Northern Water Tribe: The Children Meet

"Kiari.. where are your parents? Aren't they worried?" Rikka suddenly asked him. Kiari's calm eyes fell on her, deep in thought. In all actuality, the only 'parent' he probably had now was his sister, Tekara. For some reason she'd run away and taken him with her two years ago, when he was four. Kiari still remembered his mother's warmth and kindness. His father was a stricter, harsher man though, wasn't he?

He pulled out of his thoughts when he heard Rikka and Haru discussing some kind of punishment. Did it have something to do with him? Kiari's brow furrowed. He'd already had to watch Haru get yelled at and cry, he didn't want to see anything else happen to her.

Suddenly he heard Haru's auntie's heavy footsteps. They were menacing and scared him, and he almost hid again. But he knew he'd never have time to. Her aunt's eyes fell on him. "Who is this? Why have you brought a stranger in my house? ...You did this didn't you, Haru! He must be the one you bended infront of! Get over here! I should just spank you infront of him."

Haru was obviously terrified. "But auntie! He's my friend.. He wouldn't tell."

As Kiari expected, her auntie wasn't hearing any of it. "I warned you! If you messed up!" She came over to Haru, and Kiari feared what'll happen next. He covered his ears as Haku was getting spanked, and eventually closed his eyes.

Still, he couldn't quite stifle her screams. He didn't remember spankings when he was younger; he never needed them. But Tekara said she got them. Before he knew it, tears bubbled up. He opened his eyes again, wide and afraid. And curled into a tight ball.

((OOC: Hmm... it brings back memories...))

Rikka stared, then yelled, "Don't you dare touch her!" Rikka grabbed Haru, picking her up and by now Fai was awake from the cries. The aunt slapped Rikka, "You are under my roof!"

Rikka stared at the aunt, "Leave. This is my mother's old house and it was left to us, not you. You have no right to stay here anymore. We don't need you!"

The aunt blinked, now desparate to stay, "Oh.. Rikka, you don't mean that..! I was just playing around with Haru, nothing meaningful!" Fai roared, "She said leave." The aunt stared, then went upstairs to get her belongings. Rikka put Haru down, silent. Fai looked at Rikka, then Kiari. "Rikka, are you sure about this though..?" Rikka yelled, "I have an idea.."

(( Rikka never did like their 'aunt.' haha~ btw Haru, where's Fray, your Lynx?))

Kiari scooted beside Haru, wiping the tears from his eyes. He'd been so scared, he didn't know what to do. He'd never witnessed someone get spanked in front of him before, except that time where he went to a daycare in Ba Sing Se. He didn't know those kids very well, but he knew Haru. Haru was his friend.

"Haru, Haru," he called. She looked awful and pained. He gazed at Fai and Yukina gratefully, then back to Haru. "Are you okay, Haru?"

Haru's aunt weld on Haru as she lied across her knee. She cried out, each hit more painful than the last. Then her sister, Rikka, stared and yelled, "Don't you dare touch her!" Rikka grabbed Haru, picking her up and by now Fai was awake from the cries. The aunt slapped Rikka, "You are under my roof!"

Rikka stared at the aunt, "Leave. This is my mother's old house and it was left to us, not you. You have no right to stay here anymore. We don't need you!" Haru sat in Rikka's arms, crying as the hits still stung.

The aunt blinked, now desperate to stay, "Oh.. Rikka, you don't mean that..! I was just playing around with Haru, nothing meaningful!" Fai roared, "She said leave." The aunt stared, then went upstairs to get her belongings. Rikka put Haru down on the floor next to her. Once her feet touched the ground, Haru wobbled and fell to her knees in pain.

Fai looked at Rikka, then Kiari. "Rikka, are you sure about this though..?" Rikka yelled, "I have an idea.."

Haru was scared and tears shedding endlessly from her eyes. She felt Kiari move over to her. He was sniffling and wiping his own tears from his eyes. She would had stopped to wonder why he was crying too but the pain was rough and throbbing.

"Haru, Haru," Kiari said looking at her. Haru was struggling to catch her breath. She tucked her head into her arms. "Are you okay, Haru?" He asked. She gave a slight nod unable to talk through the tears.

Fai looked at Rikka, "So what's your idea.. " Rikka looked at him, "I... don't know yet.. Uhh.. Kiari.. do you want to stay the night..? Heh.. I can cook." Rikka give a slight smile then looked at Fai. Rikka thought Haru could use a good friend to play with for the time being.

The aunt slowly walked down the stairs and left the house. Rikka looked at Haru and Kiari, even Fai! "Just cause our.. only guardian has left... Doesn't mean there aren't rules. First of all, I'm in charge. And if anything is to happen to me, Fai. And if Fai is no where around, that you are in some trouble." Rikka laughed. Fai yawned, "I say it's nap time.."

Rikka sighed, not knowing what to do at the moment of being the eldest in the house.

Kiari had not slept since the rebellion, which occured an entire two days before. He felt the weight of exhaustion pulling at him, but shrugged it off. He wouldn't fall asleep until Haru did. Kneeling in front of her, he leaned in really close, trying to see how heavily she was trying.

"Don't cry, Haru," she told her. His eyes glanced around until they fell on the beautiful, large, gem-like orb of ice he'd created for her. It was starting to melt, so he refroze it and held it in front of her. "Here," he said. "Your gift."

Haru looked up, still struggling for breath and looked at the orb. Sh took it into her hands, hugging it, and then looking up at Kiari giving his a thankful glance. She started to wipe her eyes with her sleeve, stuttering in the breath. She then looked up at her big sister and hugged her near by leg, sniffling.

Their aunt came back down stairs, all of her thing where packed in 2 bags. She started at the 3 children. "You are all idiotic children and good for nothing mixed-blood!" She hissed glaring at Rikka the most. "You will regret you choice. You will find out I do More for you two than you think."

Kiari watched as Haru took the gift, smiling softly down at her. The girl hugged her sister's leg, something Kiari remembered doing, when he was still very young, to Tekara. The likeness between them was appalling, and Kiari had to smile at that.

But his smile suddenly disappeared as his keen ears caught the sound of footsteps. Haru's mother had returned, her things packed in two individual bags. "You are all idiotic children and good for nothing mixed-blood!" she raged. "You will regret your choice. You will find out I do more for you two than you think."

Kiari did not like this woman. Although she was an adult, he had the impression that her displeasure with Haru wasn't all parental. He looked up at Yukina. "She's... gone?" she wondered.

Haru Hide behind her sisters leg as her Aunter eyes moved to her and squented. "You never be part of our tribe and a out cast your whole life." Her harsh words forced there way into the childerns ears. She then looked at looked at the young boy next to Haru. "Good job sonny. You broke up our family b/c of your idiotic choice. I hope your happy with it, you brat." she growled before stomping into the kitchen((which is where the front door is located)). There was a loud slaming niose in the kitchen and leaks of soup slimed out of the kitchen and onto the floor. She then walked out of the door and slaming it behind her.

Haru's eyes were wide at she watched her aunt. Her arms squeezed the Rikka's leg,cutting off the blood. Her eye flinched at the pot in the kitchen area was flung from the tee and again after her aunted slamed the door. Once she was gone, Haru looked over at Kiari, thinking back to the unforgivble words that her aunt said. "Kiari.." She whispered horsly.

Kiari sat quietly, numbly, as the woman went on, "You'll never be part of our tribe and a out cast your whole life," she said to Haru. It was making Kiari sad, how the woman treated her niece.

He'd never expected her to acknowledge him, however. To turn and speak to him at all. She fixed her hard, mean glare at him, and said, "Good job, sonny. You broke up our family because of your idiotic choice. I hope your happy with it, you brat."

Kiari's body temperature lowered sharply; his blood practically turned to ice. His eyes were wide as he absorbed what the woman said. She slammed the door as she left. The soup sizzled when it touched the floor. Haru's eyes fell on him. His wide, violet eyes. His trembling body. "Kiari.." she whispered hoarsely.

He hardly heard her. Was all of this really really his fault? If he hadn't spoken to Haru and made her show him her technique... he should have realized she wasn't supposed to because of those kids and --

He stopped. He didn't need to think anymore. Kiari started to cry; long, slow, languid tears. He buried his face in his lap and cried silently. No sound at all. His voice had just stopped; what was the point of talking anyway? No one had said something like that to him before. Something so cruel and mean. It tore his heart to pieces.