Eclipse (Avatar the Last Airbender)

Chapter 9: Ebb

As a child, Miyuki remembered thinking that she wished she could dance on moonbeams. During the day, the streets of Agna Qel'a had always been too crowded for her liking, so she had taken to midnight strolls even as a child. As she glided through the now empty streets, Miyuki wondered if this was as close as she would get to achieving that childhood wish.

Midnight was the perfect time to practice her bending undisturbed, and while she didn't particularly need the practice, it had been a while since she had snow and ice so readily available for her to bend. Not to mention the fact that for the first time since she arrived she felt free of all the stares and whispers that seemed to follow her wherever she went.

It used to bother her quite a bit, and she had taken to playing the good girl to try to get them to back off in those days. If there was one good thing that came out of all the trouble that Hahn caused for her, it was the fact that she no longer had some impeccable image to hold up. All the anxiety and pressure that she used to feel over that was long gone. She still didn't like the attention she was getting, but that was just something to work on. Other people's opinions of her shouldn't affect her at all, good or bad.

Miyuki sighed. This was why she needed this walk. She needed to clear her head. There were other, more important, things to focus on at the moment. She rounded the corner that led to the entrance of her secret bending spot before stopping abruptly when she found a familiar figure waiting for her.

He grinned easily when he met her gaze. "I thought you'd be going for a walk, Miyu."

She punched her friend's arm. "For a moment, I thought I needed to find a new bending spot. What are you doing here?"

"I was hoping we could catch up. I'm busy during normal hours with my job, so now's the only time that we're both free."

She wanted to bend and burn off some steam, but she could do that anytime she wanted. Talking to her friend, on the other hand, was a rare opportunity. "Let's go then."

There were times when she and Kyo would fall into a certain sort of silence, but more often than not, they would talk in hushed voices. He started by asking her about her day and the sparring session that she had with Pakku's students. There was a certain normality to it all, as though this would have been her daily life if she hadn't left.

When they ran out of things to say, he asked her about her time away, prompting her into stories about the strangest job requests she'd taken on before. Seeking out strange pets for wealthy families, finding the secrets behind restaurants' successes, obtaining exam answers... It was a shame that she had to exclude any mention of Zuko, because some of the most interesting things happened when she was with him on his search for the Avatar. Regardless, Kyo seemed amused enough with the stories that she could provide without omitting any details.

It was admittedly fun traversing the moonlit streets of her hometown with her childhood friend again, but something about it felt lacking. She wasn't sure why this was the case or exactly what the cause of it was, but that was that. Something was missing.

She cast a glance at her childhood friend, and he smiled at her warmly when he caught her looking at him. "I know that you're planning on a short stay, but I'm glad you're back, Miyu. I missed this, you know? I missed you."

She couldn't help the laughter that bubbled past her lips. "Yeah? You know, I'm surprised I've managed to retain such a strong presence despite the fact that I haven't even been anywhere near here in almost a year. The rumors about me are seemingly endless." She rolled her eyes. "A child asked me today if it was true that I ran away to marry an earthbender, and then his friend corrected him and said that I ran away to marry into a wealthy Earth Kingdom family."