Eclipse (Avatar the Last Airbender)

Chapter 11: Farewell

Miyuki stared at the sun from the shore and stretched her arms. She was weary from all the fighting, but it was finally over. She had accomplished what she came to do, and now— at long last— it was time to head back out. She lost track of Zuko and Iroh at some point in the middle of all the confusion, but there was no doubt in her mind that she would manage to track them down once again with relative ease. Besides, it was better to leave with the Water Tribe from here than it was to simply disappear once again, especially given the fact that the elderly waterbending master was the one who had invited her to join them.

Apparently, his goal was to travel to the Southern Tribe and lend them aid in recovery. While she had little intention of staying with them for very long, it was a cause that she could devote herself to if necessary at the very least. Plus, without her, she doubted that they would have a very easy time navigating the oceans, which were constantly under patrol by the Fire Nation navy. She had, of course, taken note of whenever they passed Fire Nation ships at sea, and perhaps stolen a glance to two at maps marked with the usual patrol routes when she was still traveling with Zuko. A certain calm washed over her as she sorted the list of tasks in her mind.

A glimpse of a familiar figure walking towards her was a welcome surprise. The young man standing in front of her, her childhood friend, took a good look at her. "I was busy in the back manning the turrets, but I heard that you and Master Pakku were basically fighting at the same level."

She smiled wryly. "'Basically the same' isn't truly the same though, is it?"

"That's our Miyu. Always shooting for perfection." Kyo laughed. "I'm no master, so I guess I can't say, but you're not as experienced as he is. Still, I think it's impressive that you were nearly at the same level, all things considered."

She sighed. "I guess I'll take what I can get."

He was quiet for a long moment. "Are you sure I can't convince you to stay? Even for a little longer?" he asked. "I know that I can't offer you much. I can't promise that you'll be able to see the world or that you'll never be bored, but I'm a promising architect. It would be enough to live comfortably."

"Kyo, what exactly-"

"I like you. I always have." He laughed wryly. "I didn't notice until you left, but I like you. A lot."

The confession came to her as a bit of a shock, but if she was being honest, she may have had the same feelings for him as recently until just a year ago. Still, the fact remained that those feelings were no longer there. She hardly needed the time to consider what her answer was, it was the phrasing that took her a moment. 

"It's not that you're lacking," she began firmly. "Still, I am sorry. I just don't think anyone or anything can convince me to stay here anymore. There are things I still have to do and see out there, and I won't ever be content leaving them unfinished."

He managed to crack a smile then. "That's our Miyu alright, always aiming for perfection."

She looked at him carefully, taking in the blue-gray color of his eyes and the way that his smile looked so sad upon further observation. "It's not your fault," she continued, "I just don't like the way that I feel when I'm here. I'm always on guard and fighting to give off a particular sort of impression here. And I know that this place won't stay like this forever and I probably won't either, but for now, my role lies somewhere else."

She thought that she had gotten over whatever it was about this place that made her feel so off, but apparently not. Apparently, she needed more time until she could come to terms with that.

Her friend nodded, and his eyebrows drew together. It looked as though he was holding back tears. "So when do you set off?"

"Later today."