes.

"But you didn't"

"But I could have," He replied putting on the shirt.

"Come on I am not as fragile as I look, I am a fully trained soldier, believe it or not, I was considered a master of my craft in my village" Ryu tried to argue with him.

"It's not about your strength but my actions" he ran his hands through his hair.

"Just forget it, Ryu, let's get you home it's about to rain" just as he said it, |Ryu felt a drop of rain on her forehead.

"Too late," Ryu said wiping her head,

"I wonder if it's the first drop of rain, in my village, we call the first drop of rain the source of luck"

"It might be" Hiroto smiled as the rain started to pour heavily.

Ryu grabbed her clothes from the floor and put them on. "Here take it," Hiroto said offering his jacket

"No, I like feeling the rain on my skin" Ryu smiled.

As they slowly walked in the rain toward the town again, from time to time Hiroto turned to Ryu to find her smiling at the sky with rain drops brushing down her cheeks turned red from the cold.

"You know," Ryu said breaking the silence, "I know how it feels"

"What?" Hiroto asked, turning to Ryu who is staring at him now, Focused on the drop of rain slowly sliding down from his forehead

"To have a childhood buried under the weight of responsibilities, with being the only eligible candied for the chair of the chief"

"And was it painful?" he asked still looking ahead.

"No, I think now I understand after listening to your story, how much I needed this responsibility, after I lost my family, the responsibility of the village was the only thing keeping me out of my bed and on my feet"

"What a tragedy, some need the overwhelming pressure to keep them going" he let out a little sarcastic laugh.

"What a tragedy" Ryu repeated his words.

"Do you think we still need that kind of pressure to keep us going?" he asked after a little period of silence.

"I think we do, I have this urge in me that pushes me to go and take responsibility for the whole world, of the fire nation's actions even if I don't have to"

"What a tragedy, I pray to whoever is willing to listen up there, that the Queen someday knows the peace of a satisfied heart"

Hiroto prayed to look at the sky as clouds started to clear up.

"The Queen?" Ryu laughed.

"Yes, Long live the Queen!" he said raising his fist in the air.

"Hey, stop" Ryu tried to put his arm down, as they are almost about to enter the city.

"Long Live the Queen!"

"Long Live the Queen!"

"Long live the Queen!" 

.................................................................

I have no idea where I should go with the story line.

So yeah, I guess long live the queen.

.A